Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: The Exploration Team Leader
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Lorraine followed me all day.
She also acted as my guide from time to time.
“That’s the ancient artifact research lab. When you find an artifact, you take it there.”
“The smokestack is huge, right? That’s because it’s the magic stone processing plant. You need incredibly high heat to increase a magic stone’s capacity and output.”
“This is the Magic Armor design room. What’s designed here is built next door in the Magic Armor production workshop.”
Rumble—
Carrying these many buildings, the steel wheels known as crawler treads crushed the mountain as they advanced.
The pace wasn't fast, as they stopped intermittently to conduct surveys and measurements.
It seemed we would reach the ruin's entrance around the assembly time Eodran had mentioned earlier.
And it looked like Lorraine planned to pester me for that entire duration.
“Ah… really… I really want to study it…! A constitution that can directly handle mana! Other than the Grand Duke’s disciple, it’s completely unprecedented! But that person is hard to meet… so you’re the only one. Can’t we work something out?”
“I’m not interested.”
I brushed off her persistent advances.
To be honest, I had something else on my mind.
‘Who is that guy?’
It had been about fifteen minutes.
Since we passed by the magic stone processing plant.
That was when some guy started tailing us.
By the standards of this era, his tracking skills were quite impressive.
He made no sound, was somehow hard to notice, and gave off no presence.
But he couldn't escape the senses I'd honed to the point of rebirth.
‘He keeps staring.’
Pale yellow hair and pale yellow eyes. Freckles on his face, and he looked to be about 169cm tall. Was he 20? 21?
The young man continued to follow us.
I wanted to catch him and ask, but I held back for now.
I didn't know the situation here.
However…
‘Why is he doing that to me?’
His hostility toward me was palpable.
He was glaring at me as if lightning was striking in his pale yellow eyes, like he wanted to kill me.
What was this?
Seeing people greet him as they passed, he didn't seem like a suspicious person…
I had no idea.
“Ah, just name your price! How much? How much will it take!”
Lorraine, who had been clinging to me, finally brought up ‘money.’
Right. This is where the negotiation begins.
“Shouldn’t you, Ms. Lorraine, the one who wants me, know that? How would I know?”
This was the age-old technique of Roverland’s negotiators.
You make the first offer.
* * *
Rumble—
The crawler treads, which had been rolling slowly but steadily, finally came to a halt.
The entrance to the ruins, which had seemed quite distant during the day, was now right before us.
In the end, it was Lorraine who guided me to the front of the ruins.
It was because our ideas of a fair price didn't align, causing the conversation to drag on.
Lorraine kept talking about gold coins, but gold coins weren't what I needed.
“I’ll consider it if you offer Magic Armor.”
When I answered, Lorraine’s expression turned serious.
“Are you crazy? Do you know how much that costs…? It’s not just the money; it contains our core technology! Do you think we sell that to just anyone?”
“Ah, I see. Then never mind.”
“Gah!”
Continuing our conversation that went nowhere, we arrived at the ruin's entrance together.
“Oh? It’s the Director.”
“Hello, Director~”
A tent was already set up at the entrance.
‘Exploration Team’ was written on one side.
“Yes. Hello, everyone~”
Lorraine quickly replaced her whining child-like expression with a bright smile.
“This is Mr. Lansen Vanroah. He’s a first-class mercenary, so the ruin exploration should gain some momentum, right?”
“First-class!”
“Ooh-”
Four men and women stood casually, looking me up and down.
They were clearly mercenaries.
It seemed we were on the same team.
The mercenaries introduced themselves one by one and shook my hand.
After a round of introductions, a mercenary in his 50s who introduced himself as Ruko looked around.
“Ah, but the Exploration Team Leader isn’t here yet.”
“You’re right. Where did Kask go? I’m sure I saw him heading to see Ms. Lorraine earlier…”
“Hey. Hey.”
When a female mercenary named Missy voiced her question, a male mercenary named Defuan quickly nudged her in the ribs, giving her a look. The female mercenary hastily covered her mouth.
They all seemed to be subtly watching Lorraine, but she didn't appear to notice anything.
“Now that I’ve seen you all exchange greetings, I’ll be on my way~ You can pass the time and start the exploration at 6 o’clock~ Make sure you earn lots of money!”
She walked away with a bright smile.
As she disappeared, he approached.
The one who had been tailing us, with pale yellow hair and freckles. Short, with a rather pretty face.
He walked up without hesitation, looked me up and down, and threw out a single line.
“So it was you?”
What was?
“Hey, Leader. You were here?”
“Well, it’s no surprise Kask is here if Ms. Lorraine is.”
The mercenaries chattered from the side.
Ah, so the guy who was tailing me is the Exploration Team Leader?
His name is Kask?
He looks about 21. So young…
That was all I thought.
“Don’t be so smug!”
A sharp voice pierced my ears.
The short, pale-yellow-haired mercenary leader was furious as he glared at me.
“Listen up! I don’t know why Lorraine was with you… but that’s just… because she’s kind and gentle to everyone…!”
Before he could finish, the surrounding mercenaries started murmuring.
“Gentle?”
“Ki…nd?”
“Are you talking about that money-grubbing research director?”
“That witch…?”
In that instant, Kask’s pale yellow eyes flashed with a menacing light.
“…”
“…I didn’t say anything, Leader.”
Oh.
He looks young, but it seems he’s firmly established his authority as leader.
The mercenaries, who look much older than him, aren't budging.
Kask glared at the mercenaries for a while before fixing his gaze back on me.
“Anyway. Lorraine has zero interest in you. So if you get the wrong idea and try to hit on her… you’ll die. Got it?”
I got it loud and clear.
You’re a greenhorn who’s head over heels for Lorraine.
I felt like I should say something, but there was nothing to say, so…
“Hmm… Alright! She’s all yours.”
I just accepted it.
“Hey!!!”
Why is he getting angry? I said I understood…
Kask trembled and glared at me, then suddenly snorted.
“Hmph! They said they were sending a skilled person, but what’s with this kid? These research lab employees never do their jobs. They always make Lorraine suffer.”
Impressive.
Even in this situation, he blames the employees instead of Lorraine…
Quite…
Amusing.
“Hey, by the way. Did you say Kasker?”
When I asked, Kask reacted sensitively.
“Kask! Exploration Team Leader Kask! Get the title right!”
“Right. Leader. May I ask your age?”
“Ha? Are you asking for respect because of your age? A mercenary? You’re not going to let your skills do the talking?”
“So how old are you?”
“Twenty-four. What, does it hurt your pride to be under someone younger than you?”
Oh, he’s older than he looks.
But why does he act like he’s not even 16?
“No. Age doesn’t matter…”
I casually placed a hand on my sword’s hilt and stared at Kask.
“I was just wondering if you have the skills.”
“Ha?”
“I don’t like it when someone less skilled than me passes judgment on me.”
Kask’s face contorted.
He exhaled through his nose as if this was for the best and said.
“Fine. We were going to do it anyway, so let’s do it now. A skill test.”
The kid walked toward the open area in front of the ruins.
“But listen. If I test you and you don’t have the skills, I’ll fire you on the spot with my authority. I’ll even pay the damn penalty fee myself.”
He’s brimming with confidence, isn’t he?
I followed him toward the open area.
I cast my bait.
“Then let’s make a bet.”
“A bet?”
“If I lose, I’ll leave without the penalty fee. But if you lose, you’ll do whatever I ask.”
“Ha? You think you can beat me?”
“Are you in?”
“Let’s hear it. What do you want?”
Well, I don’t know yet. I’ll get your promise first and think about it later. About what you can give me.
“Are you in or not?”
“No. I need to know what you’re demanding for the bet to be…!”
“Are you scared?”
For a greenhorn like Kask, those words were a critical hit.
“Draw… your sword.”
Growling, Kask drew his sword.
Is it a magic sword? The blade was inlaid with geometric patterns.
“You’re on? Say it clearly.”
“I’m on! I said I’m on! Draw your sword!”
“The bet is on.”
I drew my sword as well.
It wasn't Vanroah. That would be too conspicuous, so I’d already stored it in my subspace. The sword I had now was a common ancient sword.
Kask smirked.
“You picked the wrong opponent.”
The murmuring mercenaries who were watching eagerly agreed.
“That’s true.”
“Even if he’s a first-class mercenary… against the Leader, I wonder how long he’ll last?”
“I know. I was fooled by the Leader’s age at first too… Ah, it still hurts.”
Looks like he can actually fight.
But the strange thing was, while the presence he exuded was impressive for his age, it wasn't *that* impressive.
I was wondering why, but…
Crackle!
I understood in the next moment.
Kask’s body was wreathed in lightning as he wore a vicious smile.
“I am an Orocera-certified Magic Swordsman.”
Orocera.
Certified Magic Swordsman.
Wow!
You use both magic and a sword?
Kask was supremely confident.
“Lansen? First-class, was it? I won’t hold back. Try not to die.”
Crackle-crackle!
With a sudden surge of electricity, Kask charged forward like a flash of lightning.
However,
To my eyes, which had fought a Grand Master just a few days ago…
He was too slow.
Crack!
I cut the lightning.
Ah, so lightning made of magic scatters like flower petals.
“Huh…?”
Kask’s pale yellow eyes trembled wildly.
“My, my sword…?”
Clang!
The blade, split in two along with the lightning, fell to the ground.
Judging by his shock, it must have been quite expensive.
“Huh? Huhh…?”
Holding the broken sword, Kask just kept making “huh” sounds like a broken machine.
And with that, the match was over.
I sheathed my sword and patted his shoulder.
“I’ve decided.”
“W-what?”
“What I want from you.”
“W-what is it?”
“Magic. All the knowledge of magic you possess. Everything.”
I had been thinking about it anyway.
The crawler treads that moved massive, town-sized buildings.
The Magic Armor that made one several times stronger just by wearing it.
Encountering this world of magic.
My heart was moved.
The magic technology of the ancient era. I must bring it to the modern world.
Not for me to learn, but…
“Every magic book you have. On top of that, all of your personally organized notes and annotations. Whatever you have, everything. Hand it all over.”
Kask’s eyes trembled twice as fast.
* * *
“Hoo…”
“Haa…”
Sighs kept coming from somewhere.
It was Kask, of course.
“…I want to die.”
Now he’s even muttering to himself.
A very good sign.
His distress was proof that he was taking the ‘bet’ seriously.
Although this was called the Age of Magic, it seemed that even here, magic was an advanced field of study inaccessible to just anyone.
Each book was likely expensive, and the notes he had organized in his own way would be a treasure of deep personal significance.
He was agonizing over the thought of handing all that over. If he had no intention of giving it up in the first place, he wouldn't be in such torment.
Of course,
I’d have to wait and see.
It was still possible that, after all his agonizing, he might just decide to throw his hands up and refuse.
“Hoo…”
Kask let out another deep sigh.
He suddenly slapped both his cheeks with a loud smack! and turned around.
“Let’s head in. It’s time for the exploration.”
Through it all, the fact that he hadn't forgotten his role as the Exploration Team Leader was quite impressive.