Chapter 4-7. They met"
The next memory shown did not begin where the last one ended. The observers were shown an image of Cale Hanitus eating something again. Some time must have passed.
He couldn't think of anything else while the food was in front of him. Cale couldn't even stop the admiration that flowed from his mouth:
- Ha... It's so delicious.
Deputy Butler Hans winced at the words that came out of Cale's mouth. The young man sat alone at the table, and Hans stood next to him.
Aside from breakfast, the family of Earl Hanithuse did not tend to gather for a common meal, usually everyone was free to choose when to eat. To be honest, this was mainly due to the fact that each of them had their own duties.
Nobody said it was easy to be noble.
Crown Prince Albert Crossman and Crown Princess Rosalyn were prepared to sign this statement in full.
Count Deruth was the lord of the region, making it difficult to share meals with family members, while Kayla's younger siblings had to balance their meals with their studies. The Countess was busy interacting with the wives of influential nobles in the region, as well as other household tasks.
"Now that I think about it..."
Cale put down his fork, suddenly remembering something. Hans began to get nervous, thinking to himself that Cale was somehow different. He was worried because he had no idea when that fork might fly into his face. Cale didn't care that Hans was worried about such trivial things, the boy was deep in thought at that moment.
" I feel a little sorry for that deputy butler," Vitira said. But she would be lying if she said she didn't find it funny.
"Didn't the new Young Master say that the old Young Master had never beaten anyone? As a candidate for such a high position in the manor, he should also know this very well."
Which didn't stop the servants from avoiding him like he was a leper. Ron wondered. When had he managed to let the servants of the estate get so out of hand. Or did he just not care?
Eruhaben, in turn, being an extremely curious creature, asked himself two questions: "How did you have to scare everyone so that people would not pay attention to objective facts and, most importantly, why?"
"Many experts, such as artists and craftsmen, are hiding here."
The Roan Kingdom was quite advanced in construction and art, especially sculpture. This was due to the fact that the Roan Kingdom had a lot of marble. Because of this, the Haniteuse family's region was the fifth largest marble mining region, which resulted in them having a lot of money.
However, Cale's mind was more filled with "powerful people" than with these "insignificant" facts. He even skipped lunch while he sat in his office, devoting the entire day to these thoughts.
"Why are there so many experts on this damned land? This isn't Murim."
"What is this murim?" asked Locke. It was the first time he had heard this word.
Everyone shook their heads, clearly indicating that they had no idea either. Only Choi Han, after thinking for a moment, said:
— If I remember correctly, it's a term from my home world. It means something like "martial arts world." But I could be wrong.
There were so many hermit experts here, like in Murim. That's why Cale came to this conclusion.
Don't get involved with anyone.
A seemingly ordinary chef might be a poison expert, and a man working in a repair shop might be someone who brutally killed people with his tools. This was just such a type of land.
Alberu quickly took note of this information. If he could find such people and convince them to help in some matters, not necessarily directly, it could be a great help. If there was one thing he knew how to do, it was to convince people.
*Sigh*
A deep sigh escaped Cale's lips. He had just completed his plan, which was supposed to help him avoid death and lead him to a peaceful life.
"Could you please elaborate?" several observers thought with slight irritation.
- Young Master...
Cale, who wanted to take another breath, noticed the source of the cautious voice. It was the deputy butler, Hans.
- What's happened?
- Should I make them do something else?
- A?
Hans held back his own sigh as he saw Cale frown before his eyes widened. He thought Cale was going to flip the table now. Hans didn't know why the Count had asked him to take care of Cale, but he held back his growing despair as he waited for the Young Master's answer.
Despite what was clearly some kind of misunderstanding, one had to admit that this funny deputy butler was a pretty brave guy.
And Cale replied:
- Why are you suggesting to remake something so delicious?
- ... Sorry?
Cale picked up the utensils and cut up the meat. Dinner was even more delicious than breakfast. It was delicious not only because Kim Rok Soo had never had such food in his life, but also because the real Cale would have found the taste quite extravagant.
Cale put a piece of well-done but still juicy steak into his mouth and then asked Hans a question:
"Hans, who cooked this food?" He didn't care at all that he might somehow violate etiquette.
- Ah, this was prepared by the second chef Bikros.
... Cale suddenly lost his appetite.
Ron watched the proceedings with a frighteningly shining gaze. This new pup...ahem Young Master was extremely amusing, in his humble opinion.
Bikros was very excited by what he heard. The pleasure of being recognized for his efforts spread throughout his body, gathering somewhere near his heart and purring like a kitten. Of course, his appearance hadn't changed at all. This man seemed to appreciate his work very much, he had been eating constantly for most of the time they had been here. And from what he said, the real Young Master Cale liked his food too. Although he kept calling it trash. But why had he lost his appetite? He frowned.
Bikros. He was a terribly clean person and the son of Ron. However, unlike his father, he specialized in the way of the sword rather than stealth assassinations. Bikros was also obsessed with cleanliness and sharpened his immaculate blade every day, using this sword to separate the heads of his enemies from their bodies.
"...He also specializes in torture."
Realizing that there were no complaints about the food he had prepared, he immediately relaxed. He simply ignored the fact that the others were looking at him with very strange looks.
This guy eventually admired Choi Han's strength and chose to follow him. His father Ron made a deal with Choi Han, promising to help him, and decided to leave with them, all for his son. Although he may not look it, Ron valued his son too much.
The father and son duo exchanged warm glances.
Cale looked at the medium-rare steak, still slightly pink inside, and swallowed a few times.
"I can't let my blood spill like the juices from this steak."
He turned to Hans, who was still looking at him, before cutting off another piece of steak and putting it in his mouth.
- It's delicious. He's Ron's son, right? I didn't know he was such a talented chef.
—... I will pass your message on to Chef Bikros. I am sure he will be very pleased to know that Young Master Cale has praised his cooking.
- Is that so? Let him know that I really enjoyed this delicious meal.
— ... Yes, sir.
Hans looked at Cale with a stony expression, but Cale had already made up his mind. He wasn't going to mess around with Bikros, he was going to work on making a good impression.
Cale began to enjoy his meal again with a completely relaxed heart. Everything would be decided once he got Bikros to join Choi Han and leave the region. Cale had already made what he thought was a good plan to make that happen.
"How simple everything is for him," thought the ancient dragon. And then he came to the conclusion that he really had no reason to bother. He woke up in a new world, apparently not missing the old one much, in a rich family, in the position of a man whose behavior no one cares about. According to his information, the people who bothered him the most (a murderer and a master of torture, no one would blame him for that) would soon leave with the supposed main character. These were also the people who knew the real Cale better than anyone else, and in their presence the risk of his exposure increased. Having sent them far away, he himself can do whatever he wants without any fear at all.
- Hans, why are you suddenly at my disposal?
Hans bowed his head slightly in response to the question.
"Count-nim was worried when he heard that Young Master had missed his meal to focus on work in the study, and ordered that I make sure that Young Master would definitely eat on time. As a result, I will only supervise the duties related to Young Master's meals."
Specifically, Hans was responsible for his nutrition.
- Is that so? My father did something that was absolutely unnecessary. I could have eaten very well myself. But I think I might not have realized that it was time for dinner if Hans had not come to tell me.
Cale was busy recording all the fateful encounters in the first five volumes of the Korean novel. As he left the dining room, Cale smiled at Hans.
- Hans, continue to take care of me.
- Oh, of course. Please take care of me. I'll do my best.
Hans didn't answer with much certainty, but Cale ignored it. Cale saw Ron standing in the hallway, barely opened the door, and immediately began to frown.
- Ron, didn't I tell you to go and eat?
- Young Master, it is my duty to take care of you.
Cale clicked his tongue when he saw Ron smiling at him. He then decided to resort to mild hysteria.
- Enough! I don't need it, so go and eat! Why don't you go and eat, even when I offer it to you? Don't follow me. You know my character, right?
Cale was threatening Ron, literally glaring at him to reinforce his stated demand that Ron not follow him when Cale returned to the office. When he turned around, he saw that Ron had a cruel expression on his face, while Hans was looking at him with undisguised surprise.
"Shouldn't I have thrown a tantrum?"
Cale was frightened by the cruel expression on the old killer's face, and so, turning away, he hurriedly returned to the office.
- Fufufu...
The old butler's failure to keep from laughing struck fear into the unprepared souls. He even covered his mouth with his hand. He seemed delighted.
Alberu, who was sitting next to the vicious old man, was ready to swear that he felt an icy hand grabbing his heart. He was ready, but he remembered where he was and whose power was imbued in everything around him, and he changed his mind. Just in case.
The table was completely empty.
The document he had worked hard on, the pages of which were written in Korean, had already been burned in the fire. Cale had destroyed it himself. There was no one here who knew Korean, but the young man had to remain vigilant and careful. He had also told all the servants that without his permission, no one could enter the office.
"I remember everything."
"That's quite a bold statement," Eruhaben said, "memory is not exactly something you can rely on with 100% certainty."
Kim Rok Soo always liked to remember things he liked. Comic books, novels, movies, no matter what it was, as long as he enjoyed it, he could remember the names and the place/time of the characters. Of course, if he didn't like it, he wouldn't remember anything about it.
Everyone admitted that it was quite convenient. But it did not protect against mistakes.
Cale leaned back in his chair and thought about what he needed to do in the future.
Concentrating again, they waited for him to say more. The Crown Prince took a new sheet of paper and prepared to write.
"First, I need to see Choi Han tomorrow and do this."
The corners of his lips began to slowly rise.
"I need to find a suitable shield."
To live long without dying. He had no intention of fighting.
To achieve this goal, the first step was to increase his own defense. Second, to find a method of recovery. The third point of the plan was to become faster than anyone else. The fourth was to gain a power that would not harm him, but could kill others.
Of course, the most important thing is to avoid battlefields and other locations where blood may be shed.
Cale thought about these so-called "plans" as he closed his eyes with satisfaction. He thought about it even as he fell asleep.
"At least I won't get beaten up when the time comes on the pages of the novel."
The fatal encounters had no owner. The first one to find them is the first one to apply for the deal.
With a heavy sigh of a man tired of everything, Alberu marked the sheet "Ancient Powers" and wrote the Unbreakable Shield there.
"I expected more," he said, disappointed, "but so far everything suggests that we may be able to learn the locations of some of the Ancient Powers, and that would be useful."
Choi Han didn't know what was so special about these Ancient powers, but from Cale's description, they were very useful things. He still didn't know how to feel about Cale taking these powers from someone else. Other people might need them, and their absence could end very badly for them. But the transmigrator's words made sense, too. The first one to take, wins. And in that world, if something bad happened because of this, no one would even know the reason. It would all be on Cale's conscience. And something told him that Cale wouldn't care much.
It was an important day. What did Cale need to do to calm his nerves and achieve success? The young man thought that the first step should be a full breakfast.
- Mmm, hmm... I heard that you fell asleep in the office last night.One way or another, it happened," Cale answered his father's question casually and focused on his meal again. The fact that he didn't even look at his father probably seemed rude from the outside, but the young man didn't care, since Cale was considered a loser by everyone.
Cale finished and stood up. Hearing the sound of his chair being pushed back, everyone stared at him.
- I'll leave first.
It was a clear breach of etiquette, but Cale's father, Deruth, seemed willing to forgive his son. He glanced from Cale to the empty plates before smiling contentedly.
- Of course, have a nice day.
"Thank you," Cale needed to leave quickly, as he had a lot of things to do today. But Derut delayed him for a moment.
— Do you need some pocket money today?
— ... I need a little...
- Bastard, you have ten million, what do you need more for? - Alberu knew he was not acting like a king, but he didn't care. He could buy up half the city for that amount, what was he going to do there?
This was a family of real wealth. Cale suppressed a smile when he heard that his father would send him an allowance through Hans, and left without even saying thank you.
As he stepped out into the corridor, Cale saw Ron following him and gestured to stop the servant.
- Ron. I'll go out. Don't look for me.
"Don't come looking for me." That was Cale's code for Ron knowing when his charge was about to head to the outskirts of town for a drink. Every time the boy did so, Ron simply smiled and told him to take a safe walk.
— Aren't you going to school today?
But for some reason, on this day, Ron decided to ask an unexpected question. Cale frowned.
- Ron, I don't think you should care.
— ... I understand, Young Master. I will wait for you.
- No need to wait for me.
"He seems very reluctant to have you around," Rosaleen pointed out. She was amused by the situation. A lot.
Ron smiled kindly at the girl and answered in his most honest voice:
— I can't think of a single reason why.
Alberu shuddered. He felt sorry for this Cale.
"I'm glad I was able to get rid of him."
Cale was glad that Ron had not followed him. However, he winced internally at the cruel expression. After all, the old man was a professional killer. Cale decided that he would treat Ron better and try not to anger him, starting right from the next meeting, when he returned to the manor. Of course, Cale decided to leave the house in a carriage.
After some time he reached his destination.
[Tea with the aroma of poetry]
It was a tea shop that allowed customers to recite poetry while sipping tea. This clean three-story building looked quite expensive. It was true that the owner of the shop was a very rich man, but in fact, being the illegitimate son of the head of the merchant guild by a concubine, he was even richer than Cale. But the most important thing was that he lived here while hiding his true identity.
"If I remember correctly, the owner will go to the capital around the third volume to meet Choi Han. It is there that it will be revealed that he is the illegitimate son of the head of the merchant guild from a concubine, but he is the one who is supposed to become the future owner of this very merchant guild."
The man who shouts at Choi Han while bowing that he will become the owner of the merchant guild. Cale had only read the first five volumes and therefore did not know whether this man had actually managed to become the owner of the merchant guild, but since he was one of the protagonist's partners, he should probably have succeeded.
Since this was the first real mention of a specific event in the book, the observers were all ears. Cale would hardly have come to this place without a reason, so Alberu decided to take a closer look at the person he was looking for. Having a man of his own among the merchants was very convenient in many theoretical situations.
- Yes, I'll stay here for a while.
*Gulp*
He heard the driver behind him swallow, but a much clearer and more pleasant noise reached Cale's ears. *Klang* A soft but clear bell ringing announced that the young man had entered the tea shop.
Cale stopped at the entrance and looked around. It was still early, so there weren't many people inside. Cale saw that they were all shocked to see him there.
Well, the novel did say that there was no one in the region who didn't know about Cale. He was public enemy number one for the merchants because he had a tendency to break everything in their shops.
"Trash is trash," Choi Han thought. He couldn't understand Count Hanitus. The red-haired bastard needed to be put in his place, but he was happy and smiling in response to his son's complete lack of respect. Cale/Kim Rok Soo had noticed this too. And when they met in person, when he came to ask for his village, the Count seemed like a good and fair man. So no. He categorically didn't understand.
- Welcome!
Nevertheless, the shop owner greeted Cale warmly. The young man looked at the pig-like man greeting him from the counter.
"This should be the owner."
A rich bastard, Bylos. His round face and plump body were definitely reminiscent of a pig, as described in the novel. His most prominent feature was his extremely bright smile.
"He looks like a piggy bank."
Alberu carefully wrote the name down on a new piece of paper, labeled "Possible Allies." He was literally in a divine space, looking at another world, and even here he was doing paperwork, damn it. What had his life become? He suppressed a heavy sigh.
Cale took out a gold coin and placed it on the counter, then said:
— I plan to stay on the third floor all day today.
Bylos looked at Cale with a wide smile on his face. Cale pretended not to notice and pointed to the bookshelf:
- Any non-bitter tea. Do you have novels here or just poems?
*Clang* The sound of someone slamming their cup down on the table echoed throughout the store. Cale only thought about it briefly as he looked at Bylos. He preferred novels to poetry.
- Of course, we have many romances, Young Master Cale.
- Really? Then later send me the most interesting book and a cup of tea.
- Yes, I understand.
Cale's gold coin fell into Bylos's chubby hands. Cale turned away as Bylos tried to hand him change.
— I'm planning on ordering more tea later, so just hold on to it.
— ...But it's still too much, Young Master.
The gold coin was worth one million gallons. With such a coin, which was worth one million Korean won, Cale was about to do something he had always wanted to try.
- I have a lot of money. Take it as your advice.
When he talked about how rich you were, he didn't care that Bylos had more money than Cale himself. He also knew about many fateful encounters that would bring him a lot of money. Cale tried to look cool, then nodded his chin at the tables in the hall:
- Well, if this is really too much, you can treat everyone here to a cup of tea on me.
Golden Chime. He wanted to do something like that. After telling his father he needed pocket money, Cale received three gold coins, which together were worth three million gallons.
- Young master, still...
- Oh, that's enough. Just bring my tea.
- Aha-ha-ha-ha-ha...
Rosalyn couldn't help but laugh out loud.
- He's such a funny Young Master, hahaha...
It made everyone smile. It was really funny to watch.
"If this is how he thinks an arrogant piece of trash should behave, I have bad news for him," Choi Han chuckled. The difference between this Cale and the one he had met was already huge.
"Just as I thought."
There was no one on the third floor at all, because it was still early in the morning. Cale took a place in a corner of the third floor. Then he looked out the window.
"This is the right place."
The place where the North Gate of Western City was best seen. Cale planned to look at Choi Han from this place today.
"He must pass through the gate early in the morning."
Everyone was wondering what Cale would do. And Eruhaben began to catch himself thinking that something didn't add up. Moreover, the more time passed, the more persistent this thought became. But he brushed it aside, deciding that he lacked information.
Choi Han headed in that direction because he remembered what he heard from the villagers after he buried all the people dear to his heart. He headed to the city of Western.
Choi Han was transported to this world when he was still a freshman in high school, but has lived here for decades. Of course, the fact that most of this life was dedicated to surviving in the Forest of Darkness has forced him to mature, slightly changing his way of thinking, and as a result, the protagonist has become more rational than anyone would have expected, especially in light of an incident like this.
This assessment of his personality warmed his soul a little. Choi Han couldn't help but remember how many times he thought that there was no rationality left in him, and that he was different from the monsters around him only because he had a name that he refused to forget.
"I need to report this to the master at the castle."
Harris Village may have been a remote settlement, but it was still under the control of Earl Hanitus. That's why Choi Han traveled to Western City, hoping to at least give the villagers a proper burial.
The thought continued to haunt the ancient dragon. But that's what an ancient dragon is for, you can't take him so easily.
He also planned to start looking for information about the assassins he killed in a fit of rage, which meant he was unable to interrogate them. However, having sent them to the afterlife, the protagonist still wanted revenge.
"If you think about it, he really is a gentle person."
But losing all the people who had accepted him and given him love, which made him risk decades in the Forest of Darkness, could not leave Choi Han's mind unchanged. In the novel, this is revealed when Cale pesters Choi Han and gets on his nerves. He remembered what Cale told the protagonist in the novel.
This guy beat Cale to a pulp, he almost killed the real Cale. Surprisingly, this "nobodies" never changed his mind even when he was beaten half to death.
Alberu made a mental note of this moment. It seemed very important to him. He had a bad feeling about this, and he couldn't understand why. He understood the reason for what had happened. He wasn't a supporter of such radical measures as beating up drunk teenagers, but he could understand why Choi Han had done it. No matter how you looked at it, it all made sense. But the feeling that he was missing something didn't go away.
Choi Han remembered that moment with utmost clarity. He tried to suppress the anger that was rising again, but he was doing a terrible job. He tried to distract himself. To think about something else. So far, to no avail.
"Ah, I felt a chill."
Cale began rubbing his hands, seeing goosebumps rising on his skin. He quickly took a sip of the tea Bylos had brought him, then looked out the window again, only to feel another chill run down his spine.
"This guy."
At the very moment the gate opened to signal the morning, a young man wearing clothes covered in black spots that looked like they had been burned in several places appeared in the opening. It was Choi Han.
Cale didn't even rise from his seat, watching the main character.
The guard blocked Choi Han's way as he walked in, his head down, looking completely drained and exhausted. Cale didn't know what they were talking about, but he saw Choi Han shaking his head at the guard's question.
"I'm sure they're asking him about his documents."
The guards of the city of Western were generally soft, but remained strict when it came to rules. Checking documents, they would stop even Count Deruta.
"Everyone should have a guard like that," thought the Crown Prince. People without a specific citizenship kept coming to the capital. "Ohhhh... It would be a sin not to take advantage of a good example. We need to strengthen the guard." In any case, it wouldn't hurt.
"They kicked him out."
"Choi Han will now wait until nightfall before he secretly jumps over the city wall and sneaks inside."
After this, he will encounter Cale, who will be carried away by drinking.
"He's not going to help him?" Lock asked, looking around in surprise. He didn't understand what was going on. This man was going to help Choi Han, but when he showed up, he didn't move. And he saw that he was in trouble, so why didn't he intervene?
As he looked around, all he received in response was a shrug of the shoulders and equally puzzled looks.
Squeal. Since Cale was alone, the sound coming from under the chair he had pushed as he stood up was quite loud. He went downstairs and reported to Bylos, who was standing at the counter:
- I'll be back soon, don't clean my place.
- Yes, Young Master. I will look forward to your return.
Cale ignored the smile that appeared on Bylos's chubby face as he walked out of the tea shop.
- He didn't break anything!
Cale heard someone's voice coming from the shop, but he didn't care. He needed to lay the foundation so he could get the Unbreakable Shield today.
The ancient powers were so rare and so mysterious that everyone was eager to learn something new. Albert, who himself had a similar power, albeit a useless one, had received it from his mother and therefore had no idea how to obtain it. "This will probably be very instructive," he thought, and reached for the necessary piece of paper and pen.
Even the ancient dragon was full of impatience. Deep down, of course. And the corners of his lips twitched, because with age, everyone has their own problems. And he is at a very respectable age. Yes, all the problems are definitely because of this.
Indestructible Shield.
It's not a physical thing. The best comparison would be the Mana Shield of mages. Something that doesn't actually have a physical form. However, it was very different from the Mana Shield, as it was closer to superpower than magic.
The funniest thing was that the man who seeks power eventually dies, the one who served God eventually gets excommunicated from the church.
"There are all sorts of strange things in this novel."
As in the history of any fantasy world, this world also had its ancient history. In those ancient times, neither magic nor weapons were so developed.
Instead, in that society, your own innate talent or talents gathered from supernatural phenomena played a key role. The powerful forces that existed in the past could be superpowers, divine powers, or natural forces.
Some of these powers still existed, hidden in certain places or objects. You could obtain these powers if you met certain conditions.
Lock, Rosalyn, Choi Han and the rest of the youth listened with bated breath. The black dragon settled himself comfortably in his seat and listened, trying not to forget anything. He decided that while he was in this strange place, he should learn as many things as possible. This should help him with his escape.