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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 138: Please Leave, Customer
Prestigious clans and renowned factions across the continent tend to possess unique flying vehicles that represent them.
The Arihama clan's Guardian Ship and the White Magic Tower's Sky Sphere are prime examples.
Of course, considering the entire continent, these are extremely rare.
This is because the technology and cost involved are substantial, and the efficiency is low.
Especially for merchants who frequently travel across the continent, even if they have flying vehicles, they often choose to travel by land due to cost concerns.
***
It's quite difficult to accurately grasp the size of the continent. This is because even excluding the Demon Realm, the Hwarin Mountains, and the Land of Death beyond the borders, the central continent alone is unimaginably vast.
Even traveling on a fine steed, it would likely take several years to traverse from the eastern end to the western end.
That's why the public magic circles were created.
Erected at several key points in the east, west, south, and north of the continent, public magic circles allow even ordinary people to drastically reduce travel distances.
By using a public magic circle, one can instantly travel vast distances.
Poeta is one such base with a public magic circle.
It was a place I knew as well.
Considering that there was no base in the Quebek region, it was one of the closest bases to Khaoto.
However, the difference from the past was in the managing entity.
In the past, the White Magic Tower managed the public magic circles, but now, I heard that the Magic Tower Alliance was in charge.
***
There are various ways to move quickly.
While there are many factors to consider in detail, I broadly categorized them into three:
* Covering short distances with explosive acceleration.
* Covering long distances with moderate acceleration.
* Quickly dodging an opponent's attacks during combat.
I wanted to be fast in every aspect.
There was a reason for my obsession with speed.
It was a matter of survival.
When fighting demons, unexpected situations often arose. I didn't always have the upper hand in battles against demons. There were times when I had to flee. To survive and avoid death, how fast I could run was a crucial matter.
Knights' footwork is slow.
However, obsessed with speed, I recently discovered a possibility in footwork while traversing Mount Khaoto.
From Khaoto to Poeta, I intentionally imitated knights' footwork while running.
Running with wind pressure concentrated on the tips of my toes, barely touching the ground.
It minimized sound, improved efficiency, and even looked stylish.
It was a way to approach an opponent quickly without being noticed.
During my journey to Poeta, I more or less perfected the Crazy Mage style of footwork.
"It feels really good running like you, Brother."
One surprising thing was that Daisy, who was desperately trying to keep up, was also imitating my running form at some point.
As expected, Daisy had a natural talent.
"I'm not even out of breath, and the feeling of stepping on the ground is great. Lightly treading on the grass. You know how much I love grass."
"You've got a good eye."
My first impression of Poeta was more complicated than I expected.
Centered around the central plaza with the magic circle, people from all over the continent were bustling about with their own purposes.
Overall, rather than feeling like a developed city, it seemed like Poeta was only being used as a base.
I roamed Poeta tirelessly, gathering information.
Time was of the essence.
First, I visited local merchants and mercenary brokerage offices to gather information about the Fenrir Mercenary Group. They seemed to be quite well-known, as I didn't have much trouble gathering information.
To summarize:
First, they were a small mercenary group that had become active relatively recently.
Second, they had attacked another mercenary group that used to dominate Poeta and killed every single one of them.
Third, they accepted any job as long as the pay was right. However, their range of activity wasn't very wide.
"I don't think it's them."
Daisy and I gathered information in our respective areas and then met up again.
Daisy, who had brought a physical description of the Fenrir Mercenary Group's leader, shook her head.
"Just like the soldier said. The leader seems too young. And his personality doesn't seem to match either."
"I have a feeling it's them. We'll know once we go."
"If you say so, Brother."
We set off together.
The Fenrir Mercenary Group's headquarters was located on the outskirts of Poeta, a little distance from the center.
Strangely, as we headed towards the headquarters, the Heart Demon that had been embedded in Daisy's face slowly disappeared.
I asked Daisy,
"What are you thinking?"
Suddenly, Daisy burst into laughter.
"I was just reminded of the old days. This feels like when you and I went to find that Shepiro bastard. Back then, I was so scared of you."
"You went through a lot, Vice Commander Daisy."
"Compared to you, Brother, that guy is nothing."
I suddenly looked ahead and said,
"I think we're here."
At the end of the path, we saw a shabby building.
The main gate was open, and there was no signboard or any inscription, only a flag fluttering alone on the wall.
Looking at the butterfly pattern on the flag, I said,
"Is that the right symbol?"
"Yes, it is."
"We've come to the right place."
"Should I stay out of it like before? I want to go with you."
"Of course. You weren't my subordinate back then, but you are now."
"I'll keep that in mind, Brother."
As we got closer, we realized that the main gate wasn't just open, it had no doors at all.
"Their headquarters is shabby."
There was no obstruction as we passed through the entrance.
Not even a single gatekeeper.
Looking inside, we saw a young man sitting in the main hall, but he didn't react even when we made our presence known.
Wondering what was going on, we went inside, and only then did the young man look at us.
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No, we don't."
"We don't accept requests without an appointment."
I looked at the young man and asked,
"I heard you accept any request?"
"That was before. Now, you can only make a reservation by note."
"What do you mean by 'directly by note'?"
"Oh, come on."
Suddenly, the young man let out a deep sigh as if he was looking down on me.
"The customer has to deliver the note to us themselves. If you want to make a reservation, write down where you're staying and leave a note. We'll contact you if we're interested."
"And if you're not interested?"
"You won't hear back from us."
I looked around and said,
"This doesn't seem like a proper mercenary group. Why are you being so difficult?"
The young man's eyes turned cold.
"You're not qualified, customer. To not understand this sensibility. You've just been added to our mercenary group's block list. We won't accept your reservation."
I looked at Daisy and said,
"What do you think?"
"He's rude."
The young man said with his hands clasped together,
"I apologize, but please leave, customer."
"He certainly is rude."
Daisy looked at me.
"What should we do, Brother?"
"What can we do when he's asking us to leave?"
"Should we kill him?"
"That's a bit much."
I slowly approached the young man.
"I said leave. Are you deaf?"
"...What a clueless customer, seriously. Hey, while I'm being nice, just leave. If you make me call my brother, you'll be dragged out with a broken leg."
I pointed at the young man from just a few steps away.
"Since you seem like an ordinary guy, I'll give you a choice. Take the reservation, or get beaten up. Choose."
"I’ve got a crazy one. Brother!"
As soon as the young man shouted, I heard footsteps from inside.
"Hmm?"
A well-built man with his shirt off came out to the main hall and looked at the young man and me alternately.
He didn't seem that old. At most, he looked a year or two older than the young man.
His hands were particularly thick compared to his physique.
It was as if his hands had become thick with layers of scars and calluses on each knuckle.
Recalling the physical description I had seen earlier, I said,
"You're Fenrir."
The man nodded and looked at me and Daisy alternately.
"I'm the mercenary captain. What brings you here?"
"Your member is rude. He told me to get lost right off the bat because I didn't have a reservation. I gave him a chance, but he didn't come to his senses, so I was debating whether to flick his forehead."
I was curious about his reaction, but Fenrir nodded as if it were natural.
Suddenly, Fenrir went into the bathroom, brought a bucket of water, and poured it on the young man.
"No, brother! Those bastards..."
Fenrir hit the young man's head with the bucket he had brought and said,
"How many times have I told you, you idiot? Treat people accordingly. Go inside."
With a tearful face, the young man disappeared inside.
I said to Fenrir,
"Blood relative?"
"My younger brother."
"Your personalities are quite different."
"I keep telling him, but he doesn't listen. As a gesture of apology, I'll hear you out, so tell me what you need."
"Why do you keep speaking informally?"
"Then you speak informally too."
"Actually, I don't have a request."
Suddenly, Fenrir looked closely at me and Daisy, then said,
"A grudge?"
"Something like that."
Fenrir, still relaxed, asked,
"Who is it? It's not me, that's for sure. The Yumta brothers? Doc?"
"I don't know his name."
"Appearance?"
"Long hair, swordsman."
For the first time, Fenrir showed a hint of surprise and said,
"You don't mean Uncle Wolf, do you?"
"I think that's right."
"That's strange. You have a grudge against Uncle Wolf?"
"Is he a blood relative?"
"No. We just call him uncle."
Fenrir wandered around the hall as if intrigued, then said,
"He's not here right now. You can wait inside. He'll be back soon."
"If you're going to gang up on us, there's no need to beat around the bush."
Fenrir suddenly burst into hearty laughter.
"We don't do that kind of thing. We're all gathered here because we're sick of those idiotic mercenary groups with their rules and whatnot. Personal grudges should be settled personally. But if you ask for help, we'll move too, so keep that in mind. Though I don't think Uncle Wolf would do that."
As if he had said all he wanted to say, Fenrir yawned and disappeared inside. I sat in the hall with Daisy for a while.
Mercenaries came and went, but most of them didn't pay any attention to us.
"This is different from what I've heard."
"Indeed."
It didn't seem like a typical mercenary group.
The members had unique personalities, and the structure of the mercenary group was unusual as well.
At least they didn't seem as vicious as I had heard.
After a while, I suddenly looked towards the entrance, and Daisy followed my gaze.
"He's here."
A middle-aged man with long hair that reached his waist slowly walked through the entrance.
I could immediately understand what Daisy had said.
Apart from his long hair, he had an ordinary appearance with nothing particularly remarkable.
Fenrir, who had come out to the hall, said to the middle-aged man,
"Uncle Wolf, we have guests."
"Guests?"
The middle-aged man looked around and then turned his gaze towards us.
"Ah."
The middle-aged man let out a sigh after recognizing Daisy's face.
I approached him directly and said,
"You're finally here. We've been waiting for you."
The middle-aged man looked at me and Daisy in turn.
"...What's your relationship?"
"I'm the leader of the Full Khao Patrol Unit. Daisy is my subordinate."
From behind, Daisy shouted,
"It's been changed to the Fulkhao Brotherhood!"
My mind went blank for a moment, and I blurted out whatever came to mind.
"Anyway, I'm the leader of the Brotherhood. While I was away, you committed a terrible act in Khaoto. Are you the one who tried to steal our stir-fried chicken?"
"I didn't steal it. I paid for it."
"So you did nothing wrong?"
The middle-aged man sighed.
"I understand."
I briefly made eye contact with the middle-aged man.
Looking closely, his eyes were blue.
There was no sign of agitation in his somewhat languid gaze. Perhaps it was his nature, or maybe he had experienced a lot in life.
"To make an excuse, I was very unlucky that day. The food at the first restaurant I went to was just too delicious. I wanted to try other things, but I was full. That's why I asked for just one piece of stir-fried chicken. I had no intention of picking a fight."
The middle-aged man pointed at Daisy.
"I was going to go easy, but she was too skilled. Talented would be a more accurate description. That was also unfortunate. I didn't mean to knock her unconscious. But I did take the circumstances into account, so don't misunderstand too much. I think you were also unlucky that day."
I said with a smile,
"Now that I see it, you're quite self-centered."
"I think I handled it as well as I could. If you have any questions, ask."
I immediately understood his personality.
"From what I see, you grew up in a very messed up environment. Where did you come from? Not only did you steal food from complete strangers, but you also beat them up and said what? That we should consider ourselves unlucky?"
The middle-aged man nodded.
"That makes sense. What do you want me to do?"
I clenched my fist towards the middle-aged man.
"Pay the price again. Let's fight."
"That's not a good idea."
Fenrir's voice came from behind.
"Hey. That's not a good idea. Just give him the money."
Other mercenaries came out from somewhere and chimed in.
"Uncle Wolf has a lot of money."
Daisy turned around and swore at them.
"Shut up, you bastards!"
I nodded and said to the middle-aged man,
"I can't just stand by when my subordinate gets beat up. That's not what a leader does."
"I understand how you feel, but you're going to regret this."
"Let's test our luck today."
The middle-aged man sighed and took out his scabbard.
"Follow me."
***
Facing me in the overgrown backyard, the middle-aged man sighed once again.
"Make a different request now."
I pointed at Daisy.
"Alright, if Daisy hits you with the scabbard until you faint, just like you did to her, we'll let it slide."
"...That would be a bit difficult."
"Then why do you keep asking for a different request?"
Shaking his head, the middle-aged man finally raised his scabbard.
"Have you learned magic?"
"You have a good eye."
"If you want to stop at any time, just say so. I don't want to make the same mistake twice."
Languid eyes and a languid posture.
Should I call it arrogance or overflowing confidence?
Probably neither.
This man didn't show even a hint of interest in the situation he was facing.
Sometimes, when one has accumulated a lot of experience, one can fall into such a misconception.
I said to the middle-aged man,
"Hey, Mr. Beggar."
"What?"
"Let's see what you've got."
I opened four circles of my heart and stomped my foot hard.
The moment the weeds were crushed and the ground caved in, I shot forward with a thud.
My whole body was enveloped in wind armor.
Simultaneously, I created fire spears with both hands and launched them at the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man raised his scabbard and languidly swung it horizontally.
With a single, simple horizontal slash, the fire spears were effortlessly dispersed.
Next, the middle-aged man swung his scabbard again in reverse, concisely countering my body slam.
Fwoosh—
The middle-aged man's eyes flickered.
The destructive power of the body slam was stronger than he expected. However, in the midst of it all, he instantly twisted his sword path diagonally and deflected the wind pressure.
His swordsmanship was also incredibly concise.
"...A mage with such skills?"
The middle-aged man's voice held a hint of surprise.
From behind, I heard Fenrir shouting excitedly.
"Oh, was that martial arts just now? It's similar to mine. I want to fight too!"
I kept my eyes fixed on the middle-aged man and said,
"Are you getting interested now? Or not yet?"
Without waiting for an answer, I launched Red Dagger with my right hand.
The target was the middle-aged man's right shoulder.
When the middle-aged man raised his scabbard to block the trajectory of the incoming Red Dagger, I pointed my index finger and aimed at Red Dagger.
'Penetration, Piercing WInd.'
Whoosh—
The wind blade grazed Red Dagger, instantly altering its trajectory.
In a split second, the path of Red Dagger, which was aimed at the middle-aged man's shoulder, changed and headed towards his waist.
Simultaneously, I aimed at the middle-aged man's footing and chanted another spell.
'Restraint, Binder.'
4th Circle Earth attribute magic, Binder.
The weeds wrapped around the middle-aged man's footing, binding him tightly.
But the middle-aged man's eyes remained calm.
One breath.
Leaning his upper body diagonally as if about to collapse, the middle-aged man used the momentum to swing his scabbard downwards.
Slash—
Even in his collapsing posture, the trajectory of his scabbard remained unwavering.
A truly textbook stance.
With a clink, Red Dagger was deflected, and the weeds binding his feet were torn apart with a single swing.
Thud—
Simultaneously, I felt the middle-aged man's presence right next to me.
He had seamlessly transitioned from defense to offense, his movements flowing like water.
But was he impressed or something? In the midst of his attack, he said,
"You've done your research. Your adaptability with magic is excellent. But your weakness is clear."
"Giving advice in the middle of a fight? You're quite relaxed."
"I'll end this quickly as a sign of respect."
The scabbard flew towards my head.
He seemed to think close combat was my weakness.
The moment I wrapped flames around my arm to deflect the scabbard, his sword path changed and aimed for my neck.
As I twisted my arm to follow his sword path, the middle-aged man's leg movement changed in a strange way.
Curious, I watched as he disappeared as if sinking into the ground, then reappeared behind me.
'Footwork.'
There was an excellent counter for situations like this when caught from behind.
I rotated my body powerfully and cleared my throat dramatically.
"Ahem, Rotating Whirlwind Blade!"
Just before the scabbard, swung concisely by the middle-aged man, could strike my back...
The middle-aged man's eyes showed surprise for the first time as a whirlwind of wind blades surged towards him.
Thud—
In a split second, the scabbard was deflected into the air as his wrist twisted from the sudden impact of wind pressure.
The middle-aged man leaped up, caught the scabbard, landed back on the ground, and looked at me.
"...So it wasn't just improvisation. Is that magic too?"
I didn't answer and just stared at the middle-aged man.
I was starting to get an idea of where this guy came from.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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