Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Setting Sail
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Returning to Legion, I headed straight for the eastern market. It was the place where those who had managed ingredients under Marquis Pierre had gathered.
Crunch.
I picked up an apple from the stall and handed the owner a single gold coin.
"Is this enough?"
Even if you added up every ingredient on the stall, it wouldn't reach three silvers. Handing over gold for a single apple was tantamount to picking a fight.
'If we're just talking about the price of one apple.'
"More than enough. Please, come inside."
The owner gestured inside the shop with a beaming smile. Following his lead, I headed to the back door.
Pushing open the rickety wooden door produced a clunk, revealing the backyard. And there, I spotted a friend I hadn't seen in a long time.
'Not quite.'
He was too old to call a friend—better to think of him as a colleague.
"Kangradra."
Kangradra, who had been hiding in the shade under a tree, bowed his head.
"You've arrived."
"Sorry to keep you waiting. I ran into a monster horde on the way."
"Not at all. The sunshine and breeze were so pleasant, I lost track of time enjoying them."
He had nothing but kind words for me from the moment we met until now.
"Did everything I asked go smoothly?"
"Yes, without a single miss. Just as you instructed, Master."
"Oh—excellent. Then, shall we start with what you learned about Duchess Katarina?"
Kangradra's eyes flashed as he scanned the surroundings, then drew several daggers from his robe and swiftly killed every visible bird and rat.
Thwack!
"Just in case, I'll keep watch while we talk."
"That works for me."
"If standing is uncomfortable, shall I fetch a chair?"
I leaned against the fruit shop wall and shrugged.
"No need. Just tell me."
"Understood. Then, I'll begin with Duchess Katarina."
He explained everything that had happened in Legion while I was away—who she met, what they discussed, and even the reasons behind it all.
"So, you're saying Duchess Katarina and Marquis Pierre were... involved?"
Kangradra nodded.
"Yes. Rumors say they even have a child together. It seems it happened while he stayed in Legion long-term to become master of the alchemy guild."
"...So, to avenge Marquis Pierre—no, not just that, but to put her son at the head of the Strange Family, she tried to kill me?"
"She never said it outright, but the circumstances point that way."
As expected, this whole affair was Katarina's doing. With Gunter and Hysteria gone, I was the prime heir to the Strange Family, so she moved early.
'Everything's falling into place just as I predicted.'
Not a single piece of the puzzle was missing.
Except...
"Then, the one who tried to kill me at the academy—was that Katarina's man too?"
Kangradra couldn't answer definitively.
"She did order your death, but specified it be carried out in Legion, not the academy."
"When was that?"
"Four days ago."
The day I left Legion, then.
"So why are those Omangseong guys after me?"
"...I heard it's revenge for Baron Monestier."
"They're avenging Monestier?"
"Yes. They were former party members, apparently. And Monestier founded the Omangseong organization."
What kind of group was Omangseong, anyway? I'd never heard of them even in my previous life.
They probably couldn't act freely while Gunter and Hysteria were alive.
'Where did things start going wrong in this incident?'
Not that it was a bad thing.
To me, it was a chance to gain experience against new enemies—a path to growth.
'However.'
As my academy mentor Veratis had said, not everything could be solved with brute force.
With my enemies clear, I needed to proceed with utmost caution.
"Got it. Katarina and Omangseong are definitely my foes now. I'll prepare countermeasures accordingly."
"...Master, there's one more thing I haven't mentioned."
"What is it?"
Kangradra drew a pristine sword from inside his cloak.
"Huh? That's—"
"The sword of Juda, the one who traveled with you. He met Duchess Katarina the day before he vanished."
I already knew that.
Rox had reported it to me.
"What did they talk about?"
"Juda accepted a commission from Duchess Katarina. And he passed it on to Omangseong."
"Juda took the commission... and handed it to Omangseong. Do those Omangseong guys know it's from Katarina?"
"Doesn't seem so. Circumstances suggest the two groups are opposed in nature, forcibly linked through Juda."
Juda—no, Baphomet.
What was that goat thinking, stirring up this mess? He'd tangled the threads of causality into a hopeless knot.
'Damn goat bastard.'
"In any case, those Omangseong guys headed to the tower?"
"Yes, I saw them enter myself."
"Understood. You did well while I was away."
"Not at all. Entrust me with such tasks anytime."
Rox lifted an egg as large as himself and showed it to me.
"Berddin, I went to the place you told me about, and this egg was all there was. Is this what you meant?"
It was an egg so huge you could believe it held a human, not a bird. I lightly stroked its shell and replied to Rox.
"Yes."
"Ha...! Hey, man. If something's heavy to carry, you gotta say so. I had no idea and walked there—nearly killed me!"
"Why didn't you bring a cart?"
"If I'd known it was this big, I would've. Next time you send me on an errand like this, warn me ahead. It was seriously tough."
I gave him a small smile and patted his shoulder lightly.
"Good work. Thanks to you, things are going smoothly."
"...Feels good to hear praise. So, what is this? Why's an egg this big? Got a griffon inside or something?"
I shook my head firmly.
"No."
"Then?"
"A demon."
"Demon?"
"Or maybe an angel."
Rox tilted his head.
He furrowed his brow deeply, as if wondering what nonsense I was spouting.
"Demon or angel?"
"Could be neither. Just... think of it as a weapon that can defy the gods."
"Weapon?"
"Hard to explain in words. Wait until whatever's inside hatches."
"Yeah, guess I have to. What choice do I have if our boss Berddin says wait?"
Cynthia smacked the back of Rox's head.
Smack!
"Don't sass him."
"Ow! What the hell was that for?"
"No matter how close you are to Berddin, you can't act like that. If party hierarchy breaks down, we'll be a rabble on the battlefield too."
"...Ha, women. Who knows what goes through their heads."
Rox rubbed the back of his head with his palm, grumbled, and walked off.
He sat by the window with his back turned, looking sulky. Cynthia quietly pulled a chair up beside me.
Creeeak—
"Mind if I sit?"
Something she didn't need to ask.
She smiled faintly at me.
"Sure."
Her reaction was so different from my previous life that it felt off-putting. Back then, she was the one who rebelled against me and shattered the party's hierarchy.
"I found Bess like you said and passed on the message. They're selecting an elite unit from your home estate to head to the tower."
"When do they leave?"
"The day you told Rox, at lunch. As soon as I mentioned your name, they mobilized without delay."
"I see."
"I see? That's all?"
"What else?"
"I ran around just as much as that potato-head. No—more than him. Not even a 'good job'?"
She wanted a reward?
I took a necklace from the drawer and handed it to her. Not particularly expensive, but imbued with spirit power and bearing the Strange crest—quite useful.
In terms of practicality, it outclassed anything pricey sold in the markets.
"Here."
"...What's this?"
"Payment for your efforts."
"Payment?"
"Yes. You did well while I was gone. Thanks to you, I could leave with peace of mind."
I clasped the necklace around Cynthia's neck. She stepped back in flustered surprise, then averted her gaze and replied.
"Ah, no, I didn't ask for anything like this."
"Want cash instead?"
"No! When did I say I needed money?"
"Your face says you hate it."
"I don't hate..."
Cynthia gripped the pendant tightly and shot up from her seat.
"So, when do we head to the tower?"
"Now."
"Now?"
"Yes, now. We'll leave as soon as supplies are ready. Everyone, gear up by then."
"Not the 21st floor, but the 41st?"
Amon, the tower gatekeeper, asked me.
"Yes. You said it yourself, didn't you? I could go to the 41st floor with five companions."
This was what Amon had told me on my first visit. My past record was the 81st floor—half that, the 41st, with companions.
'Of course.'
I hadn't explained this to the others. Too much to recount, and Cynthia, who followed a different god, wouldn't believe it anyway.
'Doesn't matter.'
All that mattered was whether I could reach the 41st floor.
"Understood. Then, I'll send Berddin-nim's entire party to the 41st floor of the tower, the Njord Coast."
Cynthia jumped in shock, grabbing my shoulder.
"41st floor? Isn't he mistaken?"
"No, it's right. I asked to be sent there. Our goal at the tower is to aid my father."
"Ahhh, no! We've only cleared up to the 20th so far!"
"That's why I found a way to jump straight to the 41st. And it worked, as he just said."
Cynthia bit her lip hard. I knew why she reacted that way.
Between the 21st and 31st floors.
Her target—a criminal she had to capture on orders from the Papal Court—was there.
"We'll hit the 21st after this is done. Keep that in mind."
"Uh... so we'll go back down?"
"Yes. Think of this as a special case."
Cynthia sighed in relief and stepped back.
Amon grinned at us, raised his staff high, and said,
"Then... have a pleasant journey."
A flash burst before my eyes.
Flash!
When I opened them, the sound of waves filled my ears, and a vast sea stretched into view.
Whoosh—