Chapter 468 – A Familiar Face
"Huh… to think you crossed the continent again just to find Lito. I know better than anyone how remarkable his talent is, but I never imagined Lord Asher would come looking for him once more. It seems he was of great help when I introduced him to you last time."
Pale carried away the two empty glasses that had once held the first cocktails.
"In the past two years, many things happened. The brokers fought fiercely over their turf, and several times, there were even attempts to kidnap Lito Varslan. No one can help but covet an alchemist who's called the real thing. In that matter, I received help from Count Rodenmeyer."
"Count Rodenmeyer, is it. That's a name I haven't heard in a while."
Count Rodenmeyer was a noble of the duchy, deeply tied to Verden in many ways.
The Ring of Rune that heightened the senses of the entire body, the restarting of Exceed, had been possible thanks to the count's secretary.
It was also through Count Rodenmeyer's commission that Verden first encountered the Soul Tree. The many village disappearance cases caused by Gluttony, as well.
And when he won the tournament held at the agency of the Duchy of Riviant, he received an enormous reward, just as promised.
Before leaving the duchy for the Kingdom of Estiria, the obsidian-bladed dagger given to him by the count had remained useful even now.
In truth, Count Rodenmeyer was practically a benefactor who enabled Verden's active activities in the Duchy of Riviant.
"By receiving first place at the agency where Lord Asher competed, Count Rodenmeyer was granted the mining rights to the silver mine and mana stone veins by the Grand Duke. The development ended earlier this year, and he's rapidly recovering his investment. Among the current counts of the duchy, he could be said to have the strongest influence. Though he didn't quite reach first place at last year's agency, he still received good evaluations and gained entry into several national projects."
It seemed Count Rodenmeyer was indeed riding a proper upward path.
Pale wiped dry the glasses he had just finished washing.
"Ah, I've strayed from the subject. My apologies. In any case, despite everything, Lito Varslan is quite safe."
"Still living in that hut?"
"A man that eccentric wouldn't abandon his home even with a knife to his throat, or so I've heard. Truly so. But from your words, it seems… you came looking for me before going directly to him."
"He might have moved in the meantime. And I know that Lito Varslan dislikes uninvited guests. Barging in just because of some prior acquaintance wouldn't be proper. Even if I need something, I have no intention of forcing it."
For Lito Varslan, accepting commissions through Pale as a broker was merely a pastime.
Threats wouldn't work, and more than that, Verden had his own line he would not cross.
From the start, he never intended to pressure people like Pale or Lito, with whom he had such relationships.
"That part of you hasn't changed at all."
Pale recalled the very first time he met Verden—before he connected him with any commission, remembering the answers Verden had written on the questionnaire about his inclinations.
"When shall I arrange the appointment?"
"As soon as possible."
"Understood."
He pulled out a luxurious sheet of stationery from his inner pocket and quickly scribbled with a pen. Powerful, elegant strokes formed the contents on the spot.
He called for one of his aides.
The bandaged man, who had once guided Verden to the underground tavern when he first came to Pale's Arrowhead, appeared.
Pale handed him the sealed letter he had personally stamped.
"Send this to Combelly Town as soon as possible. It's an urgent matter."
"Understood, Pale, sir."
The man, wrapped head to toe in bandages with tattered cloth over them, answered in a cracked voice. He politely bowed to Verden and Isabella, then left the underground tavern.
Pale spoke.
"After I acquired Northern Gray, I gained a connection with a 5th-tier Mage. He retired early, living quietly as a farmer in a village near Cohen. Sometimes, when there's an urgent letter to be sent, I hire him, and in return, we either help with his farming work or broker and sell his produce."
Isabella showed interest.
"A 5th-tier Mage could live well enough in a city without worrying about livelihood, but he chose farming? That's unexpected."
"For someone who's tasted the harshness of life, perhaps comfort becomes necessary. When I first approached him, he wished to avoid any troublesome matters, so aside from letter delivery, I don't entrust him with any requests. As a broker, it's only right to respect that."
Pale checked his watch.
"Lito Varslan should receive word by morning. Which means, if you visit after noon tomorrow, you'll be a guest, not an intruder. I would like to arrange it sooner, but I hope you understand my limitations."
Verden had expected at least three or four days, but the waiting time was much shorter.
Satisfied with the swift handling, Verden handed over two checks of one hundred million Elk as an introduction fee.
"I calculated it based on the price I paid two years ago. Is it sufficient?"
"That's more than double the regular amount. And I never intended to accept an introduction fee from you, Lord Asher. Please accept this as my goodwill."
"I'll consider it given, so take it. If you don't need it, then donate it."
Pale blinked, then stroked his chin with a serious face.
"A broker donating… aside from offering to the Church for blessings, I've never done such a thing. But now that I think about it, it would be a novel experience. I've been feeling somewhat lonely these days anyway. I'll add some of my own funds to the money Lord Asher gave and donate it to an orphanage, anonymously of course."
Pale meant it sincerely, not as a joke.
Indeed, compared to brokers like Pale in the duchy or Perne in the kingdom, or the countless others, his mindset was quite unusual.
"Still, loneliness doesn't seem like a word that suits a broker."
"Haha, it's strange to me as well."
Pale collected the two glasses that had held the second cocktails.
"In the beginning, I struggled desperately as a broker just to stay alive, yearning for stability. But when I finally achieved it… somehow, I didn't feel relieved. At times, I missed it. As if I were addicted to that intensity."
Squeak, squeak.
He polished the washed glasses with a dry cloth until spotless, then placed them in the cupboard.
"Of course, this peace won't last forever. In a few years, competitors will spring up like weeds, and unable to endure, I'll end up retiring to the back room. Or I could be killed and left in some alley."
Pale knew well the fate that awaited brokers who lost in the competition of Gray. He had seen it with his own eyes, and had made it happen himself.
Of course, he said he'd leave the field before losing his life, sharing what kind of retirement he envisioned.
At that moment, Verden spoke.
"That's not your true ambition, is it?"
"…Pardon?"
"Don't you think the Duchy of Riviant is too small, to be speaking of the end of life?"
For a moment, Pale's eyes widened.
Meeting his complicated gaze, Verden rose from his chair with a meaningful remark.
"No need to see us out. I'll be back, 'next time'."
"Thank you for the cocktails."
"Ah… ah, yes. May both of you remain in good health."
Verden and Isabella headed for the surface.
Left behind in the empty underground tavern, Pale stood still, watching their backs vanish, then muttered blankly.
"The duchy, too small…"
Suddenly, Pale thought of the continent.
A world so vast it could not be compared to the territory of the Duchy of Riviant unfolded in his mind like a prairie.
***
After meeting with Pale, Verden and Isabella strolled through Cohen's streets as if sightseeing, then rented two rooms at an inn for the night.
The Beehive's Rest.
It was the inn Verden had often stayed in whenever he visited Cohen.
Dawn passed, and the sun rose in the east.
Their destination: Combelly Town.
The cooldown time for
Leisurely departing from Cohen and crossing the high skies, they arrived in the forest near Combelly Town shortly after noon.
The first time they had come here, a man named Sam, sent by Pale, had personally guided them to Lito Varslan's hut.
But now, they already knew the way, and if needed, they could simply use wide-range
Isabella toyed with the ends of her hair.
"For a high-ranking alchemist capable of producing demon cores alone to live in such a countryside… it must be because he has nothing left to learn, so he shut himself in. Still, reaching that level through self-study alone seems impossible."
Isabella's family had once been among the prestigious houses of the ancient Mado Kingdom, and she herself had graduated from the academy with excellent marks.
And in order to study the byproducts of special entities—three heirlooms handed down in the Argyle family—while also spending time with her family, she had continued her self-study.
Thanks to that, Isabella's alchemy was already quite advanced… but naturally, reaching any higher level was difficult.
There had been, after all, a dreadful reason she could not continue accumulating her studies.
'Of course, if things went perfectly, Isabella might succeed in producing a demon core on her own…'
But the chances were slim, and there were far too few materials to risk such an attempt.
Even for Verden, procuring more of the scarce mandrake extract was not something he could easily promise.
"Master, do you think we could learn the method of making demon cores from this Lito person?"
"Well, I can't say if he'd directly teach it just because we ask. Still, if we offer to assist, we could watch and learn by sight."
Verden wasn't someone who boasted of it, but he did have the fundamentals of alchemy. Enough, at least, to shorten the production time of demon cores by helping Lito.
But trying to make one alone, relying only on his memories of that time, would be nothing less than a reckless gamble.
After a while, brown flowers clinging to the trees began to appear.
Dream-flowers.
A parasitic plant that scattered fine powder into the surroundings and the sky, causing strong hallucinations, it was one of the traps Lito had set up against intruders.
'The number and placement are the same as before.'
Which meant he had been tending them carefully.
Naturally, they had no effect on Verden or Isabella, so the two simply ignored them and passed by.
As they flew close to the ground through the air, a two-story hut appeared, standing in the middle of the forest.
Around it spread a garden, where rare plants that were exceedingly difficult to cultivate by hand grew in clusters.
Knock, knock.
While Isabella marveled at the garden's quality, Verden climbed the hut's steps and lightly knocked on the door.
There was no reply, though he could sense a presence inside.
Ssshhh…
A pale smoke drifted out from between the cracks.
It was meant to provoke coughing, but naturally, such a trick could not disturb Verden's breathing.
"As expected, no reaction. Quite dull."
A voice came from within.
Soon, the door opened.
"Kehehe, a familiar face."
Hair discolored with age, an unkempt beard, eyes that showed a fiercely stubborn nature.
Wearing the same old, shabby brown robe as before, the old man Lito Varslan slowly revealed himself.
***
"Come in. Anything underfoot, just push it aside. Ah, but that doesn't mean you can go around kicking like it's a goblin's head."
Following Lito inside, the hut was a complete mess. Alchemy tools of all kinds were scattered everywhere.
There were far more types and quantities than before, making the place look even more chaotic.
"Ugh…"
Isabella stuck close to Verden's back as she walked. No wonder—one careless brush could easily smash something.
"Hup."
Lito roughly picked up three folding chairs that had fallen on the floor, set them upright, and dropped himself into one with a thud, scratching at his beard.
"I'm not exactly fond of reunions, but honestly, this one makes me glad. To think that brat I once saw has returned as a renowned figure of the continent. And even brought along a beautiful woman who suits his face… kehehe, this is why I can never quite cut myself off from the world."
Lito glanced back and forth between Verden and Isabella, shrugging slightly. A gesture of welcome, to an old guest and a new one alike.
"The last time we met, I told you this, didn't I. Next time you come, don't bother with trivial things, bring me something fun like a demon core."
His eyes fixed on Verden.
"So, what brings you here this time, Asher?"
"Same as before, I've come to commission the production of a demon core."
Verden sat down, Isabella taking the seat right beside him.
Lito twitched his brows, baring his teeth.
"Oh? You've… changed. Changed indeed. You've thrown away that hollow honorific talk? You no longer feel the need for it, eh?"
"Something like that."
"That's quite the change."
A Mage of immeasurable talent, now sitting there openly self-assured… Lito Varslan could guess the kind of dense years Verden must have lived through.
"Let me see the materials."
Taking from Verden the components needed for a demon core, the first thing Lito opened was the mandrake extract. He sniffed.
"Without a doubt, genuine. Hah, where do you even get such extract so easily. Well, the source doesn't matter much. If I make it for you, what will you give me in return?"
"Haven't you anything in mind?"
"Not really. I don't particularly want anything at the moment."
Despite appearances, Lito was wealthy enough not to take payment in gold.
Verden remembered the time he had offered Lito a tonic made from a salamander's heart and accompanied him for demon core production—recalling the spider forest where he pushed a natural golem off a cliff to obtain Rozenflower.
"Well then, offer me something that might stir my interest."
Using his insight, Verden grasped Lito's intentions. What he wanted now was, precisely, 'something new'.
At once, Verden opened and closed subspace, presenting him with several possible rewards.
"…Hmm, got anything else?"
All of them were refused.
Not insufficient as payment, but they simply didn't delight him.
'Then what would be best…'
As Verden pondered, Isabella, who had been watching, interjected.
"Then how about this?"
She took out a sample of Lysandro's fruit, kept within a transparent cube.
Lito reacted.
"What's that… a fruit?"
"It's called Lysandro's fruit. Part of what I received from the elves of the Great Forest."
"The Great Forest??"
Before settling in the Duchy of Riviant, Lito had traveled across countless places in the western, central, and eastern continents.
Practically his entire life.
Even so, there were places he could never reach due to practical obstacles.
Beyond the borders of the central continent, the freezing north, the Desert of Silence, the Demon Realm, and the Great Forest as well.
"You're saying, this fruit came from the elven forest? Directly from the elves themselves? Its effect, what's this fruit used for?"
Lito, unusually, was excited.
Isabella calmly answered.
"One of the Great Forest's guardians told me it held the power of healing. But when I tested it myself, its function was entirely different from that of any potion."
"The guardian of the Great Forest…!!! Could you spare me just a tiny, tiny bit?"
Isabella glanced at Verden, then cut off a minuscule portion of the sample and handed it to him. Treasuring it dearly, Lito immediately began examining it.
"Hey, Lito Varslan? Lito? Can you hear us? Hm, he's ignoring us completely. Maybe we should have shown it later."
"Well, he'd have to check it anyway. No use waiting inside, let's take a walk."
Verden and Isabella strolled around the hut, through the forest.
Isabella's dark-green hair and golden eyes, framed by the gold-trimmed black robe she wore, matched the peaceful forest backdrop quite well.
───Ohhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!
Then, from inside the hut, they heard a cry almost like a scream, and returned.
Lito looked at them and spoke.
"When shall I begin making the demon core?"
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