Chapter 123. My Damn Mouth Is the Problem
“Rob…? Rob where?”
At Parun’s question, I shrugged my shoulders.
“Lorutel or Dekulan. One of the two, isn’t it?”
In my heart, it wasn’t Lorutel but Dekulan that I wanted to rob. Rather than swordsmen holed up in their mansion polishing their swordsmanship, the ones stuffing themselves full of greed like goblins would be the ones with the thicker purses.
“There’s a contradiction. The one with the Infinite Chain is Lorutel. If we’re robbing, it should naturally be Lorutel, shouldn’t it?”
“Of course. Rob them on their way back after the deal’s done.”
Of course, if we rob them.
But there was something bothering me…
Just as I was thinking that far, Parun finished his thought and asked.
“…Hmm. Will that really work?”
“It will work.”
“You sound like something is bothering you.”
At Parun’s sharp point, I nodded.
“There is something. ‘Rob Dekulan after the deal is done.’ I said it, but I don’t recommend it. That’s only my wishful thinking.”
“Why?”
This was where the real problem began.
“You. Lorutel and Dekulan. How did you even get information about the deal?”
“…?”
Parun furrowed his brows, as if he didn’t understand why I was suddenly asking about the ‘source of the information.’
I calmly arranged my thoughts.
‘In my heart, robbing Dekulan would be more fun.’
Well, depending on how the deal went, it might even mean turning Lorutel into an enemy, but putting that aside, my heart leaned that way.
But thinking rationally, which side was the right one to rob…
‘…It has to be Lorutel, no question.’
Why?
I looked at Parun and said, “Lorutel’s deal with Dekulan. You really think it makes sense that this information reached you?”
“What do you mean…”
“Do you know what kind of bastards Dekulan are? And you think they’d let information leak down to some Academy professor? Does that sound right to you?”
“That’s… hm.”
At my words, Parun opened and closed his mouth. Even he thought it strange. And for good reason.
‘Even if Parun’s informants are skilled. Even if he’s been keeping close watch on their movements…’
Would the information really land so conveniently? Delivered neatly, piece by piece, like they wanted us to see it?
“Doesn’t it smell fishy?”
“It’s a new incense I got.”
“…Damn.”
His way of breaking the mood left me dumbfounded.
“Apologies. But I do understand what you mean. You’re saying…”
Our voices overlapped.
“Trap.”
“You mean it’s a trap?”
“That’s right.”
I added, “By the way, just because it’s a trap doesn’t mean the deal itself is fake. More likely… if they can drag us in, that’s great. If not, they still walk away with the Infinite Chain. That’s probably what they’re thinking.”
Either way, Dekulan couldn’t lose. That was why, much as I wanted to rob Dekulan, I had no choice but to choose Lorutel.
The stench of a trap was far too strong.
That was when Parun stood up from his seat.
“Wait a moment.”
“…?”
He walked to his bookshelf and half-pulled a book.
Rrrumble!
One side of the shelf slid open, revealing a hidden vault.
Parun pulled out a stack of parchments and quickly skimmed them. From the glimpses of text, I guessed they were letters describing Dekulan and Lorutel.
“No wonder. I did think something was strange.”
“…What was?”
“Do you remember Kalahan?”
I nodded.
Remember? Of course. The vice-captain of Red Jade. Dekulan’s Fire Fiend. A mage who would’ve shone even brighter in the future. A light that I personally snuffed out.
But why bring him up now?
“In that case, do you know who Red Jade’s captain is?”
“Red Jade’s captain…”
I dredged up an old memory.
‘Jeijin? No, that’s not right. He only rose to captain during my active years.’
Then… wait. Don’t tell me?
The name flashed through my head, and just as it did, Parun spoke.
“The Red Flame Mage, Hollend.”
“…Hollend, damn it.”
I raked my fingers through my hair at the answer that didn’t miss my expectations.
“Not long ago, Hollend’s whereabouts became unknown. Last confirmed at Hwajeon Village near Dekulan’s territory. Apparently, he burned an entire village down on his own.”
“…And?”
Burning Hwajeon Village had been a kind of warning.
A message to those within Dekulan’s domain who refused to bow their heads or kept themselves hidden.
“Yet despite an upcoming deal with Lorutel, Dekulan’s military arm has shown no movement. Only Hollend has gone missing.”
“You mean…”
“It may be connected to this deal. I thought it strange, no way they’d go to a deal with Lorutel with no escort. But if this really is a trap…”
“…Then Hollend would be the perfect man for the job.”
“Exactly. Of course, we’ll need to keep tracking Dekulan’s personnel.”
“…Tch.”
I wetted my dry lips with my tongue.
“Trap or not, looks like we’ll have to hit Lorutel.”
The Red Flame Mage, Hollend.
His existence alone was reason enough not to touch Dekulan, but to strike Lorutel instead.
* * *
The Red Flame Mage, Hollend.
The current captain of Red Jade.
The first time I saw him was shortly after he had stepped down as Red Jade’s captain.
At that time, he was… One of the Seven Mages. Among those under Paheren, the seven mages who represented Dekulan.
The very peak of Dekulan’s magic, he was in that status.
Someone might ask, if they read my thoughts, So what? Isn’t that just the future?
Like Kalahan, another mage who would only make a name for himself later.
But Hollend was not like that.
‘…It’s not same as Kalahan.’
Hollend’s rise to the Seven Mages was famous across Dekulan.
It began at a drinking party, held to build friendships. The spark came from the careless words of two of the Seven Mages.
— “Red Jade, huh… I’ll grant they’re loyal, but as far as I know there are only two groups where loyalty’s a virtue…”
— “Two, you say? Hahaha! Let’s hear it then?”
— “One, obviously, those dumb swordsmen. And the other… you know who I mean.”
— “Ahh, right. Loyalty is the highest virtue for the dogs you raise in your own yard, isn’t it?”
Why they said such things, no one knows.
Some say it was political rivalry with Red Jade. Some say they had grudges against Hollend. But the reason didn’t matter. What mattered was…
The disaster those words brought.
— “Dogs in the yard, huh…? My lords, can you take responsibility for those words?”
“Lord” was the title for the Seven Mages.
At Hollend’s cold, sharp question, the two drunken Mages replied.
And they shouldn’t have.
— “Hahaha, it’s just a joke. Common banter over drinks.”
— “Red Jade isn’t a pack of dogs in the yard, right? But then again… hmm. So which is it? The swordsmen? No, not them. Heheh! Then maybe you should bark for us? Then we’ll know… guhuk!”
— “Dogs it is, then. In that case, this dog will bark once.”
Woof woof.
What a ridiculous sight. It’s said Hollend really did bark “woof woof,” just as the two had taunted.
But no one present laughed.
On the contrary, they were horrified.
— “Y-you, you’re insane.
— “H-Hollende Lord…!”
Because right then and there, Hollend tore the two Seven Mages to pieces.
Two of the seven peaks representing Dekulan. Butchered on the spot.
Granted, those two had only held seats at the far end of the table.
But still…It was undeniable fact: Hollend had slaughtered two of the Seven Mages in one place. And that was how Hollend ascended to one of the Seven Thrones.
This was what made him different from Kalahan.
Kalahan only reached his prime later. Hollend was already a finished mage, enjoying his prime.
While I thought that far, Parun returned to his seat and spoke.
“So, strike Lorutel… not a bad choice. Red Jade’s captain is not an easy foe.”
No. Hollend wasn’t just “not easy.”
For Parun, who had tempered himself after his fight with Kalahan. And for me, even at this point in time.
But I didn’t bother to correct him.
Parun, however, seemed to think differently.
“However… I oppose the idea of hitting Lorutel. The one leading their side is no less formidable.”
“…No less formidable?”
“Yes. Lorutel’s information was disclosed. If this is accurate, then Lorutel will be led by…”
Parun opened his mouth.
And at those words, I let out a long sigh.
“The Third Sword.”
“…Damn it.”
If Dekulan had the Seven Mages, Lorutel had the Ten Swords.
“Which number?”
“…Third.”
“Of course. Just perfect, you rotten bastards…”
From this moment, no one was allowed to talk to me about being “caught in a dilemma.”
On one side, the future Mage who had butchered two of the Seven. On the other, the Third Sword of Lorutel.
A situation where I could go neither forward nor back.
Who had the right to call that a “dilemma”? Not a soul.
No, wait.
“Don’t they say, even if the sky falls, there’s still a hole to crawl out of?”
“…True enough. But wouldn’t it be better to strike Hollend instead…”
“You want to get ripped to shreds?”
“…?”
Yeah, forget it.
Leaving a puzzled Parun behind, I continued.
“There’s one way.”
“One way?”
“Yeah.”
And that method was absurdly simple.
“Let’s burn the thesis.”
“…”
“Give up, and life gets easier. Doesn’t it? You’ve got Henji with you. Between you two, you can always write another one.”
Of course, I knew it was nonsense.
Change one formula, and the whole logical structure shifts. And with co-authors, reproducing the same results was almost impossible.
So naturally, “let’s burn the thesis” was a joke.
A joke, and yet…
“Then I’ll write to Henji.”
Parun got up and walked to one side of the study. As if he’d intended it all along, he gathered papers and dumped them into a tin trashcan.
And then…
Whoosh!
Flames dropped into the can.
Parun moved without hesitation.
‘What the hell…?!’
I hurled myself over the can, smothering it.
Flames rained down on my back.
“Ow, ow, hot, damn!”
“…What are you doing?”
No joke, he should’ve used a force field or something…
But pain aside, I had to ask, “…Tch. What the hell are you doing?”
“I was going to burn them, like you said.”
“Are you insane?”
“Insane? I was just thinking about it your way. After all, the knowledge of New Heavenly Origin Art is in our heads. With Henji and me, we could reconstruct it.”
“…”
Yeah. My mouth is the problem.
My damn mouth is the problem.
“Haa… burning it can wait. But we should still give it a try.”
“…Try?”
At Henji’s words, I nodded.
And then, the bastard summoned another flame.
Whoosh!
The sudden spark chilled me. As though it were aimed right at my heart.
But I didn’t falter, and spoke.
“The Third Sword… just now I thought of something. Are you sure it’s really the Third Sword who’s coming?”
“Yes. That’s correct.”
Lorutel’s Third Sword was the same man in the future, as he was now.
“Good. That’s settled, then…”
‘If the one coming really is the Third Sword…’
Then maybe, just maybe, I had a way.
“Hey. Let’s just close our eyes and try it once.”
“Your willingness to risk your life is admirable as a partner, but do we really need to…”
“Ah, come on. I do have a plan.”
Of course, it wasn’t “no plan.”
This time, I really had to make one.
“A plan?”
“Want to hear it?”
“…Hmm. I’ll hear it once, then.”
I gestured for Parun to come closer. Looking displeased but leaning in, he brought his ear close.
And I smacked him on the head with a flick.
“What the hell…?”
“I was hot too, so let’s call it even. Anyway, sit back down and listen to the real plan.”
“…”
Parun’s eyes narrowed, sharp with doubt.
But that was fine.
Because this time, I really did have a plan.
