Chapter 21

# Chapter 21: <Repaying a Debt>

Cale nodded briefly to Choe Han, who had come early in the morning, and picked up the glass of cold water that Ron had left. The cool sensation of the glass reminded Cale of what Ron had said when he brought the cold water.

"Master. It's not good to take long evening walks. I'm very worried about you, Master."

Somehow, even without drinking the cold water, Cale felt a chill and became fully alert. He put the glass of cold water back carefully and asked Choe Han.

"Did you take care of everything?"

"Yes."

Choe Han had taken Cale back to his quarters and immediately erased their traces, creating a trail leading west before returning.

Meow. Cale yawned and looked at the kittens tearing into their dried meat. He then spoke to Choe Han.

"Next city is Pursel. That's the midpoint."

Once they left the mountain-surrounded Hennitus territory, the road to the capital from this viscount's territory was well-maintained.

'Thanks to that, Hennitus has remained safe, but it also makes its location ambiguous.'

Even with abundant marble, if the road was poor, merchants wouldn't come easily. However, since the road was good once they left Hennitus, everyone was willing to endure the inconvenience to visit.

Moreover, thanks to this road, the northeastern forces of the Rowen Kingdom could often gather. Despite the lack of dukes or higher nobles, they could still voice their opinions about this region to the capital.

"Did it take a long time because we had to keep crossing mountains?"

"Yes, but now it won't take as long."

Pursel wasn't the midpoint in distance, but in time.

"Master Cale."

"Yes."

"I checked the viscount's villa on my way back."

"And?"

Choe Han, who had been looking at Cale with a troubled expression, now looked even more uncomfortable.

"Everyone seemed distracted, and there were soldiers and knights leaving the village."

"They must have gone to report."

After regaining their senses, they would have sent people to Benyon and would be busy searching around the cave. However, Choe Han's words seemed to imply more.

"And?"

"Why are you dragging this out?"

Cale frowned and asked bluntly. Despite his tone, Choe Han continued with a troubled expression.

"The area around the secret exit of the cave was destroyed by an explosion. The cave entrance, nearby trees, grass, and even the ground were all turned upside down."

Thud. The kittens dropped their dried meat. But Cale was indifferent.

"Probably a dragon."

Choe Han stood silently, his mouth closed. Cale chuckled and stood up.

A four-year-old who knows how to use his head, he must have blown up the exit, thinking someone might come. And since dragons are the most sensitive to mana, destroying the area must have been to disable any magical devices.

"It's fortunate they're still alive. He's still young and scared, so he's probably holding back."

"Indeed. I could feel the immense power, though."

"Don't underestimate a dragon. You'll regret it."

Dragons are arrogant and have hearts as narrow as a needle. Cale praised himself for leaving the dragon behind and asked Choe Han.

"Go on, then. Oh, are you staying here until we leave?"

"No. I need to go help Vikros."

Who? Vikros? Cale perked up and asked quickly.

"Oh, you've become friends?"

At that moment, Cale saw Choe Han's troubled face for the first time. Choe Han was very firm.

"No. I'm definitely not friends with him."

"…Right… Go on, then."

Cale replied with a troubled face, and Choe Han bowed without hesitation and headed out of the room. As he opened the door, Cale gave him one last instruction.

"Oh, tell Hans to set up a hangover drink outside."

"Excuse me?"

Choe Han looked at Cale with wide eyes, then at the clock pointing to seven. Cale, looking calm, said cheerfully.

"Don't know what a hangover drink is?"

Choe Han left the room without a word, but Cale didn't mind. He looked at On and Hong, who seemed to be wondering if they would really drink in the morning, but ignored them and checked his reflection in the mirror.

"Looking quite rough."

His face was clearly tired and stained with alcohol. Satisfied, Cale went downstairs.

'Sure enough.'

It was early morning, but for some, the day wasn't over yet. The deputy captain, looking completely refreshed, was having a serious conversation with someone.

Cale saw Choe Han stiffen. After all, the person he was talking to was one of the knights Choe Han had knocked out yesterday.

Cale walked over to Choe Han and nudged his foot.

"What are you afraid of?"

"Ah."

Cale's whispered question made Choe Han flinch, then he awkwardly smiled and replied softly.

"I thought I'd make them unable to fight for a day, but they recovered faster than expected. I guess I underestimated human resilience. I'll have to be stronger next time."

Cale turned away from Choe Han. Indeed, the protagonist who destroys everything for his own justice.

And there was one more thing Cale hadn't expected.

On and Hong, who had followed him downstairs, were looking at the knight with mischievous expressions, their tails swaying. Anyone could tell they were enjoying it.

'…Am I the only one with a weak stomach?'

As Cale pondered this, the innkeeper approached with a bottle of alcohol.

"Master, I've prepared the same alcohol you had yesterday."

"Old man, the more I see you, the more I think—"

"Yes?"

Cale chuckled and said to the nervous old man.

"You're a good businessman. This is the perfect hangover drink."

Click. The bottle cap opened with a light sound, and Cale took a sip, his face quickly turning red. He deliberately looked groggy and glanced at the deputy captain. The deputy captain was talking to the knight.

"Yesterday, we had a feast to relieve the fatigue of our journey. Everyone drank and rested. No one left the inn. I don't understand why the viscount's people are curious about this."

The knight, who had introduced himself as one of the viscount's people, smiled but replied seriously.

"Yesterday, thieves broke into the viscount's villa. Although a few of us were on guard, we lost some items. I came to check if the Hennitus family had suffered the same fate."

Thieves, huh? Well, a dragon thief is still a thief. Cale nodded and took another sip from the bottle. At that moment, his eyes met those of the knight, who had been talking to the deputy captain.

"What are you looking at?"

The knight immediately bowed and turned away. The deputy captain, seeing this, cleared his throat and defended Cale loudly and overly brightly.

"Hem. Our young master needs a hangover drink in the morning to feel refreshed. He's just drinking for that. And he's a broad-minded person who shows his true strength in hangover drinks."

Cale, unsure if the deputy captain was praising or insulting him, took another sip.

"Indeed. He seems like a pleasant person."

The knight, responding positively to the deputy captain, bowed politely to Cale.

'Our suspicion should be reduced now.'

Cale thought that the knight wouldn't suspect them, given that the dragon disappeared when they arrived and they were leaving today. It was too ambiguous to suspect.

The remaining subordinates of Benyon, wearing the six-star emblem of a secret organization, and the trail leading west. Most importantly, they would think that Cale, known as a troublemaker, wouldn't do such a thing.

"Have a safe journey today."

Especially with no duke, Benyon, or viscount around, it was impossible to hold the heir of the Hennitus family. After all, he was a noble's child traveling to the capital on the royal order.

'And who would think a noble's child, traveling on a royal order, drinks in the morning?'

Being a troublemaker was a good position. Cale drank the alcohol with satisfaction.

'Even if Benyon finds out, he probably won't suspect us.'

Benyon and Duke Sten knew best that there was no connection between the secret organization and the Hennitus family, especially regarding the dragon.

Cale watched the knight from the duke's family leave the inn and drank the lemon honey tea Ron offered.

"Ron."

"Yes, Master."

"Seems like a hangover drink is best for honey tea."

"Indeed?"

Ron smiled contentedly, but Cale ignored him and focused on settling his upset stomach. When his stomach was finally settled, they set off again.

Their next destination was Pursel, a city that played a central role in northeastern transportation and was famous for its numerous stone towers.

Cale had to visit an unfinished stone tower in Pursel.

"Are we camping tonight?"

On, munching on dried meat, asked. Cale nodded.

"Yeah. We'll be camping from time to time from now on."

Cale had set a tight schedule again, wanting to stay in Pursel for a while. He turned his gaze from the whispering cat siblings to the outside of the carriage.

'Vitality of the Heart.'

The name of the ancient power that would strengthen the unbreakable shield. This power specialized in regeneration and vitality.

'So the eldest son must have found it.'

The duke's abandoned eldest son, Taylor. He was the only one with a clear mind in the duke's family, but due to Benyon's scheme, he became paralyzed from the waist down.

He searched through countless documents to find the power to heal himself. By chance, he found an ancient text in an old bookshop. Although the ancient script was hard to decipher, he finally managed to interpret a few words.

Regeneration. Stone tower.

These two words were etched in Taylor's mind, and he headed straight for Pursel, the city of stone towers. He would still be in Pursel, and in a month, he would find the power.

'But it was useless.'

The Vitality of the Heart couldn't regenerate an already damaged body. After obtaining the power, it only worked in a future scenario where he was injured. The regeneration had limits and came with a price.

Taylor was devastated. He had no time, and this was his last hope. He didn't know when Benyon would come to kill him.

'In the end, he died a month later.'

During the capital's chaos due to the terrorist attack, he was assassinated by an unknown group. Of course, the group was acting on Benyon's orders.

Cale remembered this minor character, who seemed to have less significance than the original Cale, because of friendship and loyalty.

The mad cleric. Taylor's friend, who was the only one to survive the assassination and killed half of the assassins, was excommunicated for his actions. She boldly told the temple about the large scar on her back and what she had done.

'I chose human loyalty and duty over the will of the gods. I believe this is right.'

And she added,

'Now I am free!'

After that, she was known as the mad cleric. Her specialty was cursing using the power of the death god. The temple excommunicated her, but the gods did not abandon her.

During the war, she became a well-known righteous volunteer, though not a hero.

'This time, it might be different.'

The probability that Taylor would die a month later was low.

Benyon would be busy cleaning up after the dragon theft and groveling to the duke. His position as heir would likely be precarious, and he would need to focus more on his younger brothers than the abandoned eldest son.

'And since I took away Taylor's last hope, I need to give him a new one.'

Even though Taylor didn't need the Vitality of the Heart, Cale wasn't the kind of person to take away someone's last hope.

Cale suddenly wondered what the two of them could achieve if they didn't get hurt and survived. They might change the duke's family, which would be beneficial to Cale in the long run.

But his expression hardened as he thought of something else.

'That cursing skill must have scared Vikros.'

The torturer Vikros's evaluation of the cleric came to mind, and Cale immediately erased her from his thoughts. Along with her, he erased the noble Taylor, who was upright, simple, and cared for his people.

'Not a good match for me.'

They were fundamentally different from Cale. Good, loyal, and trusting people. He preferred Ron or Vikros over them.

'…No, that's a terrible thought.'

Cale quickly erased Ron and Vikros from his mind as well.

At that moment, thump thump. Cale felt something tapping his thigh and looked down. The kittens, with their golden eyes gleaming, spoke.

"Hans told us something."

"Hans said."

Hans, unaware that they were miao people, had been chatting to himself in front of them. They must have overheard.

"What?"

The kittens, used to Cale's blunt questions, didn't back down.

"Apparently, if you make a wish at the stone tower, it comes true."

"Apparently, the stone tower is beautiful."

"We want to go. But it's okay if it's too much trouble."

"We want to go together, but it's fine if it's inconvenient."

Cale, looking at the hesitant kittens, asked bluntly.

"What wish?"

Hong, whose fur had been well-groomed and was now a beautiful red, said excitedly.

"To have our youngest brother—"

"Denied."

Cale immediately dismissed the idea and turned his gaze to the kittens. At that moment, the carriage stopped. They had arrived at their camping spot for the night.

"Starting to camp again, huh?"

"Indeed."

Cale responded casually to Hans's comment and looked around the camping area. The forest breeze brushed past him, and he spent the night quite comfortably.

The next morning.

"Master."

"…What is this?"

Cale stared at the deer placed at the boundary of their campsite. It had been hunted. Hans reported.

"Someone left it here."

Hans pointed to the side of the deer. Cale was already looking at it. On the ground, a picture of a fork and spoon was drawn.

It seemed like someone had left the deer meat for them to eat. Cale had a strange feeling. He turned his gaze to On and Hong in Choe Han's arms, and Choe Han, who was smirking at him.

"…This is ominous."

It was definitely ominous.

The person who left the deer meat seemed to know they were miao people but couldn't read. Moreover, Choe Han, who had been on watch last night, clearly knew who it was but pretended not to notice.

…It must be the dragon.

He turned to On, Hong, and Choe Han and firmly instructed.

"Let's pretend we don't know."

Meow.

Meow.

The siblings seemed to be mocking him, but Cale pretended not to notice. However, every time they camped, new food supplies were delivered to Cale. Wild boar meat, rabbit meat, various fruits, and more.

Cale was certain that a dragon was following them.

With this certainty, Cale arrived in Pursel.