Chapter 106
Chapter 106
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: The Venomous Wilds
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The venomous insect region northeast of Allat.
Bronia, the only mud lake on the Azelan Continent.
In the annals of history, Bronia was a mystical land that cradled brown pearls.
But 500 years ago, a Giant Mud Worm appeared in the lake and spread its poison. The initial response failed, and venomous insects began to emerge.
Now, they had established their own ecosystem within the Bronia Forest, making human approach even more difficult.
Thirty species of venomous insects and ten species of reptiles.
Not to mention the Giant Mud Worm that had claimed the lake.
Even this information was 200 years old, taken from the records of a failed subjugation attempt. There was no way to know how much things had changed without experiencing it firsthand.
A place inaccessible not only to humans but to creatures from other ecosystems as well.
It was into this unknown land that Wang-sik stepped.
“My Lord, I have a request.”
Wang-sik’s steps halted at the border where the brown earth turned black.
He looked back to see five men.
The one who spoke on their behalf was a giant with a smooth, bald head and muscles that even his leather armor couldn't conceal.
This was Mold.
The men behind him were his loyal companions.
Though known to outsiders as his subordinates, they were more like followers who revered him.
Vega was not a short man, but Mold was nearly two meters tall, forcing him to look up.
“A request?”
“I will follow you. Please, let my comrades return.”
“Mold! What are you talking about!”
“That bald bastard is trying to be the lone hero again!”
“Boo!”
His comrades behind him clearly disagreed.
“It seems you quite enjoyed prison.”
Wang-sik ignored Mold’s suggestion and turned away. Left with no choice, Mold followed.
Sentenced to death, his life had been saved by Wang-sik, and he had accepted the offer to become a private soldier.
His comrades had naturally joined as well, only to be dragged to Bronia within three days.
‘He’s sending us to our deaths.’
Even so, Mold accepted it.
‘If I’m going to die anyway, I’d rather die fighting.’
But his comrades were a different matter.
He couldn't lead the men who had followed him to prison to their deaths.
Yet, his new master would not allow it.
‘Is he really going to go in?’
One thing he couldn't understand was why a nobleman who had risen to the position of mayor would personally enter such a dangerous region.
“Wait here.”
Another unbelievable command was given.
“Surely you don’t intend to go alone?”
“Do you think you would be of any help?”
Before Mold could say anything more, Wang-sik crossed the boundary line.
“Mold, is this okay?”
His comrades asked, but Mold himself couldn't make a judgment.
Before his deliberation could end, his new master vanished into the gray forest.
An entire day passed.
A new worry began to dawn on Mold and his men.
“What should we do?”
Mold couldn't answer his comrade's question.
“What’s the point of asking Mold?”
“True, the muscle-headed baldy is good at fighting, but he’s not smart.”
“That’s why his hair doesn’t grow back.”
“Shut up, you bastards!”
When Mold finally lost his patience and shouted, his comrades quickly fell silent.
“Still, he’s the one who saved my life.”
“He probably just planned to use you for something.”
“All nobles are the same.”
Three days was not enough time to erase their animosity toward the aristocracy.
“If he really intended to use me, he wouldn’t have left me here.”
“So what are we supposed to do?”
“He must be dead by now…”
Twenty-four hours had passed in the Bronia Forest.
In truth, his death was a certainty from the moment he entered alone, regardless of the time.
What choice should these private soldiers, now without a master, make?
“We can’t even confirm the body in there.”
Stuck in a situation where they could neither advance nor retreat, they were staring blankly at the forest.
“Huh?”
A comrade with sharp eyes spotted something and pointed.
“What is it?”
“He came out of there alive?”
“Is that a ghost?”
Wang-sik was walking out of the forest.
Appearing before Mold and his men, Wang-sik tossed a fist-sized green orb to Mold.
Catching the orb instinctively, Mold winced at the pain that pierced his skin.
It was an orb of incredibly condensed toxic energy.
“It’s the Mud Worm’s core. You’ll die if you keep holding it with your bare hands, you know.”
Though Wang-sik himself had carried it bare-handed, Mold hastily took out a thick piece of leather and wrapped the orb.
“Contact the Hemian Temple. Tell them I’ve dealt with all the dangerous ones, so they should come and purify the toxic energy.”
Mold and the other mercenaries couldn't easily believe what was happening.
“Are you going to stand there all day?”
At Wang-sik's cold voice, the mercenaries snapped to their senses and followed him.
Upon returning to the grand Lennox estate, Mold received a single order.
—From now on, any region I conquer will be credited as a joint effort with you.
Hearing this command, Mold and his men understood their role.
“So we’re just here to fill the numbers?”
“Looks like the Lord wants to hide his own power.”
“It’s not bad for us. We’ll get a reputation for being skilled. It feels a bit weird getting credit for doing nothing, though…”
Mold was lost in thought.
“Just what kind of power does he possess…?”
His comrades fell silent at his words.
It was beyond their imagination.
One thing was certain: this was not the end.
As they were all lost in their own thoughts, a small breeze stirred, and the ghost butler appeared.
—Dinner is ready.
Having already encountered the ghost butler, no one was surprised. But it was true that they still weren't used to it.
—As per the Lord’s command, you will all receive the finest treatment. Please act in a manner befitting that treatment.
Indeed, the five men, including Mold, were assigned rooms on the second floor of the grand estate, despite being mere private soldiers.
It was first-class treatment, with each man getting his own room.
Although it was just because the rooms were empty, no private soldier of any noble had ever received such treatment.
Furthermore, everything from food and clothing to weapons was of the highest quality.
“This isn’t an ordinary place, is it?”
“Is there any other place like this on the entire continent?”
A lord whose power was unfathomable.
A ghost butler.
And now, the five private soldiers who had cleared Bronia would be added to the list.
“What in the world is going on?”
Mold fell into confusion as he looked at the feast laid out in the dining hall.
The next morning.
A guest visited the grand estate.
It was the Chief Priest of the Hemian Temple.
While they had sent only a few low-ranking priests to the mayor’s inauguration, this time was different.
Even so, it was not enough to satisfy Wang-sik.
“Only a Chief Priest?”
In Earth terms, his position was equivalent to a regular priest.
Archbishop.
Bishop.
Chief Priest.
Priest.
Follower.
Though it varied by religion, this was the general hierarchy of faiths in Azelan.
—They likely still hold a grudge.
Daily’s transgressions had become public, drawing criticism, but that wasn't the real issue.
—They must not feel too kindly, since the construction of the temple city was canceled.
“They probably want me dead.”
—Still, is he not the God of Harmony?
Hemian, the God of Harmony.
Wang-sik scoffed at the name.
‘Does Azelan even have the right to use the word harmony?’
As he was thinking this, the Chief Priest from the Hemian Temple arrived.
Perhaps because he was now the mayor of Allat and had delivered news about the Bronia Forest, the priest’s attitude was deferential.
The priest, who looked like a model student in his late thirties, sat in the offered seat and began with an apology.
“First, I would like to apologize for the recent incident. It has been decided that Daily will undertake the Chains of Penance.”
It sounded grand, but in short, it was a life sentence.
It meant he would never be able to leave a place called the Chamber of Repentance. That was why it was called the Chains of Penance.
“I don’t have time, so let’s get to the point.”
To prevent the useless pleasantries from dragging on, Wang-sik placed the cloth-wrapped orb on the table.
When he gestured for the priest to examine it, the Chief Priest carefully inspected the orb.
“An incredible amount of poison.”
He seemed to have some skill, as he blocked the toxic energy with light emanating from both his hands.
“Is this the Mad Worm’s core?”
Since there were no historical records, he had no choice but to ask. Even so, he couldn't hide his surprised expression.
His face was an open book.
When Wang-sik nodded, the Chief Priest’s speech quickened slightly.
“I would like to hear the detailed plan.”
“Do you even have the authority to make decisions?”
The Chief Priest gave an awkward smile at the blatant dismissal.
“It seems the temple is under a great misunderstanding.”
Wang-sik snatched the core from the priest’s hands.
“If you touch that with your bare hands…”
But Wang-sik calmly placed the orb back on the cloth.
“You should be more worried about the temple than me. If you punished Daily, you must know what wrong he committed against me. Did you really think sending a Chief Priest to apologize would be the end of it?”
“That is…”
“It seems you’ve forgotten your manners.”
“I apologize.”
“Relay this message. Lennox Vega sought to embrace the Hemian Temple's sins and requested harmony, only to be met with disregard and contempt. On the honor of House Lennox, I will surely repay this slight.”
The Chief Priest’s face turned pale at the tremendous declaration.
Hemian wielded power that even the Empire couldn't treat lightly. However, it couldn't ignore justification and public opinion.
This was one of the virtues that a religious group had to carry forever.
“I-I will apologize once more.”
“I believe I said your apology is useless.”
The Chief Priest belatedly realized Vega’s intention.
“I will report this to the Bishop immediately.”
“Don’t forget. Hemian is not the only temple.”
At those last words, the Chief Priest recalled the temple's position.
‘This wasn’t just a meeting to improve relations.’
House Lennox had reclaimed a region considered impossible.
Moreover, it was a region with significant interests at stake.
According to records, the herbs, mushrooms, and pearls produced in Bronia were enough to sustain all the surrounding villages.
And now, House Lennox had come to possess such a region.
Since they had subjugated it alone, not as part of a coalition, it was as good as their own territory once they settled the taxes with the Empire.
Entrusting the purification of the toxins to the Hemian Temple was a sign that he was willing to share the authority over the region.
This was despite the fact that Lennox had nothing but a grudge against the Hemian Temple, far from a good relationship.
Naturally, the justification was on House Lennox’s side. Even if this became an issue, the Hemian Temple would have no room for excuses.
‘This was not something I should have handled.’
Finally realizing his mistake, the Chief Priest apologized once more and left the estate.
The following morning, Wang-sik sat across from another figure from the Hemian Temple.
The person the Chief Priest had personally escorted was Bishop Berita, the most renowned figure in the eastern region.
This meant he was the one with the greatest decision-making power, aside from the Archbishop.
“In the name of the Hemian Temple, I apologize for all past discourtesies. And I express my gratitude for your magnanimity in granting us this opportunity.”
He was an elderly bishop with a face full of wrinkles.
His frail frame would make him seem like a powerless old man without his robes, but Wang-sik had already grasped his true nature.
He was a priest from a merchant family who had made the greatest contribution to Hemian's commercial success.
Though he was over seventy, he still oversaw many business ventures.
He was also the general manager for the construction of the temple city on the eastern coast.
“This is a token of our apology.”
A white wooden box engraved with the mark of Hemian was placed before Wang-sik.
Opening the box revealed a single glass bottle containing a sparkling, white powder.
“It is a Pure Potion.”
The touch of a god, crafted from pure divine power.
It was a rare item, with each temple producing only thirty bottles a year.
It was known to be supplied mostly to the Emperor and his inner circle, yet here it was, placed before Wang-sik.
Seeing this, Wang-sik nodded.
“It seems we now have a proper atmosphere for a conversation.”
“Harmony is a beautiful thing.”
The negotiations had finally begun.