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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Moreover, according to Thea’s words, there were monsters inside the cave, so I was reluctant to go there with my current strength.
‘I need to be at least 2nd Class.’
Generously, 3rd Class. The reason I set it at 2nd Class was because of the skeleton and Athena.
I thought it would be worth challenging at that level. The basis for my judgment was simple.
‘Even if it controls the monsters, judging by the power and level of the curse placed on Thea, it seems manageable.’
It was an item of a lich, who was presumed to be a high-ranking Warlock.
Even I was inwardly excited about it.
The impatience that I had barely put to rest raised its head again.
I quietly closed my eyes and calmed my mind.
Until the day ended, I didn’t move from that spot.
***
After I slowed down the progression of the curse, Athena noticed a drastic change in Thea’s complexion and treated me very affectionately.
She still spoke casually to me, but her tone became a bit gentler, and her attitude towards me showed signs of caution to the point where it was noticeable.
Thea’s attitude towards me had also changed. She still found me intimidating, but her awkwardness had significantly reduced.
Athena spent her time so busy that even two bodies wouldn’t be enough, and Thea was exhausted every day from the unfamiliar physical training, but despite that, their faces were shining brightly.
Hope for the future.
The hope that things could get better gave them energy even in the midst of hardship.
‘Not bad.’
The goodwill they showed me was of a high level, almost absolute considering their situation, and the fact that they had hope for the future and worked hard was ultimately a good thing for me as well.
While the two were diligently training, I didn’t slack off either.
Being a necromancer doesn’t mean I only create undead and support them. I learn auxiliary magic, and currently, I was learning curse magic.
‘My body has become a bit more familiar with it after being exposed to a high-level curse.’
It could be said that it became easier to learn magic in that field thanks to absorbing a part of the curse from Thea’s body.
In a way, it was a small opportunity, and I had the ability to seize that opportunity.
As the days of regularly training and periodically visiting the development castle continued, I noticed that Kuman’s mansion was particularly noisy today.
‘…Has Kuman returned?’
As I approached the mansion, a mercenary who had become somewhat friendly with me spoke to me.
“Jimnis.”
I lightly raised my hand to greet Disan, the mercenary.
“Has Sir Kuman returned?”
“That’s right. Our employer has returned.”
Disan smiled and continued.
“He had a bright expression. The scale was also quite large. It seems he had some achievements.”
‘Has he already made a deal with the Magic Tower?’
That shouldn’t be the case. The Magic Tower doesn’t open its doors that easily. He would probably have to go through several trials. However, the process seemed to have gone smoothly.
“That’s fortunate.”
“Go in. He seems to be waiting for you.”
“Really?”
It seemed my guess was correct.
As soon as I entered, as he said, Albert politely greeted me, and I was able to see Kuman’s face immediately.
“Oh, Jimnis! Come in.”
In the office, there were a few people besides Kuman, but as soon as I entered, Kuman gestured for them to leave.
They politely greeted Kuman and left, and Kuman stood up from his seat to welcome me.
Seeing the series of actions, I could tell that my value had risen further in the past month.
“Things went well with the Magic Tower. Although I haven’t officially established a deal yet, they said they would welcome me whenever I visit.”
‘The Magic Tower already said that?’
This was a bit unusual.
I had also heard rumors in my previous life that there are usually several stages to establishing a deal with the Magic Tower.
The first stage is getting acquainted, where it’s usually difficult to leave a deep impression, so it lasts anywhere from a few months to years, and it’s a stage where only monster trading takes place, making them essentially customers.
The next stage is when the Magic Tower welcomes them and gives subtle requests, which are not official requests but can be considered unofficial trials.
Only after passing the Magic Tower’s trials several times does one officially gain the authority to trade with the Magic Tower and purchase valuable items offered by the Magic Tower.
‘Of course, even that authority has grades, and going higher is said to be hell.’
Anyway, it meant that Kuman had shortened a period of several months with just a single contact…
‘I guess it’s because of me?’
My prediction was immediately confirmed.
“You said you could capture orcs, didn’t you?”
“…That’s right, but.”
“I need orcs now.”
‘It seems he really received an unofficial request…’
“The Magic Tower said they recently received a hippogriff.”
‘A hippogriff?’
It seemed they didn’t need orcs as experimental subjects.
“There’s a rumor that hippogriffs like orcs. Recently, the Magic Tower has been desperately trying to gather orcs.”
Judging by their attempt to tame it, it seemed to be a request from a high-ranking noble family.
‘Well, unless it’s the Magic Tower, it’s almost impossible to tame such a magical beast.’
It’s difficult to even attempt it.
It seemed the timing was good.
‘Wait, if it’s a hippogriff…’
I remembered that in my first life, the Siglen Count’s family possessed a hippogriff.
Coincidentally, the territory where the Magic Tower was located was Siglen territory.
It seemed they would succeed this time.
‘They managed to grab the connection.’
There was a reason why they treated me well.
“So I luckily grabbed the connection in the first deal. They asked me to catch as many orcs as possible.”
“As I mentioned, there are limitations.”
“I know that well. But there won’t be another opportunity like this. So, here’s the thing…”
Kuman leaned forward and said.
“I heard you bought a slave while I was away.”
“That was to use as a housekeeper.”
“I’m aware of that. It was a sickly slave, right?”
It seemed Kuman wanted to say something else.
“Anyway, the fact that you bought a slave means you have no aversion to using slaves even now. And given your background, you should know how to handle slaves.”
“…That’s true, but…”
Unless they were high-grade slaves, low-grade slaves always had the possibility of staging a rebellion.
Especially in a remote area like this.
Moreover, Kuman knew that I was once a human hunter.
It would be a bit strange for someone like that not to know how to handle slaves, so I couldn’t deny it.
‘Well, it’s not actually difficult to handle them…’
I’m a Warlock, not an ordinary person. I can use magic. Breaking the spirits of slaves and making them obey my will isn’t a very challenging task.
“I’ll assign you a few slaves.”
“I…”
“I’m not lending them to you. I’m completely transferring them to you.”
‘Transferring?’
It meant he wasn’t trying to swindle me of my know-how like last time.
Slaves are expensive. Even when I bought Thea, despite her life expectancy being only about a year, he received 30 silver.
Appearance played a role, but it was still expensive.
“Not just ordinary slaves. They are individuals I value to some extent. I’ll assign you three who have received combat training.”
Not only were they not ordinary slaves, but they were slaves who had received formal combat training. And three of them at that.
‘The minimum would be in gold units…’
And not for all three combined, but per person. Slaves who had received combat training were even more expensive.
“If the maintenance cost is a burden, I’m willing to provide partial support while you work with me. I’ll make sure to take care of it separately.”
‘He’s making the conditions this favorable?’
I felt the need to revise my evaluation of Kuman.
He knew how to do business.
Kuman’s eyes were shining brightly with greed.
Indeed, establishing a deal with the Magic Tower held incomparable value to a few slaves.
He realized that this was an opportunity, and at the same time, he noticed that he had a chance to seize that opportunity.
“Even if you fail to capture the orcs, I won’t take back the slaves. And if you succeed, I’ll give you 2 gold per orc, regardless of their condition.”
Usually, an orc fetched a price close to 1 gold per individual, but offering 2 gold without even considering their condition was almost a waste.
‘Well, if they’re going to be used as food, their health doesn’t matter.’
As long as they were kept alive until they reached the Magic Tower, it was fine.
The reason they needed to be alive was simple. Hippogriffs don’t eat well what others have hunted unless they are tamed.
At the very least, they need to tear out the throat themselves.
Even when tamed, they prefer to tear out the throat themselves.
‘This… isn’t a bad deal for me either…’
Kuman realized that there was a risk, but this was an opportunity, so he decided to make a bold investment.
“What do you think? It’s not a bad offer for you, right? Although they are slaves, you’ll be returning to a team. And you’ll be forming a team as the undisputed leader.”
“Certainly, having subordinates increases the possibility, but we’ll need time to coordinate. How long is the period?”
“Sorry, but I can’t give you a long time. Considering the travel time to the Magic Tower, about 2 weeks?”
2 weeks. In a way, it could be considered long, but considering that I had to coordinate with entirely new people and scout the habitat of the orcs, it was incredibly tight for a suddenly given request.
‘Capturing isn’t an easy task.’
It requires thorough preparation. Originally.
‘I think it’s possible…’
There are a few people under Kuman that I want to get out.
One of them was Athena, but I had already acquired her.
‘I should get them out on this opportunity.’
I was lucky.
“Can I choose the slaves myself?”
“Of course! You should personally choose the people you’ll lead! Absolutely!”
It was essentially permission, so Kuman didn’t hide his joyful emotions.
He patted my shoulder and spoke in a bright voice.
“A wise choice.”
“If there are no suitable slaves, I may have to give up.”
“Then we can increase the number!”
“Capturing isn’t about having a large number…”
Depending on the situation, having a large number can actually be a hindrance.
‘Especially with orcs.’
“Hmm… Is that so? Don’t worry. I brought back even those I had planned to sell, so there won’t be none that catch your eye.”
Kuman looked confident.
“Then follow me. The preparations are ready. I’ll have them guide you right away.”
When Kuman rang a small bell, Albert, who had been waiting, opened the door and entered.
It seemed to be for accompaniment.
‘Well, he won’t explain everything himself.’
He wasn’t in a position to do so.
I headed back to the basement of the mansion for the first time in about a month.
Albert must have received instructions from Kuman in advance, as the candidates were already lined up on the 1st underground floor.
Therefore, there was no need to go further down like before.
“I take pride in each one being at the level of a low-grade mercenary.”
The slaves were all burly in appearance, and none of them could raise their heads.
“I’ll have someone accompany you to make it easy to choose. Albert?”
“Yes. Kayla. Explain directly.”
“…Understood.”
Kuman gave instructions to Albert, and Albert gave instructions to someone named Kayla. It wasn’t particularly strange. Everyone had their own roles.
At Albert’s instruction, a woman named Kayla stepped forward.
I looked at Kayla with shining eyes.
‘She still seems to be active?’
Unlike the burly individuals, Kayla was a slender woman, but she was limping on one leg.
‘The injury on one leg… It’s right.’
To be precise, I knew it was the aftereffect of an injury.
So she couldn’t walk or run properly.
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