Chapter 127 : Chapter 127
Chapter 127 Noah Basor (1)
The magician's carriage had no horses.
Since it was a desert, camels would be more appropriate than horses, but that was also wrong. It moved on its own. It was an automatic carriage designed by the Magic Tower.
“He said it's rechargeable. Ah. It's blinking.”
Simurtr poured magic into the spreading nuclear of the carriage. The nuclear was within arm's reach from the driver's seat where he was sitting.
“Would you like some of this? It's delicious.”
When he opened his mouth, a beef jerky entered.
It was very salty. It was tailored to the taste of beastmen rather than humans.
“How is it?”
“…It's delicious.”
Simurtr gave a reply that suited Ayade's expectant eyes. He took and ate what she gave him again.
“But aren't you trusting me too much?”
It was their first meeting, but she was too friendly.
Of course, he was the one who had saved her.
“The place we're going now. It's the place where the magician was trying to take you guys.”
The Red Magic Tower branch.
Simurtr was heading to the same place as the magician.
It was a place where there would be humans or facilities related to Kua.
“You're taking us because we don't know the way, right? You said you'd take us there after finishing your business.”
“I'm not the one who's going to take you. I'm going to entrust you to someone else.”
“Still.”
He was thinking of entrusting them to Degrate.
Lampina. If it was a region in charge of the entrance to Hindra, a crow of Degrate would be staying there.
Their home is hidden by a barrier, but Degrate would be able to find it.
“What do you mean, ‘still’? What if I entrust you to some strange person?”
“Is he a strange person?”
“No, but that's just an expression. He could sell you into slavery, or he could take you to the place where that spellcaster was trying to take you.”
This is why they got caught.
“Isn't this why you were caught by that spellcaster too?”
“I told you I killed five of them.”
“That must be a lie.”
“It's true. I attacked as soon as I saw them earlier.”
“Then why aren't you attacking me?”
“You saved us.”
“Still, you should be suspicious. It's not just anywhere, it's the middle of the desert.”
“Egna is fine.”
Her expression is bright.
Not a hint of worry could be seen on Ayade's face.
“Why?”
“You're a Harkinwagen, aren't you?”
“Do you know what Harkinwagen is? We have a slave trading guild too.”
“What are you talking about? You're a Margraviate. You even received swordsmanship instruction from the hero, Exa. Do you think I wouldn't know that?”
Simurtr's eyes widened.
In Hindra, and living in a place confined by a barrier, she knew an imperial noble?
A beastman, not even a human?
“Almost all the Melken nobles are trash, but he said we can trust Harkinwagen.”
“Who said that?”
“The deputy commander uncle.”
The front window of the carriage opened, and the children poked their heads out.
“Commander!”
“Commander uncle!”
“Where's the commander!”
And then they suddenly shouted.
“They're calling for the commander.”
“No. Kids. I said it's the deputy commander uncle, not the commander.”
“Commander!”
The laughing children fell backward.
“Who is that uncle?”
“Ah. I'm sorry. He told me not to say.”
“You said we can trust Harkinwagen, didn't you?”
“But you're an imperial noble. He said it shouldn't get into the ears of other nobles.”
“That uncle?”
“Yes.”
Who on earth is he?
A human who shouldn't be known to the imperial nobles, and at the same time, dislikes nobles and frequently visits the home of beastmen.
“Is he wanted by the empire?”
That's the only thing that comes to mind.
A person wanted by Melken is the most plausible.
“How could that be?”
“Then why is it a secret?”
“I told you. Almost all the Melken nobles are trash.”
It's not entirely wrong.
“Who's the biggest trash?”
“The Hero Families.”
“Wow.”
Simurtr revised his assessment of the person called uncle.
Now that he saw it, he wasn't wanted, he was an excellent intellectual.
“All three of them?”
“Yes.”
“Mectera too?”
“Of course. He said it stinks from the inside too.”
“…Wow.”
This is at the level of a sage.
Why would such a talented person not go to the Sage's Castle?
“If Egna had been a Mectera, I would have attacked.”
“You would have died.”
“Still, the children would have escaped.”
It was a good thing I hid my real name.
It came out reflexively.
***
Disliking nobles is not particularly surprising.
That aversion being limited to the Melken Empire is also understandable.
‘Melken is the biggest. It also has the most nobles.’
When people gather, there is always trash mixed in.
The bigger it gets, the more there will inevitably be.
‘Even fellow humans dislike them.’
Many humans already do, so what reason is there for a beastman not to?
On the contrary, they should dislike them even more. Trash. That expression is correct.
Beastmen were often oppressed.
They were comrades-in-arms in the Doom War, but after the war, their relationship reverted.
Isn't the plight of the elves who lost their world tree a representation of the human perception of other races?
“Human experimentation? You said he was a magician from the Red Tower.”
“Among the nobles, the biggest trash are the hero families.”
“Ah. That's right.”
The dead spellcaster might have left some traces.
The home of the beastmen is protected by a barrier, but Hindra itself may have already been exposed.
“So be careful. If you're going to play demonic beast hunting, tell an adult to bring them inside the barrier.”
“They probably won't listen to that.”
“Then you have to play something else.”
The hero family, Basor, kidnaps humans and conducts experiments.
Simurtr explained roughly. There was no need for detailed stories, including Kua or the experiments.
“Basor was the biggest trash.”
“Right. Among the hero families, Mectera is on the better side.”
“He said that place stinks too.”
“He said it was cut out.”
“Who?”
“I don't really know. Harkinwagen, you see.”
Aran cut it out.
“How is it?”
The carriage was parked.
When the castle gate leading into Lampina came into view in the distance, Simurtr showed his face to Ayade.
“Wow. How did you do that?”
Ayade looked at Simurtr's face with curious eyes.
The straight bridge of his nose had become a hooked nose. His smooth skin had become rough, and his lips had also become thicker.
It was unpleasant just looking at him with open eyes. It was the face of the dead magician from before.
“My secret technique.”
“Are you bragging?”
“No. I'm saying it's a secret. Don't tell anyone.”
“Okay. But I can't feel it.”
She touched the bridge of his nose, but she couldn't feel the curve.
She felt his original sharp nose bridge. His skin, his lips too.
It only looked like that, but what she touched was his original face.
“You don't need to touch it that far.”
It was a disguise for infiltration.
If someone were to touch him, he would then implement the Phantasmal Ability on his sense of touch, but there was no need to do that yet. It would just be a waste of magic.
In the first place, he didn't think anyone would touch his face.
“How is it? Is it the same?”
“Um. No. His nostrils were a little bigger.”
“Like this?”
“Yes. Ah. His hair was longer too. No. Not just long. A little dirtier. Yes. He had dandruff. Oh.
Now. It's the same. Lastly, the pimples too. His skin was particularly dirty.”
The whiter the Phantasmal Color shone, the uglier his face became.
To this extent?
Ayade was convinced when that thought came to her.
“Yes. It's done now. It's the same. But his clothes are different.”
“Ah. I packed it.”
He had received a subspace pouch from Semenu.
Simurtr put his hand in, took out the robe the magician had been wearing, and put it over his shoulders.
A pattern of a strong fire and the wind surrounding it was embroidered on the chest. The symbol of the Red Tower.
“Oh.”
“It's the same, right?”
“Yes. I wanted to kill you just now.”
A compliment he didn't want to hear.
Simurtr responded with a smile and looked down at his own body.
Under the symbol of the Red Tower, five lines were drawn horizontally. It meant the 5th circle.
“Am I about thirty with this?”
“I don't really know human ages.”
Thirty years old.
He had settled on that kind of appearance.
“At this level, he would have had a personal teacher.”
“That's right. He said he was a disciple.”
“Whose?”
“I don't know about that. He was talking to himself. He said it would be a result worthy of his master's disciple.”
“Is that so?”
He would find out when he went in anyway.
He was planning to ask for information when he entrusted the children to the crow.
“Get in the carriage now.”
“Okay.”
Ayade entered without a word.
It was the castle gate in front of the great desert. The inspection would surely be strict, but…….
“From here is the Abera territory of the Lampina Principality… Ah! You must be Alengdre Heichi.”
“Mm.”
“The carriage behind… ah. Is it the orphans again this time?”
“That's right.”
“To be so merciful even to the orphans outside the empire… as expected of Melken's Magic Tower.”
“It would be Basor's Magic Tower.”
Simurtr said, wrinkling his brow.
A spellcaster of Basor would have answered like this.
“I'm sorry!”
“Right.”
There was no need to show the pass.
Simurtr passed by without even looking at the guard.
‘They have terrible handwriting. Things that are just cooped up in a back room.’
The signature on the pass was so crooked that no one could recognize it.
Alengdre Heichi. He finally knew the name.
“That was easy.”
“Even trash has its uses.”
“But you could have just passed as Egna without pretending to be a magician. You're a Harkinwagen.”
“Then they would have inspected the carriage.”
The land of Lampina.
To Abera, the territory in charge of the northern entrance to Hindra, Harkinwagen is a mere guest.
The treatment can't be the same as for the Red Tower, which has established a branch and become a member.
“It'll be a big deal if you guys get found out.”
They are a rare type of beastman.
Perhaps the lord himself would come to check, or maybe the Red Tower would come directly.
Even if they are lucky and don't come, they will eventually be found out.
Then it becomes troublesome. The initial objective could be achieved somehow, but the children might be in danger.
“Then what about now? Are we still useful?”
“I am.”
“And we're not?”
“Probably?”
“That's pretty bad.”
“That's why it's trash.”
Ayade's eyes, stealing a glance at the street, were indifferent.
“Turn left here.”
“What?”
“Aren't we supposed to not be found out? If we go straight like this, it's Abera Castle. The lord's castle.”
“You've been here before?”
“We come to eat out sometimes.”
“With that deputy commander uncle?”
“Yes. But we have to wear robes.”
It meant that the deputy commander was someone who could handle it even if a beastman was discovered.
Either his status is high, or his skills are certain.
“Then do you happen to know about the crows too?”
“The crow beastmen?”
“No.”
This is not the way to ask.
“He runs a shop, but he doesn't do the shop's work. Let's say it's a butcher shop, but the meat they sell is bad.”
“Doesn't it go bankrupt?”
Ayade's ears perked up.
Is it because she's a carnivore?
“No. Surprisingly, there are often customers. But if you look closely, they all leave empty-handed. They don't buy any meat.”
“Ah. Are you talking about Rubi's General Store?”
“You know it?”
“Yes. There. It's the third shop from the right.”
It had a blue sign.
Rubi was written in yellow, and it was a small and cozy but eye-catching shop because of its colors.
“Can you watch the carriage for a moment?”
“Okay.”
The way to check if the opponent is a crow or not.
For Simurtr, it was a very easy task.
“Welco… sir…! It is an honor to meet a Noble Person!”
Rubi, who saw Simurtr's bare face, bowed her head.
***
“It’s a beastman.”
There was one crow.
In the warehouse inside, Simurtr faced Rubi. The children were sitting side by side next to them.
“Are they beastmen who live in Hindra?”
Rubi, the owner, recognized the children at once.
“You know them?”
“Yes. I don’t know the exact location, but I can specify the area. The barrier constructed by the Sage's Castle is tricky, but… if I take these children, there will be a reaction.”
If he brought the children, the beastmen there would recognize them on their own and open the barrier.
It was as expected. Degrate would have no trouble taking the children there.
“Can I ask you to do it?”
“Of course. I’ll call the White Snakes. It will take two days for them to answer the call. After all, Abera here is a remote area.”
White Snake.
A snake that mainly takes on protection requests rather than assassinations.
“Are you going too, Noble Person?”
“No. Just them. I’ll be in Abera for a while.”
“You’re not returning to the castle?”
He’s better than James, the crow of Hella.
Rubi respects Simurtr, but she doesn’t overdo the formalities.
That was good. Formalities and etiquette are just burdensome and annoying.
James was a competent and kind crow, but he was a bit too stiff.
“Everyone was looking for you. Our master also stopped short of releasing the snakes.”
“Is that so? Did the master’s daughter ask you to?”
“Yes. You disappeared in Poruo, and she said you were probably somewhere in Hindra.”
“Wow.”
Simurtr was impressed.
Sharen was definitely a raw gem.
“You canceled everything, right?”
“Yes. You said you met the hidden master.”
The corners of Rubi’s eyes curved slightly.
“Did you have a good time together?”
“Something like that? Did you tell the main family properly?”
“Yes. The message has probably reached them by now.”
“That’s a relief.”
Meeting Taparel.
Recovering in Semenu’s Phantasmal Realm, and arriving at this general store with Ayade and the children, only a day had passed.
Sharen’s request for support would have also taken time, so Mectera probably hadn’t left yet.
If they heard the news from Semenu, Mectera would also sit back and wait for his return.
“Ah. The master’s daughter asked me to tell her your return date. She said she would wait at the main castle.”
“Tell her it won’t take many days.”
What should I do?
Simurtr pondered as he answered.
Kua’s facility? If it’s there, he’ll naturally destroy it. He’ll also kill the believers, and if there are test subjects, he’ll have to save them.
‘The Red Tower branch?’
And the magicians there?
He wanted to kill them all if he could, but he shouldn’t.
He should exclude those who are unrelated. Even if they aren’t, he has to leave some alive.
That way, he won’t incur Basor’s resentment. He has to leave a way to learn magic.
‘If I kill them all, Basor will threaten me instead of persuading me.’
He will not deviate from Remeter’s purpose.
Instead of killing, he will capture and torture him.
Asking how he learned Phantasmal Ability.
‘I have to leave someone who can explain in detail what happened this time to Basor.’
A magician with considerable achievements in magic, and therefore extensive knowledge of Phantasmal Ability.
And a big shot who can report such things directly to Basor, not to the Magic Tower.
‘The branch manager is the most suitable, but…’
He doesn’t want to.
He knows in his head that it’s the most suitable… but he really wants to kill that bastard.
‘At the level of a branch manager, it’s impossible not to be involved with Kua.’
He’s probably managing Kua’s facility along with the branch.
“Egna. A customer is here.”
The ears of a beastman are sharp.
The extent of it varies by species, but a tiger beastman is a predator that reigns at the top of the pyramid.
“Oh my. You’re right.”
Thump. Thump. Rubi was impressed by the sound of someone knocking on the locked door.
Ayade’s hearing made her think of premonition.
Even before the general store’s door was opened, she said that someone would soon visit the general store.
“Can you do that with smell?”
“It was getting closer and closer.”
10 meters.
It was a small general store.
The area of the Sword Net was large enough to comfortably contain it. Simurtr focused on the customer standing in front of the door.
…A spellcaster.
“It’s a magician.”
“How do you know that?”
“Just a feeling?”
Instinct.
The unique intuition of a beastman, possessed from birth without needing to be deliberately honed.
“It’s hard to explain. I didn’t know when I met the magicians before.”
“You lost then. You were captured.”
“Yes.”
“Your instinct has come to recognize magicians. As an enemy that can kill you.”
She encountered a magician for the first time and was captured.
To the current Ayade, a magician is like an unbeatable predator.
Instinct has designated the species of magician as a dangerous target.
“How does Egna know that?”
“You’ll know it yourself if you live long enough.”
“Have you lived long?”
“Not that long. Quite a while?”
“I’m sorry. I’ll be right back.”
Eventually, Rubi stood up.
She had locked the door and turned off the shop’s lights.
The magician was continuously knocking on the door.
‘I don’t feel anything.’
He didn’t detect that there were people inside. No detection method was caught by the Sword Net.
The magician was just recklessly knocking on the general store’s door.
“Is it me?”
“What is?”
“Could he have come because of me? I can’t think of anything else.”
“He might have business at the general store.”
“Why would a magician come to a general store? It’s a place that doesn’t even have a single magic item.”
“You never know.”
“I think it’s me.”
“Seeing Egna reminds me of the lion tribe.”
“Suddenly?”
“Yes. They’re good at narcissism. Many of them even deliberately grow manes.”
“……”
“It’s a compliment. The lion tribe is one of the strongest species in our society.”
“It’s an insult to me.”
“A beastman slur?”
Simurtr ignored her and focused on the outside.
Rubi had just opened the door, and the magician had entered.
He spoke.
“Rubi. I heard you are the crow stationed in the Abera territory of the Lampina Principality. Is that correct?”
“What? What are you talking about…”
“I came alone. I will not inform anyone, nor will I harbor any greed. I promise on the honor of my family.”
“What?”
The path of magic.
It takes conviction and blind faith as its taboos.
Such a magician is now certain. He is trying to swear on mana.
“My name is Noah Basor. If you wish, I will promise on the honor of the hero family of the Melken Empire, Basor. So please…”
Noah.
Simurtr heard that name for the first time in his life.
But that name, and his wavering tone, didn't register.
‘Basor.’
…The fact that Basor had identified the crow's nest, the location of Degrate, was confusing his mind.
‘Basor.’
There is only one reason why Basor would look for a crow.
Tracking Degrate through torture. And capture.
The Phantasmal Ability needed to reach the Word Spirit. Basor has always sought to take Degrate's Phantasmal Ability.
The various experiments carried out for the research of Phantasmal Ability must have become even more cruel due to Kua…….
Kwang!
The warehouse door is destroyed.
Baekhwa. Simurtr, transformed into white, grabbed Noah Basor's neck.