Chapter 31

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Translated by Sylph

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“B-Basto, how the hell are you……”

Karl staggered where he stood.

His struck cheek throbbed.

From the incident in Ban-Anra Village until now, the ill fate between him and Basto had gone beyond long-standing and become downright tenacious.

“……I was wondering when and where I would end up meeting you.”

As Basto took one step forward, a deep shadow fell over Karl’s head.

“H-how are you here? You definitely……!”

“Shut up. Before I kill you outright.”

At that moment, Karl felt something cool beneath his neck.

Startled, he lowered his gaze and saw a pretty-looking woman holding a dagger to his throat.

“Do you know how much hell we went through in the imperial capital because of you? Brat, no, we had to empty out even the money and valuables our little commander had to deal with the mess you made.”

As if the thought alone made her angry, the woman ground her teeth.

In that gap, the old man standing behind her approached Governor Marianne.

“I greet Baroness Waveril.”

At those words, everyone gathered there was startled.

Even if they did not know the name of Governor ‘Marianne,’ they had long heard of the Waveril family.

And for good reason, because House Waveril was one of the five wealthiest noble families in the empire.

“How can such a noble person be standing in the rain?”

At the old man’s voice, Marianne drew a short breath.

Rudy, the innkeeper, hurriedly stepped forward.

“Goodness, I’ve been rude since earlier! Please come inside first.”

After glaring at Karl once, Marianne entered the inn.

Basto, Tie, and Nordix followed behind her.

Only after the four disappeared did Veil withdraw the dagger he had been holding to Karl’s throat.

“You. Don’t even think about running away and stay right here. Once our little commander comes out, you’re dead.”

Then she followed the other Agabert members into the inn.

Karl stared blankly at the door Veil had disappeared through, then narrowed his brow.

“‘Commander?'”

Surely that bastard Basto hadn’t finally gone and founded a mercenary company of his own?

“That really is the Necromancer King, right?”

But at that moment, the murmuring voices reached his ears.

“Yeah. They say all that is a disguise.”

“If it’s a disguise, then is it magic?”

“They say he’s an archmage, so probably. What couldn’t a necromancer who handles dark-attribute magic do?”

“Then what about that incident where skeletons were summoned at the gate? Was that real too?”

“I’m telling you it was. From what I heard in Jester, he didn’t just summon them at the gate, either. They say he conquered the medium and small magic stones in Tenebraum Cave all at once.”

“My God…… Is that why? When I saw him in the inn dining room yesterday, it looked like his standing inside the mercenary company was incredible too! Even that Basto was completely at his mercy!”

Karl’s expression gradually hardened.

But the surrounding mercenaries did not notice his mood souring.

“Then what was that? Someone said they saw the Necromancer King walking through the streets crying yesterday.”

“They say that was all a trap! They say he’s such a serious weirdo that sometimes he really pretends to be a child. If you approach to help him, he steals your mind with nasty magic.”

“Steals your mind……”

“I-illusion magic?”

“His tastes are absolutely horrible! Tesetan too, why are all the strong bastards completely insane?”

“More than that, I’m jealous of Basto. How did he manage to find such an incredible little commander?”

“They’re saying it won’t take long before Agabert rises into the top ten.”

“Wow, then I wish they’d conquer that magic stone jutting out of the sea. I’d like to watch while I’m at it.”

“Come to think of it. If it’s Agabert, couldn’t they conquer that magic stone too?”

One mercenary pointed at something rising long and black.

Blurred by sea mist and rain, it was unmistakably a magic stone.

“I don’t think so. Even at a glance, that’s medium grade. Besides, we don’t know what kind of monster will come out of there.”

“That makes sense. A newly founded mercenary company doesn’t need to take a risk on purpose.”

“Everyone shut up!”

In that instant, Karl shouted sharply.

The mercenaries looked at him with puzzled faces.

“Necromancer King? Agabert? Give me a break.”

Karl’s body trembled.

“An old geezer, a young woman, and a freak pretending to be a brat are going to conquer that magic stone? Yeah, right!”

Karl’s eyes burned with jealousy and hatred.

“Watch closely, all of you. Lord Karl is going to prove it’s all baseless rumor. I’ll conquer that magic stone!”

At those words, the members of Death Hound flinched.

“C-Commander. But there’s no precedent for that magic stone. We don’t even know how dangerous it might be……?”

“Shut up! If you’re too scared like little brats, then get lost right now! I won’t stop you.”

The members fell silent.

With his brow deeply furrowed, Karl stared at the magic stone rising from the sea.

“……This actually works out. Might as well raise my rank while I’m at it.”

In the past, from the time he had been with Death Hound alongside Basto, the commander had always been Karl.

But Basto had always enjoyed a fame far greater than Karl’s.

“‘Arrogant bastard. Who the hell does he think he is. Who the hell is he to get more attention than me?'”

Until Ban-Anra Village went up in flames, that idiot had always smiled at Karl in that good-natured way.

Without even knowing what thoughts Karl harbored inside.

“‘I hoped that after your family ended up like that, you’d quit being a mercenary or go somewhere and die already.'”

Stealing away the merits he had built up little by little also became difficult after a certain point.

So Karl made up his mind.

Even if it cost a great deal of money, he would bury the bastard completely in the industry.

And yet.

“‘Those holy knight bastards. What, was the money I gave them back then not enough or something!'”

If they were going to take a bribe, they shouldn’t have let that bastard through the gate!

Grinding his teeth, Karl glared at the inside of the inn where Basto had disappeared.

“‘They’re saying it won’t take long before Agabert rises into the top ten.'”

Rise into the top ten, my ass.

The one occupying a place in the top ten was Death Hound, the mercenary company under his command.

And there was no way he could share such a place with a bunch of brats like that.

“Rekar. Come here.”

When he called quietly, Vice-Captain Rekar approached Karl.

“Listen carefully to what I’m about to say. If those brats say they want to conquer the medium magic stone with us……”

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the inn.

“Governor, are you all right?”

Marianne lifted her head.

The handkerchief in her hand had been crumpled completely, from how tightly she had been gripping it.

“……My apologies. Where was I?”

Smiling kindly, Nordix answered.

“I asked whether any other message has come from the imperial family.”

With a troubled face, Marianne shook her head.

“My adjutant must have sent an urgent notice. But it will take time before a reply arrives. As you can see……”

Her gaze once more turned outside the window, where thunder and lightning were striking.

The wind was even stronger than before, whipping the rain sideways.

“‘Surely the boat Raul and Enzo were on hasn’t capsized?'”

Marianne prayed inwardly.

Please, let the boat Raul and Enzo were on have already reached the dock.

Let the twins have gotten off the boat safely and returned to the government office.

“Guv’nor.”

But at that moment, a childish voice scattered Marianne’s thoughts.

Turning her gaze to the worried face, she saw the child sitting across from her.

Platinum-blond hair curled from being wet with rain.

Green eyes shining with some kind of concern.

“Guv’nor, your face is all puppy-worry……”

“What kind of worry……?”

“Is there somebody in the sea? Your eyes keep going to the sea.”

Marianne’s mouth closed.

Her heart pounded, and her breathing quickened.

“I, I……”

In truth, everything before her was going dark.

Her hands and feet trembled, and with each breath she let out, her head spun.

But Marianne had been repeating the same thing to herself the whole time.

“‘It’ll be all right. My sons will be all right. So if I just do my job, just my job well……'”

Because she could not endure it without denying the situation.

“‘Raul and Enzo aren’t in danger, they aren’t in danger.'”

They truly are not in danger.

She remembered when something had gone wrong with her husband.

It had been like that then too.

When she thought her husband might really die, when she finally recognized the seriousness of the situation.

That was when the notice of her husband’s death had arrived.

Marianne’s hand twitched convulsively.

Her rigid posture also slowly collapsed.

“I……”

Her head was gradually being dyed in a single thought.

Raul and Enzo would also return as corpses.

The moment she rose to go look for them.