Ch.13The Blessing of the Sun

# 1.

I am the Black Wolf.

I am also the Golden Dragon.

『Please capture and bring the Black Wolf.』

Fuck,

I’m screwed.

‘What the hell am I supposed to do?’

I have to capture myself.

-I have completed the request, Your Majesty.

-Good! Where is the Black Wolf?

-Yes. I am the Black Wolf.

-Huh?

-Pardon?

-Huh?

-Pardon?

Does this situation even make sense?

‘Especially since there’s a top-level bounty on the Black Wolf’s head.’

If I were to approach like that, whether as the Black Wolf or the Golden Dragon, my head would surely roll.

The only fortunate thing is that the “designated request” hasn’t been forced yet.

If it had been a mandatory condition for a sub-quest or to prevent a bad ending, I would have had to resolve it using the above method.

【You are given a grace period of <7 days> until the next Bad Ending <6.???> setting!】

Since the system was still quiet, it seemed like failing or giving up wouldn’t matter much.

‘So let’s just decline.’

Although I was in the form of the Black Wolf, I had already given a direct hint, so it should be fine.

“Ah, you’ve arrived, Golden Dragon.”

“…So I have.”

Just as I finished my thoughts, I arrived at the Mercenary Union’s institutional branch.

Then Dalan, who had been addressing me as the Golden Dragon since we left the Bluegreen Forest barrier, approached with a sly smile.

“How about a drink for old times’ sake?”

“Declining the request comes first.”

“Come on, you boring fellow. The branch manager won’t come in until noon. Are you planning to just stand around for an hour?”

Certainly, Dalan had a point.

A designated request.

It’s a request where the client directly names a mercenary, with security far superior to regular requests, and priced accordingly.

Therefore, if a mercenary named by a client were to decline such a request, only branch manager-level personnel could handle the related procedures.

“No, from what I overheard, he’s being investigated for what happened at dawn yesterday. Noon? He might not even come in today.”

The branch manager was absent due to the Black Wolf’s appearance at dawn.

“Is that true?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. Can’t you hear them? The small fry inside gossiping.”

I can’t hear them, old man.

“Anyway, since that’s the situation, let’s gather some information on the first floor and then leave.”

“You just want to drink…”

“Hey, Golden Dragon! What do you take me for! ……You’re absolutely right.”

As I followed Dalan to the entrance of the Mercenary Union, just as he had said,

“So was the rat incident also the Black Wolf’s doing?”

“Who knows, my friend. Anyway, since Red went in for questioning, there should be more rumors by tomorrow, right?”

“Still, taking Red as a hostage? What kind of person would do that?”

“Wait a minute, brothers. Red isn’t coming in today!? I bought flowers!!”

“Hahaha! A B-rank nobody aiming too high! Sit down and drink, you fool!”

Information was circulating about the Black Wolf’s name and Ruby not coming to work.

“What did you do?”

“What needed to be done.”

“Impressive, sir.”

What’s impressive about it?

I cringe every time I speak.

“Enough of that. As you said, Dalan, let’s gather some information and then leave.”

“W-wait!!”

What’s with him?

*Clank!*

Ignoring Dalan’s thumbs-up, I flung open the door of the Mercenary Union.

“I-it’s the Golden Dragon!!”

“Holy shit!! Get out of my way!! I’m getting the Golden Dragon’s autograph this time!!”

“G-Golden Dragon!! I just got an A-rank request, would you like to join me!?”

Numerous mercenaries rushed toward me.

.

.

.

【Passive. <Blessing of the Sun(Ex)>.】

◆ Effect

: You shine brightly. How cool. If someone who holds <Respect> for you faces that shining light, they will be afflicted with the status ailment <Adoration>. The Blessing of the Sun is the best in the world!

.

.

.

Sparkling eyes,

Arms linking without personal space,

Trembling voices.

‘…So this is <Adoration>.’

The feeling of becoming an idol was short-lived. Suddenly, the gathered people raised their voices.

“I was in line first!!”

“How dare a D-rank nobody raise their voice!? Besides, I took my pants off first!!”

“Why did you take your pants off?”

“Don’t I need something to get signed!?”

This is truly chaos.

As I was being swept around without knowing what to do, Dalan stealthily approached.

“That’s what happens when you go in first. You should have just followed behind me as usual.”

Oh right, this old man was here.

I slightly pushed away the approaching people and whispered in Dalan’s ear.

“Clean up this situation.”

Because I’m about to die of exhaustion.

However, Dalan didn’t move.

After a moment of contemplation, he placed his hand on his sword hilt and asked:

“Is that a request from the sun? Or… an order from the moon?”

A blue light swirled in his questioning eyes. Looking into those eyes, as refreshing as the sea yet as deep as the abyss, I realized:

‘So Dalan is indeed one of the Black Wolves.’

Until now, he had acted like a light-hearted and friendly middle-aged man, so I only recognized him as a 10th rank, but now that I had given an order, he was different.

If I were to answer here that this was an order from the Black Wolf, not a request from the Golden Dragon…

‘…He would clean up the situation by killing everyone.’

Sensing the gravity, I gently eased the force in my voice and pleaded like the Golden Dragon:

“My friend Bizarre Dragon, please just help me out. Isn’t that what friends are for?”

“…Fine.”

A brief standoff.

Dalan, who had been staring at me through his helmet, once again flashed a sly smile.

“Thanks to you, Golden Dragon, I’ve got a seat. I’ll go ahead and start drinking.”

“Wait, isn’t that too much?”

“Hehe, isn’t that what friends are for?”

Dalan turned away, his worn coat fluttering.

The gathered people wouldn’t have known.

…Click.

That this madman had drawn his sword with the intention of killing everyone.

“Hey, girl! Two beers… no, wait. Since the Golden Dragon is popular and will take his time, bring me one first!”

And then he ordered a drink, grinning as if nothing had happened. There really isn’t a single normal person among the Black Wolves.

Anyway.

“Just one autograph!! Please, just one autograph on my underwear, Golden Dragon!!”

“Tsk, a competitor. No wonder Talon smelled so good today.”

“…How do you know that, Brother Namgung?”

‘How do I get out of here?’

“Um, everyone?”

After a brief deliberation, I cautiously opened my mouth to try and resolve this through dialogue, but,

“Yeeeeeees!!!!!”

“The Golden Dragon called me!!!!”

“He called me, you bastard!!!”

“How do you know that, Brother Namgung!!!!”

It only added to the confusion.

They cheer when I speak, and if I try to avoid them slightly, they find a gap and cling to me.

‘Should I just run away?’

Just as I was about to turn around to search for an escape route as a last resort,

“B-big trouble!!”

A man covered in blood rushed into the union, pale-faced.

*Clang!*

“That’s far enough.”

Those who had been friendly attendants just moments ago instantly drew their weapons and aimed at the man, while the rest of the mercenaries glared at him.

“…!!?”

After noticing the blades, the man finally calmed down and spoke to the attendant.

“I-I’m E-rank mercenary Mud!! Right now, strange men have appeared in the middle of the central plaza!! They’re gathering people and continuously killing those they’ve captured!!”

…What?

Are they conducting executions in the central plaza, the heart of the Babylonia Archipelago?

‘What kind of madmen?’

Just as I was about to rush out to check,

*Swish.*

The attendant in maid attire also checked the mercenary badge and lowered her axe.

“Please continue.”

“Continue what?! People are dying even as we speak! Shouldn’t we go help right away?! The Central Guard has been annihilated for a while now!!”

As the earth-colored man shouted, the attendant asked dryly:

“Is this a request?”

“…What?”

“Minimum fee is 1 gold. F-rank to D-rank can be hired for silver units upon individual agreement.”

“Damn it, people are dying!!”

The enraged man shouted and looked around the Mercenary Union, but,

“……”

“……”

“……”

There were only cold or interested gazes, but no one stepped forward.

It was inevitable.

People who risk their only life to earn a living day by day.

A profession where it’s hard to maintain sanity because death is always nearby.

The higher the rank, the more insane they become; if mediocre, they make mistakes; and if they remain at a low rank, they eventually die of cold and hunger.

That’s what mercenaries in Babylonia were like.

Extremely pessimistic, but all the more realistic in this dark fantasy world.

As I realized this again, my agitated heart gradually calmed down.

‘…Well, what could I do anyway?’

Let’s not be mistaken.

I’m not the Black Wolf or the Golden Dragon, just an ordinary person.

I’ve become a bit stronger through various encounters, but just a bit.

‘The Central Guard’s rank is B+.’

And since that’s a group ranking, there must be many A-rank knights mixed in.

‘And they’ve all been defeated.’

I don’t know what kind of madmen they are, but they’re certainly as strong as they are mad.

‘I’m human too.’

And not even a person from Babylonia, but a 25-year-old ordinary young man from South Korea.

Of course, I feel sorry for the dying people,

I resent the mercenaries who don’t step up,

And I want to step forward like a hero and resolve this.

‘But I’m afraid.’

I don’t know how to stop it, and even if I find a way, I’m not sure if it’s feasible.

‘What’s important to me now is only the bad ending that will start in a week.’

I need to prevent the remaining 10 as soon as possible, then return and fulfill my friend’s dream.

After all, this is just a story in a book.

People should just live their own lives well.

It might not even be reality.

So I was determined not to get involved and to act only for my goal, but,

“Those bastards are making young children wear robes and masks and forcing them to kill others!!”

This was something I couldn’t ignore.

“Bizarre Dragon.”

A voice filled with neither the Black Wolf’s nor the Golden Dragon’s, but only anger.

“We’re going to resolve this now.”

“…I see.”

At the voice that somewhat resembled the Black Wolf’s, Bizarre Dragon rose from his seat.

*Screech.*

By the time the chair-dragging sound was heard, a path had already formed between me and Bizarre Dragon, and as he walked toward me along that path, he asked:

“Is that a request from the sun? Or an order from the moon?”

A binary choice with completely opposite results depending on the choice.

The former if I wanted to hide being the Black Wolf, the latter if I wanted help somehow.

I could choose one based on what I wanted, but stopping what was happening now was,

“Obviously something that needs to be done.”

As I turned around after giving a short answer, Dalan muttered in a small voice:

“You’re always the same as you were at first.”

“Then that’s a relief.”

At least the Nahan of this world isn’t a deranged murderer.

“So, should I kill all the intruders?”

“Capture if possible. Kill if necessary.”

*Pfft!*

“Then I can’t kill them, can I?”

Dalan burst into laughter, caressing his worn sword with a relaxed smile.

# 2.

Slowly.

“W-wait!! I’m really not involved!! I just delivered a few drugs!!”

“Ugh, no wonder the smell was so foul.”

“P-please spare me—!!”

Taking time.

*Slash.*

As the dagger was swung like a dance, the screaming man’s head rolled off with a thud.

A delicate silhouette that looked like a child tapped the fallen head and muttered:

“Hmm… this is more boring than I expected. It would be easier to clean up in one go like before.”

“Impossible. The leader’s hint—sir.”

“Tsk! I told you not to nag me! Anyway, how long do we have to kill them one by one?”

“More people. Need to gather—sir.”

“Really? Then we need more spectacle, right?”

*Swish!*

Eerie emerald eyes scanned the bound trash.

“Found one. You’re next!”

“No, I don’t want to!!”

“Yeah. I don’t like you either because you stink. Ugh, I can’t even play with you.”

*Slash!*

The bloody scent was so strong it made her nose tingle, but she didn’t mind.

“Phew. Who should I pick next?”

When the cleaning is done,

The person with the best scent in the world will return and embrace her just like before.

But you know what.

“That one smells really good.”

…I want to have it.

The woman sniffed and quietly gazed at the golden armor approaching from afar.

# 3.

“…Dalan. Am I seeing things?”

“No way. Those are definitely our people. Well, it’s nice to see them after so long.”

“…Don’t wave at them.”

“Oops. Sorry, boss.”

I’m really going to lose my mind.