Chapter 11 – Riftan’s POV
On the contrary, Riftan was put in a place where he had to look after the newly recruited wizard. It was hard to swallow the fact that he told him he had no intention of cleaning up after him as they often received expeditions that required their alliance, forced to be the one teaching him the ropes.
Riftan glared disapprovingly at the wizard who was rummaging through his luggage bag. This time, he tried to accept a mission behind the wizard’s back in hopes of avoiding him, but he followed him like a ghost smelling money. The wizard was figuratively holding his ankle and Riftan couldn’t shake him off. He shouted annoyingly at the wizard who was already chewing recovery herbs with an exhausted face when there was still a long way to go before they reached their destination.
“We are only halfway to our destination, yet you look like someone who’s been on a journey for a month. What use are you when you already look half-dead from a mere mountain hike?”
“Do you really think everyone in the world is like you, Sir Calypse? It’s not normal for a person to march for a week and be in good shape!”
Ruth, who was quite brazen, shouted in retort. Then, he laid down on a flat rock. Riftan frowned in angry astonishment.
“The harpies live just around the corner. Can’t you get up right now?!”
“I have Sir Calypse by my side, what should I worry about? Wouldn’t it be more convenient for Sir Calypse if I rest for a moment whenever I get the chance? If I collapse in the middle of the journey, you will have to carry me.”
“Carry you? Don’t say b*llshit. I’ll throw you down a cliff right when that happens and walk away leisurely. I would have abandoned…”
“Then, that means I need to rest more. Since Sir Calypse will not take care of me if I collapse.”
The wizard waved his hand dismissively and lied down with his back facing Riftan, who seriously contemplated on kicking the wizard and letting him roll down the mountain. However, even if he did that, the tenacious guy would still chase after him his whole life.
Eventually, Riftan began to grind his teeth and collect firewood by himself. The wizard slept while snoring loudly and it was only after dinner was already prepared that he woke up from his slumber.
Riftan, who was wary of the smell of food attracting wild animals or monsters, saw the wizard take out his bowl, making his cheeks twitch in annoyance. He was like a buzzing bug flying around his nose and he was infuriated with his every action.
“How many more days ‘til we reach our destination?”
“… If a guy like you wasn’t around, I would have reached it in the next ten days.”
“Then it will take us fifteen more days.”
The wizard replied nonchalantly and chewed on the bird’s meat that Riftan hunted on their way up the mountain, who couldn’t find or sense a bit of guilt or apology from the wizard. Resigned, he took another drink, sighed heavily, and lamented in his thoughts.
“Indeed, I shouldn’t be following you around… following Sir Calypse will put one in serious danger.”
Riftan stared at him with a befuddled expression. “Then don’t follow me!”
“You don’t know how many times I’ve gritted my teeth contemplating thinking, ‘should I follow this guy again?’ But whenever I tag along with Sir Calypse, it’s never a joke…”
The wizard made a coin shape with his index finger and thumb, hinting at the good pay. At this point, Riftan didn’t even bother to get angry. He silently ate his food and leaned against a rock, closing his eyes. The wizard, who had been shoving food into his mouth with his cheeks bulging from being so full, squinted at Riftan.
“Are you planning to sleep like that again today?”
“…”
“Sir Calypse… are you even human?”
Riftan opened his closed eyes. What kind of other brash criticism is this? The sorcerer rubbed his chin thoughtfully with his fingers, he was serious.
“You can tell me the truth. There really aren’t secrets between us, right? Do you happen to be a descendant of Chimeras or an ancient heterogenous race?”
“Stop the bullsh*t and go to sleep!”
“If not, then what the hell are you? Ever since we left town, I’ve never seen you lie down!” The sorcerer shuddered like creeped out by Riftan. “Your stamina and physical abilities are certainly beyond what a normal human can do. Sometimes it really frightens me! Please tell me honestly. Some breeds were mixed, right? Was it sub-racial monsters, perhaps werewolves or trolls?”
Riftan, whose patience has boiled empty, placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. As he drew half of his sword, the wizard shook his hands like it was a misunderstanding and shouted.
“I-I’m a little mixed up myself!” At the unexpected declaration, Riftan paused and stiffened. The wizard uttered it in a rush and sneezed like he was surprised by his own words, then he laughed and acted like he hadn’t said anything strange. “For real, it’s just a little bit. There’s an ancient elf among my clan’s ancestors. Thanks to that, my mana affinity was much more advanced than that of ordinary wizard’s and my lifespan was 20 or 30 years longer than an ordinary human. That’s all, I have no other special characteristics.”
He combed his brittle gray hair to show his rounded ears, that would have been pointed if he were a pure-blooded elf. “Through generations, the blood of the elves has almost been diluted to the point that now we’re just like humans with longer lives.”
Riftan squinted and scrutinized each one of the wizard’s facial features. The features appeared neat, except for the bluish-gray eyes that were a little peculiar, but they weren’t particularly remarkable.
Is this stupid guy really saying he’s a descendant of elves who have gone extinct back in the ancient times? His gaze swept up and down in disbelief at the disheveled, insignificant appearance of the wizard.
This wizard is more like a Seiren. Pale, limp, and noisy just like those monsters.
Whether or not the man was just pouring acrimonious criticisms, he had been convinced and had secretly ignited Riftan’s curiosity on his own race.
“Please tell me the truth, Sir Calypse. Even if there happens to be a monster in your ancestors, I will not judge you and tell the church. There’s some secret in your family, right?”
“… There’s no such thing.”
Riftan muttered in an ambiguous tone. How could he, an illegitimate child, know the history of his family’s bloodline? The wizard persisted, as if sensing his hesitation.
“Please don’t lie to me! How can a pure human-being be so powerful?”
Riftan clenched his jaw. “Don’t test my limits and just go to sleep! If you ever mention the same sh*t tomorrow, I’ll really leave your ass behind.”
“Stop beating around the bush and please answer me! It’s unfair and cowardly of you to keep your mouth sealed when someone just told you their deepest secret!”
“What the hell are you talking about?!”
Regardless of Riftan growling harshly, the wizard crawled to him like a mud man emerging out of a swamp with a strange glint in his eyes.
“I’m desperate to know! It bothers me and it drives me crazy! What’s the secret that lies behind your phenomenal abilities? How and why in the hell are you built like this? Just let me accomplish some research!”
Riftan got up from his seat, filling a cold chill in his spine that he had never felt before, not even when he ran into a pack of monsters. This time, he picked up a heavy rock with the intention of squashing the man who was like a pesky flying bug. The wizard sensed a crisis when he saw what Riftan was about to do and quickly tamed a notch down and stepped back, offering a quite compelling compromise.
“It will only take around 10 minutes! If you will allow me to determine if you are using magic, I promise not to follow you for three expeditions.”
Riftan pondered for a moment, clutching a stone the size of his fist. Although he didn’t really know the exact reason why he had to know why he was this way, the wizard’s suggestion appealed to him. He was even willing to pay if only he could get away from that chatterbox of a wizard. Riftan sighed and sank on top of a flat rock.
“… Fine. But if you dare try doing something weird, I will rip your hair right out the roots of your head.”
“I will just make mana flow into your body. Rest assured that will be all that I will do to you!”
The wizard ran to him with a big smile. Riftan massaged his stiff neck. How did I end up in this situation?
Whether he irked him or not, the wizard didn’t care and held his arm with an excited smile dancing on his lips, making him wonder if he was that elated because he was about to unravel the mystery of the identity that Riftan had long abandoned.
Riftan frowned as he felt the lukewarm energy flowing into his body. The mana that flowed through his forearms soaked every inch of his body. He shuddered slightly at the unpleasant feeling, but the wizard spoke as he blinked his eyes blankly in disbelief.
“… You really are an ordinary human.”
“That’s what I keep telling you.”
Riftan felt a little relieved and pulled his arm back. The wizard appeared disappointed, like he couldn’t believe he had no secrets in his birth. He walked across him and sat down, speaking dejectedly.
“I thought I was going to discover a great secret. I can’t believe that your physical abilities are just naturally extraordinary. In a sense, that’s more appalling than being mixed with a breed of monster.”
Riftan made a fierce frown at the wizard, who was looking at him with fascinated eyes, and soon closed his eyes.
I’m tired of dealing with this bloke. Exchanging words with him was more consuming than hiking a mountain all day.
“Now shut your mouth and go to sleep. If you talk one more time, I will cut your tongue off.”
“Yes, yes, as you wish.”
He replied passively and laid on the ground, wrapping a blanket around his body. Riftan threw a few dry branches into the weak flames, then quietly closed his eyes. Although he couldn’t let himself fall into a deep slumber, since he had to be wary of his surroundings, closing his eyes gave him relief to some extent.
After a while, the darkness enveloped their surroundings. He felt a faint scent of beasts in the cool breeze, so immediately placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. On the contrary of what he expected, the night was still and deeply silent.
He slept only for a short amount of time and woke up before the sun rose. The sky was cloudy, indicating that it was going to rain, and the air that swept by felt damp.
It will be difficult to climb over the mountain today.
The winter season was almost over, yet the day was still chilly. Walking in rain-soaked clothes for a long time could cause one’s body temperature to drop and could put one who dared in trouble. He turned his head and gazed down at the wizard’s gray head. Riftan might be able to withstand the rain somehow, but it would be a different case for the wizard.
We’ll have to move as far as we can before it rains and find a cave for shelter.
Riftan picked up a long branch, wrapped a piece of cloth around it, and lit it with fire. Then, he relentlessly kicked Ruth’s back, who jumped up to his feet, horrified.
“Wh-what’s going on?”
“It’s time to leave. Now take this and follow me.”
The wizard, who blinked blankly, took the torch with a displeased expression. Riftan ignored the murmuring behind him and began to hike up a rocky mountain path.
The wizard gasped and grudgingly followed. Riftan peeked at him several times and noticed he was keeping up with him better than he had expected, so decided to increase his speed. The sky was slightly getting brighter as he looked through the thin tree branches, but as he has predicted, a thin sheet of rain poured from the hazy clouds.
Note – Nymeria: NO WAY! Ruth has elven blood! Omg that’s so cool 😮 I’m dying to know how old he is. Also, I was wondering if Riftan had something special too and I think this isn’t the end of it. Maybe there’s something deeper to find out?