Chapter 83 – He Was Given the Golden Plaque
“No, not that outfit. Let’s go with that one instead.”
“……”
“That’s too flashy. Sothing simpler would be better. Ah, that one looks good.”
At Nella’s single word, the staff began bustling about, their hands moving with swift precision.
In no ti, my outfit was changed, and my hairstyle transford. Perhaps it was because this was a professional salon, but the workers’ skills were nothing short of remarkable.
I felt as if I had been suddenly reduced to Nella’s personal dress-up doll.
“Lord Dorneth has summoned you. A carriage is waiting outside, so please hurry.”
“…I just woke up, you know.”
“The Master said to send you to him the mont you regained consciousness.”
“Fenry… I an, Lady Fenry, where is she right now?”
“At the lord’s castle.”
What business does Fenry have at the lord’s castle?
I tried to ask with my eyes, but Nella ignored , too focused on adjusting my attire.
A mont later, she gave a satisfied nod.
I cleaned up well, apparently.
Especially with the slightly upturned, sharp eyes that gave the impression I was a little angry, paired with my platinum-colored pupils. Dressed like a nobleman, there was a strangely captivating charm to my appearance.
Even my skin looked better than that of most elves. If I were stationed as a bartender on the third floor, I could probably drive their sales sky-high.
Which only made it all the more unfortunate.
Thirteen thousand gold.
It hadn’t even been a loan to erase.
‘Scary… this woman is terrifying.’
Sensing Nella’s intense gaze, I instinctively tightened my collar and stood up quickly.
When the staff stepped back, she smacked her lips together and belatedly explained.
“A blood pact requires a special ceremony. You won’t be an exception.”
“You’re saying the blood pact ceremony will be held at the lord’s castle?”
“For your information, Beneta is already in a blood pact with the Black Rose. This ans Lord Dorneth’s approval is needed to accept you as a blood ally. If he consents, the ceremony will be conducted at the castle.”
“Do you think he’ll agree?”
“Well, the Master has gone to convince him. We’ll have to see.”
It seed Fenry had gone to persuade Dorneth.
But would Beneta really allow a human to join their blood pact?
Although I had once saved Sharbadin, Dorneth’s partner, as a human, forming a blood pact with another race was a significant event that decided the fate of entire factions.
Beneta, the Black Rose, and .
In terms of power dynamics, it was like the CEOs of top global corporations asking a local shop owner to collaborate.
If it were a blood pact among humans, the local shop would almost certainly get swallowed up. But among other races, it was different.
Being part of a blood pact ant being recognized as a faction.
It also ant being granted a critical vote during major decisions.
The blood pact allowed for three votes.
And among them, my vote was likely to act as the casting vote.
As I’d said before, this was absurdly advantageous to but incredibly unfair to the other races.
“Why are you going this far for ?”
“Did the Master not explain?”
Explain? Yeah, right.
The only thing I rember is getting interrogated and beaten up.
“You’ll find out soon. Just rember one thing: we’re the Black Rose.”
The Black Rose.
A group led by Fenry Chaser, their profit-obsessed Master.
aning they never made a deal where they’d take a loss.
‘What if Beneta’s retainers try to kill ?’
Dorneth was a ruler, and rulers had retainers.
Those retainers were heavily involved in Beneta’s various interests and resources.
To them, I would be an outsider who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
And worse, I was human.
Distrust was inevitable.
In the Black Rose’s case, Fenry held tight control, so there wasn’t much room for dissent. But Beneta might be a different story.
If they genuinely wanted to kill , I’d have no way to stop them.
After all, I was just a loner with no faction backing .
“Why is it that the mont I open my eyes, trouble always begins?”
Not long ago, I’d nearly been killed by Fenry. Now, it felt like my head would get smashed by dwarves wielding hamrs.
Maybe I’d only find peace by closing my eyes permanently.
What kind of world is this, where dying is the only way to rest?
Leaning against the carriage window, I let out a sigh.
The sky was so clear.
But today, it felt like I was walking a path of thorns rather than one lined with flowers.
Thunk-thunk― Thunk-thunk― Thunk-thunk―
The noise of the warehouse repairs echoed, unsettling my mind even further.
Hoping to distract myself, I pulled out two envelopes from my pocket.
One was white, the other red.
Nella had handed them to as she saw off before I boarded the carriage.
[All the information you wanted is here.]
The white envelope reportedly contained a summary of major events in Tobaron over the past three months.
The red envelope, on the other hand, supposedly held critical information about .
[Read the red letter inside the carriage and dispose of it imdiately. It must not fall into anyone else’s hands.]
When I asked why, Nella shook her head.
The red envelope was classified as the Master’s secret correspondence.
Even Nella wasn’t allowed to read it without permission. Given her repeated warnings, it seed Fenry had left very strict instructions.
“Hmm, which one should I read first?”
I was curious about both, which left hesitating for a mont.
But not for long—I decided to open the red envelope first.
Just look at this ominous red color.
It gave off the vibe of sothing dangerous.
It felt better to read it and dispose of it quickly to ease my mind.
Clatter—
Before I knew it, the carriage had left the city and was traveling down the central avenue.
Inside the swaying carriage, I unfolded the letter from the red envelope.
The content was short—just four lines.
But those four lines hit like a sledgehamr.
[Fenry Chaser – Shadow of the World Tree (Shadow)]
[Dorneth Garder – Shield of Tobaron (Cold)]
[Rengua Field – Heir of the Blood Oak Shaman (Madness)]
The nas of the recently awakened divine-na holders were written there.
They were all familiar nas.
And then—
[Na Unknown – Divine Hunter]
“…You’ve got to be kidding .”
The curse slipped out of instinctively.
Did the shaking of the carriage make read it wrong?
I glanced up at the clear sky to gather myself before looking back down at the letter.
No, I glared at it.
My eyes hadn’t deceived .
Divine Hunter.
The divine na was one I knew all too well.
The hidden, veiled final divine-na holder—was ?
Now I understood why Fenry had ntioned the Divine Hunter in front of three days ago.
Was leaving my na blank and writing "Na Unknown" her doing? Or was it a lack of information?
This was a critical issue.
If both the divine na and my real na were revealed…
‘That’s the worst-case scenario.’
While most people only knew as “C-rcenary Al,” those who knew my true identity could be counted on one hand.
But now that my divine na was exposed, it wouldn’t be long before the divine-na holders ca after .
I could only pray the lack of my na was due to a gap in information.
‘Forget flower paths… this is a fucking thornfield.’
I could already see the nightmare parade of thorns stretching for miles ahead.
Cursing under my breath, I shredded the letter into pieces. The blank portions were tossed out the carriage window, while the parts containing the divine-na information were stuffed into my mouth.
Whether it was the taste of paper or the bitterness of worry, it left a foul taste in my mouth.
A sudden question popped into my mind.
‘If my na were revealed, would it be Arthur Clayton or my true na?’
Knowing what na was used would tell how the world perceived .
Either way, it was terrifying.
It ant this world was starting to focus its attention on .
Though my mind was a tangled ss, now wasn’t the ti to dwell on it.
To grasp the changed atmosphere of the future, I needed information. Thankfully, I had it right here.
Taking a deep breath, I pulled out the letter from the white envelope. It was thick, likely because it contained three months' worth of events.
Flipping through the pages urgently, I looked for a specific na.
[Movents of Kal Blazer, Lord of Blyer.]
“……”
I began reading the most critical information first.
Rattle— Rattle—
The faint sound of the carriage wheels turning filled the air.
It seed we had entered the castle grounds.
Until the carriage stopped, I focused solely on reading the letter, as if dead to the world.
As the rustling of paper filled the carriage, I beca more and more certain of one thing.
‘This damned world always leaves a way to survive.’
The interracial blood pact centered around the Black Rose and Beneta.
If I wanted to survive, I had to join this pact, no matter what. I needed a nest to protect .
***
On the first floor of the lord’s castle was the grand plaza.
A massive, do-shaped hall, it was an awe-inspiring space where nurous other races had gathered, embroiled in heated debate.
Shouts and condemnations filled the air, creating a chaotic scene.
“A blood pact is absolutely unacceptable!”
“Humans are backstabbers by nature. They cannot be trusted.”
“But this one is different. In Beneta, he’s hailed as a savior. Many of the other races saved in the Laup Forest owe their lives to him.”
“The ones who saved the other races were Lord Dorneth and the knights. What could a re human possibly have done? The story is exaggerated!”
“His worth has been vouched for by Fenry Chaser, leader of the Black Rose. Has she ever personally stepped forward like this before?”
“Her influence cannot be ignored, but we cannot entrust Beneta’s fate to her alone. Beneta is not the Black Rose.”
Hundreds of other races were gathered in the central hall, fiercely debating.
They were influential figures within Beneta, primarily from three factions: the knights, the blacksmiths' guild, and the rchants. At the center of these groups were the elder dwarves, representing each faction.
Among them, the dwarf who defended the human was none other than Natone, the knight commander.
As the knights' representative, Natone was speaking in favor of the blood pact.
He was a dwarf who had personally seen and experienced that human at Dominic’s laboratory. Anyone who had witnessed that golden miracle up close would surely change their opinion.
But the rchants and blacksmiths, who had suffered nurous losses at the hands of humans, were different.
Their mistrust of humans was deeply ingrained, and they opposed the pact outright.
They understood better than anyone the significance of a blood pact.
One of the elder dwarves looked up at Dorneth and asked.
“What does our lord think?”
At the elder’s question, the gaze of everyone in the grand plaza turned toward Dorneth, who sat in the seat of honor.
The looks directed at Dorneth were filled with admiration and reverence.
It was because of the news Fenry had brought.
Beneta had a newly awakened divine-na holder.
Dorneth, who had received the divine na Shield of Tobaron, now held even greater expectations and trust among the other races.
Dorneth furrowed his brow at the elder’s question.
The elders already knew what he thought.
This eting had been convened at the Black Rose’s request, but he had been the one to accept it.
The elders’ intent was clear.
Either take responsibility and make the decision himself, or adjourn the eting.
‘Dwarves should be straightforward. Why do they all turn into raccoons when they get old?’
Clicking his tongue, Dorneth turned his gaze to Fenry.
Fenry sat at the very front of the grand plaza, her legs crossed as she casually bounced her ankle. When their eyes t, she looked away indifferently.
Her shaless attitude made Dorneth’s beard quiver in irritation.
‘Damn sly cat, always bringing trouble.’
He had been enjoying peaceful days with Sharbadin, as if living in a sweet dream, when Fenry suddenly showed up and stirred everything into chaos.
Still, the story Fenry had brought was too significant to ignore, no matter how botherso it was.
The two divine nas connected by the blood pact.
Shadow of the World Tree and Shield of Tobaron.
If, by any chance, things unfolded as Nella’s prophecy suggested, it would an a massive war would erupt within Tobaron.
Dorneth thought of the human responsible for this situation.
Arthur Clayton.
Dorneth didn’t know everything about Arthur, but one thing was certain:
He understood how a single human could change the future.
While everyone praised him for the events in Laup Forest, Dorneth, Natone, and the knights who had been there knew the truth.
If not for that human, their fate would have turned out very differently.
Fenry had described him as a “guide.”
A guide.
It was an apt description.
Even in Laup Forest, he had been the perfect guide.
Thus, the decision wasn’t difficult.
“I have gifted him the golden plaque.”
It was a declaration that Beneta would accept him into the blood pact.
With this single sentence, Dorneth made his stance clear. The golden plaque signified Beneta’s recognition of soone as an honored guest.
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