novelraw Chapter 101 : Into the Storm (3)
Chapter 101 : Into the Storm (3)
Into the Storm (3)
Damn it. Again.
It's Schutmann again.
「Don't open your mouth or make a single sound. If you do, I'll start by killing the woman with the blindfold, and then kill everyone else.」
He suddenly appeared from the darkest corner of my room, as if gliding in.
Is he some kind of ninja?
My instincts, however, were already analyzing his words.
'He said he'd start by killing Plerine and then kill everyone else? Is that even possible?'
No matter how strong he was—even if he was a squire of the 5th rank—he couldn't win against a 6th-circle mage.
The higher rank always has the absolute advantage.
But that's only in a fair fight.
'Would things be different with an ambush or assassination?'
Well, Schutmann managed to enter my room without even Plerine, who's just on the lower floor, noticing.
If he really made up his mind, maybe he truly could kill Plerine.
Thinking about it, a lesson from that unbearable Jeros came to mind for the first time in a while.
That bastard with the narrow eyes always said low-rankers can't beat high-rankers,
But that doesn't mean low-rankers can't kill high-rankers.
― Don't try to win against high-rankers. Just kill them. Kukuk.
Now I understood what he meant,
And simultaneously, I grew curious as to how much Schutmann knew about Plerine.
'He said, very specifically, that he'd start by killing Plerine.'
Does he know that Plerine is a 6th-circle mage?
No, I don't think so. That's very unlikely.
If Schutmann knew Plerine was a 6th-circle mage, he wouldn't be using her life as leverage like this.
'He would've just killed her, no questions asked.'
Because if he failed to kill a 6th-circle mage, he'd be the one to die.
So, to sum up:
Schutmann doesn't know Plerine is a 6th-circle mage,
But he's aware, to some extent, of her strength and is wary of it.
And under the assumption of assassination, he has the ability to kill both Plerine and me.
Though I've learned a lot, the result is always just one thing.
'Right now I have no choice but to do as he says and stay quiet.'
I quietly walked over to the bed and sat on the edge.
I stared at Schutmann intensely.
He was semi-transparent, like a ghost.
'That skill... it's Ghost Shadow.'
He looked poised to kill Plerine immediately if I made any abnormal move.
Of course, right now, I couldn't even say something like, 'I won't do anything stupid, so undo that will you?'
"......."
So I just shut my mouth and stared him down.
After what felt like a long, drawn-out silence,
Schutmann's Ghost Shadow faded, and I could see the full silhouette of his body.
「You surprised me earlier. I had no idea you would notice.」
His tone was less murderous than before.
Should I be relieved?
'But what business does he have, barging in this late at night?'
The question that came to me late was soon answered by Schutmann.
「The battalion commander has changed subtly.」
At that, I almost shuddered, and had to suppress it,
Worried Schutmann might notice if I reacted.
'Flow like the river, peace like the mountains...'
As I consciously tried to slow my heartbeat,
Schutmann stepped a pace closer.
「Come to think of it... I remember you had good acting skills. If this is all an act, you could go join the Imperial Palace troupe.」
At his compliment, this time I responded with a glare.
I made my eyes bulge as if to say, 'What the hell are you talking about!?'
Slowly, Schutmann's lips twitched beneath his mask.
「It doesn't really matter if you're acting or not.」
Was this bastard just testing me?
My insides churned with frustration at this one-way conversation.
'Then why did he come here?'
If he intended to kill me, he would've done so already.
If he wanted to ask me something, he would've done it outside, not here in my room,
Especially not when Plerine was just downstairs.
Given those facts, I gained a new perspective.
'Most likely, he came not to ask me something, but 'to inform me' of something.'
Right. He was probably just testing me for no good reason.
'Let's be more confident.'
I slowly stood up from the bed and walked toward the door.
Kkiik. I opened the door and gestured with my hand.
As if telling him to get lost if he was done.
「You keep surprising me in all kinds of ways. Heh. All right. I'll get to the point.」
So the trailer was finally over.
I focused all my brainpower on his words.
And a moment later,
My brain gave up on thinking.
「Granfen will disappear after this year's war. That has been decided.」
*
A declaration of the end of the war—something I wanted to hear so badly when I was in Korea,
And now I was hearing it here.
No, Ian. What are you doing right now?
'This isn't the time to be reminiscing about Han Chul Lee's memories!'
I regretted not being able to inject mana into my brain cells, but I forced myself to keep thinking.
'Granfen... will disappear?'
That's what Schutmann just said.
And if that wasn't enough,
'He said it's already decided?'
Who decided that?
This Granfen, with my shop, my employees, and my comrades,
'Who decided it could just disappear?!'
A rage I couldn't control ignited in my chest.
Just a little while ago, I'd been trying to calm my heartbeat, thinking about other things,
But now, anger had swelled up with no time to spare.
Even so, my rational mind continued to speculate based on Schutmann's words.
'Since a squire from White Fang said it, the ones behind it must be the knight order commander or the Sovereign.'
Exactly what kind of authority do those two have, to decide Granfen's demise?
「Heh. I completely understand your anger. But don't worry. I've already made arrangements so you can survive.」
For once, I didn't care what expression I had as I glared at Schutmann with all my strength.
Fine. Go on. Say whatever you want.
「After hearing my report, you were liked. That's a relief, let me tell you.」
His mask twisted.
He was probably grinning widely under there.
I barely restrained myself from beating him to a pulp right there.
「Before the sortie, take this and go to Grey Fortress. Someone will find you and guide you from there.」
Schutmann walked over to my desk.
He quietly, without making a sound, placed a short sword on it.
Seeing this, I was sure.
'He really means to save me.'
The short sword he set down was the exclusive weapon of the White Fang Knight Order—the Nash.
But that only made my feelings more foul and irritated.
No, beyond irritation, I was pissed as hell.
'Fuck.'
I hated myself for having to agonize between loyalty and survival—it made me feel like shit!
「On a side note, even if you reject this offer, nothing will change. I've already decided I'll take you with me one way or another.」
With that line,
Schutmann disappeared before I could notice.
As if he had become invisible.
*
Three days left until the sortie.
I did my usual business today,
And, as always, the officers came by.
To me, the battalion commander looked the same.
'Well, the battalion commander is not an ordinary person, after all.'
Even if he found out about Schutmann and White Fang, he'd be careful not to show it.
'But how did Schutmann notice a change in the battalion commander?'
Maybe there's a subtle difference in their world, something only they could pick up on.
My mind grew more and more complicated,
But, surprisingly, no one seemed to notice my condition.
'Even Plerine doesn't seem to know.'
From what I've seen, Plerine is sharp as a tack.
Unless I try to hide something, she always sees through me and makes shrewd judgments.
But if even Plerine hadn't noticed my inner turmoil,
Maybe, as Schutmann said, I really am outstanding at acting.
'At least I have talent for something, even if it's just acting.'
Phew, this damned talent.
Couldn't I have gotten it in swordsmanship instead?
With these thoughts, another plain day passed.
I ran the shop almost on auto-pilot,
And spent my spare time on training.
Which meant—I got my ass handed to me by Ralph.
...
...
Another new day dawned.
Now, only two days until the sortie.
When I woke up, I looked at the knife in my hand while still in bed.
It was the short sword 'Nash' Schutmann had given me.
The pure white blade was impressive.
'Wait, aren't squires not supposed to get this?'
I tried to recall the weakest entry in my Belkhazium database.
Hmm.
Knights definitely get one, but among the squires, only the highest-ranking ones up for promotion get one.
'Great, I remembered, but now I just feel worse.'
I threw it up in the air out of frustration.
Spinning.
The short sword—Nash—crafted by sharpening the claw of a dire wolf, a demonic beast, landed in my hand.
Tap.
It's not a labyrinth artifact,
But among crafted weapons, it's top-tier and pretty much counts as an artifact-level weapon.
'So it's a weapon that can't even be priced in money.'
Just days ago, I'd resolved to dive into the labyrinth and get an artifact,
Yet here I am, getting a weapon nearly on par with an artifact in this way.
'Well, not that it matters—out of reach like a picture of cake.'
If I really want to use swordsmanship properly, it has to be my kitchen knife.
Come to think of it, all sword-type artifacts would be useless to me.
'My kitchen-knife swordsmanship feat might be worse than I thought.'
The floor is guaranteed, but the ceiling is very low.
In the end, in Belkhazium, maximizing damage comes from how you combine skills, artifacts, and OOPArts,
But if my swordsmanship feat is locked to the kitchen knife, I can't use weapon artifacts at all.
Which means—
'I'll have to keep making do with crafted weapons for quite a while.'
Just like I made a kitchen knife from Blood Iron.
"Nngh."
I really shouldn't have messed with Gerald, ugh.
Feeling regretful, I jumped up from my bed and took my stance.
Swish! I swung.
It sliced through the air with a clean sound, as expected of such a fine short sword,
But my senses told me this wasn't it.
'Nope, it just has to be a kitchen knife.'
At that moment, Naba's voice echoed from outside my room.
"Boss! You're not still asleep, are you?"
"I'll be right out."
I put Nash in my desk drawer and headed out.
...
...
There is one day left before the sortie.
I was washing dishes in the kitchen, but my mind was in another world.
Even now, Plerine hasn't noticed anything about what happened between Schutmann and me.
Of course, I also haven't told Plerine anything.
Well, to be precise, I haven't told her because I can't.
'I still haven't decided.'
Unlike when I first felt furious after hearing Granfen was going to disappear,
Now, I was strangely calm.
I was rational—I could make calculations.
'An unbelievably strong enemy. And a definite promise that I would survive.'
Given this situation, my choice was obvious.
'Abandon Granfen. Escape. Survive.'
But I can't help but think of the consequences.
'Granfen will disappear. The shop will disappear. The employees will die, too.'
Naba, Plerine, Harper, Clara, Dunbell.
And all the other comrades will die.
Ralph, Legion, Ruth, Ricky, Zaiya, Harper, the old man.
'Hank can die for all I care.'
A little laugh escaped me,
Though in truth, I wasn't laughing at all.
Not even a little bit of relief.
Why? Let's figure out the reason.
'... Is it because I couldn't kill Hank with my own hands?'
Hmm, not a bad reason.
But not enough to risk my life.
'Frustrating.'
The more I wanted an answer, the more I missed my father.
He always gave me advice when I was stuck or frustrated.
'Father. All the people I care about are on the verge of dying, but staking my life seems too dangerous.'
Damn. I missed him all over again.
So I remembered.
'The biggest wish I had in this world.'
It was to keep my one and only life safe, and return home.
'Right. That's it.'
Even if it means facing sadness and pain,
Choosing survival is the right path.
That's what my reason concluded.
Not to risk my life.
But then,
For the first time in a long while, I thought I could hear my father's voice in my ear again.
― Do you know the difference between an employee and a boss?"
What is it?
― We have to risk our lives. If an employee gets fired, they can just get another job and keep getting paid. But we—bosses—have to risk our lives."
My father always said,
Business is about surviving and competing in the wild.
― The one who stakes his life and protects so many things is a boss and a real merchant. Got it?
Heheheh. Heheheheheh.
Laughter escaped me without realizing.
"?"
Maybe it was my imagination, but Clara was looking at me strangely from the side.
Of course, I ignored her and laughed even louder.
"Kheuk. Hahahaha!"
At last, Clara ran out of the kitchen and shouted,
"Guys! The boss has finally lost it!"
At her cry, the three core employees came rushing over.
Plerine, Naba, and Harper all looked at me with worried eyes.
"Are you okay, boss?"
"A-are you all right?"
"Should I go buy you some herbs at the general store?"
What the hell is he saying, that damned outsider.
I was almost in tears,
But I felt so relieved I spoke up.
"Plerine. Come with me somewhere tonight."
"... Huh?"
Plerine.
Let's go kill Schutmann.