/

Chapter 4




Chapter 4. Not exactly the right words,
Blando, the renowned mage family.
Blando, one of the noble families that fell due to Deculan, had a unique and special heritage.
‘The Light of Healing.’
What Damian had just displayed was undoubtedly Blando’s Light of Healing, no matter who saw it.
There was no way I could have mistaken it...
‘None at all.’
No, none at all.
There was no other healing magic that showed such clear and immediate effects.
‘But, wait a moment.’
I squinted my eyes and carefully observed Damian, who was sucking his fingers.
‘Blando was still quite powerful at this time, right?’
Blando’s downfall was a long way off, in the distant future.
It was during the time when I was actively working as a troubleshooter.
‘So, if Blando is still intact...’
Why would a child of the Blando family be here? Especially one who could use the Light of Healing, clearly a direct descendant.
“Damian, Damian...”
“Did you call me?”
“...”
Confusing memories.
My brows furrowed as a vague memory tried to surface.
But it didn’t come easily, perhaps because it was such an old memory.
Especially,
‘I only got involved in Blando’s downfall at the very end. I only participated in the final battle.’
It wasn’t my main mission, so that’s why.
Of course.
Suck, suck.
The sound of Damian sucking his fingers was somewhat annoying, making it even harder to recall.
Whoo.
A cold wind blew at that moment.
Furrowing my brow at the strong wind, I saw Damian’s bangs fly up, revealing his eyes, which had been hidden by his platinum hair.
And when Damian’s eyes, which were partially hidden by his platinum hair, were revealed...
“Damn.”
I couldn’t help but curse.
Damian’s eyes.
They were far from ordinary.
One eye shone like an emerald, as if holding the sea, while the other was a stark contrast, red as if holding blood. They were known as...
‘...Odd Eyes.’
There was no doubt that Damian was a direct descendant of Blando.
His platinum hair and the Light of Healing he displayed were clear evidence.
So,
‘There is only one person who is a direct descendant of Blando and has the characteristic of Odd Eyes.’
Why didn’t I recognize him?
During the final battle between Blando and Deculan, a mage suddenly appeared.
A lone individual who tore through dozens of Deculan mages.
Even the notorious Deculan mages, known for their cruelty, would involuntarily step back in the presence of this monster.
Blando’s monster.
He couldn’t be killed.
Using Blando’s unique healing magic endlessly, he decapitated Deculan mages.
That person was...
“...Damian von Blando.”
I couldn’t believe it was him.
‘How could I not recognize him?’
I looked at Damian, who was sucking his fingers.
He was already crouching on the ground, counting the ants crawling by. Seeing this, I understood immediately.
‘Well, how could I have recognized him in this state? It would have been stranger if I had.’
In my memory, Damian was a madman.
Laughing maniacally while facing the enemy, even as Deculan mages poured magic on him.
Even as he died in a storm of magic, his laughter never stopped.
So,
‘A real madman.’
A monster.
It was only natural that I didn’t recognize him.
Who would have imagined that such a monster could be this little brat?
I stared at Damian, who showed no signs of madness, and tilted my head.
‘But, why...’
As I mentioned earlier, Damian is a direct descendant.
Not just any direct descendant, but the only son of the family head, the legitimate successor of the family.
Why would such a person be rolling around in this gray area?
Just as I was thinking this,
Damian suddenly lifted his head.
With wide eyes, as if something significant had happened, he stared at me directly. Then he said,
“Food.”
“What?”
“Let’s eat. I’m hungry. Mom said that to stay healthy, you have to eat well. You’re sick because you don’t eat.”
That’s true.
‘Not exactly the right words, though.’
But...
“Do you have money?”
I looked Damian up and down. He didn’t look like he had any money. But,
“This?”
He did.
Damian slightly opened the pouch hanging from his waist. Inside, to my surprise...
Shiny.
‘...A lot.’
It was full of gold coins.
Not just gold coins, but also silver and copper coins, and even a few jewels.
The pouch, undoubtedly enchanted with a space expansion spell, was dazzling, making my eyes hurt just looking at it.
I stared at Damian.
“Damian.”
“Yeah?”
“We’re friends.”
“Suddenly?”
I nodded.
“If I’m a friend, then we’re friends. Got it? And friends share what they have.”
“Hmm...”
He tilted his head, looking somewhat puzzled. I put my arm around his shoulder.
“Let’s go, friend.”
“Friend!”
Damian, who had been acting so serious, suddenly became very excited and started jumping around.
Thanks to this, the saliva on his hands splattered everywhere, but that was a minor issue.
Suddenly, Damian asked a sharp question.
“But, what do you have?”
“I...”
I hesitated for a moment before answering.
“I have a friend.”
“Cool.”
I am a troubleshooter.
Born a street urchin in the gray area, I don’t pick and choose my friends.
Anyone who can share what they have can be my friend.
‘We’re about the same age, too.’
Perhaps because he was well-raised, he seemed a bit naive, but Damian was around my age at this time.
I’m about... twelve or thirteen, I think. As a street urchin, I can’t be exact, but that’s about it.
And Damian...
“How old are you?”
“Twelve!”
I decided on my age.
“Then I’m fourteen.”
Two years older.
So, I was two years older, but as I said, age doesn’t matter when it comes to making friends.
Even if he was a madman in the future, what did that matter?
That’s how it was.
* * *
“Gulp.”
A tavern in the bustling area of the gray zone.
I sat on a soft bed, patting my stomach.
“I ate well.”
I really did.
Damian was really rich.
The pouch was indeed an enchanted artifact, and it was filled with various treasures.
I used a few silver coins to book the tavern, clean up my ragged appearance, and have a meal.
Meanwhile, Damian was looking around, seemingly amazed by everything. I asked,
“What are you doing?”
“I didn’t know.”
“Didn’t know what?”
“There’s a house above the place where we eat. I always slept outside. I just found out.”
“Oh, I see.”
I wondered why such a rich kid looked so ragged. It seems he didn’t know about inns.
“Right.”
Damian looked at me, as if something had just occurred to him.
“Why.”
“I don’t have a dad either.”
“...”
Was he upset about losing? He must have been harboring this thought. But,
“You do.”
What kind of lie is that?
“You said you don’t have a mom?”
“He must be around.”
I don’t know why Damian’s mother said that, but Damian’s father is alive, now and in the future.
Not in a much later future, though.
“And you... don’t you have a mom?”
Damian tilted his head at my words. Then he looked around and said,
“Where? She’s not here.”
“She’s not here, but...”
“If she’s not here, then she’s not around.”
“...”
I finally understood why Damian said he didn’t have a father.
‘If she’s not here, then she’s not around.’
The family head of the Blando family probably disappeared for the same reason. He might have left the family for a while or something.
“But, why are you alone?”
“I ran away.”
Ran away?
I tilted my head.
‘Was he chased in the past?’
As I said, the Blando family is still very powerful.
But a direct descendant, the son of the family head, running away alone?
I wanted to ask more, but Damian’s face darkened as he muttered,
“The family will come for me.”
“Yeah, they will.”
They wouldn’t leave the son of the family head in this slum for long.
I asked to understand the situation.
“How long have you been running away?”
“I’ve slept ten times.”
“Ten days?”
I crossed my arms and nodded.
Damian shook his head then.
“I also take naps.”
What does that mean?
“I can sleep twice a day. Of course, I mean naps. Anyway, I’ve slept ten times in total.”
“So, about three or four days?”
Damian shook his head again.
“But since I came here, I haven’t taken naps. The ground was too uncomfortable. I’ve only slept at night, ten times.”
What a strange way of counting.
Anyway, I had a rough idea of the situation. In fact, I had already decided what to do with Damian.
‘Blando is a great enemy of Deculan.’
Even if they couldn’t avoid their downfall due to Deculan, it was still a thorn in my side.
If I could form a good relationship, it might help when I face Deculan in the future.
Even if it wasn’t for that, it didn’t matter.
‘Noble families have a lot of books.’
Even books they don’t consider important can be valuable.
“Damian.”
“Yeah?”
“We’re friends.”
“Right, friends.”
Damian answered innocently. I smiled.
“Yeah, when the family comes, tell them we’re very good friends.”
“Right! You’re a good friend!”
Of course, I didn’t plan to do this for free.
Free meals always come with a catch.
My role was simple.
Take care of Damian until his family comes to find him... no, not exactly.
‘Act as a nanny and protect Damian from any potential threats.’
Hehe. It’s unlikely anything dangerous will happen, but it’s always good to be prepared, right?
Of course, there was something I needed to take care of first.
I’m usually quite broad-minded and forget minor grudges, but recently I had a significant one.
‘Damn street urchin.’
A grudge from seventeen days ago.
I needed to take care of that.
“Damian.”
“Yeah?!”
“I’m going to lie down now. Don’t touch me. It will be bad if you do.”
Actually, it doesn’t matter whether I sit or lie down for breathing exercises. It’s just more comfortable to lie down at first.
I’m sure he understands what I’m talking about, given that he uses the Light of Healing.
Sure enough, Damian understood.
“Doing breathing exercises?”
“Yeah, that.”
“I do that often! I haven’t done it recently! It makes me feel ticklish here!”
Damian placed his hand on his chest and took a deep breath, mimicking the exercise.
I lay down, leaving Damian behind.
“Yeah, that. When I’m done, you can do it too. I’ll wait for you.”
“Okay! Got it!”
That was the end of our conversation.
I closed my eyes.
The dim light from the candle was completely blocked by my closed eyes.
Perfect darkness.
‘Let’s try it.’
I focused my mind.
* * *
‘I’m sad I couldn’t learn it.’
Actually, I don’t think I had thought about it much before my colleague mentioned it.
Reflecting on it, I just hadn’t noticed.
‘After becoming a troubleshooter, I ran around to learn various techniques.’
I would never have done that if I only thought about missions. In fact, it was a crazy thing to do.
I infiltrated the Lortel family, the renowned mage family, and other prestigious families to steal techniques.
‘I almost died many times.’
If it weren’t for my colleagues who saved me, I would have been buried long ago.
I went through a lot of trouble to learn these techniques. To summarize them:
First, the major one is Magecraft.
The standard technique provided to troubleshooters, which strengthens power based on magic.
If I had only learned Magecraft, I wouldn’t have been able to overcome the inherent limitations of being a troubleshooter.
On top of that, I added the Body Strengthening technique used by knights, and also learned various other techniques.
From elemental magic to summoning, alchemy, and basic weapon skills.
The learning process was quite tough, but it gave me many options.
‘For example, I could have focused on Body Strengthening and followed the path of a knight.’
Or I could have learned other techniques to prepare for the future.
But one vivid scene came to mind. The battle with the head of the Deculan family, Pahern.
The scene where he shook the earth with a single gesture and tore the sky apart.
The lightning that rained down like a shower and the fierce typhoon that swept everything away. I was just a mere human in front of it.
It was truly a
‘Disaster.’
A single individual can never match the power of a noble family.
But when I think of the head of the Deculan family, I have this thought. Maybe it’s possible?
So, I decided.
‘This time, Magecraft again.’
The technique I will learn is... the Deculan basic technique, the Heavenly Origin Technique.
The only Magecraft technique in the continent that can embrace all elemental magic.
‘It’s just a basic technique, but all Deculan techniques are rooted in the Heavenly Origin Technique.’
If that’s the case, I can reach it too.
The peak, the level shown by the family head.
Of course, it won’t be easy. Although all Deculan techniques are rooted in the Heavenly Origin Technique, not all of them are contained within it.
‘But, the possibility is enough.’
In my previous life, when I obtained the Heavenly Origin Technique, I couldn’t learn it because I had already learned the troubleshooter’s technique...
‘But it’s useful to have memorized it for research.’
My lips curved into a smile.
“Huff.”
I took a deep breath and began the breathing exercise.
A voice was heard right after.
— I have checked the wind.
“...?”
An unnatural, broken voice.
Pain surged.
“...!”
The source of the pain was the Fire Seal, slightly to the left of the center of my chest.
The burning pain spread throughout my body.
— Begin the breathing exercise.
Several thoughts flashed through my mind in an instant, but I quickly regained my composure.
What I needed to do didn’t change.
I just needed to focus.
‘...’
I calmly inhaled and exhaled. The breath I exhaled into the air.
It was a deep and heavy breath.