episode_0226

Maze City West District.

In front of a shabby wooden house.

Kubo stared at Bendrick and scratched his head.

“Why are you stuttering? Are you looking for someone?”

“I’m…looking for my son.”

Bendrick barely answered.

Kubo narrowed his eyes and looked up at Bendrick.

“Hmm? Son? Whose son?”

“Iron Mask. But who are you?”

Kubo’s face brightened.

“Oh! Are you Iron Mask’s father? You should have said so sooner! Hey! Iron Mask! Come on out!”

Kubo shouted at the top of his lungs.

Bendrick’s question was ignored, but he brushed it off.

The important thing was to see his son. Not to hear the answer from the naked dwarf.

“Father? What’s that…?”

Iron Mask slowly walked out and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Bendrick.

“…”

Silence flowed between the two fathers and sons.

Iron Mask lowered his head.

“Father.”

“…It’s been a while. How have you been?”

“I’ve been well. As you can see, I’ve made good friends.”

Bendrick’s gaze landed on the naked dwarf.

“Good…friends?”

“My friend Kubo wears nothing because of his naturalist engraving. It’s chilly, so please come in.”

“Okay.”

Kubo smiled.

“Iron Mask’s father?! You’ve come at a great time! We were just having a celebration party for breaking through a level!”

“Is that so?”

“Come on in!”

Kubo turned around and quickly went inside the building.

Bendrick stared blankly at the swaying buttocks of the dwarf and stumbled inside.

The female knight gave Iron Mask a slight nod and quietly entered.

Only Jung Yushin and Iron Mask remained at the door.

Jung Yushin smiled.

“Brother, it’s good to see you.”

“Yeah. You’ve been doing well, haven’t you?”

“Yes.”

Iron Mask patted Jung Yushin on the shoulder.

“I watched the duel in the central square. It made me nervous the whole time. I was so glad you made it through.”

“Thank you.”

“And I heard you became the leader of the small and medium-sized clan alliance. Congratulations. Now that I think about it, there’s only good news.”

“Brother, it’s cold. Let’s go in.”

“Shall we?”

A voice filled with laughter.

It seemed as if a smiling man was glimpsed behind the mask.

Jung Yushin and Iron Mask entered the old cabin.

* * *

Jung Yushin looked around.

Iron Mask’s house was divided into two sections.

The large room was a living room and kitchen.

The small room was a bedroom.

In the living room, there was a round table, and a rat beastman, Mars, and a robed human mage were sprawled out drunk.

The mage’s name was Karis.

He was a person who joined Iron Mask’s side while subjugating trolls in the forest area.

Anyway.

Was it some kind of grand party?

Leftover food and half-empty bottles of alcohol were rolling around on the table.

Bendrick was apparently shocked by the sight of his son living like a beggar, and he couldn’t speak for a while.

“…”

“You’re Iron Mask’s father? Have a drink.”

The dwarf priest Kubo roughly wiped a stained glass with his hand and poured alcohol.

Bendrick shook his head.

“I drank a little on the way here. I appreciate the thought.”

“You had a drink?”

Iron Mask asked as he sat down in a chair.

“I stopped by the smithy with Ska and had a few drinks.”

Iron Mask smiled.

“That’s not like you, Father.”

Bendrick also smiled slyly.

“I know, right? Before I knew it, I was squatting at the table, drinking in the afternoon. The dwarven liquor is strong.”

“…”

A strange silence fell once again between the two fathers and sons.

Jung Yushin realized that there was something they needed to talk about intimately.

“We’ll excuse ourselves.”

Jung Yushin tried to get up, but Iron Mask raised his hand to stop him.

“No. Father, how about a walk for a while?”

“Good.”

The two fathers got up from their seats.

The female knight, who was in charge of guarding, tried to follow, but Iron Mask shook his head.

“Please stay here for a moment.”

Instead of answering, the female knight looked at Bendrick.

Bendrick nodded silently.

The two fathers left the cabin.

Jung Yushin sat back down in the chair.

He was going to say hello to his friends who he hadn’t seen in a while, but they were all too drunk to be in their right minds.

Only Kubo was sober.

“They had a big drink.”

At Jung Yushin’s words, Kubo smiled.

“We explored the forest, sewer, and corridor districts. And no one got hurt. It’s something to celebrate.”

“Is that so?”

“Ska, but is that really true?”

Kubo asked.

“What?”

“I heard you were walking around with a monster in the swamp area?”

“It’s true. A swamp ghoul. I even gave it a name. Johnson.”

Kubo clicked his tongue.

“That’s terrifying.”

“Now that I think about it, it’s not really something I would recommend. I had to pull out all of that monster’s teeth, claws, and toenails, and then beat it up several times. Just enough to not kill it.”

Kubo swallowed hard.

If someone else had said this, he wouldn’t have believed it.

But the other person is Ska.

When he subjugated the forest troll.

The man who poured oil on his arm, lit it on fire, and swung his fist.

Terrible pain and desperate situations couldn’t stop him.

He knew that he was a man who crushed his enemies and broke through the maze with a near-mad obsession.

Jung Yushin thought for a moment and then opened his mouth.

The ‘rule’ of the swamp area is solitude.

If you’re alone, you’ll go crazy.

Iron Mask’s party will be entering the swamp area soon, so he decided to give them some advice.

“The swamp area is a region with extremely limited visibility. There’s a thick red fog. If you get separated from each other during a chaotic battle, you’ll have two options left.”

“Wha…what?”

“Either fight monsters endlessly until you’re exhausted to prevent madness, or find your party members by any means possible.”

The maze was always similar.

When you fall into the worst situation, you always have to choose something.

Jung Yushin continued.

“Or you could bring a small animal with you in case you get separated.”

Kubo stroked his chin.

“That’s the method I’ve been thinking about after listening to your story. In fact, other explorers consider it a way to overcome the solitude ‘rule’ of the swamp area.”

“Bringing a small animal to break through the maze? There would be several problems, right?”

“Definitely. What kind of animal should you bring? And would those animals be able to survive until they reach the swamp level?”

“It’s best for party members to stick together. I’m a special case.”

“That’s right. Ska, who else but you would have made it out of the swamp area alone? You’re like a monster.”

Jung Yushin and Kubo spent time talking about the maze.

Mars and Karis mumbled a few words, but they were too drunk to be in their right minds.

“Kubo, when are you planning to enter the maze again?”

At Jung Yushin’s question, Kubo shrugged his shoulders.

“We’re not going until the summit is over anyway, right? Most of the other explorers are also staying in the city. Even though Maze City is neutral, if a war breaks out with the empire, there will be plenty of people running to it.”

If a war breaks out with the empire.

‘What should I do?’

Will I be able to keep entering the maze?

Jung Yushin thought about it for a moment.

It’s a problem with no clear answer.

He put it off.

“I’ll have to enter the maze after the summit as well. But I’ll have to make various preparations before that.”

“By the way, how many floors are you planning to go to?”

“20th floor.”

Kubo let out a hollow laugh and nodded.

“Ska, you terrifying bastard. You’re really breaking through the maze quickly. Good luck. Did you find your party members?”

“Not yet.”

At that moment.

Creak.

The door opened.

Bendrick and Iron Mask came in.

“Let’s go.”

At Bendrick’s words, Jung Yushin and the female knight got up from their seats.

“Father, I’ll see you later.”

At Iron Mask’s words, Bendrick froze.

“…Alright. Take care.”

Bendrick patted Iron Mask on the shoulder, turned around, and left the house.

Jung Yushin also followed, looking at Iron Mask.

“Brother, let’s talk again later.”

“Okay. Come find me when you have time.”

Jung Yushin said goodbye to Iron Mask and Kubo and left the wooden house.

Under the brightly shining moonlight.

Jung Yushin and Bendrick walked along the quiet street.

The autumn night was deep and chilly.

Jung Yushin didn’t ask Bendrick about his feelings about the reunion.

What would it be like for a father to meet his son who is dying of an incurable disease?

He could guess, but it was difficult to fully understand.

“Ska, are you the eldest son?”

Bendrick asked out of the blue.

Jung Yushin nodded.

“Yes.”

“You must have received a lot of love from your father.”

“Is that so?”

“That’s right. I remember when I first held Iron Mask. No, Evan for the first time.”

Bendrick’s eyes wandered through the air.

“He was so small, he was only the size of my fist. I swear, I didn’t know babies were that small. He was in my arms, and he stroked my cheek with a hand smaller than my pinky.”

“…”

Ignoring Jung Yushin’s silence, Bendrick continued.

“I can’t express that moment in words. Should I say my heart was full and heavy? But I still remember it vividly.”

Bendrick put his hands behind his back and walked slowly, then raised his head and looked to one side.

A rock that soared high like a black tower.

It was a rock symbolizing the maze, placed at the entrance of the maze.

“That’s when I realized it. That I was a father to a child before I was a king.”

“Didn’t you have several sons?”

“That’s right. But the eldest is special. Because it’s the first time.”

Special because it’s the first time.

Bendrick’s words touched his heart.

“The maze is a monster that feeds on people’s wishes and desires. In the end, my son got caught up in it.”

Bendrick’s voice sank bitterly.

“Iron Mask will do well. He’ll get a good engraving, his illness will be cured, and then he’ll return to the Lionel Kingdom.”

“Hehehe.”

Bendrick laughed and shook his head.

A laugh like crying, mixed with sadness and hope.

“I drank a lot today. I’m not in my right mind.”

“…”

Jung Yushin was silent.

To hear the king’s inner thoughts.

It was amazing. On the other hand, he thought of his father.

‘Is he worried about me?’

I don’t know.

He’s such a manly man, so maybe he’s busy making a second generation.

After walking in silence for a long time, Bendrick opened his mouth.

“The ones who were spying on you are mages belonging to the Magic Tower.”

As expected.

He fully expected that Malachai wouldn’t give up so easily.

“As is the case with Maze City, the Magic Tower is in chaos after the previous Magic Tower Lord went missing.”

The Magic Tower Lord went missing?

That was the first time he’d heard that.

When Jung Yushin and Bendrick entered the park.

The female knight who was walking next to him leisurely tapped her scabbard.

Tap tap.

Bendrick stopped walking and calmly looked around before speaking.

“Come out.”

At that moment.

The space flickered.

People wearing robes appeared.

One old mage who appeared to be the leader.

In addition to Malachai, there were 10 other mages standing there.

The old mage knelt on one knee and bowed his head.

“It’s been a while, Your Highness.”

“Isn’t that Matthias, the elder of the Magic Tower? What’s going on?”

“I have something I want to ask that mixed-blood Barbaroi, so I have come to you despite my rudeness.”

“Why now?”

“I feel like if it’s not now, I’ll never have the chance.”

The old mage glanced at the ring on Jung Yushin’s finger and replied.

“Ska, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

Bendrick said.

“No. It’s okay. Would you like to go first?”

“No.”

Bendrick seemed determined to stay in his place.

Jung Yushin looked at the old mage.

“What’s the question?”

“Why haven’t you gone mad? According to the Explorer Association’s report, you should have become a wreck due to madness long ago.”

“…”

Jung Yushin crossed his arms and looked at the moon and stars in the sky.

Matthias grew impatient and took a few steps closer.

“Please tell me. More than anything else, I’m really curious about this.”

Bendrick, as well as the female knight, turned their heads and looked at Jung Yushin.

All eyes were focused on Jung Yushin.

The autumn wind blew, sweeping Jung Yushin’s jet-black hair back.

Magic Tower.

I wondered if there was a reason why they were looking for him now.

He thought that the Magic Tower had a reason for being obsessed with the madness of the maze.

He didn’t know what it was though.

He thought of several things in his head and erased them.

Jung Yushin slowly opened his mouth.

“I think everyone is misunderstanding something…I’ll ask you in return.”

“…”

Someone swallowed hard.

“Why do you think I haven’t gone mad?”

“…!”

A chilly autumn night.

As Jung Yushin’s question echoed.

The people gathered in the park gaped.