Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Genius Divine Archer Who Became a One-Man Legion
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Crash!
"You bastards! You bastards!"
"So hurry up and stamp that fingerprint!"
The thugs who barged into Walter's smithy immediately started smashing everything in sight.
Walter tried his best to stop them, but there was no way he could hold off a gang from the back alleys.
"Hey, old man. How about we smash your wrists so you can never swing a hammer again?"
"That's a good idea. We could just wreck one finger, right? You won't be holding a hammer once this smithy changes hands anyway. Heh heh heh!"
The eight thugs surrounded Walter, bursting into mocking laughter.
There was no backing down for them anymore.
But at that moment,
Thwip!
"Gah!"
An arrow flew through the smithy door and struck one of the thugs right in the throat.
"Ilon!"
They soon realized it was a blunt arrow that had hit Ilon in the neck.
Seeing him collapse unconscious, the other thugs whirled around with furious roars.
"Who the hell are you!"
"You got a death wish or something!"
The thugs bellowed at the crowd gathered in front of the smithy.
Did some potbellied nobody dare touch them?
Then, someone shot out from the crowd, kicked off the ground, and leaped into the air.
Thud!
Lian, mid-jump, slammed his foot into the chest of the thug at the front.
Shing.
He then snatched a longsword from the wall and pressed it under the neck of another thug.
"Move a muscle, and this one's head comes off."
"You little brat!"
"You think you'll get away with touching us!"
Lian's eyes turned ice-cold.
He had come to resolve the issue, but seeing Walter beaten and mocked ignited a surge of rage.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Wh-what...!"
They flinched at his question.
No, it was the look in Lian's eyes as he stared them down.
'Th-that kid's gaze...'
'Is that how soldiers look...?'
Gulp.
Paralyzed by his murderous glare, they stood frozen in place.
They had no choice.
Screwing up this job would mean big trouble.
"The one who sent you is Hilterson, right?"
"How did you...?"
"Walter, how much do you owe Hilterson?"
"Tw-two thousand gold."
The crowd outside the smithy began murmuring at Walter's words.
"Two thousand gold? Those damn extortionists."
"Walter borrowed less than two hundred gold!"
"Those swindling bastards!"
Public outrage was inevitable.
It was only natural.
That's just how Hilterson operated.
"Let's go. I'll pay off that debt."
"...What?"
"Tell Hilterson we'll settle it. I'm paying up."
The thugs could only gulp and exchange glances at Lian's words.
* * *
"Hmm~."
Hilterson was in high spirits.
He whistled a cheerful tune.
Why wouldn't he be?
He was finally getting his hands on that thorn in his side, old man Walter's smithy.
'Without that geezer, I can monopolize the smithies in Bellotra. Heh heh heh.'
Hilterson mainly ran a loan shark business, but he had a sharp mind for various ventures.
Among them, his big push into smithies kept getting blocked by that pest Walter.
"Heh heh! But why the hell are these idiots taking so long?"
They left ages ago.
Were they still struggling with just that one old man?
Hilterson paced the room anxiously.
"Master Hilterson!"
Someone burst into the room.
He opened the door to see a servant rushing up.
"Ult's gang is back."
"The contract? Did they get the fingerprint?"
"Th-that's..."
The servant's troubled expression creased Hilterson's brow.
He stepped outside and spotted a boy standing with Ult's gang.
"...You must be that squad leader soldier?"
"I'm Lian. I'm here to pay Walter's debt."
Lian's resolute gaze made Hilterson's face stiffen slightly, but
"Heh heh, do you even know how much that geezer owes? A whopping..."
Clink.
Lian tossed a pouch onto the floor.
It wasn't large, but the sound it made froze Hilterson's expression.
"...You?"
"Check it."
Hilterson nodded to a nearby servant.
The servant cautiously picked up the pouch and peered inside.
Gasp!
It was filled with gemstones the size of fingernails, sparkling in various colors.
Lian continued immediately.
"Walter's debt is cleared now. Stay away from the smithy."
With that, Lian turned and left. Hilterson stared after him in stunned silence.
"What the hell... is that lunatic?"
He actually paid the two thousand gold?
"Give me that pouch!"
Hilterson snatched it from the servant and looked inside.
Not top-grade, but each gem was worth at least a hundred gold.
And there were twenty of them.
'What a windfall!'
He had invested to expand his business, and two thousand gold came back.
Sure, he didn't get Walter's smithy, but he could torment him some other way.
"Heh heh, who knew luck like this would come my way."
Hilterson couldn't stop laughing as he plotted his next move.
* * *
"You gave him two thousand gold?"
"Yes, in gems."
"But where the hell did you get two thousand gold from!"
Walter shouted at Lian, unable to calm his excitement.
He wondered how a boy like this had such money, but that wasn't the real issue.
"You think he'll just take the money and stop? He'll use it to cause even more havoc."
The aftermath was the problem. But
"Don't worry about that."
"Don't worry...?"
"It's already in motion."
* * *
Boom boom boom boom!
A servant scowled and rushed out at the violent knocking.
"What the—gasp!"
He froze at the sight of the soldiers outside.
At least thirty of them, led by Bellotra's security captain, the mad dog Bolson.
"Wh-why is the security force here...?"
"Search the place top to bottom!"
"Yes, sir!"
At Bolson's shout, the soldiers charged into Hilterson's house.
Hilterson rushed out at the sudden commotion.
"Wh-what the hell is this! Argh! Where do you think you're going!"
"Hilterson, we've received reports of you violating usury laws and extorting people outrageously. True?"
"What nonsense is this? What usury laws have I broken?"
"We'll find out when we check."
Bolson glared at him with bulging eyes.
Hilterson paled under the gaze that seemed ready to devour him, but
"Captain! Found it!"
"...!"
A soldier rushed out with a pouch, shouting.
Hilterson's eyes widened in shock at the sight.
The pouch that had just arrived here.
'N-no way...?'
They were after that...?
Shock flashed across Hilterson's face as Bolson took the pouch from the soldier.
"What's this...?"
No one keeps this much wealth just lying around.
Twenty gems, each worth a hundred gold.
Just as reported.
"Arrest him now! We'll hear the details at the station!"
* * *
"What did you say?"
Walter shot to his feet.
His eyes trembled as he looked at Lian, his raised hand shaking faintly.
"I sent a letter to the unit. Turns out the captain of Bellotra's security force is close with our company commander."
"Such luck..."
Walter sank back into his seat.
Even if resolved, the anxiety he had endured was clear.
'You must have suffered greatly.'
It showed in his reaction alone.
How much he had endured from that scum Hilterson.
"He'll not only repay the money this time, but face judgment for all his past crimes."
"Thank goodness... thank goodness."
Lian smiled at the relieved Walter.
"So, you're starting over now?"
"Damn right. Gotta start fresh! You bought out all my stock, so there's nothing left in this smithy. Ha ha ha!"
Lian turned to look inside the smithy, chuckling at Walter's laughter.
The walls and shelves that had been full of gear were now mostly empty.
Lian began enchanting the equipment he had bought from Walter. And then,
"Please take care of me from now on."
"Likewise. Thanks to you, I get a new life!"
Lian nodded.
'Now... to the Halotian Temple.'
His final errand here.
He set off immediately.
* * *
Eriel was a priestess at the Halotian Temple.
Young in years, but her deep faith had earned her the title of high priestess.
As usual, she prayed before the statue of Peros, the god of war they served.
"Priestess Eriel, a visitor."
"...A visitor?"
Eriel, hands clasped in prayer, turned to the young acolyte.
She nodded.
"Yes, he insists on receiving the sacred blessing from a priest who earned their title here."
"The sacred blessing... Is it some noble's son for his coming-of-age?"
"I'm not sure. You should see for yourself."
"..."
Though puzzled, Eriel followed the acolyte to the lobby at the temple entrance.
"Are you the priestess?"
The boy addressing her.
Eriel looked surprised.
"You're the one seeking the sacred blessing? A boy?"
"I'm Lian. I'd like to receive the sacred blessing."
"Lian...?"
No family name.
A commoner, then?
"I'm sorry to bring up payment first, but do you know the cost for the sacred blessing?"
"I've heard. Fifty gold donated to the temple."
Fifty gold.
Not much for nobles, but a fortune for commoners.
Eriel glanced at the acolyte beside her.
The girl nodded silently.
Already paid.
"If you know... follow this child. You must cleanse yourself before the blessing."
"Yes."
Lian followed the acolyte, washed in the holy water, and changed into white robes.
The airy fabric felt odd, but he soon reached Eriel.
"Shall we begin?"
'This is... where the blessing happens.'
The statue ahead was surely Peros, god of war.
A white magic circle glowed faintly on the floor, and Eriel wore ritual robes of white with white patterns.
"Sit here and close your eyes comfortably."
"Please, I entrust myself to you."
Lian sat.
Eriel knelt before the statue as if in prayer.
The magic circle on the floor began to glow softly.
'Now... it begins.'
The reason he came here.
Lian closed his eyes, envisioning his future.
Mastering the Child Mana Technique, wielding aura. The first step toward becoming a great general started here.