Episode 77. Departure.
After returning to the Legion, I headed straight to the eastern market. A place where those who previously managed food ingredients under the Marquis Pierre gathered.
Wow.
I picked up an apple from the stand and gave the owner a piece of gold.
“Is this enough?”
Even if you add up all the ingredients in the stall right now, it’s less than three pieces of silver. However, offering gold to buy an apple is the same as starting a fight.
‘If we look at the price of just one apple.’
“That’s enough. “Please come inside.”
The owner gestured toward the inside of the store with a bright smile. I followed his lead and headed to the back door.
When I pushed the shabby wooden door, I entered the backyard with a ‘clunk’ sound. And there I was able to see a friend I hadn’t seen for a long time.
‘No.’
Since he is too much older than me to be a friend, it would be better to just call him a colleague.
“Kangradra.”
Gangradra, who was hiding in the shade under the tree, lowered his head.
“Are you here?”
“You waited a long time, right? “I was late because I met a bunch of monsters on the way.”
“no. “I liked the sunshine and the wind, so I didn’t even notice the time passing as I was enjoying it.”
He has always spoken kindly of me since he met me.
“Has the task I asked you to do been resolved successfully?”
“Yes, everything. “I have resolved it as the Master said.”
“Oh, that’s good. “Then, can we first hear the story about Duke Catherine?”
Gangradra opened his eyes, looked around, took out several daggers from inside his robes, and killed all the birds and rats he could see.
Flutter!
“Just in case, I’ll close my eyes and tell you.”
“I would be grateful if you could do that.”
“If you feel uncomfortable standing, may I bring a chair?”
I leaned against the wall of the fruit shop and shrugged my shoulders.
“No, just tell me.”
“yes. “Then, let me start by telling you about Duke Catherine.”
He explained everything that had happened within the Legion while I was away.
Who did Katarina meet and what did they talk about? And in detail what the reason is.
“So you’re saying that Duke Catherine was in a relationship with Marquis Pierre?”
Gangradra nodded.
“That’s right. Rumor has it that they also have a child together. “I think she stayed in the Legion for a long time to become a master of the alchemy guild.”
“… Then, to avenge the Marquis Pierre, no, not only that, but to place his own son at Strange’s head. “So you were trying to kill me?”
“I didn’t say that directly, but. “Given the circumstances, it seems correct to view it that way.”
As expected, this incident was planned by Katarina. Well, since Gunther and Hysteria are gone, I am likely to be Strange’s successor, so I guess I’m trying to do something in advance.
‘Everything is as I expected.’
Every piece of the puzzle is perfectly put together.
but.
“Then the person who tried to kill me at the Academy was also sent by Katarina?”
Even Kangrad could not give a clear answer to this.
“I gave the order to kill the Master, but the operation was to be carried out by the Legion, not the Academy.”
“When is that?”
“It was four days ago.”
So it was the day I left the Legion.
“Then why are those people called Omangseong trying to kill me?”
“… “I heard you are avenging Baron Monestier.”
“They are trying to avenge Monestier?”
“Yes, they said we were members of the same party. “The person who created the organization called Omangseong was also Monestier.”
What on earth does Omangseong do as an organization? I have never heard of them in my past life, so I don’t know anything about them.
Maybe when Gunther and Hysteria were alive, they weren’t able to run wild.
‘Where did things start to go wrong in this case?’
Of course, I’m not saying it’s bad.
To me, it seems like an opportunity for growth and to experience new enemies.
‘but.’
As my academy teacher Veratis said, there are some things that cannot be solved through force alone.
Now that the enemy is certain, we must move as cautiously and cautiously as possible.
“First of all, I understand. Anyway, it has become clear that Duke Katarina and Pentagram are all my enemies. “Let’s prepare for that.”
“… Master, there is one more thing I haven’t told you yet.”
“What is that?”
Gangradra took out a clean sword from inside his cloak and showed it.
“uh? This-”
“This is the sword of a man named Judas who accompanied the Master. “The day before he disappeared, he met Duke Catherine.”
This is a fact I also know.
I was informed about this by Rox.
“What were you two talking about?”
“Judas received a request from Duke Catherine. And the request was delivered to Oh Mang-seong.”
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“Judas received the request. Reported to Oh Mangseong. “Then do the people called Pentacle know that it was Katarina’s request?”
“I don’t think I know. Given the circumstances, the two organizations appear to have opposing tendencies. “It seemed like they were forcibly connected by a man named Judas.”
Judas, no, Baphomet that guy.
I don’t know what they were thinking when they did this, but they made the causal relationship so complicated and tangled.
‘Damn goat.’
“Anyway, those people called Omangseong started for the tower, right?”
“Yes, I personally saw them enter the tower.”
“I understand. Thank you for your hard work while I was away.”
“no. “Please leave this to me at any time.”
* * *
Rox held up an egg as big as his body and showed it to me.
“Verdin, when I went to the place you told me about, I found only this egg. “Is this what you said?”
An egg so large that one would believe it contained a human being rather than a bird. I answered Rox by lightly stroking the shell.
“that’s right.”
“under… ! Hey, man. If the object you need to move is heavy, you should say that it is heavy. “I didn’t even know that, so I just walked away and ended up in a lot of trouble!”
“Couldn’t you have taken a carriage?”
“I would have done it if I had known it was that big. From now on, if you’re going to run errands like this, please let me know in advance. “Because it was really hard.”
I looked at him with a small smile and lightly tapped his shoulder.
“great job. “Thanks to you, things are going smoothly.”
“… It feels good to be praised. What is this anyway? What kind of egg is this so big? “Is there a gryphon inside?”
I shook my head with a stern expression.
“no.”
“then?”
“devil.”
“devil?”
“No, should I say angel?”
Rox tilted his head.
What on earth are you talking about? With his eyebrows furrowed as if to say.
“Are you a devil or an angel?”
“Maybe not both. just… . “Think of it as a weapon against God.”
“weapon?”
“It’s hard to explain in words. Just wait until the one inside hatches.”
“Yes, that’s right. “Well, our Verdin captain told me to wait, so what should I do?”
Cynthia hit Rox on the back of the head.
Pop!
“Don’t be sarcastic.”
“evil! “Why are you doing this again?”
“No matter how close you are to Verdin, you shouldn’t act like that. “If the hierarchy within the party collapses, we will become a mixed bag on the battlefield.”
“… Ha, indeed. “She’s a woman who doesn’t even know this.”
Rox wiped the back of his head with his palm and left the room, muttering.
He sat down with his back to the window with a sullen expression on his face. Cynthia sneaked up next to me and put her chair next to me.
Sigh-
“Can I sit next to you?”
It’s something you don’t have to ask.
She looked at me with a smile on her lips.
“okay.”
The reaction is so different from my previous life that I feel repulsed. At that time, Cynthia was the one who rebelled against me and destroyed the party hierarchy.
“Like you said, I found someone named Beth and told her the story. “They said they were going to select an elite unit from your family and go to the tower.”
“When did you leave?”
“The lunch you gave Rox that day. “When I mentioned your name, he moved right away without delay.”
“okay?”
“Yes, Diberi also gathered all his troops and placed them on standby at the Legion.”
You didn’t just listen to all my commands and carried them out properly.
“Right.”
“Right? Is that the end?”
“then?”
“I was running around just as much as that Potato Head guy. No, I worked harder than that, but why didn’t I even say a word about my hard work?”
Do you want to receive compensation?
I took a necklace out of the dresser and handed it to her. Although it is not a particularly expensive item, it is still a useful item as it contains the power of the spirit and Strange’s symbol.
In terms of practicality, it cannot be compared to expensive accessories sold in the market.
“we are here.”
“… what’s this?”
“Fee for trouble.”
“Fee for trouble?”
“Yes, you did a good job while I was away. “Because of you, I was able to leave with peace of mind.”
I hung the necklace around Cynthia’s neck. She stepped behind her with a puzzled look on her face. Soon she avoided eye contact and answered me.
“Oh, no, I didn’t ask for this.”
“Then shall I give you money?”
“no! My, when did I say I needed money?”
“Looking at your expression, it looks like you don’t like it.”
“I don’t like it… .”
Cynthia jumped up from her seat, clutching the pendant of her necklace tightly.
“So when are we leaving for the tower?”
“now.”
“now?”
“Okay, now. “We will leave as soon as the food is ready, so everyone should be fully armed before then.”
* * *
“Are you saying you’re going to the 41st floor, not the 21st floor?”
Amon, the gatekeeper of the tower, asked me.
“Yes, you definitely said it with your own mouth, right? “I can go up to the 41st floor with 5 colleagues.”
This is a story Amon himself told me when I first came to the Tower. I can go up to the 81st floor, which is the record I achieved in the past, and I can go up to the 41st floor with my colleagues, which is half of the record.
‘of course.’
This was not explained to others. I can’t explain everything I’ve experienced so far, and I wouldn’t trust Cynthia, who follows a different god than me.
‘Does not matter.’
The only thing that matters to me now is whether I can get to the 41st floor or not.
“Okay, then all of Verdin’s party members. “I will send it to the 41st floor of the tower, to the coast of Njord.”
Cynthia was startled and grabbed my shoulder.
“The 41st floor? “Isn’t that guy mistaken about something?”
“No, that’s right. I asked you to send me there. “The goal of our coming to the tower now is to help our father.”
“Ahh, no! That’s not true, we’ve only made it to the 20th floor, right?”
“So I found a way to get to the 41st floor in one go. The result was successful just as he said.”
Cynthia bit her lip. I know why she reacts this way.
Between the 21st and 31st floors.
Because there is her target, a criminal who must be caught under the instructions of the Pope.
“I will return to the 21st floor after finishing this matter, so I know that.”
“uh… . “Then are you going to come back down?”
“Okay, so I guess this is a special case.”
Cynthia sighed in relief and took a step back.
Amon grinned at us, raised his staff above his head, and said:
“then… . I hope you have a good trip.”
For a moment, my eyes flashed.
Pot!
Then, when I opened my eyes, the vast sea came into view along with the sound of waves.
Sigh-
fantasy,
