Chapter 51 – Freedom
The Thawing Balhae Clan’s members decreased. Both the incident in Arnin and the unveiling of their plot in Chesswood had severely hurt them. Even the public opinion on the Internet was against them. The name of ‘Thawing Balhae’ was now the subject of ridicule.
So it was like this.
Crockta and Jeremy even criticized them for being boring.
“Brother, are these the last ones?” Jeremy asked as he tied up the last Thawing Balhae member with a rope.
“It seems so.”
Crockta nodded. They had raided a building belonging to the Thawing Balhae Clan, and this was its last room. It was the third city hit after Chesswood. Jeremy’s captive struggled as his body started to be bound.
He begged, “Please don’t! How will I grow? I have money, so please…!”
“Shut up, this guy.”
Jeremy hit his back. Jeremy kept hitting him as the man kept twisting without end.
Crockta shrugged. The user seemed like someone who worked hard to raise his character. His equipment was advanced and he was relatively strong in the clan. But Crockta and Jeremy were stronger.
Jeremy continued by kicking the man’s face. He flew away, bleeding at the mouth. The man struggled to catch his breath and fell limp. Jeremy bound his body. Jeremy finished with the man and rose from his spot, wiping the sweat from his brow.
“Phew. There sure are a lot of them.”
All of the Thawing Balhae clan members were wriggling on the ground like worms behind Crockta and Jeremy. The door opened, revealing the messenger that Derek had dispatched.
“Thanks for the good work.”
Crockta didn’t know how, but Derek said that he had made a big profit here. According to the man, Derek had arranged to gain control of the city simply by pushing the Thawing Balhae clan out of the area. Crockta didn’t ask about the contents.
“Hey, is Boss doing well?”Jeremy asked. The man glanced at Jeremy and nodded. “Of course.”
“It’s been a long time. Tell him I will return with a gift.”
“I understand. Boss Derek has also prepared a gift for you.”
“A gift from Boss? Should I be expectant? What is it?”
“I don’t know the details.”
Jeremy approached the man and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“The management of those cursed people is going well right?”
“Yes, don’t worry. Most of them have already been taken to the stars.”
When a user’s character disappeared completely, the NPCs expressed it as being ‘taken by the stars’. Most of the Thawing Balhae Clan members had been forced to delete their characters, create new ones, or quit the game.
“What is the next destination?” Crockta asked.
The man spoke respectfully to Crockta, “Crockta, there are no more.”
“Why?”
“The movements of the Thawing Balhae Clan have disappeared, and the crowd has dispersed. They seemed to have disbanded.”
“…I see.”
“Yes. The Thawing Balhae Clan is over.”
The dissolution of Thawing Balhae had occurred in no time. Their bases and workplaces had been raided, so it was no wonder that they had disbanded.
Crockta walked to the window. The clan members were on the ground, but he didn’t care and stepped all over them. When he reached the window, he could see the blue sky.
He opened the window and a cool breeze floated into the room. Crockta stared at the sky outside. He hadn’t expected that his revenge for Lenox would come to an end so quickly, so soon. It was an unknown feeling.
“Is it really the end?”
“Yes, Crockta. Nothing is being hidden from you.”
Crockta suddenly looked at the man’s face. The man continued speaking, “Maybe this is the inevitable result. You and Jeremy have cut off their limbs. This much is great.”
“I see.”
Jeremy whistled. “Brother, congratulations. In the end, didn’t you get your revenge?”
Crockta shrugged.
Revenge, had he really done it? He couldn’t catch Grom the traitor or the Thawing Balhae clan master who had allied with the NPC noble. If the clan was disbanded, then it would be more difficult to track them down. Crockta laughed bitterly.
It was only a half revenge. But the Thawing Balhae Clan had lost more than half. They didn’t care about what Crockta lost, so their situation was worthless to him.
For the time being, it would be good to rest. But this didn’t mean it was a complete end. On the day that they met again under the skies of Elder Lord, they would realize that the orcs had come back for revenge.
“Derek has this gift for you.”
The man handed over a piece of paper to Crockta with a city and address written on it. He also saw something that looked like a password. It seemed to be the contact method.
“If you want to chase the remnants of the clan, then use this. This is the method to contact an information guild. That is all we can do for you.”
“Thank you.”
Crockta put the piece of paper away. Anyway, this was a mutually benefiting deal. The rest was up to Crockta alone.
“Good job,” Crockta told Jeremy.
He laughed. “Brother really gave went through a lot of trouble. Your revenge, you did a pretty good job.”
“Are you going back to Derek?”
“Of course, my original position is beside Boss.”
“I see.”
Crockta walked over to Jeremy and quietly whispered in Jeremy’s ears, “You should be careful of Derek.”
“Huh?”
“Hounds will only be raised when they can be controlled. If they try to break the collar, then they will be silenced.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It doesn’t hurt to be careful.”
Crockta glanced somewhere else. The messenger sent by Derek was watching them whisper together. Crockta smiled and moved away. Then he hit Jeremy’s shoulder.
“Bul’tar! You went through a lot of trouble. Stay alive until we meet the next time. “
“Is this a parting? How depressing.”
“I’ll see you again someday.”
“Yes. Brother, come and see me in Anail one day.”
Jeremy stretched out his hand, as if he wanted a handshake, before stopping and grinning. He pushed out his fist in the orc manner.
“In fact, I wanted to try this once.”
Crockta grinned and bumped fists with Jeremy.
“Bul’tar! Is this right?”
“Wrong. There is nothing in your voice. More strength. Bul’tar!”
“Pfff, how funny. Yes, Bul’tar.” Jeremy laughed and dropped his fist. “Brother, will you be leaving now?”
Crockta nodded.
“That’s right. I should go.”
Jeremy slung his arm over Crockta and said to the man, “Take care of cleaning up this place. Brother, I’ll send you off.”
“Yes.”
Crockta and Jeremy left the room.
As they headed to the entrance of the building, they passed by Thawing Balhae Clan members struggling to get rid of their ropes. Some had already terminated their connection. Crockta and Jeremy smiled as they saw them.
They reached the entrance and exchanged glances. The two people firmly grasped hands. Their farewell wasn’t long, with only a short handshake and eye contact. They hit each other’s shoulders and turned in different directions before setting off, knowing that they would someday meet again.
***
Jeremy saw off Crockta and entered Thawing Balhae’s building again. This place was now Derek’s asset, and Derek’s crew was cleaning up the remnants of the Clan.
The man that Derek sent came over to him saying, “Jeremy.”
“Huh?”
“Here, a letter from the boss.”
“A letter?”
The man handed a white envelope to Jeremy. As always, the white envelope was sealed with red candle wax that had Derek’s mark on it. Jeremy opened it and whistled. The candle wax fell down.
“Hrmm… What do I have to do this time…?”
For a moment, Jeremy doubted his eyes. The contents were unexpected. He was about to open his mouth and say, ‘what the hell is this’ when he stopped.
‘You should be careful of Derek.’
He recalled Crockta’s voice. Even though he had yet to fully understand it, Jeremy’s instincts prompted him to cover his face with a mask of calmness. Jeremy suppressed his wildly beating heart and smiled. He didn’t expose his agitation and acted like he had expected it.
“Indeed…”
His voice trembled. ‘Calm down, Jeremy.’
“As expected from Boss. He is thorough. Isn’t that right?”
“……”
“The risk factor needs to be removed. That has always been the case.”
Jeremy laughed. He barely folded up the letter with his stiff hands. He placed the letter back in the envelope and put it away, still smiling. His face was smiling, but he was quickly analyzing the situation.
The letter that Derek sent to Jeremy was simple.
[Kill Crockta.]
Jeremy knew Derek well. This was a way of testing his subordinates. He shouldn’t show the slightest hesitation or confusion. He had to be a loyal dog, and one that refused to hunt would instantly be put down.
‘But why? Boss, why me?’
Jeremy realized it the moment he asked the question. He couldn’t help laughing.
‘I see.’
The order to kill Crockta. Derek already had his suspicions and doubts, seeing right through Jeremy. Derek required thorough obedience. Jeremy had previously dealt with those who rejected Derek’s orders as traitors.
Thus, Jeremy was able to understand Derek’s decision. With this type of mindset, he wouldn’t be able to complete the many injustices that Derek would order him to do in the future.
‘Indeed, Boss is really great.’ Jeremy thought. Derek could see through Jeremy’s mind that he didn’t even know himself.
But at the same time, he was offended. He handled everything as Derek’s direct subordinate. He did it without any doubts. He thought that he was a special subordinate to Derek. He hoped to be more than just a dog.
It was his pride.
“Hey, Brother. Did Boss say anything to you?” Jeremy asked.
The man was confused, but Jeremy just grinned. “If I show any sign of surprise or objection, kill me immediately?”
“……!”
The man’s eyes widened. The moment he was about to retreat, Jeremy’s sword pierced his neck, blood spraying out.
“Somehow, your neck is stiff like an old man’s.”
“Cough…”
The man collapsed.
Derek’s other subordinates surrounded Jeremy. Their momentum was overwhelming. They were strong.
Jeremy chuckled.
There was one thing that couldn’t be predicted. Jeremy’s body moved like the wind, one of the assailants collapsing in his wake. As the enemy’s formation collapsed, Jeremy knocked them down in turn, slain without any resistance. Jeremy’s eyes were cold as he cut the neck of the last assailant.
Jeremy was very strong. He became even stronger as he fought with Crockta.
This fact was beyond Derek’s expectations. It was natural. Jeremy had been with Crockta for a while, not someone else. Derek’s prediction was ruined by the orc warrior. Crockta was an unpredictable variable who kept changing the surroundings.
“If I’m with that orc brother, I have to be stronger.”
It was necessary in order to stand beside such a reckless man. Jeremy took a deep breath and walked over to the window. He trampled on the cursed bodies and the dead ones without any care. As he reached the window, he could see the high, blue sky.
Jeremy stared at that long expanse.
“This is why that orc brother was standing here before.”
After ending the Thawing Balhae Clan, Crockta had walked over to the window and to stare at the sky. Jeremy could now understand why.
“The sky is true.”
Derek had abandoned him, and he had also abandoned Derek. The shackles holding him were released. Both Derek and the back alleys of Anail, restraints that had dominated his whole life, were now gone.
The world was far wider than he had ever known, now that his chains had been cut off.
Jeremy opened his arms. The wind blowing from outside wound around him.
Now he would be chased by Derek. He would also need to find a job. The only thing he knew how to do was use the sword. He had no family or friends. He was thrown into this world with only a sword.
“A person who doesn’t belong anywhere…”
Destiny was returned to his hands. There might be many enemies in the future.
Freedom.
Jeremy closed his eyes.
…Ecstasy.
