◈ Episode 428. Glad to Meet You
The Gorge of the Forgotten.
Considering the number of corpses hurled from dizzying cliffs down to the bottom of the gorge... perhaps the entrance to the gorge was known even to the people of the Arcana Continent.
“They seem to think of it as nothing more than a dumping ground.”
If the truth of the gorge were ever revealed in the future, people would surely make a fuss, saying it was strange that its interior had remained unknown to the Arcana Continent. Of course, Kichi knew that it had been the Shadow God’s doing that had hidden the gorge.
“...
What?”
Thanks to that, she realized it at once.
The interior of the gorge lay fully exposed.
The Shadow God had vanished from the holy ground.
‘Could it be that Commander-in-Chief Claudi...?’
As if slaying the Shadow God’s Apostle had not been enough.
Had he even killed the Shadow God himself?
Fortunately, that “could it be” did not turn into a misunderstanding.
Kichi firmly shook her head.
‘No. Even if he’s an exiled god, the Shadow God is still a god.’
Besides.
Kichi looked down at her feet.
Her shadow was still gone.
It was the shadow that had been stolen by the Shadow God through the Apostle contract.
In other words, it was proof that the Shadow God was still alive and well.
Then.
‘Did he simply leave the holy ground? Why?’
Claudi and the Shadow God.
There had been a clash between the two.
Had the impact of that clash caused the Shadow God to leave the Gorge of the Forgotten?
Just as Kichi was entertaining several guesses.
Rumble.
She heard the sound of a pile of stones falling.
“Found you!”
A rough voice followed, as if its owner had swallowed a fire barrel.
A low-ranking member of the Shadow Mercenary Corps.
Rakid’s mouth split into a wide grin when he spotted Kichi.
“Former captain, current deserter, Kichi!”
Crack!
No questions asked.
Rakid was faithful to the rules of the Shadow Mercenary Corps.
Whether captain or member, there were no exceptions to the rules of the shadows. There was a reason the Shadow Mercenary Corps, a major power in Arcana’s underworld, had survived until now.
『For the sake of maintaining secrecy, deserters are to be swiftly executed.』
The distance between them closed in an instant.
“Don’t even think about running, Kichi!”
Whoosh!
With a thunderous crack of bone, Rakid thrust out a fist the size of a human head. A punch with more force than most siege weapons grazed Kichi’s face by a hair’s breadth.
Rakid kept grinning.
“Damn it, when did you chop off all your hair?”
“Why, disappointed because long hair suited me better?”
“What kind of bullshit is that? Are you insane?”
Crack!
Rakid rolled his stiff neck and snapped back.
“I need at least that mop of hair to grab if I’m going to have a chance, don’t I? Slipping out of my grasp like a snake, as always. More importantly, don’t look down on me, Kichi.”
His reason for joining the Shadow Mercenary Corps?
Money had been part of it, yes, but Rakid’s greatest reason had been Kichi. No one can defeat me. Back when he had been the overconfident conqueror of the colosseum, the one who had humiliated him had been none other than Kichi.
“Did you think this great Rakid would be satisfied staying at the bottom? My goal from the very beginning was you, Kichi! Your lackeys, Wolf and the rest, were never even in my sights!”
Slash!
He was fast, unlike his size...
No, had he always been this fast?
Kichi took one step back.
She maintained a hair’s breadth of distance from Rakid.
Thanks to that, she could clearly see the change in Rakid’s expression.
“There hasn’t been a single day I didn’t imagine smashing your head with my own hands, Kichi! The reason I threw away the axe that was like another part of me was also because of you. That’s right. Unless I fought barehanded, I’d never be able to keep up with your speed.”
So it hadn’t been her imagination that he felt faster.
Swish.
Rakid’s fist grazed Kichi’s cheek once more.
Krrrk.
The force of the straight punch was enough to carve away the rock wall of the gorge behind her.
Yet Kichi was still looking at Rakid’s face.
“But.”
The reason was simple.
For some reason.
The smile was gradually disappearing from Rakid’s face.
“Why did you leave the Shadow Mercenary Corps?”
“...?”
“Damn it. You ruined every single one of my plans.”
He would defeat Captain Kichi and rise from the bottom to captain in one fell swoop.
And the first thing he would do afterward?
He would fix the habits of that brat D’schev, who had looked down on him. He would force that old geezer Alkari into retirement from active duty. He would work that annoying bastard Wolf to the bone.
Rakid’s ambitious revenge plan—all of it.
“It all went up in smoke because you left the mercenary corps!”
Perhaps it was because this was the first time he had ever felt this way.
The indescribable feeling was filthy.
Even so, he had thought that if he caught Kichi and beat her down, he might feel better.
But now that he was actually facing Kichi, he felt more and more like shit.
Rakid’s gaze dropped to Kichi’s feet.
“More importantly, where did you sell off your shadow, Kichi?”
Kichi shrugged.
“It was stolen from me in the first place. Why act surprised now?”
“Hah?”
“More importantly, you found me well enough. Well, I expected we’d meet.”
From the moment she had set out for the Gorge of the Forgotten in pursuit of Claudi, she had been prepared to encounter members of the Shadow Mercenary Corps who had returned to the Arcana Continent. But.
“I never imagined I’d run into you of all people.”
She had not expected to run into Rakid first.
Because Rakid had a rather bad flaw.
A shortsighted view that could only see what was right in front of him.
It was a temperament Kichi, who had been captain, could recognize.
“Did you manage to fix that temper of yours a little?”
The moment Kichi asked.
“...
Wait.”
As if he had realized something he had forgotten.
Rakid’s face changed abruptly.
It was different from the vague expression he had worn while dealing with Kichi.
Rakid’s face twisted with pure rage.
“Right. Like you said, I forgot for a moment again, Kichi.”
“...
Forgot what?”
“I didn’t come back to the hideout to find you.”
That was right.
Rakid had, by coincidence.
Merely run into Kichi at the entrance to the Gorge of the Forgotten.
Old habits died hard.
Even as Kichi looked at him in disbelief, she asked again.
“Then why are you so serious?”
Rakid answered in a voice boiling with rage.
“They’ve returned to the continent.”
“Who returned?”
“Our old enemies. Those bastards from the Gwangpokhoe.”
The Gwangpokhoe (狂爆會).
“Is that true?”
At those three syllables, Kichi’s gaze also sank heavily. It was different from the gaze she had turned on Rakid. It was the light in an assassin’s eyes, without a trace of emotion.
Shing.
Only then did Kichi raise her dagger.
Rakid had returned to the Gorge of the Forgotten in pursuit of the Gwangpokhoe. In other words, the Gwangpokhoe had entered the Gorge of the Forgotten.
‘Lord Claudi and the Gwangpokhoe both sought out the gorge...’
The Gorge of the Forgotten, without the Shadow Mercenary Corps.
Perhaps his purpose was not to deal with me.
But rather some other “something” within the Gorge of the Forgotten.
Rakid, who had entered the gorge with Kichi, looked bewildered.
“There’s no Apostle?”
“The Shadow God left the gorge.”
“What? Then your shadow disappearing, too...”
“Let’s talk about that later, Rakid.”
With both the Apostle who dealt with intruders and the Shadow God gone.
There was no knowing where in the gorge the Gwangpokhoe might have laid traps and be lying in wait.
“Fine.”
Just as the two of them were moving forward while holding their breath.
“!!”
A figure entered their sight.
Rustle.
Mysterious men were digging through a pile of corpses. Their identity was obvious. They were the Gwangpokhoe. Rakid kicked off the ground and charged out, but had they prepared even for that?
A magic circle activated.
Crack—!
Rakid’s ankles froze over in an instant.
“Regrettably, our objective is not you.”
“What the hell are you saying, you vermin bastards...!!”
“Was our ill-fated relationship not enough in our previous life?”
Clank.
The Gwangpokhoe executive who said that shook “something” in his hand. Faded silver equipment. It was as if he were saying that was their objective.
Kichi assessed the situation.
‘I can do it.’
The distance was far.
She did not know what traps might be lying in wait.
Even so, she could still take the heads of those three without difficulty.
However, now that the shadow that had held her body had vanished and the Apostle’s authority had also disappeared, her body had become far too light. It was obvious that even being grazed by a minor attack would inflict severe damage.
Moreover.
‘...
I have to deliver it to him.’
Kichi thought of the jewel box in her breast.
The hair of the young lady of House Claudi contained within the jewel box.
That silver hair held Kichi’s reason in place.
The Gwangpokhoe executive raised his brows.
“Do you understand? Good. Then let us decide that the ill-fated relationship between the Gwangpokhoe and the Shadow Mercenary Corps ends here. If you think about it, you have nothing to lose, do you? After all, you were the victors.”
Soon, a portal manifested.
As the Gwangpokhoe vanished beyond the portal, they left behind words.
At those words, Kichi and Rakid both flinched.
“However, this time will be different. We, the Gwangpokhoe, will swallow something greater than you, Shadow Mercenary Corps. Yes. The madness of our Gwangpokhoe will swallow the ‘Claudi’ who has returned to the Arcana Continent.”
“...!!”
The moment those words fell, Kichi and Rakid thought the same thing.
‘They must be killed.’
Dadadada!
As if on cue, they both rushed toward the portal.
But their judgment was too late.
The Gwangpokhoe executive finished speaking with a sneer.
“In that sense, we thank you. You lot had been keeping the dagger we will drive into Claudi quite well. If we succeed in swallowing Claudi, we shall acknowledge that contribution and show you mercy. You may be grateful, Shadow Mercenary Corps.”
Then, the portal closed completely.
The Gwangpokhoe disappeared.
Two people remained behind.
There was no need for much conversation.
Kichi and Rakid.
Former and current.
The will of the Shadow Mercenary Corps aligned.
“It’s a temporary alliance, Kichi.”
“For how long?”
“Until every last one of those Gwangpokhoe sons of bitches is beaten to death!!”
*
Poker face.
I opened my mouth calmly.
“I can feel the toil you poured into this as well, Walswail.”
Is that really the best you can do?
To the one who crafted a [Myth] grade item, no less.
Is that all you have to say to our great Lord Walswail?!
“If it pleases you, I am truly relieved.”
But Walswail seemed satisfied with my lofty words of gratitude. No, more than satisfied, he even swallowed a sigh of relief...
‘Just what does he think of me?’
It wasn’t as if I was satisfied simply because a Myth grade item had appeared.
Normal ▶ Magic ▶ Rare ▶ Unique ▶ Epic ▶ Legendary
No matter what grade of item I knew of had been crafted, I was in no position to complain. After all, this was Walswail, the greatest blacksmith on the Arcana Continent, wasn’t he?
‘Meaning no matter who I entrusted it to, I wouldn’t have gotten a better result.’
On top of that, Walswail had not even accepted a refining fee.
Considering how much dwarf equipment sold for in Arcana...
‘Even if an actual normal item had come out.’
I would have had nothing to say...!
But this was a Myth grade item I had never seen before.
Of course, I had carried out a Myth Quest, a top-tier time-space mission, before, but clearing a Myth Quest did not mean it rewarded you with a Myth grade item.
‘In any case, let’s check it.’
Enough fussing.
It was time to confirm its abilities.
I checked the information window that appeared.
[Commander’s Gloves - Wisdom of the Old Dragon]
[Grade: Myth]
An epic that surpassed legend.
Did a tale worthy of being called a myth dwell within Yunaxus’s legacy?
Indeed, even its restriction was extraordinary.
[Restriction: Granfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo]
...
It really is extraordinary.
‘It’s a little much, but...’
In any case, I would never have to show this information window to anyone else. This was a Myth grade item, nothing else. Unless I died and dropped it, I had absolutely no intention of lending it to anyone.
‘And it’s an item no one but me can even equip anyway.’
But the effect that followed was even more extraordinary.
[Effect: The great Elder Dragon Yunaxus, who will be recorded in myth, proclaimed. “Through my legacy, Lord Claudi shall be able to understand and utter the Dragon Tongue!”]
Dragon Tongue...?
Did that mean the unique ability only dragons could use, including Dragon Fear and Dragon Breath? Could it be that I would be able to understand and use that?!
Slip.
Seeing is believing.
I immediately put on the gloves.
And then I froze.
[You come to understand the Dragon Tongue.]
Was it thanks to that? A voice rang in my ears.
—If you are listening.
—Awaken my true power.
—Granfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo.
My loose tongue revealed the identity of that voice.
“I have heard your voice.”
“???”
The dwarves’ gazes focused on me all at once.
I thought again.
...
It seemed I would not be able to live out my natural lifespan after all.
“Legendary Dark Dragon.”
“!!!”