The ship arrived at Marshall Port City, the largest port among the New Continent’s settlements, a week later.
Count Furst was the first to disembark. Less than an hour later, he returned with a doctor.
The doctor examined my condition and assured me that I was fine. He also mentioned that I was incredibly lucky.
With that, I disembarked alongside the count.
Marshall Port City was far more advanced than I had expected.
The buildings were so tall that I couldn’t even take them all in at a glance. I had no idea what material they were made of.
And the architecture—each structure was uniquely beautiful. Just how many artists did they have for every building to have its own distinct charm?
As the city marking the beginning of the frontier, they must have put in an enormous amount of effort from the very start.
Oshalo, who had disembarked, stood awkwardly to one side of the dock.
Seeing his massive frame with hands clasped together like a shy maiden was both amusing and disgusting.
“Ra-Ran. Th-Thank you.”
Humans are creatures of the land.
Rowing, working on ships, and dying soaked in salt are far worse than anything on land, and even a fool like Oshalo knew that well.
I spread my right arm slightly.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to help me?”
Oshalo’s face lit up immediately, and soon, he slung my arm over his shoulder.
Wait—wasn’t this basically carrying me?
Wobbling like a duck, he made me feel like I was still on a ship.
“Keep close. This place is no different from lawless territory. Murders and thefts happen all the time. I’ll be hiring bodyguards soon, but even they can’t be fully trusted. The only one you can rely on is yourself.”
“Yes, Count.”
Count Furst walked ahead, his expression even colder than before.
With Oshalo’s help, I followed behind him.
As we walked through the city center, I began to see the true face of Marshall Port.
Drunken people sprawled out carelessly.
Prostitutes lifting their skirts openly to lure in customers.
Sailors walking around with gleaming swords strapped to their waists, sheaths nowhere to be seen.
It was as if everything beautiful and everything filthy in the world had been tossed together haphazardly.
The dead things were all dazzling, while the living were wretched.
After some time, we entered a tall white building, perfectly rectangular as if measured with a ruler.
Judging by the massive doors—at least three times the height of a person—whoever built this place must have spent an absurd amount of money.
On either side of the entrance, the flags of the Baritone Empire fluttered in the sea breeze.
“What does that say? You can read, right?”
Oshalo, who had been quietly walking until now, pointed at the sign above the door.
Ugh.
That breath.
Just when I was about to forget it, it hit my nose again.
“Western Continent Trading Company.”
“Huh? Trading company? What’s that?”
“I’ve only heard about it, but… Never mind. You wouldn’t get it even if I explained.”
Oshalo just stared at me, clearly confused.
When I tapped his shoulder, he resumed supporting me as we stepped inside.
“Whoa.”
His breath hit me again, but this time, I could tolerate it.
Because the sight before me had completely stolen my attention.
I had visited the Frenche Royal Palace once when I was young, and it had been impressive.
But the Western Continent Trading Company building was exactly three times as grand.
The neatly laid marble floors were polished enough to be used as mirrors.
Every wall was adorned with artworks, and as if that weren’t enough, dozens of paintings hung all around.
It was like someone had taken pure art and flung it against the walls.
Even the people inside were all elegantly dressed.
Even the women who were clearly maids carried themselves with noble dignity.
“They’re with me.”
At Count Furst’s words, the soldiers standing by the entrance snapped back to attention.
I had been too distracted to notice, but it seemed they were about to throw us out.
Those massive poles rising from the ground to their necks—were those the legendary guns? Muskets?
The count addressed one of the soldiers.
“I’m here to meet Governor Crom. Where is he?”
The soldier glanced at another before answering.
“The audience chamber is on the second floor.”
“Audience chamber?”
The count, who normally didn’t even blink, twitched his eyebrows slightly—he seemed angry.
But he quickly returned to his usual expression and walked toward the staircase in the centre.
Oshalo and I followed him up to the second floor, where we were met with a door as massive as the building’s entrance.
As the count boldly approached, the maids hurriedly intervened.
“I’m sorry, but the governor is still in the middle of business—”
Boom.
After spending over a month among sailors, the count now looked like a true man’s man as he kicked the door open.
Oshalo and I slipped inside before the door could close.
In the center of the lavish room, two people sat on a luxurious sofa.
The man seated in the main seat was in his forties who was slightly chubby.
The other person had their back turned, showing only their long hair. Something seemed to stick out slightly from the sides…
“Who dares to—hic!”
The middle-aged man rose with an imposing voice, but upon seeing Count Furst, his words ended in an adorable hiccup.
That was a common reaction to the count’s gaze.
I couldn’t help but feel a little proud.
“Governor Crom. It’s been a while. Your soldiers at the gate told me this was an audience chamber? Since when do frontier governors get to have audience chambers?”
Governor Crom grinned sheepishly, like a puppy meeting its owner.
“Haha, audience chamber? Count Furst, it’s just an office. The men outside must have been mistaken.”
At that moment, the person on the sofa turned their head slightly.
“So the rude one turns out to be the famous Count Furst.”
A beauty.
With long eyebrows and ears.
Too long.
Long enough to tie them into ribbons behind her head.
“Wow! An elf!”
I couldn’t hold back my amazement.
As everyone’s gaze turned to me, I flashed a shy smile.
Count Furst took a step back with his left foot, placed his right hand on his stomach, and bowed his head slightly.
The count was being polite?
“It is an honour to meet the great elven mage I’ve only heard about. On behalf of the Western Continent Trading Company, I thank you.”
Even though the count had bowed respectfully, the elf’s gaze remained fixed on me.
My heart pounded, and I had to force myself to keep looking at her.
Not because I didn’t want to lose.
She spoke.
“This slave… could it be?”
Count Furst extended his left hand toward me.
“I didn’t expect to meet you this soon. But yes, a gift.”
“Oh?”
“I heard you wanted a human disciple. A boy. Between early to mid-teens. He should fit the criteria perfectly.”
“You heard correctly.”
“Teach him magic however you like. But don’t forget—he still belongs to me.”
Wait.
I was so distracted by the elf’s gaze that I barely processed what Count Furst had said.
Was he… handing me over?
I looked at him in a daze.
“Aren’t you the one who was supposed to teach me?”
The count tilted his head.
“Me?”
“Well, you’re a mage, aren’t you?”
The count stared at me blankly.
“Me? A mage?”
“…”
“…”
So he wasn’t a mage. Fine.
But handing me over?
Did I misjudge him?
When he struggled to hide his agitation, the elf suddenly sprang to his feet with a speed no human could match.
Then, he turned to the count and spoke.
“May I test whether he has the talent for magic?”
“Go ahead.”
The moment those words left his lips, my head slammed into the ground.
Thud!
“Ugh.”
A tremendous pressure crushed my entire body.
I could see nothing but the floor before me.
A whisper reached my ears.
“If you’re a magician, you should be able to withstand this much pressure and rise. If not, you’ll die.”
My vision darkened rapidly, and my ears began to ring.
My body grew cold.
Chilling to the bone.
How long had passed?
At some point, even the unbearable cold became numb.
I couldn’t tell if I had collapsed, if I was underwater, or if I was simply floating in empty space.
Was I dying like this?
No, had I already died?
Would I remain here forever?
An hour?
A day?
A year?
I want to get out.
I need to escape from here.
Then, in the endless darkness, a crimson light flared to life in the distance.
As if someone had torn open a wound in this world.
Beautiful.
The blood-red light stretched into a long, unbroken line, splitting the world in two.
From the void between the split halves, a massive, blood coloured sun emerged.
So vast that it devoured the entire world.
No—
Not a sun.
An eye.
And it was watching me.
From deep within that eye, an unforgettable memory surfaced.
My mother on the beheading machine.
The blade falling toward her neck.
The crimson light intensified.
My heart roared.
From the depths of my soul, long-buried vengeance erupted.
Like flowing blood, it spread through my entire being, flooding me with power.
At last, my immobile body began to move.
I shouted at the top of my lungs.
“Rise!”
Hoo.
Hoo.
As my senses returned, I found myself standing in the room.
Everyone stared at me in stunned silence.
What? Why are they looking at me like that?
The memories from just before were like a hazy fog.
Did I do something?
What just happened?
The elf finally averted his gaze from me.
“He has more than enough talent, Lord Crom.”
Lord Crom, still dazed, turned to him.
“Y-yes.”
“You’ve prepared such a fine gift. I can’t refuse your request now, can I? Tell me when, and I will perform magic for you.”
Lord Crom’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“R-really?”
Without another word, the elf walked over to Count Furst.
Meeting his gaze head-on, she spoke softly.
“I’ll visit every day from breakfast until dinner. How does that sound?”
“If you guarantee his safety, I don’t mind you keeping him. But once he comes of age, hand him over.”
“Very well. But I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“Why not just give him to me outright? He’s just a slave, after all.”
The count remained silent for a moment.
Then, after glancing at me, he answered.
“He’s too valuable to simply give away. I wouldn’t sell him for any price.”
“Hmph. I see.”
The elf approached me.
Then, she knelt slightly to meet my eyes.
Beautiful.
Even if every artwork in this mansion were combined, they wouldn’t compare to this elf.
“If I take you as my disciple, I’ll have to see your face constantly. I was worried about that, but… for a human, you’re not bad.”
I replied indifferently.
“My father was quite skilled at charming women. Thanks to that, my mother was quite the beauty. Fortunately, I take after her.”
Surprise flashed across the elf’s face.
That wasn’t anything shocking, though.
She reached out and ruffled my hair. A tingling sensation ran from the crown of my head down my spine.
“Hmph. You’re quite the specimen.”
“Indeed, I am.”
She turned to Count Furst.
“I can take him starting today, yes?”
The count nodded.
“Go ahead.”
“Oh? That was unexpectedly easy. What if he loses his loyalty to you while under my care?”
The count looked down at me with a detached gaze.
No—
Not detached.
There was something firm in his eyes.
“Loyalty, I can’t say. But he’s not someone who forgets gratitude. He won’t forget that I saved his life.”
True enough.
I am strict about matters of grace and hostility.
It’s in my nature, my emotions, and my logic. There will never come a day when I forsake such things.
The elf glanced at the slave beside me.
“And what about him?”
Seizing the opportunity, I spoke up.
“He’s not the brightest, but he’s incredibly strong, Count. With proper training, he could become an exceptional bodyguard. This place is practically lawless, isn’t it?”
The count smiled faintly.
He immediately understood what I was trying to do.
“Alright. I’ll keep Oshalo with me. You can visit him anytime.”
I could accept being handed over to the magician.
But the fact that the count made sure to entrust my well-being to her, and that he chose to keep Oshalo simply because I valued him—
That confirmed it.
He really is a good man.
Yes, my instincts weren’t wrong.
Though, now that I think about it, he likely intended to send me to the elf from the very beginning.
I bowed my head.
“Thank you, Count.”
Count Furst gave a slight nod.
Oshalo said nothing, but his expression radiated gratitude.
Honestly—
Even his grateful face looks ugly.
The elf spoke.
“Well then, you two have your conversation. It seems Count Furst has much to say.”
Lord Crom looked troubled, but in front of the count, he dared not complain.
The elf reached out her hand to me.
“Come with me.”
Even her fingers were pale and soft.
The count spoke.
“If you’d like, I can have him washed before he leaves.”
At that, the elf’s voice took on an eager edge.
“No, I’ll handle it myself. Now, take my hand.”
Her gaze burned with a barely restrained anticipation.
A strange sense of unease crept over me, but—
When would I ever receive this kind of attention again?
Forcing a smile, I wiped my hand against my clothes and clasped hers.
