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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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Chapter 221: Buried Together
In the blink of an eye, the alleyway transformed into a lively drinking party.
Though it started haphazardly and without much planning, this back alley gathering had a certain charm.
I'm not typically one for noisy atmospheres, but this wasn't half bad.
Taking a swig of the bootleg liquor and grabbing a piece of fried chicken, the crisp texture and burst of juice filled my mouth.
Unconsciously, I furrowed my brow and closed my eyes in delight.
"Mmm. You've improved your skills in no time."
Hote, who had somehow taken the seat opposite me, chuckled.
"Right? Honestly, I think I'm the best at making this now."
I opened my eyes and replied,
"I know one person who's better."
"Oh yeah?"
"A master of chicken dishes. You've gotten a lot better, but you've still got a ways to go."
"Come on..."
Hote grinned, pouring me another shot of bootleg liquor.
He handed it to me.
"Thanks, brother."
"For what?"
"This place was supposed to be demolished, but look how it turned out."
Come to think of it, the first time Hote and I shared a drink was at this very makeshift table.
I poured some liquor into Hote's glass, and we downed our drinks simultaneously.
As the drinks flowed, the moon slowly began to rise.
Looking around, I noticed my men enjoying themselves in their own ways.
Zion was bustling about, chattering away, while Makan, shirtless, was having a drinking contest with some hulking fellows. Palge was focused on the snacks, and Arin quietly sipped his drink beside him.
Typical of the Crazy Mage Squad.
"Well, well, if it isn't you guys!"
A familiar voice made me turn towards the end of the alley.
A stout man with a hearty laugh was approaching.
"It really was you! You're all gathered here!"
Zion, who had been chatting nearby, immediately rushed towards the alley.
"Oh, if it isn't Brother Chano!"
"Business tycoon! It's been a while! Do you know how hard I've been looking for you? You're never around."
"Brother Chano, come join us for a drink."
"Heh heh, of course! I wouldn't miss it."
I noticed that Zion's personality seemed to have changed a bit.
The guy who used to complain about Chano's meddling was now welcoming him warmly.
Whoosh!
Evening had fully arrived, and a cool breeze began to blow.
Some people had already passed out from drinking, but the back alley was still buzzing with energy.
As the moonlight cast shadows over the alley and the atmosphere mellowed out, I launched fireworks into the sky.
Phew—!
"Whoa..."
Hote couldn't help but exclaim in awe.
Dozens of fireworks bloomed above the back alley, illuminating the night sky. Briefly recalling my memories of Keplan, I turned my gaze forward.
"Hey there, Ruin."
Chano, slightly tipsy, approached with a large drinking cup. I naturally picked up the bootleg liquor and clinked my cup against his before downing it in one gulp.
"How's your injury doing?"
Chano thumped his chest and let out a hearty laugh.
"Thanks to you, I'm still going strong."
"That's a relief."
Chano laughed for a good while, then abruptly stopped, pouring a drink into his empty cup and holding it out to me.
"Hey, Ruin."
"..."
"Are you, by chance, leaving?"
I simply stared at Chano, and he gave a small nod.
"Guess my years as a mercenary have honed my intuition. This damn feeling is always spot-on when it's bad news."
"Take care, Brother Chano."
"I have a request."
"A request?"
"Could I... come with you?"
It was so out of the blue that I just stared at Chano, but his expression was utterly serious.
"All the men who followed me are gone. There's no reason for me to stay in Keplan. And I'm getting too old to wander."
"..."
"From what I've heard, there's a pretty strong mercenary band in Khaoto. And I hear you're the commander... Could I join?"
I didn't answer.
Chano wasn't a bad guy, but letting anyone join the mercenary band was a separate issue. I would have to take responsibility.
"I'm afraid that might be difficult."
"...I understand."
"What about me, hyung?"
"What?"
Hote, who was on my left, pointed at himself.
"I want to go to Khaoto too."
"Why you too?"
"You know, hyung, this place is on its last legs. I don't have any attachment to Keplan, and I think it would be good to start fresh where you are. I mean it."
I felt a headache coming on, so I took a swig of the bootleg liquor.
"Damn it."
It was an empty bottle. I looked around, but all the bottles were empty. Then I looked behind me to see that all the jugs of bootleg liquor were gone.
With no other choice, I scanned the area for any remaining alcohol and was struck by the sight.
Makan was sprawled out in a starfish pose, fast asleep. Zion was crumpled in a corner, also passed out. Palge was sprawled across another table, his face smeared with grease.
Amidst this chaos, I noticed a group of men still drinking, all of whom were familiar faces.
I locked eyes with one of them. Whether he had been watching me all along, he suddenly tossed his bottle of bootleg liquor towards me.
I tilted it back and found just enough for a single gulp.
"Ahhh."
A line of fiery warmth traveled down my throat.
I smiled and mouthed to the man.
"Thanks, Urek."
What was this strange feeling?
I gazed up at the sky, where the warm glow of the fireworks still lit the drunken street.
I closed my eyes briefly, then opened them, taking in the surrounding scenery.
In the deepest part of my heart, where I had buried only the most harrowing memories, I buried this street along with them tonight.
***
The next morning.
After leaving Keplan at an opportune time with the Crazy Mage Squad, I used a teleportation circle, passing through Poeta and heading toward Khaoto.
As we passed Leon and traversed the familiar forest path, we reached the outskirts of Khaoto, and like a prearranged signal, we all halted in our tracks.
"Wow."
"..."
It had changed.
The view from the hilltop was breathtaking, a spectacle beyond words.
Predominantly, there were clean, mid-to-low-rise buildings that looked as if they had been rebuilt, and countless merchants roamed the streets between them.
Banners of well-established merchant guilds and clans were visible everywhere.
Behind the city, the Khaoto mountain range enveloped the sprawling city, offering a sense of calm to the mind and body simply by looking at it.
Though not as lavish as the Khaoto of old, the vibrant energy radiating from the city seemed more than sufficient.
For a while, I admired the scenery of Khaoto in silence.
My men were equally speechless, likely sharing the same sentiments.
"Let's go."
As we entered the western part of Khaoto, the city's energy became even more palpable.
"Wow... is this really Khaoto? It's my first time in the west, but it's amazing here too."
Looking at Hote, who was being carried on Makan's back, his face was flushed with excitement.
That guy was truly hopeless.
I never thought he was serious about following me, let alone that he would abandon his tavern and follow me empty-handed.
"Ruin hyung, I think Khaoto is better, don't you?"
"..."
Unlike Chano, the reason I didn't stop Hote from following was that he wasn't cut out to be a mercenary.
"Commander, are we going straight to the main house?"
"We need to get some hangover cures first."
"Yes!"
Hote, who had been constantly looking around and exclaiming in awe, suddenly looked at me.
"Ruin hyung, is this where that chicken dish master is?"
"Yeah."
Hote, who got off of Makan's back suddenly wore a competitive expression.
"I wonder how good he really is."
Thinking of Donkey's restaurant, my mouth started to water. Chicken stew was perfect for a morning after drinking.
As we quickened our pace towards the eastern part of Khaoto, where Donkey's pub was located, we saw many people wearing the same red martial uniform.
"It looks like the 'Brotherhood' has grown in size."
Arin let out a sigh that was a mix of admiration and disbelief.
"Ah..."
I felt a little embarrassed, so I deliberately avoided eye contact as I walked. Who would come up with the idea of putting "Brotherhood" so prominently on a martial uniform?
"Who would do such a thing..."
"Who else?"
Zion, shaking his head, said,
"There's only one person. It's kind of intimidating, though, isn't it?"
In fact, if you overlooked the tacky uniform, it was quite impressive.
It was their eyes.
Their martial prowess varied, but all of them had a sharp glint in their eyes.
The mindset of "kill or be killed."
The look of someone equipped with the maxim I always emphasized.
Moreover, the positions they were standing in were also quite remarkable.
They had seized key strategic points within the distance that allowed for rapid assembly in case of a disturbance.
The positions located on top of several buildings were also ideal for quickly detecting any intrusions from outsiders.
Such tactical deployments could only be devised after experiencing numerous group battles.
Thinking that recruiting Uncle Wolf was a good move, I headed towards eastern Khaoto.
***
My excitement quickly turned to disappointment as soon as I arrived at Donkey's Restaurant.
"What in the world is going on! Why is it closed!"
The restaurant door was locked.
Even though Palge was pounding on the door with both hands, there wasn't even a hint of activity. It didn't seem like a regular day off.
Looking around, I stopped a passerby and asked for an explanation, receiving a peculiar answer.
"Is this your first time in Khaoto? It's the Combat Tournament today, you know?"
"Combat Tournament?"
"I guess it is your first time."
"Combat Tournament is gambling, isn't it? What does that have to do with the restaurant being closed?"
For a moment, I wondered if Donkey had quit cooking and become addicted to gambling, but I quickly shook my head.
There was no way a man aspiring to be the continent's top chef would do that.
"Do you happen to like brawls?"
"It's one of my specialties."
"Then go over there. You've hit the jackpot."
The man pointed north.
Although I didn't understand, I moved in that direction. In these situations, seeing is believing.
Moving with interspersed steps of martial footwork, I soon encountered a small crowd gathered ahead.
Come to think of it, this was the area where the mercenary band's base was located...
"Waaaaah!"
"Waaaaah!"
Shouts erupted from beyond the crowd.
As I moved further in, more and more people with weapons appeared, and suddenly, a large open space came into view.
In the center of the open space, two men faced each other, surrounded by spectators sitting in a circle, drinking and watching them.
"It wasn't a Money Tournament (投錢), but a Combat Tournament (鬪戰)?"
I thought it was a gambling den, but it was a fighting arena.
It seemed to be a regular event, as the spectators' actions were all natural.
"Hmm."
Suddenly, a familiar aroma began to waft through the air.
Several people who appeared to be staff members from a makeshift tent on the right side of the open space were carrying trays of chicken dishes and weaving through the spectators.
I naturally sat down with my men in an empty spot and called for a server.
"Take our order here too!"
A young server passing by just turned his head and looked me up and down before replying.
"Later. We're swamped with orders right now."
"I'm the chef's friend, you know?"
"Who are you?"
"Is the chef in the tent? I guess I'll have to go tell him myself."
That's when the spectators erupted in cheers.
Looking back into the open space, I saw that the fight between the two men had been decided in an instant.
Looking closely, I realized I knew both of them.
The one who had fallen was the leader of the Fenrir Mercenary Group.
The one standing was One-Eye.
The conversation between the two men faintly reached my ears.
"I lost. You're sharp."
"Let's call it a draw. Even with my one eye, I'd have to be blind not to notice you pulling back at the last moment. If you'd gone all the way, I wouldn't have known."
One-Eye extended his hand, and Fenrir took it, rising to his feet.
"One-Eye Slayer, I've heard rumors, but you're stronger than I thought."
One-Eye shook his head.
"You must have heard old rumors. My epithet has changed."
"To what?"
"Eyelight."
Fenrir tilted his head in confusion.
"Eye Light? Isn't that your commander's epithet?"
"No, it's Dark Light."
"Right, Dark Light. Then You’re..?"
Suddenly, One-Eye tilted his head to the left, then jerked it back, glaring at Fenrir with his remaining eye.
"Eye-Light. It was taken from the commander's epithet."
"Ah."
I turned to Zion on my left.
"If I happen to forget, remind me. One-Eye gets ten slingshot shots to the forehead."
"Ten shots confirmed."
Shortly after One-Eye and Fenrir left the arena, a wave of excitement surged through the spectators.
The next two fighters, a man and a woman, entered the arena.
A smile of recognition involuntarily spread across my face.
Daisy, and Wolf.
Daisy drew a dagger from her left hip and aimed it at Wolf, while Wolf, as always, just held his sheathed sword and looked at Daisy.
A sudden idea flashed through my mind, and I turned to my left again.
"Zion."
"What?"
"Do you have a mask?"
"I do."
"Oh, you do? That's surprising."
"I figured you'd ask for one eventually."
I didn't expect him to have one, but Zion really did pull a black mask from his pocket and hand it to me.
"The Business Manager is thorough."
I put on the mask and walked towards the arena where Wolf and Daisy were.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Prøks]
[Proofreader - Prøks]
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