amaotonovel Chapter 199 : Mission
Chapter 199 : Mission
Chapter 199: Mission
A great deal had happened in the East.
They had entered the Dwarf Kingdom by following Taironi, who had disguised himself as a Copper-Ranked Adventurer.
They had slain a Dragon and blocked the Summons that poured out from the deepest part.
He had witnessed what a Domain was, and Robin had interpreted it in his own way.
Even that alone had been a succession of complicated and turbulent events, yet an encounter even harder to imagine had been waiting beyond it.
After facing Sella, Robin had many thoughts.
Clop. Clop.
With the sound of the horse’s hooves pulling the carriage as a backdrop, he looked out at the scenery beyond the window.
It was so peaceful that it was hard to believe there was a power struggle taking place beneath the surface.
“Are we not at Narvik yet? I’m tired of just sitting in this carriage.”
“It’s not that your body’s itching because you want to fight, is it?”
“Aelin, I am a warrior who knows how to distinguish time and place.”
“Then could you stop shaking your leg?”
Just as Aelin had said, Sigbard was shaking his leg rapidly.
He claimed it was a training method that fatigued the muscles by lifting the heels, but Aelin could not understand it.
It was not difficult to guess why he was suddenly doing such an outlandish form of training that he had never done before.
Before parting ways with Taironi, he had unlocked the report as compensation for helping the Dwarves.
“To wield the Perrinium Armor as if it were my own body, I need to build more lower-body muscles!”
“Haah, of all things, why did you have to choose that….”
Aelin touched her earring and looked at her reflection in the window.
It felt awkward to have her original face fully revealed.
All the more so because her ears, the symbol of an Elf, had changed to resemble those of a human.
“Do you like the Artifact?”
“Yeah. This is much better than the helmet I used before.”
Aelin had chosen an Artifact that allowed her to alter her appearance.
Taironi had long known that Aelin was an Elf, and in that sense, it had been a fitting gift.
“I wanted to hear more stories about Lady Elicia.”
“Let’s visit again after the war ends.”
With the Dragon slain and Robin’s struggle, the Dwarves had managed to catch their breath.
They had left the Kingdom after hearing the final news that an operation to rescue the isolated forces had begun.
—There is nothing I can say to you but thank you.
Taironi had changed. Not just a single Dwarf, but the entire Dwarf race had changed.
Among the Dwarves who had witnessed his Domain, public opinion in his favor had formed.
The exile order had been revoked, and he had returned as a member of the Kingdom.
It was a war unknown to the citizens of the Empire, but as long as he stood there, the Dwarves would not retreat easily.
Rattle.
Serena, who had been driving the carriage, opened the window and spoke.
“We’re almost there.”
“Good work. Let’s head straight to the inn.”
It had already been three weeks since what had happened in the East.
It had left such a strong impression that it felt as vivid as if it had happened yesterday, but now it was time to return to daily life.
“Let’s take it easy for a while.”
“How long are we resting?”
“Who knows.”
“What’s with that vague answer?”
“We don’t have to worry about money for the time being. Let’s focus more on training while we can.”
“Hm, if that’s the case.”
Sigbard felt uneasy watching Robin’s attitude.
It was as if something about him had changed.
More precisely, he had seemed deeply troubled ever since meeting the person Taironi had wanted to introduce to him.
“Halt! Halt! Please follow the checkpoint procedures!”
“Ah, my mistake.”
Sigbard’s intuition was buried beneath the small commotion that had broken out outside.
As if nothing had happened, Robin appeared the same as always.
“Serena, is something wrong?”
“There’s a big problem.”
“What is it?”
“There are more people taller than me now.”
“…?”
“When I was with the Dwarves, I was the tall one.”
Robin let out a small sigh, got down from the carriage, and completed the inspection procedures in Serena’s stead.
Seeing that, Sigbard grinned.
That’s more like it, he thought.
On the day that marked two weeks since returning to Narvik,
Robin advised his companions to rest and did not set foot in the Uncharted Area.
Sigbard, Aelin, and Serena each spent their time reorganizing and preparing themselves.
Meanwhile, Robin strolled through every corner of Narvik.
In other words, it was not productive.
When he even stopped the daily sword training he had never once skipped, his companions wondered what was going on.
Was it not said that a person suddenly changing was a bad sign?
When they asked him out of concern what was wrong, Robin answered that he needed time to look back on himself.
Well, in terms of Swordsmanship, there were few who could rival him, so they assumed he must have his own thoughts.
Two weeks of idling was not enough to shake the trust Robin had built up all this time.
And so, while walking alone along a path he had already visited several times,
Thud.
An ordinary-looking middle-aged man bumped into his shoulder as he passed.
“I’m sorry.”
The man bowed his head slightly in apology and hurried off on his way.
Robin watched his retreating figure, then noticed an envelope had slipped into his pocket and opened it in a deserted alley.
“So this is how it operates.”
It was a good thing he had brought his sword.
The writing in the letter was not long.
[Move to the Safe Area Rest Stop. Proceed immediately.]
It seemed he would have to visit the Uncharted Area.
After asking a passing Adventurer to deliver word to the Oak Tree Inn, he crossed the gate.
When he had first come to Narvik, he had entered the Uncharted Area tense and wary.
Now he felt confident enough that he could reach the Safe Area barehanded if needed.
After thirty minutes of sprinting at full speed, the Rest Stop he had not seen in a while came into view.
Creak.
As he pushed the door open and entered, he saw Adventurers gathered in small groups, chatting away.
It was not a tense situation like Monsters storming in.
“Your name’s been on everyone’s lips wherever I go. Have you been well?”
“It’s been a while, Mr. Raymond.”
Raymond, the Rest Stop Manager and a Gold-Ranked Adventurer, tapped the bar table.
When Robin sat in front of him, he poured him a glass of water.
“Why did you call for me?”
“I’d like you to look after the Rest Stop for a while.”
“Is that all?”
“Why? Does it seem too easy?”
Robin did not deny it.
The moment he stepped into the Rest Stop, he had already finished assessing the abilities of everyone present.
He could subdue them all without much trouble.
“No matter how exceptional you are, running a Rest Stop isn’t something that can be done by force alone.”
“I understand that, but why me…?”
“If you’re going to question every little thing like that, it would be better to forget it.”
“No. What should I start with?”
“I’ll be away until tomorrow night. Until then, you’ll act as the temporary Manager.”
Raymond raised one corner of his mouth and handed over a bundle of keys.
They were the keys to open the guest rooms.
“If anyone tries to fight inside here, you know what to do, right? If it comes down to it, you may kill them.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“As for providing meals, purchasing Monster corpses, and guiding guests to their rooms, it’s all written in this manual.”
“Understood. Go without worry.”
“Good. I’ll trust you this once.”
Just before Raymond finished preparing and left,
“It won’t be a bad thing for you either.”
“What do you mean?”
“Because someone who wants to see you might pass by.”
Leaving behind those cryptic words, Raymond left the Rest Stop without hesitation.
“Would it hurt you to explain a bit more before going?”
A cabinet lined with liquor bottles and a position that gave a full view of the first floor.
Left alone at the bar table, it finally felt real that he had become the Manager.
Temporary, though.
The Adventurers who were eating glanced at him curiously, but Robin did not avoid their gazes.
If you have something to say, come and ask directly. Meeting their eyes with that meaning, he held their stares until they set aside their curiosity and returned to what they were doing.
“Not that hard.”
He picked up the manual and opened the first page.
[Most troublesome situations can be resolved with force.]
“…….”
It was truly practical advice.
Turning the page, it was not much different from the first.
[If it cannot be resolved with force, you should question whether your strength is insufficient.]
Was it even worth continuing to read?
With doubt in mind, he skimmed through quickly. Fortunately, the later pages detailed how to handle the practical tasks.
Though it was a Rest Stop in the Uncharted Area, it was not much different from a shop in the Empire.
There were even things he had not known about what could be requested at a Rest Stop, so he read with interest.
As time passed, night arrived.
“You may choose any empty room among the second-floor guest rooms.”
When the last visitor went upstairs to sleep, Robin was left alone on the first floor.
Perhaps because the remaining Adventurers recognized him, no one caused trouble.
It might also have been because they had heard what Raymond said before leaving.
In any case, Robin spent his time inspecting the now-empty first floor.
He intended to stay awake at least until midnight.
In the middle of the quiet plain, enjoying the silence, he was reviewing his encounter with Sella when—
Clack.
A second-floor window opened carefully.
It was such a faint presence that an ordinary person would not notice, but Robin did not miss it.
When he focused his hearing upstairs for a moment, he caught someone climbing out through the window.
As long as they did not harm others, they were free to do as they pleased, but it was undeniably suspicious.
The fact that they had deliberately slipped out through a second-floor window at such a late hour.
With no choice, he lightened his footsteps and climbed the stairs.
“A midnight escape.”
Faint footprints led to an empty guest room.
When he opened the unlocked door, one Adventurer was sleeping soundly, snoring loudly.
However, judging by the backpack left wide open, it was clear his equipment had been stolen.
Robin quietly stepped out of the room, locked the door, and sighed by the window.
“Stealing. Was I taken lightly?”
Failing to safeguard one’s personal belongings properly was the owner’s fault.
It was not necessarily something the Manager needed to step in for.
Still, the fact that it had been done right under his nose on the first floor irritated him.
“I didn’t plan on playing Guard.”
He leapt out the window and immediately began to run.
Perhaps it was the thief’s first time stealing, but the footprints were clear, showing exactly where he had gone.
It was not long before the back of a man’s head came into view.
He slipped into a nearby forest.
“Tch.”
If he delayed, it would become troublesome.
He knew well how dangerous it was to enter a forest alone at midnight.
He briefly wondered if he should have brought a lamp, when a faint flicker of light shimmered in the distance.
The culprit had not noticed Robin pursuing him.
Determined to catch him quickly and return to the Rest Stop, Robin followed him into the forest—
Slice.
After the clean sound of something being cut, something dropped to the ground with a dull thud.
It came from the direction of the light.
Robin stopped in place and stared at it.
The light flickered as if clothes were fluttering in the wind.
At first glance, it seemed like a person walking while holding a lamp.
Shing.
He drew his sword and guarded his surroundings.
The thief’s footsteps had vanished, and the forest had grown unnaturally quiet.
There was someone dangerous nearby.
Regretfully, just as he was about to slowly retreat—
Clang!
He instinctively blocked an attack aimed at the back of his neck.
From the first exchange, he knew his opponent wielded a sword.
And not just any sword—this was an exceptionally skilled swordsman.
Clang! Clangclangclang!
In the pitch-dark forest where not a speck of light reached, an unexpected swordfight began.
Robin was no ordinary fighter to have blocked the ambush, but his opponent moved as if accustomed to such encounters, executing optimal strikes at every instant.
Without a word, the two clashed blades, and the shockwaves felled the surrounding trees one by one.
‘A woman?’
After three exchanges, he faintly saw his opponent’s blade.
It was a Swordsmanship style that felt oddly familiar.
Like the Butcher he had faced in the Arena…
Bang!
Their swords stopped simultaneously at each other’s throats.
Moonlight filtered down through the leaves that had obscured the sky.
Robin could not help but gasp in shock.
“Miss…?”
Thud.
The woman who had rampaged like an evil spirit dropped her sword.
She approached slowly, one step at a time.
“Robin… It’s Robin, right…?”
Tears welled in Imelda’s large eyes, and her voice trembled.
Robin calmed his startled heart and relaxed his expression.
Lowering his sword, he answered in a warm voice.
“Yes.”
“Really? It’s really Robin, isn’t it?”
“It’s Robin, who once served you in the Tefir family. But why are you here….”
Imelda suddenly threw her arms around Robin.
Burying her face in his chest, she sobbed pitifully.
“I knew you’d be alive… truly… I’m so glad.”
How long had those old emotions been building up?
Robin simply patted Imelda’s back quietly.
He did not know what had happened while they were apart.
But in this moment, Imelda was the spoiled and mischievous noble lady she had once been.
And Robin, gently patting her back, was the vassal who protected her.