“Who are you?”
“I’ve come to meet Dern, the head of the guild.”
“There’s no such person here.”
“Tell them that Sir Quartz has arrived.”
“Qu-Quartz…!”
At my words, the staff stared at me with a shocked expression, as if trying to confirm that I was the knight from the rumors. I deliberately glared at him.
“Quickly.”
“Do you have proof?”
The guards from the hospital looked at me. Are they planning to stop a pretender? I quietly lifted Rue, which was hanging at my waist. As Rue’s tentacles wriggled, the staff finally relaxed and spoke.
“I apologize. We occasionally have imposters here…”
“Enough with the apologies. Where is Dern the head of the guild?”
“Please follow me.”
I quietly followed him as we climbed the stairs. The corridor at the end of the two-story climb was silent.
Is anyone even here?
Just as that thought crossed my mind, a loud shout suddenly echoed.
“ADAAAAM!”
“Oh no… The seizures have started again. I must hurry.”
The staff’s pace quickened as we neared the end of the corridor. With each step, the screams grew louder, naturally quickening our movements.
“This is it.”
The staff inserted a key into the metal door at the end of the corridor and turned it. With a screech, the door began to open.
“UAAAAAAH!”
“Could you wait a moment?”
The staff entered and swiftly grabbed Dern’s chin, who was convulsing on the bed, and tossed some medicine into his mouth. Gradually, Dern’s body, which was thrashing around in a frenzy, began to calm down.
“Is that a sleeping pill?”
“Yes. It’s a tough one… but for a patient addicted to hard drugs, anything less won’t work.”
“Is the name of that drug ‘Angel’s Call’?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The staff’s eyes widened, as if to ask how I knew such a name. I shrugged and approached the haggard-looking Dern.
“Did the head of the guild come here on his own?”
“His escort brought him here. The escort…”
The staff trailed off, but I immediately understood what that meant.
He’s dead.
“Has he not been detected by the executives of the Dern guild?”
“They probably have an inkling by now.”
“…I’ll take him with me.”
“You mean the head of the guild?”
“Yes. Staying here won’t help with his treatment anyway.”
“While that’s true…”
If the drug could be solved that easily, Dern wouldn’t have ended up in this state. I sighed and gazed at the soundly sleeping Dern.
He was quite lucky. After all, his life was saved thanks to the devotion of his escort. Plus, forming a friendship with me will be the greatest luck of his life.
Only I could cleanly resolve this drug issue.
Though, the actual healing will be done by Karina…
“How long will the effects of the sleeping pill last?”
“About three or four hours.”
“That’s quite tight.”
I approached the bed and began to untie the cloth that bound Dern’s limbs. As the effects of the sleeping pill took hold, Dern looked at me drowsily, and by the time I finished untying him, he had completely closed his eyes and drifted off.
Before I picked him up, I realized something and pulled out 10 gold coins from my pouch.
“Please refrain from mentioning this if possible. You can say something if it feels like you’re going to die.”
“Though we operate in the shadows, we uphold our principles.”
For someone in the shadows, they sure took the gold right away. Well, since they offered, I had no reason to refuse. I received the staff’s help to lift Dern and secured him with that cloth.
It would be somewhat uncomfortable to move, but he couldn’t move on his own, so it was an unavoidable choice.
“Be careful. The fact that Dern is alive has likely been reported by now.”
“How do you know that?”
“The executives of the Dern guild probably widened their search range by now. They will continue their pursuit until Dern’s death is confirmed.”
How annoying.
Still, they shouldn’t dare come after me.
Seeing my expression, the staff quickly added, “They wouldn’t dare approach you, Sir Quartz.”
“So they plan to attempt an assassination from a distance.”
“They know what kind of person you are, so they wouldn’t place themselves within reach.”
“…You want to save Dern, don’t you?”
“I owe a debt to the head of the guild. Even if I’m stuck in the shadows, I am not an ungrateful beast.”
“He has saved at least one person well.”
“Please take care of him.”
I nodded to the staff and quietly left the hospital.
Upon exiting the hospital, I felt a piercing gaze different from the one I felt upon entering.
Just as the staff said.
I quickly maneuvered through the crowd towards the exit of the black market.
The stares continued to follow me.
One, two, three, four…
“Rue. Hold on tight so you don’t fall off.”
[Huh? Wouldn’t it be better to deal with them?]
“Just look at the state of the head of the guild on my back.”
If I accidentally bumped into something, it would be the end.
I quietly turned into a narrow alley. It seemed like a suicidal act, laying my body out for an assassin, but it was advantageous for both the assassin and me to be in a less crowded area.
The stares grew more intense.
An ambush was likely to start soon. I quietly touched the ground and used my skill.
“Crafting.”
A tunnel spacious enough for about two people to pass through. The path needed to be developed further, but that was nothing difficult for me.
Ignoring the sounds of confusion from the assassins behind me, I began to dig with my shovel to block the entrance of the tunnel. It had been a while since I last did this. The air was a bit thin, but I could create breathing holes occasionally.
I advanced while creating holes just large enough for a single hand to pass through.
Since I had checked the direction towards Yeomyeong-gwan before coming here, I would eventually connect to the tunnel created near the academy. As long as I reached there, I could move comfortably.
[Randal is always such an odd character.]
What does that even mean?
I shot a glance at Rue and resumed my work.
Time is of the essence, and the assassins must be devising a method to chase me down.
—————-
“…Johann? Why are you covered in dirt… and who is the person on your back?”
“This is Dern, the head of the guild. I need your help. Either he dies like this, or he completely loses himself. One of those two outcomes.”
“Let’s go to the guest room first.”
Karina, unusually serious, led me to the guest room. After opening the door, I gently placed the dirt-covered Dern on the bed and wiped my face with the towel Karina handed me.
“I’ll treat him, so please step back for a moment.”
“Understood.”
I stepped back as Karina instructed and watched the treatment process.
Karina knelt before Dern and assumed a posture of reverence, beginning to recite a prayer.
“O great and merciful Kalon…”
[I’ve seen it a few times, but she’s really incredible…]
Well, she is a saint, after all.
As I watched Karina begin to radiate light, I waited for Dern’s recovery. After a few minutes, the light surrounding her gradually enveloped Dern.
The light was soothing, bringing a sense of comfort and warmth just by looking at it.
As time passed, the radiant light began to fade away from his body. Once the light completely disappeared and I approached Dern to check his state, his face, once twisted in pain, had softened.
“That was some harsh medication… but since I’ve completely eliminated its effects, he should be able to recover quickly if he takes care of himself.”
“Thank you.”
“Saving lives is my job.”
Indeed, the saint is different. I admired her beautiful mind and tucked the towel into my pocket. Maybe I should wash up too.
“I’m going to wash up for a moment. Can you wait here?”
“Of course. Ah, on your way back, please tell a servant to bring medical supplies to this room.”
“Understood.”
I quickly left the room and moved to the hallway. Just as Karina said, I called Ashley, explained the situation to her, and made sure she went to the room.
After finishing my shower quickly, I returned to find Karina sitting in front of Dern, examining his body.
“His body has been severely damaged due to the drugs. He will need about three days of rest before he can wake up.”
“That’s a long time.”
“He was on the brink of death, so this is actually a better outcome.”
Three days, huh.
I wanted to lead Dern back to the guild and create a scene as soon as possible, but I’m worried they might make their move first.
In the end, there was only one conclusion.
“…It looks like Renny will have to endure a bit more hardship.”
Once this is over, I’ll shower her with whiskey as a reward.
I chuckled at the thought of Renny, who was probably still working in the office.
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