Chapter 60: To Marzen (5)
‘I knew Boss Harang was strong, but to think he’s strong enough to beat Dukan Iter…….’
Gulp, Pale, swallowing dry saliva, stared at Dukan Iter’s head, which was rolling around in a wretched state.
He was a cut above most swordsmen who had reached the Graduate level.
He had reached that realm at the age of 37, 15 years faster than others, and after that, he had honed his swordsmanship for another 10 years, a man with an enormous reputation, to the point of being called one of the Nadan Kingdom’s foremost talents.
Of course, many gossiped behind his back, saying ‘He’s the devil’s child’ due to his red hair and red eyes, but Viscount Kilkearn paid no heed and gave him the best treatment.
It was natural.
It wasn't easy for a viscount, especially a noble from a small kingdom like Nadan, to harbor someone of such skill.
Of course, Dukan Iter was also devoted to him, who had taken him in from the slums since he was young, so their relationship could be called mutually beneficial.
In any case, his talent was real.
The pinnacle of swordsmanship that countless swordsmen dreamed of reaching, an enormous genius who reached the Graduate realm in his 30s, and Kilkearn’s bloody lion, known to have continuously improved his skills without any period of stagnation thereafter.
Such a giant had now fallen.
His neck and body, separated by the hands of a young man who seemed to have barely passed 20, were miserably rolling in the dirt.
That fact, Pale and the rest of the Eddy Mercenary Corps simply couldn't accept easily.
“……Pale.”
“Yes, yes? Ah, yes! Boss!”
“Thomas, and Kennedy too. Please assess Eddy and Daereon’s condition.”
“Yes, Boss!”
Who would refuse his words?
They quickly moved to assess Eddy and Daereon’s condition and found that their lives were not in danger.
However, just because their lives weren't in danger didn't mean their injuries were minor.
Several fingernails were missing, as if they had been tortured, and their entire bodies were covered in bruises.
It seemed a bone or two were broken as well, as they kept groaning; Harang, watching this, spoke to Pale.
“The Fist brothers and I will handle things here and move, so Mr. Pale, please return to Marzen first and find a place for treatment. Money is sufficient, so choose the best place, and don’t spare any expense on potions either.”
“Yes, yes.”
“If possible, I’d appreciate it if you could arrange for the city gates not to be closed. Is that possible?”
“Of course. Not just the guards, but even the captain of the guard, there isn’t a single one who hasn’t taken our money; that much is easy.”
Pale, nodding incessantly, quickly began to run towards the west gate, and in the meantime, the Iron Fist and Bloody Fist brothers shouldered Eddy and Daereon.
Kkeueung, a groan escaped, but there was no stretcher, so it couldn't be helped.
They had no choice but to walk slowly, trying not to shake them.
“Well then, let’s depart.”
“Yes, Boss!”
“Yes, Boss!”
Following Harang’s command, the two started walking, and Harang followed behind them.
Even though all enemies had already been wiped out, he never let his guard down and thoroughly surveyed his surroundings.
Thus, after two hours, the commotion of the night ended safely.
A day that would remain an unforgettable memory for the Eddy Mercenary Corps, and a day where, whatever the process, everything ended happily.
However, Harang’s expression, who had resolved everything, still remained rigidly hardened.
* * *
Pale’s handling of matters upon returning to Marzen was excellent.
Despite it being nighttime, he instantly secured a top-class hospital room, laid Eddy and Daereon down on beds, and had them seen by a skilled doctor.
He didn't spare any money.
Even without Harang’s words, he himself had a considerable amount of saved funds, and wasn't he the boss who had taken care of him for a long time?
There was nothing to be stingy about.
‘Though spending it on Daereon feels a bit wasteful…….’
Still, his view of him had improved considerably compared to before.
It was because, despite the harsh torture, he hadn't revealed Boss Harang’s whereabouts until the end.
Thanks to that, it became an opportunity to acknowledge him, who had felt like an outsider until now, even if just a little.
It could be called one of the few good things amidst the bad.
Pale’s expression brightened slightly.
“…….”
Of course, Harang’s expression, who could be called the protagonist of this incident, was still not good.
It couldn't be helped.
Whatever the case, it was something that had happened because of him.
He still didn't think his past actions were wrong, but apart from that, it was a clear fact that he had caused harm to Eddy and Daereon, who had no relation to it.
The resulting guilt and burden made him hesitate to converse with them.
Of course, he couldn't stand outside the hospital room forever.
It was because of the clueless Fist brothers.
“Boss, aren’t you going in?”
“The hospital room door is open.”
“…….”
Thus, Harang finally entered the hospital room and stood before Eddy and Daereon.
Was it because his mind wasn't fully sorted out yet? Was it because he had faced them at a somewhat early timing in such a state?
Harang’s complexion had darkened even more than before.
A frustrated and confused look, which could no longer be hidden even with an expressionless face, was showing on the surface.
However, what was even more surprising.
Was the fact that the first words out of Eddy’s mouth, who had endured immense pain because of him, were an expression of gratitude towards him.
“Kheuuh… As expected! As expected of you, Boss! This Eddy has never shed a tear except when I just came out of my mother’s womb, but today, I can’t help but cry! To think you would draw your sword against that monster Dukan Iter for my sake, and not only that, but finish him off in an instant! This younger brother is truly impressed!”
“……You’re not my younger brother. No, that’s not what’s important right now… Are you okay?”
“Am I okay? Of course, I’m okay! The potions you generously provided, Boss, and the top-class medical room! Thanks to that, I feel like my body will actually be stronger after my wounds heal. Isn’t there a saying like that? What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger! That’s exactly how I feel right now. Haha!”
“No, that’s not it……”
“Yes? What do you mean?”
“…….”
Harang couldn't bring himself to speak the words in his heart.
He couldn't bring himself to ask, ‘You suffered out of the blue because of my personal affairs, what do you think about that?’
He was afraid of hearing the answer to that, and at the same time, he felt a sense of dissonance and incongruity with his own fear.
What did it matter whether someone liked him or disliked him?
How did that affect his life, that he felt a greater confusion than any ordeal he had faced in the village?
……That wasn't the only surprising thing.
Daereon, who belatedly came to his senses.
The man in the Eddy Mercenary Corps who was quicker-witted than anyone, and whined more than anyone.
Surprisingly, the first thing he did upon waking up in his hospital bed and seeing Harang was… to take out a gift from his bosom and offer it.
“……This is?”
“Hehe, it’s a gift I prepared for you, Boss. You went out on your first request after officially registering as a mercenary, didn’t you? This is to commemorate that.”
A hand trembling because it hadn't fully recovered.
Resting gently on it was a jade cross necklace.
Symbolizing ‘Karan’, the one god of the Holy Kingdom, it was an item to pray for the wearer’s safety and peace, something that could be called an essential item for mercenaries, knights, or soldiers.
Of course, Harang didn't believe in such superstitions.
And yet, he couldn't take his eyes off Daereon’s gift.
“……I’ll use it well. Thank you.”
“Hehe, thank you for looking upon it favorably!”
“Well then, since I’ve confirmed everyone is alright… I’ll be going now. I feel more tired than usual for some reason.”
“Ye-yes? You’re leaving?”
“Well then, goodbye……”
Harang, after putting Daereon’s gift around his neck, rushed out of the hospital room as if fleeing.
Seeing his retreating figure, Daereon looked towards the door with an expression of ‘Did something go wrong?’
‘Strange. I thought it was the perfect timing to score points!’
It really was.
It was unfair that he had suffered an unexpected misfortune because of Harang, but it was Daereon who had endured all the harsh torture, thinking of turning the crisis into an opportunity.
Since it would have been difficult to preserve his life even if he had sided with Dukan Iter anyway, his thought of betting everything on Harang’s side had perfectly paid off.
Thus, even in such a difficult situation, he maintained his loyalty, and despite his sick and injured body, he deliberately made his hands tremble even more while presenting the gift.
And showed his infinite loyalty towards Harang!
He thought this was game over.
He thought he could escape the lowest rank in the mercenary corps and perhaps even rise to an executive level, next to Eddy and Pale.
However…….
‘Why has the atmosphere become so strange?’
“…….”
“…….”
“…….”
Daereon looked around.
The atmosphere was still strange.
Even the Iron Fist and Bloody Fist brothers, who usually only spouted foolish things, were being sparing with their words, and Pale had his arms crossed and his eyes gently closed, as if his thoughts were complicated.
Only Eddy and Glen were looking at him with an expression of ‘Tsk tsk, it’s so obvious’.
Daereon, having grasped the situation thus far, muttered inwardly.
‘……It’s okay. Opportunities will come again.’
He had already resolved to bury his bones in the Harang Family, no, the Eddy Mercenary Corps.
He had absolutely no intention of faltering at such a trial.
Somehow, somehow, he would make a good impression on Harang and climb to a high position!
Instead of settling for being the head of a snake, he would try to climb up to around the dragon’s neck!
Daereon, nodding slightly, leaned his slightly raised upper body back onto the bed.
His eyes, pondering what tribute to offer next, were twinkling like stars.
* * *
At that time.
Harang, who had returned to his lodgings, was still struggling to sort out his complicated thoughts.
He reflected on himself during his days as Godok.
He recalled himself after leaving the village.
He examined the thoughts that still hadn't changed, and conversely, retraced the ways of thinking that were completely different from before.
Why was it that his past self was unfazed even after seeing his peers, with whom he had shared meals face to face, become corpses overnight.
And why was it that his current self was so deeply influenced by the words and actions of people he had known for only six months?
Dozens, hundreds of such thoughts arose, cluttering his mind and making his chest feel tight.
Despite that, nothing was resolved.
No, rather, he felt like he was falling deeper and deeper into a labyrinth.
However, amidst that, there was one thought that became clear.
‘The current me… is not free.’
It was true.
Kidnapped by an unknown organization at the age of four or five, he had been forced to live an oppressed and coerced life for over 15 years.
That was why Harang’s dream was ‘freedom’ itself.
After being liberated from the village, Harang, in any situation, constantly and desperately craved freedom, like searching for drinking water in the vast ocean.
But what about his current self?
He wasn't free at all.
He was trapped in a situation where he was bound to the small city of Marzen, unable to do either this or that.
‘Come to think of it now… I think I refused Sheratiya Viyan’s offer because of my ties in Marzen.’
That was right.
If the Harang of the past 15 years had been confined in the prison called the ‘village’ and had his freedom violated.
Then the Harang of the past six months had been trapped by the bars called ‘connections’, unable to do either this or that.
The feeling was completely different, but he had reached the conclusion that the two were not essentially different in that they bound him.
……No, actually, that wasn't true.
Although he was forcibly deceiving himself, deep in Harang’s heart, he knew that the two were completely different.
However, for the time being, he decided to pretend not to know that fact.
“I’ve decided.”
Harang, who had been lying quietly on the bed, got up.
Picking up the fountain pen gifted to him by Sheratiya Viyan, he left a short note on a memo pad.
[I’ll be going on a short trip. Don’t wait for me.]
“…….”
Harang, who had been deliberating whether to erase the word ‘short’, ultimately couldn't bring himself to erase it and placed it on the desk.
And then, as if afraid his heart would be captured, he quickly, more swiftly than ever before, left Marzen.
Hwiiing
The wind, which had grown chilly before he knew it, blew in through the window and swirled around the empty room where Harang was no longer.
It was half a day later when Pale found the note.