The Indomitable Martial King

[ Chapter 77 ]

The middle-aged man glanced around the group and immediately recognized Repenhardt, approaching him. Indeed, Repenhardt had a distinctive appearance that made him easy to spot.

Sillan, who had been watching from the side, asked, “Was this who you were waiting for?”

“Yes, I have some personal matters to investigate.”

Upon arriving in Strassand, Repenhardt checked into an inn and immediately contacted the Taoban Trading Company. He wanted to retrieve information about the current young Repenhardt, a request he had made previously. The Taoban Trading Company’s Strassand branch said they would contact the headquarters in Zeppelin, located in the Chatan Principality, and asked him to wait for about three days.

Between Strassand and Zeppelin lay the rugged Setellad Mountains. Sending a messenger on horseback for a round trip would take about a month. The three days mentioned by the Taoban Trading Company were not for sending someone to Zeppelin but for the round trip to a wizard’s tower near Strassand.

Like most trading companies, the Taoban Trading Company had long-term contracts with wizards’ towers across the continent to facilitate fast communication through magical orbs. To send information, one first had to go to the nearest wizard’s tower and from there, contact another tower near Zeppelin. Then, a messenger from that tower would deliver the message to the headquarters. The Chatan Trading Company and the Rolpein Trading Company, competing for the top two positions on the continent, often stationed wizards at each of their branches to save time, but the Taoban Trading Company was not yet that large.

Thanks to the three days of waiting time, Repenhardt suggested they take this opportunity to stay in Strassand and recover from their travels, to which everyone happily agreed. They had spent nearly ten days eating and sleeping on the road, so everyone was longing for a proper bed.

“Indeed, it’s been a long time spent in leisure. It’s about time to depart.”

Watching Sillan’s slightly disappointed expression, Repenhardt couldn’t help but chuckle. He then led the middle-aged man to a corner of the courtyard. The man pulled out a small bundle of scrolls from his possession and handed it over.

“Here are the documents you requested. Please sign here for confirmation.”

After signing the document handed to him, Repenhardt received the bundle of papers. They weren’t sealed with a seal. Since using a crystal ball to communicate would inevitably allow magicians and messengers to see the contents, truly important secrets were still conveyed through personal delivery. What Repenhardt had requested wasn’t particularly secret, so it seemed to have been sent in the form of an ordinary scroll.

“You’ve worked hard to come all this way.”

After handing over some coins to the messenger as a token of appreciation, Repenhardt unfolded the scroll. His expression grew increasingly stern as he read.

The scroll contained detailed information about the current, young Repenhardt. The first thing that caught his eye was an event from when he was sixteen.

‘A mysterious mental illness had caused him to lose his self and go berserk…’

At first glance, it was the period when he had time-traveled, the moment he entered this body. Moreover, what stood out the most was the name he had screamed.

‘He insisted he was not Repenhardt but Teslon?’

Repenhardt clicked his tongue. He had suspected as much, but having it confirmed left a bitter taste in his mouth. There’s no way the young Repenhardt of this era would know the name Teslon.

This made it certain.

Teslon, the Fist King, had resurrected in this era! Just like himself! Inhabiting his own body!

‘Che, I had wondered, but it turns out I was right…’

Repenhardt unconsciously touched his temple. Although he had sufficiently anticipated it, seeing it with his own eyes still came as a shock.

He quickly read through the remaining part.

It wasn’t uncommon for magicians to lose their sanity slightly. Losing one’s self or becoming mentally unstable due to dealing with transformation or mental magic was quite common among novice magicians. Thus, it seemed the incident involving the young Repenhardt, or rather Teslon, wasn’t considered a major issue.

A few days later, Teslon showed his intelligent demeanor again and returned to the path of a magician. Until he turned twenty, he didn’t exhibit any noteworthy behavior. At twenty, unusually young for a magician, he became a full-fledged magician and left the tower of Delphia. After that, there was no further news of him.

‘It seems they couldn’t find out what happened after that. Well, it’s not like they’re a professional intelligence agency; they probably just picked up rumors along the way, so it’s understandable that they couldn’t find out more.’

Knowing the most crucial fact was enough. As he folded the documents, Repenhardt pondered for a moment. There was one point that bothered him.

‘He became a full-fledged magician at twenty and left the tower?’

Originally, his becoming an official magician happened in his late twenties. It was not until he was twenty-six that he finally left the tower. Of course, mastering the 4th circle by the age of twenty wasn’t surprising. He had done so in his previous life. However, magicians don’t easily let go of their apprentices. There’s no reason to release an obedient servant who does everything as told early.

Therefore, in his previous life, Repenhardt was trapped in the tower until his mid-twenties before he could finally enter the world. Of course, his innate talent allowed him to grow tremendously fast after that, reaching the level of a great magician. However, it was impossible for him to become an official magician at twenty. It wasn’t due to a lack of skill but because the higher-ups didn’t allow it.

‘What trick did Teslon use, exactly?’

Repenhardt frowned. He hadn’t been overly concerned about the possibility of Teslon being resurrected in this era because he thought, at the very least, Teslon would be trapped in the tower of Delphia for another 5-6 years, unable to do anything. However, if this information was true, it implied that Teslon had entered the world even earlier than expected.

‘We’ll need more information…’

But the information obtained through the trading company had its limits. To acquire more detailed information, professional assistance was necessary. Fortunately, the continent had a specific profession dedicated to tracking people: bounty hunters.

‘I should get a recommendation for a competent bounty hunter through the Taoban Trading Company.’

Suddenly, Repenhardt clicked his tongue.

‘Ah, right, my financial situation…’

He was out of money. Hiring a bounty hunter privately would require a significant sum. Essentially, he would need to offer a bounty.

To hire someone competent, he would need at least two hundred gold coins, but Repenhardt was nearly penniless. Currently, all his travel expenses were being borrowed from Sillan. The investment in the Taoban Trading Company wouldn’t pay off until spring, which was still over three months away.

‘Sigh, looks like I’ll have to hit up the Grand Forge and raid a ruin or something.’

After roughly planning his next moves, Repenhardt put his thoughts aside. Heading to the Grand Forge was the priority for now.

‘Let’s stop worrying and focus on what I need to do.’

Repenhardt activated his aura. A golden aura covered the bundle of papers, which soon blackened and turned to ash. After burning the documents, he turned around, and Russ asked him,

“Are we leaving Strassand now?”

Glancing at the sky, Repenhardt nodded.

“Yes, we have many things to prepare. Let’s depart tomorrow morning.”

“Yes, hyung.”

Russ bowed deeply and then headed back to the lodging. Watching his back, Repenhardt’s expression hardened.

‘It’s about time I told the others about our real destination.’

* * *

In the annex rented out entirely for their stay, Repenhardt and his companions were gathered in the living room after dinner, preparing for their departure the next morning. Russ was busy maintaining his sword and armor, while Tilla and Siris were organizing the travel supplies they had purchased in the afternoon. Repenhardt hadn’t specifically asked them to do this, but such tidying up was best left to those who voluntarily took it upon themselves, as it tended to be somewhat lacking when left to the men.

Sillan was animatedly chatting beside Russ. True to his outgoing personality, Sillan had continually engaged Russ in conversation throughout their journey, and by now, they had become quite close.

“When I first met Mr. Repen, I thought he was just a country lad. Then he suddenly took off his top and started beating demons, wow! It was truly amazing!”

“Ah! That’s our hyung for you. To possess such strength and yet remain humble, concealing his power.”

“I don’t know if it was humility, but he certainly was hiding his strength. After beating that demon…”

Sillan was eagerly recounting to Russ his first encounter with Repenhardt. Russ, seemingly under a spell, would let out small sounds of admiration. After all, when had Russ ever engaged in gossip? Though he didn’t show it, he seemed to be quite enjoying the conversation.

Meanwhile, Repenhardt was looking at his companions with a serious expression on his face.

‘What should I do…’

Currently, Sillan, Russ, and Siris believed that Repenhardt was moving to explore a ruin in the northern part of the Setellad Mountains. Although Repenhardt had never made such a claim, his actions thus far had painted him as an excellent ruin explorer, leading them to naturally assume they were on a quest to uncover relics from the Silver Age.

Of course, the real reason Repenhardt was heading to the northernmost part of the Setellad mountain range was to find the Grand Forge. The Grand Forge was a sacred site of the dwarves, a marvel among marvels that absolutely must not be revealed to humans. Siris, being an elf, was no issue, but Russ and Sillan were humans, and it wasn’t a place to casually bring them. Tilla had been hinting at this continuously during their travels, whether they really intended to bring them all the way to the Grand Forge.

It was time to make a decision about the treatment of Sillan and Russ.

Repenhardt resolved.

‘These are my companions.’

Repenhardt spoke up in a serious voice to his group.

“I have something to say.”

Everyone looked at him curiously. Repenhardt took a moment to catch his breath. Then, he continued.

“What we are heading to isn’t actually a relic of the Silver Age.”

“Eh? It was?”

Sillan looked slightly surprised by Repenhardt’s words. Russ, speaking on his behalf, asked.

“Then, are we not heading to the Setellad mountain range, hyung?”

“No, the destination is correct.”

Sillan and Russ looked at each other with the same expression. If not for a relic of the Silver Age, then what else could possibly be in that remote of remote locations? Repenhardt nodded.

“I know what you’re thinking. And, before I say this, I must first talk about my dream, my life’s goal.”

Everyone looked at Repenhardt with curious eyes. Repenhardt glanced at each of their eyes in turn: Sillan, Siris, Russ, and even Tilla.

Repenhardt swallowed. Then, as calmly as he could, he continued.

“I do not consider elves, dwarves, or orcs as slaves.”

Sillan and Russ instinctively nodded. They had seen Repenhardt exhibit this behavior time and again throughout their travels together. It wasn’t an awkward conversation at all.

“And, I want others to think the same way I do.”

This time, it was a bit confusing. Both Sillan and Russ blinked. Wondering if he had been too roundabout, Repenhardt let out a wry smile. Then, he bluntly stated it.

“Creating a world where elves, dwarves, and orcs are not slaves, that is my dream and my life’s goal.”