Wandering Mercenary in an Open World
chapter-44

Igor sighed in relief as he looked down at the corpse of the monster whose head was smashed.

“I came in a hurry because of the surge of Belducius’s magic… but you’ve already taken care of it.”

Strabo rubbed his sleepy eyes, as if he had just woken up.

“Didn’t I tell you? It’s wiser to sleep a little more than to worry about that guy. Hmm, but who is that?”

Kyle approached the dwarf who was tilting his head and extended his hand.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kyle.”

Strabo scratched his cheek as he shook hands with him.

“I’m Strabo…”

“Let’s save the introductions for later and go back to the inn first. Before any unnecessary noise comes out.”

Everyone nodded at Ruon’s words.

A short while later, the group returned to the inn and sat awkwardly on the floor of Ruon’s room, looking at each other’s faces.

Ruon let out a faint sigh as he saw the four grim-faced men sticking close together on the narrow floor. Kyle nudged his elbow and said.

“Don’t just sigh and introduce them, won’t you?”

Strabo chimed in.

“Right you are! Isn’t that why we’re here? There’s nothing more romantic than getting to know new friends. Right, Igor?”

At that, Igor nodded his head with a grin.

“It’s clear that you’re worthy of your mother’s love, just by seeing you fight against Belducius’s minion with Ruon.”

Kyle smiled.

“You guys are interesting.”

“Interesting…”

Ruon pressed his temples with his thumbs and slowly licked his lips.

“It’s nice to have a full name, but first we need to talk about Belducius. Contrary to Igor’s concern, it’s certain that there’s an apostle of his in Bern.”

The story continued.

He told them that the apostle was watching them and that King Polientus might have gone mad as well.

But to explain the story related to the king, he had to mention the fragments and the tower, so Ruon also briefly added an explanation of how he got the fragments and the journey that followed.

“I knew that evil beings were plotting something, but the king… The situation is much more serious than I thought.”

As Igor muttered with a stiff face, Strabo suddenly jumped up from his seat.

“A magnificent story that begins with killing a demon’s minion who occupied the monastery by chance! This is a typical heroic saga, isn’t it? Oh, to be able to join this story… Is there any greater honor than this?”

Kyle looked at him with a curious eye and asked Ruon.

“…Did that guy, I mean, the dwarf, follow you without knowing what was going on?”

Strabo cut in with excitement.

“I only knew that the two of you were trying to kill the demon. I never imagined that there would be such a thrilling secret behind it! This is really…”

Then Ruon raised his palm.

“Strabo, I don’t know what sweet fantasy you’re in, but there’s one thing I need to point out.”

He continued.

“I’m trying to kill Belducius for a purely personal reason. It has nothing to do with glory or heroic adventure. So stop acting like a child and calm down.”

At that, Strabo snorted.

“What’s wrong with looking like a child! If there’s a thrilling adventure waiting for me, I’m fine with that. That’s why I left the forge, you know.”

He pouted his lips.

“And you know what. I don’t know what you meant by that, but… I’m a little hurt that you’re brushing it off as a personal reason. Aren’t we in this together, anyway?”

What, is he sulking?

Ruon tilted his head at his whiny voice and suddenly thought that Strabo had a point.

Igor, Strabo, and Kyle.

It was no exaggeration to say that it was because of him that these unfamiliar men with some unique quirks gathered in one place.

For the sake of Tivela, for the romance of adventure, for the safety of a friend.

They had different reasons, but they were all determined to walk the same path as Ruon.

Ruon muttered softly as he scanned the faces of the three men who were staring at him.

“How did this happen…”

He smiled without realizing it and added.

“Well, I guess it’s too late to bring up personal reasons now. I’ve come too far. I appreciate your help.”

Kyle smiled brightly and took over the conversation.

“That’s enough for me. But what are you going to do now? We have to track down the bastard who’s behind this, right?”

Igor immediately added.

“The holy sword has absorbed a new power, so we should be able to find his location easily. I’ll officially request support from the Grand Church as soon as the sun rises tomorrow.”

Ruon shook his head slowly as he listened to the two men’s words.

“No, that’s too late.”

“What?”

“Huh?”

He looked at the two men who asked back with blank expressions and said.

If I had never known, it might have been different. But knowing that the apostle was watching us, we didn’t have time to wait for a good morning.

Ruon added briefly, gripping the hilt of the holy sword that was throbbing roughly in response to his deepened sacred power.

“We’re going now.”

***

A man walked down the corridor shrouded in gloomy shadows.

He passed through a narrow street lit by the moonlight outside the window and stopped in front of a door at the end of the corridor.

“Whew…”

Knock.

The man, who had taken a short breath, lightly knocked on the door and a short permission came from behind the door.

He cautiously entered the room and bowed his head deeply toward the front and opened his mouth.

“Marcus and Dixie are dead.”

“Heh, Dixie must have lost his precious life because of Marcus’s arrogance.”

The answer that came back was soft and calm, but the man who was standing there was tense.

Regardless, the middle-aged man who was rummaging through the pile of documents stacked on the large table snorted and shook his head.

“There are almost a hundred books that need to be returned under the pretext of long-term loans.”

He continued with a displeased face.

“It’s a pity that there are so many of them who don’t even keep their basic promises. The librarians weren’t complaining for nothing.”

The middle-aged man, who was muttering to himself, moved his gaze to the man who was still in his place.

He pushed up his glasses that were sliding down and asked.

“Do you have anything else to say?”

The man, who had moistened his dry lips with his tongue, nodded slowly.

“Tell me.”

As the middle-aged man’s permission fell, the man spoke as if he had been waiting.

“Salvatore, Hican, Baldo, Martina, and Marcus and Dixie… Six are already dead. How long do we have to watch?”

The middle-aged man curled his lips lightly.

“Are you nervous, Omar? Are you afraid that his relic will pierce your head soon?”

The man, Omar, furrowed his brow.

“No! It’s just that I can’t accept that the king’s will is to watch while our brothers are dying one by one…”

His words didn’t go on. His arm, which had gone out of control, began to strangle his neck mercilessly.

“Cough, cough!”

The middle-aged man looked at Omar, who was shaking his body with bloodshot eyes, and opened his mouth.

His voice was still soft.

“You’re talking out of line.”

He turned the pages of the documents leisurely and continued.

“Omar, you don’t have to be so impatient. They’re already on their way here. Tivela’s relic, which swallowed Marcus and Dixie, is doing its job well.”

“Cough, cough!”

As Omar made a sound of choking, the middle-aged man flicked his finger.

Then Omar collapsed to the floor weakly and began to gasp for air with a desperate expression.

“The guest will be here soon, so get out of here.”

Omar, who had risen from his seat with a pale face, hurried out of the room. The middle-aged man muttered as he watched his back.

“I’ll have to do a proper purge after this is over. They’re all pathetic. Well…”

The middle-aged man, who was shaking his head, was named Pashianu Onflik.

He was the head of the Grand Library, a sublime scholar, the king’s adviser, and the teacher of all… There were so many titles to call him in Bern that ten fingers were not enough, but none of them expressed his true face.

His face, hidden under many names, was sinister, sinister, and evil.

The loyal apostle of the ancient evil smiled faintly as he looked at the window where the faint moonlight was condensed.

“Are you here already? Tivela’s champion, no… the turning point of the world.”

***

Kyle looked up at the old stone mansion that was shrouded in the dawn’s darkness and asked.

“Are you ready?”

Ruon answered by firmly closing the iron bars of the mansion.

Creak-

He pulled the bars to both sides to make a space for one person to pass through and moved into the mansion first.

The three men, who had become accustomed to Ruon’s incredible strength, followed him without any admiration.

This is definitely not good.

Ruon, who was holding the hilt of the holy sword that was throbbing more violently than ever, walked forward and saw the man who was guarding the front of the mansion.

The man, Omar, who had his arms crossed, twisted his face and opened his mouth as the group approached.

“I didn’t expect you to come this early. Tivela…”

Ruon drew his sword before the other’s words were finished. Omar clenched his teeth, thinking that he was being ignored.

“You’ve been killing our brothers with confidence… I’ll make you regret it.”

As soon as his words were over, two people appeared one after another and walked forward.

The man with a rich face and the woman with a fierce look didn’t have a very distinctive appearance, but the group, who had noticed that they were all Belducius’s minions from Omar’s words, swallowed their saliva.

The only one who wasn’t nervous was Ruon. He spun his sword lightly and prepared for battle. Strabo said to him.

“Don’t waste your strength here and go ahead, okay? They look like small fries to me.”

“What?”

As Ruon asked back, Strabo gave a cool laugh.

“Didn’t you say you appreciate our help? How long are you going to do everything by yourself? Leave this to us…”

As he said that, green veins popped out on Strabo’s face and rough hairs sprouted from his body.

He transformed into a huge beast in an instant and finished his words.

“Go ahead! Oh, I never thought I’d say this line myself.”

“Shit, you scared me. I almost chopped you down. If you have that kind of ability, tell me in advance.”

Kyle, who had raised his shield at the sudden transformation of Strabo, coughed and drew his arming sword and pointed it at the front.

“Hey, you three idiots! Who’s the mage? I’ll take care of him first!”

Then Igor chimed in with a calm tone.

“I’ll follow you soon.”

The three men, who were setting up death flags, looked at Ruon with a smirk and said.

“Yeah, I appreciate it.”