Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert - Chapter 302



Only Noblemtl

Episode 302

Zeon looked at the man turned to ash with cold eyes.

“Helbrin Mercenary Corps, scavengers disguised as mercenaries. They wander the desert hunting humans. The leader is Hassim. There are eighty members. All are C to D rank Awakened, and Hassim is B rank.”

That’s the information I found out from the dead man.

Unfortunately, those that Zeon caught up with were not the core of the Helbrin mercenary force.

They were carrying various items needed for the desert on the backs of their Bactrian camels. As a result, they were very heavy and left deep footprints. That is why Zeon thought they were carrying people they had captured as slaves.

This was also a tactic by Hotsim to confuse the pursuers.

Even though they were enemies, his improvisation was so great that it was admirable.

Thanks to that, Zeon ended up chasing the wrong people instead of Hotsim.

Meanwhile, the rest had all scattered and were heading towards Neo Seoul. Finding them all in a short period of time was impossible, even for Zeon.

That was when.

“that’s right!”

Brielle’s voice came from behind me, but her voice was shaking.

When I looked back, I saw Brielle with a pale face.

“Are you sure?”

“Those are the ones who kidnapped me.”

“Are you sure?”

“How could I forget?”

Brielle looked at the charred arm of the corpse. There was a bracelet made of iron on the arm.

The crude bracelet was charred black from the intense heat.

Brielle picked up the bracelet.

“This… is mine.”

“Yours?”

“It was taken from me when I was kidnapped. So these are definitely the ones who kidnapped me. I never thought I’d see this again here.”

Brielle’s eyes were hazy as she looked at the bracelet.

It was a bracelet that was passed down through generations, from mother to daughter, then the daughter grew up to become the mother again, and then the mother passed it on to the daughter again.

“I thought I would never find it… … .”

She lost her identity as a high elf when she was captured by human hunters and had her bracelets stolen.

The guilt of not being able to protect the bracelet she inherited from her mother caused her to fall into a pit of despair and give up on herself.

Zeon said.

“This gives us another reason to catch them.”

“I just found out. That the ones who kidnapped me were the Helbrin mercenaries. That they were scavengers… … .”

As soon as he was captured by the Helbrin mercenaries, he was put in a mana restraint and blindfold. Above all, he was unable to make proper judgments due to the fear and despair of being captured by humans. As a result, he was unable to obtain information about the hunters who captured him.

“ha!”

I never told Zeon, but I’ve always wondered.

Who are the ones who kidnapped you?

It took years for my curiosity to finally be satisfied.

Brielle stroked her bracelet absentmindedly.

The bracelet that fell into the hands of an unknown scavenger was contaminated with the blood of countless people.

The bracelet, which should have been pure, was tainted with human malice.

The result is what it looks like now.

It was soaked with blood, corroded, and ruined.

Now this bracelet will never return to its original form again.

It was he who provided the cause.

If I hadn’t gone out of town for no reason, this wouldn’t have happened.

Gulp!

Tears flowed from her eyes.

The tears wouldn’t stop.

-Beep!

Gaia comforted Brielle as if she knew her feelings.

“I’m okay! Really.”

-Beep!

“Yeah! Don’t worry.”

Brielle patted Gaia on the back and looked at the bracelet again.

She carefully put the bracelet on her arm, but nothing happened with the bracelet.

“I guess I’ve lost my qualifications.”

“qualifications?”

“There is something like that.”

Brielle answered with a bitter expression.

Zeon didn’t ask any more questions, thinking there must be some reason.

Brielle put the bracelet into the subspace inside her cone-shaped hat.

“ha!”

Her face was filled with mixed emotions as she sighed.

＊＊＊

In the end, the rest of the Helbrin mercenary force was not captured.

They had already scattered all over the desert. It was impossible for even Zeon to track them down and catch them one by one.

At this point, Zeon decided to stop the chase and return to Neo Seoul.

Anyway, the destination of the Helbrin mercenary force is Neo Seoul, so they will meet.

‘If you keep an eye on the Spider Queen, something will come out.’

I don’t know exactly, but it was clear that Eli was up to something.

If you keep an eye on it, you will definitely catch some movement.

“Let’s go back.”

“huh!”

Brielle also understood Zeon’s thoughts and followed him without question.

Unlike in the sky, there was no demon on the ground that could impede Zeon’s movements.

The small demons were simply gnawed into the sand, but the huge demons were detected in advance and avoided, so there was no problem.

Thanks to this, the two were able to arrive at the slum the next day.

“It’s home.”

As soon as Brielle got home, she threw herself on the sofa.

Gaia also came out of the subspace and rolled around with Brielle.

Upon returning home, Brielle’s depressed mood eased a little.

For her, who could never return to the high elf village, this place was her most precious treasure.

Zeon said to Brielle and Gaia.

“I’m going to meet Mr. Clexi, so get some rest.”

“huh!”

-Beep!

Zeon left the house right away and headed to the street where Mr. Clexi was doing business.

“Come in. It’s been a few days since I’ve seen you.”

“I just went out for a bit.”

“Brielle too?”

“yes!”

“So that’s why I didn’t see either of you. I thought something had happened.”

“Something happened.”

“What’s going on?”

To the curious Clexi inspiration, Zeon told what had happened in the desert.

After hearing the whole story, Clexi’s expression became serious.

“So you’re saying that the Helbrin mercenaries are scavengers, and that they made some kind of deal with the Spider Queen, the second-in-command of the Northern Sector? And that’s why they’re hunting down a hundred slaves?”

“yes!”

“And they escaped your pursuit and entered Neo Seoul?”

“yes!”

“These subhuman bastards have crawled in again.”

Clexi’s inspiration clicked his tongue.

There was no way that scavengers who lived by plundering in the desert could enter Neo Seoul.

Neo Seoul’s entry system is so strict that anyone without proof of identity cannot enter.

Eli might be able to get one or two people in with his strength, but it was impossible to get all of the dozens of people in without leaving a trace.

In the end, the only option for the Helbrin mercenary force was the slums.

“If you come here, you’ll naturally know that your base is Sinchon, so you’ll go somewhere else.”

“I guess so.”

The slums are not limited to Sinchon and Dongdaemun. They spread widely, centering around Neo-Seoul, to Jongno in the north, Cheonho-dong in the east, and Guro in the south.

Although it was not as popular as Sinchon or Dongdaemun, there were still people living there.

If you hide in a place like that, it’s really hard to find you.

“Can you find it?”

“The Eye of Argos is also located there, so you will be able to find any suspicious movements or strange people.”

“thank god.”

“Even if we were to find them, it wouldn’t be easy to catch them or punish them. Those who rule that place wouldn’t tolerate it.”

Jongno, Cheonho-dong, and Guro were all significantly weaker than Sinchon or Dongdaemun. However, that did not mean they had no pride.

Rather, such people find more self-esteem.

Because they think that if their pride is trampled on, they will lose everything.

Zeon said calmly.

“I’ll take care of that myself. For now, just focus on finding out where the guys are.”

“I get it.”

Clexi Inspiration nodded.

It wasn’t the Jeon I heard you say.

Clexi knew very well that no one could stop Zeon, who had such a determined expression on his face.

“I should pray for the souls of those who have been firmly planted on you. By the way, this is something involving the Spider Queen. I can’t even imagine how big this will become. I hope it passes quietly.”

“I wish I could, but it wouldn’t be possible.”

“Whew! I guess so.”

Clexi Inspiration sighed.

If I had been a Claxy inspiration just a few years ago, I would have welcomed the chaos as a golden opportunity to make money. But perhaps because my energy has been depleted, my thinking has changed a lot in the past few years.

Now peace was preferable to chaos, and calm was much better than commotion.

‘Maybe it’s because my time of death is near.’

He knew.

That his remaining lifespan was not very long.

I could tell just by looking at her body that it wasn’t what it used to be.

I may barely be able to hold out for a few more years, but in the end, death will not be prevented.

I wasn’t afraid of death.

After all, humans have to die someday.

If I had one wish, it would be to enjoy a little peace before I die.

‘Well, it’s an impossible wish, but… … .’

These are hellish times.

Everything collapsed, and Neo Seoul was built on the ruins.

In the process, countless people have died, and are still dying to maintain Neo Seoul.

The struggle for humanity’s survival is still ongoing.

Just being able to enjoy this level of peace is something to be thankful for.

Clexi Inspiration sighed and said.

“I’ll make you a bowl of udon noodles, so eat them before you go.”

“Then thank you.”

Clexi Inspiration turned around and started making food.

While waiting for the food to arrive, Zeon sat on a chair and watched the people passing by.

Since the sun was still high in the sky, there weren’t many people on the street.

Occasionally, people passing by on the street walked quickly to find a shady place to escape the hot sun.

They were all dressed in shabby attire and had weary expressions, but they still held on to their will to live. Some even had hopeful expressions.

This was what made it different from other colonies or survivor villages.

For the people there, there was no hope for the future. For those who had to worry about their survival every day from the attacks of the demons, hope was a luxury.

Even people living in the slums can have hope because this is Neo Seoul.

Zeon had a responsibility to protect their lives.

Little did he know that this was the price he paid for the immense power he possessed.

At that moment, the voice of Clexi’s inspiration broke Zeon’s thoughts.

“What are you thinking? Eat some udon noodles.”

“Are you out already?”

“The broth has been prepared in advance, so all you have to do is boil the noodles, so it’s a breeze.”

“thank you for this food.”

Zeon lifted the bowl and brought it to his lips.

The idea is to taste the broth first before eating the noodles.

“Wow! This is awesome.”

“Hehehe! This is a broth made with my secret recipe. By the way, the ingredients that went into it are… … .”

“Okay. Just stop there. I want to enjoy it just the way it is.”

“Tch! How tricky… … .”

Even though he said that, Mr. Clexi was smiling.

Xeon wouldn’t know.

That he and Brielle are to be fed separate meals.

Of course, we don’t put in any meat from the devil.

It won’t have any effect on Zeon, but it’s unclear how young Brielle’s body might react.

But I didn’t say that.

‘They say you become more emotional as you get older. Is it really time for me to die? Tsk!’