novelraw Chapter 136 : Prove It
Chapter 136 : Prove It
Chapter 136: Prove It
He had felt it since the moment he met Aelin, but elves were unrealistically beautiful.
They resembled humans, yet there was an aura that could not be explained with words.
Because of that, rather than feeling a sense of kinship, the awareness that they were a different species was stronger.
When he first encountered her, she had bared her emotions without reserve, like a hedgehog bristling with thorns.
He realized it was thanks to her human-like side that he had been able to attempt conversation without hesitation.
The man before him. Brandok was different.
Goodwill seeped from his eyes and expression, yet it was not purely innocent.
No more, no less—just the exact amount of expression required.
That excessively perfect appearance was, on the contrary, unsettling. Like a doll resembling a human trying to imitate one.
“Prove it.”
Robin drew out his dagger and held it out.
“If you are Brandok. You should be able to handle a dagger.”
“Very well.”
Without hesitation, he took the dagger and immediately thrust it toward Robin’s face.
Whoosh!
As Robin leaned his waist back to evade and was about to kick upward—
Brandok spun the dagger in a circle, gripped it in reverse, and brought it down in a downward stab.
Robin planted his right hand on the ground and kicked diagonally with his left foot, striking the wrist.
The dagger spun through the air, and Brandok caught it with his other hand and slashed vertically in a short stroke.
Robin tumbled out of the radius.
The dagger did not stop and followed. Three thrusts came in rapid succession.
Twisting his upper body to evade, Robin grabbed the wrist.
Thud.
With his wrist seized, Brandok frowned and let go of the dagger.
The clatter as it fell to the ground signaled that the proof was complete.
It was indeed Brandok.
In a way, fighting was a different form of communication from conversation.
By gauging a person’s posture, attitude, and intent, one could tell what kind of person they were without words.
The mercenary who had not spared sincere advice to an orphan.
The concern that he might be trampled before he could bloom, and the concise, flexible trajectories.
The brief clash indicated that this man was Brandok.
“You have broken free from Robin’s own time. To make the body react on its own, you must have completed quite a harsh training regimen. Impressive.”
With just a short observation, Brandok recognized Robin’s growth.
After hearing him speak to this extent, there was no longer any room for doubt.
“Is Robin that little kid you talked about, Teacher?”
Since when had she been watching?
Aelin had stopped cooking and looked between the two men.
Brandok, gently rubbing his wrist, nodded calmly.
“That’s correct. I thought we might meet again someday, but I did not expect it to be here.”
Curiosity flickered in Aelin’s gaze as she looked at Robin.
He did not know what Brandok had told her, but there was no sign of negativity.
Regardless, Robin did not show a cheerful smile.
After picking up the dagger, he looked straight at Brandok.
Though the face was still one he had not grown used to, he had to say what needed to be said.
There were many things he wanted to ask and say after meeting him, but the thing he was most curious about—
“Brandok, are you a Demon Tribe Worshipper?”
To avoid missing even the slightest reaction, he examined his face with accelerated thought.
He fixed his eyes on every expression, gesture, and movement, and sharpened his hearing.
Exerting twice his usual level of concentration, his head throbbed.
Within the slowed time, the man’s lips moved very slowly.
“No.”
“…….”
“I can guess why you are asking such a question, but let me be clear. I am not a Demon Tribe Worshipper.”
It did not seem like he was lying.
Perhaps elves, unlike humans, were adept at hiding their emotions.
Perhaps Brandok controlled even the tiniest down to perfection and was acting flawlessly.
There was also the possibility that his own eyes were mistaken.
Thud.
Robin rubbed his throbbing temples and collapsed onto the floor.
A deflated sigh mixed with a laugh escaped him.
“Haha…….”
The three of them stared at him in puzzlement.
Regardless, Robin felt relieved.
Even if it was only a hollow truth.
He had desperately hoped that those words would come from Brandok’s mouth.
“That’s a relief. Truly.”
There was much meaning contained in Robin’s mutter.
If Brandok had turned to the side of the enemy, the heartbreak would have been immense.
There could be nothing more cruel than having to personally execute the mercenary he had once relied on as a child.
Once he confirmed that the worst-case scenario had been avoided, the tension drained away.
For a while, he let out faint, empty laughter.
Robin and Brandok talked for a long time.
Where Robin had gone and what he had done after suddenly disappearing. What had happened to the mercenary band after the war.
Even that alone gave them much to discuss.
Why the elf had wandered around the Empire, and what had happened that she had been injured, were pushed aside for later.
The three-year gap was too long to summarize in just a few words.
“Unexpected. Are you saying you did not receive what the Captain left behind for you, Robin?”
“The Wilcock family Guards blocked me, so there was no choice.”
“If you visit Runeberg next time, try going again. You will likely be able to receive the reward.”
This was the first time he had heard that Calimacos had left behind part of his inheritance.
The wages accumulated over time had been distributed among the mercenary members, and Robin’s name had been included there as well.
It was not a large sum, but he remembered it.
“I and Pul took care of the members’ bodies.”
Upon hearing that Pul was alive, Robin felt a weight lift from his heart.
Right after Robin had crossed into the snow-covered mountains, the tide of victory had tilted sharply.
It could even be called one-sided—the overwhelming victory of the Wilcock family.
He engraved every detail of the war’s conclusion that Brandok recounted.
‘The old man stepped forward… It’s enough that the young lady and Serena are safe.’
“Aren’t you curious where we made the graves for the members?”
“Tell me.”
“We took them back to their respective hometowns. Pul must have had the hardest time.”
Pul, who had acted as vice-captain beside Calimacos, had taken care of the members until the very end.
It could not have been an easy task to travel across the Empire, transporting them one by one.
Pul was a mercenary who knew how to honor his comrades.
“Then my sister…….”
“We buried her together in Torgen’s hometown.”
“I see.”
“Will you go there right away?”
Robin shook his head.
There was still much left for him to do.
Though the end was nowhere in sight and it might never seem to finish, he resolved to go only after everything was concluded.
“Now tell me about you, Brandok. On the way from Runeberg to here, I encountered Demon Tribe Worshippers. The Magic Stone Storage in Old Town and the Uncharted Area of Narvik. Did you really create those?”
“Rather than creating them, I gathered them in facilities that already existed.”
Brandok did not deny it and spoke the truth.
The first question that arose was why he had done so.
“You must be curious why. But I cannot tell you.”
“What are you planning to use the Magic Stones for? Because of that, innocent victims were harmed.”
“I had anticipated that might happen, but hearing it now leaves a bitter taste.”
No matter how many times he pressed him, Brandok remained silent.
“Don’t push Teacher too much. It is all for the sake of our tribe.”
“Aelin.”
“Shouldn’t you at least tell these two? We are not in a position to be picking and choosing what to reveal.”
“No.”
“At this rate, Teacher will be in danger…….”
When Brandok raised his hand, Aelin closed her mouth.
Brandok’s eyes, staring at her expressionlessly, were cold.
“Leave.”
Aelin wanted to protest and parted her lips, but in the end she could not say anything and left the cabin.
At Brandok’s firmness, Robin also stopped asking further questions.
For a moment, silence settled.
“If there’s nothing more to discuss, let’s eat.”
Sigbard brought out the dishes Aelin had made from the kitchen.
The stew, brewed into a clear broth, had cooled slightly.
“Thank you. It seems Barbarians are as broad-hearted as their stature.”
“Robin’s benefactor is my benefactor as well. Don’t stand on ceremony and eat.”
As if he were the one treating them to the meal, he spoke with such confidence that Brandok let out a faint chuckle.
After Robin and Brandok portioned the stew onto their plates, Sigbard asked if he could eat everything left in the pot.
Even after hearing that, Brandok did not look surprised and readily encouraged him.
“You had lost consciousness. How did you get injured?”
“I encountered a Monster while hunting. The thorns of the vine Monster are poisonous, and I failed to avoid them in time.”
“If it was enough that even you couldn’t avoid it, Brandok, it must have been an incredibly fast Monster.”
“Robin, you should be careful as well. They are not easy opponents.”
Something felt strange.
Brandok was a veteran mercenary who had wandered battlefields.
Bow, dagger, spear. He could handle many weapons and had plenty of experience facing Monsters.
‘If dozens attacked at once, there would be nothing to say.’
But someone of this caliber had been taken down? And in a place that was practically his own front yard?
And there was also the matter of silencing Aelin. It was certain he was hiding something.
“When will you two be leaving?”
“To be honest, the reason I came to Valoria was because I wanted to meet you, Brandok. Since I’ve confirmed you’re not a Demon Tribe Worshipper, I suppose I’ve achieved my goal.”
“Was I truly that much of a sight you wished to see? I hardly know what to do with myself.”
“Would it be a burden if we stayed longer?”
“It’s fine. Stay comfortably as long as you wish. I am also pleased to see how much Robin has grown.”
“Then we’ll stay a few more days. I’d feel bad just freeloading. Is there anything we can help with?”
Brandok took a spoonful of stew and paused briefly.
“It would be helpful if you could take care of the cabin.”
“That’s nothing at all. What about something else?”
“That will be sufficient.”
The meal of the three concluded quietly.
By the time they finished cleaning up and stepped outside, Aelin had already disappeared.
“You were rather overbearing earlier, Brandok.”
“There are lines that must not be crossed. Aelin’s remark was rash.”
“What was it about? Just tell me a little.”
Robin hinted subtly, but Brandok did not yield.
He also asked about the Elves and why he lived alone in a cabin, but he could not get any proper answers.
Watching him, Robin realized that Elves were quite cautious and closed-off.
‘Right. If he doesn’t want to tell me, there’s nothing I can do.’
The unease did not fade, but he was grateful simply to see him alive like this.
Everyone had secrets they did not wish to speak of.
“I will show you a habitat of rare medicinal herbs. Follow me.”
Aside from the boundaries he had set, Brandok shared generously.
Thanks to that, Robin gathered many of the materials listed in Raymond’s additional request form.
The Great Forest was not as dangerous as the rumors claimed.
“Hmph. I suppose you like that human more than me.”
After returning home, Aelin shut herself in her room and lay face down on the floor.
The suggestion to ask Robin for help had been spoken without much expectation.
Aelin herself did not believe an outsider would solve the situation.
Still, she thought that perhaps the opinion of someone from outside might be different, so she had wanted to at least hear it…….
“Teacher is foolish too. And the elders are idiots.”
She flipped herself over and stared at the ceiling.
The appearance of the Demon Tribe had been threatening, but Brandok had intervened and pierced the creature’s Heart.
He had been significantly injured in the process, but he had won nonetheless.
Since that incident, meetings had been held in Evendel almost every day.
She did not know whether they were meaningful, since no decisive solution had emerged…….
“Is a real war going to break out.”
It was true that the appearance of Monsters had increased over the past few years.
Several adventurers had claimed to have seen members of the Demon Tribe. She had conveyed this to Brandok, and Aelin had informed Evendel, but the response had been lukewarm.
The prevailing thought was—so what if the Demon Tribe invades?
At the very center of the Great Forest stood the World Tree.
Near the World Tree, the mother of the Elves, the Demon Tribe could not wield their power.
If they entered a certain radius, their Demonic Energy would be purified.
A Demon Tribe unable to use magic was no different from a slightly stronger human.
Yet the World Tree, which had been like that, had begun to wither ten years ago, and now it had lost a considerable portion of its power.
The Elves, who had believed it would naturally recover over time, were flustered.
“It’ll work out somehow. And if worst comes to worst, it’s not as if there’s no method at all.”
It was around that time that Brandok left for the Empire, saying he would find a way to save the World Tree.
Sitting still would not produce answers, so even the closed-off tribe had granted permission.
The answer Brandok brought back after wandering the Empire was radical, and opinions were divided.
The result was exile.
It had appeared to be an unforgivable act of impiety toward their sacred mother.
Of course, that had been the elders’ decision, and younger Elves, including Aelin, thought differently.
Because of that, Brandok built a cabin in an ambiguous location.
His heart for the tribe had not changed, so he positioned himself where he could lend his strength at any time.
Knock, knock.
At the sound of knocking, Aelin stopped her thoughts.
As she rose to step out, the person knocked again, unable to wait.
“Aelin! I know you’re home! Come out!”
Frowning, she opened the door to find Zariel standing there.
“What is it.”
“The elders are summoning you.”
As if she had expected it, Aelin brushed past Zariel.
Perhaps unwilling to let her go alone, Zariel walked beside her.
“Prepare yourself.”
“Prepare for what?”
“It seems your treatment as a princess is over.”
Unlike usual, there was a hint of sympathy in Zariel’s voice.
The usual prickly attitude about her following an exile was gone.
Regardless, Aelin walked on silently.
“Are you okay.”
“What wouldn’t be okay?”
“…….”
“That’s unusual. You’re always so mean.”
Aelin was calm.
As if she would accept her fate without resisting it.