chapter 159

“Let’s head back. Urha should have returned by now.”

When Frey’s tone returned to normal, Beniang tilted her head slightly.

“Ah, yes. Uh… but you can speak casually…”

“How can I, the Circle Rounder, speak casually to the Master?”

“Huh?”

Frey didn’t answer her question, instead opting to just give her a quiet glance.

Then, their previous conversation came to her mind.

[You have done well. And I’m sure you’ll do even better in the future.]

Right.

Frey was asking her for the same relationship they’d had up to that point.

“U-, umm…!”

She couldn’t help but make a sound of discomfort.

It hadn’t been a problem before she knew who Frey really was, but now that she knew, it would be extremely hard for her to treat him the way she had before.

Beniang asked carefully.

“May I ask why you’re hiding your real identity? If you revealed who you truly are, I’m sure there would no longer be any problems in the Circle…”

“I’m not confident that I can play the role of ‘Lukas’ properly.”

Frey spoke his thoughts honestly.

If he were to reveal the fact that he was Lukas, the Circle’s morale would certainly soar. But that was probably the only positive thing that would come from that.

After that, they would definitely have an infinite amount of expectations, and they would try to completely rely on Frey.

This was not a good thing.

Including the heavy burden that would be placed on Frey’s shoulders, it would also not be a good thing for the Circle.

The current Circle had entered a very important period of growth. Most of the rotten parts, including Rezil, had been removed, and a new wind was blowing both internally and externally.

This strong wind would make the Circle stronger and stronger over time. After overcoming its current predicament, the unity and harmony within the Circle would definitely become firmer.

If Frey were to reveal himself at this time, it would do more bad than good.

Of course, another reason was the fact that Frey didn’t particularly like being looked up to.

He knew that moving in the same way that he was currently was the most efficient way to make use of his abilities.

It allowed him to have a wide and objective view, and it also made it easier for him to handle emergency situations.

“So please look after me, Master Beniang.”

“Ye-, yes.”

She never thought there would be a day when she heard those words from the Great Mage Lukas Trowman himself!

Beniang nodded, unsure if her heart was thumping because of joy, anxiety, or something else entirely.

This was exactly the feeling of not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

They then returned to the barracks tent and found that Urha had indeed returned.

There was a middle-aged man standing beside him who bowed his head the moment he saw Frey.

“I’d like to thank you on behalf of Rnei.”

“You are?”

“I’m Sarman, the Guardian Warrior.”

His voice was filled with emotion. His gestures, speech, and facial expressions were all filled with good will.

From his perspective, Frey was the saviour of Rnei, so his response was natural.

However, Sarman was a Guardian Warrior. Someone who only had to show respect to the Great Chief.

Even Urha, who was a candidate for Great Warrior and a member of Paragon, would not be able to obtain such a level of respect from him.

Sarman’s polite speech was the greatest indicator of the respect and indebtedness he felt towards Frey.

“I’m Frey Blake, Circle Rounder of the Trowman Rings.”

When Frey stretched his hand out, Sarman immediately grabbed it.

“Rounder Frey, that was an amazing spell. I humbly salute your great achievement.”

He spoke in a confident voice.

“Your spell has firmed up my resolve. We will never give in.”

It seemed Urha’s persuasion had worked perfectly.

This meant that the next part would be easier.

“Have you heard our plan?”

“What plan?”

Frey then told him the plan he’d told to Snow and Nora.

As he talked, Sarman’s expression gradually became brighter and brighter.

“That’s a great plan. But wouldn’t Rounder Frey be exposed to too much danger? To run around Silkid alone in the current situation would be no different from suicide… there are a lot of Demigods hiding in the desert at the moment.”

It seemed that Sarman didn’t have a full understanding of Frey.

As long as it wasn’t Lord, Frey would be able to escape from the clutches of any Demigod, including Agni.

“No need to worry about that.”

“Hmm. If so…”

After thinking for a moment, Sarman started speaking again.

“I’d recommend you head north.”

“Any special reason?”

“Most of the cities there have surrendered to the Demigods. In other words, it’s the Demigods’ territory.”

“Hmm.”

“Of course, this means that you’d have to be extra careful. I heard the northern region has become a completely lawless zone.”

Frey nodded.

“There’s one thing I’d like to ask you.”

“Please ask.”

“Have you seen a red-haired woman about the age of 20?”

“Hmm…”

Sarman’s expression became strange at those words. Even Urha’s complexion became a few shades lighter.

Frey’s eyes lit up.

It seemed that he indeed knew something.

“It sounds like you’re talking about the strange person from the rumours that have been circulating recently.”

“Rumors?”

“A woman who wants to die.”

Frey furrowed his eyebrows.

“A woman has been wandering around Silkid asking people to kill her. But then, when you do try to kill her, she would scream crazily and unleash flames at whoever tried to do it… and no one understands why she does this. It’s quite hard to believe it to be true.”

At that moment, some of Frey’s questions had been answered.

Nix’s sudden disappearance, the words of the Goblin from the Ispania Mountains, and the words that Sarman had just said had allowed him to have an idea of what Nix was thinking.

‘Is she trying to use the fact that she’s an Apostle?’

It was efficient, but he had no intention of praising it.

Perhaps it was because of Torkunta that she hadn’t actually gotten herself killed by now. If it weren’t for him, there was a high chance that she would already be dead.

It couldn’t be more ironic.

Frey never would have imagined that he would have to owe the thousand year old Drake anything.

“This is all I know about her. I’m sorry. She’s a very elusive woman…”

Frey shook his head.

“It’s enough.”

* * *

Alone, Frey left Rnei before sunrise.

He didn’t say goodbye.

This was because they would meet each other soon anyway.

He wore a loose coat he received from Sarman together with a robe. He even put a turban on his head and used an illusion to alter his face.

If he were to go around with ‘Frey’s’ face, it would be the same as advertising that he was an outsider.

The most important thing was to make his skin darker. Then, after making a few other minor changes, the impression he gave changed completely.

Thanks to the martial arts training he did on occasion, his physique was by no means small.

He even had a shamshir(1) at his waist to complete the look of a desert Warrior.

Frey took out a map from his bag.

‘The nearest city.’

It was called Al-Tarha.

It was about three days away by foot. Frey didn’t use magic.

He didn’t know the exact coordinates, so he would be unable to use Warp, and flying across the desert would be too conspicuous.

While he could conceal his presence, there was no guarantee that he’d be able to hide from the Demigods.

Therefore, the safest way was to walk through the desert while pretending to be a Silkid Warrior.

At first glance, it might have seemed like he was being very relaxed, but Frey knew this was the fastest ‘normal’ way to get to Al-Tarha.

He had enough food and water, so he was able to arrive at Al-Tarha after putting one foot in front of the other for three days.

Al-Tarha was a much larger city than Rnei. Its walls were about twice as high, and the city itself was about three times bigger.

Frey jumped over the wall and went inside, and he immediately became speechless when he saw the scene within the city.

“…”

He then remembered the words that Sarman had told him.

A lawless zone.

It certainly was.

There were people fighting randomly in the streets, and foul smells were coming from every corner from the carelessly thrown trash.

The fights were also not honourable duels; instead, they were dog fights filled with dirty intentions.

And the people around them were cheering or enjoying meals as they watched.

There was no one among them who still had the appearance of a Warrior. Their dignity as humans had completely disappeared. In less than a month.

Frey bit his lip.

It was like this 4,000 years ago as well.

Those who surrendered to the Demigods quickly degenerated. After all, they chose to submit to an absolute being, or in other words, they chose to become livestock.

Frey realised that Al-Tarha had basically become a large kennel.

He was instantly struck with the urge to wipe out the entire city, but he shook his head. There was something that had to be done before that.

He went back to the wall.

There, he found a guard standing at the gate of the city yawning. He determined that since he was a guard, he would probably know more than the others.

Frey snuck up behind the guard and grabbed his head.

“Huk…?!”

Mind control.

Although it was a very dangerous method, Frey was skilled enough as to not damage the guard’s consciousness.

As he skillfully injected his mana into the guard’s brain, his expression slowly became blank.

“Heeeh…”

From that moment on, the guard would be unable to disobey Frey’s words.

“What’s your name?”

“…Wilter.”

“Wilter, are you one of Al-Tarha’s guards?”

“…yes.”

After a simple test to ensure he was in control, Frey began asking questions in earnest.

“How do you deal with intruders?”

“…kill them.”

“Even if it’s one of your kind?”

“…yes.”

Frey then spoke with a strange tone.

“I will ask my question again. Would you kill citizens of this city just a month ago if you found that they broke in?”

“…those were… his orders.”

“Who is he?”

“…Demigod.”

“Is it the Demigod of fire?”

“…not… fire.”

“Then?”

“…I don’t… know.”

It seemed that that was all the information he would be able to obtain, but Frey wasn’t disappointed.

It was a big harvest to learn that the Demigod who brought down Al-Tarha was not Agni. There was even a high chance that the Demigod was still in the vicinity.

Even if it wasn’t in the city, it shouldn’t have been too far away.

Frey had the guard return to his original position.

‘One Demigod.’

…time to draw some attention.

* * *

“I heard you can’t find your Apostle. You look much more relaxed than I expected.”

Agni turned around and saw an uninvited guest.

He turned back as he said.

“I don’t remember calling you here, Ananta.”

“Kulkul. Am I interrupting?”

“No.”

That wasn’t it.

Agni shook his head.

Ananta smiled grimly as he came to Agni’s side and sat down.

“Aren’t you nervous? Your Apostle is running around as she wishes. If I were you, I wouldn’t be able to sit on my ass in these ruins.”

“Just tell me what you want.”

“Hmm.”

Ananta shrugged. It seemed Agni really wasn’t pressured at all.

“Lord told me to check up on you. He wants to know if the reason why you haven’t made a move yet is because there were some problems with the treatment.”

“There are no problems. The treatment was perfect.”

“Then why are you still here?”

“There’s no need to move.”

Ananta’s eyes lit up at those words as he realised the meaning behind Agni’s words.

“You called your people.”

Agni nodded.

“Right. They’re scouring through Silkid even at this very moment. Soon enough, my Apostle will return to my hands.”

“Come to think of it, you have a pretty large following. How many of them did you call?”

“Ten.”

“…what?”

Ananta blinked his eyes for a moment, thinking he’d misheard, but Agni simply continued on with a calm tone.

“At the moment, there are ten of my subordinates in Silkid.”

(Note:

1. A shamshir is a type of Persian/Iranian sword with a radical curve. The name is derived from the shamshīr, which means “lion’s claw or lion’s tale” in the Persian language. )