Chapter 61: Nevera Valley
"Uh, where did he go?"
Elwin looked around, unusually flustered.
But as expected, there was no one around him, and only the faint trace of soone hastily fleeing could be sensed in the distance.
"Aha? Slipped away already, huh."
While Elwin had been focused on throwing Sercia, Aajen, and Calix down below—
Taking advantage of the mont when they let out shrieking screams, the quick-witted Gale had slipped away stealthily and swiftly.
"Not that it’ll matter anyway."
Elwin let out a sigh that was half laughter. It didn’t an he had taken asures beforehand.
He simply knew Gale Garav’s peculiar nature all too well.
[Attribute: ‘Trouble Maker’]
– A born troublemaker! Even when staying still, incidents find you, and they roll your way. You are destined to always be at the center of trouble…! Fate dares not be refused.
Because of that trait, Gale inevitably ended up at the heart of every incident.
"That's why I tried to recruit Mr. Gale first from the beginning."
Thanks to that trait kicking in right on ti, he had managed to save ‘Aajen Clover’—who had almost been killed by Depicio’s sche, which had moved just a step ahead.
"Yes… That was the right call."
In fact, at this point, the most beneficial person for Elwin to recruit wasn't Gale, Sercia, or Calix.
So, after much intense deliberation, Elwin had barely reached a decision. That was because Gale and ‘that kid’ were on completely opposite ends.
– If I choose one person, it’ll naturally take ti to recruit the others.
All three were primarily specialized in combat.
Among them, the only one with a potential link to ‘Familia’ that Elwin sought was Sercia.
"At least for now."
But even she didn’t possess any concrete leads.
– But ‘that kid’ was different.
"They should be enrolled at Rusram Academy by now."
Among the 13 executives of Familia, the seventh—Settimo—couldn't help but keep an eye on that kid.
Had Elwin hung around the kid too much, Settimo would surely have shown up personally before long.
And would have pointed a crimson halberd at him.
"That would’ve made things easier though…"
Because he could’ve caught a lead on Familia right away. Naturally, he didn't believe he’d lose.
But that would’ve disrupted Elwin’s plans.
"That can’t be allowed."
Suddenly, a deep gleam appeared in his eyes. A strange light flickered in his blue pupils.
"One by one… I’ll show you your comrades being hunted down in horrifying ways."
So that each day, they tremble in fear. So that endless terror coils around their throats.
If he made a misstep trying to recruit that kid first, the elaborate plan he had devised over years could fall apart.
Elwin was wary of that. Of course, he intended to bring the kid in as soon as possible.
Because he needed that kid’s ability too.
"Just like with other villain groups… if Queenzel shows interest, things could get very troubleso. I should hurry."
If Munas Queenzel, the top-ranked hunter of Black who thirsts for extraordinary talents, heard rumors of the kid’s uniqueness—
And decided to approach with her usual rapid montum, the recruitnt that could have gone smoothly would beco extrely complicated and arduous.
So to secure the kid first at all costs, the task Elwin had to deal with now was… yes.
"Starting with Depicio."
Elwin’s nesis—Familia—was the head of what was called the “Five Great Villain Organizations.”
If you asked people who the worst villain group was, that na would be the first out of their mouths.
– Familia.
According to the original work, unless summoned by their boss, they usually stayed in their respective territories scattered across the world.
Unfortunately, those locations weren’t even clearly ntioned in the original, and not even the World Hunter Association’s intel could uncover them.
That’s why.
"If I start taking out the underlings one by one, they’ll start paying attention eventually."
The five villain organizations weren’t exactly friendly with each other, but they were loosely tied under the na of the Villain Alliance.
Depicio held the lowest seat among them.
But if a massive villain organization like that were to suddenly collapse?
And not even by a group of ten people?
It would definitely spark interest.
"That guy always craves strong and extraordinary people…"
Eventually, he’d co looking for Elwin himself—without knowing it would be the beginning of his downfall.
"Let’s make sure the na spreads far and fast."
Elwin temporarily let go of the glorious title he had achieved in his youth—‘Top-Rank Hunter.’
In order to live as ‘Lewin Legisel,’ a fake identity, for a while.
"No matter how tempting the talent, he wouldn’t want to touch a Top-Rank Hunter. Especially soone that arrogant and cautious."
So he hid his true identity—and planned to toss a delicious-looking bait.
Whether there would be a sweet candy house at the end, or the gaping jaws of a monster… they wouldn’t know until it was too late.
"Make sure to co find . I’ll give you a warm welco."
When the mont arrived where his false identity was revealed—
Only then would Elwin finally savor the fruits of the patience he had endured over the years.
Just imagining that long-awaited mont turning into reality—
Sent a shiver of thrill down his spine.
"…So before that, I’ll have to clear out the small fry first."
Suddenly, Elwin’s gaze shifted elsewhere.
Like a stone statue, not even blinking, he stared intensely at the far horizon.
"It was boring last ti… Will it be more fun this ti?"
And he murmured. His heightened voice was laced with uncontrollable anticipation.
"When will you co, I wonder."
As if he could no longer bear the long-standing wait.
***
anwhile, the three who had been forcibly dropped from high altitude by Elwin—
Sercia, Aajen, and Calix.
"Fwaaaaah…"
"I really thought I was going to die this ti."
"…We survived, sohow."
As they plumted with the sickening feeling of falling, they barely managed to regain balance and glide.
Flap─!
Thanks to the golden cloaks that Elwin had distributed to the Spero mbers—known as the Spero Cloaks.
"Wow! This thing is amazing!"
Aajen had borrowed a spare cloak from Elwin.
"How does this even let us glide? Could you even use it like wings… Woah! Haha! Almost fell."
Unlike Sercia and Calix, who had gotten sowhat used to flying with the cloak, Aajen was terribly clumsy.
But perhaps his overflowing curiosity had kicked in—Aajen peeked at the cloak wrapped around him, eyes sparkling.
"I can’t say I’ve handled a lot of artifacts in my life… but this might really be top-tier."
No, maybe even beyond that. Aajen gulped unconsciously.
The Clover Trade Company occasionally did business with royalty and great nobles.
Among them, the more pompous types or those close to Nonohen Clover often bragged about their artifact collections to the Clover family.
Thanks to that, Aajen hadn’t possessed many artifacts himself, but he did pride himself on having a keener eye for appraising them than most.
‘This could be one of those legendary top-class artifacts I’ve only heard about!’
And that wasn’t all. The sword and gun that scruffy man Gale Garav carried—
‘Those looked pretty formidable too!’
While hitching a ride on the airship to the Batevil Kingdom, Aajen had observed their training routines.
And despite the brutal difficulty, which could easily be considered excessive, they never skipped a day of training.
– That brat is gonna kill us, I swear!
Though Gale always grumbled with his mouth, once the real fight started, he clenched his teeth and charged fiercely.
‘Lewin Legisel.’
That cryptic, mysterious boy.
But without a doubt, the youngest among them was the strongest.
Even Aajen, who wasn’t deeply versed in martial arts, could tell how easily the boy had taken down three people.
‘A mysterious group.’
Aajen still didn’t know who they were, what their goal was, or what they were trying to do… or even what they really were.
But he did know one thing: they had helped him out of pure goodwill.
– We’ll help you.
– W-what can I offer in return…?
– It’s okay. No need for compensation. It’s simply our duty.
He didn’t know what to make of those words. At a glance, they sounded kind, but the word ‘duty’ made it feel cold.
Still, Aajen was a rchant who prioritized practical value over emotions.
‘…Help with no reward? Even risking themselves against a massive villain group?’
Aajen Clover had been told by Elwin about the background and conspiracy tied to the trade incident and the current situation.
Even so, there were still many puzzling parts.
‘Depicio… Why would that sinister assassin group target us?’
Of course, he hadn’t been told everything. He was still in the dark about Depicio’s true goal, the Batevil royal family, the Gnaude tribe, and the underground tunnels.
Elwin had only shared what was within his capacity to handle.
‘…Could it be they know about the Fairystone? Is that what they’re after? Or maybe the company’s massive wealth or influence?’
But no matter how much he thought, there was no clear answer, so Aajen decided to focus on other things.
Having felt the group's overwhelming strength firsthand, even against a huge villain organization, he had no doubt that they’d win.
‘Father and I… we owe them a debt we could never repay in a lifeti!’
Now, the question that plagued Aajen most was how he could repay such benefactors once everything was over.
‘Hmm. What could we possibly offer that would satisfy them…?’
They were strangers he had never seen before. From the mont they t, they saved him.
Without revealing anything about themselves, they put their lives on the line to help.
– Father…!
– Aajen!? What are you doing here!
They had saved Nonohen Clover, who had been imprisoned in dire condition after fending off countless assassins that poured out of the hospital.
They had honored Aajen’s stubborn request to go with them to rescue his father.
‘Repay kindness and avenge grudges tenfold! That’s the motto of the Clover family!’
This mindset was completely in line with Elwin’s sly intentions.
– Aajen Clover, your very existence will beco a major variable in the original tiline. That alone will be a great help to .
…which Aajen had no clue about, mistakenly believing it was all goodwill.
‘Co to think of it, Mr. Lewin did make a personal request of . I have to be of so help to my benefactors…!’
Just as Aajen reignited his resolve—
"Aajen?"
"…Ah, ah! Yes!"
"Thinking about sothing while floating in mid-air…"
Sercia sighed deeply.
"Hah, should I call you brave or a fool who doesn’t understand the gravity of the situation… Focus. Unless you want to fall and die."
"…Yes, sorry!"
Her sharp rebuke snapped Aajen back to reality.
Sohow, among the group, Sercia was the hardest for him to deal with.
Not that there was a specific reason—but she was simply difficult to approach.
"Shouldn’t we start heading down?"
"Uh, would it be okay if we went ahead?"
"Eh, I an… Mr. Lewin and Mr. Gale don’t seem to be coming down. Rather than wasting ti waiting here, it’d be better if we moved first."
Just as they were about to descend—
"Watch out!"
Calix suddenly shouted and lunged at Aajen. Roughly grabbing and pulling him aside.
"Why are you–!"
Aajen groaned in pain from slamming into a cliff, about to protest with a scowl—
But he couldn’t speak.
"…!"
At that mont.
Shooooosh—!
A hail of arrows rained down on the spot where he had just been.
Reviews
All reviews (0)