Chapter 25

# Chapter 25: <Repaying a Favor>

* * *

Late at night, in a small two-story house on the outskirts of Purseul. Only the first floor was lit, casting its light into the night through the windows. Taylor, the eldest son of the Sten Viscount family and the owner of the house, had a serious look on his face.

"Why are you like that?"

"Lady, ouch, just a moment. Don't talk."

Kagei, the priestess of the God of Death, clutched her head and groaned.

Clang.

The beer glass in her hand fell to the floor. Taylor and his three men approached her.

"Why? What did the god say again?"

Taylor looked at her with concern. The God of Death had occasionally spoken to Kagei for some time now. She had hidden this in the temple, and only Taylor and his three men knew about it.

"Ah, frustrating!"

After a while, Kagei abruptly stood up and headed towards the back door of the two-story house. Her steps were quite hurried. Although she staggered, clutching her head, her gaze was firmly fixed on the back door.

Taylor gestured for his men to stay put and followed her, pushing his wheelchair.

'Has someone intruded?'

Although the house was small, it had an alarm magic spell set up to detect intruders. Without it, Taylor would be too anxious to sleep.

After being attacked by an assassin in the Sten Viscount's mansion, which left both his knees shattered, he no longer trusted any place to be safe.

"Kagei, why are you like that?"

"Just a moment."

Kagei roughly opened the back door. To Taylor, it was just an ordinary backyard, quiet and cozy, with a few small lamps illuminating it so it wasn't dark.

Kagei disappeared into the small backyard. Taylor followed her. When they reached the wall, Kagei looked up and sighed.

"Ha!"

The wall, which marked the boundary where the alarm magic began, had a small tower built of about five stones.

But it was also a size that the house's only knight would inevitably notice during his patrol of the estate.

"...Crazy. It's real."

Kagei let out a rough word. Taylor, who had approached in his wheelchair, looked at the stone tower above his head with a puzzled expression.

"What is this?"

Taylor read the words written in chalk next to the stone tower.

"‘Destroy it. If you want to make a wish.’ It says."

Taylor's face was filled with doubt and suspicion. Kagei sighed and pressed her temples with her fingers.

"I recommend destroying it. No, crazy. The god said to destroy it."

"...What?"

"For the first time, the god didn't speak gibberish. Usually, I might hear his voice once a year, if that."

"What about this stone tower? So?"

Kagei looked back at her friend Taylor.

"A turning point in our lives. That's what he said."

The god only visited Kagei in her dreams. Death is similar to sleep, so sleep was a kind of passage. But the god's voice came to her when she was drinking.

Kagei thought the god was angry and wanted to find her because she drank too much. She welcomed it, hoping the god would lose interest in her. But the god had said something different.

"‘The choice is yours. If you want to live comfortably, don't destroy it.’ That's what he said."

She looked at the stone tower. There was something beneath it.

"There's an envelope under the stone tower. It seems the tower was built because of this letter."

She turned her gaze back to Taylor. Since he was in a wheelchair, he could see the stone tower but not the letter beneath it.

"The stone tower doesn't have any other aura around it."

Though not as sensitive as a wizard, Kagei, who used divine power, could detect unusual auras. She had felt the ominous power in many objects and places because she served the God of Death.

She waited for Taylor's decision.

Taylor, who had been looking up at the night sky, turned his gaze to her.

"Destroy it."

"Alright."

Taylor handed the decision to the butler and suggested they head to the capital.

"Alright."

Kagei agreed with Taylor's decision. Having experienced death more than anyone, she understood the value of life.

"You're smart, you'll figure it out. You've always been good at handling things."

Kagei believed in Taylor's intelligence.

"Yeah, I was."

'Yeah, I was.' Kagei looked at him, noting the past tense.

"You should have known how to handle things."

But Taylor, who should have known how to handle things, had been careless and ended up injuring his legs.

He raised his head and looked at the small two-story house. He had been staying here for months, relying on a dubious torture chamber, but had found nothing, which made him feel stifled. It would be good to move for a while.

At least the god doesn't lie. Taylor needed a turning point. He spoke.

"If it's the Crown Prince, we need to follow the royal event schedule. We need to hurry."

"Sure. Let's go quickly."

"Will it be okay? We'll have to face the temple people if we enter the capital."

"What can they do? Excommunicate us. That would be better. I'm worried about you."

"Thanks."

"Thanks, my ass."

Smiling at each other, the two of them spoke simultaneously as Kagei held up the letter.

"Benefactor."

Whether or not they were benefactors, something about the letter made them feel it was from a benefactor. If so, they would have to find this benefactor and repay the favor someday.

Two pairs of clear eyes, sobered by the alcohol, stared at the letter. The eyes of those who had encountered a turning point.

And from the roof of a nearby house, a red kitten whispered to its sister.

"Sis, can we go home now?"

"Yeah, we're done. Let's go get some snacks."

"Meow."

The two kittens gracefully leaped over the roofs and returned to their lodging.

* * *

The next day, Kale stood with his arms crossed, looking uneasy. His gaze swept over the person standing before him.

Today, Kale was dressed more neatly and splendidly than usual.

'Young Master! Even if you said you went without Hans, what if you came back rolling?'

'I should have taken care of the Young Master!'

'Oh, Young Master. This Ron is worried about you.'

The gazes he received when he returned looking like a beggar yesterday had annoyed him, so he dressed more formally today. His bright red hair matched his splendid attire. Kale was a striking figure, one who stood out wherever he went.

His expression, however, clearly showed his dissatisfaction.

"Are you going like that?"

At the entrance of the inn where Kale and his group were staying, Kale stood with his arms crossed, looking at Chuihan. Chuihan stood calmly with a small backpack and the iron sword he usually carried.

"Yes."

There was no special farewell meal or party for Chuihan. Kale wasn't the type to organize such things, and Chuihan didn't seem to want them either.

So the farewell was simple.

Only Kale, the cats, Hans, Ron, Vikros, and the deputy captain were there. The deputy captain's presence was puzzling, but he, like Kale, had a frown on his face as he saw Chuihan off.

"Phew."

Kale sighed and took a pouch from his pocket, tossing it to Chuihan. Chuihan caught it easily. It was a familiar pouch. The magic pouch he had given to the black dragon. It was the same size.

Chuihan opened the pouch. He saw potions and various items reduced in size by magic. He looked up at Kale. Kale, meeting his gaze, spoke bluntly.

"What? Why? What do you want? If you don't like it, throw it away."

Chuihan didn't say anything, but Kale rambled on. He immediately turned and headed back to his room.

"Goodbye."

Kale, who turned and left with a short farewell, remained expressionless. He wouldn't see Chuihan again. After meeting once in the capital, he planned to send Ron and Vikros to give a few instructions and then sever ties.

"I'll be back."

Chuihan's words, tinged with a smile, made Kale's back shiver, but he didn't turn around. Chuihan thought it was typical of Kale to not look back. His gaze turned to the rest of the group.

"See you in the capital!"

"Hmm. I'll improve my skills. I'll be your bodyguard in the capital."

Hans cheerfully greeted him, while the deputy captain spoke with a voice full of irritation.

"I'll sharpen my sword."

"Go and come back."

Vikros spoke brusquely, and Ron pretended to be kind as he said goodbye. The cats also patted Chuihan's legs with their paws as a farewell.

Additionally, the dragon, who had been transparent and guarding outside Kale's window every night, sent a transparent mana to Chuihan as a farewell.

"You've received a lot, but you keep receiving more."

Chuihan put the magic pouch in his pocket and smiled happily. Kale didn't see the smile, but the others present saw a bright smile they had never seen before.

"I'll see you in the capital."

Chuihan bowed politely and left the inn. After living for decades with a loneliness deeper than death, he now had a place to return to. And he had people to repay.

'I need to pay for the meals properly.'

Chuihan left Purseul alone, separating from Kale and his group.

The next morning, Kale and his group also prepared to leave Purseul, boarding their carriage.

"Master, we're about to depart."

"Okay."

Ron's words made Kale nod, and soon the window he had opened closed as the carriage began to move. It was the moment when the forced march would start again.

"What are you looking at?"

Kale looked at the cat siblings who were fidgeting and watching him. The cats flinched and shook their heads. Kale smirked.

"Why? Did you meet a dragon?"

Huff. A gasp was heard, but Kale ignored it. With Chuihan gone, the dragon would now follow. But he had no time to worry about that.

After leaving the city gates of Purseul and choosing a campsite for the night.

"May I, if it's not too much trouble, take a spot on one side?"

A carriage stopped near Kale's group's campsite, and a knight-looking person got out of the driver's seat and approached the deputy captain.

"Who are you?"

The deputy captain asked, but he had already recognized the red snake emblem on the knight's shoulder.

"I am Tom, a common knight of the Sten Viscount family."

The knight bowed to the deputy captain and Kale beyond him, introducing himself.

"I am Taylor Sten. Seeing the emblem of the powerful Hennitus Count family, I took the liberty of making this request."

Taylor thought he would be safe for the night if he camped with the Hennitus Count family. But Kale didn't like this judgment.

Kale met Taylor Sten, the eldest son of the Sten Viscount family, and the crazy priestess Kagei. Thinking of the dragon that should have been hunting boars or deer for him, he scowled.

'Damn it.'

One leaves, and three arrive.