Chapter 34

After finishing the meal, we immediately left the restaurant.

Primienne kept acting like an NPC since she thought she should at least guard me after receiving the sleeping bag. With that thinking, she even caught an adventurer trying to steal from my pockets.

Soon enough, we stopped in front of some dilapidated wooden building. "You can go now."

"I'll be on my way, then. I'll just consider this sleeping bag as something I picked up on the streets."

"Allen. Wait outside."

"Yes!"

Primienne left, and Allen, who tried to follow me, stepped away and moved as I instructed.

I knocked on the door and went inside, a scent similar to an antique bookstore immediately entering my nostrils. Gentle breezes slipped through the cracks all over its wooden walls.

"… Is anyone here?" I spoke politely and formally, which made me feel like writhing. However, the owner of this place was worth the highest formality.

"Ughm… Who's there?" A voice hindered by phlegm came from above, making me realize stairs were waiting for me at my blind spot.

Creak— Creak— Creak—

I felt as if every step the person took on the wooden stairs made the entire building shake. Eventually, an impressionable old man entered my view.

"I'm here to place an order for a wand."

"Wand?" Due to his long, grey hair, he looked like a wizard. He put on his glasses and looked at me. "Oh, aren't you Deculein?"

"…" I bowed politely without saying a word.

"As I said last time… Hmm…? Hmm… You… You've changed a lot. No, this…" The old man's eyebrows shook, his wrinkles moving along with them.

"Has your soul been reversed? It looks like you've been through a lot. Your heart and the flow of your blood have become much gentler than before. Even the way you talk is different."

My heart sank for a moment, but I didn't show it. "I'm here to place an order for a wand."

He nodded with a satisfied grin. "Okay, I'll accept it this time. What kind of wand do you want?"

From the way he said it, it sounded like the old Deculein had come here before as well. Well, even when he wasn't a player, he knew of the master craftsman 'Rockelock.'

"… Just a wand."

"Wands, staffs, canes. Magic wands have many different forms."

"As long as you use all of this, anything is good."

I took out a fragment of the Magic Tree that I hid in my arms, causing the old man's eyes to flash. "Oho. A Magic Tree fragment. If I use this, then it's possible."

"That's not all."

I spread out all the other materials I purchased at a magic store. According to the [Man of Great Wealth]'s eyes, all of these were of the highest quality.

Rockelock's jaw dropped.

"… Ohoho. These, along with the Magic Tree? Do you desire the best wand to ever exist?"

"I'll be satisfied for as long as it's worthy of going down through history."

"Hmm. Why don't you add some blood, too, then?"

I couldn't help but think twice about his suggestion. He provided an explanation.

"Yukline's blood is good enough to be used as material. Your family has a deep and rich history, after all."

"… Okay."

I was worried that my talent might not be enough, but the old man would know if it would have a negative effect anyway and would skip it if so.

"Filter it well."

I rolled up my arms, and he swiped his index finger diagonally across it, causing my forearm to be cut painlessly and for my blood to gush out. Controlling its flow, he placed it on a beaker.

"I normally don't take too long to make a wand, but I need to devote my heart and soul to the creation of this one. Wait for ten days. I'll send it to you in a package."

Packaging it would be a little too risky, but Rockelock added an explanation as if he read my mind. "If I build a magical vault using your blood, no one will be able to open or break it aside from you."

"… How much is it?"

"4 million Elnes. Including the vault and shipping fee."

Four million was much more expensive than I expected, excluding the cost of the materials. Yeriel's distorted face came to mind.

I disregarded it. I could earn 10 million Elnes from the vase anyway. "Do you take family cheques?"

"You're a Yukline."

I nodded and issued a cheque. The old man grinned with satisfaction.

"Great. You'll get it in two weeks at the latest."

"Okay. I'll be on my way."

"Sure. Hohohoho."

When I bowed at the old man's laugh, a number of messages popped up.

[Side Quest Completed: Rockelock's Wand]

First Condition: Earn enough fame or notoriety.

Second Condition: Find the kind-hearted virtuous man or repentance.

Third Condition: Gain Rockelock's interest through high-quality materials.

Fourth Condition. More than two visits.

◆ Store Currency +1

◆ A wand made by Rockelock.

"…"

A quest was cleared out of the blue.

Of course, it was thanks to Deculein, who dropped by here once before, though I didn't know when.

'Thanks.'

I left the store satisfied.

*****

Meanwhile, at the Freyhem Knights commander's office, on the outskirts of the continent, Julie was having a conversation with Reylie, a relative who hadn't visited in a long time.

"I'm really busy these days, and I'm not earning much money. Adventurers can't do anything. All it does is put an even bigger hole in my finances. Honestly, I'm only doing this for my ID since it allows me to travel abroad with no limits."

"I'm envious." Julie laughed in response to Reylie's complaints.

"Ms. Knight, you made the right choice by turning away from the path of an adventurer."

"Haha."

Becoming an adventurer was also an option that Julie once considered. No, there was a time when she had no choice but to leave it due to Deculein's pressure.

'Should I just throw everything away and leave?' She used to have such thoughts a long time ago.

"By the way, Reylie." When Reylie finished talking, Julie quietly changed the subject.

"Yes?"

"Do you, by any chance… know about Deculein's fiancée?" She felt like her entire body was having an allergic reaction when she asked it. She violently swept her hair back.

"What? What about it? What's with your tone?"

"Hmm? No, it's nothing. Just…"

Julie remembered the Deculein she saw some time ago at the tombstone of his deceased fiancée.

She coincidentally stumbled upon him, and she didn't intend to peep, but it was also true that she couldn't bring herself to leave.

His tears clearly showed how he felt about his fiancée.

"No, no. It's nothing."

"Well… I'm not sure."

Reylie was an adventurer who graduated from the tower. She was two years Deculein's junior, which meant they knew each other from when his better half hadn't passed away yet.

"I don't know. I thought it was just two nobles dating. Not much has been revealed about them, so there's not much that I know. I didn't even know they were engaged."

"You didn't know?"

"Yes, I just knew that she was sickly. She was always at home… Why are you asking me this?" Reylie tilted her head, becoming suspicious of her motives, albeit a little too late.

Julie shuddered her shoulders. "No reason."

"You know she's already dead, right?"

"… Well, yes."

"Are you thinking you can use that as an excuse to break up the marriage?"

"No, that's not what I meant…" Julie sighed in vain.

She simply became curious about how much he loved her that it was enough to make such a cold person weep. How he expressed his emotions so openly was hard for her to forget. It was clear he still hadn't forgotten his old love, yet, once a month, he requested for Julie to smile.

Maybe, the reason why he promised to change was related to her.

'I… Do I look like his fiancée?'

"… Forget it. I was just curious."

"Hmm. Really?"

Knock knock—

With a knock, Vice-Captain Rockfell came in wearing, strangely, a black cape.

"Captain."

"What's going on?"

Rockfell bowed at Julie's words without answering. After a while, he bit his lips softly. He sighed, then finally spoke despite his voice sounding somber.

Julie and Reylie's expressions grew stiff and cold.

*****

At the same time, at the Yukline Head's Office within Hadekain, Yeriel gazed out the window while complaining. "In any case, I'm the idiot who expected it."

The anger that had piled up in her head hadn't been released yet. "Why not me? Oh, so annoying. I know I quit magic halfway through, but I'm much better than… What's his name again? Allen? Allan?"

He didn't even look special. She could never understand why he chose him as his assistant professor and thought it would've been better if he took her with him instead…

"Tsk. Well…" It had been three days already anyway. She now had grown to roughly accept it. "It's been more than ten years since we were last apart."

She found it hilarious to be by each other's side now.

"At least I'm aware that we still hate each other. Deculein doesn't like me, and I don't like him. I hate Deculein. I hate him. Haaateee…"

Tweet— tweet—

While she was loathing, a sparrow lightly landed outside the window frame.

Yeriel looked at it with her arms propped up against the window. It didn't run away even when she opened the window stealthily.

"Hey, come here." She stretched out her finger. The sparrow hopped on top of it and began to sing a song.

Chirp chirp—

"Pfft."

Strangely, animals liked her. She didn't even treat them that pleasantly.

"So cute. Now, fly away."

As if following her instruction, the sparrow soared to the skies and flew above…

Hadekain.

The spectacular view of the huge city stretched out before her. "Whoa~"

Yeriel took a deep breath as she was overwhelmed with great emotion. Now, this land belonged to her.

She wasn't a proxy lord anymore. She was a real lord.

That fact made her every waking day delightful. Every morning felt new, and Hadekain's air and environment seemed lovelier than ever before.

Knock knock—

"… Ms. Yeriel." Her butler came in.

"What is it?"

"A cheque came through the family."

"Is it a trade payment?"

Yeriel received the cheque with a good heart. The very next moment, her fingers trembled.

'Am I hallucinating?' She hoped she was. She closed her eyes and looked at it again.

It didn't change.

"… 8.02 million Elnes?"

"Yes."

"Who? What kind of expenditure is this?"

"It looks like the Head bought some items at Bercht."

Dumbfounded and with her mouth open, Yeriel rested her forehead on her hand.

"Oh, that fucking—"

*****

[Main Quest Completed: Bercht's Summon]

◆ Store Currency +3

Rattle— rattle—

"…"

Rattle— rattle—

"…"

The slow tremors of the train, which was running at about 70 km/h, felt awkward because of the person sitting next to me.

"…"

Betan.

Coincidentally, due to the volume of the VIP carriage on the express train, we ended up sitting side by side with the corridor between us. However, we had been silent for two hours because of pride.

"…"

As we looked sideways, our eyes met.

Betan spoke first. "If it were 15 years ago, I would have demanded a duel."

I thought it was a relief. I didn't want that to happen, considering I still wasn't strong enough to break through his barrier.

But due to the provocation, my body reacted first almost unconditionally, like a reflex.

"I don't want you to die."

It wasn't because there were three Heads and four assistants in the same space. It was simply a matter of dignity and pride.

Deculein's unique personality was reinforced depending on who he was with and what the situation was.

"… Duel at the next stop—"

"Don't choose a magic death over a natural one."

Magic rose beside Betan, and I just looked at the energy with a light heart.

"Hey, everybody."

Clap clap clap—

The loud applause ruined my concentration.

Glitheon, sitting in the back seat, had approached us with a satisfied grin and rubbed Betan and my shoulders alternately.

"Calm down, Betan. You weren't here 15 years ago. Back then, three people died on the way to Bercht, six died during the conference, and two died after it. Seven of the casualties were assistants, but at least four of them were Heads."

He whispered in his ear. "Or, do you really think you can win against Deculein?"

"… What?"

"If you can't even reach your toes, you should at least know how to bow down."

Betan clenched his teeth at his whispering voice. However, he didn't refute his words. It was Glitheon, after all.

Pat pat—

He patted his shoulder.

"Of course, Betan, who's always up for a challenge, has high potential! Challenges are the heart of a Beorad!" Glitheon laughed.

I felt burdened by his overestimation of me.

"But you really are something, Deculein," Glitheon murmured naively, his attention now directed towards me.

"In the past, you used to tell wizards off for no reason at all, but now you're looking for a fight over significant things."

"You talk a lot."

"… Haha. That's because I'm old. You were so young 15 years ago, but you've grown so much before I could even realize."

I didn't say anything. Beyond his shoulder, Sylvia was craning her neck and looking this way. He reached out to Allen next to me.

"Did you say you were Allen? Nice meeting you. This is the first time I have had this connection here in Bercht with an assistant professor from the tower."

"Oh, yes, yes. It's an honor."

"Yes. You did a great job. Hahaha."

Smiling slyly, he went back to his daughter's side.

There had been no notable incidents since then. No talking to each other, and no threats.

We all quietly and safely arrived at the platform.

"Aaaaaggghh~" Allen got off the train and stretched loudly.

Looking around the place, the atmosphere of the landscape was much heavier than when I first came. There was heavy snow on the platform, and someone was looking at me through the snow.

"…"

It was Julie, dressed in white armor and a black cape. She was also with her knights, who wore the same outfit as her.

I approached her as she stared at me.

Step, step.

I walked on the platform, my footprints engraved on the ground that was slowly becoming a snowfield, and gazed back at Julie's trembling eyes.

Once she was within arm's length, Julie spoke.

"I heard."

Her voice was no different than usual. No, it was more solidified now, sounding rather frail but without even a little tremor.

"Is that so?"

I thought about what to say to her.

In fact, I already arranged my thoughts.

Veron, one of her knights, tried to kill me, and he met his end while we were fighting. I should at least tell Julie that.

"… I heard you were attacked."

But when I saw her face, my mind became strangely sloppy. There was an unknown emotion within me.

I was certain it wasn't mine, but my mind was mistaking otherwise. No, it really felt like it was.

"I was."

I knew her character. I knew her beliefs.

Julie looked firm on the outside, but she's on the brink of breaking down internally.

"… It's a relief that you're safe," Julie's tone was filled with sincerity. She continued talking before I could say anything.

"I read it in an article. You worked with him to save the survivors."

I just stood still. I didn't know what article she read or what she was told, which meant I couldn't speak carelessly.

"I just have one question." The train arrived on the other side. "What was he like?"

"…"

I chose my words carefully. I looked into Julie's eyes and thought deeply.

"Well."

I couldn't lie to her.

"… He was an emotional guy." Those were the only words I could utter.

Julie took a deep breath and lowered her head.

"Thank you. We have to go now and see him. Please rest well."

I watched her as she turned away, noticing her thin shoulders had been covered with snow. One of the many knights who was following Julie then talked to me.

"Do you want to come along?"

At the same time, many of the other knights looked at me. They were all Julie's henchmen.

I was a bother to their eyes.

"…"

I could bury this truth for Julie.

The fact that Veron tried to kill me would cause their entire Knight Order to collapse and crumble down, including Julie. Her character was inflexible and upright, and she would be madly distressed by mistaking her subordinate's fault as hers.

That was all I could do for her, however.

I would never do a eulogy for the fucking bastard who tried to kill me. I didn't know if it was Deculein's ego or Kim Woo Jin's heart, but it was something that I couldn't even force myself to do.

"… No. We'll go by ourselves."

They left me behind and boarded the train when I didn't reply. I heard the sound of a tongue clicking as they did.

"Ha."

I laughed in vain unknowingly.

Those knights' eyes displayed all the rotten thoughts they had despite not knowing anything.

It was so nauseating that my teeth almost chipped.

"Excuse me, Professor—" Allen spoke up then.

I shook my head as I stared at him.

"Allen."

"Yes? Yes?"

"Be quiet."

My anger was starting to boil. I felt like a ghost, however, since I couldn't see Julie's face. Regardless, if I didn't feel mad now, I wouldn't be human.

"Professor." Another ringing voice called me. I looked at its source: Sylvia.

There was snow piled up on the top of her head and shoulders. "Why did you put up with it?"

Sylvia looked at me while saying so.

I didn't know what her eyes were thinking. The pitch of her voice, which was always steady, was a little odd.

"What do you mean?"

"…" Sylvia rummaged through her bag without saying anything and took out something. "Payment."

A book.

I just looked at it.

"Ah, I'll take it instead…" Allen tried to take it for me, but Sylvia didn't hand it over to him. While they were having a trial of strength, she pushed him off.

That left me no choice but to take the book that was being forced on me.

"I'm going." Sylvia walked away with her head down.

As the train was about to leave, I gazed back at the black-clad group mourning loudly. My eyes met with Julie's, who was sitting by the window.

Not long after, my eyes widened. Julie was smiling at me.

It had no strength and was too vague to be called a smile, but the corners of her lips were raised slightly. She still seemed in pain, but…

… Once a month.

She kept her promise.

My mind was amazingly purified by it.

"Really…" I thought what I was feeling was serious. "Allen."

"Yes?"

"Let's go back. I want to rest."

I turned around.