Chapter 131 – Leaving (2)
To be honest, I was quite surprised.
Nobility, a symbol of authority. It was also quite unexpected that a person like a lord in a position to govern the territory expressed his apologies and thoughts to Roden, who was only an alchemist or an adventurer on the surface.
‘I’m sorry for hurting Young Ji-min… He’s a nobleman whose pride as a lord is quite high.’
Roden pondered over the words he had spoken and grasped, albeit roughly, what kind of values the other person had.
“No. Lord. It was kind of like an accident, so don’t worry too much about it.”
When Merlin and Escaros came to the potion shop, even if there were guards on the scene, there must have been a one-sided massacre rather than stopping the intruder.
In that sense, it was rather fortunate that the guards could not come because Merlin’s magic blocked all sides with pillars of ice.
“Is it an accident… Didn’t you say that demon killers were aiming for that child? I’ve already heard the report many times, but I want to hear and judge for myself. Please testify one by one.”
“Yes.”
ㅡDaughter… ! With my daughter… !
Before hearing the testimony in earnest, the lord rang the bell loudly to call the servants and had them bring black tea and refreshments according to the number of people.
It does not matter if it takes a long time, so it means to give as detailed a testimony as possible.
So Roden and the others opened their mouths one after another in the parlor, where the fragrant aroma of black tea abounded.
However, since it is not possible to contain all the truth, I mixed the truth and lies appropriately as I had kissed before coming here, and told the story of the day so as not to feel uncomfortable as much as possible.
“… The rest is as I told the captain of the guard.”
“Hmm, did you mean that an unknown wizard finally escaped by using movement-type magic?”
Hearing the testimony to the end, the lord felt somewhat uncertain, but he could not dig deeper because there was no clear ground to pursue the victim’s position, Roden’s party.
ㅡSluruk.
The lord, who sipped black tea to organize his thoughts, looked at Loxia, the only demon in his party.
“I don’t know what method they used, but they’ve been hiding it. … The fact that the girl he was carrying with him was a demon. There is no need to check the identity registered as a cousin relationship, and it is a red-hot lie.”
“… Yes.”
“I can guess the reason, but I will dare to ask you, her protector. Why did you hide the fact that that girl is a demon?”
“To avoid unnecessary attention from people around you. She didn’t want Roxia to be stared at just because she was her demon.”
The lord, who was well aware of the fact that normal humans do not have a favorable perception of demons, showed an expression as if to say, “As expected.”
“Until now, we have been deceiving our status, and even demons, as human beings, so in principle, we should be punished appropriately…”
The lord, who stretched out his horse’s tail, glanced at Loxia’s figure and Roden’s prosthetic arm.
“Well, okay. It’s just that I’ve been living quietly as a human until now, and I’m reluctant to punish people who lost one of their arms because they didn’t apply in time for this accident. There are not a few people who have benefited from the potions provided by your store over the past year, so I will go ahead with my special warning.”
“Thank you for your mercy. Lord.”
“… Thank you.”
Even if Roden were to receive her punishment, it would be only to the extent that she would have to pay the fine, but when she said he would give her a much-needed reduction, he thanked her, and Loxia, who was sitting right next to her, bowed her head.
Yeongju, who put down the teacup while nodding his head at the two people’s thanks, began to bring up another topic.
“By the way, we should rebuild the potion shop, right? If you want, can you introduce me to skilled carpenters?”
Considering the situation of Barmela, who had been buying potions from an alchemist guild in another territory until Roden settled here and set up a shop, it would be advantageous in many ways for the potion shop to be rebuilt as soon as possible. The lord was even thinking of lending him a favor by lending him part of the construction fund.
“I appreciate the words of the lord. However, as of today, we plan to return to our hometowns for a while.”
“Ah… I heard that after the incident, you guys were seen running around busily here and there, but that was the case. Are you afraid that you will be attacked by the demon killers again?”
“Yes, since the location has been revealed to them, I plan to stay in my dear hometown to hide for a while.”
It will take some time, but when the trip is over, he added that he will return to Barmela Manor and build a new potion shop.
As an aside, Roden did not dispose of the portion of the land where the ruins of the potion shop remained to strengthen his determination to finish this trip safely and return here together no matter what.
‘It looks like there is a real story hidden… It’s not the kind of story you can easily understand just by asking.’
He was a lord who felt very sorry for this situation where talented people left, but he was not so high-handed that he forcibly held back those who left because he had a reason to leave. He got up from his seat with regret behind him.
… After a while.
Leaving behind the image of the lord who said that he would like to come back at the end of the safe journey, Roden’s party got out of the lord’s house and headed for the carriage reserved in advance outside the castle gate.
Around the wagon, the regular adventurers who regularly stopped by Roden’s shop and the twin sisters’ colleagues, Finn and Junoa, reflected their faces.
He had been waiting to see his face for the last time just before leaving because he had heard the story of the twin sisters who had often visited the adventurer’s guild over the past two days.
Roden’s party gets on the wagon only after they say their last goodbyes.
ㅡDagdak, dagdak, dagdak-!
I won’t be back for a while… The four people who gradually left the beloved Barmela estate began a journey to regain a peaceful daily life.
* * *
A little over a month has passed since Roden and Loxia, the twin sisters, started their journey.
When passing highways connecting cities or villages, most of the time they entrusted themselves to carriages along the way, taking ample rest at inns and moving comfortably.
It’s not perfect, but it was a road that was guaranteed to some extent, so there was almost no unnecessary trouble while riding the carriage.
However, when passing the road on foot to quickly pass through the rough terrain of mountains and forests, the monsters and bandits who have settled in the area often attack Roden’s party.
It is a frequency of once per hour. It’s a level that reappears if you want to get a little bored.
‘If you’re going to hide, hide properly. Hey guys .. Hey guys.’
And present. Roden, who was passing through the deep mountains in a straight line with Roxia and her twin sister, had a pitiful look on his face as he sensed the traces of an ambush that could be found with a little attention and a life that he couldn’t control even the slightest bit.
Roden, who tried to keep a face that didn’t know anything, quietly turned her head to Marill and said in a whisper.
“… Marill, can you guess how many people are waiting nearby?”
“Yes, brother. Putting it all together… That’s 18 people. There are 7 people waiting in front, and 11 people who are slowly narrowing the encirclement behind and beside them.”
“Answer. Marill is now adept at detecting signs of hostility and intent to kill.”
No matter how bad the opponent’s ambush ability is, Roden felt proud of Marill’s growth as he was able to accurately hit the number of enemies invisible to the eye.
In addition, Merim and Roxia, who are following from behind, also vaguely noticed the enemy, so they are preparing attack magic in advance to remain unnoticed.
As the party walked a few more steps, a group of people appeared from among the bushes and drew black-edged weapons.
It’s easy to see that they are accustomed to using people by looking at their rough and fishy appearance and momentum.
‘There’s no need to check, they must be bandits. Cognitively disabled bastards who can’t tell the difference between their own wallet and someone else’s.’
Anyway, when Roden’s party, who had been surrounded by them, stopped with their backs to each other, the big man who seemed to be the leader of the bandits burst into laughter.
“Keuhehe, even if we tried to form a formation now, it would be too late. Fools!”
Even though there are only four people in Roden’s party and the twin sisters are the only ones wearing plausible equipment, if there is a wizard, they might be wary, but without hesitation, they started to attack at once at the boss’s gesture.
It is to believe in their numbers and experience. At the same time, except for the only male, Roden, all of them saw only wide-eyed beauties, so they must have seemed quite desirable prey.
“The males are made wolf food, and the rest of the bitches are turned into groups every day… !”
ㅡBoowoowook! Perseok!
The body of the boss, who was talking excitedly, swelled in an instant, then completely expanded and burst.
It was because Loxia, unable to hear the guy’s vulgar words, unannounced his authority and put in an amount of wind that his body couldn’t handle in a short time.
“Loxia… I told you to save it if you can.”
“Sorry. Master. I didn’t want to put in my ears the aftermath of that man’s messy words.”
He didn’t want to hear the guy’s back story either, so he didn’t say anything more.
“Two necks?!”
On the other hand, while the bandits covered in the blood of the suddenly exploded body were greatly embarrassed, Maril drew his sword and ran to them.
Every time her swordsmanship of her graceful curves was drawn, the limbs of her bandits surrounding her were cut off one by one. She doesn’t have a single guy who reacts properly to her movements. If you look at the posture of holding her weapon, she has been wielding it quite a bit, but she is not at the level of opposing Marill, who has steadily learned her swordsmanship and taijutsu from a true master.
While Marill ran amok, the archers surrounding her, Merim and Roxia, the wizards, hurled thick bundles of ice at her, slicing each one of her into her skewers.
Roden didn’t even have to move her body during the battle with the eighteen bandits.
‘Thanks to these guys, I’ve been able to steadily build experience for the three of them. I should be grateful at this point.’
Roden’s party, who massacred the bandits in less than 3 minutes, proceeded on the road as if nothing had happened after getting enough items to pack.
* * *
“Ohhh, I finally see you.”
By the time it gets dark, the first destination of this trip is in the sight of Roden and the others who have passed through the thick trees. The scenery of Kollad, the capital of the Principality of Harron, began to emerge.
There are three main purposes for Roden and his party to visit the capital.
The first is to purchase a means of transportation that will continue to be used on future trips.
The second is to visit the Mage Tower in the capital and register Loxia as a regular mage.
Finally, the third is to enter the dungeon that has been maintained around the capital since half a year ago.
To explore the dungeon and give the three women new experiences.
