Chapter 50

“No, it’s fine.”

I shook my head again and lowered my gaze. At John’s waist, sitting there in the garden, a glint of steel caught my eye. The circular chakram touched the ground, its edges looking wickedly sharp. Just like what I imagined lay beneath John’s smiling surface.

“Not going over there?”

John pointed somewhere with his finger. Over there? He must have meant the place where people were gathering. I pulled my gaze from the chakram and followed the line of his hand. As expected, he was pointing to the group of those who had passed the test. Instead of answering, I simply nodded.

A nod was enough for him to understand. There was no need to waste words.

“Not really the type who likes joining the crowd, huh? That’s what it looks like. I get it—I’m not much of a people person either.”

John nodded along with a knowing smile. A guy who lived in a guild crawling with mercenaries claiming he didn’t mingle with others? He was hiding his truth well. Like another hidden face he wore—just as I hid my own strength. I only revealed it when necessary, and he would probably flash that hidden sharpness of his when he needed to.

But John, it’s not right to decide that for others. It’s not that I don’t want to be around people. I just prefer this spot over there, that’s all. Got it?

Not that he’d hear my thoughts anyway, and I had no interest in saying it out loud.

“Ah, the moon’s bright tonight.”

I glanced at his face as he tilted his head up toward the sky. Now that I thought about it, I’d only ever remembered him smiling. Looking closely, his eyes still carried that smiling curve, almost shut. Yet he could still see well enough to move without trouble. His skin was pale, his lips drawn into a permanent grin at the corners. That was the impression of John’s whole face.

His hair was a vivid blue, all slicked back neatly.

“Refreshing~”

He let out a sigh as he gazed at the green moon overhead, then sprawled out flat on the garden floor. I turned my attention away from him and back to the mage I had noticed earlier. The mage’s mana was at 5th circle, but their spellcasting ability was only at 4th class. Standing alone, they wore a black robe with the hood pulled down low over their face.

In their left hand was a gray staff. Around their body lingered a strange aura. They didn’t feel like an ordinary mage at all. That presence was familiar—where had I felt it?

It came to me immediately. The distorted aura of the Demon Realm, where fiends roamed. That was the feeling this mage gave off.

Could someone like that walk around so openly? If they had existed in ancient times, they would’ve been executed on the spot. Was it allowed now? The fact that I didn’t know much about this current age made me uncomfortable.

I really needed to make money fast and start learning modern knowledge. Still—

“A black mage, huh…”

This subjugation was starting to feel like it would be interesting. A black mage, and a mercenary wielding a chakram.

I lifted my head. The green moon washed the sky in a soft emerald glow.

Yeah. It had been a while. I might as well enjoy this.

“Everything changes, yet nothing really does…?”

“Greetings. I am Aldor, the butler of this estate. Brave ones, please gather over here.”

At the sound of the voice, I brushed away the pointless riddle in my head and rose to my feet. Chasing after questions without answers was nothing but foolishness. As I started walking toward where the butler stood, John’s voice followed me from behind.

“Let’s go together.”

I thought about replying but let it drop. No point in wasting words. The butler wasn’t far now. Most of the others had already gathered in front of him, likely because they had been sitting closer from the start.

The ones at Paladin-level sat together, while those at the Sword Expert realm clustered nearby. It looked almost like children splitting into teams.

The only ones still not there were me, John, and the black mage. The black mage leaned on their staff as they walked at an unhurried pace, every step radiating a kind of ease that only the truly strong could carry. To me, they were still just an amateur, but I wondered how the others saw them.

“No weapon?”

The question came casually from my side as we walked. I didn’t flinch. Instead, I gave a blunt answer, my thoughts drifting elsewhere.

“Yes.”

What would actually make me flustered? I tried to remember. The word itself felt strange now. As a child, I had been startled plenty of times. But after spending years in the Demon Realm, I must have forgotten what it meant to be caught off guard.

“Where is it, then? I don’t see anything.”

John sounded genuinely curious, pulling me back to the moment. There was no need to explain much. Best to let things flow as they were.

“Somewhere you can’t see.”

“Ah, I see.”

John nodded in understanding. He walked beside me with steady, even steps. No matter the situation, his legs wouldn’t falter. The moonlight flashed against the chakram at his waist, drawing my eyes to it.

His hand rested on the weapon, moving with an almost rhythmic motion. It was scarred all over. He must have trained endlessly, though it didn’t match the easy smile on his face. A cheerful grin paired with battered, hardened hands.

“Everyone has gathered. I will now explain the schedule ahead in brief. The details will be given inside.”

“Just hurry up and talk already, I’m starving! Hahaha!”

“Yeah, and if we fight poorly because of hunger, will you take responsibility?”

As John and I reached the butler, Aldor spoke in a gentle voice. His words drew a wave of joking complaints from the group.

Yeah, try spouting those same jokes in front of a minotaur. If you survive, I’ll even applaud.

“Proceed quickly.”

A deep, chilling voice rumbled from a short distance away. The sound was laced with the distorted aura of another dimension. An ordinary person hearing it would’ve felt shivers crawl over their skin. I looked and saw the black mage standing apart, shrouded in a black robe. With the hood pulled low, I couldn’t see their face, but judging from that eerie, emotionless tone, their expression was probably blank.

“……”

“……”

“Oh, what a voice. Impressive.”

John’s voice broke the silence, cheerful as always. It stood in sharp contrast to the black mage’s eerie, oppressive tone. The Paladin-level warriors who had joked earlier didn’t say a word now. Their lips stayed sealed.

I caught the look in their eyes—steeped in fear. Did they realize that mage was a black mage? Or did they simply assume it because of the robe? My question was answered soon enough by the butler.

“Then, as the Black Mage has said, we shall proceed.”

His voice was gentle, but I could hear the faint tremor beneath it. Proof that even he feared the black mage. Were they really that terrifying? But how did he know? He couldn’t possibly sense the warped aura I did; only someone of a high realm could notice such a thing.

So what was it? The black robe? If it was just that, then it meant black mages weren’t automatically marked for execution in this age. I shelved the thought and listened.

“We will depart after spending the night here. Tomorrow afternoon we set out. The estimated travel time to the minotaurs’ lair is one day. Now, please follow me.”

With that, the butler turned and began walking ahead. So he gathered us here just to say that? The earlier inspection, and now this—whoever ordered this was clearly incompetent.

“What the hell? He called us here just for that?”

“Seriously. What a joke.”

Two men muttered in front of me, both irritated, though not loudly enough to cause trouble. Too much money was on the line for them to risk it.

“Haha, quite ridiculous, isn’t it?” John laughed lightly, still polite, tilting his head toward me as if asking for agreement. I simply gave a slight nod in response.

“This way, everyone, please.”

The butler stood beside the mansion door and bowed gracefully, right arm bent at a perfect right angle across his stomach. The movement was smooth, practiced, and carried an air of refinement. After everyone else went inside, I slipped past him and entered last.

Inside, voices of awe rose immediately.

“Whoa…”

“How much do you think that vase costs?”

“Whistle~ Pretty lavish, huh?”

Just as John said with a whistle, the interior was extravagant. A massive chandelier hung from a ceiling nearly three stories high. Curved staircases led up to the second floor from both sides, and another led further up to the third. The hall itself was broad enough to hold more than a hundred people without feeling crowded. A rich red carpet stretched across the entire floor.

On each side, decorated stands bore countless ornaments, and weapons adorned the walls. One sword in particular caught my eye. Except for being pure white, it looked strikingly similar to my own.

Click.

“Please, follow me upstairs.”

The butler’s smooth voice floated back as the sound of the closing door echoed behind us.