ALL NOVEL
Chapter 73
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
Chapter 73: The Treasure Hunt (1)
***
Since the investigation team has arrived at the dungeon from the Church, there is no need for Damien to remain any longer.
Damien told his intention to return to his family to Agnes.
“Are you really leaving already?”
Agnes asked Damien with a disappointed face.
“A celebration to commemorate the victory is being prepared. If you could stay until then…”
“I left without my father’s permission, so I have to return as soon as possible.”
At Damien’s words, Agnes let out a short sigh.
“Then please contact me when you visit the Church. I want to personally guide you.”
Damien had the opportunity to enter the Church’s headquarters thanks to the meritorious service he performed this time.
Agnes seemed to want to guide Damien personally.
“I understand.”
“You must do that.”
Agnes said while squeezing Damien’s hand tightly. Under immense pressure, Damien had no choice but to say he understood several times.
“Sir Damien! I am sincerely grateful for the time we shared!”
Next, Damien came face to face with Dionysius. Dionysius’s eyes gleamed brightly.
“Sir Damien, I’ll never forget you, you are a very great person!”
“You said you would never forget the grudge between us.”
“At that time… I didn’t know anything…”
Dionysius scratched the back of his head. Damien chuckled.
“Do your best. You have the potential too.”
Damien said while patting Dionysius’s shoulder. Dionysius’s pupils shook at those words.
“Really?”
“Really. I have a good eye for people.”
Those were not mere empty words, but rather genuine ones.
Dionysius’s talent was quite remarkable. It was a talent that could rise to the level of a 1st-grade paladin.
Not only Dionysius. Margata and Gamal were also rare talents.
The main reason why the Church was weak in the previous life was because of the complete destruction of the crusade which had many rare talents.
“Okay, I’ll do my best!”
Dionysius replied loudly as if he had gained strength from Damien’s encouragement.
“Hey, how long are you going to talk? Come out now.”
Then, Margata pushed Dionysius back. He screamed and was pushed out.
“Sir Damien, thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, I would have died.”
“It would have been worse. If it weren’t for Sir Damien we would all become the flesh golems controlled by Corpseplay .”
Margata’s words were interrupted by Gamal. Margata looked at Gamal quietly.
“That’s a funny way to put it…… but you’re right. I would have turned into a flesh golem by now.”
Margata agreed with a wry smile.
“I could have transformed into a Flesh Golem and slain our brothers and sisters from the Church with my own hands. Thank you for preventing that.”
Margata held Damien’s hand tightly.
“I’ll send you an invitation later, so please attend.”
“Invitation?”
Damien asked with a puzzled face. Then Margata leaned her head against Gamal’s shoulder and said.
“Gamal proposed to me. I might send you an invitation soon.”
Even Damien was astonished.
“Sir Ga-Gamal proposed t-to you?”
“Si-, G-Gamal? Really?”
Agnes and Dionysius seemed too surprised after hearing unexpected news. They looked at each other with shocked faces.
“Ah, you two didn’t know either? We were originally dating for a while. We didn’t even think about marriage… But this guy suddenly proposed me.”
“Margata, don’t talk about it too much.”
Gamal rebuked Margata with a red face. But Margata didn’t stop.
“I almost died this time, didn’t I? I realized that because of that. You never know what life will be like. I want to do my best. Hahaha!”
Margata burst out laughing. Gamal’s face turned bright red like it was about to explode.
“Anyway, that’s what happened, so I hope you’ll come back later.”
Margata said while wiping away her tears.
***
Damien returned to the viscounty after leaving the crusade.
At first, he was eager to see his family’s faces, but as he neared the viscounty, his anxiety started to grow.
“…I can’t help but think my father is still angry.”
Given his father’s stubbornness, there was a high probability that he was still angry.
Damien abandoned the idea of entering the mansion’s entrance from the front gate. He silently moved towards the backyard.
“Ugh! Hush!”
Just as Victor was feeding the horses in the backyard, Damien suddenly appeared in front of him.
“Hey Victor, how you doing”
“Huh? A, an intruder… no, I mean my lord?”
Victor looked Damien up and down with surprise evident in his expression.
“Are you hurt anywhere? You didn’t get cursed by a dark mage, did you? Oh, no, that’s not it! How can you leave me behind that day!”
Victor got angry as soon as he saw Damien.
“Do you have any idea how angry my lord was with me?”
“Was he really that angry?”
“He wanted to kick me out, saying why didn’t I stop you from leaving that day!”
As Damien expected, his father was clearly very angry.
“Has he calmed down at all?”
“There is a chance of him still being angry! My lord is determined to teach you a good lesson when you return!”
“Hmm.”
Damien just nodded. It seemed impossible to solve this situation alone.
It was a good idea to seek help from a third party. For example, his mother or his sister…
“By the way, Viscountess and Lady Louise were also angry because you went to a dangerous place without saying a single word.”
He was planning to rely on his mother and sister if necessary. But even that plan didn’t seem to work.
“That’s not going to work. I’ll have to return when he’s calmed down.”
“Where are you going?”
Victor grabbed Damien in surprise.
“If I let you go again, I might really be driven out! and you’re not leaving until I get dirt in my eyes!”
They say people become stronger when their livelihood is at stake.
Victor said firmly. He seemed determined not to let go of this hand.
“But I have something to do.”
“What do you have to do?”
Damien said, waving the map he obtained from the Corpseplay’s lab.
“Treasure hunting.”
Victor looked impressed.
“Don’t just brush it off with strange words! Anyway, I can’t let you go!”
“Okay, okay, I get it. Take this.”
Damien opened a spital ring and took out a pouch from it. Victor took the pouch without knowing what it was.
“What is this?”
“Check it out yourself.”
When Victor opened the pouch, he was greeted by the sight of shiny gold coins.
“Huh, huh! My lord! What on earth…”
“Reward.”
“Yes?”
“Please tell my father a few good words about me.”
Damien quickly pulled his hand out of Victor’s grip. Then he left without a word.
“My lord! My lord!”
Victor shouted desperately, but Damien had already disappeared from his sight.
***
Damien was far away from the mansion.
– Damien! You damn Bart! Come back here right now!
The sound of his father’s shouting came from the mansion.
“He must be old but he’s still so stubborn.”
I was thinking of getting him a second wife but that appeared to be a futile endeavor.
“I’ll have to stay away for a while.”
By the time Damien finished searching Yulan’s secret warehouse and returned, the news about the crusade would have spread widely.
Of course, total information on the whole crusade wouldn’t be exactly as it was. That would tarnish the reputation of the Church.
But it would be known to everyone that Damien was actually a strong knight of the middle class and had played a very important in dealing with Corpseplay.
When his father heard the news, he would surely realize that Damien hadn’t done anything reckless.
“… He’ll calm down, right?”
After shaking off a bit of anxiety, Damien headed to Landwalk City.
Yulan’s secret warehouse was in the Longhost Mountain Range. It was a very distant place, so a few preparations were needed.
Damien bought a sturdy horse, blankets, flint, and travel items like food.
“Why would it be in the Longhost Mountain Range?”
From the top of his horse, Damien muttered a few words.
The Longhost Mountain Range was not a place where dangerous creatures lived, but it was famous for its difficult terrain.
Because of these characteristics, it was a place where criminals and thieves gathered.
“When I arrive, I’ll need to find a guide first.”
The Longhost Mountain Range was so complex that without a guide, it was easy to get lost.
A guide was essential to reach the secret warehouse.
“It’s going to be a tough road ahead.”
The thought of searching such a complex place gave him a headache.
But it was worth a visit.
Yulan was a fairly well-known group of dark mages. Their power wasn’t great, but each individual’s skill was excellent, so they were always in demand.
They must have collected a lot of property and treasures in their warehouse.
Moreover, Yulan was moving directly under Dorugo’s orders.
He might get a clue to follow Dorugo.
So Damien arrived at the Longhost Mountain Range.
First, Damien headed to the Olden Village located under the mountain range.
Travelers trying to cross the Longhost Mountain Range gathered in the Olden Village to find companions.
‘The first thing to do is, I’ll have to hide my identity.’
Damien was already too famous. If the rumors about the dungeon spread, he would become even more famous.
If it became known that a famous person like Damien was searching the Longhost Mountain Range, it was certain that annoying flies would bother him.
Even if that wasn’t the case, it was better to hide his identity while searching for the warehouse.
Damien pulled out a black cloth and covered his face with it.
Both the Holy Sword and the Thousand-Mile Sword were put into the spital ring and he pulled out a regular iron sword.
After disguising himself like this, he headed to the mercenary employment office in Olden Village.
The tavern-turned-mercenary employment office was quite large. As he entered, he heard the lively chatter of mercenaries enjoying drinks and food.
As soon as Damien entered, the eyes of the mercenaries gathered on him. It was a mix of curiosity and wariness.
“I’m looking for a guide who knows about the Longhost Mountain Range.”
Damien said to the man standing at the front bar, wiping a glass.
He was a retired mercenary, bearing the mark of his profession with a missing ear and scars etched across his face.
The man glanced at Damien and said bluntly.
“If you’re thinking of crossing the mountains, it would be wise to go to the merchants, not the mercenaries.”
“I’m not thinking of crossing the mountains, I need to find something inside.”
“You’re going to search that dangerous place? You’re out of your mind.”
The Longhost Mountain Range was a boiling pot of criminals and thieves.
The mountain paths that merchants took to cross the mountains were relatively safe places. Other than that, safety was not guaranteed.
“Sorry, but there won’t be any guides willing to take on such a request. Unless they’ve lost their minds…”
Damien took out a pouch of gold coins from his pocket and turned it over. The gold coins piled up on the table.
“If it’s money, I have plenty. I just hope a skilled guide comes.”
Even though Damien showed the gold coins, no mercenaries stepped forward.
The Longhost Mountain Range was dangerous, but the lack of skilled guides was also a reason.
“Is there really no one?”
Damien was about to put the gold coins back into his pocket.
“You’re looking for a guide to wander around the Longhost Mountain Range?”
At that moment, someone approached Damien.
Damien absentmindedly looked at the mercenary, and his mind went blank with surprise.
A young man between youth and middle age.
A slightly smaller stature than average.
A chubby physique for a mercenary.
Juan David.
The mercenary captain who hired Damien in his previous life was right in front of him.
***
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]