Chapter 17

# Chapter 17: < Outside >

"Sir, this is the best room we have."

"It's decent enough."

The old man led Kael and his party to his inn. Despite its quaint appearance, which matched the village, it seemed to have everything one might need, as it was occasionally visited by merchant caravans that stopped by the Hennithus estate.

"It's the first time we've had a noble guest. Please bear with us, as this is a place where commoners live, and make yourself comfortable."

Kael looked at the old man steadily. He seemed more at ease than when dealing with Beinion Sten, but he still appeared terrified to have a noble staying at his inn.

It was nice that the old man was respectful, but being overly attentive was also uncomfortable.

'This is problematic.'

Kael patted the old man's shoulder to ease his tension.

"Old man, relax. And I don't like it when people overly humble themselves. This is a place where travelers to and from our estate stay. It wouldn't be lacking in anything."

The old man's pupils wavered. He moistened his lips with his tongue and, after a moment of hesitation, spoke.

"Sir, are there many people like you in the Hennithus estate?"

"What kind of ridiculous question is that?"

"Me?"

"I'm the worst troublemaker in our estate. Most people are better than me in terms of character."

Ah, a sigh escaped the old man's lips. On and Hong, the miauthe, who were already occupying the sofa, meowed and shook their heads in pity, but no one could understand them.

"Go and take care of your work."

At Kael's dismissal, the old man bowed deeply and left the room. Despite Kael's instruction to relax, the old man seemed unable to understand and Kael simply found it bothersome.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the door the old man had just left.

"Come in."

The door opened, and the butler, Hans, entered with a small box.

"Sir, you said to bring only this luggage, right?"

"Yeah, give it here."

Hans handed the box to Kael, his curiosity evident. This was the only box Kael had carried himself. If it were a regular box, Hans would have assumed it contained alcohol or food, but this was no ordinary box.

It was a top-tier magic box with a magic lock engraved on it. The emblem certifying the box belonged to the Phlin Trading Company, one of the three major trading companies that had a close, inseparable relationship with the Hennithus estate.

Kael, noticing Hans' intense gaze, said offhandedly,

"Isn't it improper for a butler to show his emotions, especially curiosity?"

"It's part of a butler's proper attitude to show everything to the master he serves."

"You're a funny guy."

"Sir, I—"

Hans had become more brazen, unlike his previous attitude when he was reluctant to go to the capital. While Kael had always thought Hans was more human and relaxed compared to other butler candidates, he now seemed to be more at ease with Kael.

"Out."

"Yes, sir."

Hans left as usual, but before closing the door, he briefly asked about the schedule.

"Are we staying here for three days?"

"Yeah, handle everything."

"Yes, sir."

Hans closed the door, having answered confidently. Apart from the deputy leader's role in ensuring the party's safety, Hans was handling all the tasks, and he did so with ease.

"He's a capable butler, isn't he?"

The silver miauthe, On, commented, and Kael nodded. The red miauthe, Hong, added,

"He doesn't seem to find it difficult."

Kael agreed. Among the group, excluding the servant Ron, Hans was the least intimidated by Kael. He was cautious but not overly respectful, a bold young man.

Kael, annoyed by the miauthe approaching him, shooed them away and opened the box. Opening a magic-locked box was simple. Kael's fingerprint was the only key. He placed his index finger on the center of the magic emblem engraved on the box.

Click, click.

The box opened with a small sound.

Inside were the items Kael had prepared over the four days before leaving the estate for the capital.

"I'm really curious about what these are."

"Me too."

Kael, ignoring the two pairs of golden eyes staring at him, replied casually,

"These are to save a poor kid, teach a rude guy a lesson, and keep me from getting hurt."

On and Hong looked at him with peculiar expressions, but Kael stroked the items in the box with a satisfied look. He recalled the conversation he had with Vilos, the illegitimate son of the Phlin Trading Company, in the estate.

"Sir, where do you plan to use these items?"

"I don't see a reason to explain it to you."

"…I see. But purchasing all these items will cost a fortune."

"…Can I rent them?"

"Of course, Sir."

Most of the items in the box were magical artifacts. Kael had expected them to be expensive, but the rental fees were also astronomical. As a result, he had to use all the pocket money he had received in the estate. Additionally, he would have to meet Vilos in the capital to return the items, which he found bothersome, but it was unavoidable.

"Two of the items cannot be rented to ordinary people, so I borrowed them in my name. Please make sure to meet me in the capital and return them to me in person."

"Sure."

Kael was quite grateful to Vilos for using his name to rent the items and planned to buy him a heavy drink when they met in the capital.

Kael picked up one of the items from the box. It was a round, black sphere with various patterns engraved on its surface. The red miauthe, Hong, placed her small paws on Kael's knee and asked,

"I'm really curious about what this is."

"A mana orbit disruption device. It costs several billion gelons."

On and Hong gasped.

"It cost 20 million gelons to rent."

Hong quietly removed her paws from Kael's knee and retreated to the corner of the bed with her sister, On, as far away from the black sphere as possible.

Kael recalled the description of the sphere. Vilos had accurately procured the items Kael wanted.

"It disrupts the mana orbits within a certain range, preventing related magical devices from functioning properly. It's extremely durable, so even if a mountain is blown away, it won't break."

"Would it immediately break a video storage device?"

"Of course. However, it needs to be installed 27 hours in advance to gradually infuse artificial mana into the mana orbits, causing a sudden disruption."

"How long does it last?"

"It lasts for 40 minutes. That's quite impressive. Of course, if a mage is present, it will stabilize within 5 to 10 minutes."

"Keep that in mind."

Kael's lips curled into a slight smile. It was the most expensive item he had borrowed from Vilos, but it would be incredibly useful throughout his journey.

"Most importantly, I like its durability."

The Phlin Trading Company was indeed a useful place. Kael, feeling satisfied, threw the small black sphere, which was smaller than a child's fist, to the miauthe crouching in the corner.

"Ah!"

Meow!

One gasped, and the other meowed, avoiding the black sphere, but soon they had to sit in front of Kael with the sphere in front of them.

"Can you read a map?"

On, the silver miauthe, flicked her tail on the floor as if it were obvious.

"Of course. We are, after all, the successors of the Fog Miauthe."

"Right. What my sister said."

Kael unfolded a map from the box. It wasn't a detailed topographical map but one commonly used by merchant caravans traveling through the Hennithus estate.

"We are in this village now."

Kael's finger pointed to a mountain to the right of the village.

"And this mountain. See it?"

"See it."

"See it clearly."

Vilos had said,

"Ah, and the range of the mana disruption is similar to its durability."

One mountain.

"From the village, head east to this mountain, and you'll see a villa in the distance. There's also a cave behind it."

Currently, there were no mages among those staying near the black dragon. The humans of the Mage Tower, who revered dragons as the supreme magical race, did not want to abuse or domesticate dragons, considering it a desecration of magic.

Near the cave and villa, there were trusted knights and soldiers from the viscount's family, as well as those who primarily handled the viscount's dirty work.

"Do not go near that area. We can't be discovered."

He knew about the situation of these children and was confident he could handle this task, but he still warned them. They shouldn't wander around that area out of curiosity.

"There's a kid being mistreated there. We need to rescue him, so be careful."

"Kid?"

"Yeah, younger than you, Hong."

"…Younger than me?"

"Four years old."

Of course, if the mana control device were removed, the kid would be strong enough to blow away On and Hong.

"Are we rescuing him?"

On and Hong's eyes glowed with determination as they pressed their paws into the bed.

"We are. Just go as miauthe and bury the sphere somewhere on the mountain."

As miauthe, the chances of being discovered were almost zero. K