Chapter 619 – Pantheran
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I was walking in the foggy dawn.
It’s a bit early for me to be active.
I decided to accept the escort request suggested by Nora.
It wasn’t just because the pay was good.
It wasn’t a common opportunity to go outside the city, and I couldn’t miss this opportunity, even just to gather information.
The reason I left the house early in the morning was, of course, because the client made such a request.
You have to leave early in the morning to arrive at your destination before the sun sets or something.
The meeting place was in front of the southern wall of the city, the gate leading to the outside.
When I arrived at the small square in front of the south gate, I saw more people than I expected.
Looking at the atmosphere, it seemed like Nora and I were the only ones who had been asked to escort us.
But I don’t think I’m late.
The person who appeared to be the client was nowhere to be seen, and the people who arrived before me were talking to each other and spending leisurely time.
Among them, I saw some familiar faces.
The first thing that caught my eye was Nora.
That’s because her appearance wearing a nun’s outfit and holding a mace was unique.
“Welcome.”
Nora welcomes me warmly.
“Who is the client?”
“Not yet. It will come in a little while.”
You can see Cloud and Claire’s faces.
Claire, who was talking about something with Cloud, made eye contact and came towards me.
“I guess you decided to do this escort mission too.”
I nodded.
“What about Cowra?”
“Kaura decided to stay here. Unfortunately, this escort was limited to two people.”
“…2 people?”
It seems that the reason Nora left Evat and brought only me was not simply due to the management of the Liberation Front.
“Can’t you see what the people gathered here have in common?”
“Commonality? What commonality are you talking about?”
“Over there first.”
Claire pointed to two men talking quietly a little distance away.
They looked neater than other prisoners and felt more relaxed.
“This is Laurent from Lemanien and O’Donnell from Guardian Robotics.”
“Ah, Company.”
Company was one of the inmate groups.
Perhaps there was something in common among the rich, but it was a group of entrepreneurs who banded together and engaged in magic stone mining activities.
I heard that their magic rank is quite high for a businessman, and their combat abilities are good.
A man named Laurent, who ran the Lemanien enterprise… When he was outside, I heard that he joined the Helena Liberation Front and was harassed by Sunni’s group.
After coming to Karaj, he broke with the Helena Liberation Front and became active in a group called Company.
This is my first time actually seeing his face.
“But somehow it looks familiar…”
“They are famous people, so you may have seen them on television or through news links.”
“… Is that so?”
As I was tilting my head, Claire pointed in the other direction.
There are two men standing there who look like criminals.
The reason why I saw them with colored glasses as criminals was not only because they looked scary, but also because their arms and hands were covered in enough tattoos that they were called irezumi.
“They are Buike’s executives. They are the people who ran the largest criminal organization in Zephyria.”
After listening to Claire’s story, I finally understand what the people who participated in this escort have in common.
“I guess they recruited two people from the inmate group, right?”
Helena Liberation Front.
Company.
Buike.
Rebellion.
It is said that all those who received requests for escorting were a group created by prisoners captured by Gregory.
Looking at the fact that there are no humans in Gamers run by Willas… Should we still think that they are at a certain level?
‘Are you aiming for it?’
It was suspicious seeing that there were no military prisoners in sight.
I wonder what kind of trick they are planning…
– Rattling. Rattling.
The loud sound of horses’ hooves rings out.
Everyone’s eyes turn towards that direction.
Through the early morning fog, a man approaches, driving a cart.
The luggage compartment of the carriage was loaded with metal boxes. If there were all the magic stones in there, it was a huge amount.
However, the horse pulling the cart was a bit unusual.
It was a mechanical horse made of smooth metal.
Looking at the way things were going, it seemed like I had to go on foot.
‘Really… I need to clean the cup properly too.’
It seems like a wheeled transport vehicle would be much cheaper than that mechanical horse. Not to mention the technology that created such a robot.
To me, it just looked like a cup of tea that was far from efficient.
“One, two… Eight. I think they’re all here.”
The man who appeared to be the leader counted the people gathered, nodded his head and said.
“My name is Germin, and I am in charge of transporting the magic stone. The itinerary is simple. The destination is ‘Pantheran’. We will travel in one day, and return after spending two days there.”
I heard something unheard of from the leader, Germin.
‘What is a Panther?’
It’s a name that’s somehow familiar, yet has a strange fake smell.
Before my doubts disappear, the huge gate of the wall opens.
-Kuggeung…
Beyond the gate, an open and bleak landscape of stone mounds appears.
There was a long road lined up neatly made of stone.
“Then, let’s leave.”
The carriage moves slowly with the words of leader Germin.
-Ttogakttogak.
We walked after him.
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The escort of the Maseok transport wagon went smoothly.
The complaint is that the movement speed is slow.
If the scenery was nice, I would go and look around… But since all I see is dull stones, it’s quite boring.
Take a break once.
At lunch, we had a light meal with the food we each brought, and then continued our march quickly.
Surprisingly, nothing happened.
There was nothing to do, to the point where escorting was embarrassing.
‘If this is the case, there’s no need to bring an escort, right?’
Of course, it’s not something I care about.
“Because it carries a fairly large amount of magic stones, Sapenta often catches the scent and rushes at you. Fortunately, it seems like you’re lucky this time.”
As if he knew what I was thinking, Germin, who was driving the carriage, said.
Sapenta refers to the Prince If you listen to what he says, it seems like it only inhabits mines.
“Even if you don’t get attacked by a single monster until you return, you can rest assured that we have no intention of reducing your pay or anything. Haha.”
Germin said with a big smile.
In the end, no monsters appeared until the end, and by the time the sun was setting, we were able to easily see the huge wall in front of us.
The sturdy barrier made of metal gave off a more clean and sophisticated feel than Karaz.
As the carriage approached the wall, the huge gate opened automatically.
-Yeah…
For a moment, I felt like my eyes became brighter.
This is because the interior of the city behind the gate showed a completely different scenery than expected.
It was not the scene of flying stone dust that I had been tired of seeing in Karaz.
And it was a familiar scene.
Trees and streetlights line the side of a well-maintained road. And stylish medieval buildings standing in a row.
The sight inside the city was such that for a moment I thought it might be Panthera.
I remember Germin calling this place ‘Panderan’.
The name is just like that… Did these guys create a Panthera theme park?
“Welcome, Mr. Germin.”
A beautiful woman greets the carriage entering the gate with a gentle smile.
“Liesel. Are you ready?”
“The warehouse is open.”
The beauty answered Germin’s question politely.
The beauty named Liesel surprised us once again. Because she was not a Zephyrian with her blue skin.
With pure white skin and brown hair, she looked like a Panthera.
But she was only the beginning.
All the people walking the streets of the city were Pantheans.
There was not a single Zephyrian in sight.
‘What? These humans. Were they all captured from Panthera?’
But there were too many people for that.
That wasn’t the only surprising thing.
Their appearance was unusual.
You can’t even see an ordinary face, let alone an ugly woman or an ugly man. Both handsome men and beautiful women have the beauty to become celebrities.
Suddenly, the stiff faces of Claire and Cloud came into my field of vision.
Do they also think that they are Pantherains that need to be saved?
However, Pantheraine had a face so bright that there was no shadow at all, so to me, it didn’t look like humans in need of help.
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“It’s safe in the city, so there’s no need to escort me. You can rest in this lodging until I finish my business.”
Germin stopped his carriage in front of a building and told us so.
“I will come here in two days. If you are bored, you can look around the city. But there is one place you cannot go: that castle.”
Germin said, pointing to a small castle towering in the middle of the city.
At his words, the people who escorted the carriage gave meaningful looks.
If you tell people not to go, people will want to go more.
‘Is this guy doing this on purpose?’
There was a bad smell.
