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Chapter – 10
Fate (2)
Whenever boredom crept over Shackron inside the Tower of Radiance, there was one question he used to ask himself constantly.
What if I went back to the past?
It was a question he had answered time and time again. The very first answer that always came to mind was a fierce resolve to completely overturn the life he had lived—one that had been weak and complacent. Of course, that resolution was carried out the exact moment he regressed.
He had instantly subdued his brother, Villan, who used to despise him, establishing a clear pecking order. He had also silenced Alex, who would have become a dark mastermind detrimental to the family, and sent him packing back to his hometown. Alex was quick-witted, so he would likely lie low and avoid any external activities for the time being.
Next, Shackron’s answer to himself had been to never let go of any ties that could benefit him.
The young man before him, Yujin, was exactly that kind of connection. A treasure of a relationship that Shackron absolutely could not afford to lose.
Shackron asked, “Are you alright?”
Out of all the people held hostage, Yujin was the only one who had spoken up first. That alone proved how important he was.
“Ah, yes, I’m fine. I am Yujin de Rochefort. I don’t know if you’re aware, but my family is from the eastern part of the Empire…”
His words trailed off as his lips trembled violently. It was because of how bitterly cold the northern weather was. Shackron was accustomed to this extreme climate, but to Yujin, who lived in the warm East, this place was nothing short of hell.
“I know. The famous grand merchant family.”
“Ah, thank you for recognizing us.”
The boy was polite to a fault. Looked at in a negative light, a subservient attitude seemed habitually ingrained in him. Because he was this type of person, building a relationship with him as his savior had a very high probability of being helpful down the line.
“Your father, the patriarch, must be worried sick.”
“I don’t have the means to give you any financial compensation right this moment, but…”
Yujin carefully fumbled through his clothes and pulled something out. The place his hand reached into didn’t look particularly dignified, but that only meant the object was important enough to warrant such hidden safekeeping.
And sure enough.
What Yujin carefully handed over to Shackron was a token clearly stamped with the seal of the Rochefort family. Moreover, it had been finished with mana craftsmanship, making it an undeniable authentic piece that was impossible to forge!
Yujin spoke up, “I would like to express my gratitude with this first. If you use this token, my father will personally express his gratitude to you, Lord Shackron.”
“The patriarch himself?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
A smile played on Shackron’s lips.
Yujin had danced around his words a bit, but to put it simply, this was a free pass to the Count Rochefort family’s favor. He could demand financial compensation for today’s rescue, or leverage it for almost anything else. For instance, if he wanted, Shackron could even become a knight sponsored by the Rochefort family. Unless it was a completely absurd condition, this token held the power to demand almost anything.
‘I just secured a solid insurance policy.’
It was a highly profitable venture. After all, hadn’t he come to this place intending to squeeze the bandit leader dry anyway? Meeting Yujin here had netted him a reward far greater than that.
“Understood. I’ll take it,” Shackron said, nonchalantly accepting the token. He felt great inside, but there was no need to show it. It was always helpful to keep one’s joy properly concealed.
“I watched you fight magnificently from inside the cage, Lord Shackron… It makes me feel like I should start practicing swordsmanship as well.”
“Well, it’s a clumsy swordsmanship.”
“I don’t think any knight in our Rochefort Earldom could wield a sword as precisely and sharply as you do, Lord Shackron.”
“Hahaha. Well, then, shall we leave it at that?”
Shackron laughed it off. His standards weren’t low enough to let himself get conceited just because he was better than the knights of the Rochefort Earldom. Rather, it was only natural. He had to be unconditionally superior to the knights of a mere merchant family.
“Thank you so much!”
“You’d better catch up with those people before it gets too late. The path is safe, so you don’t have to worry.”
“Yes! Please, you must visit our family! When you do, I will properly show my respect to my savior once again!”
“You don’t even have to say it. I’ll be visiting soon enough, so don’t worry.”
Shackron smiled and lightly patted Yujin on the shoulder. At that, Yujin scurried away with excited steps, looking exactly like a young child who had just received praise.
“What should I ask them for…”
Thud. Thud.
Shackron repeatedly tossed the token Yujin had given him into the air and caught it, falling into thought for a moment. A massive favor from a grand merchant family. What would be the wisest choice to demand from them? Money? That was too cliché.
In that case…
A short while later.
“Did this bastard make a vault somewhere and skim everything off? He’s completely broke.”
Having thoroughly searched the chief’s secret base and annex, Shackron let out a bitter laugh. There were quite a few weapons, but they were maintained so poorly that it was embarrassing to even use them. Even if he wanted to sell them, nothing was worth the money considering their weight and volume.
The bandit leader must have amassed a fortune over time. For nothing to be found here could only mean one thing.
“It means he didn’t even trust his comrades in Demon Hunters.”
It led to a single conclusion. Because he didn’t trust his comrades, he didn’t leave any important goods behind, even in a secret base. In a way, it was natural behavior. They weren’t blood-related brothers, so it would actually be stranger to leave gold and silver treasures in a place that anyone could easily access.
Of course, it was still disappointing that there was far less loot than expected.
“Tsk, is this it?”
Just as Shackron clicked his tongue in disappointment and turned around—
Thump!
As he turned his body, his fingertips inadvertently brushed against a stone, causing it to drop to the floor.
It was a stone covered in thick dust. Judging by its appearance alone, it was far too wretched to even be considered ornamental. It possessed zero charm, to the point where one would wonder why it was even here. Wondering if it was a rare mineral, he examined it, but that wasn’t the case either. It had absolutely no luster.
If it had been the past version of himself, he would have dismissed it as nothing special and moved on. But things were different now.
Every object and its placement had a reason. Shackron instinctively shifted his train of thought completely. He decided to sense the stone’s hidden properties.
And then.
“Wait, what is this?”
He immediately felt a peculiar energy.
In truth, when he had no expectations, he couldn’t feel any aura from the stone at all because his mind hadn’t been focused on it. However, the moment he focused his attention on it, a starkly different sensation began to arise. It was a feeling so extraordinary that it made Shackron’s eyes snap wide open.
Normally, mana crystals formed from compressed mana could be detected through ordinary mana sensitivity. However, this particular piece did not react to such standard methods of detection. Instead, it responded from an entirely different direction.
“Could it be…”
It didn’t just harbor a pure white energy; it was gray mana, sitting perfectly on the boundary between black and white. There was only one such mana stone in existence across the entire continent and its surroundings.
“The Kashmir Lodestone.”
An island located right in the center of the vast ocean, between the Eastern and Western continents. It was a unique stone known to be obtainable only from that specific place.
“Wow, this lodestone is worth whatever price you name. No, as of right now, you can’t even put a price tag on it.”
Shackron’s eyes gleamed.
The Kashmir Lodestone. The true value of this item would only begin to be known to the world about five years from now. And who would take an interest in it back then? It was the great mages, those referred to as 8th-circle and 9th-circle archmages.
It was because the stone was used as a sort of catalyst to break through the magical limitations that inevitably befell them. The interest of the highest-ranking figures! That single phrase summed up the value of the Kashmir Lodestone. It couldn’t be bought even with immense wealth.
“My experience crafting various lodestones back in the Tower of Radiance is going to be incredibly useful right now.”
With a lodestone, it was possible to apply magical enhancements through various methods. There were three representative methods of crafting: the absorption type, the protection type, and the magic circle type, and Shackron knew them all. Even if one were to search the entire continent, he was likely the only person who had mastered all three methods.
Unfortunately, specialized crafting tools were required, so he couldn’t refine it immediately. However, it wasn’t a problem since he could just keep it safe and use it later. It wouldn’t take much time either.
This wasn’t just profitable; it was the equivalent of discovering a treasure ship.
“I should head back to the shelter first. Redin must be back by now.”
Shackron securely tucked the Kashmir Lodestone into his breast pocket and turned his steps. Was the luck that had been blocked while leaving the Earldom finally opening up? It was a continuous string of days filled only with pleasant events.
And one hour later.
“…Mm. It’s been a long time, mister.”
“It seems you found your way well.”
At the shelter, Shackron met Volledo, who had followed Redin to find him. It was a meeting with someone he could actually address with the friendly title of ‘mister’ without harboring any animosity.
Volledo Efros.
He was a warm-hearted mage, to the point where one would wonder why he associated with Crassus, the cold-blooded father who possessed neither blood nor tears. It was said that no one had ever seen him get angry at anyone throughout his entire life.
Even looking through all the memories of his past life, Shackron had never heard a single bad word spoken about Volledo. It went so far that even the demons who fought him in the future would say, ‘If it’s Volledo, I’ll acknowledge him!’
Of course, Shackron didn’t think Volledo would be favorable to him just because he had a warm personality. However, seeing how he had chased him all the way here, it was clear he possessed a firm determination to investigate the sudden changes in him.
On one hand, Shackron could also sense Volledo’s confidence. The confidence that even if Shackron could deceive the eyes of others, he wouldn’t be able to deceive him. It was a confidence that not just anyone could afford to have. But Volledo had the ability to back it up. That was why Shackron had felt momentarily tense.
Naturally, since it was something he had anticipated from the beginning, he wasn’t flustered. They simply weren’t close enough to exchange warm greetings, so the atmosphere was bound to be a bit awkward. Although Volledo had frequently visited the Medios Earldom, he had rarely exchanged proper greetings with Shackron. In the end, Volledo had also treated Shackron like a ghost in the past.
Shackron spoke up, “Redin.”
While keeping his eyes fixed on Volledo, the person he addressed first was Redin. He was intentionally making Volledo wait. Of course, Volledo would likely just maintain his warm, benevolent smile.
“Yes, Young Master.”
Redin, who had not forgotten the instruction to maintain official titles in formal settings, replied in a clear voice.
“I have secured a spot for myself in the VIP room on the second floor, so go ahead and move the luggage I brought there while we rest.”
“Understood!”
Sensing that this was a conversation between ‘elders,’ Redin vanished like a flash. He disappeared so quickly that for a split second, one might have wondered if he was a highly trained assassin.
Left alone, Volledo was the first to break the silence. He was still smiling, his expression completely benevolent.
“Shall we walk a bit?”
“That wouldn’t be bad.”
“Conveniently, the wind has died down and the weather is quite mild. Let’s walk. There is something I wish to speak with you about while walking.”
“Just speak honestly. You didn’t come all the way here just to take a stroll with me, did you?”
Without beating around the bush, Shackron charged straight in.
