EP.128 What a business trip, what a nightmare (2)
Northern people always pursue practicality, plainness, and simplicity. The place where such values are best reflected is Baekya Castle’s villa.
A villa located on the road to White Night Castle.
A reception room created to receive valuable guests.
It is different from a typical villa. To put it in a good way, it is unadorned, and in a bad way, it is bleak. There is really only the bare minimum in the reception room of the villa. There are only two sofas for conversation.
‘The only thing in the spacious room is two sofas.’
It is an environment that will bring about awkwardness that did not exist before.
There is a person who had to prepare to welcome guests in such a desolate villa.
White Magelord, Selly Debella.
“Phew.”
She wipes the sweat from her forehead and looks around the interior of the villa. This is a villa that she decorated ‘directly’ with her own hands a few days ago.
‘Of course, it would have been faster and more convenient if I had ordered the following…’
That shouldn’t happen.
It was necessary to leave a strong first impression in order to attract the valuable guests who would meet here, talent who would greatly contribute to the development of the White Magic Tower in the future.
‘No matter what, first impressions are important, hmm. ‘Of course.’
Unfortunately, I didn’t make a good first impression in the royal capital. So, we must at least leave a good impression in the North. That was a very important thing.
And, you have to do the important work yourself. That way there will be no regrets. The result was the view of the villa that Sally was looking at right now.
The finest magic stone that adorns the villa.
A piece of jewelry made with alchemy that I haven’t tried in a long time.
Furniture made by craftsmen, imported at a high cost.
Even if compared to the royal family’s reception room, it is not inferior at all. The satisfaction is doubled because I decorated it with my own hands. Sally smiled contentedly and nodded her head repeatedly.
“You’re not dead yet, Sely DeBella.”
I had mixed feelings about myself, a magic tower lord, doing this kind of chore… but it was worth it.
‘Rania van Trias.’
In order to recruit that talented girl, I could endure this much trouble.
“It’s the perfect plan.”
Sally tilted the teacup on the table.
It was coffee brought directly from a cafe that Professor Rania frequented in the royal capital. Sally nods her head, savoring the fragrant scent of coffee.
‘The ‘welcome greeting’ that must be taken before entering the White Night Castle, so… the test for warriors is never easy.’
Numerous warriors have attempted the test so far.
Only a handful of them passed the test.
The tests of the northern warriors are harsh.
The raw test is unfamiliar to those who are accustomed to the peace and rules of the royal capital. Unfamiliarity leads to embarrassment, and embarrassment leads to failure.
‘And, it’s a test for warriors rather than a test for wizards.’
A wizard has different values than a warrior.
‘Of course a wizard must prove his worth through magic.’
It makes no sense to judge the value of a wizard in the way of an ignorant warrior. So, the path that the girl, a capable wizard, will choose has already been decided.
“He’ll be right here.”
Everything is according to plan.
After talking a few words with the girl who came here, I send her straight to the White Night Castle. There is no need for a test. I already know the value of that girl.
‘Make sure to make a good impression before sending it off!’
It’s truly a perfect plan.
They leave a good first impression and even create a kind of debt by helping them pass difficult tests ‘easily’. The plan is to kill two rabbits at once.
“Hmph.”
The door to the reception room will open soon.
Sally smiled as she stared at the door. It was the smile of a winner full of composure.
2.
The road to the White Night Castle is never smooth. The raw snowy mountain becomes a fortress in itself. The great warrior who climbed that path and took possession of the White Night Castle was the beginning of the Grace family.
Now, the road to the White Night Castle has been built, and the snowy mountain has become a hunting ground for warriors… but at least not as much as today.
‘So it won’t be a test.’
The maintained road was closed.
The warriors spread out across the snowy mountains only play the role of ‘supervisor’ of the test. As of today, no one will help those who climb the snowy mountain.
Both ends of the snowy mountain.
Rania stands at the western end, and Lark stands at the eastern end. They begin to climb the mountain at the warrior’s signal.
“hmm.”
Oyakal, the general proctor of the exam, sat down on the tallest tree and observed Rania. He didn’t pay attention to Lark.
‘You don’t have to worry, Master.’
To you, the snowy mountains are like your front yard. A master born with the temperament of a first-class warrior will skillfully climb the snowy mountain. The problem is on the customer side.
‘···She was a girl from an ordinary noble family.’
Oyakal is a warrior who can at least discern.
Simply being good at fighting doesn’t make you one of the ‘thirteen warriors’ under the Archduke.
‘In case of emergency, we should keep intervention in mind.’
Oyakal was observing the girl to prepare for any emergency. He narrowed his eyebrows. His wide-open eyes were bloodshot. Eventually, Oyakal’s field of vision expanded.
The Grand Duke’s thirteen warriors.
Each of those so-called warriors has at least one specialty. In Oyakal’s case, it was eyesight.
Hawk Eye, Oyakal.
Oyakal’s vision, as it is called, accurately captures the image of a girl from afar.
And, that is the moment.
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Swish.
The girl who was walking forward suddenly turned her head.
It looks as if it is chasing something. As she looked around her, she tilted her head up.
The gaze lands on Oyakal.
The distance between the two is long. It is a distance that can be seen because Oyakal is called the hawk’s eye. However, the girl’s eyes are facing exactly in the direction where Oyakal is sitting. There is no wavering in those eyes.
Bluish eyes.
The eyes of a wild beast, as if hunting for prey.
Oyakal’s spine trembles. Feeling life threatening, Oya Kal swallowed his breath, flinched, and his body trembled.
“···no way.”
You saw it on this street?
That was the moment when Oyakal had such a question. The girl turned her head again. She started climbing the snowy mountain again.
“······.”
Oyakal looked at the girl in silence.
‘There is something.’
What was seen was not everything.
Oyakal’s eyes sparkled with interest.
* * *
‘What is he staring at?’
The gaze was very disturbing.
Raniel lowered his arm rather than snapping his fingers.
‘Because it doesn’t seem like the goal is to kill the warrior.’
There is a sense of presence.
However, they seemed to only be watching themselves and had no intention of blocking the road. There didn’t seem to be any need to throw a spell right away.
“Hmm.”
Raniel touched the corners of his mouth and walked away.
It is only for a moment that footprints are left on the snowy field with a crunching sound. She briefly chanted a spell.
Silence.
Light-weight.
There are no footprints in the snow.
Raniel began walking silently. These snowy mountains were not unfamiliar to her. When she was operating on the northern front, she rolled around in the snowy mountains topless.
‘To be exact, it’s torn.’
Skull Gourd planted an altar on the snowy mountain.
To catch and dismantle the altars one by one, one had to search the snowy mountain like a rat. There were times when I got caught in a trap and had my clothes torn.
‘f*cking skull rip off.’
I hate to admit it, but there are many fields that have grown thanks to that skull gourd. Spotting traps, expanding vision, mana sensitivity, etc.
‘It was a good training material.’
In particular, the dungeon created by Skebal was very helpful. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to throw students into a dungeon and have them learn. With that thought in mind, Raniel took a step forward.
“······.”
How many steps did you take like that?
“oh···.”
Raniel stopped walking without thinking.
It is a path between trees. At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary road, but it was visible to Raniel.
‘If you step on this, will it explode?’
It is not a trap made of spells.
It was a handmade trap that looked like it was used to hunt animals, but Raniel could see a gap in the trap. And how it works.
With a tap, Raniel touched the trap with his toe.
Throw in!
Snow flutters up, and the net hidden under the snow suddenly unfolds. A net connected with strong wire seems difficult to escape once caught.
“oh.”
Raniel snapped his fingers.
Smite.
Sigh! The net is torn by a straight blow. Raniel bent down and picked up the torn pieces of the net.
“Oh oh···.”
I spread the torn net around.
And then he nodded with satisfaction.
‘I need to use this.’
···Never lose the attitude of learning wherever you are.
It is the basics of a wizard and a shortcut to growth. Raniel walks while analyzing the test that the northern warriors painstakingly prepared.
I didn’t forget to take the torn net.
3.
Flash.
Oyakal closed his eyes and opened them.
I rubbed my eyes and blinked repeatedly, wondering if there was something wrong with my eyes. But nothing changes.
‘What… are you doing?’
Oyakal saw a girl climbing a snowy mountain with a mysterious expression on her face. When her eyes first met, she felt the extraordinaryness of the girl. She disappeared, and I was amazed when she climbed the mountain without leaving even a trace.
‘I am skilled in snowy mountains. These are the movements of a warrior who has experienced combat. ‘What you see is not everything.’
It was only the first time or two that I changed my judgment about the girl. However, what Oyakal feels now… is just confusion.
“What on earth is it?”
There are traps laid all over the snowy mountain.
The girl sees at a glance that there is a trap there. However, she doesn’t jump the trap.
With a tap, he touches the trap with his toe.
I am amazed as I see the trap being activated.
Throw in!
And then they tear it apart.
They break through the trap head on and take the remains of the trap with them. Being oblivious to what’s going on around you can feel like you’re stealing something.
‘Not like this…’
Rather than that girl taking a test, doesn’t it seem like she’s being tested…?
“Is this… right?”
Oyakal feels embarrassed.
Although he has been supervising tests for a long time, this was his first time experiencing something like this. I had no idea how to react.
‘Should I fix the trap first?’
Oyakal came down from the tree.
Then, guessing the direction the girl was going to take, he walked toward the trap that would lie ahead.
‘It was a well-planned trap.’
Since I didn’t want to injure the guests, I killed all the killing power and prepared only traps like nets. She even tied her leash loosely to reduce her risk.
‘I don’t think it’s a situation to discuss such a thing…’
Even if I do my best, I don’t think I can make that customer feel nervous. Oya Kal smiled bitterly and stood where he had laid his trap.
Sreung.
He pulls a sword from his waist, cuts the trap rope, and ties a new rope. This time I tied it very tightly. The speed at which the trap hits the ship will be faster.
“Tsk cha.”
This is the moment when the ship was remodeled and stood up.
“···uh.”
Oyakal made eye contact with the girl standing across from him. I don’t know if she’s come this far yet, but she’s looking at herself. Oya Kal followed the girl’s gaze and lowered her head.
‘···My hand.’
The girl’s gaze is directed to Oyakal’s hand.
Oyakal holds a sword in his hand.
“Oh, from here on, it’s a duel with a warrior…”
The girl nods, “Hmm.”
Eventually, she started walking as if she understood the situation. In Oyakal’s view, it was a misunderstanding.
“No, that’s o…”
That’s a misunderstanding.
Rather than trying to resolve the misunderstanding like that… Oyakal kept his mouth shut. He sees a girl coming towards him.
‘An unfathomable opponent.’
Eyes like a wild beast.
A person who has more than meets the eye.
‘So, an interesting being.’
Oyakal gulped and swallowed dry saliva.
He doesn’t shy away from a fight. Even if it was due to a misunderstanding… it would be a shame to miss the opportunity to fight an interesting opponent.
A northern warrior is a person who takes on challenges.
They are called warriors because they fight against the unknown.
Tap, tap.
The girl approaches, bending her wrists.
Oyakal put his sword down on the floor and took a stance. The opponent has bare hands. It would be right to respond with bare hands as well.
“Please come.”
Oyakal snapped his fingers stretched forward.
The girl smiled. It looks very happy. She takes a light step.
light. It’s a light step.
There was no power, and the speed was not fast.
It’s not the right posture, so I don’t think I’ll be able to gain any strength. Dozens more ways to bring down the girl came to Oyakal’s mind. There are so many gaps.
But, why?
‘I can’t get closer.’
Gulp, Oyakal swallowed dry saliva.
There seem to be a lot of gaps, but I can’t get close to them. My sharp intuition warns me. If you approach clumsily, you will end up falling to the floor.
And, intuition becomes reality.
The girl who approached stretched out her arms. Oyakal tries to shake it off. But I can’t shake it off. The girl’s hand grabbed Oyakkal’s collar.
‘What power…?’
There is no time to be surprised.
My foot got stuck. Her body floated. It was only for a moment that I felt floating. My vision flipped at a rapid pace.
Oyakal looked.
‘Matchi? Making a bet? ‘Caught?’
It was a movement that was incomprehensible even after seeing it.
Oyakal’s hair touches the snow without understanding it to the end. His bones crack and he screams.
“It’s going to be okay because it’s a snowy field… right?”
That was the last thing Oyakal heard.
Coo!
With the shock, Oyakal’s vision went black.
* * *
“Kuh-huh!”
Oyakal raised his head.
I must have been buried in a snow field, so as soon as I raised my head, pure white snow poured down. There was a lot of snow chewing in my mouth.
“Ugh.”
My back is throbbing.
My head feels dizzy and my neck bones creak. Oyakal groaned and stood up. This is the moment he looked around, tracing his memories.
“······.”
Oyakal was silent.
“Ugh, ugh…”
“I can’t hear…”
“Arm, my arm…”
Warriors are buried in the snow.
The sound of their suffering fills the snowy mountains.
“uh···.”
Broken weapons are lying around on the floor.
An ax is smashed and stuck in a tree. There are also warriors caught in traps. More warriors than that were buried in the snow.
“What on earth…”
Oyakkal pulled out a warrior stuck in the ground. After slapping the warrior on the face to wake him up, Oyakal asked a question.
“What happened while I was passed out?”
The warrior answered the question.
“Fearful, deep…”
He said in a frightened voice.
The beast-like warrior is terrified. The being who made fearless warriors realize their fears passed by here.
What is that being?
said the warrior.
“…The nightmare has passed.”
It was something I couldn’t understand.
A word from the author (author review)
A mysterious group of skeletons has been keeping an eye on me these days.
They toss a coin and whisper to me with a message that cannot be ignored.
‘Make Skebal great.’
‘For the great Skeval.’
‘We are always watching you.’
It’s just scary that Skebal has so many followers…
