Part 7: Candid (4)

By afternoon, the tavern was packed.

Regulars who had come to appreciate Lyra’s cooking swarmed in like waves, each one eager to place their orders.

With Aiden absent, the place was in chaos.

Orders piled up, serving got mixed up, and payments were delayed.

It was easy to overlook the presence of someone, but their absence was always felt. Carl could now keenly sense the gap Aiden had left behind.

Fortunately, he had called in a favor from an acquaintance.

With their help, Carl barely managed to get through the afternoon shift.

“This isn’t right. Not at all.”

Carl shook his head as he checked the cash register.

He was short by 100 silver.

But he couldn’t blame the acquaintance who had come to help.

“Where did Aiden go?”

Lyra, having finished cleaning the kitchen, approached the counter.

“He stepped out for a bit. Had something to take care of.”

“What kind of business?”

“I don’t know the details.”

“Things feel really disorganized without Aiden. It’s obvious when we’re busy.”

“Yeah…”

A sigh slipped from Carl’s lips.

Aiden had promised to return.

But would he really? That was the question.

Aiden was still in the process of adjusting to a normal life.

If he got tangled up with the Thieves Guild again…

If he kept running into the Rogue Master…

His heart might start leaning in that direction.

Humans, after all, were creatures of habit.

“You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?”

Lyra narrowed her eyes.

“I’m not.”

“I’ve had my suspicions for a while now. Aiden never seemed like an ordinary guy.”

She pressed further.

“He looks like a noble, but he took down a gang of mercenaries in an instant. Who exactly is Aiden?”

“I can’t say. If you want to know, ask him yourself when he returns.”

Carl emphasized the words when he returns.

“Are you saying there’s a chance he won’t?”

“Maybe.”

“That’s ridiculous. Aiden isn’t the kind of person to just leave without a word.”

“You don’t know Aiden.”

Carl’s voice lacked strength.

Aiden was a retired assassin.

It wouldn’t be surprising if he disappeared like the wind at any moment.

“You’re the one who doesn’t know Aiden, not me.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. I’ve talked to him a lot while working in the kitchen. Do you know what Aiden really thinks about you?”

Carl just blinked.

Whenever they talked, the topic was always Aiden. He had never thought about how Aiden saw him.

‘What kind of person am I in Aiden’s eyes?’

For the first time, the thought crossed Carl’s mind.

“What did he say about me?”

“Well…” Lyra trailed off teasingly.

“You’re really gonna leave me hanging like this?”

“Hehe. You’ll have to find out for yourself. You’re supposed to be Aiden’s mentor—shouldn’t you at least know what your own student thinks of you?”

“Hah! You think I can’t?”

“Either way, I know Aiden will come back. That’s the one thing I’m sure of.”

With that, Lyra returned to the kitchen.

*  *  *

— “You really love making things harder for yourself. You could just stay out of this, you know?”

Mugin, soaring through the sky, sent a soul telepathy message.

Aiden was making his way out of the tavern and heading toward the plaza.

— “Is it really normal to be so worried about the Rogue Master that you start tailing him?”

— “It’s better to track him. No matter what.”

— “Why?”

— “If nothing happens, great. But if something does happen, I’ll be there to deal with it.”

Aiden had already made up his mind.

And once he did, there was no point in second-guessing.

— “Have you ever heard of a world with three moons?”

— “You’re not sleep-talking, are you? Three moons? That’s absurd.”

— “I saw it. With my own eyes.”

Through the Eye of Insight, Aiden had glimpsed a future where the master stood in a desert beneath three moons.

If the sight hadn’t been so bizarre, he wouldn’t have bothered tracking him down.

— “Hmm… A world with three moons, huh…”

Mugin took a long pause before continuing,

— “There is a realm even the gods haven’t figured out yet. No one knows if it actually exists or not.”

— “What’s it called?”

— “The Chaos Realm.”

Mugin’s response was short and powerful.

According to him, the Chaos Realm was like the mother of all realms—human, divine, demonic, and beyond.

But no one knew anything for certain.

— “That’s your best guess?”

— “If three moons actually appeared, then the Chaos Realm is the most likely explanation.”

— “Or… the master could have fallen under an illusion spell.”

For the first time, Aiden considered a third possibility.

If someone had used magic to create a fabricated space, then seeing three moons wouldn’t be impossible.

Regardless, whether it was the Chaos Realm or an illusion, one thing was clear: the master was likely in danger.

Who is targeting him?

What is their goal?

How have they created such a strange dimension?

Countless questions raced through Aiden’s mind.

— “So how do you plan to find the master? You don’t even know where he is.”

— “I have my ways.”

Aiden reached into his robe and pulled out a compass.

It was Kato’s Compass, an item he had purchased from an Abaris merchant while issuing a warning. He never expected he’d end up using it like this.

Vrrrrrm…

As Aiden infused mana into the compass, it spun wildly in a full circle before settling—pointing northwest.

With the compass in hand, Aiden launched himself forward.

Swoosh!

His speed was terrifying.

A violent gust swept through the area as he passed. At this moment, Aiden was the wind itself.

The scenery blurred, shifting in an instant every time he blinked.

Before he knew it, he had left Centum behind, racing onto an unpaved road.

With no obstacles in sight, his speed only increased.

He began executing footwork that prioritized pure speed.

“Mach Sprint.”

Before long…

Aiden’s figure vanished entirely. He became a sound, running within the domain of sound itself.

His entire body vibrated.

A constant ringing filled his ears, but it didn’t stop him.

In just one hour, Aiden covered the distance the master had traveled over an entire day.

*  *  *

A clearing in Curtis Mountain.

The master stood face to face with an old man.

The elder appeared to be in his sixties, draped in a tattered robe. His wrinkled skin was marked by a large, dark age spot beneath his left eye.

“Who are you?” the old man’s wary gaze locked onto the master as he spoke.

“I’m the Rogue Master.”

“What a ridiculous joke. If you’re the Rogue Master, then I’m an 8th-class Archmage.”

“The world has become so harsh. These days, people won’t believe you even when you tell the truth.”

“How did you find my location?”

“You’re making me repeat myself. I already told you. I’m the Rogue Master. Tracking your location is nothing to me.”

“Hmm…”

The old man absentmindedly fiddled with the staff in his right hand.

It wasn’t a proper staff or wand, and its shape was strange.

At the top, a carved face of a clown grinned eerily.

It looked more like a child’s toy than a magical artifact.

“I came here knowing you’re behind what happened in Vinar. Don’t bother feigning ignorance.”

The master’s voice was cold.

Ten days ago, something bizarre occurred in the northwestern forests of the Grand Duchy.

The goblins suddenly went berserk.

A monster invasion.

It wasn’t unheard of, but this one was different.

The goblins had cast 2nd-class magic.

That was unprecedented.

Goblins were cunning but lacked the intelligence to understand and use magic.

This was a clear sign of a disruption.

As a mediator, the master couldn’t turn a blind eye.

During the investigation, the master received intel—an old man wielding a bizarre staff had been seen at the scene.

After a long pursuit…

That old man was standing right in front of him.

“I don’t know if you’re the Rogue Master, but you are part of the Thieves Guild, aren’t you?”

“You should just tell me the truth. Were you experimenting on the goblins? Are you a dark mage?”

“Hmm. I’m not quite sure myself.”

“Why are you acting like this? This isn’t something you can brush off. Do you really want this to end in bloodshed?”

“You’re not my match. Even if you truly are the Rogue Master.”

“Your arrogance is through the roof. If you refuse to listen, then there’s no choice.”

Shing.

The master unsheathed his Ego Dagger.

The old man didn’t look particularly strong.

Judging by the faint mana fluctuations, he was likely a 4th-class mage at best.

But the twisted smirk on his lips was unsettling.

What was he so confident about?

The old man made the first move.

He reached out his hand.

Ten ice arrows materialized in the air, all aimed at the master.

Sssshhh!

The tips of the ice arrows were sharp as blades.

In response, the master danced, elegantly swinging his dagger.

His movements weren’t just skilled—they were mesmerizing.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Crack!

The solid ice arrows shattered into fragments, scattering in all directions.

Breaking them was easier than eating soggy oatmeal.

Rumble.

Just then, the ground trembled slightly.

The master leaped back.

A triangular ice pillar erupted from the spot where he had just been standing.

If he had been a second slower, he’d be skewered.

“So, you’re an ice mage. Judging by your casting speed, you must have quite a bit of real combat experience?”

“I’ve seen enough blood in my time. You’d be wise not to underestimate me.”

“You’re not summoning the magic goblins?”

“……”

The old man remained silent.

The battle had already lasted nearly five minutes.

The old man relentlessly attacked with various ice spells, but the master remained untouchable.

Not a single spell even grazed his clothes.

It was like fighting a ghost.

The difference in skill was obvious.

As the fight reached a lull, the old man was drenched in sweat.

His breaths were ragged and labored.

Meanwhile, the master was completely unfazed.

‘Time to wrap this up.’

There were two reasons he had dragged out the fight.

One, to instill absolute despair in his opponent.

Two, to see if the old man had any hidden cards.

Yet, even now, the old man had nothing left to play.

It was time to finish this.

And then extract the truth about what had happened in Vinar.

Swish!

The master lunged forward.

The old man scowled and cast his final spell.

Whooosh.

A freezing chill spread from the old man’s hands, instantly turning the ground into sheer ice.

“What a pathetic trick.”

The master infused his feet with mana, creating resistance against the ice.

His acceleration snowballed like an avalanche.

The distance between them vanished in an instant.

But the old man was smiling.

He hadn’t even prepared a defensive spell.

“You’re still smiling?”

“This battle is mine.”

“You must be completely senile. You don’t even have a shred of mana left.”

“One doesn’t have to be strong to win. Farewell—I won’t be seeing you off.”

The old man swung his clown staff from side to side.

At that moment, something unbelievable happened.

A massive, pitch-black mouth appeared in midair.

Even the master had never seen anything like it before.

He frantically tried to change course, but it was already too late.

Gulp!

The enormous mouth swallowed him whole.

*  *  *

The master widened his eyes as he looked around.

An endless stretch of red sand dunes.

A dark sky where three moons hung.

A crescent moon.

A half-moon.

A full moon.

He pinched his cheek and let out a hollow laugh.

“This isn’t a dream?”
 

To be continued

Join the GS Discord to stay updated on the latest chapter releases:

https://discord.gg/PRZEAJZE3J