Chapter 5: It’s exploding. An incident is exploding (5)

Cale laid the unconscious child on the bed and the priest started to look after her.

"…Uhh… How could it be white magic-"

The most flustered person here was the mage.

"You, what is your affiliation?"

"Ah! I am a support mage of the Third Mage Brigade, Commander-nim!"

"What does white magic exactly mean?"

The mage, who looked quite tense while revealing his affiliation, had a confused look on his face.

"…Generally speaking, any magic that is not black magic is considered white magic. However… It is usually not called white magic but just magic."

This world considered black magic to be taboo and was very wary of it.

This wariness could have gone up because of the black mages who worked as the White Star's subordinates.

It was different from people's perspective on Dark Elves and necromancers, which had gotten better.

"Mm, the white magic that the youngest lady Orsena mentioned seems to be different from the regular magic we know and use."

The mage shared his thoughts in a sincere tone.

"Your hypothesis makes sense; however, we cannot accept it until we are certain."

The mage nodded his head as the knight in charge responded to him.

"Of course. The report will only contain the facts of the matter."

Cale calmly nodded his head. However, his mind was moving quickly.

'It is more likely than not that the mage is right.'

The Duke's House of Orsena.

Only a few people, including Cale, knew that this family was related to the Hunters.

He also knew one of the unique traits of hunters.

'Those bastards can travel through dimensions and use a lot of peculiar abilities.'

That was why this white magic might be a form of magic that Cale didn't know about.

It could be something that didn't exist in this world.

"Continue to observe youngest lady Orsena's condition."

"Yes, Commander-nim."

Cale commented to the knight as he walked out of the tent.

"I will head over toward the main building."

"I, it's still dang-"

The fire was out but the main building was in such a terrible state that it wouldn't be weird if it fell over at any moment.

That was why the knight was trying to stop Cale, but he eventually closed his mouth.

"Yes sir, I understand."

After considering everything this Commander had done until now, he didn't think that something like this would be very dangerous.

"Then I will go inspect the evidence left on the corpses once more."

"Got it."

Raon returned from making the calls as soon as Cale answered.

– Human! I contacted all of them! They said that they will all come!

Raon had come with good news as well.

– Billos has regained consciousness! He will come with them! Human, he says he must meet with you!

A small smile appeared on Cale's face after hearing that Billos was awake and coming to the capital but he couldn't help but think about the merchant guild leader's death.

"…It'll be difficult for Mr. Billos."

Cale silently nodded his head at Choi Han's quiet comment.

Even if he was ostracized for being a bastard son, nobody could fathom what his father's death would mean to Billos.

"Cale-nim."

Choi Han's voice became even lower after he moved to stand right behind Cale.

'Hmm?'

Cale slightly turned his head to the back after feeling an unexpected cold aura.

"…Do you think that the Hunters are responsible for these fires?"

"I can't exclude that as a possibility."

Choi Han nodded his head, looked at the burnt Duke's Estate, and made a comment.

"…They are trash."

Cale flinched and turned away from Choi Han. Although Choi Han's face was calm while looking at the tents and the Duke's Estate…

'His eyes are… a bit weird?'

His eyes seemed a bit possessed.

Choi Han was giving off quite the vicious aura.

'It makes sense.'

Cale was quite angry right now as well. He was so upset to the point that he could admit that he was extremely angry.

He was just trying his best to maintain his calmness and remain collected.

'If I am like this, I'm sure it is worse for Choi Han.'

He would feel even more anger based on his personality.

Cale didn't say anything else to Choi Han and entered the main building of the Duke's Estate.

The door must have either burned away or been destroyed as it was gone without a trace.

Pss.

Cale entered into the bare and gruesome Duke's Estate while stepping on ashes.

Choi Han followed behind him and observed the black ashes.

'…The Hunters are a stronger organization than I expected.'

They were able to destroy the King's Palace, a Duke's Estate, and a large Merchant guild in an instant.

A lot of people died as a result as well. That fact made Choi Han angry, sad, and concerned.

'We're going to fight against such a strong organization?'

Choi Han raised his head and observed Cale's back.

'It is different from the time with the White Star.'

It always felt as if Cale's side was one step ahead of the White Star. However, this issue with the Hunters seemed more like an unexpected raid from the Hunters.

'If they attack us like this-'

If the King's Palace became the crown prince's palace…

If the Duke's House of Orsena turned into the Duke's House of Henituse…

If it was not the Flynn Merchant Guild leader who died but Billos…

Going past that-

Choi Han's eyes sank with a dark gaze.

'I need to get stronger.'

He was deep in thought when he heard Cale's voice.

"Let's head to young lady Orsena's bedroom and study first. Raon."

– I understand, human!

Cale and Choi Han's bodies floated up. They used flight magic to head to the third floor as the stairs might break.

They heard that young lady Orsena used the entire third floor on her own.

This was an area reserved both in name and in reality for the most likely heir.

"Ho."

Cale gasped.

– Human, this isn't burnt-

"Yeah, there's nothing here."

There was nothing in the area following the third floor hallway.

"There's nothing other than a minimal amount of furniture."

"Yeah."

Only a desk and a single chair were in the study.

There were no traces of bookshelves or books.

"Do you think that young lady Orsena erased all of her traces before these fires?"

"…Who knows?"

The knight would have reported it if it was like that.

He would have said it was something peculiar.

However, he had not made any comments about it.

That meant that it was possible that young lady Orsena always lived like this.

"Choi Han, go look into it."

"Yes, Cale-nim."

Choi Han immediately jumped through a window sill and down to the ground.

"Mm."

Cale watched Choi Han's choice of alighting from the residence with an odd gaze before heading for another room.

"…There's only a bed."

The bedroom only had a bed, a small table, and a chair. They could barely make those out as they were basically all burnt.

"Let's go up."

The fourth floor was where the other children of the house lived and the fifth floor was reserved for the ducal couple.

"…This was completely burnt."

It looked as if an extreme fire swept through the fourth and fifth floors. They were completely destroyed unlike the third floor, which was still at least somewhat recognizable.

The aftershock of the fire was stronger the higher they went in the building.

"Raon, even if magic stones were used, how skilled does a person have to be in order to cause a fire of this magnitude?"

Raon spoke out loud since only the two of them were here.

"Mm. Not as skilled as Rosalyn but still needs a decent level of skill! Hmm…"

Raon seemed to be contemplating something for a bit before he continued to speak.

"By the way, human! This… Some of the mana isn't familiar."

"What does that mean?"

"What I am trying to say is… Most of the mana is mana that I am familiar with! However, I can faintly sense a different kind of mana now that we came up to the fourth and fifth floors. It's a bit-"

Raon hesitated before adding on.

"It's a bit as if it is mana from a different world. That… You know how apple pies are apple pies but the apple pies made in the Henituse territory and the apple pies made in the palace taste different? It's that kind of feeling!"

'Ah.'

Cale knew exactly what Raon meant.

"It is extremely faint, but a different kind of mana is here. However, it looks like it will disappear soon. The mana of this world is trying to push that other mana away."

Cale nodded his head at the continued explanation.

"It must be mana from a different world."

The Hunters could travel through dimensions.

The current situation was easily possible if a Hunter, who was a mage in a different world, brought over the mana of that world to carry out this plot.

"…What a headache."

Cale started to frown.

'Different dimensions.

If young lady Orsena or the Hunters who caused this incident are not in this world but traveled to another world?

How do I capture them?'

Cale did not have the power to travel through dimensions.

"…Mm."

As he was about to fall deeper into thought…

"Huh? Human!"

Raon spoke in a slightly shocked voice.

"Human, look toward the main door!"

"Hmm?"

Cale looked toward the door of the house at Raon's urging.

"Hmm?"

He started to frown even more.

"What the hell? Why the hell are they coming here?"

There were people wearing baggy robes with wide sleeves confronting the knights.

"Aren't they priests of the God of Death?"

The priests of the God of Death, a large number of them at about twenty or so, were gathered in a group outside the Duke's Estate.

They seemed quite serious.

"Who is the gramps that walked inside?"

The knight in charge was speaking with an aged priest, the only one who actually entered the Duke's Estate.

He looked as if he was trying to escort the old priest out. The Duke's Estate was currently closed off to outsiders.

However, the knight was stern but respectful.

If it was an old priest to whom the knight would be this respectful…

"Is he at least a bishop?"

A knight of the palace would only act so respectfully to a priest who was going against his commands if the priest was at the bishop level or higher.

"Human, Choi Han is running over!"

Cale could see Choi Han urgently running toward the building.

"Mm."

'This is giving me a headache already.'

Cale felt an unexplainable sense of iffyness as soon as he saw the priests of the God of Death.

'I need to inform Cale-nim.'

The running Choi Han was also in a similar state.

He recalled what the old priest, who had walked past the wall of soldiers and knights to enter the building, had said.

'We must meet the esteemed sir who will become the prophet of our church.'

The old priest had said that he was a bishop.

'You must be Choi Han.'

'Could you deliver our wishes to the prophet, no, the Commander-nim?'

The bishop continued speaking before Choi Han could even ask him what he meant.

'The God of Death has bestowed a divine item for the Commander-nim. This is the first time something like this has ever happened to our church. We know it is extremely rude to visit like this, but we are here because we must inform him about this glorious news that will bring joy to the entire church. I ask for your understanding.'

He then respectfully bowed to Choi Han and the knight.

However, Choi Han recognized that the bishop's eyes gave away his wicked thoughts.

'Honestly speaking, those wicked thoughts aren't important.'

The bishop's wicked thoughts or schemes would be nothing in front of Cale.

'But it's the God of Death!

Do we need to get mixed up with that god again?'

Choi Han couldn't suppress this feeling of uncertainty.

"…Human, it seems quite urgent based on how Choi Han is acting."

"…I know, right?"

Cale and Raon awkwardly chatted as Choi Han jumped through the outside of the destroyed building to urgently come to the fifth floor.

"Cale-nim!"

Choi Han easily jumped over the window ledge to enter the fifth floor and didn't even seem out of breath.

"Uhh, what is going on?"

Cale asked while suppressing his anxiety only to see Choi Han's stern gaze.

"The bishop of the Church of the God of Death is here."

"So what?"

"He says that the God of Death sent you a divine item, Cale-nim."

Cale had not heard about this.

"Ah."

There was something that came to mind.

The God of Death had said the following when Cale met him.

'An item that can replace the cintamani will be delivered to you soon.'

'….He bestowed it as a divine item to the church?'

Cale scowled.

In the future, Alberu would apologize about this saying that he was going to inform Cale but Billos showed up and the King's Palace was destroyed so the message did not get delivered. However, that was not the issue right now.

Cale asked in a low voice.

"…And?"

"…And the bishop is saying that you are their prophet… That the whole church would be happy about this..."

Choi Han almost stumbled over his words while watching Cale's face scowl harder and harder. Cale then lowered his head.

"Haaaaa."

Cale let out a deep sigh before mumbling.

"There is something I need to say, but-"

"Huh?!"

It was at that moment.

Raon, who had been watching the two of them, jerked his head somewhere.

Clang-!

Choi Han pulled out his sword at the same time and started to move.

"As I expected!"

His eyes were looking at one of the broken window sills in the fifth floor ducal couple's bedroom.

'It was a hawk.'

A black hawk was observing them.

This must be the same figure he saw in the Flynn Merchant Guild.

"Hmm?"

Cale finally noticed the hawk as well.

The moment the hawk's red eyes met Cale's eyes…

Flap.

The hawk opened up its wings.

Choi Han swung his sword toward the hawk at that moment.

"Swinging your sword first without understanding your enemy?"

The hawk easily dodged Choi Han's sword.

Cale raised his hand to stop Choi Han from attacking again once a white whirlwind surrounded the black hawk.

"Hold on."

"Excuse me?"

"Stop for a moment."

It was the first time that Cale heard that voice.

However, that relaxed tone and those choices of words…

He was familiar with it.

Swoooooooosh-

The whirlwind disappeared and a young boy landed on the ground.

Tap.

The young boy with white hair and red eyes opened his mouth.

"Little Han still has a lot to learn."

The young boy smiled at Cale. That smile was identical to a certain someone's.

"Rok Soo, no. Cale. It's been a while."

—
Translator's Comments

Soooooooooos!

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]