Chapter 27
Chapter 27
Ch. 27 .｡.:✧ Chapter 27 ✧:.｡.
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Therefore, I didn’t express my opinion until the end.
Even after the abnormal circumstances were discovered, the scouting continued.
As Athena said, it could be that predators had descended.
However, the result was simply large-scale.
Gradually, as Athena accumulated scouting experience, she grew, and thanks to that, the scouting speed kept getting faster.
As such, when there was about a week left in the request period, we were able to explore the entire range the lord had requested for scouting.
“This is the last one, right?”
I briefly nodded my head at Athena’s words.
“In the end, we couldn’t find the cause.”
“There’s no need to recklessly go deeper and invite danger.”
We were few in number and had Thea as a weakness, so there was no need to overdo it.
“Then, are you planning to go to that unpleasant cave right away tomorrow?”
The unpleasant cave.
It was the very place where Thea had been cursed.
Since it was within the scouting range, Athena had also seen the entrance.
‘The first thing she said upon seeing it was that it felt unpleasant.’
She said it was ominous.
It was a natural reaction.
‘Magical energy was really faintly flowing out after all.’
The artifact must have weakened because magical energy had been leaking out for such a long time.
“Honestly, I want to tell you not to go, but you’ll go even if I stop you, right?”
“Of course. I learned a lot while tracking the curse. There is something in there that will help me. Definitely.”
I had no intention of simply giving up when I knew there was an opportunity.
Athena, who had been moving her lips for a moment, finally closed her mouth.
“Let’s go back for now. Kayla and Thea must be waiting.”
Since we had told them that the scouting would likely end today, they were probably using up the remaining food.
As expected, as soon as we arrived at the base camp, we could see the usual double portion of prepared food.
“You sure used a lot.”
“Hehe. Because you’ve worked hard all this time. Once you search the cave, we’ll be going back, so what’s the point of keeping the food?”
She was right. Excluding the amount we would eat on the way back, the food we had brought had already run out long ago.
As planned initially, Athena and I supplemented the lacking food through hunting and gathering during breaks in scouting.
“But we still left two days’ worth, so don’t worry and eat.”
Thea jokingly spoke and personally served the food on the bowl we had brought from home, handing it to me.
Perhaps it was thanks to spending about 3 weeks together in a dangerous outside environment. Thea definitely treated me with a comfortable attitude.
‘Although it seems she strictly maintains the line.’
She treats me comfortably, yet never makes a mistake, as if to say she won’t.
“You worked hard too, Sis.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Since we had safely finished the demanding request, Athena’s expression was quite relaxed.
Originally, she would have taken a break once or twice, but she devoted herself crazily to scouting, giving up those breaks, and as a result, we completed the request so quickly, so she must have been satisfied with herself.
On the other hand, Kayla was consuming the food Thea had given her with a firm expression, as if it was just the beginning.
She had to stay at the base camp the entire period because Athena had given up her rest, and other than escorting Thea and simultaneously completing the lacking base camp, she hadn’t done much.
‘To the point of spending her days in almost the same pattern as when she was at home.’
In that slightly improved atmosphere, we ate dinner, and after finishing, Kayla asked me.
“Master. Before going to the cave, is there anything we need to prepare?”
“Not really. We can just go.”
Since I was a Warlock, and the problematic part was the monsters inside, but according to Thea’s words, they weren’t unified monsters, so there wasn’t much to prepare.
“Since we finished the request early, let’s finish it quickly and go back home. You’re also tired of living here, right?”
“…Well, it’s more uncomfortable than home. Thanks to Teacher’s and Thea’s efforts, it’s better than when we first made it, but…”
“I prefer home too.”
The sisters spoke as if it was natural, and Kayla also nodded her head in agreement.
“Then, let’s go early tomorrow. Let’s finish it within a day even if it’s late.”
“Understood. Then, we’ll go to bed early today.”
“Hmm, can’t be helped. Thea, let’s sleep early too. We have to see them off.”
“Okay, Sis. Kayla unnie and Inha, good night.”
We usually rested early, but today was earlier than usual.
In return, Kayla and I were able to depart for the cave before the sun had even risen.
“We’ll be back today, but if things get tangled, we might come back the day after tomorrow. Even if we’re late, don’t come looking for us.”
If we were really late, I told them they could even go back home and stay there.
“I don’t like that.”
Thea firmly said she couldn’t abandon us.
‘It could be heard that way too.’
I had said it thinking that if the Lich’s artifact was difficult to take, we might be late, but now that I think about it, it was a statement with plenty of room for misunderstanding.
“Don’t worry. No matter what happens, I will make sure the master returns.”
‘I shouldn’t have said that.’
It unnecessarily turned into a serious situation.
“…Go.”
Athena and Thea saw us off with needlessly anxious faces, and with the thought that we should return as quickly as possible, we set out.
The location of the cave was quite far, so we had to walk for a long time.
Although Kayla’s pace was on the slow side, now that we had finished scouting and could secure a safe path, the slow speed wasn’t much of a problem.
As we were walking for a long time, Kayla opened her mouth to me.
“Please tell me honestly.”
“About what?”
“That cave, is it a dangerous place?”
…It seemed she was still ruminating on what I had said before leaving.
“No, it’s not. I judge the danger itself to be low. That’s why I said we can go with just the two of us. But there is a possibility that it might take time.”
A slightly late answer.
“…Master.”
“Why?”
“Do you… not trust me or Athena?”
“…I do trust you though?”
I do trust them. I have their weaknesses, and I’ve bestowed favors upon them. I even received an oath, so there’s no reason not to trust them.
“Then, is it because we are lacking?”
“Kayla, what do you want to say?”
“I can understand that you don’t tell us everything. Because you are the leader. However… still… I want to be trusted a little more.”
Kayla was still walking while looking ahead.
“You are a really good person, Master. We haven’t been together for long, but you are so kind that it’s hard to see you as a Warlock.”
“…That’s a misunderstanding. You say that because you still don’t know how cruel of a person I am.”
It would be troublesome if she misunderstood my image. I’m treating them well now, but I can show a cruel side at any time, and if my image is fixed as too kind, they might feel repulsed when they see my future actions.
Fortunately, however, Kayla wasn’t misunderstanding to that extent.
“It’s not that you don’t have that side. You are a Warlock after all. However, at least to the people who have come under your shadow, you are endlessly kind.”
I had no intention of doing mentally deranged things even to my comrades.
I need trustworthy comrades. I’ve finally obtained them. Just because I have their weaknesses in my hands, if I mistreat them, they will only develop a rebellious spirit towards me.
Right now, I’m being very considerate, but that’s only because their situations aren’t that good, and I have no intention of doing this forever.
“You know, I wanted to become a knight.”
Kayla suddenly confessed.
“Not just a knight in name only, doing all those dirty things, but a proper knight who pledges loyalty to a master and is trusted by them.”
But she said she could never become one.
“I was betrayed, my family fell, and I was abandoned. I thought my life was essentially over, but I was able to meet you, Master.”
“If we go through this cave, I heard you can grow even more. Then the day when you fix my leg will also come closer.”
“That’s right.”
“Even if you fail, I won’t resent you. However, if you succeed, and if I become stronger, more useful…”
Kayla looked at me with intense eyes and said,
“Could you trust me a little more?”
“I haven’t forgotten the oath. If you just fix my leg, I will pledge my loyalty to you even in death. But… just a little, please trust me a little more than before. It’s my wish.”
“…It’s not impossible. And I already trust you quite a bit.”
It’s just that I have many secrets that I can’t share with anyone.
“Is that so? I apologize for speaking out of line, Master.”
I didn’t think it was particularly out of line.
I roughly understood why she thought her attitude was out of line.
‘She probably thought she was forcing her master to trust her.’
There was no reason I couldn’t listen to that much.
While listening to Kayla’s confession that wasn’t quite a confession, I inwardly thought that I might have hidden too much.
I had treated them well, but I had thoroughly concealed my information.
On top of that, regarding this cave, I had tightly hidden most of the information about tracking the curse and what I had learned from it…
‘Still, there were things I had bestowed upon them, and they had followed well until now, either because they trusted me as a person or trusted me.’
I thought that in order to have a more solid relationship, I needed to approach them a little as well.
No, to be precise, I don’t think my sense of distance was particularly wrong.
It’s just that Kayla wanted a deeper and more solid relationship than the current one, so she said those words to me.
In other words, the effect was greater than I had expected, so Kayla showed a reaction beyond my expectations.
‘Hmm… It’s not bad.’
Of course, I had no intention of telling them about the regression or future information.
However, showing more trust than now isn’t a difficult task.
Since they were already clinging to me, wanting to get closer, it wasn’t bad to match their feelings.
‘This is also an opportunity, in a way.’
While having such thoughts, we arrived at our destination, and Kayla flinched at the ominous energy.
“…I feel an ominous energy.”
“It’s magical energy. Faint magical energy is leaking out.”
“…Is that so?”
“Let’s rest for a bit and enter right away.”
Since we had come all the way here fully equipped, it was better to take a short rest rather than going in right away.
After a short while, I summoned the skeleton and said,
“You’re familiar with it, right? We’ll move in a formation similar to when we attacked the goblin village.”
I had the skeleton enter the cave interior, and seeing no particular abnormalities, we also advanced into the cave.
The inside of the cave was quite dark.
We lit the torches we had brought and slowly moved while being vigilant of our surroundings.
‘Surprisingly, monsters don’t jump out right away.’
Well, Thea did say she had gone inside for now.
As we went deeper inside, we felt the interior widening.
“…Hasn’t it gotten a bit brighter?”
At Kayla’s words, I suddenly looked around and certainly felt that way.
It was a subtle difference, but the surroundings had definitely brightened.
‘Are there magic lamps inside?’
Speaking of light-emitting monsters, there were wisps, a type of spirit, but they were extremely rare to see, and considering the faint magical energy present throughout the cave, the possibility of wisps being there was close to zero.
Considering it was a place with a Lich’s artifact, the possibility of magic lamps was higher.
Rustle.
At the sound coming from somewhere, we immediately stopped walking.
As we took a defensive stance, the owners of the presence seemed to realize we had noticed them and slowly revealed themselves.
“Kihik…”
“Monsters… orcs and goblins.”
“There are trolls too.”
“…I see. The number… is not large.”
Roughly a little over ten individuals.
A faint magical energy was felt from their bodies.
“They are dominated by magical energy. Were those the ones Thea encountered?”
“…They’re coming.”
In the meantime, the monsters began to charge at us.
“Kihik!”
“Grrr!”
The skeleton took a defensive stance. Unlike before, it didn’t charge first. Although it could have blown them away like before if they were just goblins, this time, various monsters were mixed together, so its movements seemed to focus on protecting the rear.
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