Chapter 193 – Promise
“Even so, boys do amazing things on their days off.”
Wendy said, half impressed and half amazed.
“So you spend a whole day off seeing the duel with a middle schooler?”
“That was my first time doing something like that, but Colen and the others looked like they had fun.”
Almark replied.
“So then…”
Almark continued.
Colen challenged him to a duel.
After the duel with Colen, he provided information about Leila.
“Leila showed up.”
Wendy said with a sigh of relief.
“But going into the spring cave alone? Leila’s magic is certainly impressive, but it’s dangerous.”
“Yeah. That’s why I think it might be best to stop Colen.”
Almark said.
He didn’t mention that Colen had mistaken Leila for Almark’s girlfriend.
“I see. So Almark has been asking me about Leila.”
“Yeah, I see. I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner.”
“That can’t be helped. And then?”
Almark talks about going into the spring cave with Raido.
“Ah! That day when you came back really late!”
Wendy speaks up.
“You really do a lot.”
“I should have told you this sooner too.”
Almark hangs his head.
It’s starting to feel like a self-reflection meeting.
Wendy quickly shakes her head.
“But there’s Raido too, so it can’t be helped. And then?”
They’ve already passed Nork Town and are approaching the main gate of the academy.
Almark finally tells her about today, how he followed Leila into the cave, and how he managed to get past the traps and devices to reach the stairs to the fourth floor.
“Amazing. You’ve built up that much trust with Leila.”
Wendy’s eyes widen in admiration.
“I knew she recognized Almark, but for Leila to follow your orders would be she really have to trust you?”
“I wonder if that’s true. I’m not really sure though.”
Almark nods vaguely.
“That’s right. I’m good friends with Leila too, but I don’t think she’d go that far.”
Wendy’s words remind Almark of Leila saying she couldn’t cause trouble for the girl.
Wendy seems convinced,
“I see. If you were doing something like that, it’s only natural that you’d be tired.”
No, Wendy. There’s more.”
“Eh, there’s more?”
“Yeah.”
After that, Almark begins to talk about his encounter with a dark trap.
Until then, Wendy had been listening to him with a nod of appreciation, but her expression stiffened when she heard this.
“Eh, that snake trap on your right hand?”
“Yes. My right hand reacted, so I think that’s it.”
Almark nodded and talked about the battle with the dark shadow.
The more he talked, the worse her complexion became, and at the end, when the story reached the time when he was almost taken away by the shadow’s hand, she frowned and closed both eyes in pain.
“But well, that’s how we managed to get rid of the shadow,” Almark said.
“Yes.”
She finally opened her eyes and nodded, but Wendy’s face still looked painful.
“But Marth’s staff was very useful.”
Almark nodded at Wendy’s words.
“That’s right. I think it would have been very dangerous without Marth’s staff.”
“That’s right.”
Wendy nods, puffing out her cheeks as if regaining her composure.
“It’s a staff that was entrusted to you after you’ve been through so much danger. It should be useful.”
“I see. Now that you mention it, that makes sense.”
“So.”
Wendy gently touches Almark’s shoulder.
“Almark isn’t a soul right now, is he? How did you survive being touched by the demonic shadow and come to this concert?”
“Yes.”
Almark explains that his soul was not completely removed by Leila’s healing magic and returned.
“Healing magic.”
Wendy brings her right hand to her mouth and makes a thoughtful gesture.
“Leila used healing magic on you.”
“Yes. That’s what she said. That there was no other way.”
“… Right.”
After a while, Wendy nodded.
“It’s Leila’s magic, so I’m sure it’ll be fine, but I think you should talk to Professor Illumis about it properly tomorrow.”
“Yeah.”
Almark understood Wendy’s intention in her words.
“That’s what Professor Celia said in class, that you shouldn’t use healing magic for anything other than injuries.”
“Yeah.”
“But I’m in good health.”
“Yeah, I hope there’s nothing wrong. It’s Leila’s magic after all. But just to be sure.”
Wendy stroked Almark’s arm worriedly.
“Right.”
“Yeah. I get it.”
When Almark nodded, Wendy’s expression relaxed as if relieved.
“I’m sure. Is that the end of the story?”
“Yeah. Well, after that, well.”
After taking Leila, who was running out of magic, to the forest, Almark changed clothes at the dormitory and told her about coming to the concert.
When Almark told her about how she picked up the immobile Leila and carried her to the forest, she had an indescribable look on her face,
“I see…”
She muttered.
“That’s the end of the story.”
Almark said, bowing to Wendy.
“I’m sorry I kept quiet until now. I should have consulted you earlier.”
“That’s fine.”
Wendy shook her head.
“If I had been there, Leila probably wouldn’t have been able to open up to Almark that much. I’m really glad that both of you are safe.”
“Yes.”
“So, thank you for telling me. I’m glad that Leila opened up to you. She’s been doing things alone for a long time.”
Wendy looked Almark in the eye.
“If Leila ever comes to you for help again, please lend her your strength without worrying about me. I ask this of you as Leila’s friend.”
“I understand.”
Almark nodded.
Then, Wendy looked at Almark intently as if she had remembered something.
“But if things had gotten so bad, why did you force yourself to come to the concert? You should have just stayed in your room and rested.”
“I wanted to come.”
Almark answered.
“I really wanted to come to the concert. I’m glad I came.”
“Really?”
Wendy laughed a little.
“Well, I’m glad.”
Then, the two walked in silence for a while.
As they passed through the main gate of the academy and walked through the gardens toward the dormitory, Wendy suddenly spoke up.
“Don’t laugh, listen.”
“Okay.”
Almark nodded.
Wendy hesitated a little, then said as if she had made up her mind.
“If the next time a dark trap attacks Almark, I want to be by Almark’s side. Not Ain or Leila.”
“Huh?”
Almark looked at Wendy without thinking.
Wendy looked ahead, her expression serious.
“Just like you relied on Ain and Leila in the battle, I want you to rely on me. I may not be as reliable as they, but I’m still pretty reliable.”
Saying this, Wendy looked at Almark.
She had strong eyes.
But her eyes seemed moist in the light of the garden.
“I don’t want you to just tell me about it later. I want to fight with you. I want to be your strength.”
Wendy said.
“…Okay.”
Almark nodded.
“So, if you’re ever in danger, I want you to let me know. You told Leila that it’s dangerous to be alone, right? Those are words I can only say to you, Almark.”
“I get it.”
“And if I fight hard enough that my magic is depleted, then I want Almark to pick me up and take me back to the dorms.”
“Huh?”
Almark was speechless.
Wendy shook her head in a panic, perhaps realizing that she had said too much.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say that. Just laugh. Forget about it.”
“No. I won’t laugh.”
Almark said firmly.
[I’ll protect Wendy.]
Hearing Wendy’s thoughts, Almark felt that he had been extremely arrogant for thinking that way.
In the end, he couldn’t win this time either without Leila’s help.
How could someone like him protect Wendy alone?
Wendy said she wanted to stand by Almark’s side. Just like Morgen and Ain.
[I was happy about that.]
“I’ve never thought that you were unreliable,” Almark said.
“Thank you.”
Wendy nodded shyly at his earnest words.
“I don’t know what dark traps lie ahead, but having you by my side will be a great comfort.”
“Yes.”
“And if you ever lose your magical powers, I’ll definitely walk you back to the dorms. I’ll definitely carry you home. I promise.”
“Please forget about that.”
Wendy’s face turned red, she covered her ears and shook her head.
“I promise.”
Almark spoke again.
The lights of the dorms were getting closer.
Chapter 194 – (Idle Talk) The Snow Ruin
It was not because Rene wanted to step into the ruins.
Behind her were three strong men.
All of them were former mercenaries, cold-blooded men who thought nothing of taking another person’s life.
This morning, they came to visit Rene, who had lost her parents in the war and was living in hiding in the village.
The leader of the group demanded in a low voice that they be shown the ruins.
“If you refuse, I’ll kill you.”
The words he spoke casually were simple and clear, but they were filled with cruelty that left no room for argument.
Rene’s late father had found the ruins by chance ten years ago, when Rene was still a child.
After her father found a shard of jewel there, he became obsessed with exploring the ruins.
He went to the ruins almost every day, and usually returned empty-handed, but sometimes he would bring back a beautiful ring or a small piece of jewelry.
If he took them to town and sold them, he could make a decent amount of money.
All the villagers wanted to know where the ruins were, but my father wouldn’t tell even my mother.
My father’s relationship with the villagers deteriorated, but that was until the village was caught up in a war.
I don’t know if they were knights or mercenaries, but a battle between many men armed with swords and spears broke out near the village, and both my father and mother were caught up in it and died.
Since then, Rene has been living a meager life with the few surviving villagers.
It seems that Rene knows the location of the ruins.
It was only recently that rumors like this began to spread among the surviving villagers.
Until then, everyone was doing their best to survive and had completely forgotten about the ruins.
This fall, the crops were better than expected, and for the first time in several years since the war, they felt a sense of relief that they would be able to make it through the winter in peace.
Perhaps this only reminded the villagers of unnecessary desires.
So when the men came to visit her, Rene knew right away.
The villagers had sold her.
The bandit-like ex-mercenaries who had come to the village were offered a lucrative way to make money in exchange for ensuring their own safety.
She didn’t feel particularly angry.
If it were the other way around, she would have done the same.
In this land, those without power have no choice but to do so in order to survive.
Her father had only told Rene about the location of the ruins.
On the night that the jewels sold for a rare high price,
Her father came home with an expensive bottle of liquor that didn’t suit her, disappointing her mother.
As he poured himself a drink, her father told only Rene the story.
The location of the ruins. The structure inside.
He probably thought that because she was a child, she wouldn’t remember it even if he told her.
Perhaps his guard was lowered by the unfamiliar alcohol.
But Rene remembered.
The path to the ruins. The mechanisms of the small rooms.
She remembered it all clearly.
That’s why she went there once after her father died.
And she realized how accurate her memory was and how right her father’s words were.
The skinny man standing to the right of the leader clinked the sword at his waist.
“You can’t wait around either. You need to either die or hurry.”
It was a cheap threat, but the important thing wasn’t how clever the threat was, but whether or not the threat could be carried out.
And these men would carry it out without hesitation.
They wouldn’t feel the slightest bit of remorse.
It was doubtful whether they even had enough of a conscience to feel anything in the first place.
Rene went outside at the men’s urging.
The winter in the north is bitterly cold.
Rene was made to walk at the front of the men.
She felt the gazes of the villagers from the houses along the way.
I wonder if they have a conscience.
If they do, they should feel it at least a little when they see me.
Rene walked with her head held high as she thought this.
“You’re doing well, sis.”
The skinny man said from behind her, laughing.
The entrance was deep in the forest, half buried in the snow.
“So this is the ruins.”
The leader’s face grew grim.
“It’s just a cave.”
“You’ll understand if you go in.”
Rene said bravely.
“It leads to the ruins inside.”
The skinny man looked into her face, thinking that was probably true.
“You can’t fool us, you know. I’m asking you to come with me.”
The men were planning to kill her anyway.
That’s why Rene had planned to go in from the beginning.
She had the men carry torches and went in first.
The cave branched off twice, and suddenly it turned into a stone passageway.
Rene had no way of knowing if this was a coincidence or not, but either way, the cave was connected to ancient ruins that had been buried underground.
“Yeeees!” the men cheered.
“This is the real deal. These are real ruins.”
The skinny man shouted, and his voice echoed all the way down the passageway.
Rene led the men to a small room at the end of the passageway.
This was the room her father had called the Room of the Ring.
Her father had found a small ring on the floor of this room.
The men who heard this raised their torches and looked around the floor as if licking it.
“There it is.”
The skinny man cheered and picked up something.
The leader of the group ran over and, seeing what he had done, hit the man on the head.
“You idiot. It’s just a boulder.”
Meanwhile, Rene walked over to the wall.
“Hey.”
The one-eyed man, who hadn’t spoken a word up until then, spoke up for the first time.
“What are you doing?”
Ignoring that, Rene pushed hard into the depression in the wall.
The trap that nearly cost my father his life.
My father had said that
Countless spears would rain down from the ceiling.
Just as he had said, there was a sharp metallic sound from the ceiling.
The trap ceiling opened with countless spears coming down.
The men looked up with their eyes wide open.
However, there was a creaking sound and the trap ceiling stopped midway.
Deterioration from aging. A malfunction due to the harsh winter cold.
The reason was unknown. Anyway, Rene had lost her only means of capturing the men in one fell swoop.
“You!” one of the men cried.
Rene turned around.
She couldn’t escape on her womanly legs anyway.
But at least she’d die in the sun.
Or so she thought.
And sure enough, Rene got what she wanted.
Just as she had just left the ruins, Rene’s legs stopped moving, and the enraged men caught up with her.
Collapsed into the snow, Rene thought, “Whatever happens, happens.”
If they’re going to rape her, then rape her.
If they’re going to kill her, then kill her.
But the men never rushed after Rene.
“What’s up with you?”
Came the voice of the leader of the group.
When Rene looked up, a boy was standing in front of the men.
A boy much younger than Rene, not even old enough to be a teenager.
On his back was a long sword that was far too disproportionate for a child’s body.
“I need money,” the boy muttered.
“I heard there’s an ancient ruin around here. Is this the entrance?”
Rene sat up, stunned.
What is that child talking about?
As expected, cruel laughter spread among the men.
“So what does it matter, kid?”
The skinny man said.
The sword on his belt clicked.
“I need money for my journey.”
The boy said again.
“If this is the entrance, then I’ll go in. Get out of the way.”
“You stupid brat.”
The skinny man laughed.
Then, in the next moment, his wicked smile twisted into cruel joy.
He unsheathed the sword on his belt and slashed at the boy.
The boy’s head had flown off, René thought.
However, in reality, the boy had dodged the slash with only a slight shake of his body.
“Oh…”
When the man opened his eyes in shock, his head had already been separated from his body.
“If you’re going to do it, just say so from the beginning.”
The boy said, swung his long sword and took a step forward.
“It will save us trouble.”
At those words, the one-eyed man drew his sword.
“Boy, do you know who we are? We’re from the Purple Flame Mercenary Corps.”
“I don’t know.”
The boy interrupted the man.
“I don’t know any mercenary group like that.”
With that, the boy swung his sword.
The one-eyed man was unable to block the blow and rolled in the snow with fresh blood.
“You’re lying. What are you talking about, you little brat?”
The leader of the group shook his voice. “You’re a mercenary, aren’t you? At that age. Which mercenary group are you from?”
“The Black Wolf Cavalry.”
The man’s face twisted at the boy’s answer.
“A kid from the Black Wolf Cavalry, you say.”
His expression was one of shock or fear.
“I’ve heard that there was a kid in the Black Wolf Cavalry who was really strong… but I heard that he died after being stabbed by a “Land Shark” spear.”
“That’s not true.”
As he said that, the boy took another step forward.
“Ah.”
The man roared and attacked, but the boy dodged it without moving his body.
Just when he thought that, the long sword flashed with blinding speed, and the man fell down, blood splattering everywhere.
“Hey.”
Rene, who was sitting in the snow in a daze, was called out by the boy.
Even though he had cut down three grown men, the boy was not even breathing heavily.
“Do you know? Is that the entrance to the ruins? Is there anything valuable inside?”
When the boy looked at Rene and said this, his eyes were unexpectedly clear, and Rene gasped.
After hearing Rene’s story, the boy didn’t even smile,
“If it works out, I’ll give you half.”
With that, he disappeared into the ruins.
As Rene stared at the entrance to the ruins where the boy had disappeared, she was thinking absentmindedly.
What if the boy really did bring back the treasure?
And what if he really did give her half of it?
She’d take it and go to town.
She’d leave the village.
If she did that, she’d surely be able to live a slightly better life than she was now.
Placing a glimmer of hope in the boy’s words, Rene continued to stare at the entrance to the ruins.
Author Notes: Thank you for reading this far. Please purchase the book version of Almark.
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