53 — Chapter 53

The butler stopped in front of one of the doors and said, “Here it is.”

Hearing him, I reached for the handle, ready to enter the room.

“Kain, sleep well,” John’s voice drifted out just as I twisted the knob. He had gone in before me. I simply raised a hand in response and stepped inside.

As expected of the mayor’s mansion, the door opened and closed without a single creak of friction. After closing it fully, I took a look around.

The first things that caught my eye were a table and a single bed. A window stood slightly to the right, framed by pale green curtains that matched strangely well with the green moon glowing outside. After scanning the room, I walked to the center and sat cross-legged on the floor.

I didn’t plan to sleep. Instead, I intended to practice circulating qi.

Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply, feeling the natural energy flow into my body.

Knock, knock.

“Please be ready,” came the butler’s gentle voice through the door.

Exhaling, I slowly opened my eyes and stood, stretching to loosen my body. I could feel the energy gathered in my lower dantian. Compared to last night, it had swelled—about nine units worth. Eleven more to go.

I stepped into the small room with a washbasin, cleaned myself quickly, then sat on the edge of the bed.

Sunlight streamed through the window, warming the floor. From the angle, I guessed the window faced east. As I watched the golden light spilling across the floorboards, I felt someone approaching my door.

Knock, knock.

“Kain, may I come in?” John’s voice.

So early? What could it be about? Well, I’d know once he came in. I spoke up.

“Come in.”

Click.

“Haha, thanks,” he said as the door opened. His bangs were hanging down over his forehead now, changing his impression entirely. With his usual slicked-back style, he looked fairly presentable. Now, with his hair covering his face, he honestly looked a bit foolish. I doubted I was the only one who would think so.

“Good morning,” John greeted as he walked toward the window where the sunlight poured in. Sitting cross-legged right on the floor, he closed his eyes as if to bask in the light.

A peculiar guy.

“This feels wonderful,” he murmured suddenly.

Wonderful? The sunlight? This moment? I wasn’t sure what he meant. But then his next words went somewhere else entirely.

“I feel really good being with you, Kain.”

Being with me? That was sudden. Did he mean it in that way? He didn’t strike me as the type. Then what?

Countless questions flickered through my mind, but none offered a clear answer.

“I like strength,” John continued. “And I respect the strong.”

So that was it. He thought I was strong, and that’s why he liked being around me.

“I don’t know exactly why, but I can tell you’re very strong. It’s just the feeling I get. So I respect you.”

Now I understood. That was why he’d been so friendly from the start. If that was his reason, then it would be easy to make him my subordinate. A man who respects the strong… there’s no one better suited to serve me.

To sense my strength at a glance—he wasn’t just any greenhorn. With a little guidance, he could become formidable. Perhaps even someone no other human could stand against.

“Haha, that must sound silly first thing in the morning, huh?” John laughed, looking at me with his usual smile.

Silly, yes. But in truth, they were the words I liked most since coming to the Human Realm. To like strength, to respect the strong… yes, that pleased me.

“No. They were good words,” I said flatly, shaking my head.

“Hahaha, thank you,” John said brightly, laughing out loud. He stretched his arms overhead in a big yawn, then stood. Watching him, I rose from the bed as well.

Once again, I sensed movement approaching from outside. It felt like the butler, probably coming to summon us for breakfast given the time.

Knock, knock.

“Breakfast will be served at the hall where the attendants are stationed. Please arrive within twenty minutes,” came the butler’s gentle, even voice through the door.

As expected, it was about breakfast. I might as well try it. Since this was the mayor’s mansion, the food should be far better than a roadside inn’s.

“Understood,” John replied in my place, calling back through the door.

A moment later, the sound of the butler’s steps retreated slowly. Strange… what had he been thinking, standing outside that long?

“You’ll be having breakfast, right?” John asked in his lively tone from beside me.

I gave a nod and walked out. I was genuinely curious to see what the food would be like.

After finishing the lavish breakfast and resting in my room for a while, I stepped into the garden around noon. The taste of the meal had been remarkable. As expected of the mayor’s household, the dishes were leagues above anything served at an inn. Even the other mercenaries at my table couldn’t help voicing their admiration as they ate.

“The carriages have been arranged outside the west gate. You’ll need to walk there from here. Please give it your all. As I mentioned before, anyone who slays more than three minotaurs or shows outstanding performance will receive an additional fifty gold. I wish you all the best of luck.”

The mayor spoke before the gathered thirty men, then gave instructions to his butler and returned into the mansion.

Watching him leave, one question came to mind. If he used his private guards or knights, surely they could handle the minotaurs. As the mayor of a city, he must have some forces under his command. Yet he chose to hire outsiders instead. He must be unwilling to waste his own strength.

Not that it mattered to me. I brushed aside the thought and followed after the others as they began to move.

Ahead of me, I saw the black mage. Yesterday they had carried their staff in their left hand, but today it rested in their right. Despite the spring season, the afternoon sun still burned warmly, yet they wore a heavy black robe, hood pulled low over their face. Weren’t they hot under there?

It had to be a robe enchanted with magic.

Since it was afternoon, the streets were crowded, and nearly every pair of eyes turned toward us. A group of thirty armed men walking together was bound to make for an unusual spectacle.

So we’d become a parade for their entertainment?

John seemed to think the same thing, glancing around as he muttered, “Feels like we’re a bunch of monkeys on display.”

I let his words pass, lost in my own thoughts as we walked.

“Look, I can see the carriages,” John said when the march began to feel tedious.

Sure enough, I spotted the outline of a carriage peeking through the west gate. Once we passed through, the full sight came into view—much larger than I’d expected. Each carriage was big enough for four people to lie down and sleep inside, and four horses were harnessed to pull just one.

Bundles wrapped in cloth were stacked on the roof—food supplies, most likely.

“The mayor must have high hopes for us, giving us carriages this size! Wahaha!”

One man laughed heartily as he circled the carriage, and others chimed in with their own comments, each tossing in a word or two as if they couldn’t hold it back.

“Let’s get moving already.”

The black mage spoke at last. Their voice was as grim as ever, a sound that grated on the ears and offered no comfort.

“Tch, if it weren’t for that black mage…”

A man near me muttered under his breath. He was at the Paladin level, his face twisted with irritation. Clearly, his pride had been wounded. For warriors, pride was everything—but clinging to it in useless places only harmed yourself. He hadn’t realized that yet.

“Greetings. I’m Venkuber, and I’ll be escorting you all safely. Since everyone’s gathered, I’ll let you know which carriage you’ll be riding. First, Kain, John, and… ah, the black mage—you’ll be in the front carriage. And next…”

The bearded man who introduced himself as Venkuber went on assigning places. By coincidence, I ended up grouped with John and the black mage. I didn’t bother listening to the rest. Instead, I headed straight for the front carriage.

It struck me that no one had spoken the black mage’s name. Perhaps they hadn’t given it. There were plenty of reasons someone like them might withhold that, but I didn’t think too hard on it. Whether I learned it now or later was only a matter of time.

Climbing aboard, I found the carriage just as spacious inside as it had looked from the outside. Three people could lie down to sleep and still have room to spare. The black mage was already seated, absently fiddling with their staff. At some point, they had shifted it from their right hand back to their left.

“Hyah!”

The driver’s voice rang out, and soon the familiar vibration spread through the floorboards and into my body. The carriage was on its way.