Chapter 937

Ssssh.

Ian noticed that the wound on Beric’s side was already healing.

It was strange. Although healing magic was being used, the speed of recovery was beyond expectations. Just as Ian was about to lightly examine his body in curiosity—

“Ian!”

Hans called out to him from a distance. Pretending to be swept up in the noisy crowd, he was running somewhere, his finger pointing at a man. A mole by the nose, eyes slashed in a long line, and the teeth…

‘I can’t see clearly.’

But the man was holding a cigarette. If they followed him closely, they could confirm it soon enough.

Ian stood up and looked down at the unconscious Beric. From what he’d gathered talking with his comrades, Beric seemed to live nearby and make a living here.

‘His name’s Beric, right?’

If needed, they could find him again later. For now, it was better to focus on chasing the Black Shadow members and deal with bringing this guy to the palace afterward.

Ian slipped a gold coin tightly clenched in Beric’s hand out and replaced it with one of his own buttons.

‘Not an ordinary personality.’

Even while unconscious, he was gripping the coin tightly.

Just as Ian was about to turn away, he approached Beric again and gathered the scattered belongings, tucking them into his pocket.

If left on the floor like this, someone else would take them before Beric woke up. It was money earned through cuts and bruises—losing it would be a shame. Well, once inside the palace, it would just become a fleeting memory anyway.

“Ian!”

Hans stomped his foot impatiently, calling out again. They needed to hurry before losing the trail. Soon, Hans pushed through the crowd, chasing the suspect, and Ian followed, diving into the throng as they headed down from the arena.

Thud!

“Hey, watch it!”

“Damn it.”

People bumped into each other, muttering curses, but Ian paid no mind and kept running. The Black Shadow member’s distinctive features were rare enough to stand out. They’d been fooled once earlier, but this time, the odds were better.

Snap!

They left the gambling den and entered a narrow, long corridor filled with the foul, nauseating stench of cigarettes and other unpleasant odors. Ian wasn’t sure if it was an exit or a back room for insiders.

With fewer people around, the suspect noticed Hans’s footsteps behind him.

“Huh?”

He turned his head to look at Hans. Though he had a cigarette in his mouth, the dim light made it hard to see clearly. Hans stopped abruptly, startled.

“What the—?”

Hans stared intently at the man’s mouth. The cigarette’s faint glow barely revealed anything.

“I’m asking you what this is about.”

The man snapped back fiercely, rifling through his pockets. Then, a small dagger appeared in his hand.

Wait, he pulled a knife just because someone was following him? This wasn’t a normal person. Was there a bounty on his head?

“Uh, hey, calm down for a moment. I just want to check something.”

The man didn’t answer. Instead, he skillfully twirled the knife and took a step closer to Hans.

“Check? I think I should be the one doing that.”

The cigarette’s tip glowed brightly. He took a deep breath, inhaling the smoke forcefully. Then, he spat it out—

Pfft! Right into Hans’s face.

Snap!

“Ugh!”

The overwhelming, disgusting stench of the cigarette smoke hit Hans’s face. Startled, he took a step back.

Ssssh!

The man sensed something was off. His knife stopped mid-air, as if stuck tightly between cracks in the wall.

The smoke began to clear. A boy in a robe was blocking the tip of the blade with his fingertip.

“…!”

How was that possible? Holding a sword with just a finger? The man’s mouth fell open in shock, and Ian muttered irritably.

“There are a lot of people here who just swing their swords at the drop of a hat.”

“Who, who are you?”

At that moment, golden eyes flashed in the darkness. Ian slowly lifted his head, revealing fierce, beast-like golden irises.

The man’s nerves prickled. His whole body froze, unable to move. No matter how much he twisted and struggled, it was like he was trapped in a dream.

“Hans, you okay?”

“Y-yeah. Just a bit dizzy, that’s all.”

“A mole by the nose, slashed eyes…”

Ian’s gaze slowly moved toward the man’s lips. He gently lifted the upper lip with his fingertip.

“No front teeth?”

Found him.

Ian smiled faintly, and the man felt an indescribable terror. Ian clenched his fist tightly and tilted his head. Hans glanced behind to check if anyone was coming.

“You’re with the Black Shadow, aren’t you?”

“…!”

The man’s eyes widened. So there were still forces hunting the Black Shadow? Where were they from? Judging by the magic user, it was probably—

‘The palace?’

Highly likely!

As the man’s mind spun, his eyes trembled wildly. Ian wrapped his fist in magic and muttered.

“Stop thinking—”

Ziiing! Ziiing!

“You need to answer.”

His mouth wasn’t even bound.

The man stammered, lips trembling.

“No, no… I’m not…!”

He was denying being part of the Black Shadow.

“Is that so?”

Ian raised his fist to the man’s face, raising an eyebrow.

Whoosh!

The fist stopped just inches away. The man trembled, squinting one eye. Ian smiled faintly and opened his hand.

“Don’t worry. You won’t die.”

At least, not here.

Magic shimmered in the man’s eyes. Sharp beams of light leaked through Ian’s fingers.

Crack! Crack!

It happened in an instant. The man’s body stiffened as if struck by lightning, trembling uncontrollably before collapsing.

Ian took one last look at the unconscious man’s face and then turned to Hans.

“Lucky. We won’t have to deal with him again.”

“Yeah, if he’s the one you’re after.”

“Feels like it. I have a hunch.”

“Ha… By the way, why did you go up to the arena earlier? You didn’t bring money, did you?”

Hans relaxed against the wall, sliding down with a joking tone. Of course not. Why would Ian—

“Actually.”

Ta-da! Ian pulled out a gold coin with a grin.

“Huh?”

“Well then, shall we move? Hans, can you go upstairs and get some people?”

“Y-yeah.”

Ian’s casual tone caught Hans off guard. No matter how skilled a fighter he was, that money was hard-earned after all the chaos. And Ian just stole it? That was harsh.

No, wait. Ian must have had another reason. Still, stealing the prize money was a bit…

Snap.

Hans hurried off, wearing a confused expression. There were plenty of people in the gambling hall willing to help for money. Besides, dragging someone out openly wouldn’t raise many eyebrows.

Meanwhile, Ian squatted down, waiting for Hans to return.

He tilted the gold coin he’d taken from Beric. The dim corridor was lit only by faint candlelight, but the coin still sparkled.

Right in the center of the coin, a dark red stain.

“…”

Beric’s blood.

---

Beric’s nose twitched. The warmth of sunlight on his skin. And the smell of his favorite braised meat. He felt good, as if he’d had a deep sleep.

“Mmm…”

Beric buried his face in the pillow, whining softly before suddenly snapping awake.

“Waaah!”

A strange scream escaped him.

His sister rushed in, ladle in hand, and his younger siblings peeked through the doorframe.

“Big brother, you’re awake?”

“What… what’s going on?”

“Sleeping in late.”

“Beric, if you’re going to get up, please do it quietly. You scared me.”

Beric stood on the bed, staring blankly at his family’s fuss.

Was it a dream? How did he get here from the arena? Surely Salon, that bastard, wouldn’t have carried him all the way here out of kindness. Reflexively, Beric touched his side.

“Huh?!”

The wound was gone. The scar from that damn Dek’s last performance with the knife was completely healed.

“Beric, what are you doing?”

“The silly captain’s awake!”

His siblings laughed and swarmed around him. Beric lay back down on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

“Sis.”

“Yeah?”

The kitchen was visible just outside the door. Helna, Beric’s sister, tasted the braised meat simmering in a large pot and replied.

“How long was I asleep?”

“A bit longer than usual. About ten hours?”

“You came back yesterday? Me?”

“Yeah.”

“Who brought me?”

“No idea. Some coachman I’ve never seen. I told you to stop drinking so much, remember?”

The coachman said Beric was too drunk to stand and helped lay him on the bed. When Beric offered to pay, the man said he’d already been paid and left.

Beric blinked repeatedly, unable to comprehend the situation.

“They said they got paid?”

Ah, right. The money!

Beric jumped in surprise and frantically searched for the clothes he’d been wearing. That damn coachman—did he maybe steal the money?

“Beric, calm down. It’s right here.”

When Helna jingled her pocket, Beric let out a relieved breath and moved closer to his sister. Meanwhile, the younger kids scattered again, focusing on their game of tag around the sofa.

“Do you have to keep going to the arena?” Helna asked quietly.

Beric sat down at the table and dumped the coins from his pocket onto it.

“I only go sometimes.”

“Even sometimes is dangerous.”

“It’s fine. If I want to eat meat, this is just part of it.”

“Beric.”

Helna sighed and turned away, but then froze when she caught the baffled look on Beric’s face.

“What’s wrong? Is something wrong?”

“Damn it all to hell!” Beric roared, clutching his pocket tightly. The younger kids giggled, saying, “Here we go again,” and resumed their game of tag around the sofa. Helna put down the ladle and came closer.

“What’s going on?”

“…Sigh.”

There wasn’t a single gold coin. Instead, there was a strange golden button.

Beric rubbed his head, letting out an irritated groan. Who could it be? The coachman? Or someone from the arena? Wait, he thought he’d seen someone at the arena just before.

“Oh.”

Helna picked up the button and examined it closely, then let out a small breath of surprise. She recognized the emblem engraved on it.

“Beric, did you meet a mage?”

“Huh?”

“This is the emblem of the Mage Department.”

“This belongs to a mage?”

“I heard it’s really expensive. One of these costs more than a gold coin. You didn’t steal it, did you?”

“Sis.”

“Sorry, just saying.”

Our Beric might have a hard time making money, but he wouldn’t just take someone else’s stuff. Helna ruffled Beric’s hair and went back to cooking.

Beric kept staring at the button until a sudden memory snapped him upright.

“That’s right.”

The guy he saw last time. He was wearing a robe over his head, but Beric remembered him clearly—platinum blond hair, pale eyes, looked like a courtesan’s brother.

‘Was he a mage?’

That would explain a lot—the wound that disappeared overnight, and this button.

‘Is this an invitation from the Mage Department?’

Beric grabbed his jacket and told Helna,

“Use this for this month’s living expenses and the kids’ school fees. Oh, I’ll keep the button. Damn it. This was supposed to be money.”

“Huh? You’re going out now?”

“But your favorite braised meat is ready.” Helna tapped the pot with the ladle, and the kids rushed over to sit at the table.

Beric hesitated as he was about to put on his clothes, swallowing hard.

“…Then, how about I eat one bowl quickly before I go?”