Chapter 10

# Chapter 10. <Picked Up>

Butler Hans immediately instructed another servant to call Chihan.

"Where is he now?"

"Oh, I believe he is in the kitchen with Chef Vikross and servant Ron."

Kale, entering the study, felt his heart thump. Are they really getting along well?

"He's learning some basic cooking from Chef Vikross, I heard."

"Cooking?"

"Yes."

One corner of Kale's mouth curled up. Cooking, indeed. He must be learning torture techniques or Vikross and Ron are marveling at Chihan's sword skills. It was obvious even without seeing.

Kale walked over and sat down at his desk. He casually asked Hans, who was standing there blankly.

"What did he ask you to do?"

"Oh."

Hans sighed at Kale's sudden question and then began his report with a serious face. It was, of course, something Kale already knew.

Hans spoke about the tragedy in Harris Village, unable to hide his sadness and regret, and mentioned that Chihan had delivered the village chief's badge to the lord along with Chihan.

"Father met with him?"

"Yes. The Earl immediately gave orders to the castle, and he said he would send investigators, knights, and soldiers to conduct an investigation along with the funeral."

Hmm. He paused for a moment, hesitated, and then spoke.

"But that guest said he would not go with them."

Hans recalled meeting Chihan with the lord and talking about the incident.

He spoke calmly, but his hands were trembling. He was 17 years old, they said. At such a young age, he arrived late to the village while gathering herbs alone, saving his life, but saw all his neighbors and friends dead. How much shock must he have felt?

"Is it really okay?"

So Hans asked Kale. Is it really okay not to let him say goodbye?

"It's his choice."

Kale brushed off Hans' question and changed the subject. He knew why Chihan did it. Chihan had already said his final goodbyes by burying the bodies, and what remained for him was revenge for those who had their future taken away.

"Is Ron still taking care of him?"

"Yes. He takes care of his meals and treats him quite affectionately."

Indeed, the three of them seem to get along well.

"Oh."

Hans, as if something came to mind, continued speaking to Kale.

"Ron was injured again this afternoon while working. He has a bandage on his wrist."

"Is that so? Make sure he takes his medicine."

Probably killed someone again. Kale replied indifferently. At that moment, Hans' voice was heard.

"...I will certainly convey your words and intentions to Ron."

"Sure, do that."

With Kale's indifferent attitude, Hans opened his mouth as if to say something more, but before he could, another sound echoed in the study.

Knock, knock, knock.

It was Chihan. Hans opened the door, and Kale could see Chihan standing at the door. Kale gestured for Hans to leave, and Hans bowed and quietly left the study. Only Chihan and Kale were left.

Kale pointed to the chair opposite his desk.

"Come and sit down."

Chihan slowly looked around the study and sat down opposite. Kale gave him enough time to look around.

As a wise and clever hero, Chihan loved books. That's why, as soon as he came out of the Dark Forest and entered Harris Village, he started learning to read from the village chief. After a while, Chihan's gaze finally turned to Kale.

"What is the cost of the meal?"

Straight to the point. Kale smiled at Chihan's straightforward approach.

The cost of the meal. Chihan was thorough about the debt he owed.

Kale, as Kim Roksu, realized that he had altered the early part of the hero's story, and this would cause some variables to occur. He tried to proceed without further changes, but.

He had to go to the capital. This would make the variables even larger.

Kale placed a piece of paper on the desk and looked at Chihan.

"There is a job to pay for the meal, but first, I need to determine if you can do it. It's like an interview."

"Please tell me."

Chihan readily agreed to the idea of being evaluated. So Kale asked.

"Can you protect people?"

"...What do you mean?"

Chihan, for the first time, hesitated and then answered after a pause. His gaze became slightly sharper as he looked at Kale. Kale, however, was looking at the paper on the desk.

It's a sudden change in plan, but it might be more beneficial. Preventing Chihan and his group from obtaining the ancient power and acquiring the necessary things himself would be ideal.

After all, to them, it's just a bridge, a power that might as well not exist.

Kale, still looking at the paper, continued indifferently.

"What do you mean? Not killing people, but protecting them. Can you do it?"

Silence fell. No answer came from Chihan. Kale looked up from the paper to the person sitting opposite. Chihan was looking down and finally answered.

"I don't know."

Tsk. Kale clicked his tongue. This is why the current Chihan is so hard to deal with.

"Can you kill people?"

This time, he answered easily.

"Yes."

"Then you can protect too."

Chihan's eyes flickered for a moment.

"That's difficult."

"Difficult doesn't mean impossible, does it?"

There are not many things in the world that can be avoided just because they are difficult. Kale's life was like that. How much he had cherished the reckless body of Kale. But now, a mountain to climb for a comfortable future had appeared.

Kale looked at the person who would help him climb that mountain.

Chihan let out a small, deflated laugh.

"That's true."

"Right. Then, this is the last interview question."

"Yes, please tell me."

Looking into Chihan's clear eyes, Kale asked the final question.

"What's your name?"

"Don't you know?"

I do. He was the one who was supposed to hit me.

"I heard it from someone else. I want to hear it from you."

"Chihan."

Chihan extended his hand.

"I am Chihan."

Kale took his hand.

"Right. I am Kale Hennitus."

The short conversation, which was called an interview, ended quickly, and of course, he was accepted. Kale pushed the paper on the desk towards Chihan.

"The job to pay for the meal is simple."

On the paper were two names and the place they needed to meet.

"Go to the capital with these people."

These were the companions Chihan would meet on his way to the capital. Vikross and these two would be Chihan's companions until Volume 5, growing and becoming stronger.

Rosalin. Lark.

One was a princess of a neighboring kingdom who survived an assassination attempt and was returning to her country, and the last one was an injured child. Of course, this child was the successor of the Wolf King, capable of transforming into a wolf.

The neighboring kingdom's princess Rosalin was strong and cold. She possessed the second strongest destructive power after Chihan and used it rationally.

She had no interest in the throne. Instead, her goal was to build the continent's highest magic tower, and she would grow into a hero as she pursued this dream.

'The duke who attempted the assassination was later tortured by Vikross.'

The torture scene was described in such detail that Kale's heart raced. His heart seemed to race more frequently these days.

"Rosalin. Lark."

At Chihan's voice, Kale nodded.

"Right. Those two. You can read, which is fortunate."

Chihan stared intently at the two names. Kale's gaze fell on the name Lark.

Lark. In this world, elves, dwarves, and merfolk existed. But among them, the most mysterious were the merfolk.

Merfolk. Here, it included not only mammals but also birds and reptiles. Merfolk were different from monsters because they had reason.

'Lark is the one with the most distinguished lineage among the wolf clan.'

Lark, who inherited the blood that ruled the wolves. The more pure-blooded a merfolk was, the weaker and more ordinary they appeared when animalized or humanized. But when they went into a berserk state, they were more cruel and violent than anyone else. And Lark was the only survivor of the blue wolf clan.

Kale took a map from the drawer and spread it on the desk.

"At first, you will go with me."

His finger pointed to a spot.

"After the midpoint, we will part ways. You will go as I have written on the paper."

Chihan listened silently without any questions. Kale looked at him for a moment.

There was a reason they had to go together until the midpoint.

'I have to avoid the mad dragon.'

In the early part of the hero's birth episode, there was always an antagonist who appeared after Kale. But this antagonist was not just a minor character.

He was a duke leading one of the noble factions. He constantly caused trouble for the crown prince and Chihan. Of course, he would be destroyed around Volume 2, and this is where Chihan and the duke first become entangled.

'That guy raised a mad dragon.'

A mad dragon.

It was still a small dragon, not yet an adult. The black dragon was being raised in a secret cage by the duke's heir, being abused and trained to obey the duke's commands.

'Is he crazy? Dragons are the strongest in the world, right? Does it make sense to tame a dragon?'

Well, it does.

The duke obtained a dragon egg through a secret organization and, as soon as it hatched, shackled its limbs and placed a mana control device around its neck. It's hard to gauge the power of this secret organization.

But are dragons just the strongest for no reason?

A black dragon, not even five years old, was still a dragon. The dragon eventually went mad and rampaged.

Despite its young body, it exploded with enough mana to break the mana control device. This mana was a result of sacrificing its own life.

The young dragon, raised in a cave without ever seeing the light, sacrificed its life for the last bit of freedom. Once it escaped, it lost its reason and went on a rampage.

The danger of this rampage threatened the village where Chihan stayed, and Chihan faced the black dragon.

[Chihan looked at the small dragon, not even a meter long. This small body had made a mountain fly away, and the villagers were in mortal danger. But Chihan couldn't attack the dragon recklessly.]

[The dragon's eyes, devoid of reason, were filled with pain and sorrow. But its mouth was smiling. It was very sad.]

Chihan killed the black dragon, giving it the freedom of death.

Kale had to go to that village.

'Chihan can deal with it, or I can stop it before it goes mad and set it free.'

There was no choice but to go that way. If he didn't pass through that village, he would have to take a long detour, which would delay the story and the arrival time in the capital.

'The mad dragon is said to be very cute, despite its name.'

A black dragon with short, cute limbs. The description also mentioned that it was even more terrifying because it went mad and rampaged. Kale put aside thoughts of the dragon and gave Chihan his final instructions.

"And go to the capital with the owners of these names. That's your meal cost."

Chihan asked a question.

"...Do I have to protect them?"

"Do as you please."

There's no need to protect them; they are strong enough. Especially Princess Rosalin, who could withstand a truckload of attacks with her unbreakable shield.

"Do as you please. But you must come to the capital, and you must meet me with a healthy face. Can you protect yourself?"

After that, there would be no more meetings between Kale and Chihan. Because of the conflict with the secret organization involving Lark, Chihan would naturally prevent the danger in the capital as described in the book.

"Why no answer? Can you do it?"

Chihan's eyes became more vivid.

"Yes, I can."

His tone seemed more formal than before, but Kale let it go. He watched as Chihan put the paper in his pocket, feeling the tension in his body ease.

I should have had a drink. Dealing with Chihan in Kale's body was exhausting.

"Go."

With a casual wave, Chihan headed for the door. Kale, leaning back in his chair, watched him until he spoke just before he opened the door.

"By the way, this is all a secret today, right?"

Chihan turned the doorknob without looking back and answered.

"I know."

There seemed to be a hint of amusement in his voice, but it was none of Kale's business. Once alone, he took out a pen and paper and started writing in Korean. After a while, he left the study and went to his father's office.

"Father."

"Yes."

"I need money."

"Sure. I'll tell the steward."

He needed a lot of money. With an additional check for ten million kelons in his pocket, Kale lay down on the bed when servant Ron approached, placing a bottle on his desk.

"It's warm lemon honey tea. My son made it especially for you, young master. Have a good night, young master. I will always be by your side."

Kale's sleep was instantly gone.

No matter what, I have to send those things with Chihan.

The next day, Kale Hennitus, as soon as he opened his eyes, headed for the slums.