Episode 202. The essence of fog (1)
A monastery located in Brenu, a southern city in the Usif Empire.
A monk is giving a sermon in a dark, unlit underground plaza.
“Just as human life is not eternal, there is no eternity in all things. “The same goes for the order that maintains peace today.”
Most of the believers could not take their eyes off the monk, as if they were captivated by his brilliant speech.
Except for Schurz, who has a rigid posture and his eyes roll in all directions.
‘what is this? ‘There’s no separate group of complete fanatics, right?’
It was nice to infiltrate this place after accidentally seeing a secret hand signal on the street, but what happened after that was the problem.
I thought it had something to do with the mist, but it wasn’t.
These were simply weak believers who were possessed by, or induced to be, by a certain entity called fog.
The experience of mercenary life is not wasted.
You can guess what kind of personality a person has just by looking at their eyes.
Most of the people here had probably been reading books their entire lives.
Just one person.
Except for the man right next to him.
“… … .”
Humans are animals that can see many things not with their original eyes, but with physical senses accumulated through experience.
Big hands that don’t suit a small and slim body.
A smooth body made of muscle and no trace of fat.
Even the vivid veins vaguely visible between the forearms.
Just because a lion eats grass doesn’t mean it looks like a herbivore.
Schurz was certain that the man sitting next to him had come here, like himself, hiding his identity.
After the sermon, which I don’t know how it went,
Schurz quickly chased after him as he escaped the monastery.
The place the man was heading was not a private house, but the outside of the city, and he had no contact with other people while going.
I thought it was going well, but then it suddenly stopped in place.
Then, after looking left and right, he suddenly entered the alley next to the main street.
Schurz hurriedly followed him, not wanting to miss him.
The man turned the corner and went deeper and deeper, and Schurz followed him tenaciously, not losing sight of his tail.
The moment you wonder if you are following along well,
“… … ?”
Suddenly the man disappeared.
In front of Schurz, who looked back with a puzzled expression,
“… … !”
The man I had been following just moments before was standing right in front of me.
Sensing a threat, Schurz quickly pulled out his sword from within his cloak.
-visor!
One second of quick thinking saved him.
The tip of the dagger the man was pointing at was pointed precisely at Schurz’s neck.
Schurz, who had blocked the sudden attack, hurriedly widened the distance without hesitation.
My heart was pounding as the tension built up, and cold sweat was running down my back.
It would be impossible to just throw up excuses and get out now.
So Schurz decided to take a gamble with his life.
-Clink
The man’s eyebrows furrowed slightly along with a loud clanging sound.
Schurz threw the sword he was holding tightly in both hands in front of him.
“The name is Schurz. “There is no last name.”
Then he raised both his hands and revealed that he had no intention of attacking.
“So, are you really a follower of the fog?”
The man stared at Schurz with stern eyes without answering.
“I definitely felt it in the monastery! They are different from monks who recite strange doctrines! To find you… … !”
As if there was no need to hear more, the man who had suddenly sheathed his sword turned around indifferently.
Schurz, who became impatient for a moment, looked at his back and shouted loudly.
“I want to join Mist!”
As if he couldn’t ignore those words, the man turned his head again.
Just looking at his life-filled eyes made me tremble, but not as much as the man I saw in Garam Kingdom.
Schurz calmly produced a mana sphere from his hand.
In the sphere, dark magic power was spreading vividly.
It was his own way of proving that he was a perfectly suitable person to join the organization.
“… … .”
The man looked silently at the mana sphere that Schurz had manifested.
He seemed to be watching with great interest, but then turned away again.
At the moment when I was confused and wondering if I should do anything more,
-Sigh
The man turned his head again and nodded slightly while looking at Schurz.
It meant to follow.
Schurz swallowed his saliva once and immediately followed the man.
* * *
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When working as a mercenary, you often talk about various things with your colleagues.
Most of the stories were about desires such as money or women, but there was one topic that came up frequently.
It was about the Mist, the continent’s number one assassination group.
Those who move to realize their ideas and doctrines, not money or wealth.
If you happen to encounter them while working, you are asked to leave the area immediately.
He said it was not a matter of whether or not he could fight those assassins and win.
Because they do not live based on desire and nature like other humans,
He said that since they are the ones who give up their lives like dog food to achieve their goals, there is nothing good to come from clashing with such guys.
A remote hut located in the middle of a forest outside the city.
It was a small space that could barely fit two people, but I could feel a strong energy inside that could not be ignored.
The man looked at Schurz as if telling him to go in.
Schurz took a deep breath and went inside, and the man followed him inside.
There was nothing inside.
Except for the small dagger sitting on the old wooden desk.
Of course, it was definitely not an ordinary dagger.
Something strange rising between the black blades stimulated the five senses, and just looking at it aroused negative emotions.
It was a sword I didn’t really want to hold.
“Catch it.”
The man spoke for the first time.
Schurz squinted his eyes without realizing it, but soon composed himself and stepped forward.
Then I grabbed the sword without hesitation.
-Whaaaah
Then, the black fog energy emitted from the dagger spread in all directions.
Schurz slowly opened his eyes, which had been closed for a moment.
Before he knew it, his body had been transferred not to a hut, but to a strange, unidentifiable space of fog.
For a moment, I was embarrassed by the unfamiliar situation.
Schurz’s eyes immediately turned to the strange being that appeared in front of him.
A very familiar man with dark black hair and sharp eyes.
It definitely had a human appearance, but it didn’t feel like a human.
Red tears of unknown meaning were flowing down from the corners of his eyes, and he was holding a dagger covered in blood in his hand.
But what I didn’t understand the most was,
The appearance of the man holding that sword right now,
It was very similar to his own face.
No, it was just the same.
It was like seeing another version of myself from an unknown future.
The bloody tears flowing from his eyes were full of emotions of anger and murderous intent, emotions that even Schurz himself had never felt before in his life.
“ha… … .”
He let out a sullen sigh and slowly began to approach.
It was definitely not the case that he approached me with the intention of just shaking hands.
He was coming with the clear intention of killing Schurz.
Schurz soon realized this.
This is an ordeal.
I thought that only by overcoming this ordeal would I be able to receive recognition, and only then would I be able to move on to the next path.
Schurz made up his mind and drew his sword.
As if he had been waiting for this, another Schurz left and ran.
-Kang!
It was a brutal blow aimed at the face, especially the eyes.
However, since the movement path itself was already clearly visible, there was no difficulty in blocking it.
but,
“W-what is it?”
Schurz immediately couldn’t believe his eyes.
Just looking at the state of his face, it looked like he was about to collapse at any moment, and I could feel an immense power coming from beyond the sword he had encountered.
This was a power that even he in full condition could never produce.
In a panic, I tried to open the distance again, but
“Ugh!”
Another Schurz didn’t even allow that.
As if you had already entered my inescapable territory, his red dagger was slowly getting closer to Schurz’s face.
The chill of death experienced at the final end of life.
Finally, the moment the bloody tip of the sword touched the nape of his neck,
-Shoot!
The fog that had encroached on the surroundings cleared in an instant, and we returned to the small hut we had originally been in.
Schurz seemed to have lost his strength and fell down, looking at the floor and breathing heavily.
The man looked at Schurz pitifully and said.
“The person you met just now is another side of you, steeped in revenge, consumed by anger and murderous intent.”
“This side?”
“Anger is a powerful driving force that brings out the best in human beings’ weak nature. However, no matter what the process, the power gained without being able to control reason ultimately leads to self-destruction.”
Immense power gained in exchange for tears of blood.
For Schurz, who had actually experienced it, no further explanation seemed necessary.
“However, a person who cannot overcome even himself who is consumed by his anger… … .”
The man casually picked up the sword on the desk and put it into his chest.
“You are not qualified to hold the assassin’s sword.”
Then he indifferently passed by the fallen Schurz and went outside.
Schurz, who was left alone, was so exhausted that he lay down.
“You want me to overcome myself consumed by anger? “Is that possible?”
It was not a complaint about not passing the test, but a question that came from the heart.
“What kind of life have you been living?”
Schurz realized with his whole body that this was a level he could not yet reach.
* * *
(Do you have any regrets?)
“This is the day I have been waiting for since the day I started serving Aer. “What would you regret?”
(I’m asking this because I don’t think there’s any need to rush.)
“For an assassin, hesitation is like death. “How can the One who knows it best ask that?”
(I can’t say anything.)
Aer shook his head at her stern attitude.
-Tap-tap-tap!
Then, someone’s urgent footsteps were heard in their ears.
They were quickly approaching exactly where they were.
(I think I figured it out sooner than expected. Is that okay? If anything happens, I can defend you.)
“You don’t have to do that. I’ll stop with the psychic detection. Please watch with interest… … .”
(You are saying cruel things.)
With those words, Aer disappeared along with the fog.
In front of Silica, who slowly lifted her closed eyes, was Xi’an with the same indifferent expression as usual.
The only difference was that his eyes were sharper than before.
Aside from his curious appearance, Xian didn’t say anything while looking at her.
“If you have something to say, say it.”
“If you have something to say, say it.”
“I guess what I wanted to say would have been conveyed through an order?”
“A blank piece of paper with nothing written on it?”
“I see you understood well.”
Silica looked at Xian and raised her chin as if asking if there was some problem.
“What is the reason? “Did you really think I would hesitate about assassinating Princess Arryn?”
If that were the case, I could at least understand it.
But doesn’t she know very well that she’s not that type of person?
Sian thought that there was no way he would have been excluded for such a flimsy reason.
but,
“Can you tell I won’t do that?”
Silica asked Xian an unexpected question.
(Continued in the next part)
fantasy,
