Chapter 944
“Ah, bu—”
Ian, Beric, and Barsabe huddled close, their heads nearly touching as they gazed at Roel. They simply couldn’t take their eyes off the tiny, soft baby.
Philia set down her teacup and burst out laughing.
“Are you that fascinated?”
“…Because he’s so cute.”
“Thank goodness the baby takes after his mother, not his father.”
“Nersarn, that insolent Beric just made a cheeky comment. Shouldn’t you teach him a proper lesson?”
Barsabe quickly tattled, and Nersarn shrugged. Unfortunately, he’d heard that complaint hundreds, maybe thousands of times before—it barely fazed him. Even in Cheollyeo, everyone agreed the baby looked like Philia, and they’d even held a festival to celebrate.
“Hey, old man, you up for a fight?”
Beric glanced at Nersarn, sizing up his combat ability. Towering height, bulging muscles, broad shoulders. Scars marked his body like badges of survival.
Barsabe yanked Beric’s cheek hard, warning him.
“Seriously, Ian. This guy’s trouble even inside the palace.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Hey! I was just curious!”
Xiaosi, unable to contain her curiosity about Beric, cautiously chimed in.
“Is he also applying for the selection exam?”
“Oh, Beric’s a magic swordsman. He’s training to join the imperial palace guard.”
“I see.”
Now it made sense. Though he seemed like a commoner, he lived at Count Jacques’s estate and was close to Ian, a genius mage, and Barsabe, the count’s daughter. As a magic swordsman, he was one of the emperor’s key aides—naturally kept close, just like he was welcomed into the mansion.
“So, old man, are you up for a fight or not?”
“Why the sudden interest?”
Nersarn furrowed his brow slightly, trying to hide his displeasure since Philia and Roel were right there.
“If you’re up for it, I wanted to ask if you could spar with me. You’re going to be here for a while, right? Barsabe’s under my wing now, so she’s no good.”
“That brat! I only lost once! Don’t get the wrong idea—I’ve won a hundred times, and he’s only beaten me once!”
“Well, a win’s a win.”
“Come on out. Let’s go again.”
“Nah. I don’t fight nobodies.”
Beric scratched his ear, teasing, and Barsabe buried her face in a cushion, letting out a frustrated yell.
Luckily, Roel just blinked and waved his hands in the air, clearly entertained by the commotion. Ian caught his little hand and turned to Nersarn with a request. His tone was still a bit cheeky, but the offer was sincere.
“Nersarn, if you have the time, I’d like to ask a favor. Barsabe has been preparing for a long time, but Beric only recently started training. His goal is to pass this exam, so I’d appreciate it if you could pass on some of Cheollyeo’s toughness.”
“Sure, time’s the one thing I have plenty of.”
They were here mainly to attend Romandro’s wedding, planning to explore the capital until then. So naturally, they could join the training.
In fact, Nersarn had been meaning to suggest it himself. Sitting still for over a month made his warrior’s body ache.
“Good. Beric, consider him your master and stay humble.”
Philia was just like her mother, and as her man, Nersarn was like a father figure to Ian. Beric nodded slightly, accepting Ian’s warning.
“Got it.”
Strangely, no one could argue when Ian said that. Maybe it was because Beric had been soundly beaten once before.
“Nersarn, if it’s not too much trouble, I’d like your guidance as well.”
“Xiaosi, don’t mention it. I’m happy to help however I can for the exam.”
Xiaosi bowed lightly toward Nersarn, who waved his hand dismissively. The Enlow family was a close friend and important ally of Cheollyeo.
Ian picked up the fussy Roel and sat across from Xiaosi. It was finally time to bring up ‘that’ topic.
“So, what kind of place is the Enlow territory? My knowledge is limited—I don’t know much about the borderlands.”
“It’s peaceful. The people are kind, and if you walk a bit through the vast fields, you can see the golden desert—a truly wondrous sight. We also see many exotic visitors coming from Hwan.”
Though brief, Xiaosi’s introduction was filled with affection for Enlow. Ian smiled faintly and asked again.
“I heard the family founder’s name was Xiaosi Enlow.”
“Yes, he was the Empire’s sword.”
“I saw a portrait, and he looked just like you.”
“Really?”
Ian felt a twinge of curiosity at Philia’s words. Xiaosi Enlow—the name and appearance passed down unchanged?
Xiaosi caught on and added, “The family headship will go to my older brother. That’s already decided. It’s not something determined by a name alone.”
He’d perfectly understood Ian’s unspoken question about why the second son bore the founder’s name.
“And I fully acknowledge my brother’s succession. I’m not interested in management, so I think it’s for the best.”
“I see. Then you might not know this.”
“Know what?”
“A long time ago, the Enlow family deposited the payment for the territory sale at Haiman Bank.”
“We did?”
“Yes. A whopping 1,000 gold coins.”
Beric’s jaw dropped at the mention of a thousand gold coins. He’d never even imagined such a sum! How many plates of meat could that buy…?
“The Hadel family couldn’t find any records of the territory sale, so I wondered if Enlow might know something.”
“I don’t know the details, but 1,000 gold coins isn’t just for a small plot of land.”
“That’s right.”
“Any idea when this was?”
“About a hundred years ago, during Emperor Jin Verosion’s reign.”
“Huh?”
Xiaosi tilted his head in confusion.
“Why?”
“Because the Enlow family’s beginning was when they were granted a title by Emperor Jin Verosion. As far as I know, the founder was a commoner who rose to nobility, married a daughter of the Davion family, and after retiring, managed the current Enlow territory.”
Ian hesitated. The timing of the payment coincided with the family’s origin.
There was only one possibility: the current Enlow territory was the land in question.
“Did the Hadel family also own land near the border?”
That was strange. If so, there should be records.
Ian frowned, deep in thought—
“Dee—”
Roel poked Ian’s brow with his finger. Ian’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment, then he laughed and gently bounced the baby.
“Do you know who owned the territory before?”
“Well…”
Xiaosi hesitated, clearly uncomfortable. As a member of the Enlow family, he couldn’t speak lightly about it.
“Why the hesitation?”
“Records about the previous lord are forbidden in Bariel.”
What did that mean? Ian blinked, momentarily stunned, then realized.
“You mean they were traitors?”
“I don’t know the details. But all records were lost, and the family history is only passed down within the head of the Enlow family. The only thing I know is—”
Xiaosi seemed unsure whether to share, but the mood was already tense. Everyone here was curious, and since he was going to be indebted to Ian Hadel for a while, he figured it was okay to tell.
“The previous lord went by the name Hielo.”
“Hielo…”
Where had Ian heard that before? The name stirred a strange sense of déjà vu, but the more he thought about it, the more mysterious it became.
‘If Hielo’s records were erased, that means the family was branded traitors.’
Meanwhile, the Hadel family was a branch of the royal family. There was no way they had any connection to traitors. If they did, they would have been wiped out, and Ian wouldn’t even exist.
‘Then what is this feeling of familiarity…?’
“Ah, bu—”
Roel grabbed Ian’s finger and shook it enthusiastically. The baby seemed eager to say something, making noises to catch Ian’s attention.
“What is it?”
Ian smiled and tilted his head as Roel’s warm little hands caressed his face.
Watching this, Xiaosi cautiously offered, “If you’re curious about the source of the payment, I can write a letter to my father. It would be a good chance to send our regards and confirm it.”
“That would be most appreciated.”
“Yes. But please understand one thing: there are no records left in the current Enlow family.”
Ian nodded just as footsteps sounded outside.
Knock, knock.
“Excuse me. Count Jacques has returned.”
“Oh, you’re back early. Everyone, shall we greet him?”
“Of course.”
The conversation paused as the news of Count Jacques’s return spread. Everyone stood and turned their attention toward the door.
Only one person—Roel, cradled in Ian’s arms—kept babbling nonstop, gripping Ian’s fingers and shaking them.
“Ah, husband, ba—”
Meanwhile, somewhere deep in a northern forest, a group of armed hunters pushed through the underbrush.
This was the Red Forest, a place where monsters—now nearly extinct—still occasionally appeared. The hunters were armed with weapons made by the Dera tribe and kept puffing on their cigarettes.
“Damn it, how many days has it been? Still no sign of anything.”
“Hey, do monster corpses really fetch any money?”
“Yeah, there are buyers. All kinds of people. Last time, I sold a monster’s core and shell to a shaman and got two gold coins for it.”
“Whoa, that’s a jackpot.”
“Nowadays, a few strong men can take down most monsters. If we play it right, we could make a fortune…”
Rustle.
Suddenly, a strange sound echoed from somewhere nearby. The hunters froze and scanned their surroundings. Was it a monster? Or some wild beast? Whatever it was, they’d kill it and take it back!
“Th-there!” one man shouted, pointing.
In the darkness, a pair of glowing red eyes appeared. Then, they shifted to gold, flickering like flames.
The hunters gripped their weapons tightly and crouched low.
“One, two, three—on three, we strike together. Got it?”
“Y-yeah, okay.”
“One, two—!”
But something felt off. Could this be the infamous creature they’d heard about? The thing tilted its head to the side and let out a strange, eerie laugh.
‘It’s laughing?’
Monsters were supposed to have no emotions—that was why they were considered nothing more than evil beasts.
“Three!”
As the hunters charged, sharp spikes shot out from the bushes, piercing their necks all at once.
Thud!
“…Guh, guh!”
Like living thorns, the spikes drained their life as the hunters coughed up blood and fell.
Slowly, the creature emerged from the thicket.
‘A… person?’
It rifled through the bodies’ pockets, pocketing a few coins, then—
Click, crack!
It slit a hunter’s throat cleanly, finishing him off.
Crony brushed dirt-covered hair from his face and muttered,
“Ah. Shouldn’t have killed them.”
He should’ve asked where he was, but it was too late now.
Ten years on, Crony turned his gaze toward Bariel, a faint smile playing on his lips. His eyes gleamed with golden light.