Leon stared intently at the lord. He shook his head so hard that the flesh of his jaw shook.
“No, it’s not another request. The thing is… I received a beast from Yeong Jimin that supposedly shows ‘black smoke,’ but I can’t see anything. It’s confined not far from here, so if you could just confirm it, I would be relieved too.”
The lord let out a deep sigh.
“People, you know, ever since the disaster, if anything seems strange, they start with those tales of black smoke.”
Kedil, who had been squinting at his father, tried to nod slightly toward Leon in the lord’s seat. However, before that, Leon put down his utensils and combed his hand through his hair.
“Look now. If it’s black smoke, it’s an important issue.”
“Really?”
For a brief moment, the lord’s eyes gleamed cunningly.
“Well then… I’ll have the butler prepare to send you. Thank you very much, Hero.”
The lord and the butler exchanged glances and the butler disappeared.
“Kedil, why don’t you go home now.”
“Father.”
“It might disturb the hero’s business. Or do you plan on taking care of the hero’s wolf?”
The lord wiped his mouth with a more relaxed attitude than before. Even though the topic of the wolf came up, Leon only stroked the silvery fur without saying a word.
“It might be a good idea to leave the wolf where there are animals. It won’t take long…”
“Sure.”
“…What?”
“I said I’ll leave it.”
The wolf lightly nudged Leon with its front paw, seemingly discontent. Leon gently placed his thick hand on the floor.
“I’ll be back soon. Don’t worry.”
Whining, whining.
“That’s right. It’ll be over quickly!”
The lord’s face, as he stood up, turned red. He waddled toward the restaurant door, looking back at Kedil.
“You take good care of the wolf.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Hero, you can’t. Please don’t go.”
As Leon passed by him, Kedil grabbed Leon’s arm. Leon, whose caught arm met his gaze, had to quickly release it because of the piercing look.
Kedil bit his lower lip. Unlike when he comforted him in front of the fountain, the indifferent gaze felt colder this time.
“Hero…”
Leon walked past him without saying a word.
As they left the restaurant, the heavy silence that enveloped the entire castle became even more pronounced. The lord desperately shouted to dispel the silence.
“Thank you for your help. I’ve been wondering how to ask for help.”
“No, if it’s about black smoke, I should take a look, naturally.”
“As expected of the hero. Having the ‘Red Hero’ in my territory will be a lifetime of pride. Please, forget the unfortunate first encounter and forgive us.”
Finally, they reached the small door. When the butler, who was standing with his hands together in the dark corridor, sent a secret signal to the lord, the lord’s plump cheek twitched.
“Well… Shall we go in?”
The butler put his hand on the doorknob. Leon, who was quietly standing behind the lord, turned to look at him.
“Lord.”
“Yes?”
“You won’t regret it, right?”
“What are you talking about?”
The lord’s cheek twitched slightly. Staring at Leon, who was looking at him with a swallowed breath, he turned his head horizontally.
“It’s okay. Let’s go inside.”
The butler turned the doorknob. The problematic door swung wide open.
It was an ordinary room. Perhaps once various decorations were stored here, but now there were only a few empty wooden boxes piled up. There was nothing unusual.
The lord moved behind Leon to block the way, but Leon paid no attention and stepped into the spacious room.
“Where is the beast?”
“Seize him!”
Two men wearing black masks suddenly emerged from behind the door. They swiftly rushed towards Leon and twisted his arms, causing his lean body to tumble to the floor. Simultaneously, a rope coiled around his wrists. Leon frowned, feeling pain in his shoulder joints and wrists.
As the men restrained Leon, the butler quickly locked the door.
“I didn’t want it to come to this, hero,” said the lord, kneeling in front of the fallen Leon. Despite his massive build causing an awkward seated posture, his face showed a triumphant smile. Leon met his gaze without any change in expression.
“A while ago, wild beasts appeared in the mine I recently invested in, ruining everything. I even took on debts to make the investment, and it turned out to be a complete disaster.”
Recalling the painful memories, the lord furrowed his brow.
“But then, a response arrived from the royal family. It was a letter confirming that the seal you gave me before is indeed an item of the ‘Red Hero.’”
Chuckling to himself at the reminiscence, the lord couldn’t contain his delight. He grabbed Leon’s chin with the hand adorned with a ring.
“What a pretty face. I never expected the hero to look like this.”
“Winderton.”
Leon, who had silently let his head be turned in various directions, sighed.
“You can still undo this. Think it over carefully.”
The tone lowered, reminiscent of the time when Leon first came to the castle to retrieve the wolf. The lord, recalling the pain of that moment, trembled for an instant, but soon he raised his head as if overcoming the fear.
“Pretending to be someone you’re not won’t work. Now that I’ve confirmed you didn’t bring the Holy Sword.”
Ah, what should I do with this foolish human?
“What I want is simple. Send scorpions to my owned territories to bring back money. Ten million aels should be sufficient.”
The current salary of an advanced technician was around 15,000 aels. Ten million aels was a significant amount that would take the technician 666 years to earn if they only breathed and worked.
“It’s nothing for a hero like you, right?”
Leon replied, furrowing his eyebrows downward.
“I manage the income from the territories for the royal family. Holding me won’t have any meaning.”
“Then send the scorpions directly to the royal family, in your own handwriting.”
“Nope.”
The lord, who was gesturing to the butler to bring paper, paused. Slowly turning his head, he narrowed his eyes.
“What did you just say?”
“I said I don’t want to. Why should I give you that much money?”
“If your life doesn’t matter-”
As Leon arrogantly lifted his chin, a lascivious smile crept onto his lips.
“Do as you wish.”
The lord glanced casually at the masked men. As if his gaze were a signal, they menacingly snapped their fingers, causing the sound of joints being forcefully bent.
“A hero without the Holy Sword is just a toothless lion. No business in front of a whip.”
“…”
“You’ll be begging for mercy within the next 5 minutes. Let’s begin!”
The lord shouted confidently. However, instead of approaching Leon, the masked men were taken aback and stepped back in surprise. The butler, who had been blocking the locked door, gasped.
“Lor-lord, behind you!”
As he turned around, a thunk!
A hefty sword struck the lord’s forehead like a ball. He couldn’t even scream, tumbling to the side. The thud echoed as his heavy body hit the floor.
“What in the world…!”
In the air, the Holy Sword floated as if preparing to rise. It struck the lord’s forehead again as he attempted to stand up. This time, a genuine snapping sound was heard. The lord, covering his forehead and groaning, rolled on the floor.
“Deal with it! What are you doing? Quickly, block the sword!”
The butler shouted, but the masked men were already rushing toward the door. The sword whizzed through the air, hitting each of their necks in succession.
“Ouch!”
With a short groan, the two men slumped like logs. The butler, trembling with his thin body, stared at the floating sword like a ghost. Unnoticed, he too was groping for the door latch, attempting to open the locked door.
The sword moved gracefully, swaying as if dancing, and smacked the butler’s forehead. With eyes rolled back, the butler fell over the masked men.
“Kkuuh… Ugh…”
The only one left conscious was the lord. As the Holy Sword slid past him, he shivered, convulsing in agony. However, the sword paid him no attention. Leon approached, grabbed the blade, and neatly cut the rope binding his wrists.
“Thanks, Adnaid.”
Leon stood up, stretching his numb legs. When he took hold of the floating Holy Sword, it resonated with a low hum, as if responding to his touch.
The hero looked down at the lord while holding the sword at an angle. The lord, still conscious, clutched his bleeding forehead and writhed in pain. However, the hero showed no interest in him, promptly returning to Leon and cleanly cutting the ropes around his wrists.
“Thanks. Now, Winderton.”
Leon looked down at the kneeling lord. Despite blood streaming down his forehead, cheeks, and chin, the lord didn’t wipe his face, but instead, he clasped his trembling hands.
“P-please spare me. Please, please spare…”
“Weren’t you supposed to be begging within 5 minutes?”
Jebaal, the lord sniffled and sobbed. Leon raised the sword high.
“It was an excellent prophecy, Winderton.”
