63 — Chapter 63

“There’s a realm above Sword Master called Grand Sword Master, and above that lies the Sword King realm.”

John spoke smoothly, without hesitation.

Sword King… that’s Jang Dubaek’s level.

If he wrote it that way in the Demon King’s Temple, it must be true. Since Jang Dubaek reached the Realm of Insight, I suppose I’ve also entered the same Sword King realm. Then the Grand Sword Master would correspond to the lower stage—the Realm of Transformation.

“And anything else you’re curious about?”

John turned to me with that same easy smile.

“I’ll tell you later.”

At my reply, John nodded knowingly and lay back down. Outside, the sky had already darkened considerably. Looked like we’d be camping near the Great Tree tonight. I’d climbed into the carriage earlier, thinking about how to earn money faster, and ended up asking John about martial realms out of curiosity. His answers had been more than satisfactory.

“Neighhh!”

“Whoa there~ Easy now.”

The coachman’s patient voice drifted through the carriage walls as the horses grew restless. He was good at calming them—probably knew their moods well.

“Fourth-class Master,” I said suddenly.

At that, the Black Mage’s steady aura rippled faintly.

Startled, are we? Shall I give you something to really react to?

“Mana—fifth circle.”

The moment I added that, his energy flared violently. On the surface, he didn’t move, but I could feel the tremor deep within his mana flow. Good. At least he knew how to hide surprise.

“What does that mean?” John asked, sitting up from his reclining position, curiosity clear in his tone.

“Quiet. Be silent.”

The Black Mage finally spoke, his usual eerie, rasping voice echoing through the carriage.

“What? What did you say?”

John mimicked the Black Mage’s tone and shrugged, grinning.

In an instant, I felt killing intent surge out from the Black Mage like sharp blades of wind.

“Neighhhhhh!!”

“Whoa, whoa! Easy, easy!”

Outside, the horses screamed—the kind of terrified cry that meant they’d felt it too. A moment later, the entire carriage jolted to a stop.

Yet John didn’t flinch. He kept smiling, as though amused by the tension. He really did like to tease—but too much of that would get him killed one day.

The Black Mage hadn’t spoken further, but his killing aura alone was enough to stop every horse in its tracks. If he hadn’t been suppressing it through sheer willpower, they would’ve gone mad by now.

But we couldn’t afford to sit still forever. So I opened my mouth and spoke softly.

“That’s enough. Calm yourself.”

At my words, the Black Mage’s killing intent began to fade—slowly but clearly. So he could release and withdraw it freely, could he? That kind of control only came from someone at a very high level.

I turned my head toward John, who had gone silent. Was the Black Mage just touchy about his speech pattern, or was he genuinely overreacting? Either way, it seemed like a thin line between the two.

“John.”

His reply came a little stiff, as though still nervous from earlier.

“Yes?”

First things first. Time to solve the most pressing problem.

“Got any work that pays well?”

I needed money. Not a fortune, but enough to cover something important.

“Money, huh? Hmm…”

John tilted his head thoughtfully, humming under his breath. The steady clop of hooves sounded five times before he finally spoke again.

“There’s one. Hard, but reliable.”

Hard but reliable? So the pay’s guaranteed, then?

“How much, on average?”

“Usually three to four hundred gold per job. If you’re lucky, a big one might reach a thousand—but those are dangerous.”

Three to four hundred gold as the average—impressive. And the tougher ones paid a thousand? That kind of risk probably meant real danger.

“Is it that one? That one?”

The Black Mage’s voice drifted through the carriage, low and cryptic. He must’ve caught on to what John meant.

“Yes, sir. I believe you know it well,” John said politely, glancing his way.

Polite? That was new. Maybe guilt over mocking him earlier.

“What kind of work?” I asked, gathering my thoughts.

“Bounty hunting.”

Bounty hunting?

The word hunting sounded odd at first, but somehow… fitting. Difficult but guaranteed—that’s exactly how John had put it. Finding wanted criminals wouldn’t be easy, but the pay would be certain.

That settled it. I’d take the job—bounty hunting for gold.

The carriage sped on, soon reaching the Great Tree. Even after seeing it once, I couldn’t help but marvel again—it was truly magnificent. We camped beneath it for the night, and by morning, the carriage was moving once more.

Through the window stretched an endless plain, green fading into horizon. Eventually, the outline of the city began to appear in the distance.

“Kain, what’re you saving up for?”

John asked suddenly, his tone curious. Once I gathered all four of my subordinates, I’d have to make him stop calling me that… Kain.

“Academy.”

I gave only that one word. It was enough. He’d understand.

“Academy? Oh… the Academy? You’re planning to go there? Why?”

“I’ve always wanted to go there.”

I turned from the window to face John as I spoke. He was still smiling—that same unreadable grin that never seemed to change. I could never quite tell what went on in that man’s head.

“Ah, I see,” John said, nodding in understanding.

I still had two more subordinates to find. One of them, I already had someone in mind for.
If I wanted to locate the right kind of people, checking with the Thieves’ Guild would be the best place to start.

“Neighhh!”

“Whoa there~ We’ve arrived.”

The coachman’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. When I looked outside, the carriage had entered a mansion’s garden—lush green lawns stretching under the dimming sky. As I stepped down from the carriage, I noticed the butler standing by the door, already waiting. Somehow, he must’ve been informed of our arrival. The two inspectors who had accompanied us approached him immediately, exchanging words too quiet to hear. A moment later, the butler’s face stiffened in visible shock—and his gaze snapped straight to me.

That reaction could only mean one thing: he’d already heard about the minotaur. I took a moment to look over the grand mansion, then began walking toward him. Either way, I still needed to collect payment and start my bounty-hunting work.

“How many monsters did you turn into undead?”

I asked the Black Mage beside me as the butler fidgeted with his clothes.

Nearby, Altari and the twenty-something humans from his group were already gathered around the butler, talking noisily.

Through the crowd, I could still feel the butler’s eyes fixed on me.

“Twenty. No, twenty-five.”

The Black Mage replied immediately, without a second’s hesitation. Twenty-five undead… that would be more than enough to terrify any ordinary force of humans. Creatures that knew neither fear nor pain—formidable assets. They’d come in handy later, I was sure of it. Whatever the situation.

After a few more steps, I reached the butler. He cleared his throat, then spoke formally.

“Ehem, please follow me inside. You two—go inform the mayor.”

With that, he turned, opened the door, and began leading us up to the second floor. A butler commanding Paladin-level men like servants? That didn’t sit right. Still, I pushed the idle thought aside and followed him up the stairs.

Behind me, I could sense John and the Black Mage moving quietly in step. The Black Mage walked to my right rear, and John trailed slightly to the left—both steady, unhurried.

When we reached the second floor, I opened the door where the others had gone in. The moment I stepped inside, the chatter cut off completely. All eyes turned toward me. No… on me.

I didn’t need to ask why, nor did I care to. Ignoring their stares, I walked toward the window.

Strange as it might seem, I liked being near windows—liked feeling sunlight on my skin.
Maybe it was because, in the Demon Realm, I hadn’t seen the sun even once in nearly a hundred years.

“My, someone’s face looks a little hot,” John teased from behind me.

His tone was light, unbothered—clearly not from embarrassment, just amusement. He was never tense, that one. Maybe that easy laughter was how he kept his nerves in check—an unconscious habit of his.

“Oh, thank you.”

Three presences approached from the hallway. The door opened, and the city’s mayor entered, his face lit with a genial smile. He offered words of gratitude, though his eyes stayed fixed on me the whole time. There was a hunger in them—a greedy gleam that said he wanted something.

Obvious enough what that was.

After giving me one last, measuring glance, the mayor looked around the room at the gathered survivors and spoke brightly.

“It seems none of you were injured. I’m truly glad everyone returned safely.”