Embers (5)
“—Renzo is currently working as a mercenary.”
“—It seems he’ll do anything as long as it pays. It's not just about the money, but big events come with big money. He has a nose for that kind of thing.”
“Don’t tell me you're thinking of meeting Renzo alone? Don't even think you'll survive a fight with him.”
“I’ve already fought him twice.”
I muttered to myself after checking the message.
Right now, I'm standing on a cliff in a canyon.
This is the vast wasteland that appears northeast of Constel, in the center of the continent. It’s not anyone's territory, so it doesn't have a special name, but people commonly call it the ‘Red Land’.
Literally, the terrain here is red, as if bathed in the sunset. The temperature isn't that high, but the overly dry air sweeps across the land, and only tough weeds occasionally take root in the barren ground.
“Typical Renzo. Living in a place like this.”
Renzo has already escaped from Obsidian Prison once. However, the details are a bit complicated. The citizens of the Empire still believe Renzo is ‘dead’.
At the time, Kraken infiltrated Obsidian Prison and escaped with Renzo's corpse.
It became big news, spreading throughout the Empire. And the citizens of the Empire felt uneasy about the fact that Obsidian, which they believed to be an impregnable fortress, had been breached.
So, Esther, the warden of Obsidian, hid the fact that Renzo had been resurrected. Or rather, she hasn't confirmed it yet.
The only ones who witnessed Renzo's resurrection were me, Kraken, Heldre, Manggot's Hagley, and other members of Indus.
Heldre died here, Hagley is not someone Esther can meet, and Kraken and the Indus members are all captured in the prison, so they are not reliable.
In fact, for Esther to confirm whether Renzo is truly resurrected, she needs to meet me, but it seems like she doesn't trust me either.
‘The reason Renzo has been quiet for so long must be because he was waiting for an opportunity. It's literally a new life. If I were Renzo, I wouldn't show my face to the Empire carelessly right now.’
Even Renzo, who seems to have nothing to fear in the world, is wary of someone. That's Esther, the prison warden.
From Renzo's perspective, Esther seems to be the ‘woman who would jump off a cliff at the end of hell with him and handcuff him’. Besides, Renzo escaped Obsidian, so Esther must be searching for him with fire in her eyes.
“So even if I come here, I don't know if I'll be able to meet Renzo.”
I grumbled. I don't doubt Lily's information gathering skills, but even if it's certain that Renzo is around here, if he has good senses, he'll notice right away and run away or hide.
My ‘sixth sense’ is precise, but its range isn't that wide, so if he gets out of my perception range, there's no way to find him.
…
…Or so I thought.
“──!”
Far away, I hear something that sounds like shouting.
“Hm?”
I turn my gaze and see dust rising in the distance below the canyon.
“────!!”
I don't know what it is, but the voice is definitely louder than before.
Soon, the dust cloud that was approaching me noisily sucks in all the surrounding air and shoots upwards.
A long dust cloud rising from the ground, starting there and leading to a small figure visible in the sky.
‘…No way, you're kidding, right?’
From what I can see, it looks like someone was running and then jumped up, but I'm on top of the canyon cliff, and they're below. Moreover, they're only the size of an ant from here,
“Fro──n──!”
The ant-sized figure quickly approaches and reveals its form.
Boom!
And right in front of me, they land perfectly like a hero and raise their head.
“Dier!”
“…Yo, Renzo.”
Is this guy the Hulk or something? Does it make sense to jump once from down there and come all the way here? Think about why mages work hard to learn flight magic.
Renzo has a spear on his back. It's wrapped tightly in cloth to conceal its appearance, but it's definitely Ares' divine weapon, ‘Enkephalos’. He's probably also carrying the shield, ‘Lynotoros’.
“Frondier! You came to this Red Land on your own feet. This is an area not protected by the Empire.”
“…I was looking for you. Actually, I thought I wouldn't find you if you kept hiding.”
“Huh? Did you think I'd turn tail and run after seeing you? Your jokes have gotten better!”
…Actually, I really did think so. Of course, it wouldn't be because he’s scared.
Renzo's tone is cheerful, but every syllable is filled with murderous intent. If I provoke him now, my face might get smashed by a random swing of his fist.
I thought for a moment and then asked.
“…Hey, weren't you avoiding Esther's surveillance?”
“Of course I was!”
Renzo proudly replied with his arms crossed.
…No, that answer shouldn't end there?
Fortunately, Renzo pointed at me and added one more thing.
“But you came!”
“That still doesn't answer my question.”
“I've been waiting to kill you someday. I was waiting for the day I could beat you up while avoiding Esther's surveillance. But you, the smart one, came to me first. You deliberately stepped into a sure threat like me and came looking for me, you! You know what this means, right!”
Boom!
The ground where Renzo is standing caves in. It's the pressure of his aura.
“It means a more interesting event is coming! That's the only reason you would come to me! I don't have time to worry about Esther!”
“…….”
I was speechless for a moment at Renzo's bold declaration.
No matter how his thoughts unfolded, Renzo eventually arrived at the correct answer.
“I don't know if you're smart or stupid.”
“Oh, it seems you really came here to die. I always welcome such wrong answers.”
“Sorry. You're right. I came here because I have something to tell you.”
If I'm not careful, I might end up in another bloody battle before I even get my message across. I quickly raised my hand.
“To put it simply, Manggot is coming.”
“Huh, Manggot?”
“It will be the biggest battle in the Empire since the Monster War. You know what this means, right?”
At my words, Renzo lowered his head for a moment with his arms crossed. It's obvious what he's thinking. He's looking for the part that would be the most fun for him.
“…Frondier, I have just one question.”
“What is it?”
“Don't tell me you came here to ask for my help?”
I closed my mouth for a moment at that.
Soon, Renzo's bored gaze scanned me.
“Hey, hey, hey, Frondier. You're kidding, right? Are you trying to mess with me?”
"So you won't grant such a request?"
“Hahahaha!”
Swish!
I barely dodged the fist Renzo swung by lowering my body. I felt a stinging pain in the back of my neck. I dodged the fist, but not the aura.
Tap, as I jumped back to create distance, Renzo glared at me with murderous eyes.
“Frondier, you thought you knew me well.”
Renzo raised his left hand. It was a much more sophisticated and luxurious device than the prosthetic hand I had seen before.
The prosthetic hand made a clicking sound, and the center opened, revealing a sword stored inside. Renzo grabbed the sword and pointed the tip at me.
“Why would I help the Empire? If I side with Manggot, I can fight the best warriors of the Empire, and most importantly, I can kill you. Frondier, would fighting Manggot be more fun than that?”
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