Chapter 509: Strategies in Shadows ( 509 )
Javier slowly sat up on the edge of the bed, rubbing his temple.
“Ah…
My head hurts.”
He squinted at the sunlight leaking through the window.
It had been a long ti since he drank like that.
He and the dwarf had laughed, toasted, and kept drinking…
until both of them completely passed out at the table like old war buddies.
Now?
He was paying for it.
“And now I’m risking my healthy body for this,”
Javier muttered with a sigh.
He stretched his arms slowly, cracked his neck, then stood up with a groan.
“Well…
Now where is Buddy?”
Cuquawked!!
The familiar sound echoed from the market street below.
Javier blinked, stepping to the window.
Down near one of the food stalls,
Buddy was already up, wide awake..and causing trouble as usual.
“Hey!! Don’t eat it in one go!”
the beastkin rchant scread, waving a ladle in panic.
“Where’s your master?!
Eeekk!!
Don’t just chomp it from the grill!!”
Buddy had already shoved half a tray of grilled at into his beak,
and was now eyeing a pot of soup with greedy intent.
Javier sighed and rubbed his forehead.
“This Pekko is really trouble.”
He stepped out of the building calmly, walking toward the scene.
The rchant had backed away, shielding the rest of his at with both arms.
Buddy gave him a curious tilt of the head, as if wondering why he stopped serving.
Javier reached into his pocket and flicked out a shiny gold coin, holding it up.
“I’ll pay for whatever he ate.”
he said simply.
The rchant blinked at the coin, eyes widening.
Then bowed slightly.
“O-Of course! do you need anything, Sir, for hangover recovery?”
Javier gave a tired smile.
“Yeah…
Do you have anything good for that?”
The rchant scooped a steaming bowl of hearty at soup and carefully placed it in front of Javier.
“Here you go, Sir. Best for clearing the head.”
“Thanks.”
Javier said simply, picking up the spoon.
He scooped a small portion, blew on it lightly, then took the first sip.
His eyes blinked once.
Then again.
“…Wow.”
he muttered, surprised.
He glanced down at the rich broth —
floating chunks of tender at, soft vegetables, and a deep, savory aroma that wrapped around him like a warm blanket.
He looked up at the small table nearby, where rows of basic seasonings, ground herbs, and spicy powders were laid out neatly in bowls and jars.
Just like those noodle soup shops back in his old world.
Javier smiled faintly.
He didn’t add anything.
It was already perfect.
He took another spoonful .
“The at’s tender…
really tender,”
he muttered to himself between bites.
At this point,
Javier didn’t even care what kind of at it was.
After being reborn in this world, where monster at was part of the daily diet , he’d long stopped asking.
If it was tasty, he ate it.
Simple as that.
Besides,
He had way better at inside his magic storage anyway.
Stacks of premium wyvern cuts.Dozens of monster ribs, bones, and preserved parts , all harvested since he was eleven.
But right now?
This simple street-side at soup?
It was perfect.
Especially on a rough morning like this.
Javier slurped another spoonful, eyes half-lidded.
His headache started to fade.
His mood started to lift.
Sotis, the best monts didn’t co from magic, missions, or battles.
Sotis…
It was just a good bowl of soup.
While Javier quietly enjoyed his food at the corner table,
slowly scooping the hot soup .
Buddy had already claid his spot.
Right in front of the grill.
The rchant, now sweating under both heat and pressure, was flipping the at carefully.
He glanced at Buddy with a nervous smile.
“C-Calm down, bird!
Wait… wait… it’s still not fully cooked yet!”
Cuquawked!!
Buddy let out an impatient squawk, his beak inching just a little too close to the edge of the grill.
The rchant quickly blocked him with a spatula.
“No pecking!
I just started flipping this one!
Five more seconds! Just five!”
Buddy stared at him.
Then stared at the at.
Then back at him.
avier, hearing the commotion behind him, didn’t even turn around.
He just shook his head slowly.
“This Pekko is really trouble…”
he muttered to himself, sipping another spoonful of soup.
He didn’t even need to look.
He already knew the scene by heart.
Buddy being spoiled.
The rchant barely holding the line.
Everything felt normal.
And in this quiet mont, with good food and a bratty bird, Javier allowed himself to relax.
Soon, he would have to move.
Javier slowly sipped the last of his broth, eyes half-closed, his mind already racing ahead.
He leaned back slightly, placing the empty bowl down, and lazily looked up at the sky.
“So… what strategy should I use?” he muttered softly.
Option one:
Summon the entire puppet knight army.
Let them march in perfect formation toward the Dwarven capital.
Cut down anything that tries to block the way.
A bold, brutal approach that relies on overwhelming force.
“Heh… too flashy,” he whispered, smirking.
Option two:
Wear the dark cloak—deep black with golden patterns embroidered across the hem.
And the matching eye mask.
With his own battle flag , black cloth with a golden sun emblem blazing at the center.
A symbol of fear and nobility all at once.
A figure no one would recognize, yet no one would forget.
“Hmm… dramatic. But effective.
Definitely intimidating,” he mused.
Option three:
Use stealth, relying on pure invisibility magic.
Conceal himself and Buddy completely.
Let Buddy dash straight into enemy territory at full speed.
Javier would cut down threats from the shadows, never seen or heard.
A ghost in the war.
“Cleanest option,” he muttered but then added,
“But kinda boring.”
Javier raised his hand slightly, calling out casually.
“Owner! More soup and drink!”
The beastkin rchant, still wiping sweat from his dealings with Buddy, turned his head quickly.
“Liquor?” he asked with a hopeful grin.
Javier shook his head.
“Ah, no. Just cold ale is good.”
“Right away!” the rchant responded, rushing to prepare another bowl and grab a chilled mug from the barrel behind his stall.
Javier leaned back a bit, letting the morning breeze cool his face.
Just one more bowl.
One more drink.
Then he would move.
To the battlefield.
To the border.
To whatever chaos was waiting beyond the gate.
Javier grinned to himself, leaning slightly over the counter as the fresh bowl and cold ale were placed in front of him.
“Well…” he muttered quietly, “I’ll decide once I get out from the border gate.”
He picked up the spoon, stirring the soup gently, though his mind was already racing.
His father’s order was clear:
“Rush to the Dwarven Kingdom before it fully falls.”
But if the dwarf’s information was correct…
Then it might already be too late.
The dwarf said he was sent out over a month ago, along with three hundred others.
And at that ti, many strongholds had already fallen.
If only one of them had made it this far—
Then how bad was it now?
Javier took a sip of the ale, letting the cold bitterness stabilize his thoughts.
Then he thought about the mission itself.
“Capture or kill,” he murmured.
A dual-condition mission.
That alone was unusual.
Normally, his father’s orders were sharp and direct.
But this one left the choice to him.
Why two options?
Why not just “kill”?
Or just “capture”?
His fingers tapped lightly on the wooden table.
Is it because of a Celestial?
Or soone corrupted beyond recovery?
If that’s the case, then depending on who he encounters, he’d have to make the decision himself.
Capture if salvageable.
Kill if cursed.
( End Of Chapter )
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