Dark Fantasy: Magical Eye Knight – Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Conflict

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Russell wore the clothes Shasha had given him. He fastened the buttons on his leather pants and shirt and attempted to tie his long hair back with a ribbon.

“Russell-nim.”

“Hm?”

“Let me tie it for you.”

Shasha, now fully dressed, approached him. She had thoughtfully brought her own change of clothes along with Russell’s. Shasha, looking cleaner and wearing an apron, took the ribbon and began arranging Russell’s long hair.

“Russell-nim, your hair is really pretty and soft. . . I could play with it forever.”

Russell chuckled. It was exactly what ‘someone’ had said before. Now that he thought about it, he wondered how she was doing. He felt a bit guilty for leaving so abruptly.

“There. All done.”

Russell turned around, fingering Shasha’s tied-up hair. Shasha stood smiling, a faint blush on her face. Her light brown hair was moist, and her skin was slightly flushed.

“Thank you.”

“. . .You’re welcome. I’m the one who should be thanking you.”

Shasha bowed her head slightly. The words she wanted to say echoed in her heart. But she didn’t utter them. She knew that this moment would never come again, like a miracle. So she simply said,

“Dinner should be ready by now. You can look forward to it.”

Russell smiled at Shasha, who remembered what he had said before leaving that afternoon. And then he pressed his lips against her forehead. Her eyes widened.

“I’ll eat well.”

Shasha stood there for a long time after Russell had climbed the stairs to the dining room. One hand was on her forehead, the other on her stomach, and a look of pure happiness was on her face.

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Russell, with a greatsword in one hand, discovered Evelyn and Lexi near the fireplace in the dining room. Aside from them, there weren’t many people in the dining room.

Only a few armed mercenaries sat in a secluded corner, drinking.

As he approached, Evelyn, who had been staring blankly at the crackling fire, raised an eyebrow and said, 

“Why did it take you so long? The food’s getting cold.”

“That’s right. Is this my steak?”

Russell sat down at the table, leaning against his greatsword. He immediately picked up a large piece of meat and began to eat it, much to Evelyn’s dismay. Only Lexi had a meaningful expression on her face.

The dark elf soon saw Shasha coming up from the basement. As soon as she came up, Shasha glanced at Russell, then went straight into the kitchen. Lexi, who had been watching her shaped buttocks, turned her gaze back to Russell.

“Was it good?”

“What was?”

“The bath.”

Russell, who had been chewing on the meat, looked up. Lexi’s red eyes sparkled. Her pointed ears, which were a deep pink or a pale purple, twitched. ‘Oh, hell no.’

“. . .It was good, okay. Don’t make me talk about it. I’m eating.”

“Hmph.”

“What are you talking about? Is that some kind of euphemism that only you understand?”

Evelyn, who couldn’t follow the conversation, got angry. ‘I guess I have to change the subject.’

“What’s the matter? Didn’t you wash yourself?”

“I wasn’t that dirty. I have a cleansing spell. I was more hungry than anything.”

“Me too. I just changed my clothes and came down. I’m not the kind of person who likes to clean up.”

Russell, the person in question, just chuckled and continued eating. The large amount of meat had almost disappeared, leaving little behind.

Soon, Russell, who had drunk the cold stew in one gulp, raised his hand. Shasha, who was at the bar, approached him.

“Can I have a beer? Something strong.”

“Me too. It’s been a while since I’ve had a human beer.”

“I’ll have one too.”

“Coming right up.”

Shasha went into the kitchen and came back with the beer in wooden mugs. They were clearer than before, with a few ice cubes floating on top.

“Enjoy your meal.”

Soon, the large man, the red-haired wizard, and the white-haired, purple-skinned dark elf were drinking their beer. As Evelyn put her mug down, a faint blush began to appear on her face.

“W, Wow, this is really strong. . .”

Russell just laughed and finished his beer. It tasted pretty good. The ice cubes made it even better. It seemed like a special service from Shasha.

While he was ordering another round, Lexi was still holding the beer mug to her lips. And when it came time for Russell to take a sip of his new beer, she finally put down her mug.

“Gulp, ahem. Delicious. I’m going to drink it.”

Lexi’s complexion hadn’t changed, but her speech had. Her skin color, which didn’t seem to have changed even after getting drunk, made her look perfectly fine.

“Are you drunk? Why is your pronunciation so strange?”

“What? What’s wrong with my pronunciation?”

Are elves weak to alcohol? Russell shook his head as he thought. ‘Who knows? The first elf I met after leaving home isn’t a white-skinned elf, but a dark elf.’ He had seen Albert, but only from a distance, and they had not had a conversation because of the battle that had just taken place.

“Hey, hey, Lucel!”

“It’s Russell.”

“Lucel!”

“Russell.”

“Luucy!”

“Russell.”

“Y, You’re talking about me! Hey, why are you so strong? Huh? You just flicked your arms, and those things with wings died. You flicked your tail, and they died. With a flick of your hand, did you kill the dragon’s head? If you’re that strong,You’re that strong!”

This elf was someone who became a different person when she drank alcohol. Lexi continued to talk nonsense for a while, then fell asleep with her face on the table. She made small snoring sounds, like “coo-coo.”

Evelyn shook her head slightly and said, 

“She’s a pretty weak dark elf for alcohol. When did you meet her?”

“Today.”

“Today? When today?”

“In the afternoon, on bookstore street.”

“A bookstore? Why a bookstore?”

“I was wondering if I could learn magic.”

“They don’t sell books about magic in bookstores. Stores certified by the Magic Tower do not sell books about magic. And those stores aren’t on Bookstore Street, but on Magic Tower Street. They don’t sell to just any mercenary. They only cater to those who are considering attending an academy or a university.

‘Is that so? I’ve only been in this city for two days, so how would I know? The day after I arrived, I had to fight monsters.’

Evelyn asked,

“You’re not planning to go to the academy, are you?”

“I don’t have time for that.”

‘At my age, why would I go to school? And if I did, there’s no way it wouldn’t be noticed by his family.’ He couldn’t spend time in a place where he was constantly on the lookout for pursuers.’

“Well, with those eyes and talents, I envy you. Can you show me your eyes for a moment?”

Russell turned his head and met Evelyn’s eyes. Her green eyes examined him closely. He didn’t bother to activate his magic power, so his eyes were just ordinary eyes.

“Would it be rude if I asked you to activate your magic power?”

“I’d rather not. Because of these eyes, I’ve been through some rough times when I was home. I don’t use them much, except in battle.”

“Is that so. .? I’m sorry. Wizards and witches tend to be like this. They want to dig into anything that interests them.”

Russell shrugged and drank his beer. It was a decent beer, with a cold, refreshing taste, a slightly bitter middle, and a clean finish.

The dining room gradually began to fill up with new customers. Most of them were mercenaries, but there were also travelers in cloaks and merchants in fancy hats and clothes. It was time for a drink rather than dinner.

Accordingly, the waitstaff scurried about, carrying food and glasses of alcohol. Shasha was among them. She moved between the tables and customers without thanking Russell. He watched Shasha’s retreating figure and said,

“What about you? You seemed to have another purpose for coming to this city. You even asked me to come along with you at first.”

“Oh, yes. That’s right. In fact, I came here on a bit of a whim, based on some information I found by chance. But as someone who has dedicated my life to magic and spells, it was an irresistible temptation.”

Evelyn also took a sip of beer from her wooden mug. Russell also fixed his gaze on the firewood burning in the nearby fireplace.

“Fireplace gazing” was a modern term. It was a neologism that simply meant staring blankly at a campfire or a fireplace, and Russell thought it was a pretty good word.

The flames, which occasionally crackled and sparked, had a strange power that drew people’s attention. The flickering flames licked the air. The short life of the sparks that soared up and then fell was evident.

Gray ashes were all that remained in the end. Isn’t it because of their brilliance and the emptiness that follows that people can’t take their eyes off them?

Russell asked, 

“So?”

“Monsters invaded today. Monsters who couldn’t coexist and were fighting over territory came together as one. They appeared to be fighting under the command of a higher power. The more I fought, the more I realized that someone was controlling the monsters. And finally, it appeared.”

“Karugon.”

Evelyn nodded.

“That’s right. And it was a dragonkin, a drakan. In fact, drakan are a rare species to see in human society. Firstly, their appearance bears a striking resemblance to that of monsters, setting them apart from the more beautiful draconians, such as elves. It’s a bit pitiful, but that’s their problem. Anyway, remember the troll you defeated yesterday? Nazurek.”

Russell nodded. He held a beer mug in his hand, his gaze fixed on the fireplace.

“The troll and the minotaur you killed today were all monsters who had awakened their magic powers. It’s rare for monsters to awaken their magic power. Monsters, typically found in remote areas, unexpectedly appeared near a human city. That doesn’t make sense. So there’s only one possibility. Someone planted the seeds of mana in the bodies of monsters. There is a wizard who possesses the ability to wield extremely powerful magic and spells.

‘Was he that strong? He just seemed like a scaredy-cat.’ Ultimately, his own magic power consumed him, transforming him into a monster. Evelyn continued,

“Drakan, Karugon, had the troll and the minotaur awaken their magic power, gather the monsters, and attack Calisden. I can guess why.”

“You can guess why?”

Evelyn had a slightly dazed look on her face. It was more like she was convinced of an idea than talking to Russell.

“I realized that the reason I came to this city, something that even I didn’t believe, has gained considerable credibility.”

“What is that?”

Evelyn gulped down the rest of her beer. Her face, which was as red as her hair color, turned even redder as it absorbed the fire’s heat.

She remained silent, as if she couldn’t say it without the help of alcohol. Then she sipped her beer and said in a small voice,

“I think there might be a dragon somewhere in this city.”

“A dragon?”

‘What the hell is she talking about? No, drakan were dragonkin, but still. A real dragon?’

As Russell was about to ask her more about it, the dining room echoed with a woman’s scream and a loud laugh. It was not far away, and the voice was familiar.

At the sound of that loud laughter and scream, Evelyn clutched her head as if it were throbbing, and Russell turned his head.

At a table with six mercenaries, one of the men was holding a serving girl. The serving girl struggled to pull her arm away, but she couldn’t overcome the strength of the muscular mercenary.

“L, Let me go!”

“Let you go? How can I let you go?”

“Shake it more! That’s it! Oh, you’re doing great! Hahaha!”

The other men laughed as the mercenary laughed and banged his beer mug on the table. The other people frowned at such behavior, but they didn’t say anything when they saw the men take out their daggers and toss them up and down.

The six mercenaries all had large scars on their faces and were wearing swords, axes, or leaning against the table, making them look threatening.

“B*tch, you should have known that with that big ass and those big tits, something like this would happen.”

“Hey, Delson! You’re a smooth talker today.”

“Of course, I am! How many women have I sent to heaven with this tongue?”

“Are you going to send that woman, too?”

“If you keep shaking like this, I might not be able to help it! Hahaha!”

Russell glanced at the innkeeper standing behind the bar. The innkeeper, who was bald with a protruding belly, had a hard expression on his face and was clenching his fists, but he didn’t seem to have the guts to stand up to them.

Evelyn muttered, 

“My beer seems to be all gone.”

Russell glanced at her mug as she spoke, mimicking her laughter.

He put down his empty beer mug on the table. Then, with a thud, a vibration spread through the air, silencing all the noise at once. Despite its insignificant gesture, the sound of the mug hitting the table, when combined with his magic power, sounded like a large bell ringing. The dining room fell silent.

Everyone’s eyes turned to the table where the sound had come from. Ignoring the gazes of the travelers, merchants, and noisy mercenaries, Russell raised his mug to Shasha, who was in captivity.

“One more beer.”

Rumble, rattle!

Chairs and tables scraped noisily as the mercenaries stood up.

“Hey, long-haired guy. Don’t you see that I’m playing with this woman right now? What are you doing here? Aren’t there any other b*tches around?”

“Is the dumb sword by your side even capable of cutting? Do you think you’re some kind of great warrior?”

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