MTLNOVEL Ch. 114
Chapter 114: Acanthus (3)
“…”
“Why?”
“I’m… just a bit shocked.”
As he said, Zeb was stunned by Harang’s immediate refusal.
What kind of person was Harang?
The one who hated the village more than anyone. Naturally. For someone who valued freedom above all, the village—full of restraint and coercion—was the embodiment of hatred and rage.
So, Zeb had been certain.
He’d thought Harang would share his cause.
The moment he learned the Red Magician was behind the village, he believed Harang would walk the same path.
But…
“Why, exactly?”
“What?”
“Why don’t you want to join? I don’t get it. What’s the issue? Is it because you don’t like being part of a group? No need to worry. We’re bound by the name ‘Acanthus,’ and Konjinyu’s the leader, but… we’re not the type to meddle in each other’s affairs. We’re just united for a common goal—to kill the Red Magician…”
“Hm, I see.”
“…Is it because someone here makes you uneasy? Like, maybe because Silenos is a demon?”
“Zeb, that’s enough.”
“Ah!”
At Konjinyu’s interruption, Zeb stopped, flustered. He’d apparently said something sensitive, and though Harang didn’t catch it at first, he vaguely understood after a few seconds.
“The blood-stained white dress is a demon.”
A demon.
One who gained wicked power through a pact with a devil, a cursed being shunned across the continent, even in the Holy Kingdom. With “true demons” absent for centuries, demons were the most powerful demonic entities one could encounter in the human world.
“Spilling info like that so carelessly—he’s even more clueless than in the village.”
Was it because Zeb trusted him so much?
Or because he believed in Harang’s hatred and rage toward the village?
He couldn’t tell. It wasn’t that important anyway.
Organizing his thoughts, Harang looked at Zeb.
Zeb’s slightly tense expression, staring back after his slip-up.
Konjinyu and Zak, seated beside him, also had slightly changed expressions. They seemed to say, “If you don’t join us, you’ll regret it.” But Harang wasn’t swayed.
He reiterated his stance.
“I can’t join Acanthus.”
“Can I ask why?”
“I already have comrades I’ve promised to stand with. Of course, I still hate the village and am digging for information on it, and if the Red Magician is at the end of that, taking him down is my goal… but I won’t change my affiliation. I have something more important than that.”
“Comrades? Important? You?”
“…”
“What’s that? Why do I feel annoyed?”
Seeing Zeb’s reaction, Harang slightly furrowed his brow.
He couldn’t help it. It felt like Zeb was saying, “With your personality, who could you possibly get along with?”
And Zeb wasn’t the only one.
Zak, and even Konjinyu, whom he’d met before, looked at him with similar eyes. They seemed to claim, “Only we could handle a weirdo like you!”
“Hm…”
Harang let out a groan.
What should he do?
How could he naturally correct their misconceptions about him and gently express his refusal to join?
After a moment’s thought, he nodded.
Then he said,
“This might be a long story, but do you all have time?”
“A long story?”
“Yeah. I want to talk about my comrades.”
“If it’s about that, I’d listen even if I didn’t have time. And we have plenty. Right, Zak, Zeb?”
Konjinyu glanced at the two, who nodded. Though bound by the grand name Acanthus, they were little more than idlers except when fighting the Red Magician or his lackeys. Parasites leeching off Silenos’ wealth, one might say.
More than anything, Harang’s story piqued their curiosity.
Zeb, obviously, but even Konjinyu and Zak, who had little prior connection, felt it.
Could this odd creature, who frustrated and twisted people’s insides with a few words, really form bonds deep enough to call someone “important”?
“Your eyes look weird.”
“Hm? No, you’re misunderstanding whatever you’re thinking.”
“Y-Yeah.”
“Just tell your story already.”
“…Hm.”
Still displeased by their odd gazes, Harang closed his eyes briefly.
Marzen, where he’d gone to deliver a letter.
Starting as a beggar.
Becoming a thug.
And rising to a mercenary.
The countless events and stories in between.
Sorting them out, Harang began to recount his tale slowly.
***
“So… that’s about the end of my story.”
“Hm.”
“Hmm…”
“…”
After roughly 30 minutes, Harang’s story concluded, and Konjinyu and the others showed similar reactions. Their eyes, still filled with “hard to understand,” had warmed considerably.
Harang’s story was about “people.”
About “bonds.”
A beautiful relationship some are born holding, like a gem.
Harang had only grasped it at age 20, and hearing this was immensely entertaining for everyone. Konjinyu, Zak, and even Zeb had once had such precious gems.
“Now… I’ve lost them all.”
Their buried hatred for the Red Magician stirred again.
Of course, they didn’t show it. Konjinyu, still wearing his friendly smile, looked at Harang and said,
“I understand why you can’t join us. You’re… different from us.”
“Different? How?”
“You’ve just gained those precious bonds. We lost ours long ago. To the Red Magician.”
“…”
“We, who’ve lost everything and have only vengeance left, and you, who must protect your precious ones. It’s only natural we don’t fit.”
Zak nodded at Konjinyu’s words.
Zeb, too, looked at Harang with agreeing eyes.
“Strange.”
He was the one who hated the village most, yet ironically, the one who fit it best.
Otherwise, how could he have held Godok Rank 1 for over a decade? Zeb was nothing compared to him, and Gael and Maya weren’t easy opponents.
But.
“He’s changed.”
Talking with him made it clear.
The current Harang was a completely different person.
Far more likable, far more human.
And far stronger.
Even beyond defeating Vivian, Zeb vaguely felt he couldn’t even touch Harang’s heels now.
Why?
Honestly, this part was hard to grasp.
Zeb, who’d forsaken everything for vengeance and devoted himself to training.
Harang, who’d pushed vengeance aside to enjoy the outside world.
Could the growing gap between them be chalked up to talent alone?
Thinking this far, Zeb couldn’t hide his feelings anymore.
“Hm.”
Zeb glared.
Lifting his lowered head, he stared at Harang. Raw fighting spirit poured from his eyes, provoking his opponent’s competitive streak.
But he was too late.
While he was lost in thought, someone else had already prepared.
“Harang.”
“Yes.”
“I’m bored. Want to spar?”
“With you, Mr. Konjinyu?”
“Why, can’t I?”
Bald Konjinyu.
Acanthus’ leader, still exuding only Bronze Plate-level presence, challenged Harang to a duel.
A very abrupt proposal.
But Harang didn’t think too deeply.
“Fine.”
He was curious.
About Konjinyu, and about his own current standing.
Nodding, their eyes burned with fervor.
***
“The boss himself requested a spar?”
“Yeah.”
“Is that kid that impressive?”
“The boss seems to think so. Vivian got thrashed like a dog, so that alone qualifies him…”
“Who got thrashed? You one-eyed Cyclops bastard!”
“Huh, the kid’s words don’t reach me.”
“You bastard!”
Crack, crack-!
Furious, Vivian summoned a skeleton soldier, mounted it like a hobbyhorse, and towered over Zak. Moving the skeleton, she swung her fist with a whoosh.
Thud!
“What, this crazy ear-freak is hitting people?”
“Don’t call me ear-freak, eye-freak!”
“Don’t call me eye-freak, you brat!”
“…”
“The atmosphere’s better than I expected.”
Harang, watching Acanthus’ members gather on the plain to spectate his spar with Konjinyu, nodded.
He’d imagined vengeance-driven people training grimly or stabbing cursed dolls all day… but it wasn’t like that. The four oddballs, including Silenos the demon, seemed a bit out of place, but they didn’t seem like bad people.
“If I hadn’t joined the Eddy Mercenary Corps, I might’ve ended up here.”
Of course, there were no “what-ifs” in life. His identity was set: Harang, Special Gold Plate Mercenary of the Marzen Branch Eddy Mercenary Corps.
And he had no regrets.
Not joining Acanthus didn’t mean he had to be their enemy, right?
In fact, operating separately and exchanging information constructively might lead to the truth faster than being in one group. After the spar, he planned to ask about the Red Magician, the Black Hydra, and other information.
“But first, the spar.”
Swish-!
Whoosh-!
Harang swung his sword.
It was a fine blade, no matter how he looked at it. Its weight and length felt tailor-made for him. Above all, it could handle his Aura. This was a perfect chance to show his full strength, which he couldn’t against the Mercenary King.
The issue was…
Crack.
Crack, crack-!
“Ugh, my back… Hold on, I stretched wrong… Let’s start in a minute.”
“Yes.”
Whether Konjinyu, with his thinning hair, was truly a worthy opponent.
Honestly, Harang still had doubts.
In terms of presence, he seemed weaker than Eddy, Pale, Daereon, or even the Fist Brothers.
But he couldn’t let his guard down.
Not only was it unlikely such a person would lead Acanthus, but the members’ reactions kept tickling his ears.
Though vague, their conversations carried a hint of pity toward him…
“No clue. Let’s find out by clashing.”
That was enough thinking.
With a short breath, Harang assumed a combat stance. The minute Konjinyu mentioned had just passed. Fortunately, Konjinyu, free from his stretching mishap, stood tall, facing Harang.
“Ready?”
“Yes.”
“Really ready?”
“Yes.”
“Good, one last time. Really ready?”
“I said I’m—”
BOOOOOM-!
Just as irritation crept in from the repeated questions, a pillar of earth erupted like a waterfall beneath his feet, launching Harang skyward.
Then, the earth morphed into a giant’s palm, slamming him down with full force.
CRAAASH-!