Ch#157
Clouds embroidered the blue sky above.
Feeling the wind brushing past his ears, Tese tan opened his eyes.
'......What is this?'
Atop a high mountain peak overlooking the world, he faced a sight he'd never seen in his life.
"Magic?"
The city blanketing the land below was vast and enormous, incomparable to Talochioum's.
Where was this place?
He had roamed the entire continent as a mercenary, but he'd never witnessed such a spectacle...
"Wow, this is why we hike!"
Suddenly, a raspy voice came from beside him.
Turning his head, he saw people in bizarre clothes milling about.
Each with massive backpacks on their backs, hands on hips, stretching their limbs with grunts of "Hup! Hup!"
One was even pounding his back against a tree...
'Are they crazy?'
As he thought that, one of them suddenly looked at Tese tan.
"Whoa, you look like a total actor! Here for a shoot?"
Tese tan unwittingly stepped back at the approaching footsteps.
But by then, more people had gathered.
"Your face is so hilariously handsome~ Are you filming alone? New actor? Or singer?"
"Cheol-ho's mom, these days all those foreigners~ coming to our country to sing trot."
"Oh my, must be that! Young man, huh?"
The speaking woman paused. The orange headband on her forehead fluttered.
"Not a young man!"
"Oh my goodness!"
"Aigoo, so pretty!"
Tese tan flinched. The people were closing in all at once before he could stop them.
But their gazes were no longer on Tese tan.
"The kid's so young, so young! Just one or two years old?"
For some reason, the people were peering over his shoulder with gooey expressions.
"Oigu, you look so tired? Sleep just hanging from your eyes. How can she be so pretty? When you send her off to marry someday, Dad's gonna cry blood, kiddo."
"But why dress the baby so thinly in this cold. Let me see, I have a blanket..."
Tese tan tensely scanned the surroundings.
Then he realized something was wrapped around his upper body.
And not just that—he was supporting his back with one hand.
As if holding something in place so it wouldn't fall...
'What.'
Suddenly, a warm, soft sensation registered in his palm.
More precisely, it was right to say he'd only now 'recognized' the sensation.
"Dada."
A voice that made his heart sink thudded into his ears.
The sleepy voice of a young child.
Something nuzzled against his neck.
"Dada, we at the mountaintop now?"
"Aigogogo! Listen to the baby talk!"
"Baby, how old? What's your name?"
Tese tan turned his head.
As expected.
Gripping his shoulder was something.
Tiny white hands.
A few strands of pale golden hair sparkled on the back like low-saturation gold thread.
"Aunties, good ebenin'."
His heart pounded.
Tese tan desperately churned his stalled thoughts.
'What?'
Why was he carrying a kid?
And why was this one calling him dad—no, why were they all calling him dad?
"Baby, came hiking with dada?"
"Yesss. But baby legs hurt hiking, so dada piggyback."
"How can you talk so well! Who taught you?"
"Dada and next door grandma who grows chives and beans told me."
"Oh my! You even call adults properly by name? But it's Chae-ja, Bok-ja, Suk-ja grandma."
"......Yesss!"
Tese tan twisted his head further.
Finally, hazy vision caught round white cheeks.
As he swallowed and tried to check the rest of the features.
"Captain!"
Someone slapped his cheek hard.
Tese tan's eyes snapped open.
Curly red hair shook right before his nose.
"Snap out of it? You're crazy, crazy, for real!"
"......Libia."
Tese tan groaned as he sat up. His whole body throbbed as if beaten.
"What the hell happened."
He quickly looked around.
Low ceiling.
Canvas flapping sounds from all sides.
"Captain. We nearly had a disaster. Because of the rampage..."
Tese tan shut his mouth at Aleric's words.
The dream he'd just had faded, and events right before collapsing flashed rapidly through his mind.
'You're insane, you.'
After a drawn-out fight, he'd finally landed a solid hit on the Necromancer King,
'Bastard, filthy scum, gonna kill you-!'
Agavert's members raged.
Then the rampage occurred...
'Don't leave Tie alone, please!'
Tese tan bolted upright.
"Captain! Where are you going?!"
Aleric followed, but Tese tan hurriedly put on his shoes and said,
"Still at the ruins, right."
"......Yes. But why..."
"Don't follow."
Tese tan strode toward the tent exit.
His mind filled with the urgent need to meet the Necromancer King right now.
However.
"......!"
The moment he opened the door, Tese tan had to stop in place. Someone was blocking the tent entrance.
A massive, burly body.
A face hardened in anger, and a huge warhammer gripped tightly in one hand.
"Looking good. Body recovered already, huh."
Basto looked down at Tese tan.
Meeting his gaze, Tese tan soon spat threateningly.
"Move."
But Basto smirked and only scowled fiercely.
"No."
Veins bulged on Tese tan's forehead.
Should he just knock him down?
At that instant.
"May I ask where you were headed?"
This time, a mild voice came from below his line of sight.
Looking down, an elderly man with white hair leaned on a cane, watching him.
As Tese tan scowled, Nordics continued.
"Perhaps on your way to see Astie?"
Astie.
Tese tan's expression went blank at the Necromancer King's true name.
Nordics naturally patted his shoulder.
"The Necromancer King is unconscious now. If you could spare a moment."
Tese tan stared at Nordics.
Then spat curses and stepped aside.
* * *
Inside the tent after sending out all the members.
"A bit surprised. A rampage like that... You've been through a lot."
Tese tan coldly raised his head.
He fiddled with the bandaged surface on his hand and continued.
"Keep out of my business. Not your concern."
But Nordics's kindly expression didn't change.
He even smiled faintly and replied.
"How could it not be our concern? We all nearly died because of your rampage."
Tese tan shut his mouth.
Nordics added calmly.
"If not for Astie, we really would have all died."
Tese tan clenched his fist. Blood seeped from the cut wound, staining the bandage red.
"Our captain absorbed all your mana."
Nordics said.
His faded eyes now met Tese tan's squarely.
"From your body where mana and holy power had mixed and rampaged. She cleanly extracted every bit of the mana."
"......What?"
Suddenly, the moment the rampage subsided came to mind.
The Necromancer King clinging to him, sobbing.
At the same time, he felt the power trapped like it would explode inside him release.
It wasn't forced like a spell or restraint. It flowed as naturally as water or wind.
"Why insist on a duel to the death?"
Nordics's voice pulled Tese tan's consciousness back.
Tese tan raised his gaze, unable to hide his confusion.
"I know you're ambitious. But I couldn't quite understand gambling everything on such ambition."
Nordics remained calm.
"Of course, it's fortunate both survived that fierce battle unscathed."
"The Necromancer King is fine?"
Nordics nodded.
"Hasn't woken yet, but yes."
"......I need to see her."
Tese tan rose again.
But this time too, Basto blocked his path.
"Talk's not over."
Basto glared at Tese tan and continued.
"A duel staking everything. You lost."
He stared at the Ring of Covenant still on Tese tan's right wrist.
"When do you disband?"
"......"
"Your mercenary group."
