Lars led Charley back through the dilapidated streets as he looked out for where they could make their base.Though it was late at night, people were still up and awake, moving about the streets as they set about clearing the corpses and piling them up in a huge bonfire to burn.
Despite their weariness and the fact that many of those corpses were those of their loved ones or neighbours, they had no choice. It was either to dispose of the bodies now, or to join them in eternal slumber from the disease and pests that would accompany the rotting carca.s.ses!
Trying hard to keep away from the filth and dirt, mysophobic Lars actually even kept a constant sheen of mana around his body as a s.h.i.+eld from the smells, dust, germs and bacteria. Charley though was not so lucky, but he had grown up in squalid surroundings and did not mind too much. Only, it really was too much death surrounding them.
That and the hollow, lifeless eyes of even the living, despairing of how they would survive through the coming days.
If not for the a.s.sistance announced by the city guard, military and the Gorun city government, they would have given up hope entirely already!
Even so, there were many who had fallen to depravity, minds turned insane by the sheer pressure and daunting task of rebuilding all that they had lost. Those turned to violence, crime, ****, destruction or blind madness - and had to be put down by the citizens themselves. Those in charge of keeping law and order were themselves struggling just to stay conscious from tiredness.
That is, those few survivors who remained alive from the once burgeoning ranks of combatants and defenders!
After travelling for just a couple of minutes out of the royal grounds and through the n.o.ble district, Lars did not bother to continue any further. If even the n.o.ble district was so damaged, what more the poorer areas of town...?
As compa.s.sionate a man as he was, Lars could not bear the heartache of seeing the tragic, poor and nearly crushed lives of those of the slums...
And yet he knew, just as he had, the orphaned, the poor, the downtrodden were those who would be the LAST to give up. They would fight on, striving to survive against the odds... Despite the fact that those odds were greatly stacked against them, as if the world itself were betting against their prospering.
Lars then nudged Charley to lead the way to some place that would have room. It was likely that with many buildings destroyed or with the staff and owners likely dead, the great throng of visitors in Gorun city would be packing every inn like sardines!
Charley gingerly led the way and they soon found themselves before an expensive looking boarding house. To their surprise, this very first place they tried had rooms available!
This was outside of their expectations, what with the many visitors and travellers for the bi-yearly tournament and auction forced to extend their stay. The city might be pretty much back in order with 99% of the devils and demons eradicated, but the same could not be said for the roads outside. It was h.e.l.l out there, and unless a party had a Grandmaster-level warrior or two and the perseverance to last it through miles of attacks, only then could they brave the roads home!
As for the teleportation portal, Lars learned to his dismay that it was shut down temporarily - until the enforcers of the Leez continent declared that teleportation travel was safe from the devils" intrusion!
And so, the thousands if not tens of thousands of visitors would have to seek lodging - that is, if they were still alive!
But soon it became clear just why this place, the most expensive of lodging places, had rooms left. That was because it cost too much...
"One night will be 2 platinum coins. No bargaining, take it or leave it." Normally they would expect the speaker to sneer and speak condescendingly as he disdained the poor-looking beggars before him. But the front-desk man in this inn had bloodshot eyes, a dazed expression and propped himself up with his elbows on the counter. He looked like he had been mourning, crying nonstop, but unable to avoid working at such a ghastly time.
Lars slowly nodded and decided to pay the platinum coins. He looked around and saw that many of the people sitting in the common area and lounge were rough and tough men and women. Almost all of them looked worse for the wear. Perhaps the rich guests had deemed it too risky to be separated from their bodyguards and decided to just pay for their protectors to stay with them - despite the exorbitant cost!
Their presence drew some watchful gazes as they finished checking in and made their way up the staircase, but after a while, their observers seemed to lose interest and returned to brooding over their overpriced drinks and quiet murmurs while they half-heartedly gambled.
* * * * *
"Do you have any personal belongings you need to retrieve...?" Lars asked Charley once they were in the rather comfortable and s.p.a.cious room.
"Erm... No... Everything important I have is always with me..." Charley replied kind of half heartedly. Though he *WAS* eager to do well with his new "boss", he was also perturbed not just by the devil invasion, threat to his life and unexpected new employer, but also by the sharp-toothed baby goat that was still hidden in his pants...
"Ah alright then, I do have some things lying about still but nothing important..." Lars nodded and then his mind drifted slightly due to tiredness. He doubted whether those unimportant items like dry rations and other supplies could have survived the razing of half the city.
In comparison, Charley was slightly more rested and asked, "Say, now that we finally have a chance to talk, could you like... Explain what role you have in mind for me...? Why recruit me in the first place?"
At that, Lars realised his slip up - he still hadn"t said anything after draggin the boy all the way over! Knowing the rascal and his wicked tongue, he might very well end up slandering the persona of "Mikael" as recruiting the youth for unmentionable deeds!
"Ah, that... Well... Let me show you something, then you"ll understand..." Then Lars froze, realising his slip of tongue. The dirty minded boy would surely--!
And just as he expected, Charley"s face turned pale and he backed off 3 steps immediately. His lower lip trembled and his eyes widen, aghast at the filthy things he was imagining! His hands rose up, one covering his chest and another his groin as his face turned into a look of self-pity as if though he were crying, "Woe is me!".
Sighing, Lars did not bother trying to explain himself. It was useless. Better to just demonstrate.
So he waved his hands and removed his disguise with the a.s.sistance of mana - the process being much faster than putting on the disguise in the first place.
Meanwhile, Charley had already closed his eyes and looked away like a damsel in distress who had been kidnapped and was expecting to be ravished by her l.u.s.t-crazy captor! When Lars saw that self-pitying face, his blood boiled and the veins on his forehead throbbed - he felt like slapping this kid left and right to teach him to not always be so dirty-minded!
"Charley! Look!"
"No no no!! Please, I beg you, I don"t swing that way, please, please... I-I-I... I"ll find you many other young boys if that"s what you like!! Just please let me go, boo hoo...!" Charley began crying in earnest, tears flowing down his cheeks as Lars fumed.
"Idiot! Open up your eyes and look! Charley, it"s me! It"s me! Lars!" And as he spoke, the weary but still heroically handsome Lars stormed over and picked the pathetic boy up by the collar and shook him a few times for good measure.
It was at that point that Charley finally dared to squeeze one eye open just the littlest bit, then jammed it shut immediately as if though he were afraid of what he might see.
Then he yelled in shock and opened his eyes again, doubting whether what he saw was truly real! And this time he was so astonished that he flailed about and nearly kicked Lars where it would really, REALLY hurt!
"Come on, stop panicking! Yes, I"m alive and survived! Yes, I"m also Mikael, and yes, I *AM* a near-Mythical Legendary magic swordsman! It"s really me, Charley!"
But Lars also sighed in relief as he thought, "It"s a good thing I coated my body with solid mana reinforcement first... This b.u.g.g.e.r kid is too irritating and troublesome!!!"
That was because Charley really did have exceptional accuracy - his last two thras.h.i.+ng kicks while he was flabbergastered managed to land directly on Lars" protected family jewels, both times with a solid *CLINK* *CLINK* sound! Ph-ew!
"Oh it"s you. Okay, you can put me down alre-Oof! Ouch!!! Hey! Come on!!! I wasn"t ready yet! That hurt, you know?!!"
The loud-mouthed boy cried out in pain when Lars dumped him unceremoniously on his b.u.m on the hard wooden flooring of the 2nd floor, then complained incessantly, muttering, "Kids these days, they don"t even know how to respect others... Sigh..."
Lars did not know whether to laugh or to cry. This youth was really too brazen for his own good! The moment he realised that it was his acquaintance from the Gorun Stadium, he no longer had even an ounce of respect or deference!
"Alright alright. Yes it"s really me. Skip all the useless chatter for now - get some rest and I"ll brief you more tomorrow. To put it simply, I won the preliminaries and the bet against Natalie Sarouneh on your behalf. As promised, you"re gonna work for me - and the first thing you"re going to do tomorrow morning is to lead me to collect our bet from her! For now, you can rest and inform your family about your following me."
Lars explained quickly while the grumbling and sour-faced Charley clambered to his feet. He was definitely exaggerating - which Adept-level trainee would be hurt by being dropped on his b.u.t.t?
"Any questions...?"
Charley shrugged when he heard Lars" instructions and at his question, thought about it for a while then raised his brows haughtily and asked.
"How much?"
"...?" Lars blinked. What was he talking about...?
"How much what...?"
At that, Charley frowned then sighed angrily, as if he were fed-up talking to a country b.u.mpkin and losing patience. This infuriated Lars, the corner of his lip began twitching as his hands grew itchy with the desire to pound this boy so badly his mother couldn"t recognise him!
Then Charley clarified and said, "How much are you going to pay me...?"
Lars was taken aback at those words, he realised he hadn"t considered paying his employees! Which made sense... It *WAS* true that he wasn"t buying slaves but salaries workers, right...? Though getting indentured slaves did sound more attractive...
"Hmm... Let me look into purchasing some slave seals for Charley and my next few slaves--I mean, workers... Ehhehhe!!!" He was smiling dumbly but then remembered that the boy was expecting an answer. So he answered.
"Don"t worry, I"m a generous paymaster. I"ll always pay you on time, every time! Don"t worry, don"t worry about that! Yeah..."
Charley furrowed his brows even deeper at those words and pressed further, saying, "Come on! You can"t expect me to agree to a job without knowing the pay and job scope right! At least the pay! Come on, come on, tell me!"
Lars sucked in a deep breath and then held out his hand for a handshake as he said, "10 silver coins..."
Charley perked up slightly and thought about it. 10 silver or 1,000 coppers a month was actually a pretty good monthly salary, given that there would surely be many perks to be had in serving a veritable powerhouse of the continent! a.s.suming accommodation and food would be mostly provided by his employer, and a.s.suming that normal monthly expenses were 45 bronze a month, he would be left with about 950 coppers monthly. In a year that would be... 11,400 coppers or 11.4 golds a year...? If that was his starting pay, he could probably negotiate for a better contract after a year of service...
Add to that the security and safety of having the reputation of a near-Mythical being to back him up, as well as the potential for extortion and collecting protection fees...
This was an opportunity too good to let slip by!
So Charley quickly clasped hands with Lars and said, "Done!" while smiling with satisfaction.
Lars was surprised though as the contract seal was formed by their handshake, then spoke with surprise in his voice, "Oh! That"s great. So 10 silver coins for the 10 years of service, I was surprised you"d accept the contract... I thought you"d negotiate for sure..."
*THUD*
A sound of a boy fainting could be heard.
"...Is fainting this boy"s hobby...???" Lars said wryly even as he pretended to sigh and flipped Charley onto one of the two beds, a scheming glint in his eye.
"Kiddo... Remind me never to get on your bad side..." A fearful Kizorik shrunk back into a corner, dreading the day he ever made Lars mad...
* * * * *
"Let"s see... Since I finally have some time... I think I should check out the illusion array"s demonic inheritance..."
After completing the preliminaries and exiting the illusionary world, Lars had not had a moment to spare to check out the treasure he had received. After that, he had been hopping from place to place until he finally left the palace and was now here.
Only now could he catch his breath and consolidate his powers - whether his minotaur bloodline, his now burgeoning second mana core, his Demon-Hunter Arts as well as...
The legacy of the demonic inheritance!
"Yeah... It should be some pretty good stuff, kiddo! Here, this is what we received."
An incandescent globe of light emerged as Kizorik spoke, transferring out from Lars" mental world into the real world.
The globe hovered about in the air before Lars as he looked on in awe, admiring the beautifully carved and ornate egg-like object.
"Go on, boy, open it. It should be a time capsule, an incredibly priceless demonic sh.e.l.l made to lock only the most precious items inside! It freezes time for whatever the contents are, and this incomparably expensive container is used only when there is a world-shaking treasure that needs to be frozen in time!"
Kizorik urged Lars onward as the boy lifted up his hand to touch the golden and glowing egg.
The moment he touched it, it split in half cleanly down the middle from the top to the bottom, revealing a blinding flash of light!
"Ouch!!! d.a.m.n!! It"s a good thing I already sealed off the room and placed multiple wards of concealment!"
Lars peered through the cracks of his fingers as he tried to make out just what it was that was revealed through the radiant light.
And then a look of wonder slowly dawned across Lars" face as he laid eyes on what was unveiled.
And as Lars beheld the incredible sight before him, both his and the old-timer demon penguin"s eyes widened in shock and amazement as they saw an unbelievably marvellous sight!
"This is..."
"Lars! Lars!!! We"ve hit the jackpot...!!! That is..."