I Became God of War's Youngest Disciple - Episode 9
9fury
Needless to say, the person I feared most in my past life was my father, Sanghyeolgong..
Of course, I have never even had a proper conversation with my father. On the contrary, the number of times we have met face to face can be counted on one hand..
Nevertheless, as someone who had the last name Badniker and lived off the family's legacy,…….
The influence of Iron Blood Ball became an invisible pressure that ensnared me..
In other words, the fear of Iron Blood Ball was, to me, an unproven and uncertain type of fear..
On the other hand, Arjan in front of me is a proven fear to me..
In my past life, just looking at Arjan's face made me shiver, so I did my best to avoid him..
Of course, what scared me more than the violence at that time was Arjan's unique cool eyes..
‘The kid is the same as in my memory.’
It was that face when he silently beat me like a machine..
It doesn't make sense to me, and even when I apologize for being wrong, I just shake my fist, so I can't help but feel fear in my immature days..
Actually, I was curious about that..
How will I feel when I see Arjan in person?.
The soul and body are inseparable concepts, and the fear imprinted on the body is surprisingly tough..
It was an unexpected opportunity to answer that question..
“hi.”
As expected, nothing happened.
That's because, for 10 years, I was beaten a thousand times more by a person a hundred times scarier than Arjan..
At this moment, I also realized one fact that is not particularly important..
It is true that in the future I will never submit to violence against anyone..
“Yes, master. long time no see.”
“What happened suddenly??”
“sorry.”
Arjan's waist tilted at a right angle..
“I tried to take at least one more week for self-reflection, but I heard a report from my employer that I couldn't let go of..”
“A report that cannot be ignored?”
“I heard that the Fang Knights came to visit. And they said they were taking you back to your hometown..”
“that's right.”
I nodded but wondered.
It was amazing that it had already reached Arjan's ears even though it had just happened..
‘There's no way this guy was eavesdropping.…….’
It means that in this mansion, there are people who serve as Arjan's eyes and ears..
Of course, there is a possibility that the employees suddenly informed Arjan regardless of his will..
If the former is the case, Arjan may be more insidious than we think..
“… Of course, the master's return to his homeland is a happy event, but I heard that it passes through the Jewel Mountains in the process..”
“The knights said that.”
Then Arjan closed his mouth..
It felt like he was sighing, but it was also the face of a childish master who had no idea about the world..
“Master, do you know what kind of place the Jewel Mountains are??”
“It's the largest mountain range in the empire..”
“Other than that.”
“Is the name a bit unusual? I think there's a mine or something..”
Although I worked as a mercenary in my past life, I actually don't know much about the geography of the empire..
This is because the activity area was completely different from the beginning..
At that time, hearing the name Badniker was a pressure in itself, so if possible, I worked in remote areas of the empire where the name was not heard..
“It is one of the four major bans of the Empire. Do you know what prohibition means??”
Even though I knew that much, I deliberately kept quiet..
As expected, Arjan continued his explanation..
“Even though it is an imperial territory, it is a land that the empire has not conquered..”
“…….”
“The empire sent punitive forces to the danger zone several times, but no significant results were achieved. In the end, it was judged that it was more practical to leave it alone rather than forcefully conquer it, so entry was banned and it became a forbidden area..”
“Haha.”
“…….”
“…….”
I thought it was a joke and laughed, but looking at the expression on his face, I realized it wasn't, so I smiled..
“But the knights came here through the mountains? There was no nuance that it was particularly dangerous..”
“It was just once, wasn't it?.”
Arjan said, stretching out his index finger..
“1This number has no statistical significance..”
That's true..
As I listened to the story, it seemed like the Jewel Mountains were a much more dangerous place than I expected..
But there was one thing Arjan didn't know..
“Still have to go.”
“Do you really want to go back to your hometown??”
“That's not the problem. This is the head of the family's order..”
Then, for the first time, surprise spread across Arjan's calm face..
“The butler worked at the main house, so he should know better than me, right? This isn't the kind of thing you can refuse.”
“…okay. understand.”
It's surprisingly easy to understand..
Maybe it wasn't Arjan who couldn't communicate, but maybe it was me in the past..
The moment I thought about that, Arjan looked at me and said something rather shocking..
“If so, I will accompany you too..”
* * *
next day.
Before the sun had even risen, the Fang Knights visited the mansion again..
These guys saw me standing in front of the mansion, then they looked at Arjan and asked.
“That person?”
“This is Deacon Arjan. It's the pride of our mansion. Anyway, I ended up going with you this time..”
“hmm…….”
About two out of five knights looked at Arjan blankly..
Because of my profession, I must have often seen noble ladies, and they seem to have an impressive appearance..
However, Osel narrowed his eyes..
“It is not an easy place for a single butler to stay together.…….”
“…….”
At this moment, I raised my head with a sense of discomfort that I inadvertently felt..
I quietly looked at that greasy face, but this guy didn't avoid his gaze until the end..
When we were exchanging glances without saying a word, Arjan spoke..
“I can protect my body-.”
I cut Arjan off..
“Then, go to the mountain range without a single attendant.?”
And he said with a frown.
“You can't do that, right? Of course, I would think about it if one of the officers would take care of me exclusively..”
As I added this with an unlucky laugh, the knights' expressions hardened. Some guys looked at Arjan with pity..
“…All right. Instead, please keep in mind that in an unlikely situation, the only thing we can protect is you..”
“It sounds obvious. I am the son of a butler and an Iron Blood Master. It's obvious who should take priority..”
These words probably hardened Arjan's expression, but.
Instead of looking at Arjan's thoughts, I slowly looked at Osel's face. If you have something to say, say it.
Then, like last time, this guy just slightly raised the corner of his mouth and said.
“…Then shall we leave now??”
* * *
“The Jewel Mountains are located southeast of the imperial capital. The average altitude is 3,000m, which is nowhere near the highest peak on the continent, but the reason this place is dangerous has nothing to do with the height..”
“…….”
“This is because of the monsters that live in the Gem Mountains. Master, please wake up..”
“…I didn't sleep.‘
I answered, swallowing the saliva in my mouth..
Arjan looked at me for a moment and continued his explanation, and I pretended to listen and looked out the window..
It's still calm.
It's only natural that we spend most of our time just moving around..
On the day of departure.
Immediately after leaving the mansion, we stopped by a nearby village..
There we found a carriage heading to the Jewel Mountains, boarded the car, and spent the first night sleeping in the open..
Of course, Osel paid all the expenses..
Immediately after dawn, we started moving again... … . If Osel says so, we will arrive at the mountain range this afternoon..
“Surprisingly quickly. Are the mountains close to our mansion??”
“Precisely because the Gem Mountains are very large. No matter where you go to the southeast of the imperial capital, you will definitely come across this mountain range..”
“hmm.”
“It is said that new plants and animals are discovered in the Jewel Mountains with each expedition. This is also why some scholars interpret the place as its name suggests. This is because the probability of mutations appearing is very high due to the mountain range environment, and generally, at the beginning,-.”
As I listened to the story, my eyelids became heavy again..
I hit the player first before falling asleep again..
“butler.”
“yes.”
“Now that I've explained the details, I'll just tell you the main point..”
“What's the point??”
You're talking right now, right? Arjan added with a look on his face..
I guess the few hundred words spoken with a serious face were all the point..
“Why is it called Gem Mountains in the first place? Is there a mine??”
I think I probably asked a similar question before leaving, but I didn't get an answer then either..
“…….”
Arjan blinked his eyes..
It's a face that says he never thought he'd ask such a simple thing..
Still, since he is basically aloof and shows little emotional change, he quickly continued his explanation with a calm face..
“There are monsters you should never encounter in the mountains..”
“monster?”
“yes. It is a particularly dangerous entity among mutants. They have several names, but they are commonly called this:.”
Arjan added in a calm voice..
“It's a gemstone beast..”
“…Is it right to go to a place full of such dangerous people??”
“So, I am accompanying you. To take responsibility for your safety,.”
Arjan said in a calm voice..
“Of course, I heard that the probability of encountering a jewel tree in a mountain range is similar to the probability of a lightning strike in a dry sky. From what I heard from Sir Osel, if we don't go deeper at the beginning of the mountain range, our chances will be even lower..”
“…A thunderbolt in the dry sky.”
I looked out the window and muttered.
“It's not that low of a probability..”
Just then the carriage went over the hill..
And in the distance, the huge shadow of the mountain range slowly began to appear..
-Two days after leaving the mansion.
We entered the Jewel Mountains.
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