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[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 73: Five Circles
"...Then we'll take our leave. Sleep well."
The mercenaries who had been collecting skewers left for bed first, and the Crazy Mage Squad members also went inside one by one.
I remained until the end, gazing at the deepening moonlight.
Looking at the moon, I thought of Pelleer. The Crazy Mage Squad members also came to mind.
They were the ones who laughed and died during that crazy expedition.
They had no idea that the clan might end up like this, being toyed with by trashy third-rates.
"I killed them all for you. Are you grateful?"
There was no way I'd hear a response.
Still, I shouted as I always did.
"You bastards. Your commander is talking, and you don't even answer."
"..."
How did I end up being the only one alive?
I don't know.
It would have been nice to have at least one more person.
There was no one to share stories about chewing on demon heads over liquor.
Well, it was fine.
I was the Crazy Mage who could do well on his own. I had already revived Dark Soul and crushed Bayern.
I wouldn't let Urgon off the hook either.
Watch closely from the afterlife, you bastards. See what I do.
"Hey, you're still awake?"
Turning around, I saw Zion, who had come out to check on me, rubbing his eyes.
A chuckle escaped me. Seeing the bump on the back of his head, my hand must have been quite strong.
"Let's go to sleep."
Even the moon was smiling.
***
I woke up after a short sleep, and bright sunlight was shining through the window.
"Ahhhh!"
I stretched and walked towards the main hall, but it was quite noisy outside.
When I arrived at the main hall, Daisy was giving instructions to the mercenaries, and the Crazy Mage Squad members were also there.
Daisy waved happily.
"You're up, boss?"
"Everyone gather around. And tell the soldiers to come too."
A short while later, the mercenary leaders and the Crazy Mage Squad gathered in one place.
I first asked Bravo Khan.
"How's the Patriarch?"
"He's still asleep."
"And the elders?"
"They talked until dawn and went to bed not too long ago."
"What did they talk about?"
Bravo Khan hesitated for a moment before answering.
"It seemed like they were reminiscing. Should I bring them here?"
"No need. They should conserve their energy at their age. Let them sleep."
As I approached the head seat and sat down, my subordinates also took their respective seats.
With a serious expression, I began to speak.
"Dark Soul is gone, and so is Bayern. But don't let your guard down. This is just the beginning. I'll tell each of you what to do."
Everyone's attention was focused on me.
"For the time being, the mercenary group should focus on Khaoto. Help the locals rebuild their collapsed homes and clean up the streets."
Daisy responded.
"What should we do about Leon?"
"Khaoto is more important. Just pay moderate attention to Leon. Soon, there will be a lot of money coming in from Khaoto. We need to lay the groundwork now. Slowly transfer the gold bars in Leon to Samael."
Daisy nodded without any suspicion.
"Get paid for your work. Take an appropriate amount from Daisy. No working for free. We can't turn Khaoto into a city of bald people."
"Yes, boss."
"Once the cleanup is done, start training the mercenaries. They're supposed to be Samael's mercenaries, but they can't even handle a single thug and just get beaten up. Right, One-Eye?"
One-Eye, being a proud man, couldn't say anything and just lowered his head.
"Use this place as the mercenary headquarters. The original headquarters in the west burned down, so we have no choice. Train here, chat, have duels, and do whatever you want. If the locals ask for help, help them. And no causing trouble with sword fights outside."
Daisy summarized it in her own way.
"So... you're saying we should act like a neighborhood watch?"
“Yea."
Daisy grasped the essence of my words well.
As I thought about it more, I couldn't help but chuckle at how perfectly fitting the expression was.
When I chuckled, the mercenaries burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha."
I was satisfied. Whoever taught them, they knew how to behave around their superiors.
Meanwhile, Bravo Khan, who had remained calm, asked.
"Do you think Urgon might come back? I'm worried."
As expected, it was a question befitting a cautious old officer.
Before I could respond, Zion, who had been listening quietly, interjected.
"They won't come."
"What's with that idiotic way of speaking?"
Zion replied to me politely.
"I'm speaking as Samael's business manager."
Bravo Khan also treated Zion as he would a business manager.
"So you're the business manager. Why do you think that?"
"My gut feeling tells me so."
"Gut feeling?"
"In other words, when I think about it however I want, I don't think they'll come. The phrase 'however I want' is an expression our Commander often uses."
"What does that even mean?"
"Haha. This old officer doesn't understand."
Zion looked at me, as if asking if he was right.
"Bullshit."
Zion's eyes widened, and he dropped the business investor act.
"Huh? You're saying I'm wrong, Commander?"
"I think they could come back as soon as tomorrow."
The mercenaries and the Crazy Mage Squad, unaware of the context, gasped simultaneously.
Of course, it was a lie.
I didn't know when they would come. But they wouldn't come back right away tomorrow. They would need some time to create a new excuse to attack.
But one should always be thoroughly prepared.
Besides, I didn't like the way Zion was talking.
"Crazy Mage Squad, continue your training day and night. As members of the Crazy Mage Squad, you need to be able to crush the heads of anyone, whether it's Urgon, the Divine Clan, or anyone else. That's what the Crazy Mage Squad is about. For now, memorize the spellbooks I gave you."
"Yes."
"Bravo Khan, have your subordinates gather rumors about Urgon. We need to be prepared. Check if there are any suspicious movements among the merchants traveling between Leon and the neighboring cities, as well as the locals. Report anything important."
"Understood."
"And you."
I pointed to the Bayern head butler who had been standing in a corner.
The head butler knelt and replied.
"Yes!"
"What are you doing there? I told you to go entertain the elders."
"I was waiting to see if there was anything I could help you with."
Judging by the look in his eyes, he was desperate to survive. I looked into the head butler's eyes and said.
"Organize and report on everyone associated with Bayern. Who they hired with money, how they ran their businesses, how they managed their finances, compile everything."
The head butler replied with tears of joy.
"Thank you. I'll do my best."
Having said my piece, I got up and went out to the estate.
As I was looking around at the traces of the battle from last night, I suddenly felt a burning gaze from afar.
"Holy shit, you scared me."
A group of people were standing on the collapsed wall, glaring at me with bloodshot eyes.
"You're still doing that?"
About half of them had collapsed, and the other half were still standing.
As I approached, the stench of urine hit me. It seemed they had peed themselves while standing. Seeing this, I realized that the human desire for life was truly remarkable.
Thud—
In the meantime, one of them collapsed. Looking closer, none of the collapsed ones were in good shape.
They were all unconscious, their heads buried in the ground. They must have pushed themselves to the limit and then lost consciousness.
After a brief moment of thought, I turned around and said to Daisy.
"Take these guys and use them. Those who fight for their lives deserve to live. Put the collapsed ones in the lowest ranks of the mercenary group, and those who are still standing will be used as Samael's guards. From this moment on, Garlic and Greed are promoted to guard captains."
Two guys among the mercenaries embraced each other and cheered.
"Really?!"
"Yes. But don't get too excited. Guard captains have to be the strongest among the guards. Remember, I can replace you at any time."
"Yes, sir!"
Leaving the cleanup to the mercenaries, I left the clan estate with the Crazy Mage Squad. It was time to return to Mount Khaoto.
After walking slowly for a while, I suddenly stopped and said.
"What are you doing?"
The idiots looked at me with puzzled expressions. Meanwhile, only Zion muttered, "Fuck."
"Run."
With distorted expressions, they forced out a shout.
"... Argh!"
"God."
"Oh, shit!"
"Running again!"
"Running is the best! Hahaha!"
The crazy bunch rushed forward. I also ran like the wind and shouted.
"The last one gets a forehead flick!"
My voice was carried away by the wind.
* * *
After returning to Samael, I focused on training for a while.
Except for patrolling Khaoto in the evenings, I secluded myself in the mountains and devoted myself to individual training.
Most of the training focused on mana sensitivity. What is mana sensitivity, you ask? It's basically sitting in a meditative posture on a rock and spending time doing nothing.
People who don't know might think it's a piece of cake, but it's actually quite a grueling training. Sitting in the same position for hours on end causes leg cramps.
Still, I endured it. In a way, this was a fight against myself.
The mana contained within my four circles was reaching saturation. The time to create another circle in my heart was approaching.
Five circles.
From the fifth circle onwards, a mage's capabilities truly blossom.
If the fourth circle is the stage of shedding apprenticeship and being recognized as a mage, the fifth circle is when a mage's true worth is revealed.
It allows for the manifestation of powerful, destructive spells for killing or controlling areas, and the form of incantations also changes from before.
As a result, even within the same fifth circle, mages' abilities vary greatly.
Some struggle to properly execute even a single incantation, while others can perfectly handle all incantations.
Of course, my abilities are insane.
But what I was most looking forward to was something else. The fifth circle wasn't called the 'Flower of Mages' for nothing.
"Ah, fuck."
My leg cramped again.
When I focused quietly, my mind would wander like this, and leg cramps always seemed to strike at such times.
I tried to endure it.
Relieving a cramp is something a third-rate would do. If you endure it, the cramp will eventually disappear. The Crazy Mage doesn't lose in a fight against himself.
"...Bullshit."
It hurt too much. I had no choice but to break my posture.
I lost the fight against myself.
Then who won?
In the end, it was still me who won, so it didn't matter. The Crazy Mage doesn't engage in losing battles.
I roughly washed myself in the stream and then went down to the estate.
As I approached the training grounds, I saw the Crazy Mage Squad members engrossed in their individual training.
'Are they doing well?'
I stood on the mountainside for a while and watched the idiots train.
I felt a sense of pride.
It was like watching toddlers taking their first steps after they couldn't even crawl before.
Now, there was no need for me to spoon-feed them training every day. For the time being, it would be enough to help them break through any obstacles they encountered. That's why I painstakingly wrote the spellbook for them.
The so-called 'Crazy Spellbook'.
It was a spellbook I created by combining Samael's past magic with my own style. If they fully understood it, reaching the fifth circle wouldn't be a problem.
"..."
The sunset gradually blazed. I had gone up the mountain, breathing in the dawn air, and now the sun was setting. The point is, I was hungry.
As I approached the main gate, the guards lined up smartly. Garlic, the guard captain in the center, saluted crisply.
"Sir!"
"You guys should eat too."
After a brief greeting, I went straight out the main gate and onto the street.
I hadn't walked far when I heard a noisy commotion.
"Another cup of liquor!"
"Coming right up!"
"One more bowl of chicken stew here!"
"Okay!"
Donkey's restaurant had moved right next to Samael. Of course, it was at my suggestion. Donkey's back alley was actually quite a distance to walk. Anyway, thanks to that, I could come out whenever I had a chance and enjoy Donkey's food.
I stopped for a moment and took a deep breath.
The spicy aroma of chicken stew and the pungent scent of liquor filled the air.
I loved this atmosphere and this scent.
"Ehahahaha!"
I could hear hearty laughter.
“Hahaha, hey! Bring that over here, you bastard.”
Drunken, familiar swearing filled the air.
Bang—
The sound of a hand slamming the table with force echoed through the room.
Crash—
And then, the crisp sound of a moonshine glass shattering.
...Wait, why is a moonshine glass breaking?
“You, you piece of shit. Go get it yourself, you fucking idiot.”
“Piece of shit? Where’d you pick up that kind of language, you fucking punk? I’ll smash this moonshine glass into your damn forehead.”
‘...Huh.’
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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