Chapter 329

Chapter 329

Chapter Title: Bears Don’t Harm People. And

Aster immediately initiated a probe into the Gale Wings mercenary group. By the time he managed to gather any substantial intelligence, the midterm exams had already concluded. Based on what he had uncovered, the Gale Wings were quite an eccentric organization.

‘To begin with, their commander is rather unconventional.’

Corteza de Calabrume. He was the third son of the Count de Calabrume’s family, a frontier noble house tasked with guarding the boundary of the Monstruous Mountains. It wasn’t unusual for second or third sons of aristocratic families to striking out on their own, but starting a mercenary band? That was definitely peculiar. In fact, it was practically unprecedented. And that wasn’t the only anomaly.

“Their operational zone overlaps with the Calabrume territory, but…”

According to Parun’s findings, the client hiring the Gale Wings wasn’t the Calabrume family. That, too, was highly unusual. ‘From the Gale Wings’ perspective, securing a contract with the Calabrumes would be the most straightforward path.’ Instead, they had inked a deal with a neighboring house and conducted operations within Calabrume lands. Furthermore, the contracting family shared no specific ties with the Calabrumes.

“Is there some convoluted reasoning behind this?”

“They are definitely not linked with the Calabrumes. Or rather… is it more like the Gale Wings are actively avoiding them? Word is that despite being active on the monster front lines these past few years, they steered completely clear of any work involving the Calabrumes before that.” Regardless.

Setting aside a few isolated quirks, they perfectly fit the requirements. For starters, the Gale Wings were a top-tier mercenary outfit free of any shady backers. They also had nothing to hide. The real issue was…

“Is this price tag for real? It’s nearly double what the Kalia Mercenaries demand.”

“And in case you’re considering it, don’t even think about haggling.”

“What? Hey, do you honestly think I’d try to bargain over this?”

Amateurs might attempt to negotiate prices with mercenaries, but one didn’t barter with professionals who survived by the blade. You either hire them or you don’t. At any rate.

‘This is pretty much the extent of what I can find out on paper…’

The rest would have to be learned in a face-to-face meeting with the leader.

“Ah, right. How do we even get an audience with them?”

“What do you mean? We schedule an appointment.”

“No, I mean, you’re planning to go through Hickster, correct?”

“Yes?”

Otherwise, conducting research through the Academy wouldn’t make much sense. It was simpler to leverage even a tenuous connection like this rather than just showing up and saying, “Let’s sign a contract.” Such was the power of alumni connections—whether based on blood, region, or school. Yet, that was precisely the detail that puzzled Evelyn.

“So, will you approach them as ‘Aster’? Or as the ‘Tower Lord’?”

“Huh?”

“To exploit that connection, you’d need to go as ‘Aster’, wouldn’t you? But then, developing the lands of El Kalia…”

He had intended to meet them in his capacity as the Tower Lord. Their bond had been forged in the fires of combat, rendering it sturdier than any school ties. But when it came to the Gale Wings… what was the right move? If you met them as Aster, they likely wouldn’t take a mere student seriously, just as Evelyn pointed out. ‘…Unless he happened to be the scion of some highly renowned aristocrat.’ Meeting them as the Tower Lord meant the Academy connection would fall apart from the very start.

“Do you have a plan?”

“Huh?”

“No ideas whatsoever?”

Aster’s eyes twitched at Evelyn’s interrogation. ‘How could I have been so blind?’ Going as the Tower Lord meant zero alumni leverage; going as Aster meant the name of the Tower carried no weight. It would have been wiser to seek candidates outside the Academy from the beginning. As he lapsed into silence, Evelyn observed his predicament with a look of concern.

“Hey, Aster, are you an idiot by any chance?”

Aster offered no reply. At this very moment, even he viewed himself as an idiot. But that realization passed swiftly.

“W-wait, I have a workaround.”

“Oh? And what might that be?”

“It’s…”

Aster fell deep into thought, then suddenly leaped to his feet.

“Ah, right… Of course it works. I expected nothing less.” Aster mused internally.

“This demands justice.”

He clenched his fist tightly, just as Evelyn spoke up.

“It can’t be helped. I will step in.”

“Huh? You?”

“Yes, me.”

“Does you stepping in… alter anything?”

Evelyn burst into a laugh at Aster’s question, as if it were utterly absurd. And honestly, that was exactly how she felt.

“The former star of the continent’s Three Great merchant companies, Goldrin, and the black and white slums…”

“Hold it right there. Utter one more word and my justice might not spare you.”

“Ahem, anyway. It’s better for me to intervene than you, considering you’re on bad terms with Hickster.”

She wasn’t wrong. Her history with Goldrin was a thing of the past, but a slum rat requesting elite services looked worse than a former big-league merchant. Furthermore, they could still capitalize on the Academy connection. Even so, Aster narrowed his eyes with suspicion.

“No hidden motives?”

“Huh? Like what?”

“No, it’s just… you’ve been oddly helpful lately. Aren’t you swamped with exam preparations?”

A piercing glare. Evelyn flinched, as memories of the “Second Land Deed of the Black and White Slums” rushed back to her. However.

“To deceive your foe, you must first deceive your allies.”

And in this scenario, “allies” referred to “herself.” Third-rate tricksters deceive the foe; second-rate tricksters deceive their allies as well. Only when you manage to trick your own self do you become a true master. The legendary con artist who coined that phrase was ultimately beaten to death. But Evelyn took the lesson to heart. ‘The second Black-White slum project fell through because… I hadn’t managed to trick myself yet.’ With that thought, Evelyn flashed a radiant smile.

“It’s for the sake of the Tower, isn’t it? Of course I’ll step forward.”

“Right? Yes, that’s it.”

“Naturally.”

“But you see…”

Aster gripped the edge of the cafeteria table, and Creak— the wood groaned under his pressure. Aster’s voice boomed over the straining sound.

“Bears don’t tear people apart.”

Creak.

“And”

Crack!

As the cafeteria table finally splintered under Aster’s hand, he concluded:

“I can tear bears apart.”

“…..”

“Bears tear people apart, I tear apart the bears that tear people apart… I hope you keep that well in mind.”

Evelyn remained quiet. But not for very long.

“Do you realize I’m actually a bit ticked off right now? Even if this concerns the Tower, is this how you react when someone offers assistance out of pure kindness?”

“No, that wasn’t…”

“Whatever. We will talk after the exa—”

With that parting shot, Evelyn stormed out. Her chilly exit left him completely floored, and Aster stared after her retreating figure, utterly bewildered.

“Not exactly?”

It had certainly felt like a moment for justice. …Aster had absolutely no clue.

“Good grief, how can people be like that?… Ha!” That Evelyn had successfully deceived her own self flawlessly.

The matter regarding ‘Gale Wings and Hickster’ was sorted out for the time being. Aster returned to his quarters and began organizing his thoughts.

“Still, it feels strange…”

Setting aside his personal unease, if Evelyn was handling the situation, he could breathe easy. She was dependable, money matters aside.

‘Alright, then.’

Aster settled onto his mattress and stroked the spine of the slumbering dragon. The Wyvern possessed a reptilian appearance but was warm to the touch; the scales offered a pleasant texture. In any case.

[Filthy human, how dare you…]

“Yeah, go back to sleep.”

Brushing off the twitching dragon, Aster structured his future plans.

‘First, military might: Kalia or Gale Wings.’

Following graduation, he would develop the territory of Arafurgin alongside Parun, Professor Fellina, and Evelyn. The Great Forest of Hamern was dense, and the mountains of Arafurgin were treacherous, but Rayleigh’s scouting expertise would prove invaluable. Once the foundation was laid… track down the fragments of Inverse Sky. That comprised the primary strategy. Naturally, things could shift depending on the actions of Decullan, Salvatium, or the Second Prince.

‘…Overthinking this will only make it overly complicated.’

Therefore, let’s lock down the certainties. However.

‘The true turning point lies in what follows.’

Up until now, he had merely survived crises as they crashed into him. Events had unfolded in rapid succession, forcing him to focus entirely on not getting swept away. But the moment had arrived to make a definitive choice. Constructing the Magic Tower he had vaguely envisioned, and turning it into reality. Or channeling every ounce of his being into crushing Decullan. He hadn’t completely neglected either objective before, but now he required a deeper commitment. The circumstances had shifted. The Tower was no longer a pipe dream; it was tangible. Decullan was no longer a vague grudge, but a concrete threat. It was time to select one path and focus entirely.

‘If I choose the former…’

He would entrench himself within Arafurgin. He would adopt a defensive strategy against Decullan.

‘The second option…’

Arafurgin would serve as preparation for Lucifer. Keep the Tower on the back burner, establishing only the bare foundations.

He pondered deeply on the matter for a while.

“Tch.”

‘This turned out far too intense.’

The truth was, neither path offered an easy road. Choosing one of the two targets was a heavy burden. But… that was precisely the reason he had to make a choice.

“The Tower or Decullan. That is the dilemma.”

Aster’s gaze drifted out through the window pane. His unfocused eyes appeared somewhat hollow. Suddenly, the dragon’s voice drifted into his ears.

[The dilemma is…]

What?

[Friends.]

“……What?”

[The dilemma is friends… Hmnya.]

Aster, turning away from the window, directed a piercing, frowning glare at the dragon. His fist clenched tightly.

“Are you… not sleeping?”

[…]

Predictably, there was no reply.