episode_0088

“What’s going on?”

Tap. Tap.

Two figures gesturing towards me in the dim alley.

They were the men I had seen at the first-floor dinner table earlier.

One of them, a special forces member who had cleared Heddy’s plate, and his apparent friend.

I walked confidently towards them and entered the alley.

As if it were a prearranged meeting, they cornered me against the alley wall.

One of them, with arms crossed, spoke to me in a threatening tone.

“Are you the apprentice of Swordmaster Iris?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Hah! You don’t seem to be under Swordmaster’s protection. Hey, standing around here like this could get you killed without anyone noticing.”

“How can you know why someone might die unnoticed?”

“Let me kindly explain as your senior. Once your apprenticeship ends and Swordmaster’s protection is gone, if you’re not careful on the streets at night, you could easily disappear.”

“Heh heh heh.”

The friend of the one with crossed arms chuckled in agreement.

To think a special forces member of the Empire would spout such third-rate villain lines…

There’s no shortage of these lowlifes.

Is he a child of some nouveau riche noble family?

Seems like his upbringing lacks refinement; despite looking ten years older than me, his maturity level seemed completely off.

A hollow laugh escaped my lips.

Upon which, the expressions of the chuckling duo darkened significantly.

“…Hey, what’s so funny?”

“You could disappear on the streets… Quite a bold threat that one cannot casually make unless they are of high lineage.”

“That’s right. Have you heard of Count Ather? I am his heir.”

“Count Ather… Indeed, a family akin to the heart of the Empire’s futile ventures. I have heard of them.”

“If you know, then the conversation should progress swiftly. Kneel down and beg—”

“But what does that have to do with anything?”

“…What?”

The special forces member with crossed arms blinked in surprise.

Without paying him any mind, I continued speaking.

“Ather Count, Special Forces member. What does that all amount to?”

An eye for an eye.

A tooth for a tooth.

There’s no point in sugarcoating things; they probably wouldn’t listen even if I did.

If these guys believe blindly in their lineage…

“Then let me ask you this time. Have you heard of Duke Brace?”

I merely replied to him.

…For a moment, silence fell.

Duke Brace.

There was no way they hadn’t heard of him.

A kingdom established as a grant to the direct descendants who played a significant role in war during the unification of the Riana Empire.

The royal family name of those who govern that kingdom is ‘Brace.’

Even the people of the Riana Empire, who find memorizing family names tiresome and are apathetic towards politics, know the name ‘Brace.’

Another kingdom granted by the Emperor and a family of that time.

Perhaps now grasping the situation, the faces of the two who were chuckling just moments ago turned pale.

“Why are you doing this? Surely you know of the Brace family too?”

“T-That’s a lie! The scion of the kingdom would never voluntarily undertake such a dangerous mission! It’s all just a show… Oh!”

I took out a badge from my pocket and thrust it in front of them.

A golden badge depicting two dragons entwined in ascent, symbolizing the Riana Empire on the left and the Brace Kingdom on the right.

“The h-haha…!”

The two, after confirming the badge, recoiled in fear like Dracula facing garlic.

The effect was immediate. Indeed, treating such individuals the same way always brought them to their senses.

I coldly addressed the still shaken pair.

“…Do you have an apology to offer?”

“I-I’m sorry!! I’ve made a grave mistake!! I-I’ll ensure nothing like this happens again—”

“I had no part in this!! I simply followed along because this guy called me out!!”

“What?! Hey! Weren’t you the one who was supposed to straighten him out in the first place?!”

“Enough, everyone.”

As I unfolded the scroll, the two quieted down.

I spoke to them, “Give each other a slap.”

“…What?”

“What?”

“Just give each other a slap and move on. I don’t want any big trouble during this mission.”

“Is this for real…?”

“Are you trying to deceive me? Or should I handle this the hard way?”

“Oh, no! We’ll do it!”

The faces of the two swiftly turned red as they hesitantly slapped each other.

I chuckled inwardly as I watched them.

‘They must feel relieved that it’s just this.’

I avoid causing troublesome issues during missions, but that doesn’t mean I have to go easy on these guys.

-Swooosh.

Who would’ve thought I’d end up writing like this for practice?

But when else would I get a chance to write on someone like this?

Focusing my energy, I channeled the power of lightning.

“Eek…?”

The one closest to me sensed something amiss as cold sweat broke out, but it was too late.

“I’m still new at controlling this power, so be prepared.”

“Yes, yes? Ouch-!”

-Thud!

As one of them struck me back, the impact sent him crashing into the wall with a jolt.

He lay there motionless, knocked out by the force of my strike.

“What in the…!”

The other one, about to retaliate, hesitated and took a step back.

But there was no escaping.

If he fled, he would make enemies of the entire Brace Kingdom.

Turning to the remaining one, I calmly uttered, “Next.”

“….”

***

“Huh? Why do your cheeks look like that?”

The morning before departing for Wyvern’s Nest.

Gavolf, checking the special team members, raised an eyebrow.

The two who had slapped me yesterday glanced at me nervously.

I communicated with them through my eyes: speak and face the consequences.

Seemingly understanding my gaze, they quickly averted their eyes and told Gavolf, “It was a mistake…”

“I also…”

“How did you sleep to end up like this? Can you carry out the mission successfully?”

“It was a misunderstanding!”

“…I see.”

Their pitiful state was almost comical.

Was it my scholarly side showing?

Suppressing laughter, I turned away.

Beside me, Hedy asked, “Xian… Did you do something?”

Unable to answer in front of everyone, I continued to stifle my laughter.

Hedy seemed convinced and stopped probing further.

“Alright, let’s get going! From now on, we need to stay alert! Soldiers!”

“The vanguard charges while maintaining vigilance! The rear guard escorts Lady Iris’s carriage and advances slowly!”

As Gavolf’s departure command echoed, everyone began to move busily.

Due to our young age and being reserve forces, we boarded the carriage with Lady Iris.

Clatter, clatter!

“Let’s go!”

Following the vanguard that had left first, our carriage set off.

One of the special team members handling the carriage’s horses said, “We’re departing!”

This marked the true beginning of our mission.

.

.

.

.

Four hours had passed since we set off from the coastal continent towards the opposite direction.

Growing hungry, we ate dried jerky, staying vigilant and scanning our surroundings.

Suddenly, Iris spoke, “I sense multiple presences from afar. It would be wise to prepare now.”

As she mentioned, we felt an unusual presence unlike regular mounts coming from the opposite side.

Not long after, Gavolf shouted, “Possible Wyvern group sighted from above! All cavalry halt immediately, and rear guard, prepare for interception!”

“Yes, sir!”

The carriage came to a sudden stop.

The vanguard inspectors drew their swords and spears, assuming a defensive stance.

The rear mages quickly brandished their wands, beginning to cast spells.

Each showcasing their specialized elemental magic.

Fire, ice, lightning attributes, each unleashing their predominant magic, geometric magic circles soon materialized out of thin air.

– Fire!

“Not yet! Don’t shoot yet! Wait until they’re close enough!”

Far away in the sky, something flapped its wings and rapidly flew towards us.

It looked like a wyvern pack. Slower than sound but faster than incoming arrows, their menacing speed was enough to put us on edge.

“Now! Shoot!”

As the wyverns’ forms faintly appeared, Gavolf shouted.

From numerous powerful magic circles prepared by the rear team, an immense amount of magic began to pour out directly.

Fire arrows, ice spears, rampaging lightning.

Rain from high-level 5th circle magics poured down relentlessly on the approaching wyvern pack.

– Thud! Crack! Thump! Whoosh.

Several of the incoming wyverns were hit by the magic and crashed, while those not so fortunate continued flying towards us.

Approximately three wyverns seemed to have survived.

“Master Gong, now the rear team will bring the wyverns down from the sky. Let’s prepare for coordinated attacks.”

“Yes. And what about Hedy…?”

“Hedy will protect Master Gong from variables on the side. That should be sufficient.”

“Understood!”

Finally, it was our turn.