Chapter 434: Proof of Existence (22)

0% The aftermath of the brief battle was horrific.

The clearing, blown up in many places, was utterly hideous, and piles of dirt and gravel were scattered messily. Restoring it would undoubtedly require a significant sum of money.

Of course, that was merely a matter to be addressed at a later date. For now, I had to calm the agitated Ria and decided to carry the unconscious Mr. Reynold on my back. A sense of crisis crept in, if I were to leave him like this, I might have to clean up a corpse.

To think that a man honored with the title of ‘Archmage’ could fall in such a pitiful manner.

It would be a national loss. As a noble of the Empire, I had a duty to preserve Mr. Reynold’ life. Only after returning to the orphanage and borrowing a bed did we finally have the chance to talk.

After I explained the gist of the situation, Ria coughed with a ‘hmm hmm’ while avoiding my gaze–she knew she’d messed up. Still, I couldn’t blame her for the misunderstanding.

Let’s consider her situation for a moment.

Picture this: You’re heading back to the orphanage from town when a sudden blast hits your ears. You rush to the source, only to find your beloved oppa filthy and gasping for breath, while some middle-aged guy across from him is casting a downright terrifying-looking magic.

Anyone in her shoes would have thrown a punch first and asked questions later.

Still, a misunderstanding was a misunderstanding. Morally, it was right to apologize, so I deliberately didn’t comfort the dejected Ria.

There would be plenty of time to thank her later.

If that spell had been completed, I’d be the one lying in the bed right now.

Not that I would have minded–part of me was genuinely curious to see what lay ‘beyond’.

But dwelling on it now was meaningless. I shook my head a few times to sort out my complicated feelings. There was still a question I urgently needed to ask Ria.

“Ria, this gentleman is…..?”

At my faint voice, Ria snapped to attention.

Next to Ria sat a young man with glasses, wearing an awkward smile. Judging by the unfamiliar face, he was clearly a guest, and it was rude to not introduce a guest when present.

Soon, with an apologetic expression, Ria spoke up.

“Ah, this is the person in charge, dispatched from the Shylock Trading Company. His name is ‘Perry Quartz’…..”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sir Ian Percus.”

The man extended his hand with a friendly smile.

His slight bow conveyed his respect. Not excessive, but enough to indicate how much he acknowledged me.

Indeed, typical of a merchant. A man naturally adept at social maneuvering.

Which is why I disliked him even more.

The more glib tongued a man was, the looser his behavior would be. And if they were merchants or politicians? Even more so.

I could already see the future: him casually stringing along a few women, then later trying to placate his lover with a look of feigned innocence.

Piece of trash.

With my keen eye, I immediately disqualified him as a potential boyfriend candidate for Ria. There was no way I was letting some merchant riffraff get his hands on my precious Ria.

Unaware of my thoughts, the man continued his flattery.

“I’ve long heard of Sir Ian’s heroic tales. I’ve admired you from afar, and to be able to meet you even in this brief encounter…..”

“So you came here alone with Ria?”

I gripped his outstretched hand as I asked firmly.

Perry blinked in confusion and glanced at Ria. She, too, looked puzzled, unsure why I was asking this.

Of course, the silence didn’t last long.

Thinking it was just casual conversation, he smiled pleasantly and answered.

“Yes, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to. I plan to stay at the orphanage for a while to proceed with negotiations.”

“What? You’re staying at the orphanage?”

Still, I couldn’t hide my frowning brows.

Regardless of my reaction, Perry just burst into a hearty laugh.

“Yes, because it’s a place where I’ve often been indebted.”

Before I could ask what he meant–

Ria gave me a subtle look and said,

“Oppa, Mr. Perry is from the Shylock Trading Company, remember? Of course he has connections with the orphanage~”

Her voice was full of charm. To others, it might look like a conversation between affectionate siblings.

But I knew better.

I could tell Ria was slightly gritting her teeth. The look in her eyes wasn’t normal either.

It meant, knock it off.

Only then did a piece of information flash through my mind.

‘Shylock Trading Company’–I had heard that name somewhere. Hadn’t I received information about it at the military camp in the Holy Nation where demonic beasts had appeared en masse last time?

It was the caravan said to be sweeping up demonic beast carcass across the Holy Nation.

And also the one that suspiciously never showed up in the Hellhole area where the beasts actually appeared in large numbers.

I was speechless for a moment.

I was just about to investigate them. But now, the target had walked right into my lap without me having to lift a finger. Logically, I should be welcoming this opportunity with open arms.

Yet why the hell did I feel so reluctant?

A groan escaped my lips. Perry just blinked his eyes with an innocent face.

A merchant pretending to be pure–utterly disgusting.

The only pure merchant in this world was my Ria.

But in the end, I had no choice but to let out a heavy sigh. Between personal feelings and official duties, it was very clear which one I had to prioritize.

“Then, I look forward to working with you for a while.”

“The pleasure is all mine, Sir Ian… I heard the Saintess is also staying at this orphanage. It is a great honor to meet two heroes of humanity.”

There’s also Senior Elsie and Celine, you know.

I grumbled inwardly, but didn’t make the mistake of voicing it. I had to avoid arousing the other party’s suspicion as much as possible.

Instead, I decided to firmly instruct Ria.

“Ria, come see me every night before bed for an inspection.”

“…What kind of nonsense– no, I mean, what do you mean, Oppa?”

The girl’s lips, with a forced smile, trembled slightly.

It was a look that clearly showed her dissatisfaction, but I didn’t retract my statement. Instead, I just scoffed and slightly turned my head away.

Just as Ria clenched her fist in anger–

“Ughhh……..”

A heavy groan came from somewhere. Ria and I instantly jumped up in surprise as soon as we heard that sound.

On the bed, the middle-aged man’s eyelids were trembling.

It was a sign that he was about to regain consciousness. I first signaled Ria and Perry to be quiet, then asked carefully,

“Mr. Reynold, are you awake?”

“I, what……”

After that, Ria’s apology followed, and I had Ria and Perry leave to explain the situation in detail.

Ria aside, Perry was a person from the Shylock Trading Company. There was no reason to reveal our secrets to a member of a suspicious organization.

Mr. Reynold’s expression hardened moment by moment at my subsequent explanation.

Eventually, he even let out a displeased voice as if utterly dumbfounded.

“…Who the hell came up with that ridiculous theory? Do they think I’m some common thug–”

“It was Her Highness the Fifth Princess.”

At that, his mouth clamped shut. Then, a long sigh escaped his lips.

“……I suppose I did seem rather suspicious.”

Only then did Mr. Reynold start to listen quietly to the rest of my explanation.

The fact that him joining the party coincided with the appearance of the Masked Assailant.

The fact that it was hard to guess why he would visit the Holy Nation at this specific time.

And the fact that he was the only skilled lightning mage in the vicinity.

As my explanation continued, the middle-aged mage’s face became more incredulous. But perhaps because there were so many reasons to suspect him, he didn’t show any more signs of reprimanding me again.

He merely shook his head.

“Yes, I was wrong… Haa, if I had known this would happen, I should have revealed it in advance.”

With his arms crossed, Mr. Reynold buried himself deep into the pillow. It didn’t take long for his hesitant mouth to open.

“Have I ever told you how I came to live as a mercenary?”

I quickly racked my brain to trace the past. Soon, the memory of that day began to resurface.

“You said you were broken up with by your beloved……”

“That’s right. But in fact, there was one more reason.”

The middle-aged man’s face had become lonely as he spilled out his past. Even his retinas were dim, as if reflecting the faded memories.

“I was stubborn. I wanted to marry that woman so badly that I ran away from home and started living as a mercenary with her.”

My expression became awkward at the suddenly revealed truth.

By that logic, the reasoning I had used to persuade Senior Elsie at the Percus estate was laughable. Didn’t I tell her to choose her family over love?

But the young Mr. Reynold chose love.

He might have regretted it later and returned to his family, but judging by his expression, that didn’t seem to be the case.

“I was happy. It was the brightest time of my life. But in the end……”

I recalled the wound Mr. Reynold had mentioned not long ago.

He, who saw an unidentified girl, lost all his comrades to demonic beasts.

Yes, all his comrades.

My silence grew heavier upon realizing that fact.

“The anniversary is in a few days.”

With a bitter smile, he took out a pitch-black rod from his bosom. It was the item he used when he fought me earlier.

It seemed to have the effect of mana amplification.

It must not have been easy to obtain such a precious item.

“It’s the last gift I received from her. Until recently, I couldn’t take it out because my heart ached every time I saw it… Then I suddenly realized.”

Whoosh, catch.

The middle-aged mage repeatedly tossed the pitch-black rod lightly into the air and caught it, as if doing so would calm his mind.

Previously, he had introduced it as an old staff to me, saying it was an item he used during his mercenary days, but it seems like it was truly precious for a different reason.

No, rather, perhaps it was too precious to even look at.

“……I still have a past that needs to be tied up.”

It was a flat but firm-sounding statement. It must be because they contained an unyielding resolution.

Chuckling, the Archmage laughed as if he found himself ridiculous.

“Perhaps being with you was the trigger.”

My eyes filled with questions at his sudden confession. Mr. Reynold’s eyes were looking at empty space.

“You, throwing your life into a battle with no chance of winning, and Elsie, not caring even if she died a dog’s death… It reminded me of my past self. There was a cowardly man who lived only by covering up his wounds, because digging them up was painful and scary.”

I was about to offer some words of comfort.

But in the end, I chose silence. No words could possibly heal the wounds he carried.

Only vengeance could.

He had come here to put an end to the nightmare he had suffered long ago.

“Please keep this a secret from Elsie.”

Because it would be uncool.

Mr. Reynold’s expression as he said that was unusually bashful.

**

The next day, with a tired face, I repeated my previous agony.

Then, who is the masked assailant?

It was just my intuition, but Mr. Reynolds didn’t seem to be the masked assailant. In the first place, it hasn’t been revealed what kind of tricks the masked assailant used.

There was no reason to unconditionally suspect a lightning mage.

If there was any consolation, it was that Senior Elsie’s complexion had brightened noticeably.

She seemed very happy that her uncle’s false accusation was cleared.

To be precise, the expression ‘less suspicious’ would be more accurate.

It was hard to unconditionally trust Mr. Reynold’ statement. The circumstances could be fitted together, and every time he talked about the ‘girl,’ he showed some strange symptoms.

Should I contact the princess again?

Then, an incident occurred.

That night, I was crouched on a chair, repeatedly pondering. No matter how hard I organized the information, no answer came out. Perhaps I should consult with the Saintess, I thought as I stood up.

A faint scream then brushed past my ears.

It was truly just an echo, but I instantly recognized the owner of the voice.

It was my little sister.

Immediately, my body kicked off the ground and shot forward. By concentrating all my mana on my legs, I was able to arrive at the scene where the scream came from in just a few seconds.

And I saw.

A young man standing blankly, dripping blood.

And across from him, a masked assailant standing silently.

Ria had collapsed, trembling.

The moment I saw that scene, I was gripped by a strange premonition.

He’s going to die.

That masked assailant was trying to kill the young merchant dispatched from the Shylock Trading Company. Though I didn’t know the reason, one thing was clear.

I had to stop him.

A roar burst from my mouth instantly.

“This son of a bitch, seriously!”

My hatchet began to tear through the air, scattering light.