Chapter 96
Chapter 96
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: The Collector and the Fallen Noble
-----------------------------------------------------------------
It was the next morning that Aisi spoke her true feelings.
Oh Min-jae was there, along with Wang-sik, Min Ha-na, and Sa Seon-gi.
“I want to go through with the coming-of-age ceremony.”
“Aisi, we agreed you wouldn’t.”
“It’s not because of you, Master. I’m sorry for lying all this time.”
Aisi revealed the desire she had been examining within herself.
“Undergoing the ceremony is an instinct for my people. I’ll gain power and challenge for the position of chieftain. It’s a matter of respect for my father, but it’s also personal revenge. I was cast out, knowing nothing, and lived a miserable life. I can’t forgive the ones who did that to me.”
This was completely different from the reasons she had given until now.
Personal revenge.
An instinct of her people.
Even the quick-witted Oh Min-jae couldn't argue against it.
“Aisi, think it over.”
“I’ll be wrestling with the same thoughts for the rest of my life.”
At her resolute words, the three listeners let out a long sigh in unison.
Even Wang-sik, who had advised her, hadn't expected her to confess her true feelings so quickly.
He had expected it to take at least a few months, but she had shed the facade she'd built for herself overnight.
“Don’t worry. I will definitely pass the coming-of-age ceremony. And if I become the chieftain of the beastkin, I can help all of you more easily.”
If she became chieftain, relocating the beastkin would be no problem at all.
She could also use her status as chieftain to arrange meetings.
If need be, she could even have the beastkin migrate first to prove their promise was real.
In any case, many problems would be solved if she just became chieftain.
“Aisi…”
The most frustrated person was Oh Min-jae.
His feelings for Aisi were written all over his face.
“I’m sorry, Master. This is what I want. But it’s true that I want your permission. So please, let me go with your blessing. I will definitely return.”
“Haa…”
As Oh Min-jae sighed and slumped into his chair, Wang-sik spoke up to change the mood.
“If that’s her decision, then we should help her.”
“Hyung! How can you send her there?”
“I didn’t say we’d send her off. I said we’d help.”
“Help?”
“Let’s think about this simply. Whether it’s the ceremony or the fight for chieftain, if she’s skilled enough, the problem solves itself, right?”
When put that way, he was right.
As everyone silently agreed, Wang-sik continued.
“Let’s start special training right now. Fortunately, our team has plenty of excellent instructors.”
Hearing this, Min Ha-na, who was standing nearby, recalled the past.
“Ugh, is this what it feels like for guys going into the military?”
Min Ha-na looked at Aisi with pity, but Aisi’s eyes sparkled as she replied.
“I’ll do it! I’ll do anything if it means getting stronger!”
All eyes turned to Oh Min-jae.
“Alright. But make sure you train her properly.”
And with that, Aisi’s special training was decided.
For the first time, Aisi realized.
‘He was this strong.’
Even in her transformed state, she couldn't even break through her opponent's shield, despite giving it her all.
And that wasn't all.
The human assassin moved like a ghost, striking her vital points before retreating.
If this were a real fight, she would have died dozens of times.
Fwoosh!
The firepower of the mage, whom she had thought of as just an interesting human woman, was equally astonishing.
Every time her flames appeared, an instinctual fear arose.
Being surrounded by such people, she felt her body instinctively shrink back.
“You think you can accomplish anything with just this?”
It was, quite literally, training from hell.
After sparring with the three of them, she would go monster hunting with her exhausted body.
Even if the beastkin had a natural instinct for hunting, the monsters of the Decartes Mountains were no pushovers.
The silver lining was that as her instincts awakened, she adapted quickly.
Since Aisi's growth was the fastest way to resolve the issue of communicating with the inhuman races, her friends did their best to help.
‘A lot of things will be resolved.’
The inhuman races would become allies, and they would obtain items created through a collaboration between dwarves and elves.
This was a dream come true for Wang-sik as well.
After staying in the Decartes Mountains for ten days for Aisi’s training, Wang-sik went to the Mirje Trading Company to plan his next move.
“Time to find the Blood Fragments.”
The other members continued to train Aisi while also hunting, fostering their own growth.
For Wang-sik, however, the fastest path to growth was evolving the Mark of the Guardian.
So, he decided to leave the training to his friends and search for the Blood Fragments.
Wang-sik still felt a thirst for his own power.
“Did you check the black market?”
Oh Min-jae, who had come to accept Aisi’s decision, looked more at ease than he had ten days ago.
“There are a total of three fragments whose locations are known. One of them is in the royal treasury.”
“That’ll be difficult for now.”
“Another is with Duke Dupont.”
“That man is no pushover either. He’s from one of the most prominent families in the empire. And a close aide to the emperor. Who’s the last one?”
“Bellard.”
“Ah, that collector?”
“You’ve heard of him?”
“He’s the greatest merchant in the empire. The merchant who refused the title of marquis. A peculiar man. They call him the Golden Beetle because he’s said to trust only in gold. There are even rumors that his collection surpasses the imperial treasury.”
“Meaning it’ll be difficult to take it by force, right?”
“Probably. It’s said to be protected by several layers of magic circles. And it won't open for anyone but the merchant himself. Even if you did manage to open it, concealing your identity wouldn’t be easy. He's known to have over a hundred magical devices.”
“There are surprisingly a lot of rumors.”
“They’re not rumors. Bellard mentioned those details himself. As if daring people to try and take it. That’s how confident he is. Naturally, no one has succeeded.”
“Still, it seems more plausible than the royal palace or the duke’s estate.”
“What’s your plan?”
“We’ll have to get close to him. If we can’t take it by force, we have no choice but to acquire it legitimately.”
“He won’t give it up easily.”
As an ancient relic, the Blood Fragment was immensely valuable.
It was known to contain enormous magical power, but its purpose remained unknown.
“What in the world is the power of the Blood Fragments?”
This was a genuine question from Oh Min-jae. Even Wang-sik couldn't answer it.
“One thing is certain: the goal is to gather that power. I feel like the Mark of the Guardian is guiding me to do so.”
“Could it be trying to resurrect the Blood Lord?”
Oh Min-jae’s prediction was a reasonable one.
“According to the records from when the Blood Lord was subdued, not only the lord but also his minions dissolved into pools of blood and scattered. What remained became the Blood Pond.”
The Blood Pond was in the southeastern part of the continent and had now become a paradise for undead monsters.
The largest undead nest in history had formed there, so the empire had simply built a wall inscribed with holy magic circles to seal it off.
Even now, during the festival commemorating the day the Blood Lord was slain, the final event was a ceremony where priests would re-infuse the wall with holy power.
It was a place so dangerous that even the empire had given up on subjugating it, and no one had entered it for hundreds of years.
Of course, the land was on the outskirts of the continent and held little appeal, so there was no reason to make such a sacrifice.
“I’ll have to go there someday. The unaccounted-for Blood Fragments are probably there.”
“That sounds too dangerous.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not planning on going right now.”
“You promised.”
“I know.”
Wang-sik replied and fell into thought for a moment. Seeing this, Oh Min-jae’s expression grew anxious.
“Hyung, we only know about three. The target is Bellard’s fragment. Right?”
Oh Min-jae asked as if forcing the issue. His question held a hidden meaning.
‘You’re not going to track down the one we already know about.’
The one fragment they already knew about from the past.
Oh Min-jae hoped Wang-sik wouldn't pursue it.
“Alright. I agree that the time isn’t right yet. Though I feel like we’re almost there.”
For now, Oh Min-jae also pushed aside his worries and focused on the target: Bellard.
“So, we have to get close to him, is that it?”
As he considered various methods, Wang-sik spoke first.
“Didn’t that mage, Sodovan, invite us to a social gathering?”
“Ah! That’s right. We could meet several nobles there. Bellard tends to show up at social gatherings often.”
But as he spoke, a look of doubt crossed Oh Min-jae’s face.
“Don’t tell me you’re planning on going to the gathering, are you?”
“Why? We need to build connections with the nobles anyway.”
“How about you leave it to me, if possible?”
“Don’t tell me you don’t trust me?”
“Hey, how could I not trust you? It’s not you I don’t trust, it’s the damn social gatherings in Azelan that are so bizarre. For a pure-hearted person like you to adapt…”
“You’re starting to ramble.”
Oh Min-jae shut his mouth and sank into thought.
“It’s not like there’s no way…”
He could accept Sodovan’s invitation and introduce Wang-sik.
“If I introduce you as an investor in our company, you’ll have the qualifications. If I say you effectively split the company’s shares, you’ll even draw some interest. I can say you’re planning to step up as we expand the business.”
“Then let’s proceed with that.”
“Is that really a good idea?”
“What are you so worried about?”
“Hyung, sorry but…”
Oh Min-jae asked.
“Can you wear uncomfortable clothes and greet people with a smile?”
“Of course.”
“How about playing along while they arrogantly boast about themselves?”
“I can do that.”
“You’ll also have to praise them with lies.”
“Not a problem.”
To Wang-sik, who answered so nonchalantly, he asked one final question.
“What if those people are the nobles of the Azelan Continent?”
Wang-sik, who was about to answer reflexively, instinctively shut his mouth.
He tried to answer a moment later, but Oh Min-jae’s expression had already soured.
“Are you really going to do it?”
Oh Min-jae couldn't hide his anxiety.
“Well then, I guess it’s time to decide what kind of identity you’ll live under.”
“I’ve already looked into it a bit. But I’ll have to change my plans. Originally, I was looking into ordinary people with few social connections.”
He had already narrowed it down to three candidates, but to go along with Wang-sik’s intentions, he had no choice but to change the plan.
“It’ll have to be a noble.”
“That suits the luxurious me better, don’t you think?”
“Hoo, right. You are a bit luxurious.”
“What’s with the sigh?”
“It means I love you.”
“You always say ‘I love you’ on the outside when you’re cursing me on the inside.”
“You know me too well.”
Wang-sik approached with a fearsome expression, then ended it with a light pat on Min-jae’s butt.
“Alright, where can I find a noble with terrible personal relationships?”
Oh Min-jae immediately got to work.
* * *
The House of Count Lennox.
Once, it was the most famous family in the east.
Just thirty years ago, it wielded great influence in the eastern coastal cities, possessing power that a marquis would have envied. But now, it had fallen to a state worse than a baron’s, let alone a viscount’s.
This was all because of the previous head of the house, who now rested in his grave.
He had dabbled not only in gambling and women but also in narcotics forbidden by the state, bringing 300 years of history to ruin in a mere decade.
When he died, those around him felt more relief than grief.
They believed the family still had the strength to recover.
But there was something they hadn't anticipated.
The previous head's only son, Lennox Vega.
He was a scoundrel who had no right to criticize his father.
He had simply been overshadowed by his father's infamy, but Vega’s lifestyle was just as debauched and extravagant.
Within five years of becoming the heir, he had squandered what little family fortune remained, leaving behind nothing but debt.
“This is the house of a count?”
On the outskirts, far from the largest eastern coastal city of Allat, stood a single, dilapidated house.
The unrepaired wall offered a clear view of the interior, and in the small garden, weeds had grown knee-high, obscuring any path.
Passing through a gate that creaked in the wind, one could see a one-story house bearing the scars of time, which, covered in moss, had a gloomy appearance.
For the house of a count, it was shabby in both location and scale.
—It's been over three years since he dismissed all the servants. The only one left is the butler, but no one knows if he’s dead or alive. He hasn’t been seen for six months.
“So you want me to take over the worst family in the east?”
Wang-sik opened the closed door with a look of interest.