Chapter 302

Zeon stared coldly at the man who had been reduced to ashes.

“Helbrin Mercenary Corps. Scavengers disguised as mercenaries. They roam the desert hunting humans. The leader is Hashim. Eighty members total. All of them are C- to D-rank awakened ones, while Hashim himself is B-rank.”

That was the information he had extracted from the dead man.

Unfortunately, the group Zeon had caught was not the core force of the Helbrin Mercenary Corps.

These men had been carrying all sorts of desert supplies on the backs of Bactrian camels. That was why the weight had left such deep footprints.

Because of that, Zeon had assumed they were transporting kidnapped slaves.

That, too, had been part of Hashim’s plan to confuse any pursuers.

Though they were enemies, it was an improvisation impressive enough to earn admiration.

As a result, Zeon had ended up chasing the wrong group instead of Hashim.

Meanwhile, the others had already scattered in every direction and were heading toward Neo Seoul.

Even for Zeon, finding every one of them in such a short time was impossible.

At that moment—

“T-that… ah!”

Brielle’s voice came from behind him.

But her voice was trembling.

When Zeon turned around, he saw Brielle’s face had gone pale.

“What do you mean?”

“They’re the ones. The ones who kidnapped me.”

“You’re sure?”

“How could I ever forget?”

Brielle was staring at the arm of a charred corpse.

Around the wrist was an iron bracelet.

The crude bracelet had been blackened by the immense heat.

Brielle picked it up.

“This… it’s mine.”

“Yours?”

“It was taken from me when I was kidnapped. So these people must be the ones who abducted me. I never thought I’d see this again here.”

Her gaze as she looked at the bracelet was distant and emotional.

From mother to daughter, then from daughter to mother again, passed down generation after generation.

That was the bracelet.

“I thought I’d never find it again…”

When she was captured by human hunters and had the bracelet stolen from her, she lost her identity as a High Elf.

The guilt of failing to protect the bracelet inherited from her mother had driven her into despair and caused her to give up on herself.

Zeon spoke.

“So now we have one more reason to catch them.”

“I never knew. That the people who kidnapped me were the Helbrin Mercenary Corps… or that they were scavengers…”

The moment she had been captured by the Helbrin Mercenary Corps, mana restraints and a blindfold had been placed on her.

More than anything, the fear and despair of being captured by humans had prevented her from thinking clearly.

Because of that, she had never managed to learn anything about the hunters who took her.

“Ha…”

Though she had never told Zeon, she had always wondered.

Who exactly had kidnapped her.

Only now, after many years, had that question finally been answered.

Brielle gently caressed the bracelet.

After passing through the hands of nameless scavengers, the bracelet had become stained with the blood of countless people.

Something that should have remained pure had been tainted by human malice.

The result was what it looked like now.

Soaked with blood, corroded, and ruined.

This bracelet would never return to its original form again.

And she herself had been the cause of it all.

If she had not recklessly left the village, none of this would have happened.

Drip.

Tears streamed from her eyes.

They would not stop.

—Pii!

As if Gaia understood Brielle’s feelings, it tried to comfort her.

“I’m okay! Really.”

—Bei!

“Yeah! Don’t worry.”

After lightly patting Gaia’s back, Brielle looked at the bracelet once more.

Carefully, she slipped the bracelet onto her arm.

But nothing happened.

“Just as I thought… I’ve lost the qualification.”

“Qualification?”

“There’s… something like that.”

Brielle answered with a bitter expression.

Zeon assumed there must be circumstances behind it and did not press further.

Brielle placed the bracelet inside the subspace within her pointed hat.

“Ha…”

A complicated mixture of emotions crossed her face as she sighed.

In the end, they failed to catch the rest of the Helbrin Mercenary Corps.

By now, the mercenaries had scattered across every corner of the desert.

Even for Zeon, tracking down each and every one of them was impossible.

At that point, Zeon decided to stop the pursuit and return to Neo Seoul.

After all, the Helbrin Mercenary Corps’ destination was Neo Seoul as well.

Sooner or later, they would meet again.

‘If we keep an eye on the Spider Queen, something is bound to happen.’

He did not know the exact details, but it was obvious that Eli was plotting something.

If he kept watching, some kind of movement would eventually reveal itself.

“Let’s go back.”

“Okay.”

Brielle understood Zeon’s reasoning and followed without complaint.

Unlike in the sky, there were no magical beasts on the ground capable of obstructing Zeon’s movements.

Small magical beasts were instantly ground apart by the sand, while giant ones were detected in advance and avoided.

Thanks to that, the two of them reached the slums the next day.

“Home.”

The moment Brielle returned home, she threw herself onto the sofa.

Gaia also emerged from subspace and rolled around beside her.

Just returning home eased the heaviness in Brielle’s heart a little.

For someone who could never return to the High Elf village again, this place had become an irreplaceable sanctuary.

Zeon spoke to Brielle and Gaia.

“I’m going to visit old man Clexi, so get some rest.”

“Okay!”

—Bei!

Zeon immediately left the house and headed toward the street where old man Clexi ran his business.

“You’re back. Haven’t seen you for several days.”

“I had to go outside for a bit.”

“With Brielle too?”

“Yes.”

“So that’s why neither of you showed up. I was starting to think something happened.”

“Something did happen.”

“What happened?”

Curious, old man Clexi asked, and Zeon told him everything that had happened in the desert.

After hearing the entire story, Clexi’s expression grew serious.

“So what you’re saying is that the Helbrin Mercenary Corps are actually scavengers, and it seems they made some kind of deal with the Spider Queen, the second-in-command of the Northern District? And because of that, they’re hunting a hundred slaves?”

“Yes.”

“And after escaping your pursuit, they entered Neo Seoul?”

“Yes.”

“Those subhuman bastards crawled in here again.”

Old man Clexi clicked his tongue.

There was no way scavengers who lived like hyenas in the desert could enter Neo Seoul through normal means.

Neo Seoul’s entry system was extremely strict. Anyone whose identity could not be verified was denied entry.

Eli might be able to pull some strings to smuggle in one or two people, but bringing in dozens without leaving any trace was impossible.

In the end, the Helbrin Mercenary Corps had only one option left.

The slums.

“Since they entered here, they’ll naturally learn that your base is in Sinchon, so they’ll probably settle somewhere else.”

“Most likely.”

The slums did not consist solely of Sinchon and Dongdaemun.

Centered around Neo Seoul, they spread widely through Jongno in the north, Cheonho-dong in the east, and Guro in the south.

Though their influence was insignificant compared to Sinchon or Dongdaemun, people still lived there all the same.

If the mercenaries hid in places like that, finding them would be incredibly difficult.

“Can you find them?”

“The Eyes of Argos are spread through those areas as well. If there are suspicious movements or unfamiliar faces, we’ll find them.”

“That’s a relief.”

“However, even if we locate them, capturing or punishing them won’t be easy. The people ruling those places won’t allow it.”

Jongno, Cheonho-dong, and Guro were all far weaker than Sinchon or Dongdaemun.

But that did not mean they lacked pride.

If anything, people like them clung to their pride even more fiercely.

Because once their pride was trampled, they believed they had lost everything.

Zeon replied calmly.

“I’ll handle that myself. For now, just focus on finding their whereabouts.”

“Understood.”

Old man Clexi nodded.

There was no stopping Zeon once he had made up his mind.

Clexi knew all too well that no one could stop Zeon when he wore that determined expression.

“I should probably pray for the souls of the fools who got on your bad side. Still… for the Spider Queen to be involved too. I can’t even predict how large this situation might become. I just hope it passes quietly somehow.”

“I’d like that too, but it’s probably impossible.”

“Huu… figures.”

Old man Clexi let out a sigh.

A few years ago, Clexi would have welcomed chaos as a perfect opportunity to make money.

But perhaps because age had drained his strength, his way of thinking had changed greatly over the years.

Now he preferred peace over chaos, and quiet over commotion.

‘Maybe it’s because my death isn’t far away.’

He knew it himself.

His remaining lifespan was not very long.

He could tell just from how his body no longer felt the way it used to.

Perhaps he could somehow endure for a few more years, but eventually death would come.

He was not afraid of dying.

Humans were destined to die someday anyway.

If he had one wish, it was simply to enjoy a little peace before he died.

‘Though that’s probably an impossible wish…’

This was an age like hell itself.

Everything had collapsed, and Neo Seoul had been built atop the ruins.

Countless people had died in the process, and even now, people continued to die just to maintain Neo Seoul.

Humanity’s struggle for survival was still ongoing.

At this point, merely enjoying this level of peace was already something to be grateful for.

Old man Clexi sighed and spoke.

“I’ll make you a bowl of beef noodles, so eat before you go.”

“Then I’ll gladly accept.”

Clexi turned around and began preparing the food.

While waiting for the noodles, Zeon sat in his chair and watched the people passing through the street.

The sun was still high in the sky, so there weren’t many people around.

Those who did pass through the streets hurried along, searching for shade to escape the scorching heat.

They all wore shabby clothes and carried exhausted expressions, yet each of them still clung tightly to the will to live.

Some even wore hopeful expressions.

That was what made this place different from other colonies or survivors’ villages.

The people there had no hope for the future.

For people who struggled every single day just to survive magical beast attacks, hope was a luxury.

Even the people living in the slums could hold onto hope because this place was Neo Seoul.

Zeon felt responsible for protecting their lives.

Perhaps that was the price of possessing such overwhelming power.

At that moment, old man Clexi’s voice interrupted Zeon’s thoughts.

“What are you thinking about so deeply? Eat your beef noodles.”

“It’s already done?”

“The broth was prepared beforehand. All I had to do was boil the noodles.”

“Thank you for the meal.”

Zeon lifted the bowl to his lips.

Before eating the noodles, he tasted the broth first.

“Wow… this is incredible.”

“Heh-heh! It’s broth made with my secret recipe. For reference, the ingredients are—”

“That’s enough. Let’s stop there. I’d rather keep enjoying it exactly as it is.”

“Tsk! So picky…”

Though he said that, old man Clexi was smiling.

Zeon did not know.

The food he prepared for Zeon and Brielle was made separately.

Naturally, he never mixed magical beast meat into theirs.

It would not affect Zeon at all, but he did not know what kind of reaction young Brielle’s body might have.

Still, he never mentioned that fact.

‘People say you get sentimental when you grow old. Maybe I really am nearing the end. Tsk.’