■ The Prodigal Son Returns □
After the farewells, we left the Demon King’s Castle on wyverns and headed straight to the Hamburg fortress on the border.
Perhaps because Dorothy had been the commander here just a month ago, the soldiers stationed there warmly welcomed us.
And there, as if transferring, we switched our means of transportation from wyverns to horses and set off.
It had been a while since I last saw Goldrun, but he still had his beautiful golden mane.
The way it fluttered in the wind certainly had a strange charm that caught people’s eyes.
“By the way, what happened to Hamburg after I left?”
Dorothy, who had been silently following behind, shrugged her shoulders and answered.
“The situation itself hasn’t changed much. The factions supporting Rachel, the legitimate heir of the family, and her younger brother are in a tight power struggle.”
“What a waste.”
Rachel, the legitimate heir, is probably locked up in the dungeon by now, waiting for her death.
“The fact that the Hero Party was wiped out hasn’t been revealed to the humans yet. It could happen.”
As she said this, Dorothy brushed her hair behind her ear and, noticing my gaze on her finger, playfully waved her left hand and laughed.
“And I have the family seal.”
As Dorothy said, the 80-carat diamond ring, originally the symbol of the Hamburg family and only to be held by the family head, became hers.
In fact, to become the legitimate heir of the Hamburg family, one must have that ring, but since it fell into the hands of the enemy, the Four Heavenly Kings, they probably have no way to get it back.
They probably think it’s lost.
“It’s not completely impossible. They could make a counterfeit ring.”
“Where would they get an 80-carat diamond?”
I shrugged my shoulders and answered Dorothy, who seemed naive about the world.
“These days, alchemy has developed techniques to create fake gemstones. They might not be able to replicate the hardness, but they can make something that looks similar.”
Of course, creating something from nothing is impossible, so the material cost would be enormous, but the Hamburg family is one of the wealthiest in the kingdom.
Even if it costs a lot, once they secure the family head position, they can easily recover the investment.
“To desire power that much, humans are indeed scary.”
“I think so too.”
While chatting with Dorothy to pass the time, I suddenly noticed that Barnett, who was following behind, was unusually quiet.
‘Is she not joining the conversation?’
Curious, I turned my head and saw Barnett skillfully dozing off on her horse’s saddle.
Being able to be so carefree is a talent in itself.
After over 300 years of military life, one naturally picks up such skills.
Ah! Veterans are too scary![[#]]”It’s food!”
We arrived at the southern gate of Hamburg in the late afternoon.
We almost had to sleep outside, but fortunately, a soldier I had seen before recognized my face and let us pass.
Dorothy showed her ID from when she was still part of the Ruby Tower, and Barnett presented a suitably forged ID.
“A free knight? Rare to see around here.”
Since he looked like an ordinary knight, there wasn’t much scrutiny.
Probably because we were part of my group, the soldier was lenient.
I slipped the soldier a few silver coins as a token of gratitude.
After that, our party unpacked at the inn where I had stayed before, which cost 10 silver per night.
It was quite expensive, but we could afford such luxuries.
The Demon King had provided us with a substantial amount of funds.
As long as we didn’t spend money recklessly, we could live comfortably for a while.
After unpacking, we went down to the first-floor dining area, where Dorothy, who had already changed into lighter clothes, waved happily.
“Hey! Over here!”
Dorothy is objectively a stunning beauty.
Her chest might be a bit small, but her hips and overall figure are quite good, and she’s cute.
She insists on wearing sleeveless tops and shorts even in winter because she finds magic cumbersome, but from a man’s perspective, it’s just perfect.
Beside her, Barnett, now indoors, had taken off her helmet, and with her mouth closed, she looked like a delicate beauty.
The two beauties, with completely different styles, dominated the center of the dining area, drawing everyone’s attention.
It was a sight that didn’t suit covert operations.
‘This is crazy.’
I pressed my forehead and hurried over to the table where the two were sitting.
Whether she knew my complicated feelings or not, Dorothy, who had been giggling, handed me a beer she was holding.
“You’ll have fried chicken as a side, right? I ordered it in advance.”
“Ah, thanks.”
Because she drank so much, Dorothy knew my tastes very well.
Reaffirming that chicken and beer are always the truth, I looked curiously at Barnett, who was munching on boiled peas.
“Can a Dullahan eat beans?”
Barnett shrugged and answered calmly.
“It’s fine because it converts to magical energy. Normally, naturally born beings treat food as a luxury, but since I was originally human, I enjoy eating.”
“Really?”
I was slightly surprised and took a sip of my beer.
“Ugh-”
“What?”
“No, lukewarm beer isn’t my preference.”
Most people here drink alcohol to warm their bodies.
So the idea of drinking it cold doesn’t occur to them, but coming from Korea, where iced beer is common, I prefer it cold.
I circulated my magical energy, and a chill rose through the glass in my hand.
When it was just about to form a thin layer of ice, I stopped the circulation and drank the chilled beer, then tore into a large chicken wing.
“Ah! This is the taste!”
Eating chicken and beer together at this time was truly bliss.
It was happiness made of calories.
While chatting with the two and having a late dinner of chicken and beer, the next table suddenly became noisy.
“…Card activated! Because of this, the Barbarian King’s attack power increases by 500 points! Total attack power is now 4500! Here we go! Barbarian Slash!”
“Kyaaak!”
Crash!
The chair was pushed back, and a man who had been playing cards fell to the floor.
I blinked at the familiar scene and recognized the face of the warrior who had just ravaged the battlefield with a smooth combo.
If my eyes weren’t deceiving me, it was the leader of the Black Bear Mercenary Group, whom I had met the last time I was at this inn.
‘This guy, isn’t he a regular here?’
He’s not a tavern NPC, but why is he here every time?
Meanwhile, the leader of the Black Bear Mercenary Group, who had made eye contact with me, waved happily.
“Brother! We meet again!”
He seemed to be alone this time, as the subordinates I had seen before were nowhere in sight.
Dorothy, who had been eating stew, asked curiously.
“Do you know him?”
“Uh… a little?”
I couldn’t bring myself to say we became friends playing cards.
It was a bit shameful to reveal that at this age, I was seriously playing a race war game.
But this clueless bear-like guy, not knowing my situation, approached happily and then stopped short when he saw Dorothy and Barnett sitting with me.
“Brother, who are these stunning beauties?”
Despite looking like a bandit, he was incredibly shy.
Anyone would think he was a virgin.
…Oh, really?
I wondered how to handle this guy and looked at Dorothy and Barnett.
The two seemed curious about how I would introduce them.
I sighed softly and explained.
“This is my girlfriend, and this is my colleague.”
“Huhu…”
“Hmm.”
The two had mixed reactions.
Well, Dorothy is understandable, but why are you making a disappointed face when we have no relationship?
Despite his rough appearance, the leader of the Black Bear Mercenary Group seemed to fall in love easily, as he looked at Barnett with sparkling eyes, but I had no intention of indulging in this farce any longer, so I stood up first.
“We’ve had a long journey and must be tired. Let’s call it a day here. We have to move early tomorrow.”
“Huh? Ah, right.”
“Shall we?”
Fortunately, both of them had some sense and agreed with my suggestion.
The leader of the Black Bear Mercenary Group, who had been watching, mustered the courage to ask Barnett out, but she firmly refused, saying, “I have eyes, sir…”
The impact of her words was so great that he collapsed on the inn floor, clutching his chest.
Hmm. It seems a Sword Master can cut people with words.
What a remarkable skill.
