Chapter 9. The Beggar (2)
Ten minutes after arriving at the forest.
The carriage hadn’t budged an inch.
Jackson, the hunter hired to guide through the woods, glanced nervously at the knight.
“Uh… Sir Knight? Did I do something wrong?”
“No. Just wait a moment.”
Peroq shook his head.
“Young Master is gathering his thoughts.”
“Ahh, yes! Understood!”
Jackson quickly stepped back.
Peroq didn’t stop him.
Honestly, Peroq couldn’t figure out what Evan was thinking either.
‘What’s with this beggar that he’s been staring without moving for ten minutes?’
Through the gap in the carriage window, Evan’s eyes could be seen—void of any emotion.
This was strange enough.
As in, strange enough to fool Peroq, who had reached the Swordmaster level after becoming an Expert.
That meant one of two things:
Either he was stronger than Peroq, or he possessed an ancient artifact capable of deceiving sight and hearing.
‘…Both are possible.’
Admitting it wasn’t pleasant, but neither was impossible.
The possibility that Evan had surpassed Peroq in skill…
Mages attain enlightenment and uncover the truth of magic to reach higher realms—
Priests prove their faith and channel divine power to ascend—
Blacksmiths listen to the sound of hammers striking to achieve mastery—
And alchemists… they might also follow a similar path.
For instance, by breaking taboos—
‘…But he probably hasn’t broken any yet.’
Honestly, Peroq couldn’t be sure.
The rumors about Evan circulating in the underworld—if even half were true, it would be enough reason for him to challenge such taboos.
But if he truly had broken them and reached a higher plane…
By now, Peroq might not even be human—perhaps a chimera or some kind of experiment.
‘Let’s hope not.’
He must’ve just gotten lucky and stumbled upon a valuable relic or artifact.
Or maybe made one.
Evan was an exceptional alchemist, after all.
If push came to shove, he could probably craft one himself.
With the wealth and fame of the Alkarte Ducal Family, gathering materials would be as easy as eating cold porridge.
Even if he were still human.
‘Could he possibly be using this old man as an experiment subject?’
Human experimentation.
As long as it doesn’t get discovered by the law, there’d be no problem.
The only taboos in alchemy are creating gold and reviving the dead.
Just those two.
‘…So this isn’t unusual.’
Turning humans into ingredients to produce results.
Something ordinary people wouldn’t dare attempt.
But our opponent here is Evan Alkarte.
Peroq knew his true nature.
Wouldn’t this cruel alchemist be able to create something from grinding up a single human?
‘…I really hope he’s holding back right now.’
Otherwise, this innocent hunter would have to die too.
Peroq quietly stroked the hilt of his sword, silently hoping Evan would make the right decision soon.
*
Inside the carriage.
Evan, who had been secretly observing the Dark King, finally made a decision.
‘…Made up my mind.’
There were two options Evan had been contemplating.
First, pretend not to notice.
Act like he didn’t see the Dark King and remain indifferent.
Second, acknowledge his presence.
Approach him, greet him, and start a conversation. Like a bro or a socialite!
‘The latter’s kinda tough though.’
It had nothing to do with Evan being unmanly.
He simply understood how much the Dark King valued promises.
Integrity.
Once words are spoken, they carry weight and responsibility.
The Dark King always kept his word, saying so himself.
‘Meeting him now would technically mean breaking a promise, right?’
The Dark King clearly said, “Tomorrow.”
Whether Evan accepted or not, the Dark King had made a promise.
Since Evan needed to maintain good relations with the Dark King—one of his main allies—it was important to keep it.
Maintaining a good relationship with the Dark King was Evan’s goal, after all.
‘Alright. I’ll pretend not to notice this time.’
Meeting now would violate integrity.
The agreed meeting time is tomorrow.
That’s all Evan was doing—keeping his word faithfully.
It absolutely wasn’t because he was scared or unprepared.
“Dolph, Lapis.”
“Yes!”
“Understood.”
“Let’s disembark.”
Dolph and Lapis obediently nodded without questioning why Evan had taken so long to decide.
Lapis ran over and grabbed Evan’s hand while munching on a carrot with her other hand.
Hmm, yeah. This hand crushed the Dark King’s disciple, didn’t it?
‘…Could I fight the Dark King too?’
Not that anyone was suggesting a fight.
But if the Dark King decided to kill, Evan would need to stop him.
Evan casually asked,
“Lapis. Do you see the old man outside?”
“Huh? Yes.”
“Anything unusual? Is it the same person who threw daggers at us before?”
“Umm… aside from both being old men… I couldn’t see their faces clearly…”
Seems she can’t confirm it.
Too bad.
“But the vibes feel kinda similar…”
“Anything else?”
“It smells super nasty. Like rotting animal carcasses…”
Rotting corpse smell?
Ah.
Evan understood.
‘Must’ve killed someone a while ago.’
Relief.
Evan sighed in relief, though he wasn’t sure why it smelled like rotting animals specifically.
“…Lapis. Lastly, how strong is this person?”
“Umm… way stronger than that guy we saw last time… hmm, this much? Eeeeeeiiimm?”
Lapis flailed her arms around.
Whatever it means, it indicates a huge difference.
“Could Lapis win?”
“Umm…”
Lapis hesitated briefly, then held up three fingers after some thought.
“Three minutes?”
“Yeah.”
“Thirty minutes?”
“Yeah.”
Nod.
So, thirty minutes against the Dark King, huh?
‘Impressive.’
Seems like death isn’t something to worry about too much.
Glancing sideways.
Lapis quietly asked,
“…Is he super dangerous?”
“No. Just a regular beggar.”
Evan firmly denied it.
Since he’s pretending not to know, covering it up was necessary.
…Though knowing he’s just a regular beggar might raise suspicion itself.
“…Probably.”
So Evan added offhandedly.
Lapis tilted her head.
“Probably?”
“I don’t know him.”
“Ah.”
“Just asking in case since he’s standing in front of the forest.”
Evan signaled Dolph with his eyes.
The loyal Dolph caught on and zipped his lips shut, nodding satisfactorily.
“Dolph. No, Dolphe. Give me more vegetables.”
“Here you go.”
Dolph handed over a carrot he always carried around.
Lapis happily took it and chomped down with satisfaction.
“Dolph. Could you open the door please?”
“Yes! Let’s finish quickly and head back!”
Dolph cheerfully opened the carriage door and helped Evan step down.
Peroq, waiting outside, bowed respectfully.
“Are your thoughts all sorted out?”
“…Yes.”
Evan nodded, calming his startled heart after stepping out.
“All settled.”
“Congratulations.”
Peroq didn’t ask what Evan had been pondering about.
Evan silently breathed a sigh of relief.
“Master. This is the hunter guiding us today.”
“Hello, young master.”
Peroq introduced the man standing nearby.
A middle-aged man in his forties, wearing sleek leather armor with a bow on his back, bowed.
“My name is Jackson. I’ll be guiding you through the forest today.”
“…Nice to meet you.”
Evan returned the bow slightly.
Regardless of the social disparity, Jackson was roughly the age of Evan’s father.
Treating him casually or rudely due to the age gap felt inappropriate.
“…”
However, Jackson couldn’t help but be surprised.
A noble heir returning a bow?
‘Never seen one like this before.’
Jackson had been a hunter for thirty years.
Naturally experienced.
Had many encounters with nobles too.
‘Completely opposite of the rumors.’
Peroq’s eyes sparkled curiously.
“Master. Is there anything special we should prepare before entering the forest? Our luggage will differ depending on how many days we’ll stay.”
“It’s fine.”
Evan shook his head.
“We only plan to harvest the Luminescent Calming Herb today and leave. We’ll finish before sunset.”
“!”
Jackson was surprised again.
Luminescent Calming Herb?
While hard to obtain, it wasn’t surprising enough to warrant shock.
What shocked him was…
‘He’s actually telling me his schedule and purpose?’
Evan’s kindness.
Ordinarily, nobles wouldn’t share their plans.
Most would respond with, “Hmmph, does that matter? You’re supposed to take care of everything!” and scold harshly.
Jackson’s expression softened.
‘This employer feels good.’
“Do you know where the Luminescent Calming Herb grows?”
“Yes. Just head straight this way.”
Jackson politely pointed towards the center of the forest.
The herb only grew at the forest’s core due to the ideal humidity, temperature, and ‘sunlight’ conditions.
An almost perfect spot with a small pond nearby.
However,
“There are many monsters nearby, so please be careful.”
“We’ll guard thoroughly.”
“It’s fine.”
Evan dismissed their concerns.
Entering the forest interior wasn’t scary at all.
Why?
Because he wasn’t going in.
“How long until we reach the center?”
“It won’t take long. Probably when the sun is directly overhead.”
Then the distance was sufficient.
“5th Unit, 4th Unit. Golem poison.”
Evan gestured backward.
Unit 5 with its syringe-like capabilities.
Unit 4 with its elongated arms.
And the specialized exploration and movement golems.
Ku-kunk!
They stepped forward.
The knights looked puzzled.
Instead of answering, Evan stared at a tree while channeling mana.
The basics of transmutation lie in [Understanding]. For that, he used the second-tier magic [Analytical Vision], one of the few spells he knew.
‘The composition is similar to regular wood.’
With that, the preparation for transmutation was complete.
Evan touched the ground.
At that moment,
Du-du-du-du-du-du!
The earth trembled violently, and the trees warped.
Like rubber, they twisted, disintegrated, bent, curved, and reformed, beyond what the naked eye could comprehend.
Evan’s advantage.
Normally, transmutation only affected objects directly touched or within range.
But Evan had no such limitation.
As long as objects were connected, he could transform them within the limits of his mana.
Goo-goo-oo-oo.
‘That should be enough.’
Quite a bit of mana had been expended.
Evan drank a small strawberry-flavored advanced mana potion from his pocket, wiped his mouth, and ordered the golems.
“Golems. Move out. Remember? Calming Herb. Be careful not to damage the roots.”
Units 5, 4, and the exploration golem nodded and entered the forest.
Their sturdy backs looked quite impressive.
Almost like protagonists.
‘…Should I just go in too? I’ve got Living Golems anyway.’
Honestly, Evan was youthful.
In the prime of his blood and vigor.
There was a desire to enter and participate actively.
But,
“Haa-chew!”
A tickling nose led to a sneeze.
A slight chill suggested an impending cold.
‘Damn body.’
If only this weren’t the case, huh?
Me too, acting like a protagonist.
It’s not because Evan is unmanly; it’s this world making him seem that way…
Krwarrrr!
Suddenly, a loud roar echoed from the forest.
His body froze stiff.
Is this fear (Fear) manifesting somehow?
“Evan.”
Lapis quietly approached and grabbed Evan’s hand.
“You shouldn’t go inside. It’s dangerous.”
“That’s right, Master! Let’s stay here and wait nicely!”
“Master. It’s dangerous inside. Letting the golems handle it is best.”
“W-wow, Master. How did you come up with the idea of having the golems gather the herbs instead…?”
Everyone tried to dissuade Evan.
With occasional compliments mixed in.
“Ahem.”
Evan cleared his throat softly.
Absolutely not because he’s scared—he’s not going in because everyone advised against it.
“I shall respect everyone’s wishes.”
“Of course Evan’s the best!”
“Indeed, Master is the greatest!”
Lapis grinned, and Dolph gave a thumbs-up.
Phew.
Evan sat back in the carriage, feeling relieved.
‘Maybe I’ll make some potions while waiting?’
Right then,
“No! You mustn’t enter that forest today!”
A gaunt, elderly voice.
Tock, Evan’s body tensed.
Forcing himself to turn his head sideways.
The beggar from earlier—or rather, the Dark King—who had been sleeping until now.
Holding several black stones in his hand, he was yelling furiously at us.
“Today’s filled with ominous signs! The ground is damp, and wolves gathered in groups of three or more to howl together! Angol Demon King predicted calamity! If you enter today, you’ll all die!”
…Spouting nonsense while…
