Chapter 32

# Chapter 32: <What Are You, Really?>

Cale led Han to escape from the underground training ground.

"Hans, Ron. Please take care of these two people."

After entrusting Lak and Rosalyn to Hans and Ron, who were standing at the door of the first floor, he returned to his room and faced Han.

With the cold, untouched food on the table between them, Cale spoke to Han.

"Tell me what happened."

"Yes."

The two of them immediately delved into the main topic without any further ado. Han straightened his posture and began to speak.

"Meeting Rosalyn went smoothly up until the process."

"Go on."

"I went to the city you mentioned. There, I found the caravan you told me about. It turned out to be a small group of five people rather than a caravan."

It was more accurate to call it a group of merchants rather than a caravan.

"They were looking for two mercenaries to escort them. It seems the guard they originally had was injured."

Those two mercenaries were Han and Rosalyn. That was the flow of the story.

"There, I found Rosalyn, who matched the description you gave me."

The Breck Kingdom, which borders the northwest of the Rowen Kingdom. Rosalyn was on her way to the magic tower in the Viper Kingdom, which is below the Rowen Kingdom, when she faced assassination risks in the Rowen Kingdom.

She had been hiding her true magical strength, which was about half of her actual power, and used magic to escape the danger. In a situation where the assailants were unknown, she decided to go to the capital of the Rowen Kingdom to gather information from the information guild.

'Rosalyn learned of Han's strength then.'

At that time, Rosalyn, who had been hiding her strength as a novice mage, realized Han's power and formally requested him to escort her to the kingdom. Of course, the amount of money she offered was enormous.

'And she found Lak hiding in the destroyed village.'

The cowardly wolf boy, Lak. He was hiding, barely breathing, as the chief had said, and was discovered by Han. At that moment, Lak was a timid, weak, and somewhat foolish character, one that readers would find frustrating.

However, his innate divine power and physical strength were among the top five in his field, and after his first berserk transformation, he unlocked his true power.

"Sir Cale."

"Hmm?"

But why was the time of his berserk transformation brought forward?

"There, I saw something familiar."

"What did you see?"

Cale's question made Han nod. Despite the cold food on the table, tension began to fill the air between them. Han opened his mouth.

"A red star with five white stars."

Cale's expression hardened. His heart sank. Now, it seemed that a full member of the secret organization, not just an assassin, had gone there. Why? In 'The Birth of a Hero,' the blue wolf clan was the target of extermination.

Han, looking at Cale's cold expression, recalled that moment. He clenched his fists unconsciously, his hands trembling with anger.

The houses in the village deep in the mountains were surprisingly cozy and quaint. But they were all shattered, and the blue wolf clan bodies were charred black, as if burned by fire.

The charred bodies, the acrid smell of burning, the dark red blood oozing from the open wounds, and the fact that most of the blue wolves had died with their eyes open.

"The mountain village was already devastated. When we arrived, many blue wolf clan members were already dead."

The blue wolf clan, with their powerful physical strength. How did the assassins kill them?

Wolves valued their family, pack, and friends more than their own lives.

The weak young wolf humans, who had not yet undergone their first berserk transformation, were taken hostage by the assassins. Using a divine object, the assassins weakened and killed the adult wolves. Later, they killed the young wolves as well, using holy water on some of the adults who fiercely resisted.

The blue wolf clan, abandoned by the gods. The secret organization, which used this fact, was a formidable group, possessing divine objects. They were cruel, taking young children hostage and killing their parents and elders in front of them.

'The divine object they used wasn't mentioned.'

If he knew what it was, he could have taken a step closer to uncovering the identity of the secret organization. Unfortunately, the book only described the weakened state of the wolf humans due to the divine object, not the identity of the organization.

Cale asked softly.

"Were they all dead?"

Han shook his head. Cale's expression hardened. Seeing his hardened face, Han continued.

"They were trying to take the surviving young wolves."

Take? Originally, they were to be exterminated. Why take the young wolves? Cale's mind began to complicate. Han met Cale's gaze, which seemed lost in deep thought.

"When we reached the entrance of the blue wolf clan village, the chief was dying."

The blue wolf clan had a population of less than 100.

"And there were 10 young wolves who were about to be taken."

...This story is changing too much.

"And at the moment the chief fell, a boy appeared in front of those who were trying to take the young wolves."

"...Lak?"

"Yes, it was Lak."

Why did the boy who had been hiding when the young wolves were killed appear this time? Did he think death and kidnapping were different? What made Lak reveal his wolf nature?

"I stopped them. Or rather, I tried to kill them."

As he said this, Han looked at Cale. Cale, showing no change in expression, urged him to continue.

"Go on."

"...I realized the black-clothed figures without the star pattern were the same assassins I encountered in Harris Village, from the dark power they used."

Cale, with a surprised look, repeated.

"The same power that exterminated Harris Village?"

"Yes."

"...I see."

Cale rubbed his forehead and sighed. It seemed like he was surprised to hear this for the first time, but of course, it was an act.

"Among them, the only one with a red star and five white stars on his chest killed the guard."

Han's eyes narrowed.

"And he was a piece of trash who drank the blood of the blue wolf clan."

Cale closed his eyes.

The blood-drinking mage. The mad officer currently leading the terrorist incidents in the capital. Cale, still with his eyes closed, listened to Han's words.

"Ultimately, I couldn't capture or kill them. Those who were captured committed suicide, and the rest were taken away by the one with the six stars using a teleportation spell."

Why did the top-tier mage, who was obsessed with blood and drank it, take the young blue wolves who were supposed to be exterminated?

'Did something change because I rescued the dragon?'

The only variable Cale could think of was his own actions.

"The mage said this."

Han's voice, trying to remain calm but filled with anger, came out.

"Pity. They would have been perfect as seeds. The young ones would have tasted even better."

Seeds. Cale didn't understand the meaning but etched the word into his mind, opening his eyes to ask Han.

"So what happened to the children?"

The guard, the chief, and the adult wolves were all dead, leaving only the 10 children.

Han slightly avoided Cale's gaze. It was the first time he had shown such behavior since they met at the table. Cale instinctively knew. Han reported in a low voice.

"They are at the inn."

I knew it. Han, after a few moments, added softly.

"We came here with Rosalyn's magic."

...This is going to be a big problem. Cale's head began to ache. He could have entrusted them to the merchant of the caravan. The merchant, though now far from power, was still an excellent one.

"Sir Cale, by the way, the merchant who came with us is also at the inn."

Is this how the story is going to unfold? Cale thought exactly that. He stared at Han. Han, finally leaning back in his chair, let out a shallow sigh. Cale asked him.

"Curious?"

Han, looking at the cold food, replied.

"Yes, I am curious."

There was no need to specify what he was curious about.

Who they were.

Why they did such things.

And why Cale knew them.

Cale, looking at Han's eyes fixed on the food, thought.

'This guy is really angry.'

But not at him. Han was sharpening his anger towards the secret organization like a sharp sword, due to Harris Village, the mistreated dragon, and the blue wolf clan. Given Han's personality, confrontation would come before avoidance.

Cale picked up a piece of bread that was still good even when cold, tore off a bite-sized piece, and spoke.

"I plan to tell you two facts."

"...Not more?"

"Yes."

Cale, looking intently at Han, spoke indifferently. He stood up, still holding the bread, and the chair slid silently on the carpet.

"Stand up."

"...Where are we going?"

Seeing Han stand up, Cale checked the time. It was well past evening, heading into the night, and that place shone even brighter at night.

"Temple of the God of Death."

Cale planned to go to the Temple of the God of Death, the place that shone the brightest as night fell, with Han.

The Temple of the God of Death had unique priests not found in other temples.

Deaf priests.

They couldn't hear, so the followers of the God of Death sought them out. Cale, though not a follower, intended to visit them like most nobles.

Only after reaching the door did Cale turn around. Han was still standing by the table, silent. Cale gave him a slight smile.

"I plan to tell you two truths."

But the words that came out were not light.

"On my life."

Han's eyes wavered slightly. But unlike him, Cale continued to smile as he spoke.

"Follow me."

Han slowly walked past the table and approached the door. His eyes had calmed, and his face was hardened. Cale, turning the doorknob, spoke.

"I'll tell you the truth, on my life."

Cale and Han headed to the Temple of the God of Death together.