Chosen by the Northern Grand Duke

Chapter 25: Second Stage Boundary

There were 21 in total.

Twenty heads rolled on the floor.

The once-clean inn was drenched in blood from the bodies.

That was the level of disparity.

Just as there are ranks among ordinary people, there are ranks among Auras.

Ellen’s Aura, born of divine power, overwhelmed even Auras of the same rank.

Let alone these shady rats.

It took Ellen mere minutes to cut down 20.

Her breathing didn’t even falter. She wiped her sword on the relatively clean clothes of a corpse and sat next to me.

“There’s a mastermind behind this.”

Twenty-one. Quite a number.

There were likely more scattered throughout the tunnels. As expected, this tunnel was an expensive one.

‘Not the Otherworld or the Liberation Tower.’

There wasn’t a single mage among the mercenaries.

It was a tunnel I didn’t know from my previous life.

It meant it was a pure broker’s tunnel, one I hadn’t uncovered before.

“Not someone from Serzila. Loyalty aside, tunnels are usually coveted by mages or those greedy for money.”

The tunnel’s mastermind wasn’t connected to the North.

The North was generally frugal.

If there were a wealthy vassal, the Intelligence Bureau would have already dug into them.

“Shouldn’t we investigate?”

In my previous life, I didn’t.

It was Grand Duke Elaine’s order. That Grand Duke pitied continental mages.

The tunnel was a commercial item for someone greedy for money, but it was also the only escape route for continental mages.

“We don’t need to investigate. The Intelligence Bureau exists, doesn’t it?”

I said, looking at Ellen.

The agent who found this place would surely figure it out.

“Honestly, it doesn’t matter if we don’t catch them. If it’s just about being offended, it’s fine either way.”

They defiled Northern land.

That was reason enough to punish them.

“But the important one is the tunnel-digger. A mage who builds boundaries and tunnels for hire.”

Ellen’s eyes widened.

“If you catch them, no new tunnels will be made. We could also find the locations of all existing tunnels.”

“Why are you only saying this now?”

Catching Ios, who was colluding with the tunnel-digger, came first.

The tunnel-digger was timid, like a mole.

They weren’t a problem when alone.

It was a reason Ellen couldn’t accept.

“I thought we couldn’t find them. They’re meticulous.”

“…Just wait. I’ll find out.”

Ellen burned with determination.

Of course, it wouldn’t be her but another agent doing the work.

But that agent would now be forced to dig up the tunnel-digger relentlessly.

‘It won’t take long.’

I smirked.

Even though I laughed openly, Ellen didn’t see it. Despite looking at me, she didn’t.

Everything was too blurry.

It was as if fog had settled on the first floor.

Not mere smoke, but magic.

Even Ellen couldn’t see her own hand without using Aura.

“They make smoke with cigarettes and control it with magic.”

“I know.”

“I told you yesterday.”

For a knight, cigarettes were like a sword.

You could wield Aura barehanded, but a sword made it more efficient and powerful.

“…But won’t he die before he kills anyone, smoking like that?”

The smoke already seemed sufficient.

Yet Kubel kept smoking.

Three or four cigarettes at a time, and I lit each new one for him.

“I hope his lungs are as big as his frame.”

Ellen didn’t think she could smoke that much.

Health aside, wouldn’t his mouth smell like garbage?

“It’s his first real fight, so he doesn’t know moderation. He’s giving it everything.”

According to the parchment, Golas was on par with a Serzila knight. As a mage, 3rd Rank.

But even if Golas were an ordinary person, Kubel would have smoked just as much.

Having never fought, he was doing his utmost.

“Can you see? Tell me.”

“I can see.”

Just as Ellen peered through the smoke with Aura, I was watching Kubel by activating the sun.

The smoke seemed to move at Kubel’s will. It filled the first floor, obscuring vision while becoming a weapon.

The smoke became a fist, a wave. This time, a hammer.

“Damn it!”

Golas, struck by the smoke, shouted.

The smoke was everywhere. It was as if Kubel’s weapon was everywhere.

When Golas focused on his head, his entire body except his head was pummeled. When he guarded his whole body, his defense thinned, and the smoke pierced his Aura.

Boom! Golas’s body was flung into the wall.

The smoke had hardened like a giant boulder and rammed him.

Golas sprang up and swung his hammer, but it didn’t affect the smoke. His Aura was too weak to dispel magic.

He needed to target the mage, not the magic.

Focusing Aura in his eyes, he could see the mage.

But he couldn’t get close.

When he tried, the smoke, once a weapon, became an obstacle.

Part of the smoke hardened into a wall, blocking the path to Kubel. When he leaped, the smoke in the air turned sticky like a swamp, stopping him.

“Damn it!”

Golas fell while charging.

The hardened smoke struck his shin.

The fallen body was heavily crushed by the smoke.

It was as if a wall had collapsed on him. Golas gritted his teeth and endured. His swung hammer pushed the smoke away. Whoosh. With the sound of exhaling smoke, the gap was filled again.

“Mage!”

“…”

“Your goal is the tunnel, isn’t it? I’ll let you use the tun—argh!”

Golas bit his tongue while speaking.

The smoke had struck his jaw. Blood filled his mouth. It came up from his chest too. The smoke hit his solar plexus.

He couldn’t escape through the window.

The inn had no windows, only a door, and the mage’s companions were sitting in front of it with chairs.

One of them, a woman, had killed 20 in an instant.

“Just kill me!”

Realizing there was no answer in the smoke, Golas shouted.

* * *

The smoke didn’t become a blade but served as a blunt weapon. It battered Golas until he was exhausted.

After a while, Golas finally collapsed on the floor.

Then the smoke filling the first floor vanished.

To Golas, that was even worse.

He keenly felt the irrationality of magic.

“Damn mage bastards.”

Running a tunnel inevitably meant encountering mages.

Most were pathetic, but some were terrifyingly fearsome. Today was the latter.

But it had never been a problem before.

That’s what mages were.

“If you kill me, you won’t be able to use the tunnel either.”

Golas spoke boldly.

“…”

Kubel looked down at Golas, licking his lips.

To Golas, it looked like hesitation.

To me, it did too.

Kubel was hesitating.

“Kubel.”

Kubel’s eyes, meeting mine, were clearly trembling.

“Congratulations. You’ve proven your worth.”

It sounded like he passed.

But Kubel couldn’t smile. My gaze felt somehow cold.

“If you weren’t a mage, that would’ve been enough.”

I pointed at the fallen Golas.

“Why didn’t you kill him?”

Kubel’s eyes wavered.

‘Have you ever killed someone?’ I had asked earlier.

Back then, Kubel sensed that he’d have to stain his hands with blood.

But it wasn’t as easy as he thought.

Killing is like that.

“I understand. You don’t want to get blood on your hands. Especially the first time, it’s daunting.”

“…”

“But a mage can’t afford to be like that.”

I pointed at Golas, lying there with wide eyes.

“Even defeated, he looks down on you. Because on the continent, mages are weak.”

Mages born on the continent fear people and yearn for the Otherworld.

“If you don’t kill, you die. Because those you spare will snitch on you.”

Many snitch after losing a fight.

But few listen to them.

For mages, though, the Church always listens.

“Kubel, you need to become someone feared and formidable. If you show your magic, kill. If your weakness is caught, kill.”

The best is not being discovered as a mage, but if discovered, that’s the way.

That’s how mages born on the continent survive.

“That’s how we can finally stand equal to others.”

We.

I said that, but Kubel knew Shura was included in that ‘we.’

“The more feared and formidable you become, the lighter the shackles you place on Shura.”

To Shura, Kubel was a shackle.

“She didn’t say a word. To the adults worrying for her. Just 10 years old.”

The North is especially harsh for a child.

In that cold land, Shura waited silently for Grex to leave.

Even under the guard’s protection, she never once opened her mouth to hide that her father was a mage.

“Because of you.”

“…”

“You’re too heavy for Shura right now.”

“…”

Kubel put a cigarette in his mouth.

I lit it for him.

Finally, the smoke became a blade.

* * *

Killing was secondary.

Nice if it happened, a pity if it didn’t. I didn’t expect much.

People change. Even if it’s hard now, they can kill like it’s nothing later.

Not a pleasant thing to hear, but I was confident I could change someone like that.

So the presence or absence of killing experience wasn’t important.

What mattered was whether they followed my words or not.

‘He follows well.’

On the way here, I didn’t explain anything to Kubel.

To Kubel, it might have looked like I was picking a fight with the inn’s people.

I even hoped it would seem that way.

Of course, since Golas and the mercenaries revealed their true colors faster than expected, it didn’t quite go that way.

Still, it was rewarding.

Kubel hesitated to kill but didn’t hesitate to fight. When I told him to fight, he fought Golas and won.

As long as Shura was alive, Kubel would keep doing so. If I wanted, he’d kill too.

It meant a certain trust structure had formed.

‘Good.’

I likened Kubel to a shackle, but in truth, Shura was Kubel’s shackle.

If I held and shook Shura, Kubel would have no choice but to be swayed.

‘No need to go that far.’

It was fortunate Kubel moved as I wanted.

I could do anything for Elaine.

“How’s that? Understood?”

“Yes, yes. So this hole leads to the boundary, and if you’re lucky, to the Otherworld…”

Kubel pointed at the tunnel, mulling over my explanation.

“Exactly. You’re a genius.”

It wasn’t empty praise.

Kubel reached 3rd Rank in ignorance.

For an ordinary person, it’s like mastering Aura alone.

From the continent’s perspective, Kubel was a genius.

In the Otherworld, where Origin is valued, he’d be average, though.

“The Golas you chopped into ten pieces was this tunnel’s broker.”

Kubel killed Golas more brutally than expected.

It could be a sign of resolve or flattery to show he’d do well in the future.

Either way, it didn’t matter.

What mattered was that we reached the tunnel.

And that, among the ten brokers we dealt with on the way, I absorbed one mage’s heart, fully recovering from the previous fight’s aftereffects.

“Is the Otherworld really a mage’s paradise?”

Kubel asked cautiously.

“It might be, or it might not. Why? Want to go?”

“I don’t want to go.”

Kubel said firmly.

The Otherworld is a mage’s land, not a place for Shura.

“You’re a good father.”

“…I don’t know. I hope I can be from now on.”

“You will. Serzila is a better place to live than you think.”

Kubel’s face brightened.

Despite his size, he was a simple man.

That’s why Ellen looked a bit uneasy.

She seemed to still feel guilty for insisting on killing Kubel.

“Ellen, what do you think?”

I pointedly asked Ellen.

“I don’t trust him. I’m holding back because of Shura.”

“…”

Kubel, who had brightened, slumped.

“I’ll keep watching. Kubel, to see how much you contribute to Serzila and how much you love Shura.”

Tolerate and observe.

That was the best choice Ellen could make now.

“You’ll have to work hard.”

“Yes, yes!”

“Now, go prepare breakfast for Shura, who’s probably waking up.”

“What?”

Kubel, standing at attention like a disciplined soldier, looked dumbfounded.

“I’d love to go with you, but it feels like you’d die if I did.”

If it was a familiar tunnel, maybe, but this one was new.

Even I didn’t know what was beyond it.

“Your job today isn’t to contribute but to love Shura.”

Kubel’s face looked somewhat uneasy.

He felt powerless for not contributing. I thought it was a good sign.

“Prepare a late-night snack too. With alcohol. This friend likes to drink.”

I patted Ellen’s shoulder.

Kubel, his face slightly brighter, went up to the surface.

“Going straight in?”

“No reason not to.”

Only then did Ellen’s face light up.

She craved another battle.

* * *

I examined the corpses around me.

I picked up the best-looking sword among them.

“Need a sword? You should’ve said.”

To Ellen, it looked cheap.

Serzila’s warehouse had better swords lying around.

If I had mentioned it earlier, she would’ve grabbed one.

“I’ll ask next time. For a good one.”

I looked at Ellen’s sword.

It looked ordinary but was surely a fine blade.

It withstood divine power, proof enough.

“No way. This is precious.”

Ellen covered her sword with her hand.

“I didn’t expect it.”

The tunnel was narrower than the last one.

Probably because it was longer, I was half-sure.

It was an expensive tunnel. That’s why I took the sword. Not very mage-like, but preparation is preparation.

“This is an expensive tunnel?”

Ellen, crawling into the tunnel after me, grimaced.

She seemed to think an expensive tunnel would be comfortable.

It was already stifling, her body tightly squeezed. Her shoulder blades scraped the ground with each move.

“I’m having a harder time.”

I meant it.

I was bigger than her.

To Ellen, it sounded like whining.

I was bigger, sure, but not that much bigger.

“I don’t even have Aura.”

“…”

Ellen, using Aura, flinched.

Unlike her, I was crawling through the tunnel with pure physical strength. At a steady pace.

That mental fortitude was almost admirable.

That’s why Ellen sometimes couldn’t understand me.

The Harad from the Intelligence Bureau’s Iagar report was completely different from the Harad before her.

‘Need to reinvestigate.’

Only then could Elaine try to trust me…

Ellen thought, watching my soles rhythmically push against the ground. Now that she noticed, my shoes were quite worn.

Come to think of it, there wasn’t even a maid at my annex.

A sword wasn’t the only thing I needed.

I had far more things missing than present.

‘My pants are torn too.’

Judging by the traces, it was from a ragged beast. I was still wearing those pants.

I looked decent enough, but my clothes and food were no better than a beggar’s.

‘Because I’m a hostage.’

Even so, hadn’t I earned the 1st Knights’ acknowledgment?

Crippling three knights was offensive, but it wasn’t a reason to live like a beggar.

…Still, I should be treated like a person.

‘Right, because I’m a hostage.’

I’d have to take care of it when I got back.

I moved forward at a steady pace.

Each time my soles scraped the ground, I felt them wear down. My pants too. Once I noticed, it was endless.

Those distractions helped. They ate up time. It didn’t feel like much time passed, but light seeped into the tunnel. Surprisingly, it was red.

The smell vanished. It was damp and sticky with earth, but suddenly, there was no smell at all.

“Get ready.”

I said.

Though I was right in front, my voice felt distant.

“Ah, ah. Can you hear me?”

“Ah, ah.”

“Indeed. Sounds far. No smell, and there’s an optical illusion. An environment that distorts senses. Ah, ah. Indeed. Use your Aura. It gets better.”

Ellen followed my words, increasing the Aura she was using.

Her senses returned to normal.

Above, a crimson cloud was visible. The exit.

Unlike the narrow tunnel, the exit was wide.

Big enough for me and Ellen to emerge together. Our eyes met, and we surfaced together.

The ground was hard as stone. A peculiar chill flowed over it.

The world was chaotic with wind, like a typhoon. Instead of snow, dust-like particles fell from the sky. Crimson dust, like clouds.

When it touched me, the chill became bearable. The typhoon-like wind was tolerable. The crimson dust settled on my shoulder and slid off.

“It’s blood. From a beast.”

I wiped the flowing dust with my finger and tasted it.

Ellen tried too. It tasted like blood. But she couldn’t tell if it was a beast’s or a human’s.

Far away—or perhaps not so far—the edge of the sky was visible. A pulsing crack, distorting its surroundings. The Otherworld’s sky.

“…Huh?”

A bolt struck Ellen’s mind as she looked at the crack. A sense of unease.

That was the Otherworld’s sky.

To look at it, the second wall should have been visible first.

Ellen whipped her head around.

The second wall was behind her.

So, she was in front of Serzila’s second wall.

“As expected of an expensive tunnel.”

Harad and Ellen were at the Second Stage Boundary.