As the sun rose the next morning, Theo watched the horses get hitched as he waited to leave. The two horses had luxurious pedigrees, although they were a little inferior to those that pulled the limited express carriages of the big companies. He would’ve been able to obtain them if he used the name of the Polonell Company, but that would mean exposing their tracks. Nevertheless, it was the best that individuals could afford.
It was natural for Theo, a foreigner, to be extra careful.
… It won’t mean much if they’ve already found me.
Fortunately, he didn’t notice any signs of the watchdogs, however, he was still going to hide until he was clear of the gates. Until then, he kept an eye on his surroundings. So it was only natural he noticed the shadow that appeared behind him while he was stroking the horse’s mane.
It was affected by the angle, but the shadow was extra long.
“Good morning. Have you come to say goodbye?” Theo looked back to see the gigantic Gibra standing behind him.
Last night, Gibra had drunk more than half of the tavern’s casks, but his complexion was no different from a master level aura user. A common person would have to lie down for a week, or they may have even died on the spot.
Gibra nodded. The commission was over, so his tone was the same as when they first met. “Well, something like that. I would’ve just sent you off, but the request this time turned out bigger than I thought.”
“Do you have useful information?”
“It is called an after sales service. Be thankful.”
His curiosity piqued, Theo listened obediently.
“You said that you don’t have a designated destination right now?”
“Yes, I was supposed to stay longer.”
It was now an old story, but Theo was originally planning to spend at least three months in Kargas. However, now that he had ransacked the underground auction and clashed with the Orcus Company, plans had to change. Of course, he had collected more original books than expected. He had also gained an unthinkable extra item. From now on, it was time to worry about the backlash caused by the jackpot.
“If possible, go to the east.”
“The east?” 𝚍ｏ𝚟𝚕.ｏｒｇ
“Yes, the east.”
Theo looked vaguely puzzled, so Gibra explained, “Orcus Company’s headquarters is in the central continent’s southwest. Therefore its influence is slightly weaker in the east. You will be able to breathe easier if you head for one of the coastal kingdoms.”
Theo nodded. “Thank you for teaching me, but is this after sales service okay?”
“No, I think this is just right.” Gibra had been pleased as punch when he saw the blow that had been dealt to the Orcus Company. “There have been a few times when my jaw dropped open, but it was a fun request.”
Theo noticed that Gibra had his own ulterior motives, but he could also tell that Gibra wasn’t lying. Theo’s developing senses were gradually improving his intuition. It was also true that Gibra’s advice was helpful.
So Theo bowed sincerely. “… Thank you.”
“I hope to see you in the future. I will collect a few original books and sell them to you for a high price.”
Theo chuckled. “Yes, then next time.”
After the short goodbye, the two men parted ways. They might meet again, or they might never meet again. Everyone in the world knew this fact, but they continued to move on with a vague expectation.
As Theo climbed onto the driver’s seat, Gibra entered the much more familiar back alleys of Kargas. Akan appeared silently from where he had been waiting in the shadows.
“Thank you for the good work, Branch Director.”
“Right.”
The positions of the two people were the same as always. Gibra walked first, while Akan followed. They had been working together for several years, so Gibra could tell that there was something suspicious in Akan’s stride. It wasn’t difficult to guess the reason either.
“Akan, are you curious about why I helped him?”
“T-That… I’m sorry.”
“There is no need to be sorry. It is natural to be curious. The Empire’s intelligence network has a sizable bounty for information about Meltor’s Hero, so why did I forgo the easy gold coins?”
The alley’s atmosphere cooled as soon as Gibra spoke the words, Meltor’s Hero, aloud. The power of the Information Guild might not stretch to the northern continent, but they were the best information guild in the central continent.
They was no reason why they wouldn’t hear about the hero who had rescued a high elf from slavery and personally contributed to the alliance with the famously neutral Elvenheim. They were also aware that the Andras Empire would pay through the nose for information on his whereabouts.
Nevertheless, Gibra had kicked away his chance.
“Well, I would’ve gained a lot of gold if I sold them the information. The empire is filled with barbarians, but they usually keep their word. There’s a good chance we would have gotten paid.”
“Then why…?”
“Hey, Akan,” Gibra’s chilly voice interrupted, “We might be gutter rats, but we live in Kargas’ gutters. Earning a few extra gold coins isn’t worth risking this whole country. If we sell this information to Andras, Meltor would mark us as an enemy.”
“……”
“The Andras Empire has no interest in alliances. Our help is only worth a few gold coins. Once we’re thrown away, the armies of Meltor will descend on the central continent.”
If that happened, they were screwed. Unlike the north which had experienced war for hundreds of years, the central continent had enjoyed a long period of peace. They only had one or two masters, compared to the north which had more than six or seven. Meltor and Andras… either one was a power the central continent couldn’t afford going against. However, more than anything else, Meltor wasn’t a warmonger like the Andras Empire.
The grace he was giving Theo now could be paid back with an expensive price later. It wasn’t about a personal favor to Theodore Miller. Gibra had already calculated all this when he first met Theo. But he had expected Akan’s reservations, which was why they were in this alley.
“-So, you can’t be left alive.”
Akan collapsed, dead before he even noticed the dagger in his neck. This was the remarkable ability of the man assigned as the branch manager of Sipoto, the King of Mice.
As he looked at the man he’d killed with one blow, Gibra muttered, “… You’re competent, but you’re also a cheap bastard. It would only take a few gold to open your mouth.”
So, Gibra had killed him. He had thrown away a capable subordinate he had known for several years, just to prevent the possibility of this information leaking. As always, it left a bitter taste in his mouth. Gibra spat to the side, but the feeling didn’t lessen.
He couldn’t reverse what he had already done. From now on, he could only look forward. Today’s investment would be returned several times over in the future.
***
Unaware of the murder in the city, Theo’s carriage ran aggressively out of the city gates. Theo, sitting in the driver’s seat, was in the midst of drawing something.
“30 degrees on the right… 42 degrees on the left again… add a triangle to the hexagon and a pentagram to the circle…”
It would sound like random mumbling to outsiders, but a magician would be stunned at the dozens of equations and formulas being calculated offhand. It was doubly surprising that all of this was done while jolting along on a carriage. Luckily, Theo didn’t get nauseous easily.
Instead, he successfully completed his calculations. “Okay, this is done.”
He looked down at the magic circle he had drawn with satisfied eyes. He had drawn from Satomer’s knowledge to draw a magic circle used to call a summon. Originally, this spell required an offering which would act as a catalyst, but Theo didn’t need one because of the contract Satomer had handed him.
One drop of blood was enough for the call.
Wuuong…!
There was a bright light as the drop of blood landed on the circle. Mana lit up and entwined to form a gate through which the summon would come through. When the contract was signed, he could call the summons with just its name. However, this process was inevitable, since he wasn’t the contractor yet.
Eventually, all the preparations were over, and Theo recited the name of the summon.
“I call you as your name contractor, the crow who thinks-”
It was the summons he’d gained from Satomer.
“Your name is Hugin!”
A black glob materialized from the magic circle. A few feathers fluttered as the wings flapped, and a crow soon rose up before Theo’s eyes. Theo looked at it in admiration, then the crow’s beak opened. Was it going to cry out like an eagle? Theo held his breath in anticipation.
Kyaack-!
“……?”
Kuwaaack-!
It was a small cry. Theo let out a long sigh as someone appeared at the sound.
“Hey, Young Master. What was that sound? It sounded like a drunk person was vomiting.”
“… Over there.”
“Eh? A crow?”
Randolph’s expression changed the moment he heard it was something Theo had summoned. It was because the crow didn’t fit Young Master’s image at all. He covered his mouth and hunched over as he tried to control his laughter.
“P-Puah. I laughed very well. I didn’t know you could summon such a thing.”
“I thought it was time to do so.”
Theo was starting to feel some of the frustration that Satomer had felt throughout his life. As Theo felt like he was chewing shit, Randolph sat down beside him. As an aura user who was close to a master, nausea was a distant story, and he had no interest in reading books like Theo.
After a minute of silence, Theo opened his mouth first. “… I’m sorry I got you caught up in something so annoying.”
“Hmm?” Randolph looked over at the abrupt apology.
“You became enemies with the Orcus Company because of me. If I hadn’t interfered, you wouldn’t have to run away-”
“Stop there, Young Master.” It was a fair apology, but Randolph shook his head firmly. “Do you think I did this just to help you? I had my own thoughts when I decided to follow you. So, you don’t have to feel sorry for a decision I made.”
“But…”
“No, I wasn’t honest. I’m the fortunate one to be accompanying Young Master.”
Fortunate?
Theo’s eyes became bigger at the unexpected answer.
Randolph had made an enemy out of a warlock and even fought against a death knight. Still, he was sincere. He was genuinely delighted that he got to meet Theo again. It might be the same intuition Randolph had when he found his ancestor’s swords in the Miller Barony.
Fun things always happened around this person.
“Once I’d gotten these heirlooms, I’d trained my skills for a year, but I never felt that sense of urgency or improvement again. Then I met Young Master and experienced a fight that made my blood boil. It has been a long time since I felt my hair stand up like that.”
Randolph realized something while battling the death knight. His stagnant skills had started to experience a breakthrough in that fight as he straddled the boundary of life and death. It wasn’t easy to meet these types of opponents. That was why he had decided to accompany Theo. It was in order to reach the master level shimmering in front of him.
“This is a journey to complete my sword. So, don’t worry or feel sorry, Young Master.” Before Theo could reply, Randolph changed the subject. “By the way, where are we going now?”
Theo laughed at Randolph’s clumsy segue and replied, “I’m thinking about going to the east. The Orcus Company doesn’t have much of a presence in the Soldun Kingdom, so we can breathe and sort things out there.”
Theo needed a break. He had obtained more than twenty original books and needed to experiment with Charlotte’s Necklace. The coastal kingdom in the east was a good place to lie low.
However, Randolph’s expression changed subtly at Theo’s words. He looked at Theo uncertainly before muttering, “Well, will it turn out that way?”
“What do you mean?”
“In the meantime, wherever Young Master goes, incidents happen. I don’t think Soldun will be an exception…”
Theo had no choice but to smile wryly. “No way… I have to believe that won’t be the case.”
“Is that so?”
The two men sighed and looked at the broad grasslands of Kargas.
If they maintained this speed, they would be able to leave the Kargas Kingdom and cross into Soldun in a week. As to whether the Orcus Company’s hands would reach them by then… that was a gamble.