novelraw Chapter 65 : Rahan’s Name**
Chapter 65 : Rahan’s Name**
Chapter 65: Rahan’s Name**
“Did you hear about that?”
Inside an old tavern.
A man with a cheap cigar in his mouth spoke.
“I heard the Belgarion Empire and Aurel had a skirmish recently?”
At those words, the mercenary sitting across from him frowned.
“You bastard, is this why you called me to a tavern?”
“So, you don’t want to hear it?”
“Jack! Bring two beers here!”
“Something to chew on?”
“Damn it! Got anything like nuts?”
The man chuckled as he chewed his cigar.
“This should be enough to make me open my mouth.”
In that instant, the man’s gaze changed. He looked like nothing more than a good-for-nothing drifter. Had I seen him on the street, I wouldn’t have given him a second glance.
But I couldn’t ignore the atmosphere surrounding him.
The information broker sitting before me was a man famous in the underworld.
He claimed he held every piece of information in the world… Well. Would someone that extraordinary really offer information to someone like me?
‘Anyway, that’s not what matters. I wondered why he called me… and it turns out he brought something big again.’
I, Dukellan, thought.
‘He said the Belgarion Empire and Aurel went to war? That’s the sort of news that could shake the entire continent.’
Which side had started it? Belgarion? Aurel?
As far as I knew, both sides had maintained smooth relations.
Ever since humanity subjugated the Evil God a thousand years ago, our unity had strengthened.
Whenever that unity weakened, the Demon King appeared.
And with Demon Beasts—our common enemy—around, humanity couldn't afford to raise swords against each other.
‘Whoever started it, it was foolish. We never know when or where a Demon Beast might appear. It’s already a time when we should be cooperating, yet they acted in a way that only built resentment.’
Suddenly, a strange question crossed my mind.
‘Was the Empire’s name… Belgarion? Why do I feel like I’d forgotten that?’
Why did such a thought appear now? Even a child knew the Empire’s name. There were far more important matters at hand.
I shook my head, brushing away the stray thought.
Soon, I opened my mouth.
“How much are you planning to ask for the information fee?”
“Ten gold. I cut it roughly in half since you’re an acquaintance.”
“Bullshit.”
I cursed as I handed him the coins. Exactly ten gold.
But I didn’t feel the slightest regret. He was the only information broker in the underworld I could trust. His information was always worth its price.
Alketas picked up the gold coins one by one before finally speaking.
“First of all, the war ended in a dull manner. They only deployed their soldiers against each other. Apparently, they never actually fought.”
“What? That’s it?”
“If that were all, I wouldn’t have charged ten gold. What matters is what happened after.”
Alketas’s eyes sank heavily.
“Demon Beasts appeared. Almost a thousand of them, they say.”
“…….”
My face went blank. It was absurd.
Demon Beasts. Those monsters that required a thousand Magic Beasts gathered to form one. And he was telling me not dozens, but nearly a thousand Demon Beasts had shown up?
“Did you see it yourself?”
I asked, my eyes filled with suspicion. It was the only natural reaction.
I was the guildmaster overseeing mercenaries. Having once worked as a mercenary myself, I understood the true danger of Demon Beasts.
Which only made his claim harder to believe.
Magic Beasts, no matter how many gather, can only form about three thousand at most. Even that number only produced three Demon Beasts.
And yet—
A thousand Demon Beasts?
‘It’s nonsense.’
We’re talking about the Empire and Aurel. Those mighty nations surely could have taken down a thousand Demon Beasts somehow. But that wasn’t the point.
The very existence of that many Demon Beasts was suspicious. For a moment, I wondered whether Alketas had gone insane.
He spoke.
“The information is true. Give it a week and it’ll probably be common knowledge.”
“A week? Only that much?”
I clicked my tongue, though my true thoughts differed.
‘Good thing I maintained a connection with this bastard. A week is enough time to prepare for Demon Beasts.’
These weren’t simple threats. They were walking natural disasters. To know even a little early was a blessing.
‘Didn’t they say Demon Beasts invaded the capital not long ago?’
I wasn’t certain, but I’d heard a Demon Beast had killed three Knights.
Knights were considered calamities on par with Demon Beasts. And yet, one Demon Beast had supposedly killed three of them alone.
‘At first I thought it was a rumor… but after hearing this, I’m starting to think differently.’
I fell into deep thought.
Then Alketas spoke again.
“Oh, and there’s something else you’ll find interesting. There was a sighting of the Black Dragon where the Demon Beasts appeared.”
“The Black Dragon? I thought things went quiet after Garan retired?”
“There was someone who claimed to have seen Garan.”
My eyes lit up. Garan was a famous figure among mercenaries.
Naturally. Most mercenaries were third-rate nobodies. Many couldn’t even defeat a new recruit from a noble family’s private troops.
But Garan was different.
Even soldiers trained methodically in noble households turned into cowards when standing before him.
To mercenaries, it was nothing short of a miracle.
Every mercenary’s aspiration. The dream every mercenary chased.
That was the man named Garan.
‘When I heard he retired, it felt like the sky was collapsing. And now he’s active again?’
I’d heard he’d been injured. Even the most renowned physicians in the Empire couldn’t heal him. Could his wounds have actually been treated?
‘Warriors normally endure most injuries with natural recovery. And among them, Garan was exceptional. For him to seek physicians meant his condition had been truly serious… did someone help him?’
Garan had built countless connections during his active years. It wouldn’t be strange if someone had helped him.
For ten gold, the information was more than worth it. The Black Dragon was once a mercenary corps that shook the entire continent. It really did feel like he’d given me a discount.
Suddenly—
I stood up from my seat. I hadn’t even taken a sip of the drinks I ordered.
“I have to go.”
“Oh dear, what a shame. Then, can I drink your share?”
“Do whatever you want.”
At those words, Alketas grinned slyly. He no longer looked like the man who had carried a heavy atmosphere moments ago.
‘Judging by how he acts, he’s no different from a neighborhood drunk…’
I stared silently at Alketas.
“Mm. The almonds in this place are strangely savory. Every almond I’ve eaten until now was bitter. Do they have some special recipe?”
Alketas stuffed the almonds into his mouth, crunching loudly.
I shook my head, mumbling that he was a man I could never quite figure out.
After I left—
A rough-looking man approached Alketas.
“Sir Alketas, the Holy Knights of the Holy Kingdom have arrived. Shall I let them in?”
“Holy Knights?”
Alketas pondered. They were people who took uprightness and purity as virtues. There was no reason for them to step foot into the underworld, where illegal dealings were commonplace.
“What about their weapons?”
“They were not carrying any.”
“No way those meticulous bastards would go around without weapons… did they hide them with magic?”
Either way, it didn’t matter. Alketas was an information broker. If they came to buy information and were willing to pay properly, he had no reason to refuse.
Soon, two men entered the tavern.
“You are…”
Seeing them, Alketas let out a low breath. Neither looked ordinary.
‘Why would the Saint and his escort knight be here?’
The Saint, Celestine.
It was said he had never once left the Holy Kingdom since birth. Even the Holy Kingdom didn’t want to let him leave—and yet he was here?
The question lasted only briefly.
“Alketas, correct? We have a request.”
“…Please speak.”
He did not act lightly as he had with Dukellan. These men were of an entirely different level than a mercenary guildmaster. His demeanor naturally grew more cautious.
“We are searching for someone. But he is quite a difficult man to find.”
“Then may I have a physical description and the region he lives in? I can find him quickly.”
“That is difficult. I don’t know much about him myself.”
“…I see.”
Alketas nodded.
As an information broker, he had solved countless requests throughout his life. He had handled similar requests before as well.
“It will take time. Is that acceptable?”
“As long as you can find him. But I can give you one certain piece of information.”
“Please speak.”
“He is said to be a warrior of the North. And the son of the strongest man in the North.”
“……!!”
The strongest man in the North—there wasn’t a single person alive who didn’t know him.
“Surely… the information you seek is about the Conqueror’s son?”
“……”
There was no answer. Celestine simply smiled.
It was a gentle smile befitting someone known as the Saint—warm enough to turn even winter pleasant. But Alketas couldn’t smile back.
Because behind that smile, Celestine’s eyes were chillingly cold—so cold that one would never believe they belonged to a Saint.
All Alketas could do was nod stiffly with a tense expression.
What was a sword?
Those who dreamed of becoming Knights would answer like this:
A sword existed to protect others. It must be swung for the one you serve.
But my thoughts differed.
‘A sword was nothing more than a blade.’
If you swung it, it cut. If you hung it on a wall, it was nothing more than decoration.
A sword was merely a tool.
After I grasped the clue to rising in realm—
I fell into thought whenever I found time.
The enlightenment engraved into my flesh steadily grew deeper the more I moved my body.
But to digest the enlightenment carved into my flesh and turn it into spirit, meditation was necessary.
A time to organize that enlightenment within my inner world.
What I needed was contemplation.
Every day, I moved my body and sank into thought.
Today as well, as I was deep in thought—
“Leon, the Captain said we’re departing.”
Ryan came to find me, speaking in his usual brusque tone. But something about him was different.
I looked at him silently.
Ryan’s chest was puffed out. He looked excited like a child—like a chick just beginning its first journey.
I asked,
“You’re puffing yourself up like a frog. Looks like your lungs are filled with something useless. Did you achieve something minor?”
“…Couldn’t you at least say I look confident?”
Ryan replied with a sour expression.
“Well, it’s true I gained enlightenment. I’ve finally joined the ranks of the strong. I think I’ll reach my prime within twenty years.”
The ranks of the strong—meaning he had manifested Aura like I had. Was he truly a prodigy? His speed of growth was unusual. He was only in his early twenties.
And yet he was already manifesting Aura.
Even considering he had an excellent teacher, his growth was impressive.
“Congratulations.”
“You don’t sound like you’re congratulating me. There’s no emotion in your voice.”
“To be honest, I don’t care. I already knew you would grow. There’s no reason to be surprised.”
“Oh, really?”
Ryan shook his head, though the corners of his mouth twitched.
Even if I spoke indifferently, my words contained recognition. Ryan had quietly viewed me as his rival.
Being acknowledged by such a person—it was only natural he felt good.
“So, are we returning to the Capital?”
“No, apparently we’re heading to an Ancient Temple.”
“An Ancient Temple?”
I tilted my head.
“What business do we have there?”
“Didn’t King Riolfolt almost die recently? A high priest happened to be on pilgrimage nearby. He sensed the aura of a Demon Beast and rushed over. Without his help, the king might have actually died.”
Riolfolt had brushed against death because of a Demon Beast. Was it divine arrangement?
He had survived almost miraculously.
“And what does that have to do with us heading to the Ancient Temple?”
“Oh, that high priest seems to know the Captain. From what I’ve heard, the Captain owes him a favor. When the priest asked him to come along, he accepted immediately.”
“Did we receive a request?”
“There’s a major city near the Ancient Temple. Looks like we’re planning to take a new request there. Our destination overlapped, so he just accepted.”
“I see.”
I nodded.
The Ancient Temple. I had heard of it before.
It was said to be a temple that served the Main God before the Holy Kingdom was founded.
‘A place of deep symbolic meaning to priests. A perfect pilgrimage route.’
Good. I had been growing curious about the gods lately.
About the Outside that the Evil God Jeozudin had feared. About why Jeozudin and Yggdrasil had turned their threat toward humanity.
They said the Ancient Temple housed many historical relics. I might learn something if I went.
“Oh, and our group increased by one.”
“A companion? Someone other than the priest?”
“Yeah. Rahan decided to come along.”
“…Hm?”
“He said he wanted to travel to discover the true name of a High Elf.”
“??”