NOTICE: Many of the novels have been removed because they might cause violations, which we were not aware of earlier.
Episode 146: Wintert (1)
A place where the flashes have died down.
There were no survivors among those caught in the lightning blast.
Luying Costa.
Fatally wounded in the face and chest, dying instantly.
Scourge Moknan.
Blasted by earth magic exploding from within.
Flame Mage Boldrun.
He was fatally wounded in the heart and died from electrocution after being struck by lightning.
All of Costa's other escorts also died for similar reasons.
A minor power that reigned in the west of Loafra.
Luying Costa, who had killed hundreds of slaves for fun, was brought to an end by a single wizard, and he was accompanied by his main bodyguard.
“That, that Costa…….”
In a blink of an eye, Costa was dead, and in a few flashes of light, Costa's escorts were wiped out.
Even though he had witnessed the series of events firsthand, it was difficult for him to understand them. Samwell could only stare at the current scene with his mouth wide open.
And the same was true for Aiden and Charlotte.
I just cried out for help, knowing I would be miserably rejected.
But this time it was different.
There was someone who took Aiden's outstretched hand, and with that, Costa, who had been a nightmare that he couldn't escape from, died. Just as helplessly as his siblings had suffered.
The two didn't even have time to erase the tear stains.
He stared blankly ahead. His eyes were filled with a complex mix of emotions, including admiration, respect, and gratitude. At the end of his gaze, there was only the gray-haired wizard.
Damn it.
Then a shadow approached Verden.
Butcher Gaulic.
He looked around.
Despite the fighting, the interior of the restaurant was relatively clean.
At best, the floor was slightly broken and there were quite a few soot marks left. Considering the power of magic, it was a strange sight.
'no way…….'
People think that as you rise in the magic hierarchy, it gets more and more extravagant.
Because the 1st to 4th tiers, where most wizards are distributed, had that kind of appearance.
But that is a misconception.
Elemental magic is not something to be spectated at.
Its essence lies in destruction. Reducing unnecessary destruction and focusing on lethality, that is, the purpose of the wizard, means that it is closer to the essence.
Concentration of power.
It can be said that it is similar to an inspector who destroys a building with one blow concentrating all his power into one point.
That is to say.
“This kid was 5th tier.”
Verden did not deny it.
"her."
Gaulic chuckled at the affirmative silence.
'What the hell is this guy doing?'
The fifth tier is a realm that talented magicians must strive to reach for decades.
But that wasn't the only surprising thing about achieving that at that age.
Unlike other wizards, it was clear that he was not focused on one element, but had at least two attributes that reached the fifth level.
Even when approaching Mok'un, his movements were not those of a wizard.
He probably had his physical abilities enhanced with enchantment magic. And since it wasn’t even a 3rd-tier enhancement… … it was very likely that the enchantment magic had also reached 4th or 5th tier.
If you were to consider him an adventurer, he would be a strong person ranked among the Mithril-grade wizards.
'No, more than that.'
He is literally crazy.
What if that growth rate continues? The world will surely be shaken by an absolute power.
That was also the strength that Gaulic was aiming for.
'It's good that you told me about Gray.'
Gaulic truly thought so.
The fact that you have someone who will become your companion or a milestone.
Well, that's all for now.
“Hey, genius wizard. What are you going to do from now on?”
Costa is dead.
But that's not the end of it. The bastard had connections with Vintert.
'The ruling powers of Loafra will probably not sit idly by.'
Verden had no intention of taking the work here outside of Loafra. It would have been a hassle in many ways.
“This matter ends here.”
“In what way?”
I already had something in mind.
Verden proposed two solutions.
Gaulic, who had been listening quietly, made a dumbfounded expression.
“Is that the solution? F**k, don’t call me crazy from now on.”
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“So. It’s the opposite?”
Gaulic chuckled.
“Of course not. On the contrary, I’m looking forward to it. Well, anyway. What are they going to do?”
Gaulic pointed behind him.
There were Aiden and Charlotte, still looking at Verden.
“I have to take you.”
Verden took the hand they extended.
It wasn't simple compassion. If you were to help someone because you felt sorry for them, then you should help everyone in the world. That was an arrogant and twisted kindness that even God couldn't do. Furthermore, Verden wasn't a good person to begin with.
He just moved instinctively because it overlapped with his past.
'But I have no intention of abandoning you in Loafra like this.'
Even good intentions without compensation have responsibilities.
Letting go of the hand that was being held would lead to even more disastrous results for both of them. It was a future that Berden could only guess at because he understood despair.
“Hmm, then…….”
Gaulic scratched his chin.
Then, as if a good idea occurred to him, he smiled evilly.
“Hey, you’re not going to go see Bintert yourself, are you?”
“Even if you don’t go, they’ll come from over there.”
They say that Wintert's eyes and ears are located all over Loafra.
News of Costa's death will soon reach their ears.
“Then let’s eat Costa’s territory.”
“……?”
“You can’t just sit around waiting in a restaurant. You have to tell them where you are so they can find you. And at the same time, you and I can recoup the money we spent at the auction house.”
Gaulic's eyes lit up with greed.
The current situation is the result of Verden's actions, but it seems that things will get worse here…
'Not a bad idea.'
It is well worth considering.
The problem is, how do we know exactly where Costa's territory is?
"ah."
Verden turned his head.
Guide Samwell.
He hiccuped as he was about to burst into tears.
* * *
Moknan's warehouse.
There was a lively atmosphere in this place, one of the places connected to Costa's house.
“I got it! I got it!”
Costa's men were gathered around a round table playing a card game.
Depending on the outcome of the game, crumpled bills were moved around. Orik, who had just lost all the money he had brought in one game, slammed the table nervously.
“Fuck, what the… hey! Weren’t you secretly hiding the cards? How could I lose 10 rounds!”
“Isn’t that just bad luck? You should mix it yourself. Oh, of course, if you bring more money before that.”
Hehehe.
I heard laughter.
Orik chewed his lips slightly and drank the entire bottle of alcohol. He thought he should drink this to at least make up for the loss.
Knock knock.
At that moment, a knock was heard from outside.
“Huh? Who are you?”
“Hasn’t Lord Moknun returned? I saw him going somewhere with the slave siblings earlier. He must have ordered his subordinates to come and store the slaves again.”
“Oh, that thing you bought a few weeks ago? From a distance, it looks like a pretty nice woman. I wonder when you’ll throw it to us.”
“You shut up. Hey, we’re busy playing, so you go out. If you’re Moknun, send a signal.”
Oric is the only one who is eliminated from the gambling table.
He clicked his tongue and stood up from his seat. As he approached the doorway, he saw a bill lying on the floor. It must have been blown away by the wind during the game.
"oh."
As I bent down to pick up the bill, I heard a voice from outside.
“It smells like alcohol and drugs. Hey, Samwell and the kid. Are you sure this is the right place?”
“Yes, yes, that’s right.”
"that's right!"
“Okay, then…….”
It was a voice I heard for the first time.
At that moment────Kwaaaaang!
The entrance exploded with a deafening roar. A heavy, half-crumpled iron door slammed into the gambling table.
The subordinates who were caught up in the unexpected accident were all lying on the floor with parts of their bodies broken.
The warehouse became a mess in an instant.
Orik, who had been blinking with his head turned back, looked forward.
In the place where the iron gate had disappeared, there was a giant man holding a huge axe.
Orik let out a voice.
"who……?"
“I don’t know who it is.”
Bam.
A hand covered in calluses grabbed Orik's neck.
“I came to get the loot.”
Crunch.
* * *
Robert, head of the gambling and investment division in Wintert.
Black hair down to his shoulders, and a pure white face.
With an intellectual appearance that didn't fit in with the underworld, she managed Wintert's funds from her place as she always had.
He wrote the documents without borrowing the help of others, using only his own unique handwriting that he had become accustomed to.
The workload increases, but reliability increases significantly.
Since Robert ascended to the position of leader, her authority has not weakened but rather solidified.
Rewards based on huge achievements.
Robert held a unique position within Wintert, having been granted the power to move other factions by the King of the Underworld.
Crunch.
Someone turned the doorknob.
As this state continued for a few seconds, the traps lurking at the entrance were naturally released. It was Robert's rule that only a few people within the organization knew about.
A man in a suit stepped inside, his footsteps muffled.
“Did the auction go well, Gail?”
“Yes, but there was a commotion along the way.”
“What’s the fuss about?”
Robert asked.
You need to know even the smallest thing, because that one thing might affect your investment.
“Security guards, Rocky and Robert broke into the room.”
“Why?”
“He said that because he kept failing at bidding, he couldn’t buy Rocky a birthday present.”
“That’s too bad.”
Robert's hands did not stop.
She continued with her work without even looking at Gail.
“Please include a motion to discipline those two people in the next meeting.”
“Okay, and this is the auction house’s ledger.”
Gail took a thick book out of his bosom and placed it on the desk.
Inside, all the progress of the auction was recorded. Robert opened the book and his hands and eyes moved quickly, and the sound of paper fluttering passed by his ears.
Robert's gray eyes stopped at a certain point.
“……The amount is more than I expected.”
“The competition was fierce, and there were more than usual items that exceeded their expectations. In particular, the last artifact to be put up for auction sold for 10 billion elk, more than double its starting price.”
The ledger contained detailed information.
“10 billion right away without competitive bidding… Did you identify him?”
"sorry."
Bintert is the organizer of the auction.
Regardless of whether it was anonymous or not, it wasn't hard to figure out who had deposited the money and made the purchase. And yet, they couldn't figure out the identity.
'Maybe some foreign powers were involved.'
Well, it's a good thing for Robert since his profits have been maximized.
It was none of her business where the artifact was used. She turned the pages again.
“And there were other problems outside of the auction house.”
“What is it?”
“Luis Costa is dead.”
Towering.
Robert stopped his hand.
“I haven’t heard of any turf wars.”
“It’s not related to the area. The beast is an outsider who participated in the auction house, and is said to be Asher, one of the main culprits causing a commotion outside.”
“If it’s Asher……”
A 4th-tier lightning wizard who has recently become famous.
Robert recalled the information about him.
“Is it related to Becken’s illegitimate son, Daniel?”
“However, judging from Costa’s actions, it seems that he was not seeking revenge for his illegitimate child, but rather trying to persuade Asher. Considering that he even went outside the territory with his main escorts.”
“Then the conversation broke down during the conversation. That means Asher annihilated Costa’s gang. What is his current location?”
“We headed to Costa’s territory. In addition to the three of us, two others have joined the party. They seem to be slaves that Costa recently purchased. Maybe there was friction over slavery.”
Friction caused by slavery.
It's not that special. If you go a little deeper into Loafra, slavery still exists. It was natural that there would be a sense of alienation from the outside where slavery had been abolished.
Some people were so fired up with a sense of justice that they even tried to free slaves.
Of course, they all died from eating poison mixed in their food or from being unable to overcome the violence of numbers and dying naked and alone in back alleys.
It occurred to me that perhaps the wizard Asher might be that kind of righteous person.
'By the way, instead of leaving Roafra, he went to Costa's territory.'
Robert could easily guess what it meant.
“They’re waiting for us to contact them. They don’t want to drag the problems within Loafra out.”
There is no profit that will not be made.
Because Asher was currently a 'special wizard' who was of interest to Wintert, or more precisely, the pinnacle of Loafra.
“Of course you reported it to His Majesty, right?”
your majesty.
That wasn't the King of Estyria.
“Of course.”
Gail got down on one knee.
“The King of the Underworld says to handle things as usual.”
“As usual…….”
It's simple.
Robert stood up from his seat.
“Chief of Security, call Draken. I will come and meet him in person.”
As always.