Chapter 138: Evolution (4)
Peran, the slum of the world.
It was the only land on the continent where gold could be extracted, yet paradoxically, it was the poorest place in existence.
"Heh, old mories are coming back."
Jang Du-sik gazed at the crumbling stone walls.
There were no soldiers at the gates, and beyond the walls lay slums as far as the eye could see. Jang Du-sik casually selected a spot on the dilapidated wall and climbed over it.
Crack!
A beggar who had been sleeping beyond the wall was stepped on by Jang Du-sik.
"Ow, my back! How dare you! Even if you're under Duke Fallon, you dare step on ?"
The beggar imdiately demanded compensation and started making noise. Jang Du-sik then brought his cudgel down on the beggar's head.
Crack!
"Ugh!"
The beggar collapsed instantly, and Jang Du-sik trampled over the unconscious beggar's body as he entered the slum streets. His movents were unobstructed and confident.
As he entered the streets, the atmosphere was sowhat more stable than near the walls.
'The shop district is still the sa.'
As he passed through the bustling marketplace, the surroundings grew noisy. There were many foreign custors here, so gangsters were maintaining order.
"Cheap prices! Incredibly cheap! Only 2 gold for a blissful night! n, won, old and young—choose whoever you like!"
All around, human trafficking was taking place. Even after several years away, he smiled at the sight of the unchanged beggar's den.
'I wonder if that old man Park and that woman who dumped back then are doing well?'
Holy Mage, War-Mage.
Jang Du-sik was full of ideas about boasting of his glorious return.
As Jang Du-sik walked, a group of beggar children appeared.
'Kids are still running their sches.'
Jang Du-sik's scalp twisted in anger. Half the children were likely sent out by their parents, and the other half were probably held by criminal organizations, forced into begging.
'That older brother said I had so skills too.'
Jang Du-sik thought he should destroy this place starting from here.
Then, a young girl held out her hand to him.
At that sa mont, a heavy, deep voice resonated in Jang Du-sik's mind.
—Du-sik, that girl is the one we've been watching.
Jang Du-sik followed the instruction in his head and looked at the small child.
She wore filthy rags, and dirty water dripped from her entire body—she was among the worst of the beggars.
"What's this?"
Jang Du-sik swatted away the girl's hand and asked. Then, he used his divine power to wipe and clean the spot where the girl's hand had touched him.
Seeing this, the girl's eyes widened as she asked.
"Are you really Jang Du-sik, the right hand of Saint Erik?"
"That's right. I'm that Jang Du-sik!"
Jang Du-sik puffed out his chest and shouted proudly.
He looked incredibly confident and proud. Then the girl tilted her head slightly.
'Good grief.'
Jang Du-sik's mind was filled with nagging.
Then another question ca.
"When did you start accompanying the Saint?"
Jang Du-sik cleared his throat and recited his life story.
"I started serving under my brother over ten years ago. Back then, if there were a thousand gangsters in the slums, I'm the only one who's survived all this ti and stuck by my brother's side."
At those familiar-sounding words, the girl's eyes widened again.
"So, will Uncle Du-sik just be a subordinate for life?"
"Just a subordinate for life, huh? Well, no. I follow my brother because there's much to gain."
"What specifically?"
"This big and mighty cudgel... actually, it's..."
"Actually?"
Jang Du-sik stopped talking.
The voice in his head had cut off.
—Brother?
—Du-sik, you crazy bastard! For fuck's sake, I told you just to say what I tell you to say! Why is that so hard?
—Boss, even so, it seems like she trusts us, so maybe it would be good to just let Du-sik do things his own way...
Jang Du-sik felt like he might bleed from his ears from all the nagging.
So he tapped his ears lightly.
Taking it as so kind of signal, the girl nodded knowingly.
"Well, I got a shop in the center of the Imperial Capital thanks to my brother. And I beca a Holy Mage, War-Mage, and rose to Vice-Director of the Possessor Managent Bureau."
"So you have strength, power, and real estate."
The girl seed sufficiently convinced, looking at Jang Du-sik with much softer eyes.
Then Jang Du-sik continued speaking.
"That's not all. I even got myself a wife!"
"A wife?"
The girl asked, crossing her arms.
"Well, haven't you heard the rumors? Have you heard of the Imperial Princess?"
"An... Imperial Princess? Is that real? I thought it was just Imperial propaganda..."
"Well, huh. What is it. Being connected with the Imperial Family is an incredible blessing. Don't you know that?"
At those words, the little girl's eyes narrowed.
"Is the Imperial Princess referring to the woman who embodies the flower of the Empire and the word 'glamor'?"
"That's right."
"You're seriously engaged?"
Jang Du-sik nodded.
"Hmm, she's the second most beautiful person in the world, isn't she?"
"Of course she is? She's the second most beautiful."
The girl's crossed arms dropped.
A strange smile appeared on her lips.
However, there was still a hint of mysterious doubt in her eyes, as if she couldn't fully believe it.
"Uncle, are you really a Holy Mage?"
"Of course I am? Why would you ask sothing so obvious?"
Jang Du-sik smiled and conjured a flower with his magical power.
It was a splendid and beautiful rose.
Golden divine power blood above the blue magical energy, making the petals even more brilliant.
Jang Du-sik handed the flower to the girl.
Then ca words he heard.
"Ah... so it really was you, Ji-hun."
At these words, the girl's body went limp.
The child, who was collapsing to the ground, left one final ssage.
"I... I'll make a place for you to co back to."
***
"Master, if you just give a general direction, how can I proceed?"
"Erik, when you live life, you beco lost. However, even when lost, if you sohow manage to reach your destination, that's all that matters."
Erik felt both exasperated and, on the other hand, relieved.
'Master's words hold true even in these circumstances.'
However, sothing irritated him about Jang Du-sik's confident deanor.
"By the way, wasn't my acting incredible?"
Erik didn't know where to begin pointing out all the problems, so he decided he should just push forward as is.
"Well done. You acted strangely enough that she ended up misunderstanding in the right direction."
After finishing his words, Erik turned his head toward Janson.
"Janson, it went over smoothly just as you said. How exactly did you judge that she would fall for such terrible acting?"
Erik had trusted Janson's persuasion and let Jang Du-sik be. Fortunately, the result turned out well, but he was curious about the reason.
"Well, Boss, when you were talking about Luc, didn't you also say he was quite strong?"
"You did."
"Just like us and Du-sik hyung didn't fully feel his strength until we heard about it directly, it seems Boss also didn't know well about the Fa of Saint Erik that's known in the world."
After that, Janson provided a detailed explanation.
"In summary, Du-sik probably seed anxious because he spends ti next to a crazy monster Paladin who kills everyone indiscriminately? The 'famous' reputation sounds more like an infamous reputation."
"Boss, I didn't say crazy..."
"Anyway, I understand well enough."
Erik recalled that he himself had forgotten his own evaluation.
'Do I really need to put on the Marco act?'
In fact, the mont Jang Du-sik arrived, it was certain that his existence would be revealed.
This wasn't a foreign country like the Garcian Kingdom, so Erik decided it was better to save Marco for later use.
"So, are we moving to the kingdom right away?"
"No, first I need to clean things up here."
In Peran, the world's slum, there were quite a few people who needed to be dealt with.
"Boss, is it okay to touch this place? The outer areas that are real slums should be fine, but the inner areas will be dangerous."
"Aren't there nobles using this place to supply people to Black Mage groups?"
There was enough justification, but the location was problematic.
'I haven't seen it myself, but they say gold has co from this land since ancient tis.'
Because of that, according to continental agreents, no nation sends its military to Peran.
Or rather, they can't send them.
There is a pact between nations.
'But they can't stop people from flowing in.'
That's how it accumulated and accumulated, creating a city like this.
This city had many problems, too many problems.
"If Black Mages can touch this slum, what would prevent from doing the sa?"
Based on the information obtained during interrogations, Erik set his target.
'They say if you're not going to completely change this place, you shouldn't touch it'
Even the Astia Order doesn't do anything more than provide relief and healing miracles here. They don't interfere in any way.
Young Erik couldn't understand that.
"Complete resolution is impossible in this land, so it is written."
"Then why do you treat them and give them food?"
"You can't just let them die, can you? Most of them are rely helpless weaklings."
However, now Erik also understands the Order's position.
Not everyone can be saved.
'I understand it now, in fact, very well.'
That said, there's still sothing that can be done.
Not all evil can be eradicated here, but it's possible to select and eliminate only the worst ones.
***
Bang, bang, bang, bang!!
"Duke! There's an ergency!"
In the center of the slums spreads the land of ornate nobility.
Influential figures under the protection of various nations buy titles one after another and play the ga of nobility. The 23rd Duke of Peran, Duke Biron Alphonso, was awakened by the rude knocking.
"What on earth is happening that you wake in the middle of the night?"
The massive duke rose from among dozens of won.
With the intention of tearing out his subordinate's neck if necessary, Duke Alphonso opened the door.
Then a subordinate, drenched in cold sweat, began talking nonsensically.
"That... that crazy bastard has attacked!"
"Who? If you an a crazy bastard, are you talking about Duke Cheron?"
The wars in this land were nothing but proxy wars between nobles.
Boom!!!
Then ca a thunderous sound.
The duke looked out the window.
Sothing massive and radiant had shattered the residence's wall.
On his chest was the emblem of the Imperial Flag.
"The Empire's crest?"
The confused duke looked at the knight and asked.
"What of the continental agreent? How can Imperial bastards suddenly break in here?"
"That... that massive Paladin is from the Order. He's the famous Erik!"
"The Order has a reason to."
Duke Alphonso stopped speaking.
He realized that justifications were more than sufficient.
"Hmm. Since you're from the Order, you should be able to handle it well, right?"
The duke spoke to soone behind him.
However, no answer ca.
He quickly turned his head.
The bed full of won was visible, and beyond that, there should have been a Black Mage dispatched from the company...
Whoosh!
He saw the back of a head disappearing into a black portal.
Clearly running away in fear.
Only then did Duke Alphonso recall an entity that had beco famous in recent tis.
'As famous as Riferoze was in the past, they say?'
The duke thought of the negative rumors about Erik that he had heard so far.
'Starting with single-handedly killing the descended Demon Lord, and in the incident of the Holy Sword, he trapped the Black Mage Group's headquarters in the Labyrinth...'
Only then did he realize the seriousness of the situation, but the Paladin had already entered the residence.
Screams ca from outside the room.
"Block him!!!"
"Damn it, run!"
The duke's mind worked quickly.
'He's trying to catch and kill the Black Mages.'
Greed had been the problem, trying to grab a piece of pie beyond his ans.
"W-what should we do, Duke?"
The portal that the Black Mage group used to escape had already disappeared.
However, the duke had his own counterasures.
"Endure. Then the Wrath of Gold will co down on that bastard as punishnt according to this land's rules."
It wasn't an army, just a single person.
So endurance was possible.
These people lacked military strength, but they had many tricks to deal with clergy.
"Release the slave soldiers."
The duke gave the order.
He deployed slave soldiers with slave markings, just as it was done in the Garcian Kingdom.
A golden flash ca down the long corridor.
Behind the slave soldiers, the duke shouted.
"How dare you use force without justification on this land!!!"
Then the Paladin laughed mockingly.
"If you cooperated with the Black Mage group, wouldn't justification be sufficient?"
After that, the massive Paladin walked without hesitation.
Light flickered on the foreheads of the many slave soldiers, and they were forced to raise their swords toward the Paladin.
Whoosh!
However, with a single gesture from Erik, all the slave soldiers were pushed toward the walls.
"Stay there, and I'll tear up your slave contracts too."
The Paladin sealed the slave soldiers behind a golden barrier.
"Heh. You really are a crazy bastard just like they say. Don't you know that using force here brings the Wrath of Gold upon you?"
There was no answer to that question.
The duke deployed more slave soldiers.
Clear lines were etched on their foreheads, slave soldiers controlled by Black Magic.
"Yes, you ca here because of this exact behavior."
The massive Paladin, Erik, looked at Duke Alphonso with cold eyes.
'A rciless slum.'
Mistakes from his younger days and devastating monts flashed through his mind.
This imdiately solidified into determination.
Erik looked at the Black Mage slave soldiers and asked.
"Do you desire salvation?"
They gave no answer.
However, Erik continued nonetheless.
"I know well that your lives are mortgaged to Black Mages. You will disappear as nourishnt when your marks grow to two lines."
It was one of the vicious thods used by Black Mages.
Force them to learn Black Magic, then enslave them while increasing the number of marks.
"I will send you peacefully into God's embrace."
Erik drew out the Sword of Creation and spoke thus.
Hundreds of people could not speak, but their eyes seed to desire rest.
Whoosh!
Erik drew his sword horizontally.
A quiet sword strike cut through the empty air.
As a golden line cut across the residence, silence descended.
The innocent and wronged returned to God's embrace, and only greedy sinners remained.
"If you answer honestly, I promise you a painless death."
Erik approached that sinner.
"Ugh. Ugh..."
The sinner, Duke Alphonso, was seized with fear.
Unable to keep up with the rapidly unfolding events, he had failed even at buying ti.
'To make such quick judgnts against slave soldiers...'
The Paladin, whom even the Empire hesitated to touch, had ended it without hesitation.
In fact, he seed accustod to it.
'The Wrath of Gold hasn't even arrived yet, and the situation is already over—'
At this rate, the Wrath would only co after he was dead.
'Isn't this a hopeless situation?'
Whoosh!
While having that brief thought, the duke's vision darkened.
A shadow fell over him.
He looked up.
Colorful, brilliant eyes looked down on him, and from those eyes, ruthless anger emanated.
The owner of that anger asked.
"Where do the materials you've been raising here go?"
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