Volume 5 - Chapter 20 – The Revenger (1/2)

05-20 The Revenger

He was a former nobleman.

He was born the third son of a marquis, and was raised up without much trouble. Because his elder brother inherited the estate, he was raised comparatively freely.

He had a limited talent for magic, but still studied diligently.

Until from one day onwards, he started to grow crooked.

While playing as a child with a toy as that had been given to him, it broke.

He thought he’d be scolded, but that didn’t happen. Instead, a new toy was given to him.

After a while, he lost interest in that toy and broke it on purpose.

And as he thought, instead of getting scolded he got another new toy.

His lessons were taught by a home tutor.

So that he’d not get upset, the tutor constantly praised him, and the boy believed him.

This state of affairs went on, and as no one ever challenged him in anything, he developed a baseless self-esteem.

His heart grew arrogant with the pampering and his ears wouldn’t hear anything but flattery. Knowing nothing of failure, he became overconfident in himself.

He found his pleasures in wasting money on extravagance, playing around with women, and harassing those weaker than him.

Eventually, he came to desire the marquis’s estate.

He started planning what he needed to do to get it.

He skillfully hid his crooked personality, and in other people’s eyes he was just a snob.

At the age of 20, he obtained the position of the feudal lord’s assistant.

Around the same time, a mysterious collaborator taught him a new power.

He already knew of the power of money, women, and authority. Now he also knew of the power of violence.

With enough compensation, it was simple.

Using his authority and assets, some treasure here, a jewel there, and a certain organization would sweep it all under the rug.

There was nothing that could pose a problem.

But one year ago, he tasted the flavor of his first failure.

The country had a monopoly on precious gems. So when anyone had questions or problems, they came to his office.

When a business contract caught his eye, he hid it in a boat with a strange shape. He then immediately went back to destroy the evidence.

And that’s when the failure happened.

The boat vanished.

When he next saw it, it was taking part in a famous local contest. That boat was floating in a place where it attracted the attention of the public.

He’d either get his hands on the boat or destroy it and the evidence with it.

But both attempts failed. The other party was more formidable than expected.

Failure tastes bitter.

The man swore revenge on the person who caused that bitterness. He didn’t think even a bit that the resentment was misplaced.

He soon found out about his nemesis’s movements. The other party was traveling together with a noble who was returning to his country.

The mysterious collaborator gave the man even more power to use.

With it, he aimed to take revenge on his nemesis.

The name of that man’s nemesis was Jin.

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The carriages continued on the sloped path after passing through the border fortifications.

“Once we pass through that valley over there, the road leads from this peninsula deeper into the continent.”

Elsa explained.

The road ran between tall cragged rocks, and the part where the road is its most narrow was coming up.

During the Great Magic War, spots like these were likely used to defend against the Devil race’s invasion.

That’s the last rough spot on the way, and the rest of the way the road is even and can be traveled with leisure, Elsa explained.

“What kind of city is Blue Land? I never went inside the walls, so please teach me.”,

Jin asked and Elsa replied,

“Blue Land is a Fort City. It’s the economic center of Egelia Kingdom.”

The lesson started.

Roads from Blue Land stretched to all directions, and the trade with the surrounding cities, towns, and villages was prosperous.

It was also the contact point of trade with Elias Kingdom, and the feudal lord Duke Blue was King Egelia’s cousin.