Chapter 124: What a Coincidence
"A slip of the tongue, that's all—a slip, ha... ha... hahaha." William Merlin stood in the corridor, his laughter thin and guilty.
Truth was, William Merlin knew perfectly well: in the common tongue, 'mage' and 'archmage' didn't even sound alike. The odds of a slip were almost zero.
Still, William Merlin didn't dare think too deeply about it...
If he did, he'd never get to sleep tonight.
If it wasn't just a slip, did that mean his Grandmaster cousin already had the ability to mass-produce archmages?
Just thinking about it felt almost criminal...
Over the next few days, with the blueprints handed off to the alchemy workshop and the Merlin Family’s fifty mages yet to arrive, Leon found himself with rare free time. But idleness never suited him; soon enough, he was poking into the affairs of the trading company's mercenary corps. To get a clearer picture, Leon even asked the old steward about the Goldspark Trading Company's mercenary corps.
Only then did he learn that the Goldspark Trading Company's mercenary corps was called the Mercury Mercenary Company—ranked fourth among all the mercenary groups in Seaview City. But during Roger Merlin’s shipwreck, the Mercury Mercenary Company had gone all-in: every elite boarded the vessel, and when disaster struck, nearly the entire company was wiped out.
All that remained in Seaview City were a handful of newly recruited rookies who'd never seen real combat. The only halfway decent vice-captain had vanished after Goldspark Trading Company collapsed—even the old steward had no idea where he'd gone.
After hearing all this from the old steward, Leon felt a headache coming on.
Originally, Leon had hoped that if any of the old Mercury Mercenary Company veterans were still around, he could bring them back. He planned to have them rebuild a mercenary corps for the Gilded Rose alongside William Merlin, using the fifty fifth-level mages sent by the Merlin Family.
Who could've guessed Roger Merlin's shipwreck was so absolute...
The entire Mercury Mercenary Company was lost, and even the only vice-captain had disappeared.
How was he supposed to rebuild now?
Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, several days went by. The fifty fifth-level mages sent by the Merlin Family finally arrived, but Leon had no time to deal with them. On the same day, word came from the alchemy workshop—the crossbows Leon had requested were finished, and the Gilded Rose's caravan was ready to head out for Razor Rift early the next morning.
So Leon had to set aside the fifty mages for now and spent the whole night busy in the alchemy lab. The next morning, with dark circles under his eyes, he set out with the Gilded Rose caravan, heading straight for Razor Rift.
The trade route through Venomfog Gorge had finally been opened. The Gilded Rose paid a hundred thousand gold for it, which left Soth a bit uneasy—he worried the Gilded Rose meant to hold it long-term. Leon had to personally guarantee: three months meant three months, not a day more. Only then did Soth leave, half-believing.
Today, the Gilded Rose caravan had just arrived at Venomfog Gorge when Soth got the word and hurried over—alone, without a single attendant.
The moment Soth saw Leon, his first words threw William Merlin under the bus...
"Archmage Leon Merlin, a few days ago someone named William Merlin came to see me!"
At that moment, William Merlin was riding in the caravan's wagon. Hearing Soth say this from afar, he immediately cursed Soth's ancestors up and down.
Damn it, Soth, you bastard—you really are something. That day, you kept going on about how much my father helped you, swearing you'd repay the favor no matter what. Is this how you repay me? Your idea of gratitude is turning around and selling me out?
Good thing I'm clever...
Just thinking about it made William Merlin secretly smug.
If he hadn't changed his attitude the moment things looked off, who knows how badly his Grandmaster cousin would've dealt with him. Look at him now: one change of heart, and he became the bridge between his Grandmaster cousin and the Merlin Family. Not only did he help bring them together, he was slowly earning a bit of trust from his Grandmaster cousin.
For instance, this time, the caravan's trip to Razor Rift was specifically requested by his Grandmaster cousin.
If he got a few more chances like this, maybe his Grandmaster cousin really would put him to good use.
That'd be a much brighter future than anything waiting for him in the Merlin Family...
William Merlin knew perfectly well—even though he was one of the standouts among the younger Merlin Family generation, he was only sixth in line for the patriarch's seat. There were five brothers ahead of him, all far more accomplished. His odds of inheriting the title were less than one in a thousand.
Most likely, he'd end up managing some business for the Merlin Family, or overseeing a tract of land.
That was already the best outcome he could hope for...
But following his Grandmaster cousin was a whole different story.
A Grandmaster in his twenties! Even if it took him thirty years to reach Creator, he'd still only be in his fifties. If William could earn his trust, his future would be far brighter and grander than anything the Merlin Family could offer...
With that thought, William Merlin hopped off the wagon and waved to Soth from afar.
...Soth's smile froze on his face.
This was truly awkward...
He'd been happily selling out William Merlin, only for the man to leap off the wagon right in front of him. Was there anything more awkward in the world?
"Ha... ha... haha, William, what a coincidence!" Soth finally managed to squeeze out a laugh after a long pause.
"Yeah, Uncle Soth, what a coincidence!" William Merlin ground out the words, and that "Uncle Soth" nearly made Soth's knees buckle.
That's it—he'd really managed to offend this Merlin Family young master for good...
Luckily, a set of footsteps approaching from the distance saved Soth just in time.
"Stop!"
Through the faint red mist, a figure came stumbling toward them, chased by a squad of Viper's Nest warriors. It looked like trouble within Viper's Nest itself.
But as archmages, Leon and William Merlin could see farther than most. Both sensed, almost simultaneously, a surge of powerful magic approaching.
"Seventh-level archmage—could it be Bell?" William Merlin was the first to guess.
But Leon shook his head. "No, just a fifth-level archmage. But the arcane sigils are very strange."
Leon had met this Viper's Nest archmage before. He knew exactly what Bell's arcane sigils looked like—there was no mistaking them.
That's right—Bell's arcane sigils were powerful too, but nothing like this strange...
This one's arcane sigils radiated incredible heat, yet felt as silent as death...
It was odd. High heat usually meant fire, and fire was always lively, fierce, blazing. How could it ever feel so lifeless and still?
These arcane sigils didn't seem like fire at all—they felt more like a pile of spent ashes.
Ashes, exactly!
Leon remembered now. Back at the Blackhorn Auction, that mage who'd gone toe-to-toe with Salomon had given him the same impression. He'd even asked Salomon about it, and Salomon said those were Ash Sigils—one of the strongest arcane sigils of the Ashen Tower legacy.
Was this an archmage from the Ashen Tower?
Soon, the staggering figure was caught. A group of Viper's Nest warriors crowded around, pressing swords to his neck. Meanwhile, the Ashen Tower archmage was drawing closer...
"Let's go. Nothing worth watching here." Leon enjoyed chatting with Soth, but he had no interest in dealing with an Ashen Tower archmage. Once the man was under control, Leon clapped William Merlin on the shoulder and told Soth, "Chief Soth, we'll be heading off."
"Mage Merlin, won't you stay a bit longer? I was hoping to order another batch of Arcane Spring potion from you. Damn it, these idiots ruined my meeting with Archmage Merlin. I'll make sure to teach them a lesson next time..." Soth made a show of trying to keep Leon, but was already waving goodbye.
"Heh..." Soth's little scheme was never going to fool Leon.
The newcomer was an archmage from Ashen Tower. Given the relationship between Ashen Tower and Sage Tower, if Salomon found out, Soth would be in real trouble. Leon's decision to leave played right into Soth's hands—his exaggerated attempts to keep Leon were just for show...
Leon smiled, then he and William Merlin climbed into the carriage. Just as he was about to have the caravan move on, a startled cry came from ahead: "Colin?"
Leon recognized the old steward's voice. Before he could react, the steward had already rushed over.
"Young master, young master..."
"Uncle Pavi, what's wrong?" Leon looked at the old steward in surprise. The only other time he'd seen the old man this anxious was when Fario came collecting debts.
"That's Colin!"
"Colin?"
"Just the other day, you asked me if there were any old Mercury Mercenary Company veterans left in Seaview City. Colin's father was the last vice-captain of the Mercury Mercenary Company, Tiger."
"You mean, that young man is the son of the Mercury Mercenary Company's vice-captain?"
"Yes."
"Alright, I understand." Leon nodded, climbed out of the carriage again, and called out to Soth from afar: "Sorry, Chief Soth, looks like I'm not leaving after all."
"Thud!" Soth, overjoyed at Leon's departure, slipped and fell flat on the ground. After struggling to his feet, he couldn't help cursing—damn it, if you're leaving, just leave and don't come back!
Now things were really complicated...