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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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“Wind Blade!”
A blade-like gust of wind erupted from the orb, shooting forward. It was hard to believe even as I watched, but its power was no less than when the bandit and Lina used it. The wind blade, propelled forward, carried a ferocious momentum as if it would slice through anything in its path.
Kwaa-kwa-kwaang-
A storm passed, and silence descended. The White Witch nodded, seemingly satisfied with my successful execution.
The tingling sensation in my hand from using the magic still lingered. This could be addictive.
“You did quite well.”
‘It would be strange if someone with that much talent couldn’t do it.’
The White Witch’s praise didn’t reach Kerry’s ears. This was magic.
A man’s romance! A wave of emotion washed over him, as if the fulfillment of achieving a long-held dream had finally arrived. It was the joy of realizing his dream of becoming a mage. It felt like some compensation for the hardships he’d endured in this other world.
‘Now I have at least one means to protect myself.’
It might still be weak, but it was a start. He could build on this, one step at a time.
“So, how does it feel to finally wield the magic you so desired?”
“Amazing! I feel like I could fly!”
To think he had given up on something he could use so easily. Of course, this was thanks to a series of fortunate events.
Kerry was jumping for joy in the meadow when the White Witch spoke in a wistful voice, as if to herself.
“Now that… you’ve learned magic, you won’t come anymore, will you?”
“What are you talking about? You think I won’t come back just because I learned one spell? You should be prepared to have all your tricks revealed, Witch. When that happens, I’ll grant you your freedom.”
“Do you intend to stay with me for the rest of your life? Even a lifetime wouldn’t be enough for you to learn all my secrets…”
“Well, we’ll see about that. I look forward to your continued guidance, Witch.”
Kerry excused himself, saying he needed to sleep. He disappeared without a trace, just as he had arrived. Only then did the White Witch sigh in relief.
“I’m not alone…”
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Morning dawned. Lately, Kerry had been cutting back on sleep to visit the White Witch, so his body felt stiff. He was spending more and more time sleeping in the moving carriage. But the results were remarkable, so he didn’t feel tired at all.
“My lords, we’ll be arriving at the castle shortly.”
The coachman called towards the inside. Kerry snapped awake. Finally, the long journey was coming to an end.
Just as the coachman had said, a castle came into view in the distance. It wasn’t a huge castle, but it was a decent size.
Lina looked around outside the window with a complex expression, a look of concern etched on her face. She always seemed worried about others.
“Whoa- whoa-”
The coachman stopped the horses. His role ended here. Entering the castle seemed to be a rather cumbersome process, so he apparently wasn’t going inside.
“My lords, please enter safely.”
“Thank you for your service.”
The carriage began to turn back the way it had come, its destination unknown.
They walked towards the castle entrance. Since it wasn’t wartime, security wasn’t particularly tight, but two guards stood watch at the gate. Seeing them yawning and dozing off during their shift, they didn’t seem like particularly diligent guards.
Lina and her companions joined the line of people waiting to enter the castle. Their turn approached.
“Show me your pass. If you don’t have one, you’ll have to pay the entrance fee.”
To enter the castle, a pass was required. In this world, a pass served as a kind of identification. Of course, you could enter without one, but you had to pay and submit to an inspection for dangerous items.
“We don’t have passes. We’ll pay the entrance fee. How much is it?”
The guard spoke with a bored expression.
“Ten silver.”
‘That’s too expensive.’
Even with two years of experience in this world, Kerry knew this was a rip-off. He had heard it was usually one silver per person.
But Lina, seemingly reluctant to raise her voice, quietly took out the money and handed it over.
“What’s this?”
“Ten silver… Isn’t that correct?”
“No, it’s ten silver per person. Seems the young lady misheard.”
“Oh, for…fuck’s…”
A torrent of curses was about to erupt, but Lina clamped her hand over his mouth. Their Hero was too much of a pushover. Times like these called for a good string of expletives.
‘But then again, causing trouble and potentially being denied entry into the castle would be… a headache.’
From the Hero’s perspective, paying a bit extra for smooth entry probably seemed like the better option.
Lina handed the guard forty silver for the four of them. The hefty weight of the coin purse startled the two guards awake, their eyes widening.
‘Forty silver is more than my half-year’s living expenses when I was an adventurer. You unscrupulous bastards.’
The guards chuckled, pleased with their haul. Just when Kerry thought they would finally enter the castle without any further issues, the guards blocked their path.
“Payment’s done, but there’s still something left to do, right?”
‘Inspection for dangerous weapons.’
Inspecting for dangerous weapons was the duty of the castle guards. If it was just baggage inspection, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but they also performed body searches.
The problem was that there were two incredibly beautiful women in their group. The guards gave them openly lecherous smiles, directing particularly slimy and sticky gazes at Lina.
‘I’d like to just kill them.’
He had fully charged his magic orb before going to bed. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to surprise them with a Wind Blade right here and now.
But there was nothing they could do even if the guards blatantly mocked them while searching them. That was the rotten injustice of this barbaric other world!
“Lina, let’s give up on entering through the main gate. There’s no need to endure this humiliation.”
He’d memorized the faces of these two guards. He would give them a special magic “gift” when they left the castle after finishing their business.
“…”
Lina nodded in agreement. Natasha also seemed unwilling to subject herself to those lecherous men.
“Get away from me! Only my husband can touch me!”
Natasha’s words drew envious glances from the guards, which quickly turned to jealous glares. These kinds of guys were always the same.
“You, come here! We’ll search you first. If you refuse, you won’t be entering the castle. Understand?”
Just as Kerry was about to lose his temper and punch the guard in the face, another guard on the castle wall shouted down.
“Hey! The young lady is arriving! Open the gates wide!”
Upon hearing this, the two guards started scrambling, just like soldiers would when a superior officer arrived.
“You lot, step aside for a moment. We’ll search you later.”
A carriage with ornate designs passed by behind them. Kerry watched the carriage intently, a hunch forming in his mind.
‘Young lady… young lady… Lina said the lord’s daughter here was named Victoria…’
Could the person inside that carriage be Victoria? Of course, she would have no prior acquaintance with the Hero, and the person inside might not even be Victoria but her sister or someone else entirely.
But simply calling out her name carried little risk for them, especially considering their current predicament.
“Victoria!”
He called out the name again as the carriage clattered closer.
“Victoria!!”
“C-Crazy! What’s that guy doing?! Hey! Stop him! How does he know the young lady’s name?!”
“Victo…Mmmmph!”
He tried to shout the name one more time, but a guard quickly covered his mouth. He didn’t resist. The carriage had already begun to slow down.
The carriage window was covered by a curtain. The curtain parted slightly, revealing a cascade of long, golden hair. The occupant of the carriage spoke, their face still hidden.
“Who dares to call my name so casually?”
The guard tried to keep his mouth covered, but it was no use. Kerry bit down hard on the guard’s fingers and spoke.
“Aagh! He bit me!”
“It’s me! I apologize for calling your name so casually, my lady. But I couldn’t stand by and suffer such blatant injustice.”
If Victoria was Lina’s comrade in her previous life, he could assume she possessed a reasonably good nature. He was banking on that small hope.
‘And meeting Victoria here is a stroke of luck. If we miss this opportunity, who knows when we’ll see her again? Let’s also inform her about the assassination attempt while we’re at it.’
“Injustice?”
“Yes, these men… Mmmmph!”
The guards, their faces pale, clamped their hands over his mouth with all their might. One of them waved his hand dismissively.
“I-It’s nothing, my lady. J-Just a small misunderstanding. We’ll take care of it.”
“…”
“Really.”
Inside the carriage, Victoria studied Kerry’s face closely. He didn’t look like someone who had just been swindled out of a few coins. He looked genuinely angry.
“Remove your hands.”
“B-But my lady!”
“I said remove your hands from that man’s mouth. Are you deaf?”
When the guards, looking troubled, failed to comply, a knight in armor standing beside the carriage fiddled with the hilt of his sword and gave them a look. It was an order to obey.
In the end, the guards had no choice but to release Kerry’s mouth. He excitedly relayed his story, eager to see them get what they deserved.
“Thank you, my lady. First, let me tell you what these men did. I don’t know what the official entrance fee for this castle is, but these men swindled us.”
“How much did they take that you’re this angry?”
“The entrance fee is the lord’s prerogative, but these men arbitrarily charged us ten silver per person. Isn’t that outrageous?”
“That is quite excessive.”
Victoria’s reaction was lukewarm. But there was no need to worry. The fun part of the tale was just beginning.
“But the reason I’m truly angry isn’t just about the money!”
Ten silver, or even a hundred, wouldn’t mean much to the lord’s daughter. A noble wouldn’t lack for money. She might not truly empathize with the struggles of commoners who lived and died by ten silver coins.
But as a fellow woman, how would she react?
“These men, after taking ten silver…”
Before he could finish, the guards, sensing the impending disaster, began to plead.
“Sir! I-I’m sorry! I’ve committed a grave sin! Please forgive me!”
“It’s just a small misunderstanding, isn’t it? Please…”
They started groveling, but Kerry didn’t have an ounce of forgiveness in him. They dared to ogle Lina and Natasha? That was a sin deserving of death.
“After taking ten silver, they tried to harass the women under the pretext of a body search!”
“Body search… harassment?”
A palpable wave of killing intent emanated from the carriage. As expected of a former comrade of the Hero, her personal strength seemed considerable.
The guards, their legs giving way, collapsed onto the ground.
‘Shit. That’s terrifying…’
The explosive aura gradually subsided as if catching its breath.
“Harassment… you mean they tried to take advantage of the women under the guise of a search?”
“Precisely.”
“Sigh…”
A deep sigh escaped from within the carriage. The guards were on their knees, begging for forgiveness.
“Overcharging for the entrance fee set by the lord is a serious offense, but to even attempt to harass women? Your crimes are too heavy.”
“We’re sorry! My lady! We’ll never do it again!”
“We’re sorry! We’re sorry! Please, spare our lives…”
“How could I so easily take the lives of the castle guard?”
“Then…”
‘Don’t tell me she’s going to let them off the hook?’
His anxiety was short-lived. Victoria’s next words made him nod in agreement.
“The crime of coveting another’s money and body can be atoned for by cutting off your wrists.”
“M-My lady!”
“That’s no different from a death sentence!”
Ignoring the guards’ pleas, Victoria addressed Kerry.
“Will you forgive our guards’ transgressions with this? We’ll return all the money you paid. As a representative of Cardiff, I apologize for their actions.”
“You have nothing to apologize for, my lady.”
She was similar to Lina. The stench of a pushover was strong with this one. The matter with the guards seemed to be resolved.
The carriage curtain closed, as if signaling the end of the conversation. But he couldn’t let Victoria go just yet.
“My lady! Actually, the reason we came here was to meet you.”
The carriage curtain opened again.
“Now that I think about it, I almost forgot. How do you know my name?”
Victoria carefully examined Kerry’s face. She hadn’t noticed before, but upon closer inspection, she sensed a certain elegance about him. He was quite different from the average commoner. His skin was clear, and he had a good physique, comparable to her own chief knight.
‘Is he the son of a fallen noble family?’
If so, she might have seen his face somewhere before. Perhaps he had come to borrow money, relying on that small connection.
But Victoria’s eyes widened at his next words, which were completely unexpected.
“There are those who seek to take your life, my lady. We came here to warn you.”
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