Genius Wizard Hides His Sword Skills [EN]: Chapter 47

47. Trade City, Anti

“I happen to need something.”

“Need something?”

“Yes. If you can get it, I’ll consider your abilities proven.”

Oberon tilted his head.

[What are you going to make him do?]

‘I need to hatch Ratatoskr [a squirrel in Norse mythology].’

[You’re not seriously going to make him get the hatching materials, are you? That’s not something he can easily acquire.]

‘He needs to do at least that much for me to take him in, right?’

They were items difficult enough to obtain that I could acknowledge Aiteo’s abilities.

“…What kind of items are they?”

Aiteo’s voice was filled with tension.

“Mana stones.”

His eyes filled with doubt at my words.

“Mana stones? If it’s that, wouldn’t you be able to get them easily, young master?”

“I need a rather unique mana stone. It needs to be green, not blue.”

“A green mana stone… I don’t know much about them, but I’ll look into it.”

“And it would be good to have a unicorn horn too.”

Aiteo’s face finally hardened.

“A unicorn horn? That’s not something I can get with my abilities…”

It was a natural reaction. Aiteo would know what unicorns were.

[Of course, of course. That’s not something someone like you can get.]

Magical beasts living in mana-rich forests. They looked like gentle horses, but they were violently attacking those who entered their territory.

They even used 5-star magic, so it wasn’t easy for ordinary people to even approach them.

“I don’t have the ability to catch a unicorn, and I know I don’t have the money to buy one.”

Aiteo knew his own abilities well.

“I’m not telling you to catch a unicorn, nor am I telling you to buy one.”

“…Yes? Then what?”

Of course, I didn’t think he could get it through normal means.

“You have to do what you’re best at. Show me that ability.”

Aiteo narrowed his eyes as if he finally understood.

“If it’s what I’m good at… you mean stealing.”

“Ahem. I didn’t say that, but I’m telling you to get it with your abilities, Mr. Aiteo.”

As the heir of a prestigious family, it wouldn’t look good for me to order him to do something like stealing.

[Tch. You ordered the Outer Palace to commit murder, though.]

‘…They’re basically my subordinates.’

Aiteo’s lips twitched slightly.

“I understand. I’ll try to get it with my abilities.”

He had raided even heavily guarded auction houses, so he was confident enough.

“Young master. But do you happen to know where those things are? I’m confident in stealing, but I have no way of knowing the location…”

Aiteo frowned. There were people who could help him.

“Go to the general store next to the cathedral right now.”

“Yes? Is it in the general store? If it’s that, I can easily steal it.”

“No, there will be a member of the Outer Palace there. With their intelligence, they can easily find out where those items are.”

They said they would move their hideout tonight. If he ran now, he would be able to meet them.

“Y-you mean those people I saw during the day?”

However, Aiteo’s eyes began to tremble.

[He looks scared.]

‘Well, he saw them massacring people so brutally.’

Fear was bound to come first in the face of their merciless actions.

“If you say I sent you, they won’t harm you. I’ll write down on a piece of paper to tell you where the items are.”

“T-thank you.”

“But you have to leave right now. I don’t know when they’ll leave.”

“I understand!”

Aiteo rushed into the restaurant.

[Can you really trust him?]

‘It doesn’t matter if Aiteo fails. If they know I’m trying to get those items, the Outer Palace guys will try to get them too.’

If it was Anghel, who was perceptive enough, he would find the items for me separately from Aiteo.

[Well, if it’s the Outer Palace, they can get it. It’s just a matter of time.]

‘And if that guy gets it, I’ll acknowledge his thieving skills.’

In return for hatching Ratatoskr’s egg, it was easy to take in Aiteo and his gang. I could just have them work in one of the Outer Palace’s many locations.

After waiting for a while, Aiteo and his two subordinates rushed out.

“T-then we’ll be off!”

“Okay. Ask the Outer Palace how to contact me after you get the items.”

“I understand!”

The three men immediately started running somewhere. The cross on the cathedral building was at the end of their gaze.

‘Good luck.’

* * *

The next morning, leaving the inn.

“Thank you.”

Reugo bowed his head.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll stop by again next time I come here.”

“Please do!”

The innkeeper shook hands with each of us.

‘Haa. Someone even worse than a nanny.’

I couldn’t help but shake my head at the nuisance. Reugo kept cooking for us late into the night.

‘How can you eat that much without a single drink?’

In the end, he only stopped cooking after presenting all the dishes on the restaurant’s menu.

“I’m really, really full.”

Noah shook his head as soon as we got away from his inn.

“I’m still so full that it’s hard to walk.”

Clio was also holding his stomach.

“Huh? Everyone ate so well yesterday. I was just right.”

Drew was the only one with a satisfied smile. He must be thinking about the food he ate yesterday.

‘Is he only going to be satisfied if he opens a restaurant later?’

[Don’t even think about it. If he runs it, the restaurant will go bankrupt.]

‘Well, there won’t be anything for the customers to eat.’

We arrived at the Portal Management Bureau with different thoughts.

Clio waved his hand outside the bureau’s door.

“I’m going to rest at my family’s place for a few more days before returning!”

The week given for field training had not yet passed.

‘The remaining time is free time.’

In other words, he could go around freely for four days without returning to the Magic Tower.

“Okay. Clio, this is your home, so rest a little more and come back.”

Noah didn’t particularly stop him either. The request was over anyway. As long as safety was guaranteed, it didn’t matter what he did.

“Are you guys going to the Magic Tower?”

Noah looked at me and Drew. I shook my head.

“We’re going to stop by our homes for a bit too.”

“Oh, really? Everyone must be eager to go home. Well, it hasn’t been long since you came to the Magic Tower, so that’s understandable.”

Noah smiled and nodded.

“Then, I’ll go to Ias first, so come back without being late.”

With his last greeting, he headed to the portal first.

Woooong!

As soon as Noah disappeared, Drew shouted cheerfully.

“I can go home thanks to the request ending early!”

“Are you that happy?”

“Of course! Then I can eat Mom’s food for four days! You can eat the food your nanny made for you after a long time!”

He was a guy who associated everything with food.

“No. I’m not going to Delema.”

“Huh? Then?”

“Going home was a lie.”

Drew was startled.

“What? Then you tricked Noah?”

“I can’t help it. I had to say I was going home so they would send me separately.”

We had almost had an accident during the request, so it was obvious that they wouldn’t send us to other cities.

“You don’t have to worry about me. I’m going to Anti.”

Trade city, Anti. It was a place I had been thinking of going to ever since I met Aiteo.

I didn’t really have a purpose, but the auction house Aiteo mentioned piqued my interest.

‘I wonder what items are popular these days.’

I also needed to figure out the market price of the items in my hideout that I would sell someday.

‘I should go see the auction house after a long time.’

Maybe I’ll find something I need.

[So you told Admun to go to Anti first.]

‘I have to go meet him.’

Admun had headed to Anti first last night.

“Drew. You go home. Anti is a safe place, so you don’t have to worry about me. Admun will go with me too.”

“Heop! Even Admun hyung?”

Drew’s expression hardened seriously.

“Ha. You were trying to leave me out? I’m going too!”

“What? Really?”

“Of course! Isn’t that too unfair?”

Drew puffed out his cheeks.

“Anti is a trade city, so there must be a lot of food! You were trying to go eat delicious food without me!”

“…Huh?”

It had only been a minute since he said he wanted to eat his mom’s food.

“Let’s go too! To Anti! Aren’t you going? I’m going first?”

He was already filled with anticipation for new food. He was even heading to the portal first.

‘It’ll be okay.’

[It’s not a dangerous place. It’ll be a good experience.]

I nodded and threw myself into the portal.

* * *

Trade city, Anti.

‘This place makes a living from business now as it did a thousand years ago.’

[It’s geographically in the center of the continent.]

Roads leading to various places and even a river flowing to the sea. It was the most suitable place for all the goods of the continent to gather.

“Young master! You’ve arrived.”

Admun welcomed me with both hands as I left the Anti Portal Management Bureau.

“Oh, Drew doryeonnim [term of respect] came with you too?”

“Hyung [older brother/male friend]! Wasn’t the disguise in Apate too sloppy? I almost recognized you at a glance and pretended to know you!”

Drew teased Admun right away.

[It was a bit obvious. He just drew more attention by wearing a weird hat.]

Admun greeted us with an awkward smile.

“Ah… Haha. First, let’s go this way. I came yesterday and got a room and roughly figured out the geography.”

We strolled through the city following Admun’s guidance.

‘There are so many people.’

Merchants displaying various items and pedestrians peeking here and there. Unlike Apate, it was a lively place.

“Wow, the stores here are really big!”

Drew’s mouth dropped open at the size of the stores lined up on both sides of the main street.

It was definitely a different scale from what I had seen in Ias or Apate.

‘You can get almost anything here.’

There were rows of stores of a scale that even surprised me.

“Here it is!”

Admun’s steps stopped as he walked along the main street. His fingertip was pointing to a magnificent inn.

“Oh, you got a pretty good place this time?”

“I can stay anywhere if I’m alone, but the young masters have to stay, so this was the best place in this area.”

“Good job.”

We entered the inn. The interior was more luxurious than it looked from the outside. A wide lobby with various gold decorations hanging down.

“Welcome. Welcome to Classianti.”

A well-dressed bellboy greeted us from the entrance of the inn.

“You’re the one who made a reservation yesterday. You’ve been assigned a room, haven’t you?”

He recognized Admun, who had stopped by yesterday.

“That’s right. But I need one more room.”

“Ah, I’ll get the key ready right away. Please wait a moment.”

He immediately ran to the counter and brought back one more key.

“Then, I hope you have only pleasant memories during your stay.”

The man bowed politely.

‘I should ask this guy.’

I opened my mouth to the kind man.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes, young master. Is there anything else you need?”

“Where is the most popular auction house here?”

“Hmm, if it’s an auction house…”

It was the first place I would visit after leaving my luggage at the accommodation.