# 86
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There was no mistake this time.
The red eyes that could be seen through the jet-black hair, the sharp jawline, and the sharp bridge of the nose were just as I remember.
Without any further thought, my body moved.
“Leah!”
When I crossed the road where the carriage was speeding, without knowing that it was dangerous, Jack, who had become pensive, quickly caught me.
'Dangerously. …’
“Go away!”
I felt Jack startle from the sharp scream, but I couldn't worry about that.
The master had already moved away and was no longer visible.
I pursed my lips as I stared into the back alley where he disappeared.
“...Leah?”
At that time, Jack's voice sounded surprised and tears fell.
I felt embarrassed and looked at the tears I had shed.
Not a single drop.
Before I knew it, my eyes were wet and water was dripping down to my chin.
'Why?'
I didn't understand why I was crying.
However, my chest was not only tight, it was also throbbing and sore.
'Why was I trying to chase him? What am I going to say to the Creator of Heaven?'
Am I really going to ask him now if it was the Master's intention to send me to Elad?
What if it was Jade's lie and what if it wasn't?
I know better than anyone that I can't know the truth anymore anyway.
However, the heart that I thought I was able to control so well collapsed the moment I saw Master.
I still felt indebted to the master, but on the other hand, I hated and loathed him.
〈Attack here〉
Suddenly I heard the Master's voice above my blurry vision.
It was a private training session on a snow-covered mountain slope in a harsh winter, when it seemed like the whole world had turned white.
I felt afraid and hesitant when I saw the teacher pointing a sharp dagger at my chest.
〈Don't retreat, even if there were a hundred of you, you wouldn't be able to inflict even a single wound on me.〉
Those words made me angry, so I swung the sword I was holding in both hands at the vital point.
The master blocked the attack with one hand and pulled my wrist with the other.
As soon as I realized that my body was being pulled in that direction, the sword suddenly escaped from my hand and flew into the air.
The master took my dagger.
〈Again, don't lose your sword. 〉
I caught the sword he had thrown and gritted my teeth.
Did you do it because you wanted to lose someone?
But what if I can't compete with you? He is taller than me and much stronger...
“I know what you're thinking about a loser, but the person you're with will always be your best.”
At the words I immediately heard, I felt a sense of pride that I never knew existed.
I rushed towards him again without any hesitation.
I stopped counting when I reached over a thousand.
The white breath hit the cold air with a ragged breathing sound.
After a moment of silence, I quickly turned my wrist, grabbed the sword, and lunged forward, intending to launch a surprise attack.
But maybe I was in a hurry, my legs lost their strength and my feet slipped.
The master caught me as I was about to fall to the ground.
〈Let's stop here for today〉
〈No, I don't want to! Just a little more. …〉
Fighting with the master was priceless.
None of the union members received this preferential treatment.
So everyone was whispering that this was “nepotism,” but the truth was that I knew it.
'It's all because I'm so weak.'
If only that were not the case.
〈Well, if you don't show stubbornness like this, the situation won't get better.〉
Because you wouldn't have heard this.
I realized this clearly when I started living my second life.
The master received me, developed my abilities, and set a goal for me to be recognized, but in reality, he was the person who hindered me the most.
Why in the name of Heaven's Creator did he cruelly teach me magic and martial arts and improve my abilities, but then turn me into an idiot who can only do trivial things?
'. …I should never meet Jade.'
I learned this again during today's meeting.
Although I know in my mind that I should not turn Terrence Yeom into an enemy, and that blood revenge will only lead to more blood….
Just like I saw Master, when I see Jade, I might lose my temper and rush towards him.
I may not have known it before, but now I'm not alone.
I wanted to live in peace and happiness with Elad next to Diana.
I shook my head, roughly wiped the corners of my eyes, and spoke to Jack, who was helpless and unable to wipe away my tears beside me.
“Jack, I'm sorry for yelling at you, I think I was a little confused.”
“...Are you okay now?”
“Yes, let's go back now.”
“Okay, that would be a good idea. …But what about that?”
I followed Jack's gaze and saw that the box of cakes I was carrying was rolling around on the floor in disarray after people's feet had bumped into it.
I felt like I was becoming uess and being discarded.
* * *
An alley in the most dangerous and crime-ridden area of the capital.
When the man entered the bar, filled with dark and humid air, the heads sitting around the round table immediately stood up.
“Sir, are you here?”
The man who had taken off his robe combed his black hair and passed them without pretending to acknowledge their greetings.
“Ah, sir...”
At that time, a gray-haired woman wearing thin silver-rimmed glasses called out to him cautiously.
When the man turned his head, Loeb swallowed his saliva and said.
“The atmosphere in the guild is frightening these days, not long ago, Master Jade was suddenly killed for no reason...”
She couldn't complete her sentence and closed her mouth.
I could not forget that horrific scene in which red blood flowed from a colleague I was with until recently.
In addition, even though Jade was young, she was ambitious and loyal, and was a promising star that the guild had put a lot of effort into raising for a long time.
*Yes, Jade is female, but how did it become clear that she is feminine when at the beginning of the chapters of the novel it was mentioned that Leah is the only female in the guild? Most likely this is an error on the part of the author?
Executives who had been employing men for a long time could not understand how valuable talent was suddenly and without any reason being taken away.
“Heh.”
At that time, the man saw the gloomy faces of the chiefs, and laughed.
“So what are you going to do?”
". … no."
“Then shut up and do what you tell me.”
The man moved again without hearing an answer.
The officials who were looking at his back in confusion felt a shiver run down their spine.
He was originally someone with no trace of humanity, but these days he had become even more terrifying.
But soon they had no choice but to bow deeply and show submission.
No matter how he did things, they had to follow their master's will.
* * *
It has already been a month since I visited the capital.
It felt like time was passing so quickly, but in reality, a lot had happened in that time.
Once I returned to the palace, I walked around the palace unnoticed to see if there were any employees who had been bribed not only by Daryl but also by the other guilds.
Of course, if they had completely infiltrated from the beginning, it might be difficult to catch them, but from what I could tell, there didn't seem to be any loopholes for information to leak out.
Fortunately, my anxiety calmed down a bit after a few days.
On the promised day, I met a man who sat on a bench and waited for me slowly as if it were his home.
〈Guild leader? Did you come yourf?〉
Surprisingly, the person who came to bring me the jewelry with the work report was the leader of the Daryl Guild.
It's hard to measure preciy, but he seems to be just as skilled as a top-tier agent.
If he moves directly, Elad's security seems reliable.
'Of course, if Lucio had been in the palace, the story would have been different. …’
However, Darryl did a much better job than I expected.
This is because in the past month, the capital has been shaking with the newly appeared pink magic stone.
Because the price was so high, only the imperial family and a few nobles and wealthy people in the empire used magic tools, and they also used magic stones.
In addition to the invitation sent to them to attend Delice Merchant Marine's first mega auction, they gave away all of the first magic stones I created as gifts.
When they realized that my magic stone was a high-quality magic stone despite its appearance, their eyes widened and they flocked to attend the auction held by the new merchant.
‘Then a top-grade pink magic stone appeared. …!’
The existing magic stones were already in circulation in small quantities, so even if you had the money, you wouldn't be able to obtain them.
This was because the Principality of Pylos, which had the largest magic stone mine on the continent, imposed strict restrictions on the amount of magic stones exported to other countries.
So, people who usually consider magic stones as if they were their lives, were immediately impressed by my beautiful and high purity magic stones.
Thanks to this, the auction ended successfully with a price incomparably high with the price of ordinary magic stones, and in an instant the name of the Delis merchant, who was only the first time he had been active, appeared in an instant.
And after that day.
Everyone was curious about the country from which this magical pink stone was extracted and mined.
They put pressure on Delis dealers, who restricted their distribution, and said they were creating a fuss to obtain magic stones separately.
In fact, I thought that in order to enter the already existing magic stone market, I would have to offer it at a low price and l a lot to be competitive.
However, by adopting a sophisticated strategy, I was able to do much less work and make more money.
I knew I was going to do my best because the more it sold for, the more it would be good for the top, but I was blown away by the success that was much greater than I expected.
It was also convenient for them to take care of all the annoying work for me when I couldn't go to the actual battle.
“But what I liked more than anything else….”
I remembered the moment I saw the first payment statement that I received along with the gems to make a new magic stone.
My eyes rolled back to the endless numbers, and my whole body trembled.
This was the first time I felt this kind of excitement.
“As expected, financial treatment is the best!”