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Chapter 36
Alchemist Cain (4)
Ian studied his face in the mirror from different angles.
Thanks to good meals and steady exercise, his once gaunt complexion had brightened, and his cheeks had filled out nicely.
“My face was never exactly ugly, but this Ian’s face isn’t half bad either.”
There was no one who disliked a handsome face.
“Give it a year or two, and this face will really make women’s hearts flutter.”
Ian smirked at his reflection.
Until now, he had never had a proper romance—only working part-time at a convenience store, then living as a militia captain fighting to the death.
Now, with this elevated status and new face, he longed to experience the warmth of love deep in his heart.
—To think you’re satisfied with that face… you really haven’t seen what true handsomeness looks like.
“Do you have someone in mind?”
Blanzorre silently pointed to himself.
—I suffered greatly because of my looks. I even had secret romances with imperial princesses.
If Blanzorre’s looks were to be described, he had the frivolous charm of a playboy.
When Ian first met him, he couldn’t believe such a man could be the captain of the emperor’s guard.
“I see now why the Denahon Empire fell.”
—The empire didn’t fall in my time. That was long after me.
“No, it’s because you ruined the palace atmosphere.”
Teasing Blanzorre with ridiculous logic, Ian soon found himself standing atop Camieux’s bell tower.
From there, he could see the lively night streets branching out from the central square, throngs of people bustling about.
Though the lord’s castle was quiet at night, Camieux—the heart of Albern—remained alive. Merchants kept their shops open late into the night, and street performers and musicians entertained the townsfolk with their skills.
“Good performance.”
Secretly descending from the tower by warp, Ian blended into the crowd and listened to the music for a moment before handing a dirty little girl collecting money a silver coin.
When the girl saw the shining coin, she lit up with joy and looked up—but the man who had been standing there had vanished.
As she searched for him, Ian, his face hidden beneath a hood, was already standing on the outskirts of the town.
“Maybe I’ll leave Camieux tonight.”
Until now, he had only practiced warping between Camieux and the castle. Now he wanted to go farther.
For him, distance no longer posed a limitation.
Mountains, plains, sheer cliffs—all reduced to nothing more than a single point within his line of sight.
“Now that my stamina’s improved, traveling long distances in one go feels far less taxing.”
Though he passed mountains, fields, and villages different from Camieux, it felt as though only a few minutes had passed.
“Where else should I go?”
Excited, Ian leapt from a tall mountain peak.
His body plummeted at terrifying speed—then suddenly vanished, only to reappear moments later in the forest below.
A startled wild boar charged at him, but Ian gracefully vaulted over it and rolled across the ground.
“Sorry to startle you.”
When the huge boar lunged again, Ian fixed his gaze far ahead.
With a thunderous sound, the trees, rocks, and ponds under moonlight folded away like pages, pushing him out of the forest.
Emerging calmly, Ian found himself before a moonlit lake.
The wide lake was empty of people, reeds swaying in the night breeze.
Taken by the tranquil, solitary atmosphere, he sat down.
“A fishing rod and some idle staring—this would be perfect.”
Lying back with his hands behind his head, Ian breathed in the lake air.
The breeze carried no fishy scent—only a faint fragrance.
“Is that the scent of the reeds?”
Whatever it was, it was pleasant.
He felt so at ease that he almost forgot about his warp training, tempted instead to just fall asleep.
“Maybe what I need isn’t the lordship at all… but true peace of mind like this.”
For a moment, Ian seriously considered living quietly here instead of returning to the castle.
But memories of his short time as lord resurfaced.
Regardless of the debt to the Grand Lord, he was still a lord.
He ate fine meals daily, had the beautiful Linda tending to his health, and he had helped ease the burdens of his struggling subjects.
Even if some actions were self-serving, he had exercised real authority as a lord—and felt genuine satisfaction in it.
“Yeah… fishing by a lake would get boring in a day or two. That’s not me. What was I thinking, giving up being a lord?”
Shaking himself awake as if doused in cold water, Ian stood abruptly and pulled out a map.
—How much farther do you plan to go? We’ve already come a long way.
Blanzorre, gazing at the moon’s reflection in the lake, turned toward him.
“Until I reach the sea.”
Checking the villages he had passed on the map, Ian replied.
He had been heading steadily in a single direction since the start.
—The sea?
“Yes, the sea. The southern territories border the ocean. Now that I’ve come this far, might as well get some sea air. It won’t take long anyway.”
Ian tucked the map away, picked up a flat stone, and skimmed it across the lake.
Ripples spread as the stone disappeared into the distance.
Casting one last wistful glance at the peaceful lake, he turned to leave.
A massive ship crept along Albern’s southern coast.
The shoreline was treacherous with reefs, making it nearly impossible for large ships to approach—only small fishing boats dared.
Thus, despite owning coastal land, Albern had never developed a proper port town.
“This is as far as we can go. Any further is too dangerous.”
The helmsman was a seasoned sailor from a coastal village, now guiding the enormous vessel in return for several clinking gold coins in his pouch.
“The waves are rougher than expected.”
“That’s always the case here—reefs, strong currents. That’s why few dare venture near.”
“At last. I’ve waited so long to come here.”
A man standing by the helmsman spoke with a booming voice:
“Drop anchor!”
The ship halted in the dark, and smaller boats were lowered endlessly, each carrying ten men to shore.
One by one, they landed, keeping watch as more boats ferried men back and forth.
Only one boat was lost to the reefs; otherwise, there were no losses.
“I can already smell the slaves from here.”
The man who had landed, slave trader Crom, sniffed the air and spread his arms wide.
He was a notorious slave dealer from Donkebania, known for kidnapping innocents and selling them as slaves in the distant Hans Empire.
Because he struck only at night, raiding coastal villages and vanishing by dawn, people called him the Bat Man.
Now, Crom stood proudly before two hundred men lined up on the beach.
“Tonight’s slave hunt will be easy! Albern’s defenses are weaker than anywhere we’ve struck before. That fool of a lord who cut his soldiers over debts—let’s teach him a lesson!”
“Ha ha ha!”
His men roared with laughter.
Just then, a tall young woman with cold eyes approached Crom.
“Father, instead of capturing villagers, why not kidnap the lord? I hear he’s nothing but a weakling.”
“With just two hundred men? Albern’s garrison may be small, but they’re strong. We’d be cut down before reaching the castle—especially with Jalleng, the former royal knight, standing guard.”
Crom knew the region’s defenses well. His survival depended on sticking to his tried-and-true tactic: raid by night, flee before dawn.
“I’ll take care of Jalleng, Father.”
Teiji’s eyes gleamed coldly.
Carrying a massive greatsword on her back, she was a warrior capable of wielding forceblades.
“Teiji, I can’t risk everything. Tonight, we keep to the plan: raid the coastal villages quietly.”
“If I kill Jalleng, I’ll make a name for myself. I don’t want to be remembered only as a slave trader’s daughter.”
Her words about kidnapping the lord were just an excuse. Her true aim was to challenge the famed swordsman Jalleng of the Belorin Kingdom.
“You’ve admitted my skill yourself, Father.”
“He is recognized across the kingdom. Don’t rush. In a few years, you’ll be among the greatest swordsmen on the continent. You know how much I’ve invested in your training.”
Much of Crom’s earnings had gone to Teiji’s master in the Hans Empire.
Still, she looked dissatisfied.
Without battles against strong foes, a swordsman could not grow. Her master had demanded endless combat.
“Slaves are money! Anyone who damages the goods or indulges themselves will be shark bait. Understood?”
“Haha! Of course, Master Crom! This isn’t our first time.”
“Good! Now go—bring me slaves!”
With hands clasped behind his back, Crom watched proudly as his men marched toward the coastal village.
“This work is filthy, but it pays well. And those men will one day be your subordinates, so don’t keep them at arm’s length. Understood?”
But when he turned back, Crom froze.
Teiji, who had been right behind him, had vanished.
“Damn it!”
He stared inland and bellowed:
“Teiji! Teiji! Get back here this instant! Teiji!”
The Shadow (1)
Crashing waves pounded against the cliffs.
The roar was so loud that Ian’s ears rang constantly as he stood atop the seaside cliffs.
Unlike the quiet lakeshore, the wild night sea made his heart race, pumping blood faster, making him feel vividly alive.
“So this is what it means to dream by the sea. Would’ve been even better if I’d come in daylight.”
The reed-scented breeze by the lake had been nice, but the salty sea wind was just as good.
“I should build a villa here. After marriage, I’ll bring my kids down to play on that beach.”
—Such modest dreams. A man should have ambition.
“Ambition?”
Ian chuckled and lifted his gaze to the night sky.
When he was young, he had cried when his grandfather passed away. His mother had told him, Grandfather has become a star.
Since then, Ian often begged her to take him to the rooftop at night to gaze at the stars.
Had his grandfather really become one?
“Do you know how great an ambition it is to marry and build a family?”
Ian smiled brightly, eyes fixed on the distant sea.
“That’s happiness, you fool.”
—As long as you hold the lordship, you will always be the target of someone else’s ambition.
“Then I’ll fight. On Earth, I lost my family, I lost everything. This time I won’t lose again. The lordship is mine.”
Calm determination in his eyes, Ian stared at the night sea for a while before slowly turning around.
He had warped from the castle to the southernmost edge of the territory in only moments.
His stamina had grown, and so had his warp abilities—they now felt natural.
“Let’s rest a bit before heading back to the castle.”
As he prepared to descend the windy cliff, Ian suddenly turned his head to the right—
