ALL NOVEL Chapter 262
Chapter 262: Maz (4)
“How is the summit progressing?”
“I heard that Leron will eventually attend as well.”
“I expected as much.”
Leron, which had shown an indecisive attitude about the summit, finally expressed the intention to participate.
Preparations had been made for exchanges between factions and a stepping stone to alleviate discrimination against different races.
Yoo Ji-han pondered as he sipped a bit of wine.
“The Yogo Guild has become a well-known guild now.”
The heroes who arrived in Kallem had been trading actively between Leron, Maz, and Kabuum, receiving help from the Yogo Guild.
Thanks to the active support from Maz and Kabuum, the reputation of the guild was spreading at an unprecedented speed.
With this increase in recognition, capable mercenaries were also being hired by the guild, meaning it wouldn’t have any issues maintaining itself even without the heroes’ assistance.
“The heroes are also benefitting.”
Min Yu-ri had promised to treat her brother with the help of the surviving puppeteer, Desa.
Watanabe had learned the brewing methods of the most delicious alcohol he had tasted in Maz.
The food-loving Lee Mi-a and Chilla enjoyed a daily routine of being served unique and delicious foods from each region without fail.
Moreover, many heroes were acquiring the personal information or items they desired in the world of Kallem.
They were each taking what they wanted from Kallem.
“By the way, it’s been quite troublesome lately because of the moons.”
“Because their shape isn’t changing?”
“Right.”
The three moons, fixed in the shape of a full moon, had brought about a festive atmosphere across Kallem for a day or two.
However, as the full moon failed to disappear for over a week, anxiety had begun to amplify.
“While it’s nice for magical research…”
While Yoo Ji-han engaged in external activities, heroes of the magical type, including Kim Si-hu, focused on dimension magic with the mages of Kabuum.
They sought to find a way back to Earth from Kallem.
The increased atmospheric magical power due to the full moon reportedly provided significant help to the mages.
“Oh, and one of our mages wants to meet you.”
“The mages from Maz?”
Maz, which was based on nurturing fully armed knights utilizing abundant ores.
The few mages in Maz mostly supported the knight order.
So, when Yoo Ji-han heard that they’d like to meet him, after merely brushing past once or twice, he tilted his head in confusion.
“Why?”
“He said he felt something strange when he first saw you.”
“Something strange? Was it a woman?”
“No, it was a man.”
A man feeling something strange from another man.
Yoo Ji-han furrowed his brows at the unsettling feeling.
“He’s also the mage who was active when Desa attacked Maz.”
“Oh, a mage…”
“Coincidentally, I’ve called him over nearby. Would you like to meet him?”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
Kruba commanded a servant to summon the waiting mage nearby.
Just then, the mage, who had been resting, rushed over to Kruba’s mansion.
“This is the mage who wanted to meet you.”
“Th-thank you for meeting me! I’m Mage Tolon!”
The nervous-sounding Mage Tolon stuttered as he glanced at Kruba and Yoo Ji-han.
To Yoo Ji-han, that expression resembled a rabbit meeting a tiger.
“You can relax; I won’t eat you.”
“O-oh… yes!”
“So, you wanted to see me?”
“Yes!”
“Why is that?”
“Ex-excuse me, may I touch your hand for a moment?! Just for 10 seconds!”
“U-uh, go ahead.”
“Thank you!”
Yoo Ji-han extended his right hand to Tolon, who requested it.
At that moment, Tolon’s face shifted from nervousness to seriousness as he extended his staff toward Yoo Ji-han’s palm.
Crackle! Snap!
As Tolon’s magic flowed from his staff and touched Yoo Ji-han’s palm, small sparks flew, resembling visible static electricity.
When Yoo Ji-han turned away to avoid it, a startled Kruba exclaimed.
“Tolon! What on earth did you just do?!”
“It’s nothing serious! Just a quick check!”
“What kind of check could warrant something that looks so dangerous…?”
“It’s a curse.”
“A curse?”
At the immediate return of the question, Tolon nodded.
“You know I’m treating the victims who were controlled by Desa, right?”
“Yeah. You met Yoo Ji-han during that time, right?”
“Yes, yes. That’s correct.”
The commoners that Desa had turned into puppets were still left around Maz.
Tolon and the mages from Maz had started treating the victims suffering from Magic Discoloration Syndrome and curses without any help from Desa.
While they could have sought assistance from him, they stubbornly refused to accept help from such a criminal.
It was certainly no insignificant curse, but as mages of Kallem, they possessed knowledge about curses, allowing victims to gradually regain consciousness.
Among them, Tolon showed remarkable talent for detecting curses.
“When you two briefly brushed past me before, I felt a curse’s aura from you, Yoo Ji-han.”
“You mean I’m cursed?”
“More accurately, it means you were cursed at some point in the past.”
“Eh?”
“Now, only faint traces of a curse remain in your body.”
“……!”
Upon hearing that his past self had been cursed, Yoo Ji-han’s eyes widened.
He had never felt anything like that in his life.
‘… No, was there one time?’
The only instance he could recall was when he was completely abandoned by Kim Hyun-tae’s Party and Keroes.
Was it similar to the feeling of being cursed then?
“However, this doesn’t seem like a typical curse!”
“What does that mean?”
“If such a strong reaction is occurring from just a small trace… it must have been a truly powerful curse in the past. Were you at all sickly as a child?”
“I don’t particularly remember being sick.”
A body born with magic on Earth.
One day, after receiving a unique skill, Yoo Ji-han spent his childhood healthy and without any serious ailments.
Tolon’s expression grew serious.
“If it doesn’t inflict physical harm, then it’s probably a higher-level curse.”
“Does it work that way?”
“Psychological harm or something even beyond that…! One thing is certain; this is not a curse I can speculate on lightly.”
“…….”
“The one who cursed Yoo Ji-han must be a mage of a level that I can’t even compare to.”
Yoo Ji-han silently gazed into Tolon’s eyes.
Similar to Kim Si-hu, who had fallen into the depths of magical research.
His eyes were filled with a mix of curiosity and doubt.
There was no way to see them as the eyes of someone lying.
‘Right now, I’m suspecting…’
In the childhood photo he had, there was a hexagram-like mark drawn around his neck.
If that, which had now vanished, could be considered evidence of a curse, then it somewhat made sense.
“This is a photo of my childhood.”
Rustle.
Yoo Ji-han handed the childhood photo he had brought from Earth to Tolon.
Tolon gasped upon seeing the photo.
“Wow! This is such a detailed record?! Unbelievable!”
“Could what’s shown in this photo be a curse?”
“I’m not sure, but for certain curses, there’s usually a marker somewhere on the body that serves as a reference point.”
“Just like the puppets that Desa controlled?”
“Exactly.”
It was possible that, as a child, he could have been cursed by some unknown person.
As that thought crossed his mind, Yoo Ji-han pressed his lips together into a straight line.
‘Who? Why?’
Who on earth would cast such a strong curse on him when he was merely a baby?
‘… It’s bitter.’
The taste of the red wine he had found very luxurious just moments ago suddenly tasted bitter to him.
*
With the rulers limited to just one, Maz experienced a significant change.
On the day the summit led by Maz was convened.
Bwoooooo——!
Bwooooooo——!
In the city where the most travelers and merchants came and went in Maz,
For the first time, the sounds produced by Kabuum’s traditional instruments echoed.
And emerging from that noise were the warriors arriving from Kabuum.
In the center of the circle formed by the warriors stood a lavishly decorated royal carriage.
“It’s been quite a while since I’ve been to Maz.”
As the carriage door opened, the King of Kabuum appeared, wearing only loose pants.
With muscles sculpted like a statue, the women of Maz couldn’t help but glance at him.
Receiving such a welcome from the King of Kabuum was Yoo Ji-han.
“You’ve come.”
“To think you personally came here. You’ve got some guts.”
“When we hold the second summit next time, let’s do it in Kabuum.”
“Hmm! I’ll have to show something far more grand and splendid then.”
Yoo Ji-han led the King of Kabuum to the location where the summit was to be held.
And after sending nobles affiliated with the royal family from Leron, the preparations for the summit were complete.
“Thank you all for coming such a long way.”
Seated at the grandly decorated round table were Kruba, the ruler of Maz, the King of Kabuum, and the Marquis of Leron.
The Marquis of Leron spoke to Yoo Ji-han, who was standing by the wall.
“Why is an outsider who isn’t even a knight here?”
“I allowed him.”
“…!”
Upon hearing the response from the King of Kabuum, the Marquis immediately fell silent.
Then, the King of Kabuum, with a visibly uncomfortable expression, spoke up.
“And why are you here?”
“I’m here as a representative of Leron…”
“If you are to represent Leron, then Leron’s king should have come in person! Why send only a marquis who just wed his young daughter to the royal family?”
“No…!”
“Return to Leron and tell your king that Kabuum will certainly remember this incident.”
From the very start of the summit, the King of Kabuum sternly reprimanded the marquis.
The greatly taken aback marquis could only listen, shrunk into himself.
Observing the mood, Kruba calmly interjected.
“Now, now, let’s settle down. This summit was planned to foster unity among the three factions that have undergone recent changes in Maz. I hope this meeting doesn’t lead to further disputes.”
“I’ll try.”
“First, let me share some information you might be interested in. I would like to update you on the incidents that have occurred recently in Maz.”
Kruba recounted the attack by Desa and the disappearance of the rulers in Maz.
He told them of the scale of incidents that shook one faction completely.
The King of Kabuum offered a brief opinion on this.
“Since it was done by the former royal mage of Leron, Leron should take responsibility as well.”
“That’s…!”
“I would also like to discuss that issue.”
As Kruba and the King of Kabuum subtly applied pressure, the Marquis started to sweat profusely.
If Desa had been the royal mage of Leron, then how much compensation would they have to offer?
“Oh, and there’s one more topic I’d like to discuss with all of you…”
Kruba glanced at Yoo Ji-han before continuing.
“It’s related to discrimination against different races.”
*
After about two hours, the summit concluded.
Yoo Ji-han exited the location where the meeting had taken place.
Once outside, he moved to a deserted area and looked down at the barren ground, saying,
“How did it go?”
“What? You knew?”
Shwooom!
From beneath the ground, Yoon Do-ha soared up.
He looked surprised that Yoo Ji-han had noticed his presence.
“Um, hello.”
Mumu, the Earth spirit who had released his temporary contract with Yoo Ji-han and re-contracted with Yoon Do-ha.
However, Yoo Ji-han retained enough perception to sense the energy emanating from the earth even after the contract was dissolved.
Uhehehehe! Ji-han is mine!
As a spirit, the sylph, who had again monopolized Yoo Ji-han, couldn’t stop laughing day after day.
“Are you satisfied with the meeting contents?”
“Ahhh… it was excellent.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
Kruba had completely improved the treatment of the dwarves.
Before that, the King of Kabuum had promised to work towards reducing discrimination against different races.
Though Leron still remained, if Leron couldn’t keep up with these changes, a mass exodus of different races might occur someday.
“It may not be perfect, but it’s a seed of change planted in the land of Kallem.”
Yoon Do-ha was quite satisfied with the outcomes of the summit after confirming the stances of all the ruling parties.
His prior desire to destroy Maz over the dwarves had significantly cooled down.
“I wonder if such results can be achieved in Korea as well…”
“Who knows…?”
“Anyway, it’s all thanks to you, Ji-han!”
“If you’re feeling satisfied, you should start taking care of Park Jae-kyung as well.”
“What? Jae-kyung?”
“I think Do-ha’s been hanging out with dwarves so much that she might be feeling a bit neglected.”
“Oh! If Jae-kyung gets upset, it’s going to be a real headache.”
Scratching his head, Yoon Do-ha soon disappeared into the ground.
He was going to visit Park Jae-kyung, the Vice Guild Master of the Dice Guild.
Seeing that action, Yoo Ji-han smiled.
But just then.
“Huh?”
From the sun he glanced up at habitually,
He noticed the signs of destruction gradually diminishing.
‘It’s disappearing?’
Just then, a thought crossed his mind.
Yoo Ji-han was stunned as he suddenly realized.
‘If, in the near future, Maz were to be destroyed…’
It must have been because of Yoon Do-ha.