BXBX NOVEL Chapter 66 - Trowman Rings (11)
Chapter 66 - Trowman Rings (11)
Now that all the Force Honors of the Trowman Rings, Gisellan, Fianne and Eizek were gathered, Beniang held a meeting.
It was mainly to introduce Frey and Eizek to one another and to address the circle’s situation.
Eizek was the one who opened his mouth first.
“I never imagined that you would find a Circle Rounder while I was away.”
“The situation was urgent. I’m sorry if I offended you.”
Eizek shook his head at Beniang’s words.
“It’s not that. I’m just worried about the circle’s future.”
“…”
Eizek looked at Frey with calm eyes.
“Rounder Frey, if Master Beniang and the other two Force Honors acknowledge you, then I have nothing to say.”
Frey did not believe that Eizek truly accepted him, but that he would simply watch the situation for the time being.
In fact, Eizek never had any intentions of opposing Beniang’s decision.
Apart from that, it would be strange if he was not wary of this strange man named Frey.
From the start, Eizek had been looking at Frey with a searching gaze.
And Frey was the same.
‘So this is Honor Eizek.’
Frey inspected him quietly.
He then realised that the man in front of him was neither a Wizard nor a Magic Warrior.
Eizek was a Contractor.
If one was to be blunt, he was more suited for the Phisfounder Armlets than this circle.
‘Everyone said that he is unrivaled among the Trowman Rings’ executives.”
He was the man who played the role of ace before Frey’s arrival.
Frey felt that this reputation was most likely not an exaggeration.
Then Adelia crept up to his side and poked him in the ribs.
“Hey. What the hell happened in two months that allowed you to become the Rounder?”
Before Frey could even respond, Gisellan spoke up with a stiff face.
“Adelia, be more polite to the Circle Rounder.”
“…it’s driving me insane. He became successful in a flash.”
Adelia grumbled.
But her reaction was understandable.
A cute(?) student who used to address her politely had suddenly become her superior.
For Adelia, who had been agonizing over a way to trick Frey into becoming her disciple, this was really too shocking.
“…”
Gisellan’s eyes became filled with anger when he saw her grumbling.
Then Adelia sighed and pouted.
“Alright, alright. Rounder Frey. Do I need to address him like that?”
“Use honorifics.”
“…am I doing it right now?”
Frey found her reaction to be quite amusing.
This was because Adelia, who could even address the 3rd Magic Tower’s Master as ‘old man’, behaved like a mouse before a cat in front of Gisellan.
Adelia sighed again at the unfairness before changing her way of thinking.
‘…wait a second. Doesn’t this mean he’s not a student anymore?” (Note: oooh I like where her mind went)
While Adelia seemed to be staring at Frey with a different look in her eyes, Eizek began to speak.
“Master Beniang, if it’s okay with you, I’d like to give my mission report before learning about the circle’s situation.”
“Go ahead,”
“Thank you.”
Eizek nodded before continuing.
“As you know, my mission was to find any traces left behind by the Successor of the Magic Warrior King. And I found a clue near the Great Reynols Forest, the territory of the Elves. I immediately gave chase…and I made contact with him.”
“A-, are you serious?”
Those words make Gisellan and everyone else’s eyes widen.
The Successor of Magic Warrior King Kasajin!
His whereabouts were something that was of great interest to the Circle.
Many had been able to find traces of his movements, and there were even a few circles who had successfully made contact with him.
Nevertheless, he had yet to join a circle and was still acting alone.
Eizek knew why.
Even though he had not been careless, he’d still managed to receive considerable injuries.
“He’s not the kind of person you can talk to.”
Sik.
Eizek took off his coat and revealed a horrible wound.
“H-, hup…!”
“A-, are you okay?”
His chest was sunken as though he had been crushed by something heavy.
The severe bruising and red, swollen veins caused even the former mercenary, Gisellan, to frown.
That was because it was much worse than it appeared. Several of his ribs must be broken, but it seemed that Eizek had done some preliminary treatment.
Eizek put on back his clothes before continuing.
“I’m fine now. I was near death for four days, but it was luck that saved my life…just as it is said within the Circle, he has an unpredictable personality. He said that he had no intention of talking to anyone unless he acknowledged them.”
This caused the expressions of those who knew of Eizek’s prowess to stiffen.
If it had been any other circle executive who had been sent to complete the task, they would have already become a corpse.
“He already knows about the Demigods. However, he didn’t seem interested in the subjugation of the Demigods or the Circle. He said that seeing the end of the martial arts path is his top priority.”
Even though he knew about the Demigods, he refused to cooperate.
Frey frowned at that.
He didn’t like the idea that such a person was using the title ‘Successor of the Martial Warrior King’.
However, his personal opinion aside, it was very clear from Eizek’s wounds that he was proficient in the Warrior King’s Fist. (Note: translation it is)
‘Now that I think about it, Kasajin wasn’t that interested in the Demigods at first either.’
When he had first created his group, it was Kasajin who had been the hardest to persuade.
But when he joined their side, he was more determined than anyone else.
Frey felt like he needed to meet with this Successor of the Magic Warrior King.
No, he didn’t think.
He had to meet him.
‘He doesn’t need to be on the same level as Kasajin. If we could get the help of a First Class Magic Warrior proficient in the Warrior King’s Fist…’
They would be a great help when he tried to defeat Demigods in the future after reaching 9 stars.
“Is he staying in the Great Reynols Forest?”
“I don’t think so…it doesn’t seem like he stays in the same location for more than a month.”
One month.
He didn’t know how long he had been staying in the Great Reynols Forest, but he figured that there was not much time left.
After pondering for a while, Frey opened his mouth.
“How far is the Great Reynols Forest from here?”
“Do you intend to meet him?”
“That’s right. It would be very good if we could get him to join our circle.”
Eizek fell silent.
It wasn’t wrong.
Well, the words weren’t wrong.
In fact, there was nothing that Eizek could say about it because he had also been confident that he would be able to persuade that man.
But when he met him in person, it was more like meeting a wild beast instead of another human being.
And that was when he realised why the man was more comfortable being alone instead of in a circle.
From the Circle’s perspective, it did not look good when the Successor of the Magic Warrior King ran around doing whatever he wanted.
There were many extremists who thought of capturing him and then getting rid of him after they pried the secrets of the Warrior King’s Fist from him.
Nevertheless, this man was still able to frolic all across the continent.
This was because both their main plans and their contingencies failed.
It wasn’t just the Three Great Circles.
Many small and medium sized circles, some of whom were even stronger than the Trowman Rings, also sent many scouts.
And all of them failed.
Not a single one of them had been successful.
Although he had these thoughts, Eizek still took out a map from his bag.
The Circle Rounder’s question could not be ignored.
Chuk.
Eizek pointed to the map while speaking.
“I’ll show you the shortest route. This is the location of our circle. First, follow this road south to ‘Grode’. It’s a bit closer to us than Uthiano, and it has a Warp Stone. Then, using the Warp Stone there, head to ‘Pillat’. Pillat is one of the closest cities to the Great Reynols Forest. From here to there, it takes about three days.”
Pillat.
The moment he heard that, Frey’s expression slightly changed.
This city, on the eastern end of the empire, was none other than the home of the Blake Family.
“From there, you can only go by foot. Of course, the mountain path leading to the forest is quite long and rough…if you use a carriage, you’d be able to save time and energy.”
“I can hire a carriage?”
Eizek nodded.
“There is a caravan of peddlers who trade with the elves. It seems like there are transactions every month. Of course, we can’t use them to enter the forest.”
“So the fastest way would be to join their group.”
“That’s right. The peddlers are always looking for mercenaries to accompany them. Someone with Rounder Frey’s skills would be very welcomed.”
Eizek did not know exactly how strong Frey was, but he did know that in order for him to become the Rounder, he had to be at least 6 stars.
There was no reason for Frey to not join the caravan since the mercenary world treated anyone who had reached 5 stars like nobility.
“…”
Frey pondered for a moment before turning to Beniang.
“Master Beniang, I think I will go meet the Successor of the Magic Warrior King.”
“Yes. I thought you would.”
Beniang nodded as she agreed.
“For now, the circle is fine. The foundation has been solidified, and even those who were wandering have found a path to follow. And Honor Eizek should be healed in time for the friendly competition in a month.”
“Friendly competition?”
Fianne was the one who responded to the confused Eizek.
“I will tell you later. Anyway, Rounder Frey, you don’t have to worry.”
Frey looked at their faces before nodding.
“Alright. Honor Gisellan, when is the Circle’s next biennial meeting?”
“In one year and six months.”
“…”
One year and six months.
It was enough time.
The Trowman Rings were still not ready for such a meeting.
Of course, it might not be enough time for him to achieve his goal.
‘9 stars.’
Frey was thinking about reaching 9 stars before the next meeting.
Or at least have enough power to unite the scattered circles.
Of course, that alone wasn’t enough.
Frey recalled the Golem core he had retrieved from Schweiser’s dungeon.
‘The faster I create Anastasia, the better.’
To reach 9 stars and to create Anastasia.
Neither one was easy.
If he stayed in the circle, then it would be quite difficult, but if he moved around on his own, it might be a different story.
Frey looked at Beniang and said.
“I will return before the meeting.”
“…are you saying that the Circle Rounder will be away for that long?”
Eizek was the one who spoke up with a stiff expression.
His reaction was natural.
The Circle Rounder was very different from the Force Honor.
Except for special cases, they rarely left their posts for such a long time.
It was Gisellan, not Frey, who answered him.
“He told us that it might happen from the beginning.”
“I don’t understand. I know that the Trowman Rings situation is dire. And that Rounder Frey’s abilities are excellent. But…”
“I know what you want to say. You’re worried that Rounder Frey might have requested a lot from us on the condition that he joined our circle. However, I can swear on my name that something like that never happened. In fact, we owe him a debt that we could never pay back.”
“…”
“You will understand soon enough. For now, trust me and let it go.”
Eizek sighed.
Since it was Gisellan who was talking, he was forced to believe him.
He was not as gullible as Beniang or Fianne.
He was a thick-skinned old man who had spent more than a decade in the ruthless mercenary world.
Gisellan’s presence was the only reason he could take long term missions without worry.
“Alright. Rounder Frey, please forgive my rudeness.”
Frey, who was looking at the map, simply nodded.
“It’s fine. Rather than that, would it be possible for me to take this map with me?”
“Sure. It’s not that expensive.”
“Thank you.”
Frey put the map away as he said this.
“Master Beniang, I’ll take my leave now.”
“Huh?! A-, already?”
“I think I need to leave as quickly as possible. I think it would be better than missing him by a small margin.”
“I, I see.”
Frey observed Beniang for a moment before saying.
“Please take good care of the circle, Master Beniang. I’m sorry that I won’t get to see the results of the friendly. Ah. But I don’t think I need to worry…”
When Frey’s eyes fell on them, Beniang, Gisellan and Fianne all flinched.
“…it shouldn’t be a problem, but if you don’t win by a landslide or at least by a large margin…”
“That won’t happen!”
“O-, of course! Isn’t that right, Honor Gisellan?!”
“Naturally!”
“I’ll take your word for it.”
Frey smiled.
“Then I look forward to when we meet again.”
* * *
[I look forward to when we meet again.]
She blinked.
It felt like she was in a dream for a long time.
She slowly woke up.
It was the middle of the night. The pale moon was high in the sky.
She felt like something was missing.
Looking down at her body, she immediately realised what it was.
“Ah…”
Feathers.
No feathers.
She couldn’t understand.
Why the hell did she have skin without feathers?
The shape of her body had also changed drastically.
She had no beak, no wings.
Did that matter?
It wasn’t like her power had weakened.
She could still spew out the flames that she was so proud of.
No, it felt like she had gotten even stronger than before.
She got up from her seat.
Flame-like hair cascaded like a wave down her back.
[Follow the footsteps of Torkunta and become the ruler of these mountains. Protect my friend’s dungeon.]
A warm voice filled her head.
It was that person’s voice.
She immediately understood that she should listen to what it said.
First of all.
To become the ruler of the mountains, she just had to put this area under her control.
She was reluctant to follow the footsteps of that unlucky Drake King, but there was no helping it.
And it wouldn’t be difficult. The strength she had now was more than enough.
Second.
Protect that person’s friend’s dungeon.
He was probably talking about that space inside the mountain.
That was easy too.
Naturally, as long as the area was under her control, it would ensure the safety of that space.
So, when she had achieved both of those things…could she go find that person?
[You will reign.]
She closed her eyes as she quietly remembered those words.