How to Live as a Knight After the Ending - Chapter 18
Only Noblemtl
Episode 18. Dangerous Request (2)
After much deliberation in his office and making up his mind, Ronan came down to the first floor of the tavern.
Ronan, who was about to tell Ossian to take one person with him, closed his mouth again when he saw Lorraine.
Ossian greeted Ronan as he came down the stairs.
“Are you here?”
“Mr. Lorraine is here.”
Lorraine, who would normally have been begging for a drink in broad daylight, was strangely quiet.
Rather, Lorraine was sitting a little more quietly than usual, keeping an eye on Ossian.
No matter how I looked at it, it was clear that there was something between the two.
And Ronan could easily see what had happened.
‘I tried to set the mood as a senior, but I ended up getting beat up instead.’
Lorraine, who was like a rascal, had been singing a song for a long time, wishing she had a successor.
Even though this industry doesn’t really have a hierarchy, saying something like that just means that they want subordinates that they can use comfortably.
However, Violet Fox did not accept the problem solver lightly.
Because Ronan only offers to recruit those whose abilities have been thoroughly verified, he has very few problem solvers compared to other agencies.
Perhaps Lorraine knew that too, which is why she wanted a successor even more desperately.
A new recruit came in just when I was about to give up because I was so thirsty.
As a senior, Lorraine wanted to show off her cool side and establish her authority.
But the new recruit who had just arrived was someone who was far beyond her common sense.
‘That’s why I told you to be careful.’
Thinking that all of this was ultimately Lorraine’s karma, Ronan opened his mouth to Ossian.
“I was originally going to say that it would be better to accept the request on the condition that you have a guide by your side.”
“okay.”
“You’ve found such a great guide, I can’t stop you any longer.”
Lorraine, her pride hurt by those words, opened her eyes wide and glared at Ronan.
‘Hey, you squinty-eyed bastard. Who are you to be? Do you want to die?’
Lorraine gaped at Ossian, but Ronan turned away from him.
Lorraine was furious at the sight, but couldn’t protest openly. Ossian, who was standing next to her, was too scared.
“So, are you going to go right now?”
“It’s good if things get done quickly.”
*
Tirna’s 43rd district is a huge industrial area.
Workers in oil-stained overalls were walking around, their faces dark-circled and lifeless.
A large truck roamed the streets, belching white steam.
The truck driver honked his horn hysterically. The sound of the horn startled the rats on the road and they scattered in all directions.
Ossian stood in India and watched the scene intently.
“Is it strange?”
Lorraine, who was forced to follow him, asked in a dull voice.
Ossian shook his head at that. There were workers and cars driving around, a sight he had seen many times in the world he lived in.
Instead, I was interested in the smoke coming out of each factory chimney.
Some factories were spewing out black smoke, some were spewing out white smoke.
The two smokes were entangled with each other and mixed with the clouds in the sky, making the surroundings gloomy even in broad daylight.
“The black is the traces of charcoal and coal, and the white is the white smoke from burning ether water.”
Lorraine, who noticed where Ossian’s gaze was directed, explained something that was not asked.
“Ether water is an essential resource for industry. Who would turn it down when it offers three orders of magnitude more energy efficiency than boiling regular water?”
“But it looks like there’s a lot more black smoke.”
“Not everyone can use the same resources.”
Ether water is not something that can be simply evaporated.
It was a raw material that required complex processing and adjustment.
As a result, companies were divided into those that could use ether water and those that could not, and this soon became the standard for determining the level of a company.
In places where ether water could not be handled, low-quality coal and charcoal were used as fuel.
The smoke coming out of the chimneys in such places could not help but be black.
Black smoke was soon a symbol of insufficiency.
“The way people in Tirna rank factories is simple: by the color of the smoke.”
If the color of the smoke is white, it means that ether water was used, so it is a white company.
Conversely, if the color of the smoke is black, it is a black company.
From that perspective, the 43rd industrial zone could be seen as an area with more black companies than white companies.
“Honestly, I don’t want to stay here for too long. If I stay for even a little while, my lungs will rot away.”
“It’s nothing special.”
Ossian also knew that the air quality in Ward 43 wasn’t very good.
Because his senses were more sensitive than anyone else’s, he could smell the subtle stench and toxins in the air.
But it didn’t do any damage to his body.
Even if he had drunk a much more concentrated toxin than this, his body, imbued with enormous strength, would have broken down even that poison.
However, Lorraine, unaware of this fact, grumbled with her lips sticking out.
“Anyway. This is why mutants are no good. They can’t understand the feelings of normal people at all.”
“Mutant?”
Ossian reacted to Lorraine’s grumbling.
“You’ve been saying this all along, why do you call me a mutant?”
Ossian didn’t understand that.
‘Mutants are said to be mutations that arose after the discovery of ether water.’
Mutants were a non-existent entity in the game.
It has been quite some time since mankind discovered ether water and it has been used in various magical industries.
During this time, people with unique constitutions were born into the world.
These were people who had outstanding physical abilities and could do things like breathe fire without having any magical powers.
A new species of human being born from genetic mutations caused by scientific advancement and environmental pollution.
The world called them mutants.
Ossian was uncomfortable with the fact that people around him treated him as a mutant.
At Ossian’s question, Lorraine opened her eyes in bewilderment.
“If you don’t call a mutant a mutant, then what do you call it?”
“I am not a mutant.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“Everyone seems to be mistaken, but I am an ordinary human being.”
“A normal person can cut down guys with guns with just a knife? That’s a joke that even a passing dog wouldn’t laugh at.”
“This is no joke.”
“If you’re not joking, then what are those ridiculous physical abilities?”
Ossian couldn’t answer Lorraine’s question right away.
That’s because you maxed out your stats while playing the game and reaching max level.
I couldn’t bring myself to say that.
When Ossian didn’t answer, Lorraine snorted and said, “Look at that.”
Where in the world would a normal person cut a bullet with a sword? It would have to be a mutant.
‘Of course, it’s said that there were knights who reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship in the distant past, but when was that? It was a very long time ago.’
Lorraine dismissed Ossian’s words as lies.
I didn’t expect a normal answer in the first place. While everyone else was shooting guns, he was the only one swinging a knife. That wasn’t the kind of thinking a normal person would have.
“Have you checked all the request details? You have to read them carefully.”
“I read them all.”
Lorraine tried to subtly appeal to her experience.
“What is it? Explain it to me. Just see if there’s anything wrong.”
“What are you going to do if you’re wrong?”
“… … Huh? Well, as a senior, I thought I’d kindly correct you.”
Lorraine immediately cringes when this comes out a little too strongly.
As for Ossian, that behavior was like a child’s attempt to establish his childish pride, so he couldn’t help but laugh.
“The name of the escaped warlock is Carl Jackson.”
The documents Ossian had read also contained a black and white photograph of Carl Jackson.
The appearance of a skinny middle-aged man in his 40s with sunken cheeks and sunken eyes.
Ossian’s impression upon seeing that sight was as follows.
‘Your face looks exactly like a warlock’s.’
It’s true that there shouldn’t be any prejudice based on occupation, but strangely enough, just by looking at the appearance of the black magicians, it seemed obvious that they would use black magic.
“The main type of magic I dealt with was disease, and the secondary types were basic necromancy and curse magic.”
Disease and curse.
It was certainly a combination that troubleshooters would be reluctant to accept.
First of all, in this type of series, the fight itself does not end cleanly.
Because even after the fight, the remnants of curses and diseases continue to eat away at the flesh.
“Carl Jackson has now fled with the recipe, and is believed to have gone to Precinct 43. No, I’m pretty sure of it.”
“What? You know everything?”
Lorraine’s voice was half relief and half regret.
“Well, I don’t really have any advice for you at that point. Then let’s move quickly. You never know when the guy might run away.”
“Do you know the location?”
“It’s obvious. If the escaped warlock is hiding in District 43, then he must be somewhere. He must be staying in a place like an inn deep in the alley. It’s a place where people don’t come and go, so it’s a good place for guys who have done dirty work to hide.”
“I see.”
As the answers came out smoothly, Ossian seemed to understand why Ronan had told him to take Lorraine.
Because Ossian, who did not know much about the city, lacked knowledge of such details.
“But it’s not good to go into the alleyway openly.”
“It must be because of the servant horse. Since he learned necromancy, he must have used the corpses of dead rats to set up surveillance nets in every alleyway.”
“… … Why do you know so much? Isn’t this your first time catching a warlock?”
Instead of answering, Ossian shrugged.
“Oh, right. You have a past that you hide too, right? Got it.”
As she said this, Lorraine raised her right hand high in the air.
In her hand she held a gun with a hook on the end.
Fight!
The hook was shot out and caught on the roof railing of the factory.
Lorraine’s body was shot straight up to the roof.
Lorraine retrieved the grappling wire and looked down the railing with a mischievous smile.
“Hey, junior! If you want to move up, try asking this senior for help… …!”
The moment Lorraine was about to shout that, Ossian’s new form came right up to her face.
Whoa! The moment Lorraine screamed, Ossian jumped over her and landed on the roof.
Lorraine looked back and forth between the railing and Ossian, her face flushed with surprise.
“What, what?! How did you do that?”
“I just ran.”
“… … .”
Lorraine was speechless at Ossian’s answer.
Even she, a skilled problem solver, can jump up to a height that can only be reached with a grappling gun?
Moreover, when you look at Ossian’s actual appearance, he doesn’t seem to be out of breath or tired at all.
‘What are you talking about? You’re not a mutant?’
You should lie in moderation.
Lorraine suddenly remembered what Ronan had said to her.
‘I thought you said to accept it because you were obsessed with the article concept. Anyway, there is no normality in those problem solvers.’
Lorraine shook her head.
Even though he tried to show off his cool side as a senior, Ossian crushed her expectations by displaying his extraordinary abilities.
‘It really feels like I’m just here as a guide.’
Lorraine felt angry for no reason.
“From here on out, I know the way, so just follow me.”
Since it had come to this, I thought I would at least give them clear directions.
Lorraine took the lead and moved quickly, with Ossian following behind.
Lorraine, who was moving by jumping from one rooftop to another with chimneys, was eventually able to reach the shabby site.
There’s probably a runaway warlock hiding somewhere here.
As she was thinking about that, Lorraine couldn’t help but let out a gasp.
This was because Ossian, who was following behind, grabbed the back of her neck and dragged her.
“Kolok! Hey, Emma! What are you doing all of a sudden!”
“fizzle.”
Ossian raised his index finger and signaled to Lorraine.
Lorraine suppressed her anger at the serious look. Her instinct as a problem solver had sensed something.
“excuse me.”
Ossian silently pointed his finger into the air.
Only then did Lorraine spot something whitish flying in the sky.
‘bird?’
It was a bird made of bones.
The guy was wandering around, calmly examining the roof of the building.
“No, you’re crazy. You were watching over this place with a servant horse too?”
It was a critical situation where I might have been caught if I had reacted just a little bit slower.
At the same time, Lorraine looked back at Ossian with a look of disbelief.
‘How does this guy know that?’
Ossian acted naturally, as if he had known this would happen.
“Don’t move.”
“What? Right now?”
“Even if it’s a flying servant horse, there are blind spots in the field of vision. If you move well while wearing cover, you can approach without being detected.”
“No, so how do you… … .”
“If it’s really difficult, just follow me. I’ll show you the way.”
It was clearly a case of being treated like luggage.
‘Me, I’m the senior.’
Lorraine followed Ossian with a sad face.