Chapter 342
Chapter 342
Episode 342 With These Hands (6)
“He requested designated employment from the guild.”
While Günther was processing his documents, he caught a glimpse of the window.
“yes.”
“The fee must have been quite a bit, so why not pay it instead?”
“I wanted to pay, but the guild first refused.”
“…okay?”
The scene outside the window is nothing special. A few rays of smoke from burning corpses, light purifying the city, soldiers controlling the crowd.
“That’s surprising. “I thought it would be done by making it cheaper.”
“The branch manager’s son survived thanks to him.”
“aha.”
“More than anything… the request itself had a structure that made it difficult to set a fee.”
“okay…?”
A small group of people trying to leave.
“I’m kind of curious about that.”
Günther stood up and signed the last document.
It was time to see off those leaving.
* * *
“You are really leaving.”
Due to the urgency of the matter, preparations for departure were made quickly. Unlike last time, there was no need to lead dozens of soldiers, which also contributed to the quick preparation. The troops brought by the Inquisitor will remain for Munmund, who will receive no additional support.
“Is this really going to work?”
However, one of the drivers who came to see the number of people off in an instant asked with concern. He was the person who commanded the reinforcements belonging to Mannhafeld.
“That’s enough.”
However, his worries are meaningless. They were originally the ones most accustomed to moving around in groups of five.
“I would ask Lord Munmund to bring me a carriage…”
“It will only slow down the pace.”
The Inquisitor looked around at the party members.
The Inquisitor himself and Archmage Meister Daniel Inquisitor. Even Deathbringer, who was not present but decided to stay.
Not only is there no one who can drive a carriage, but not everyone is scared of being homeless. She declined the last offer.
“And I like horses, so it’s okay.”
Instead, she tapped the horse standing next to her. The horse, which was larger than most warhorses, was descended from the unicorn, an ancient beast that was said to have gone extinct a long time ago.
“I didn’t know you would give me three of these guys, but…”
Of course, just because you have unicorn blood doesn’t mean you have any special abilities. This is because most of the unicorn’s abilities have been lost in the process of passing through generations.
For example, these horses have no horns on their heads. Of course, he couldn’t perform the power of purification that comes with being a unicorn, the ability to call thunder, or the miracle of running through the sky.
All they had was the ability to resist curses and physical strength that was superior to that of an ordinary horse.
Well, even this was a very useful ability for people who were verbally abusive.
“hmm? “Aren’t you going to take that horse?”
“…? What are you saying…?”
“The horse you used to ride. His size and abilities seemed to be as good as that of a unicorn…”
“Ah… that child has returned to its original owner.”
“…?”
“It was originally a gift from someone else, but for some reason I just rode it. “Now that I’ve met the original owner, I have to return it.”
The Inquisitor laughed awkwardly at the knight’s words. This is why the person who asked in a panic whether Frederick was here and then asked for guidance also continuously recalled the image of the horse acting out its temper as soon as it was reunited with its original owner.
In the end, we reconciled in front of several fruits and endless brushing.
“Oh, that’s what it was.”
Anyway, this explains the absence of those words. The knight was convinced and stepped back.
“It’s even later than that…”
Has your mind about wanting to go together changed? Otherwise, are we still talking?
“for a moment.”
The Inquisitor went to the Archmage with the article. I wanted to know the whereabouts of King Mangjong.
“The Archmage isn’t coming…”
“I’m here.”
“Ah, you’re finally here.”
However, even the devil appears when you talk to him, and before they could even search for his whereabouts, the Deathbringer appeared. His complexion is so dark that even empty words don’t look good.
“…Did you apologize well?”
“….”
Looks like it failed. The Inquisitor read the correct answer right away from Pyaengjil’s silence. No matter how tactful and lacking in social experience she was, it was difficult for her to miss something like this.
“…I couldn’t find it.”
“…ah.”
“Um, wasn’t he in the room…?”
“yes.”
Separately, I was a bit curious as to why he failed, but it is understandable if they never met in the first place.
“I guess I had bad luck.”
“…well.”
Despite my efforts to offer comfort, the answer I get is not clear. Yesterday and today, I was looking for adventurers, but I kept getting lost, but it wasn’t strange.
Due to his pessimistic nature, that bastard probably thinks that adventurers are avoiding him.
“I may leave a little late, so would you like to come back and look for it?”
“….”
The problem is that the possibility is not completely eliminated.
The adventurer the Inquisitor saw didn’t seem like that kind of person, but… that was ultimately her judgment, not the truth. The Inquisitor decided not to be confident in others anymore.
“…no. If he’s really avoiding me, it probably means that he doesn’t even want to hear an apology for the loss. So… it’s okay.”
“I won’t stop you if you want to, but…”
“But wouldn’t it be better to say it? “I’m sure you’ll be upset until the end…”
“I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable just to make me feel comfortable.”
But is this really true? The Inquisitor could not figure out the correct answer.
“Do you know anything, Meister?”
“what?”
“You said you met yesterday.”
“Ah… that’s right.”
Meanwhile, Inquisitor Daniel stabbed the Meister. It is unknown whether it was accidental or intentional, but it was an appropriate choice since the Meister faced the adventurer while the Deathbringer was wasting away.
The only person who can guess the adventurer’s feelings here is the Meister. Because he was the last person to see the adventurer.
“But he didn’t seem to think anything of it. “Isn’t it just that you were so unlucky that we couldn’t meet you?”
“…But.”
However, he was someone who cooperated kindly. The four people just looked pained as they picked their ears.
I don’t know what that person was really thinking when he chose to stay.
“uh!”
“…?”
At that time, some of the people who had come out to see me off muttered and stood aside. What appears is the minor lord, who will soon be crowned lord of the castle, and an adventurer with his face covered. Purr. Frederick, standing next to him, gave a long sigh.
“Lord Xiaoseong.”
“May endless glory be with you, God’s representative.”
So Seong-ju saw them off with a sword he had never seen on his waist. It was a formal greeting and blessing, but it did not necessarily sound light.
It was not because So Seong-ju was sincere in his words, but because of his previous actions. Giving three unicorn pedigrees, which were rare even in Münmund, and raiding the castle’s treasure trove to equip them were favors not shown in most cities.
“Is the greeting over?”
Anyway, after that short and bold greeting, the adventurer came out this time.
The Inquisitor’s heart trembled slightly. ?The journey to hunt Satan is over.? Although I humbly accepted it, the inevitable heartbreaking words were vivid in my mind.
“…Adventurer.”
He accepted her apology, gave her his blessing for her future, and officially announced that he was abandoning his quest to catch Satan.
So, it would be too much to ask him to join them just because Frederick is by his side. The Inquisitor suppressed his pounding anticipation with that.
“Is there anything left to say?”
Nevertheless, the hope that leaked out was hopeless. The young man, who had grown up but still retained his youth, looked at the other person with sparkling eyes without her knowing.
The cheek muscles glimpsed through the hood moved slightly.
“Do you still have your Inquisitor adventurer’s card?”
“yes? Oh yeah. “I still have it, but…”
“If I do, are you willing to accept designated employment?”
“yes?”
Palak. He took out a piece of paper from his pocket. It was a piece of paper with letters written on it in a nice font.
“I will head north to find Berserk. “We need people to guide and assist us in the process.”
The Inquisitor took it without a second thought.
The goal of the request is to find a specific person called Berserk or obtain enough information to go to that person. At this time, it is up to the requester to decide whether the information is sufficient to be retrieved.
There is no specific deadline. However, if the travel route of the requestee seriously deviates from the general pattern or an incident occurs that makes it impossible to carry out the request, the request may be terminated midway.
The reward is the provision of force and cooperation during the accompanying period.
There were some minor clauses for each item, but if you summarized the main points, it was roughly like that. Archmage and Daniel looked up from the side and raised question marks above their heads.
“Why is this…?”
“I should have just said that. “We have to go north to find Berserk, and we need allies in the process.”
“If you are a collaborator…”
“Don’t you guys know that I have no talent for camping?”
With one word from the adventurer, they fell into a trap. In fact, the adventurer wasn’t really good at camping… it was closer to not being able to do it than not being able to do it, anyway.
“…If that were the case, there would be other adventurers.”
“Establishing a trusting relationship with a stranger is a cumbersome and cumbersome act. So I’m just making a suggestion to those of you whose paths match. Because at least you can rest assured. Of course, if you want to refuse, you can refuse.”
“I don’t mean to refuse that!”
It has already been decided that that power cannot be used to hunt Satan. But does that make his power worthless? Absolutely not. The same applies even if the deadline is limited.
The Inquisitor’s voice rose sharply.
“Ha, but I’m afraid you might be uncomfortable…”
“It was a decision I made after taking it into consideration.”
“…Are you sure it’s okay?”
They say she has a lot of karma, so is he really okay? The Inquisitor asked fearfully, and the adventurer held out a pen without saying a word.
“Make your decision. “If you refuse, I’ll have to go find someone new.”
“…thank you.”
It was a contract that I had no choice but to sign. The Inquisitor had no shame and signed the contract. Since the guild’s seal had already been stamped, this signature was the last.
“The contract is concluded. “Please take care of me.”
With this, they no longer had a relationship of awkward companions, clinging to their feelings for each other and verbal promises.
They were now fixed-term associates established with precise conditions and agreements. Colleagues who are completely equal in a negotiated relationship are no longer just one side’s magnanimity.
“yes…!
The Inquisitor’s eyes sparkled with dew.
“…You’re not very embarrassed, are you?”
There is no need to act ambiguously once negotiations have been reached. I lined up Frederick, who I had brought with me, and bowed to the Lord of Soseong. He, who was holding the Bernstein in his hand, had a somewhat complicated expression on my face.
“Oh, when I met you yesterday, I was filling out that request form. I even advised on some provisions in the first place. So I got it.”
“…Why are you saying that now?! I am…!”
“There’s no reason for me to tell you, right?”
“This personality has exploded…!!”
Still, I will come back here after meeting Berserk. This is a place you have to pass through to even get to the Great Forest.
“I keep my promises.”
Above all, the reason I’m leaving now isn’t just because I want to apologize to Berserk.
“So, you too, keep your promise.”
If I continue to stay here, people in the city will be constantly conscious of me. That’s not good for me, who is hiding the secret of disguise, and for the child who will have to return to this city someday as ‘Faust’.
No matter what, I was enjoying my time as a hero who saved the city, and when Faust woke up, the hero was actually Faust! You can’t suddenly change your identity.
So even if I stay in this city, the hero of Munmund must disappear. Make sure that the returning Faust does not have to pretend to be the hero.
“…don’t worry.”
Of course, I think Soseongju will do well. From what I observed, he was definitely not a person without ability.
“Let’s go!”
Anyway, now it’s really time to go. I mounted my horse at the Inquisitor’s signal. “May God bless you.” People around me said goodbye one by one.
“…Wait a minute, why is that person here?”
However, among the people seeing me off, there is a familiar face.
Why is Sir Walter here when he should be in Mannhafeld?
“…Do you have any problem?”
Daniel, who was next to me in the queue, asked, but I did not answer. I couldn’t afford that.
“Hey!”
Wow, I’m really, really glad I wore the hood. I gave the signal to Frederick, truly grateful that Sir Walter had not noticed me.
It was time to run away quickly before we were discovered.
* * *
“Is repair still possible?”
The white crow narrowed his eyes as he looked at the shattered part of the magic tower. This is because the ugly traces that remained even after a month were annoying.
“I’m sorry. “It has become difficult to obtain materials.”
“Tsk.”
There is nothing we can do since Münmund in the southeast has been completely destroyed in the west. Already, the top of Gridana has gone bankrupt and the distribution network is in disarray…
The white crow turned his gaze away from the wizard who was making excuses and saw the person still hanging on the cross. The corpse, which had been beaten with stones and eaten by crows, had almost nothing left but bones at this point.
“It would be best to throw that away.”
“yes.”
The real thing is soaked in a solution anyway and used for various experiments. The fakes that were put out to vent people’s anger can now be taken down.
“Stupid…”
If you’re going to conduct an unauthorized experiment, you might get caught or not. If you’re going to kidnap a human being and use them for research, you need to know the subject appropriately and choose it, but you couldn’t even do that, so this is what happened.
The white crow looked at the part of the magic tower that the kidnapped victim had destroyed and touched the beak mask he was wearing. The moment the hand was pressed firmly on the hidden button, the scent stored in the beak entered the nose and mouth. “ha.” Smoke leaked out between the cracks in the beak.
“When was the second audit?”
“It’s tomorrow.”
“Okay, I’ve always said this, but I don’t protect those who get caught.”
There is no expectation whatsoever that the wizards residing in this tower have conducted research cleanly according to standards. However, I also have no intention of carrying the babies who will be caught for not doing one thing neatly.
After making a request to his subordinates in a more languid voice, he took a step forward to carry out his reason for going out. It had been a long time since he had gone out without mobilizing any of his men, so the wizards’ eyes turned to him from time to time.
“So… you found me?”
But even that can be removed with just a few magic spells. The white crow entered a tavern in a dark back alley, gorging on smoke in its beak.
“sorry. Someone who knows the tower owner’s call number appears…”
“My call number?”
“yes.”
“It’s strange… none of the guys who know my call number can find me at this time.”
Well, it was a bar, but in reality, it was a space used for illegal activities. The person who recognized the magic tower leader guided him inside.
“It’s in here.”
And when he opened the innermost door. The white crow opened his eyes wide without realizing it.
“It was you. It was you who found me.”
In those eyes, interest, joy, and the pleasure of finding something interesting are all intertwined.
“Hello number 73.”