Chapter 099. A New North (4)
The carriage carrying Ron, Jan, and Elena left Ro-Elpellan. They were to pass through the eastern part of the kingdom, cross the Border White Range, and circumvent the land of warriors to reach the Empire. By now, the first act must have concluded, and with mages and clergymen sent to meet them from the Magic Tower and the Church, they shouldn’t face any significant dangers.
“What are you planning to do?”
“I’ve got to go back to the branch office. Until my arm fully heals, I’ll only be taking care of paperwork.”
“Expanding the business is going to keep you quite busy.”
“Extremely busy, yes. But it’s all for a good cause. Thanks to this, our influence in the North will only grow.”
Clash. Bang!
Kal Elson dodged a brutal downward slash and twisted his body around with a grimace. Khan’s pupils shone like a predator seizing an opportunity.
With his feet off the ground, a red magic sword rushed towards Kal Elson’s back in a straight trajectory. The superhuman strength and resilient body combined to execute a piercing strike that went straight through Kal Elson. But would the Swordmaster be called as such for no reason?
Khan’s thrust only penetrated through Kal Elson’s outer garment. Without even looking, he had precisely read the trajectory of the sword.
‘I knew it.’
They had crossed swords dozens of times. During those encounters, not once had he won against Kal Elson. He couldn’t have imagined being bested so easily and naturally had to predict what would follow an evasion.
Crack!
An ominous sound came from Khan’s wrist, which looked dislocated. However, Khan swung his sword as if he couldn’t feel any pain at all.
“This madman…!”
Overstepping the limits of human movement, Kal Elson voiced his astonishment at the bizarre attack. Even the irregular attack, transforming a pierce into a slash using his body, was merely a minor foul for the Swordmaster.
Before the slashing could properly begin, he pressed down on the blade of the magic sword with the tip of his own, blocking the attack. This feat required accurate anticipation of the force applied and the opponent’s swordsmanship.
“What on earth is your body made of? How does it get worse every time?”
Naturally, the outcome that followed was Khan’s defeat. His desperate counterattack failed, and he couldn’t prevent Kal Elson’s sword from aiming towards his neck.
“Well, a win is a win. What’s all the fuss about?”
“It defies all logic, that’s why…!”
In that case, it’s you who is more of an anomaly for winning. Khan just grinned, keeping his further thoughts to himself.
Following his right hand being incapacitated, Kal Elson immediately began his so-called rehabilitation, which involved sparring with Khan as witnessed. Khan, exerting minimal effort, engaged Kal Elson purely in swordsmanship.
Previously, he might have refused such a spar that ‘gave no experience points’. Nevertheless…
[Antares-style Mystic Swordsmanship (B) – 41%]
The skill proficiency of ‘Antares-style Mystic Swordsmanship’ had surged dramatically, thanks to the sparring sessions with the Swordsmaster Kal Elson. It was an unimaginable rate of improvement if one were to think about his gaming days…
‘Certainly different from the game.’
It wasn’t grinding like in the game; instead, skill proficiency soared greatly following enlightenment. Additionally, characters from the warrior class receiving training or fighting against a Swordmaster received bonus increases.
‘Probably, the current growth is due to a combination of real-life and game elements.’
“Anyway, that should be enough. You won’t be underestimated as a ‘crippled arm’ anywhere.”
“Weren’t you just going to handle paperwork?”
“Even so, there are moments when direct involvement is unavoidable in business. Plus, dealing with the nobles of the provisional committee you’ve named requires being in a state close to perfect.”
“That sounds extremely bothersome.”
“Are you aware that it’s mostly your fault…?”
Khan merely shrugged.
‘To be fair, I have shifted quite a few responsibilities onto him.’
For instance, he had long since delegated the excavation of Al-Rasdel’s wyvern corpse and distributing Khan’s share properly. He couldn’t just go to Al-Rasdel and waste time there, could he?
Then there’s coordinating with Lebron from the ‘White Crow Guild’ to collect various information and bringing in a ‘recommender’ to monitor and check on the integrity of the provisional committee…
“Hmm… But, aren’t your subordinates the ones doing most of the work?”
“You crazy man. Do you think they’re digging up the ground to eat?”
Despite his grumbling tone, Kal Elson likely didn’t truly feel irritated.
How could he, when both he and the mercenary guild had gained so much? One of the heroes who vanquished the demonic realm now proudly stood as the chief director. Who would dare to oppose the guild’s will in the North? Moreover, as this news spread throughout the kingdom, their influence was bound to grow even stronger.
“In the guild, my status will rise even further, of course.”
“Well, I’m counting on you.”
“Damn scoundrel.”
Grumbling until the end, Kal Elson departed to attend to his own tasks. Pashantu had long since left to seek out the next battlefield, so now they had all but departed….
“Aren’t you going anywhere?”
“Where might that be?”
“Everyone’s gone off to find their own tasks, and here you are still hanging around. What, did Kal Elson fire you or something?”
“Not at all.”
“Then what?”
Well, there remained only one person who had stuck by Khan’s side until now. This woman, who made a striking impression from their first meeting and somehow got entangled into coming along thus far.
Maya Eldred stated with a firm voice, “I quit on my own accord.”
“What?”
“I quit on my own accord.”
“No….”
Khan, with a baffled expression, asked again,
“Have you become envious of a swan’s life? Why quit a perfectly good job?”
“I want to become stronger.”
“What kind of crap….”
Khan stopped himself mid-sentence under Maya’s earnest gaze and asked sincerely,
“You quit the guild to follow me…? Why in the world?”
“Didn’t I tell you? I want to become stronger.”
“Exactly. I’m curious as to why someone who wants to become stronger would quit the mercenary guild to follow me.”
“Because one can only surpass oneself in extreme situations, just like you.”
It was then Khan realized where Maya’s decision had misguided roots.
‘She’s mistaken. She thinks I became strong because… I survived dangerous battles.’
In a way, it wasn’t completely incorrect. After all, one could continuously become stronger from experience gained with each battle, especially since entering the north, where they had faced life-threatening situations numerous times.
Each such experience led to acquiring a greater amount of experience points and, consequently, more skills. So, Maya’s misconception wasn’t entirely unfounded. However, there was an issue.
‘Unless you have a stats window like I do, there’s no reason to take such risks.’
“…….”
Looking solemnly at Maya gave rise to a sigh brimming to the edge.
‘How am I supposed to explain that.’
It was impossible to discuss anything related to the game system. Nor could he bluntly say that she couldn’t do it. After all, it was largely his fault she had made such a decision. If he hadn’t involved her in the first place…
“It’s going to be dangerous. You might end up losing your life in vain, without even facing a proper battle. You may encounter monsters like the wyvern we ran into countless times.”
“That’s what I hope for.”
“And yet, you might not get any stronger.”
“…Even so, that’s fine. It’s better than running away and regretting.”
This is madness.
For Khan, who sought strength to survive, he could hardly understand her willingness to face death in her quest for power. But he had no other choice.
There was nothing to do but accept it…
“Consider me a knight in your service, please do make yourself comfortable commanding me.”
“Damn it… do as you wish.”
As soon as permission was granted, Khan couldn’t help but feel a twinge of discomfort at the sight of her bright smile, furiously ruffling the back of his head in thought.
“However, if you become a nuisance, you’ll be left behind.”
“I won’t bear any grudges even if you abandon me.”
“Then, let’s go.”
Khan, cloaked in the significantly worn ‘Snow Mountain White Wolf’s Fur’, adjusted his attire and exited the annex’s training ground, heading off to an unknown destination. Maya’s face showed a hint of curiosity about their destination, but she quickly composed herself and obediently stayed by Khan’s side as if truly embodying the role of a knight.
‘Since I’m taking her along… I’ll have to make her as useful as possible.’
***
The wealth amassed by the Elpellan family, Hern explained, was enough to supply the entire North with grain for several years. This included arming private soldiers, with plenty of money to spare.
“It’s also thanks to arming the soldiers with magical devices produced by that suspicious group of mages.”
Creeeak.
Hern, who had taken upon the role of the party’s guide and now bore the title of emergency committee chairman, pushed open the old wooden door. Immediately, the distinct dank scent and damp air of the underground hit them – or, rather, it should have.
‘It doesn’t feel like it… Is it a spell?’
“To preserve items for a long time, there must have been considerable effort put in. One reason the Elpellan family’s head has been a mage for generations is due to this vault. Supposedly, it’s home to treasures of incredible value.”
“That’s exciting.”
“… But there’s no guarantee we’ll find it. We’re also unsure about everything contained within this place.”
In other words, finders, keepers.
It meant trusting one’s eye and luck to uncover true gems hidden in this vast warehouse…
But truly, discerning the origin or capability of a magic device just by its appearance was nearly impossible. Yet, Khan nodded in acknowledgment to Hern’s explanation.
“I’ll wait outside. Take your time and look around comfortably until you find what you need.”
Having no time limit was an enormous boon from Khan’s perspective. Hern judged it impossible to pick out the right items without relying on luck, so granting unlimited time seemed like an oversight. To put it bluntly, it was a grave mistake.
[Fairy Mage’s Wand]
[King of Durg’s Steel Tendon]
[Hardworking Dwarf’s Wrist Guard]
[Old Troll’s Leather Shoes]
[……]
Regrettably, items with information valuable enough to appear were not going to escape his sight.
***
The quality of the equipment lying dormant in the duke’s treasury was surprisingly decent. Of course, there were only a handful of items that were better than what was currently equipped. Nonetheless, he had to be content with selecting a few.
‘For now, I’ll be satisfied with these three.’
Adding two to his strength and a slight boost to his dexterity, the ‘Hardworking Dwarf’s Wrist Guard,’ and the ‘Old Troll’s Leather Shoes,’ which added one to strength at the cost of reducing intelligence by one.
The last was a massive double-bladed axe that was a heavy weapon.
The axe didn’t have additional stats like the others, but one feature completely captured Khan’s attention. It allowed for the instant adjustment of the weapon’s weight, perfectly suited for his style of overwhelming force over finesse.
“I’m not sure if it’s alright to accept these…”
“Just take them. I won’t ask for them back.”
Naturally, he also chose for Maya, who initially refused but began eagerly accepting once she broadly understood the level of equippment Khan was offering. Suddenly, she jittered in surprise, sending a worried glance towards Khan. What kind of ordeal was he preparing them for with such heavy armament?
“With this, crossing over there shouldn’t pose much of a problem.”
“Over there…?”
“The lawless city of Bates.”
Bates, located northwest of the Argon Kingdom, infamous for being a haven for all manner of criminals from across the continent, was indeed Khan’s next destination.
“We’ll be attending the black market held there.”