NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 152
When I received the letter from the Magic Tower, I was taken aback.
‘How could it be so soon?’
It was only a few days ago that I had sent a letter to the Magic Tower asking them to send someone.
I thought it would take a month at the earliest, but I was wrong.
The letter said that they had found the right man and that he had arrived in good time.
‘He already arrived in the north?’
Moreover, I had asked to have him sent to the North, not to Beloa, where I was, as soon as the right person was found.
From the beginning, I had intended to go back to the north as soon as the job was done, not to the capital.
Only after I returned the temporary escort Kassar that Rudrick had given me, and calmly planned what to do next, did I decide to go to the capital.
Of course, my plans have since changed a bit, but I still have the same idea of returning to the north.
In fact, unlike before, I now have a clear purpose.
‘To find a new source of power.’
The power source I had in mind was the demon beast itself.
There must be an abundance of magic power within them, and if I could extract it, it would be enough to replace the magic ore.
That’s why I asked the tower to send someone
‘skilled in alchemy’,
and why I asked them to head straight to the north, because that’s where the demons are most prevalent.
‘It’s time to slay them.’
Wouldn’t it be easier to obtain demon corpses during the slaughter?
The more research materials we have, the better our chances of success, and there was no better time than now.
But despite my logical explanation, Jeron squints his eyes as if he doesn’t understand.
“Is it because you’re still bitter that you didn’t get Goldman?” “It’s… it’s not like that!”I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t stung by the mention of Lord River. I shook my head quickly and said earnestly.
“I may be blinded by love, but I can tell the difference between a Duke and a Princess, and no matter how many suitors you make, if you lose the succession battle, you’ll never have a chance to carry on the family name.” “You know that well?” “What do you think I am, and…”I said with a bitter laugh.
“You were right.” “What?” “Duke Goldman, I don’t think he’s just looking out for marriage, I think he’s got something up his sleeve…”I had no proof yet, but I had a hunch.
Lord River’s involvement in the northern raiding parties, his frequent visits to the North, his personal affairs outside of Crusades, and last but not least…
— ‘You must be careful.’An uncharacteristically earnest warning.
It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Lord River, but I didn’t trust his father, the Duke of Goldman.
If Jeron’s right, a man so obsessed with power would be willing to deceive and manipulate even his own son.
Of course, it was not impossible that Lord River was in cahoots.
But it was a possibility I preferred not to think about. At least, I didn’t think his appearance before me was all a lie.
“I’d better be careful.”Whether it was Duke Goldman or Lord River.
But still not liking my answer, Jeron, who had been frowning the entire time, said in a slightly disgruntled tone.
“Instead of being cautious, why don’t you cut it short? It doesn’t seem like it’s going anywhere.” “You can’t tell me this isn’t your job, and you think people change their minds that easily? I need some time, too.” “But…”Jeron trailed off as if he had a million things he wanted to say. But instead of nagging further, he said something else.
“Okay, I can’t help it, I don’t like cold places.” “What?” “I’ll come with you.”In response, I questioned him outright.
“What did you say about going to the middle of nowhere to live and suffer?” “In case you’ve forgotten, I’m your assistant, and while I couldn’t help you last time, I’m done with my job now, so it’s only natural that I should come with you.” “You’re always complaining about how much you hate working as my assistant…” “That’s just complaining, and look…”Jeron interrupted, crossing his arms.
“Something must have happened back there, and you’re sending me off alone knowing what else might happen? I’ll stop you before you get into any trouble.”As he said that, he turned his head away, and I had to stifle a laugh as I saw his earlobe turn red from the glimpse I’d gotten.
‘You’re a man of many talents.’
It was kind of cute to see him say that because he was worried about me and wanted to follow me.
It wasn’t for nothing that Rebeauvel’s youngest son had been hounding him to come back to him all this time. I shrugged my shoulders, trying to pretend that I didn’t know what he was talking about.
“Okay, but are you sure you’re okay with that? You’re just as out of shape as I am, let alone trained in sword fighting.” “What? What does that have to do with this…” “I was almost attacked by a fiend back there.” “What?!”He was stunned, and I had to tell him everything that had happened.
Then I thought back to what had happened earlier.
‘I got there first…’
In fact, from my point of view, the sooner things move forward, the better.
The faster we could research the power source, the sooner we could see if this was a possibility or not.
If it’s a possibility, it’s great, and if it’s not a feasible option, it’s fine because I can just start thinking about the next step.
Why am I so nervous, even though it’s not bad news for me?
‘Because he arrived too soon?’
Even if the tower was close to the north, most mages wouldn’t be able to use magic once they entered the north.
The best mages on the continent might be able to, but…
‘That’s not likely.’
Barely able to shake off my anxiety, I realized that it was unlikely.
And no matter how suspicious the wizard was, I needed him right now, and I didn’t care who he was, as long as he could fulfill my purpose.
‘Let’s focus on the task at hand.’
Only after I had completed my work in Hessen did I finally board the ship bound for the north.
The people on board were the same as before. The only addition was Jeron, who stood proudly beside me.
Thanks to him, I was never bored during the entire journey north.
More precisely, it was too noisy. With Jeron and Kassar fighting like they were going to eat each other at every turn, there was never a moment of peace and quiet.
It was a bit awkward when Kassar was trying to pull out a knife to see his blood, but other than that, I think it was pretty good.
No, to be honest, I was a little excited.
I thought to myself, ‘Rudrik will be happy to hear that things went well, right?’
It was the fact that I hadn’t seen him in a long time. I’d gotten so used to being around him that I’d sometimes felt like I was missing something.
‘I miss him.’
Thinking through this, my jaw clenched, I shook my head in exasperation.
‘Oh, it’s not just Rudrick I miss, I miss Leona, I miss Ruth, I miss Ethan, I miss Michel…’
I shook my head indignantly.
Then I scratched my neck, embarrassed at myself.
It was a little awkward, but it was also true that I was curious about how he was doing. And there were many things I wanted to tell him and many things I wanted to hear, so it couldn’t be helped.
When I arrived in the North with such anticipation and excitement.
‘At last…!’
My mood was at its peak, especially when I found the people who had already greeted me.
At the entrance to the Duke’s Residence, which I had become quite familiar with, stood a group of familiar faces.
Starting with Rudrick, who was now much taller and exuded a stronger presence than anyone else, then the division commanders beside him, Lord River, and a few of the servants…
And then…
“…?”Striking silver hair whipped in the bleak northern wind.
The woman’s first impression was of frailty.
Along with a pale, almost ethereal white face, she had a delicate forehead that looked like it had been carefully crafted by a god.
Along those rounded, iridescent eyes were densely lashed, and the way they fluttered whenever she blinked gave off an innocent yet pitiful impression…
‘Huh?’
Suddenly, my eyes locked with hers. I couldn’t help but look away.
Those eyes, when they locked together, were unmistakably golden, like they were forged from gold.
I mumbled something under my breath.
“O’Neill?”Sometimes I imagine meeting a heroine for the first time.
This was a novel, after all.
If I stuck with Rudrick, the male lead, I was bound to meet her at some point, whether I liked it or not.
‘How will she appear, will her appearance be as in the original?’
In the original, she appears like a comet at a celebration banquet, or more precisely, at the commemorating ceremony of the foundation.
Her appearance was so striking that she immediately caught everyone’s attention when she first appeared in the social circle.
No one could take their eyes off her, including the male lead.
Surrounded by people and bored, he ‘accidentally’ locks eyes with O’Neill.
When he made eye contact with her, time seemed to stop for a moment, and it was as if they were the only two people left in the world…
“…”And now?
My fists clench involuntarily.
No matter how familiar the childhood friend was to me, Rudrick was the unquestionable male protagonist, and the heroine who would accompany him had finally appeared.
The small events of the future may change, but the big ones always happen.
So what happens to the heart of a person?
The answer was right in front of me.
I glanced cautiously back at Rudrick, feeling a little nervous.
‘Ah.’
I finally relaxed. He wasn’t even looking at O’Neill.
Or rather, he was talking to Kassar, who had arrived earlier, as if he didn’t care who was next to him.
Maybe he didn’t realize who was next to him because he was talking to Kassar, but somehow I didn’t think Rudrick would do that, so I was glad…
‘No, why do you think I’m relieved?’
I shook my head quickly in embarrassment, and when I turned away, I felt like I’d made a fool of myself.
There she was. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
For there was one man, second in importance only to the leading man, who had been so devoted to her that he had lived his whole life alone, never forgetting her.
‘Lord River?’