Chapter 157

Clouds embroidered the blue sky above.

Feeling the wind brush past his ears, Tesetan opened his eyes.

‘……What is this?’

On the summit of a high mountain from which heaven and earth could be looked down upon, he was facing a sight he had never seen in his life.

“Magic?”

The city covering the earth below was vast and enormous. It could not even be compared to the cities of Talochium.

Where was this?

He had roamed the whole continent while living as a mercenary, but he had never once seen such a spectacle……

“Now this is why people hike!”

At that moment, a rough voice sounded beside him.

When he turned his head, strange-looking people were standing there in droves.

Each one carried a large backpack on the back, put hands on the waist, and went huh! huh! as they stretched their arms and legs.

On one side, some of them were even thumping their backs against a tree……

‘Are they mad?’

While he was thinking that, one of them suddenly looked at Tesetan.

“Wow, you’ve got the look of a full-on actor! Did you come here for filming or something?”

At the approaching footsteps, Tesetan stepped back without realizing it.

But in the meantime, even more people gathered.

“How can your face be so interesting looking~ Are you filming I Live Alone? A rookie actor? Or a singer?”

“Mrs. Cheol-ho. These days lots of foreigners~ come to our country to sing trot.”

“Oh my, that must really be it! Young man, huh?”

The woman who had been speaking faltered. The orange headband tied around her forehead fluttered.

“Not a young man!”

“Oh my my my!”

“Oh, how pretty!”

Tesetan flinched. That was because the people had all closed the distance at once before he could stop them.

But their gazes were no longer directed at Tesetan.

“The child is young, very young! Is it maybe one or two years old?”

For some reason, the people were looking over his shoulder and wearing soft, melted expressions.

“Oh dear, are you tireeed? Sleep is hanging all over those eyes. How can you be so pretty? Later, when it’s time to marry her off, her dad will cry tears of blood.”

“But why is the child dressed so thinly? Let’s see, I think I have a blanket……”

Tense, Tesetan looked around.

Then suddenly he realized that he had something wrapped around his upper body.

And was that all? He was supporting something behind his back with one hand.

As if holding something in place so it would not fall……

‘What.’

At that moment, he felt something warm and soft in his palm.

More precisely, it would be correct to say that he only now recognized that sensation.

“Daaad.”

A voice that made his heart drop was heard.

The voice of a sleepy little child.

Something buried its face in Tesetan’s neck and rubbed against him.

“Daaad, are we all the way to the top of the mountain now?”

“Oh my goodness, just listen to the way the baby talks!”

“Little one, how old are you? What’s your name?”

Tesetan turned his head.

Just as expected.

He could see something clutching his shoulder.

A white and very tiny hand.

Several strands of hair, glinting like pale gold thread, were scattered over the back of the hand.

“Hello, aunties.”

Tesetan’s heart pounded hard.

Forcing his halted mind to turn, Tesetan thought.

‘What is this?’

Why am I carrying a child on my back?

And who is this child, no, who are these people, that they keep calling me Dad?

“Little one, did you come hiking with your dad?”

“Yeees. But babies get hurt legs if they hike, so Daddy carried me here.”

“How can you speak so well! Who taught you how to talk?”

“Daddy, and the grandmas next door, Ms. Chae and Ms. Bok-su, taught me.”

“Oh my my! You even know how to call adults respectfully? But when you say it like that, you should say Grandma Chae, Grandma Bok-su.”

“……Yees!”

Tesetan turned his head even farther.

At last a white, round cheek entered the blurred edge of his vision.

He swallowed, and just as he was about to confirm the rest of the features as well.

“Commander!”

Someone slapped his cheek hard.

Tesetan’s eyes flew open.

Curly red hair swayed right before his nose.

“Get a grip! You’re crazy, you’re crazy, seriously!”

“……Livia.”

Tesetan let out a groan as he sat up. His whole body throbbed as though he had been beaten all over with something.

“What happened.”

He quickly looked around the surroundings.

A low ceiling.

The sound of fabric flapping coming from every direction.

“Commander. It was close. Because of the rampage……”

At Aleric’s words, Tesetan shut his mouth.

The dream he had just had blurred, and the things that had happened right before he collapsed flashed rapidly through his mind.

‘You’ve gone mad, you.’

After the prolonged clash, he had finally landed an effective blow on the Necromancer King,

‘You bastard, trash bastard, I’ll kill you-!’

and Agabert’s company members had exploded in outrage.

After that, the rampage had happened, and……

‘Please don’t leave only Tie behind!’

Tesetan abruptly got to his feet.

“Commander! Where are you going?!”

Aleric followed after him, but Tesetan, hurriedly putting on his shoes, said,

“We’re still at the ruins, right.”

“……That’s right. But why……”

“Don’t follow me.”

Tesetan strode toward the exit of the barracks.

The only thought in his head was that he had to meet the Necromancer King right away.

But.

“……!”

The moment he opened the door, Tesetan had no choice but to stop in place. Someone was blocking the front of the barracks.

A huge and sturdy body.

A face stiff with anger and an enormous war hammer gripped tightly in one hand as well.

“You look well. It seems your body has already recovered.”

Basto looked down at Tesetan.

Meeting his gaze, Tesetan soon spat out threateningly,

“Move.”

But Basto only let out a short laugh and narrowed his brow fiercely.

“No.”

A vein rose in Tesetan’s forehead.

Should he just beat him down?

At that instant.

“May I ask where you were on your way to?”

This time a dignified voice sounded from lower in his field of vision.

When he lowered his head, an old man with white hair, leaning on a cane, was looking at him.

As Tesetan frowned, Nordix continued speaking.

“Were you perhaps on your way to see Astie?”

Astie.

At the Necromancer King’s true name, Tesetan’s expression went blank.

Nordix naturally patted such a man’s shoulder.

“The Necromancer King is unconscious right now. If it’s all right, I hoped you might spare us a little time.”

Tesetan stared fixedly at Nordix.

Then, before long, after spitting out a curse, he stepped aside.

* * *

Inside the barracks after sending all the company members out.

“I was rather surprised. A rampage of that level……. You too must have had a hard time all this while.”

Tesetan coldly raised his head.

As he fingered the surface of the bandages wrapped around his hand, he went on.

“Stay out of my business. It’s not something you have any business meddling in.”

But there was no change in Nordix’s kindly expression.

Rather, he gave a faint smile and answered,

“How could it not be our business? Because you rampaged, everyone nearly died.”

Tesetan shut his mouth.

Nordix calmly added,

“If it had not been for Astie, everyone really would have died.”

Tesetan clenched his fist tightly. Blood seeped from the cut wound, dyeing the bandage red.

“Our leader absorbed all of your mana.”

Nordix said.

His faded eyes were now facing Tesetan’s gaze squarely.

“From your body, where mana and holy power were mixing and rampaging. It means he cleanly drew out only the mana, all of it.”

“……What?”

Suddenly he remembered the moment the rampage had subsided.

The Necromancer King crying as she clung to her.

And at the same time, he had felt the force trapped inside his body as though it would burst being released.

It had not been a coercive power like a spell or restraint.

It had been a natural movement, like water flowing, like wind blowing.

“Why did you insist on the duel of honor?”

Nordix’s voice pulled Tesetan’s awareness back up.

Tesetan raised his gaze without being able to hide his confused expression.

“I know that you are ambitious. But even with that ambition, I found it difficult to understand that you would go so far as to gamble like this.”

Nordix was still calm.

“Of course, it is something to be glad of that after waging such a battle, neither of the two of you has any danger to life.”

“Do you mean the Necromancer King is all right?”

Nordix nodded.

“He still has not been able to wake up, but yes.”

“……I still have to meet him.”

Tesetan stood again from his place.

But once more Basto blocked his way.

“We’re not done talking yet.”

Staring at Tesetan, Basto continued.

“It was a duel of honor with everything on the line. And the result was that you lost.”

He stared at Tesetan’s right wrist, where the ring of covenant was still fitted.

“When are you going to disband?”

“……”

“I mean your mercenary company.”