Chapter 141
Chapter 141
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 141
Chapter Title: Separate Paths
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“Hoo.”
After returning to the trading company, Oh Min-jae let out a long sigh, trying to cool his anger.
“How foolish of me not to hold back.”
He regretted it, but only for a moment.
“Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later.”
He needed to improve his relationship with the Magic Tower.
He had intended to let it slide since the Magic Tower was on edge right now, but since things had already come to this, he decided to make his position clear.
“When the dynamic shifts, you have to adjust your attitude.”
He was no longer the same Oh Min-jae who had first started the trading company.
He was one of the Magic Tower's largest investors and one of its most influential figures.
The way Maccanti spoke to him so deferentially today was proof of that.
Having calmed down, Oh Min-jae's mind began to race as it always did.
Just as he was organizing his thoughts, someone came to visit the Mirje Trading Company.
Maccanti and Sodoban.
Their response was faster than Oh Min-jae had expected.
‘They’re just employees at the end of the day.’
To the average person, they might seem like nobles, but within the Magic Tower, they served their superiors.
The Magic Tower was currently in such a state of emergency that even 7th-Circle mages were making public appearances, so even Sodoban was moving like a low-level employee.
And yet, someone even lower on the totem pole had caused trouble.
Trouble with their biggest investor, no less.
‘They'll probably say everything's fine as long as I accept their apology, right?’
No one was hurt, and no major business problems had arisen.
The company's employees would also see that Sodoban and Maccanti had come in person, which would be a way to save his pride.
‘That's why I can't meet them.’
If he had held his tongue from the start, it would be a different story.
But since he had already made a scene, he couldn't just let it go.
“Tell them to leave. And I'll be away from Magit for a while.”
Oh Min-jae refused to meet them and sat alone on the sofa.
As the surroundings grew quiet, the image of Aisi once again filled his mind.
“Hoo.”
With a deep sigh, he took a small box out of his pocket.
Inside the box, which was adorned with brilliant jewels, was an even more brilliant ring.
He hadn't been lying when he said he would propose.
“Please, come back safe.”
Oh Min-jae repeated the words with a desperate heart.
* * *
After confidently crossing the vast plains, a mystical region appeared where small lights danced among the trees.
The lights were Elemental Bugs, which only lived near elven settlements.
They didn't just emit a beautiful glow; they also sustained the life of the forest and warned the elves of intruders.
“Hello, it’s been a while.”
As Aisi crossed the mountain's boundary, the Elemental Bugs swarmed toward her. The lights hovered around her body for a moment before scattering again, seemingly having judged that she was not an intruder.
‘I’m back.’
Remembering the day she was miserably cast out, she took a moment to look around.
‘This place never changes.’
The scenery was just as she remembered.
‘But I have.’
She walked on with calm steps.
Past the region of Elemental Bugs, she came to an area where the dense trees began to thin out.
She walked along a path dotted with ancient, gnarled trees, and as she rounded a peak, her view opened up.
A basin formed between four peaks.
In the center of the flat land, which resembled a colosseum carved by nature, stood a worn flagpole nearly twenty meters tall.
Adorning the pole were strips of red and black leather.
It was the symbol of the Beastkin, engraved with the names of all the past chieftains.
“Who goes there?”
Before she could even approach the basin, someone appeared behind her. She had already sensed their presence, so she turned around slowly.
“I, Aisi, daughter of Adrian, have come to inherit the spirit of Bistan, as the law dictates.”
It meant she was challenging for the chieftainship.
Her opponent, who looked to be in his early forties, took a step back upon hearing her words.
Seeing this, Aisi transformed on the spot.
She took the form of a saber-toothed tiger that had completed its coming-of-age ceremony.
Only then did the man bend one knee and bow his head.
“I recognize you as a successor, in accordance with the law.”
The man, having changed back into his human form, personally guided Aisi to the Beastkin village.
One by one, the Beastkin gathered to see the stranger, Aisi, and among them was the chieftain.
The man, who appeared to be in his early fifties and had a powerful presence, was massive, standing nearly two meters tall even in his human form.
He was the very man who had killed her father.
Strangely, she didn't feel angry.
She had dreamed of revenge every time she thought of him.
His gaze was unsettling, but the emotion she felt now wasn't rage.
Why was that?
‘Because this is the way of the Beastkin.’
She knew it from the look in his eyes.
He stood proud, even as he looked upon the daughter of the man he had killed.
He felt not a shred of guilt.
The other Beastkin who had gathered around were the same.
A way of thinking different from humans.
—My battle with him was honorable.
When Aisi had left this place, the new chieftain had said this to her instead of offering an apology.
As he had said, the battle had been fair, and the warrior before her now had given her father a chance.
Her father had chosen a warrior's death.
Aisi had been sad, but she hadn't resented his opponent.
So why did she still feel uneasy?
‘A sense of duty.’
As the successor of the former chieftain.
Or as her father's daughter.
What lay deep in her heart was not anger, but a sense of duty.
Perhaps that was why she could meet his gaze so calmly.
‘I was so scared back then.’
Even when she was cast out of the tribe, the new chieftain had placed no restrictions on Aisi.
She was simply exiled according to the law.
And yet, the look in his eyes had terrified her like a demon's, but not anymore.
Her spirit had been forged through countless battles with powerful monsters.
“Aisi, daughter of the former chieftain Adrian, has returned as a successor. The chieftain has the right to set the date of combat, as per the law.”
An old elder standing beside the chieftain recognized Aisi and performed his duty.
“Chieftain Drak will set a date within three days and notify us. Until the succession ceremony, Aisi is to be treated with the respect due a successor.”
The succession ceremony was the battle for the chieftainship.
Having heard everything, the chieftain looked at Aisi, who stood confidently before him, and spoke.
“Welcome.”
“I’m glad I made it back in time.”
Their conversation ended there.
After calmly enduring the moment, Aisi was guided to a log cabin not far from the center of the basin.
It was in the spot that received the warmest sunlight.
A warrior awaiting the succession ceremony was granted every comfort they desired. Time had passed, but the Beastkin still upheld their traditions.
‘How did it come to this?’
She had returned to her homeland, but everything seemed desolate to her eyes.
Only five hundred Beastkin were gathered in the basin.
This village once housed three thousand, and there had been dozens of villages like it.
But now, this was the only place that proudly maintained its tribe as Beastkin.
Aisi had no way of knowing how the other Beastkin, who had been subjugated by the empire, were living.
“Aisi.”
Someone called her name in a low voice as they passed by her dwelling.
“Rone.”
A child she had played with in her youth.
Now, a baby boy was cradled in her arms.
“Good luck.”
They couldn't speak for long. All they could do was meet each other's eyes and offer a small smile.
Even so, Aisi felt a sense of relief.
‘There's still hope.’
This was her home, and warm hearts still remained.
‘I can change things.’
The laws of the cornered Beastkin had become increasingly isolationist.
They suppressed freedom in the name of protecting the race and permitted brutal training because there was no other outlet for the warriors' spirits. As a result, their human side gradually faded, and they came to resemble beasts more and more.
This was not the original way of the Beastkin.
‘We must be a race that possesses the best of both humans and beasts.’
The Beastkin were originally a race that embodied the strengths of both species.
‘I have to do this. They will help me.’
Aisi was certain.
Just as she had changed, her people would also seize the opportunity.
* * *
Wang-sik traveled to the southern part of the continent.
Neresa, the continent's southernmost resort city.
He had come here to meet Dusk.
Returning to his original form instead of Vega for the first time in a while, Wang-sik went to a hunter's lodge just outside Neresa.
It was the same place where he had met Dusk before, and it was still abandoned and neglected.
Not long after he settled in to wait, he heard the sound of urgent hoofbeats, and someone came running into view.
They were moving so quickly that one might mistake them for being pursued.
“Master!”
Without even getting a proper look at Wang-sik's face, he dropped to his knees.
Wang-sik tossed a pouch to Dusk.
*Thud.*
The heavy pouch was filled with gold bars, just like last time. But the amount was so staggering that even Dusk was astonished.
“Command me!”
“You've gotten sharper.”
“I'm doing my utmost to be useful!”
As he said, Dusk had carried out all of his instructions flawlessly so far.
He had already taken control of over seventy percent of Neresa's underworld, and through the Alchemist Guild he had acquired, he was now recognized as a legitimate investment company.
He had even established connections with nobles, growing into a powerful figure who couldn't be easily touched.
Despite this, Wang-sik's voice was cold, offering no praise.
“How long do you plan to be content with just the south?”
“I-I am doing my best!”
In truth, Dusk was already expanding his influence across the nation.
However, due to the nature of the underworld, progress was slow because of heavy resistance. Still, he was definitely showing results.
“I didn't ask for your best effort.”
“I will show you results soon.”
“You're mistaken about something.”
Dusk, who had cautiously lifted his head to meet Wang-sik's eyes, quickly lowered it again.
“Have I ever taken anything from you as you've grown?”
“N-No, you haven't!”
Neither Wang-sik nor Oh Min-jae had taken a single penny from Dusk. Not just money, but any economic benefit at all.
“Conversely, have I not helped you?”
“Ma-Many times!”
He had been given the entire eastern underworld and provided with massive funds to establish a trading company.
Wang-sik hadn't even collected on his investment.
Thanks to that, Dusk was now operating as a legitimate businessman, not just a crime boss.
“So why do you speak as if you're doing this for my approval?”
Dusk was about to apologize again but bit his tongue as Wang-sik's next words came quickly.
“How many days do you think it would take for me to find someone to replace you?”
“P-Please, give me one more chance!”
Having delivered a sufficient warning, Wang-sik changed the mood.
“I have an order. Handle this before all other matters.”
“Give the order!”
Wang-sik told Dusk the reason he had come to see him in person.
It was a command that Dusk couldn't comprehend, but he didn't even dare to ask why.
“I will carry it out immediately.”
Hearing this, Wang-sik left the place.
Left alone, Dusk checked the gold bars on the ground beside him and let out a long breath.
It was an enormous amount of gold, but now that the scale of his own operations had grown, it wasn't as breathtaking as it once was.
“I'll add my own money to this to make sure there are no mistakes.”
Dusk shouldered the pouch of gold and went outside.
The place Wang-sik arrived at after passing through a gate was Magit.
No one stopped him, now back in his guise as Vega.
After his relationship with Oh Min-jae had become strained, an order had been issued not to bother any key figures.
Having already been cleared as a suspect through the mental prison, Wang-sik passed by countless mages and went to the Mirje Trading Company.
“Brother, you're here?”
His voice lacked its usual energy.
Wang-sik had originally come to discuss the instructions he gave Dusk, but the atmosphere wasn't right for it.
“Stop worrying about Aisi.”
“Brother, she's family to me.”
“If she's family to you, she's family to me.”
“Then you should be worried too.”
“I am worried. But no matter how much I think about it, there's no way Aisi will lose.”
“Are you sure?”
“I allowed it because I was certain. She's my brother's love, after all.”
Oh Min-jae finally seemed a little comforted, his expression softening slightly.
“She can really win, right?”
“If the Beastkin are as honorable as the stories say, Aisi will definitely win.”
“She said that part is true.”
“Then believe it. If there was someone there who could beat Aisi, they'd have no reason to be cooped up in those mountains.”
Oh Min-jae suddenly grew curious.
“Just how strong is Aisi?”
“She's stronger than an S-rank boss monster.”
“She's that strong?”
“So be careful. You could get killed in a lovers' quarrel.”
“Huh? How did you know?”
“You're holding the ring right now.”
Oh Min-jae gave an embarrassed smile.
“Just wait with a smile like that. She'll definitely win and come back.”
“Alright.”
“But you know, my little brother here thinks too small.”
Wang-sik said, changing the subject.
“If you're going to propose, you need to give her a proper gift.”
“A gift?”
“That's what I came to talk about.”
Wang-sik began to tell him about his conversation with Dusk.