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Chapter 59
For a mercenary, abandoning a mission and running away because it’s dangerous was unthinkable. Doing so would mean he could never live as a mercenary again.
Even a mission with a foreseeable end could not be refused—this was the fate of a mercenary. He squeezed his eyes shut and gave the command.
“…Everyone, regroup—except those two.”
Everyone except the ones closest to the captain surrounded Clemens again. Each prepared themselves mentally.
But the atmosphere was different from before. It couldn’t be the same.
Every hand gripping a weapon was damp with tension. Some bodies trembled uncontrollably.
As Clemens walked toward Nerhi, the mercenary group moved with her.
This wasn’t restraint. It was closer to an escort.
Clemens smiled faintly at them.
“…Monster.”
Someone muttered. Quiet, but in the silence, it carried far.
Clemens pretended not to hear and crossed her arms.
“Who’s making who kneel?”
Despite Clemens’ mocking, Nerhi stepped back. Yet he didn’t even realize he had acted that way.
Clemens was just… too hot. Terrifyingly so.
Nerhi had intended to keep linking Clemens with the fire fairy to manipulate her.
But now, seeing her like this, there was no way he could call her a fairy.
He wasn’t the only one unmoved by someone burning in flames.
Nerhi gritted his teeth and resisted the heat. If he faltered here, all his dreams, ambitions, and even his life would end.
“You! To me!”
Nerhi charged directly.
This wasn’t part of the plan, but with the mercenary group unusable, there was no choice.
He grabbed a small pill in his hand and seized Clemens’ forearm.
He had trained with the sword since childhood. Though now he trained only to maintain his body, grabbing a frail girl like this was easy.
That is, if he was willing to risk getting burned.
He drew a suspicious violet pill and grabbed the back of Clemens’ neck.
‘Just feed her the Stodium, and it can be undone.’
With her strength and courage, there were countless ways to make use of her.
This one person alone could dominate the North.
“So this is the terrible medicine Grandpa gave her?”
But why… why was the medicine here?
Instinctively, Nerhi reached to take the pill back, and at the same moment, his vision flipped.
Clemens grabbed Nerhi’s arm and twisted it behind him.
“Whaaa! Aaaah!”
Nerhi, who had never given up hope until now, screamed in desperation.
“What on earth are you?! How dare you appear and interfere with my plan!”
“I came because I also wanted to know that.”
“What?”
“Does that answer your question?”
Clemens smirked and elbowed Nerhi in the solar plexus.
“Done.”
Nerhi, who had achieved nothing he wanted, foamed at the mouth and passed out.
Clemens smiled faintly, calmly facing the mercenaries who still held their weapons one by one.
“Well. Want to continue?”
In Clemens’ golden eyes, a flame seemed to flicker.
The captain, completely burned and unconscious, and a monster who still seemed fine.
The mercenaries looked at the vice-captain. The vice-captain looked at Nerhi.
The client was already unconscious. Seeing that, there was no need to continue—they could even make a few gaps to spare lives.
The vice-captain dropped his weapons and raised both hands.
“No. We surrender.”
Before his words even fell, Gwen extended her arm.
“Everyone! Bind them!”
“Yes, Captain!”
The knights, who had been waiting to rescue Lesible, followed orders and bound the mercenaries.
“….”
Clemens blinked, watching the scene unfold.
“When did you get here?”
“From the beginning.”
Clemens exhaled in disbelief at Gwen’s answer.
“Then why didn’t you come out sooner? I went through so much trouble!”
“Trouble… really?”
Gwen’s reaction was unusual.
Clemens thought that was plausible. Even after releasing just this much heat, people were immediately on guard and suspicious. It had been the same in the desert, and also with people they met briefly while coming north.
Even when saving someone threatened by monsters on a mountain path, most often, negative glances were cast rather than gratitude or relief.
‘Come to think of it… was there anyone who wasn’t like that…’
It was a familiar look. Not entirely comfortable, but familiar.
“You handled all of them alone. That counts as trouble, right? Gwen, you came on the master’s orders, didn’t you?”
“Yes. Go ahead and report first. I will handle the rest.”
Fortunately, Clemens treated Gwen as usual, so Gwen returned. Whatever thoughts she might have had, that was unknown.
“Will do! I have so much to say!”
At that moment, Gwen flinched.
“Please explain properly.”
“Explain what?”
“That… that you did a good job?”
Clemens, understanding Gwen’s meaning, mischievously lifted the corner of her mouth.
“I’ll tell them I was just observing carefully.”
“Clemens!”
“Then cheer up, Gwen.”
Clemens left the scene with light steps.
Meanwhile.
“Hmph. You should’ve held onto your justification until the end. How foolish.”
Why had the Grand Duke not sent knights to capture Nerhi?
Because there was no justification.
Anyone could see a rebellion was being planned, but strong measures could not be taken—because Nerhi’s actions were framed as helping the villagers.
Yet if he had abandoned her and used force, the Grand Duke’s knights would obviously have won.
Crea shook her head with a faint smile.
Today, she had gone and scolded people for dumping poison into the river. It was exhausting, but ultimately fortunate. Nerhi hadn’t been caught, and her identity wasn’t revealed.
‘Wait. The trade guild master’s grandson… is okay now?’
How?
Watching the situation settle, Crea recalled Clemens’ earlier words.
There was no way the medicine made from her herbs could be broken so quickly. Other physicians could never figure it out.
‘…Ah, wait.’
There was exactly one other person who knew about her herbs.
Airit.
The only young apprentice who had matched her passion in childhood.
Though he had given up midway, not as dedicated as she was.
“Ah, so he does have skill.”
Crea licked her lips.
If he could become a physician in the secretive Grand Duke’s household, he must have achieved a lot. She was already fed up with how stupid other physicians handled herbs, and this one seemed useful.
Then she would make use of him.
‘First, prepare the report…’
Crea finished drafting the report for the precious sponsor providing her money and manpower.
She moved toward the square to gauge when to make her next move.
The remaining few knights were distributing water.
The villagers who drank it showed the same effects: sweat flowed, then their complexions brightened.
Crea blended in, pretending to be a villager, and took a bottle.
‘Being in the North, hiding identity is easy.’
She drank a sip, feeling her body change.
Being a mage, she felt it even more.
A purer, refreshing energy swept through her body, cleansing the toxins even more than magic itself.
But that wasn’t the most important part.
“Ha, hahaha!”
She had found it.
The fairy spring somewhere in the North.
So what was the fairy spring?
It was a place created by the combined power of the four fairies, now only known in legend.
Information could only be found in the secret tomes of the royal archives.
‘It says to reach the fairy spring, you need the fairy stone and cold blood.’
Books like this are metaphorical. Cold blood isn’t difficult to interpret.
Noble blood is often called blue blood. Cold blood in the North clearly meant Pruina’s blood.
‘If the condition is correct, that means they now have the fairy stone.’
The fairy stone is a kind of key. Only those qualified can use it. She didn’t yet know what the qualification was, but didn’t need to. Someone in the North must have met it.
And once she got the fairy stone, the preparation would finally be complete.
The immortal elixir she had dreamed of all her life.
Gathering the key ingredient to make it.
Crea pressed her lips tightly to suppress the growing smile. She tore up the letter she had written without mercy. The greed leaking from her restrained laugh was undeniable.
‘I’ll need a different plan, a different support.’
The fairy stone had to become hers.
