Chapter 4

# Chapter 004

"An uninvited guest? Me?"

The man burst into a cackling laugh.

An unpleasant sound, like nails on a chalkboard.

"How ridiculous. After you ruined the field I sowed myself."

Oh, is that so?

Only then did Ian's expression relax.

"That must be disappointing. Black Mage."

"You're not even surprised. Ah, I see. It was you who hid my seed!"

He must have been talking about the tainted essence.

It was also the end of a black mage.

Since the connection was severed when Ian put it in the subspace, the black mage must have hurried to take action.

The magic power invested would have been a waste.

Ian smiled.

"Sure. I'll use it well."

"You're a cocky bastard."

Crunch, crunch-!

The man's body began to mutate again. His body twisted and swelled.

Crack!

The sword Ian was holding broke in half.

Ian clicked his tongue.

It was a good sword he had barely obtained.

"You'll soon know who you're dealing with. I am-."

Boom!

His face was engulfed in an explosion.

It was a fireball Ian had thrown.

One shot wasn't the end.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Ian kept throwing fist-sized fireballs.

The fiery baptism continued until the creature knelt.

Thud. Sizzle-!

Before he could complete his mutation, the creature finally fell to the ground.

Even in a charred state, the sunken eye sockets still burned with purple magic power, filled with hatred.

"You! A red rag! This is for the better! I will definitely find you again! Don't forget! I will make your insignificant soul suffer eternally, I am-!"

Crack!

The broken sword struck the charred neck.

The head, separated from the body, rolled uselessly.

"Spirit... Mage..."

His voice fading, the light in his eyes dimmed.

"You talk too much."

Exchanging names when it's a matter of life and death.

Ian, who clicked his tongue, approached the convulsing body.

Bending down, he lifted his sword.

Crack! Crack!

The sword tore through the blackened flesh.

After a while, Ian inserted his hand into the torn flesh.

A black pearl clung to his grip.

A smaller essence than the chieftain's.

A sinister purple magic power swirled within.

"Not just one. ...Well, of course."

Thinking about it, in the game, the Great Chieftain had chieftains under him.

It wouldn't be strange if the black mage, who never revealed his name, had prepared this.

"Th-That?! Eek!"

A gasp of shock erupted right after.

It came from the village youths who had stepped back to observe the situation.

"Eek! Ahh!"

One of the villagers, screaming, rolled out and frantically took off his pants.

"......?"

Ian, bewildered by the sudden farce, stood there.

"I, I have committed a capital offense, sir!"

The boy, with his buttocks fully exposed, prostrated himself on the ground.

"Even just pulling it out and dangling it is a capital offense. Understand?"

Ian frowned and said.

The man, trembling, pointed to his discarded pants.

"In, in my pocket. There's another pearl just like it."

"......"

Ian's eyebrows furrowed.

Approaching the discarded pants, he roughly tore through the pocket with his sword.

Another essence rolled out among various trinkets.

"By Ru Solar, I swear I didn't know. I just thought it was a peculiar pearl and wanted to give it to my sister, my sister-!"

"Shut up. Before I really kill you."

Ian's words made the man's mouth snap shut.

Ian, picking up the essence, looked at the youths.

"Any more confessions?"

"...No, sir."

"No, really, sir."

The youths shook their heads in unison.

"Even if they're fools, they won't lie in a life-or-death situation. If they do, I'll break their heads for you."

The innkeeper, who had been standing nearby, added.

"Right. I'll make sure of that."

Ian shrugged.

The innkeeper, nodding, looked down at the prostrate man.

"Stop dragging your dirty ass around. Go and clean up Johnson's body yourself."

Kicking the man's bare buttocks, he turned to Ian.

"By the way, you're a red mage? I thought you were a swordsman because you carried a sword."

"So what if I am?"

Ian, putting away the essence, asked.

People in the Dark Age both feared and looked down on mages.

It was easier to be seen as a swordsman or a fallen knight.

"Nothing. Just think of what you carry as a sharp steel magic staff."

"Don't change your mind. And when you get back, you and those fools should come to an agreement."

Turning, Ian waved the broken sword.

"Because of their broken promise, my steel magic staff is broken again. I need a new one."

The innkeeper laughed as if conceding.

He added, addressing Ian's back.

"But are you sure? You've made a strong enemy of the black mage."

"Mind your own business."

Ian replied without turning his head.

"Just keep your promise to me."

***

The innkeeper kept his promise well.

Starting from the day Ian returned to the village, he began to introduce him to clients.

Of course, he didn't forget to provide him with a sword and armor first.

The sword was ordinary, but the armor was made from the skin of the kobold chieftain.

It was the innkeeper's idea.

Thinking it would be better than being naked, Ian accepted it, only to find out it was an equipment that could verify information.

It meant it was an item that existed in the game.

It was only of high quality, but at this point, it was quite useful.

"Looks good. You don't look like a mage at all."

The innkeeper laughed.

"You need to be careful with your words."

"Don't worry. I've already warned the fools not to reveal that you're a mage."

"You'll keep that promise?"

"I will. They're thoroughly scared of you. They're probably trembling, thinking you're watching them from somewhere."

As if to prove his words, no one called Ian a mage.

They called him "sir" or "knight" or "savior of the village," but not a mage.

Anyway, the idea of having the innkeeper as a salesperson was successful.

Clients came to the inn where Ian stayed almost every day.

From small requests like killing the wild boar that dug up the fields every night to large ones like dealing with the water spirits that crawled out of the village well.

There were so many requests that it was hard to believe it was such a small village.

Of course, most of them were trivial requests that didn't even trigger a quest window.

But Ian didn't refuse and solved the requests one by one.

Without ever failing.

"Hmm."

Ian, who had finished washing his face, dried off with a clean towel.

His eyes scanned the corners of the spacious room.

A habitual glance to check if anything had changed overnight.

Of course, nothing had changed.

"Hmm."

Suddenly, he realized how familiar the room's scenery had become.

It was only natural.

He had been living here for almost a month.

During that time, the best room in the inn had become his.

It was a sunny, spacious room with a clean bed.

But to him, it was even worse than a cheap motel.

"...I'll probably look back on this time fondly later."

Ian muttered as he left the room.

"Good morning, Solver sir?"

As he descended the stairs, the maid, who was cleaning the hall, beamed.

Solver was the new nickname for Ian that was the least annoying.

"Yeah. Prepare breakfast for me."

"Sure. Wait a moment. I'll prepare the meat and eggs you like."

The maid put down the mop.

She was one of the few people in the village who didn't fear Ian.

In fact, she was so disrespectful that it was annoying.

Ian, sitting down, added.

"Or you'll get another scolding from the innkeeper."

"So what? Thanks to you, I'm making good money. He should understand."

The maid snorted.

It was one of the reasons Ian could live comfortably in this inn.

The innkeeper, in exchange for introducing clients, took a referral fee from them.

He only took the change, so Ian didn't bother stopping him.

He was also quite persistent in asking for it.

"Then bring me a beer too."

Ian added readily.

The maid, replying "Sure," went into the kitchen.

Alone, Ian tapped his finger on the table and muttered.

"Seems like... the time has come."

The requests were sharply decreasing.

It meant the time to leave the village was approaching.

Then he would have to repeat camping and traveling until he reached the next village.

It wasn't pleasant, but he had no choice.

Adapting to a peaceful life was like slowly committing suicide.

Thinking about it, he hadn't killed anything in about a week.

The only blood he had seen was when he cut the wrist of someone trying to cheat him out of a fee and when he cut off a finger of someone harassing the maid.

"Once the checks are done... ."

A plate was suddenly placed in front of him.

Eggs, mashed potatoes, and grilled meat.

It was a bit too much for breakfast, but Ian quickly picked up his knife and fork.

After all, in this world, these were rare things that could be called food.

"What are you thinking so deeply about?"

The maid, placing a beer glass, sat across from him.

"None of your business."

The maid pouted at Ian's reply.

Ian, taking a sip of beer, added.

"When did the innkeeper leave?"

"About an hour ago. He's probably bothering people, asking if they need anything."

The maid clicked her tongue.

"He's getting into it. Yesterday, he was muttering that it would be nice if some kobold remnants appeared."

"Is that so."

Ian, nodding, chewed on his meat.

If he's saying that, it must mean the work is really drying up.

"Still, it's the first time the village has been so peaceful. It's so good."

The maid, propping her chin on her hands, looked at Ian.

"Thanks to you, Solver sir."

"It's only temporary."

Ian replied indifferently.

"Problems will come up again soon."

"You're... sure."

"Obviously."

Dark Age. A village with no proper defense force. It wasn't a difficult problem to think about.

While Ian focused on his food, the maid's voice continued.

"Can I ask one question?"

"No."

"Why don't you want to reveal that you're a mage?"

No.

Ian clicked his tongue and looked at the maid.

Her innocent eyes sparkled with curiosity.

He finally sighed and said.

"Because it's troublesome. Besides, I don't like spellcasters much."

"Because, as others say, mages are arrogant, sinister, and selfish?"

"Something like that."

Ian suddenly recalled the mage he first met in the swamp.

The old man, who seemed somewhat intellectual.

Seeing Ian use various elemental magics during their journey, he was curious about the secret.

Ian kindly answered.

"You can't do it."

Of course, the old man didn't give up.

Instead, he tried to find out the secret himself.

By opening Ian's skull.

Of course, the attempt failed.

The old man's neck was cut.

Ian learned a lesson.

Avoid mages if possible.

This was one of the things that had changed completely from when it was a game.

Back then, mage NPCs might reject or be wary of those from different schools, but they wouldn't try to pry into their brains.

"Then, what do you like, Solver sir?"

The maid asked.

Ian suddenly stopped.

All kinds of things flashed through his mind.

Unfortunately, most of them were things he couldn't get in this world.

Like a cola to wash down the greasiness of this food. Damn.

Ian clicked his tongue and said.

"Treasure. And money."

"Huh..."

The maid looked taken aback.

Ian turned his gaze to the plate.

"Is that all?"

The maid asked again, but he didn't reply.

Just chewing the meat.

When Ian had almost finished the food on the plate.

"...Oh, you're up?"

The innkeeper returned.

He awkwardly greeted and hesitated, holding the doorknob.

Ian finally clicked his tongue.

"What is it? Speak up. Don't keep me waiting."

The innkeeper scratched his cheek.

"Someone is looking for you."

"A request?"

"I'm not sure, but-."

Just as the innkeeper was about to say something, the door, which was about to close, opened again.

The one who opened it was a young man in leather armor with a friendly face.

"Excuse me."

The young man opened the door wide.

Only then did the figure standing behind him become visible.

A man in plate armor.

Proper full-body armor that didn't expose any skin.

A helmet that resembled the beak of an eagle or a hawk completely covered his face.

Instead of a weight, a deer horn-shaped ornament protruded from the hilt of the sword at his waist.

The symbol of Agel Ran.

In summary, the visitor was an elite knight of the Kingdom of Agel Ran.

He shouldn't be in such a remote village.

But that wasn't why Ian tilted his head.

'Strangely familiar...'

He had definitely seen the shape of that full-body armor somewhere.