Cale looked solemn. It was because his mind was complicated more than ever before.
‘… If the Henituse household really becomes a Marquis……!
No, if it becomes a Duke"s household!’
They were rich, had the strongest influence in the naval forces, and would have the t.i.tle of Duke or Marquis? Just thinking about that made Cale feel as if his slacker life was turning into an illusion and waving goodbye to him.
‘Nah, no way.’
The Roan Kingdom"s n.o.bles would have to be crazy to let one household have money, power, and honor. Furthermore, how smart was crown prince Alberu Crossman? No matter how much that person trusts Cale, would he push power for his family as well?
“Young master-nim, are you okay?”
Cale turned to see Witira looking at him with an odd expression on her face. She debated it for a moment before starting to speak.
“… Young master-nim, why are you rejecting all those things?”
She found someone like Cale Henituse who rejected a respected position, t.i.tle, and honor to be weird.
“Why else?”
Cale grumbled with a frown on his face.
“Things like that are annoying. I already have plenty of things to do.”
He had a lot of things to do after getting rid of that White Star b.a.s.t.a.r.d. He already needed to farm even as a slacker because of the promise he made with team leader Lee Soo Hyuk.
Farming was not an easy task. Kim Rok Soo was someone who had lived in cities his whole life. He was more accustomed to a job like being a server in the Eastern continent’s ‘Hope and Adventure Loving Inn’ than farming.
‘I need to read up on farming too.’
He couldn’t do a bad job at it if he was going to create a field and start farming. He needed to at least have basic knowledge about farming.
‘The children will be watching me.’
The children averaging nine-years-old would be by Cale’s side watching him farm. If Cale half-a.s.sed the farming with them watching? If he threw the seeds and didn’t care about the field at all?
Cale may not care about helping with the children’s education, but even he wouldn’t do something like that.
He needed to play, eat, rest, sleep, and now farm once he became a slacker. He was already concerned that he wouldn"t have time to rest because of the farm, so who cares about a respected position? t.i.tle? He didn’t need any of those things.
Witira seemed to be sighing as she started to speak toward Cale who seemed to be thinking deeply about something.
“…Young master-nim, taking care of the White Star really is difficult, but you should still take the things you"re supposed to take.”
‘Hmm?’
Cale felt something from Witira’s actions. She seemed to have misunderstood him and was looking at him with a gaze that seemed to be thinking that he was a person who wanted to sacrifice himself. Cale started to speak in order to change that gaze.
“I"m not talking about the White Star. I"m not talking about the present, I"m talking about the future.”
“The future?”
“Yes. I need to farm in the future.”
‘Mm, yes indeed, it will be a small field to start and I"m going to plant crops that are easy to grow.’
“… Farm?”
“Yes. What else is there for me to do after getting rid of the White Star? I"m just going to return to the Forest of Darkness and live a quiet life.”
Just thinking about it was making Cale happy. The villa in Harris Village, the Super Rock Villa in the Forest of Darkness, Sheritt and Raon"s castle. Isn’t living quietly in such dazzling places the slacker life of his dreams?
“…Living quietly in the Forest of Darkness?”
“Yes. What do you think? Doesn’t it sound great?”
Cale started to smile while thinking about this happy future. He then looked out toward the edge of the northern ocean.
‘I"ll treat the profits from the Eastern continent’s inn as my pension and live a comfortable life. It sounds so wonderful!’
Cale looked relaxed. However, Witira started to frown while looking at him. She couldn"t figure out what to say.
The Forest of Darkness. What kind of place was that forest?
It was the place on the Western continent with the oddest and strongest monsters, making it so that he would need to stay alert even with a Dragon by his side.
Wasn’t that the reason the Henituse territory created a large stone wall to divide the Forest of Darkness from the rest of the territory?
Furthermore, the Henituse household had been known as the guardians who protected the Roan Kingdom from the Forest of Darkness for generations. The world after defeating the White Star. That world would be peaceful as Cale mentioned, besides from war between kingdoms or different Beast people tribes.
‘But in such a world, young master Cale…
He wants to throw away all t.i.tles and positions and stay in the dangerous Forest of Darkness to protect the world and let it be at peace?’
No. That was not all either.
‘He wants to farm in that dangerous Forest of Darkness? Is he saying that he wants to turn that place into an abundant land that would benefit the world? He also wants to do it quietly without other people knowing, not wanting any wealth or honor in return?’
Witira felt frustrated. She then heard someone quietly mumble next to her.
“…It was real.”
The quiet but pa.s.sionate voice made her look toward the speaker. Witira could see Clopeh looking at Cale with an odd expression.
Clopeh clenched his fists.
‘Finally!’
Clopeh had finally understood a bit about Cale Henituse.
Clopeh had not been able to tell until now whether Cale was stupid or smart.
Sometimes Cale acted like an emotional idiot while other times he coldly treated Clopeh like a puppet.
However, Clopeh now realized why he had not been able to tell whether Cale was stupid or smart.
‘He’s different than me.
Cale Henituse, this man, has no greed.’
Cale always claimed to be a greedy person, however, the objects of his greed were not wealth, honor, or power.
It was a much greater greed. He was greedy for something Clopeh did not dare to imagine.
‘…His greed is to create a peaceful world!’
Clopeh was able to realize Cale Henituse’s lofty greed after hearing about how he wanted to throw everything aside and farm in the Forest of Darkness.
‘That person is choosing to live in seclusion because he doesn’t want himself to become a faction that threatens the world either!’
A world without the White Star. What would be the strongest faction in such a world? Who would be the leader of that faction?
Who would be the person who has the greatest influence on both the Eastern and Western continents?
It would be Cale Henituse. Would the wise Cale Henituse not know that?
‘I"m sure he knows about it too well.’
That was why Cale Henituse, for the sake of world peace, was going to live in seclusion to prevent any further chaos in the world.
‘However, if another White Star, or a faction similar to the Indomitable Alliance that I started appears again-!’
Cale Henituse would return to the outside world again. He would return to fulfill this unattainable desire for world peace. This greed was so grand that Clopeh could only say that Cale Henituse had no greed. It was not something that could be properly described by the word greed.
‘…He will truly become a legend.’
An odd sense of pa.s.sion enveloped Clopeh’s whole body. Only a single thought filled Clopeh"s mind as his questions disappeared and everything seemed to fall into place.
‘Cale Henituse is an extremely scary person.’
Clopeh Sekka dreamt of becoming a legend as well. However, that dream was for himself. But if someone was willing to erase themselves as they walked…
‘He’s the real deal.’
His gaze then moved from Cale to the others. He could see Choi Han. Choi Han was chuckling and looking at Cale with a, ‘nothing I can do about you,’ type of expression.
‘…Cale Henituse has extremely strong allies who would go into seclusion with him and travel to the ends of the world beside him if need be.
That’s scary. That’s very scary.’
Clopeh felt both fear and pleasure at the same time.
‘I"m also on Cale Henituse’s side.’
The corners of his lips curled up as high as possible. He then looked toward another strong individual who had been moved by Cale.
“Young master-nim, your dream, I truly hope that it comes true.”
Witira suppressed her frustration and tried her best to smile as she commented. Cale tried to smile back at her but failed to do so.
“I will pray that the fertile and wide field you create in the Forest of Darkness would be full of crops every year.”
Cale started to frown.
‘What the h.e.l.l is this Whale saying?! Wide field?! Who said anything about a wide field?!’
Cale opened his mouth to report. It was at that moment.
Pfft.
He heard someone chuckle.
“It is just small-scale farming. It is not a wide field.”
Choi Han had a pure smile on his face as he answered Witira and turned toward Cale to ask a question.
“Isn’t that right, Cale-nim?”
Cale could see Choi Han asking while looking at him with a pitying gaze. It was the same pitiful gaze Kim Rok Soo’s peers had given him whenever he spoke nonsense.
It made him feel iffy, but Cale nodded his head and confirmed.
“Exactly. Small-scale farming indeed.”Human! Are we farming? What are we going to grow? I will water the field with magic! Human, Choi Han said we need chili peppers and beans to make gochujang and doenjang! Let’s grow those first!
Cale’s expression turned stoic as he continued to listen to the excited Raon. However, Witira and Clopeh who could not hear Raon started to think different things after seeing Cale’s expression change while Choi Han was working hard to prevent himself from laughing.
Choi Han had seen through Choi Jung Soo"s memories. It had happened when the 25 years old Choi Jung Soo had met with the guild leader of Korea’s largest guild responsible for Seoul"s Section A with his colleague and same-aged friend Kim Rok Soo.
The guild leader had made an offer to Kim Rok Soo at that time.
‘Kim Rok Soo, why don’t you enter our guild? I think very highly of your abilities. We will give you the best treatment.”
‘But I don"t want to.’
‘…Can I ask why?’
‘I plan on working in this company until I can be a slacker.’
‘What? You"re going to keep working in that company that pays you a rat’s tail of a salary and gives you no fame whatsoever?’
‘They"ll at least take care of me in retirement.’
‘… Ho, you"re going to silently work there until you retire?’
‘Probably not silently, but pretty much, yes?’
‘Ho!’
That guild leader had shaken his head while sighing and mumbling to himself.
‘…What an amazing mindset.’
Kim Rok Soo had looked at that guild leader as if he was the odd one. Choi Han remembered Choi Jung Soo"s feelings as he looked at Kim Rok Soo at that time.
‘Kim Rok Soo, this b.a.s.t.a.r.d, is like this again. And that guild leader should have understood when he said that he wanted to become a slacker, so why is he mentioning the rest of this nonsense? The team leader and Kim Rok Soo, they"re both so similar, sigh.’
That had been Choi Jung Soo’s feelings. Choi Han understood Choi Jung Soo’s feelings as he looked at Cale, Witira, and Clopeh right now.
Pat, pat.
His hand patted Cale"s shoulder.
“What do you want?”
Cale looked at him with a grumbling expression and Choi Han responded with a pure smile on his face.
“I will help you farm.”
‘…This b.a.s.t.a.r.d, no, why is this person, Choi Han, acting like this?’
Cale was baffled as he started to speak.
“Let’s go see Mary for now.”
Cale, Raon, and Choi Han soon left a frowning Witira and a pa.s.sionate Clopeh behind as they headed toward the Land of Death, one of the Western continent’s forbidden regions.
Three days later, Cale stepped onto the teleportation magic circle as Rosalyn watched him leave.Human! I will be right behind you! See you in 1 minute!
“Congratulations, young master-nim! Choi Han and Mary will come soon too!”
"…Okay."
Cale weakly responded and the bright light from the teleportation magic circle soon covered his sight. He heard Rosalyn"s bright voice as that happened.
“I don"t know if it will be a Duke or a Marquis, but I hope it is a Duke!”
‘d.a.m.n it!’
Cale closed his eyes and let the teleportation take him to the Henituse residence at the Roan Kingdom"s capital. He had received a call from Count Deruth while working at the Land of Death"s Underground City to come up with a plan to deal with the White Star.
Count Deruth was smiling brightly as he mentioned the issue the crown prince mentioned last time.
‘Cale, let’s see each other again for the first time in a long while at the capital. Can you make it?’
Cale said that he would definitely be there.
‘…Who knows what would happen to me without my being there?’
He needed to make sure nothing happened. The whole ceremony had to pa.s.s without Cale Henituse receiving anything. Cale made up his mind to personally make sure that happened.
Paaaat!
He firmed his resolve once more as he was blinded by the bright light. He would definitely do something that would allow him to be one step closer to the life of a slacker.
“Hyung-nim.”
He opened his eyes in a familiar location after the light from the teleportation disappeared.Human! I"m here!
He listened to Raon"s voice in his head as he looked around at the Henituse family"s capital residence"s underground training ground that had not changed much in the past two years.
“Welcome, hyung-nim.”
Even Basen who came to greet him had not changed.
“Thanks, Basen. Long time no see.”
Basen was the only one who came to greet Cale. There was n.o.body else present. This was odd since he had heard that Lily, his father, and his mother were all already at the capital.
‘Are they all busy?’
In the short moment that Cale had thought about that…
“Hyung-nim.”
Cale and Basen made eye contact.
“I"ve been waiting for you for a very long time.”
The boy who looked weak but stubborn was looking at Cale with a pa.s.sionate gaze.
‘What’s up with him?’
Cale thought that Basen was acting weird. However, he soon calmed himself. He thought it was better that n.o.body other than Basen was here in this underground training ground.
“Basen.”
Basen looked directly at Cale after hearing his name. He had heard about everything Cale had done, as well as the rumors spreading about him right now.
Basen suddenly recalled the young Cale Henituse who had looked at him with a pitiful expression about a month after he had come to live in this residence.
‘You are part of the Henituse household. Remember that. No matter where you go, your last name is Henituse, you got that? Don’t you remember what father said? Listen to me unless you are an idiot. Tell people that the Henituse blood flows through you, no matter what.’
‘How can I…’
‘Shut up and do as I say. Otherwise, you won"t be able to live in this house. Do you think the cousins and the others would leave you alone? Are you going to act like an idiot?’
His hyung-nim had never raised his fist toward him even when he was living his life as trash, just treating him as an outsider. Basen knew that that was the best Cale could do to help him.
‘You need to protect your mother. At least you……’
Basen still had no idea why the young Cale had such a sad expression on his face at that time. The young Cale and Cale’s mother. n.o.body was willing to say anything about Cale’s mother.
Basen started to speak while looking at his hyung-nim.
“Yes, hyung-nim.”
Cale slowly started to speak while looking back. The main reason that he had come to the capital. This was the first step to making that happen.
The underground training ground was quiet. A voice slowly started to speak to break the silence. Actually, it was not just one voice.
“Hyung-nim, I wish for you to become the territory lord.”
“What do you think about becoming the territory lord?”
They both spoke at the same time. Basen and Cale.
“Me as the territory lord?”
“You want me to be the territory Lord? Why?”
Both of their pupils were shaking as they looked at each other.Hmm? Neither of you want to be the territory lord? Then let’s ask little Lily if she wants to do it! She"ll destroy all enemies with her greatsword! She seems like she’ll become stronger than Basen and you, weak human! She’s reliable!
Raon excitedly shouted into Cale"s mind.
Clunk.
They heard the door to the training ground open and Cale made eye contact with Lily who showed up at the right time. He heard Raon"s voice at that moment as well.Oh! Human! It’s the future strong girl, Lily! She became stronger again!
Maybe it was because Raon was blabbing on so loudly… Cale subconsciously asked Lily a question while he was still slightly shocked.
“Do you want to be the territory lord?”
Lily’s jaws dropped in shock. She seemed shocked as she started to talk to herself without greeting either Cale nor Basen.
"What is going on?”
Lily’s thoughts were clearly visible, and this was the thought going through everyone in the room other than Raon.