Offer a Tribute and Become an Archmage - Chapter 203



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Offering Tribute to the Archmage Chapter 203

Boladizen [3]

Episode 203.

We’ve reached a good deal with Boladizen.

I felt very excited.

But that feeling suddenly went downhill.

‘It’s just a suspicion. Let’s not be hasty.’

There is still no concrete evidence.

He might have been a real bandit. It’s not uncommon for wandering knights who lose their masters to turn into bandits in this world.

It wouldn’t be strange if anything happened.

“Liam, are you okay?”

“It’s okay. It was a bit bruised and torn here and there, but it recovered quickly.”

“… okay?”

“yes.”

Ronobé examined Liam’s wounds.

There were scars between the well-trained muscles. Liam’s armament was basically quilted armor with leather and iron plates. It was a very messy armor with everything that could be added on. Because of that, it was not easy to maintain and there was some inconvenience in movement, but for the poor soldiers, this was acceptable.

‘Liam, I need to make your armor better.’

There were many places where the iron plates were added to the royal road, so there were many places where it didn’t tear when hit by a sword, but rather burst or bruised. This was partly because of the added iron plates, but it was also a big reason why Liam had become stronger.

“The iron plate is all broken. Is this a difficult task for a normal bandit?”

“That’s right. It’s cheap sheet metal, but it’s still sheet metal.”

Liam’s armor was made of rectangular iron plates woven with strong thread or leather. However, the iron plates in the areas where they were hit were completely shattered, causing the leather to tear and the linen to burst in many places.

‘The power of each and every shot is extraordinary.’

This is not just the power of a bandit.

It’s the power of a knight.

“If he was capable of hurting you, he would have to be at least a Blue Knight. How many were there?”

“I was thirty.”

“Who among them has outstanding skills?”

“There were five.”

That means there were five knights.

All are above average.

Ronobe’s gaze turned to Benny’s ankle.

“There must have been a red one too.”

Benny is about to get hurt.

If there were no articles of that level, the story would not be told.

“Explain the situation.”

“It was a surprise.”

Liam answered, frowning at the memory of that day.

“After the master left, we set off straight for Boladizen. We got lost a little on the way, but there were no major problems. We were in the middle of making preparations and decided to camp overnight.”

“I see.”

A surprise attack during camping.

A skilled chatter aimed at timing the person to sleep.

It was quite difficult to see this as the work of common bandits.

“The three who were on guard duty managed to wake everyone up by screaming. However, they were all asleep and couldn’t even maintain their formation before they collapsed.”

No matter how great a knight or how powerful a wizard is, he is vulnerable when he is asleep.

No one is strong while sleeping.

“I… tried hard.”

The private soldiers are the property of Ronobe.

Liam felt guilty for not being able to protect the property.

“are you okay.”

Private Fourteen.

Four of them are guys we brought from Hopper, and the rest are Kael’s guys anyway.

I was planning on taking it with me and completely ruining it… but it ended up being a bit of a waste.

“It’s okay since you guys are alive.”

Liam and Private Hopper’s five men survived.

He’s pretty hurt, but he has a potion, so healing shouldn’t be too difficult.

“But I heard Peter was quite active.”

“Yes. If it weren’t for Peter, we would have been in a lot of trouble. And Lirun too.”

It is said that Benny protected Peter and Lirun as soon as he woke up and defeated the enemy.

Thanks to that, I hurt my leg a little, but thanks to protecting them, I was able to turn the tide of the battle.

“The ground thud! Then it rose up and with a loud thud! Then it exploded!”

“What are you talking about…”

“No, I’m telling you, it’s true?”

It was said that the enemies’ morale was weakened by Peter and Lirun’s magic and they retreated.

After that, another battle ensued, but unlike the first time, no one was seriously injured. This was because Benny, who was on high alert, shot them all dead with arrows.

“But the ground exploded?”

“Yes, the ground cover formed like a flower bud while trapping the enemies and then burst. Thanks to that, the carriage was destroyed… but we survived, so that’s okay. Isn’t that right?”

“I won’t scold you for that, so don’t worry. I’ll just fix the carriage. People come before things.”

“I wasn’t worried.”

“Oh my. Who do you think is such an evil lord?”

The general situation was like this. They killed and captured a few enemies, but since they were disguised as bandits, their weapons were not that great and there was nothing that could be used to identify them.

The only thing that’s unusual is that the guy who caught it committed suicide.

‘The ground is cracking… Are you already able to control the waves of sound? Already? It hasn’t even been a few days since you gave it to me?’

If you listen to the circumstances, yes.

I knew Peter had some talent, but he was already using it? It was definitely something to be praised, but it felt strange.

‘I couldn’t do it even though I had it for so long?’

It was a dirty jealousy.

But jealousy quickly set in.

Anyway, I got the ball rolling.

If the disciple had talent, it would be good for him, not bad.

“Still, I guess I got some black.”

“I did get five swords and three axes, but they’re not that good.”

It was a battle that was nothing but blood.

“Sell them all to Boladizen. Sell them to the vassal Zenjar under my name. Also, get new weapons this time.”

There were nine casualties.

Death six.

There were seven surviving soldiers, excluding Benny and Liam.

‘Seven…’

If Tommy and Bernard of Gradas had been there, things wouldn’t have gotten this bad.

‘You can’t always be with private soldiers.’

Because of his unique transformation magic, Ronobe may be traveling alone more often in the future.

If that happens, our allies will get hurt.

If Benny gets hurt… his movements will inevitably be restricted.

The conclusion is that it is because of a lack of strength.

‘I need to recruit knights and soldiers.’

The article might be made if you’re lucky like Liam.

The most urgent thing is recruiting private soldiers.

“We need to recruit more soldiers.”

“Isn’t it hard to recruit privates here? I heard they’re going to war…”

“… I see. Then what should we do?”

“Since we have to go to the North anyway… how about making a contract with mercenaries? If we think about it carefully, we might be able to bring in a few useful guys. If the opportunity arises.”

“Mercenaries? How can you trust those guys? You’ll be lucky if they don’t break your head.”

No matter what, I can’t trust mercenaries. In the first place, wasn’t it all because of mercenaries that Hopper Village fell into ruin? Mercenaries can turn into bandits at any time.

Rather than trusting those guys, I’d rather just go alone.

“That’s why it’s a good idea. If you create a light battle and fight, you’ll see a few of them. Mercenaries are guys who know how to fight, so they can be used more immediately than Hopper’s private soldiers.”

“That’s… true.”

But that’s that and this is this.

The mercenaries’ deep-rooted distrust is engraved by experience.

Ronobeda lost his mother and younger sibling because of them. Although he didn’t have much affection for them, he wasn’t completely indifferent to them.

Ronobe hates mercenaries.

“Then there’s nothing we can do. Don’t go anywhere. Without you, these guys will just die on the road.”

“Oh my.”

At the joking remark, Ronobe laughed bitterly and took the potion out of his bosom.

“Give me one child each.”

“What about money?”

“Surviving is proof that you are strong.”

Whether it was strength or intuition.

If you have gained experience, you deserve praise.

Ronobe gave each of them a silver coin.

“There must be a lot to do in Boladizen. Treat yourself and have some fun.”

“Isn’t that too little?”

“Is that so?”

To be honest, even one silver coin is a pretty big bonus. But since it’s all in one place, Boladigen, the prices are high, so there’s not much you can do with one silver coin.

“I’ll tell the lord. Bring me a brothel with some red wine or something.”

“Isn’t it expensive?”

“It’ll be really expensive, but that’s okay. We’re going to war anyway.”

“Huh? War? Weren’t you going north?!”

“Your ears are ringing, kid. It just happened that way. Please calm them down and give them some sturdy weapons.”

It’s surprising that there’s suddenly a war.

Although he had a face that looked dissatisfied, his dissatisfaction disappeared when he saw the money that Ronobe threw.

“This much?”

“I don’t know about the others, but you, you need to be a little more solid this time.”

The bag that Ronobe threw contained ten gold coins.

It’s a shame, but Liam is worth the investment.

It’s cheaper here than the royal capital, and since you’re on friendly terms with the lord, he won’t be rude to you if you talk to him. In fact, he’ll probably give you a better deal.

“Even if it’s not full-body armor, it’s a similar fit. Stop buying those rattling armors.”

“My, my lord…!!”

Liam was so moved that his eyes welled up with tears.

“But you know that this is no match for full body armor, right?”

“… I won’t be able to receive it even if I order it now anyway. Just use whatever is good enough.”

“yes…”

The full body armor is custom made.

Even if I order it now, I won’t be able to wear it on time. Ten gold coins aren’t even enough.

Even if it’s not full body armor, it would still be a pretty decent piece of equipment if it were fitted with plate armor of a similar level.

“If there is war anyway, there will be a lot of spoils of war.”

You can wear it after improving it a bit.

‘We need to arm the kids properly for this war.’

War makes money.

A chance to get rich quick.

“I can’t miss this opportunity.”

“But who are you fighting with?”

“What did you say? Netelina? What about the baronial domain and the fiefdom?”

“Are you talking about Yeongjijeon as if you were going for a walk around the neighborhood…”

“Is that so?”

There wasn’t much difference.

“Originally, I was planning to secretly cut off the general’s neck there…”

If the commander with the authority to command loses his life, the war will end easily.

For Ronobe, it was an easy task.

But I changed my mind.

“We should try to gain some advantage.”

If you’re going to fight a war, it’s best to take their lives and take the spoils.

“Liam, stay here and guard Benny.”

“Okay. Where are you going?”

“To Peter.”

After leaving the treatment center, Ronobé headed straight to the dorm where Peter was staying.

“Huh? It’s Baron.”

“You should call me Baron.”

-Master!

Peter and Lirun were in the room Liam had told them about. Peter was reading a book, and Lirun was sitting on the bed, fiddling with seeds.

“I heard you were active while I was away. I should thank you.”

Ronobe patted Peter and Lirun on the head. These children helped Hopper’s private soldiers and knights to prevent the enemy’s surprise attack. Liam and Benny also agreed that it would have been difficult to prevent their surprise attack without the power of magic.

“You have done something, so it is the teacher’s job to reward you. Is there anything you would like?”

“I want seeds! I want all kinds of seeds!”

“I will save you.”

Ronobe gave each of them a gold coin.

“I’ll tell Lord Boladizen separately to get the seeds. This is a different reward.”

“Wow! It’s gold!”

“When you spend gold, take Liam with you. There will be many people who will have bad intentions if they see the kids carrying gold.”

“huh!”

Ronobé looked at Peter.

“Have you mastered the waves of sound?”

-I was lucky.

I was just lucky.

‘This is what it means to be a genius. Maybe this is the price you pay for losing your voice…’

Ronnobe stroked Peter’s head once more with a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Peter. Is there anything you would like as a reward?”

Peter wrote carefully, wondering if there was something he wanted.

-I want to have some of the Master’s magic powder too.

“Magic powder? Are you talking about the… powder you gave to Liam?”

-yes!

It was something called familiar powder. I couldn’t tell others that it was that kind of powder, so I only said it was magic powder, but I never thought I’d want it.

“What are you going to do with it?”

If you want a familiar, you can just get a separate beast for it.

I thought that crows or owls would be good since they are smart. Or maybe a hawk or an eagle would be good too.

But Peter shook his head.

-Brother Liam is getting stronger through that powder. I want to get stronger too.

“…”

Ronobe was speechless.

I was keeping it a secret, but Peter seemed to have noticed.

Well, I guess I wasn’t very careful in front of the kids.

‘What should I do with this?’

Peter is a precious disciple.

He is talented and has a kind heart.

I also cherish Ronobe quite a bit.

When Peter asks for magic dust, he doesn’t just ask for it.

He also wants to eat and become stronger.

But it’s not without its problems.

‘I don’t know what side effects there might be.’

No one knows what effect it would have if a human with nothing and a wizard ate it. Liam gradually grew bigger, stronger, and more powerful.

But there’s no way of knowing what would happen if a wizard got his hands on it.

Maybe Peter will die.

That was originally for monsters.

It’s not magic for people.

‘but…’

What if it worked on wizards too?

What if Peter, who was already talented, became stronger because of this powder? His magic might become stronger, or his physical abilities might be enhanced, making him something like a magician.

‘If it was that good, I would have eaten it a long time ago.’

I thought about it for a moment, but as expected.

“That would be difficult.”

You can’t experiment with disciples.

“It’s not because you’re lacking. That powder isn’t as safe as you think. It doesn’t necessarily make people stronger.”

All power comes with a price.

Even though Liam has gotten stronger, there may still be some side effects that haven’t manifested yet. It’s a dangerous path that could end in tragedy.

Liam is blazing a trail.

Because Liam had no other way to go.

But not Peter.

“Because I care about you. No teacher would lead his disciple to a dangerous place.”

When I explained it seriously, Peter reluctantly nodded.

He’s a smart kid, so he’d understand.

“Instead, I’ll give you something better than magic powder.”

Ronobe took the bottle out of his bosom.

It was a bottle containing a black liquid with a slightly purple tint.

-What is this?

“It’s an elixir. It’s not like the elixirs of legend, but something similar to a potion made by the kingdom. However, it is still a very precious substance.”

Magic dust is dangerous, but elixir is not.

This elixir has been tested many times in the kingdom, so it will be of great help to Peter.

-I can’t accept something so precious! Something that is only given to white wizards…

“Honestly, it is precious. But know this. I am giving it to you because you are precious. It is only natural to give precious things to a precious disciple. You cannot give something worthless to a disciple, right?”

Anyway, there is one more elixir.

What was given to Peter was given by the kingdom.

Ronobe received one more elixir from Eschwald.

‘The elixir I received from Ashwald is better, and he said that the elixir should be taken once a year to be effective.’

It would be good to sell it, but it would be better to give it to the disciple who did the deed.

“Why are you crying?”

Peter shed tears like chicken poop and held the elixir tightly in his arms.

That sight reminded me of my younger siblings for no reason.

“Lirun, please take care of Peter.”

“Where are you going?”

“We must prepare for war.”

There’s a lot to do.

We also need to prepare for the Battle of Boladizen.

‘Because I have to give back what I’ve received.’

I will only feel better if I exact revenge on the one who led this attack.

“Revenge is splendid and thrilling.”

It was the right thing to do.

“Oh, Baron Hopper, are you here!!”

Outside the inn, you meet Boladizen’s captain of the guard and the lord’s son.

There was George Boladizen.

“What’s going on?”

“The lord is looking for you. Probably because Nelatino’s army is advancing…”

Whoosh-! The sound of horns and drums was echoing softly.

It seemed like war came before revenge.