The Archmage’s Restaurant - Chapter 29

# 29

Chapter.8 Gray City’s Feast

Six years ago, the northern front was where many lives were lost in the war against monsters.

Derriant was a member of the Knights Templar and was the leader of the vanguard unit of the 3rd Infantry Corps of the Conquest Army.

The conquest army was a temporary unit organized to fight monsters as a joint unit made up of various soldiers ranging from draft soldiers from each territory, the central army, and the knights.

Derriant, who advanced into the enemy camp as the leader of the vanguard unit belonging to the conquest army, made a big mistake. Due to wrong judgment, he made the mistake of being surrounded by monsters.

Mistakes were painful. Surrounded by monsters on all sides, north, south, east, and west, there was no opening to survive. There was only a dirty-looking monster snorting in front and behind, narrowing the gap.

At this moment, Derriant thought everything was over. He is a knight of the Order who lives and dies with honor. A mistake that warrants suicide even if you survive.

The ogre’s sharp nails graze my forearm. Blood oozed out. The problem is that if the vanguard is treated like this, the anger will spread to the supply unit. If that happens, the 3rd Infantry Unit will suffer a huge blow.

Even the worst case scenario of annihilation if done incorrectly.

Darian gritted his teeth and cut off the head of the ogre that attacked him. However, the only one struggling was Derriant, and the besieged men met meaningless deaths everywhere and shed blood. The screams coming from all directions were filled with a deep sense of death.

“Die!”

Darian’s only thought was to kill at least one more monster and die.

It was a bit disappointing to die without seeing his wife and unborn child waiting for him in the capital, but there was no way. Because I already gave up everything.

But at that very moment, a powerful spell struck the center of the ogre horde.

As the fire spread to the center, the ogre group fell into confusion. Moreover, the monsters in the front row began to burn en masse due to the secondary magic.

A retreat created thanks to the wide-range magic that attacked the ogre group. The wizard who suddenly appeared asked Darian.

“Are you the leader of the vanguard?”

“That’s right! “But who are you?”

What is the identity of the person who turned the tide of the war with a single magic spell? In response to Derriant’s question, the wizard opened his mouth so calmly that it seemed as if he had no emotions.

“I am Ellesion, who has just been appointed as a staff member for the 3rd Infantry Division of the Conquest Army.”

At this time, El had not yet swallowed the Dragon Heart. Of course, this was before he met Lulin and before he became a leading player in the monster war.

The staff position of the 3rd Infantry was the position immediately following that of the infantry commander. So, to Derrient, the white commander of the 3rd Infantry, he is his immediate superior. That’s why Derriant immediately knelt down.

“Thank you for your help! But it was my fault that I was under siege! “My subordinates are not guilty!”

Derivant began to judge right and wrong rather than the fight in front of him.

But L didn’t answer there. Rather, I asked a different question.

“Do you care about such trivial matters now?”

“ancient?”

“Ogres are coming from behind. For now, just cut down one more. Because that is war.”

It was a very natural command.

Derrient, who came to his senses for a moment, nodded, grabbed his sword, and ran towards the ogre group. If he had been wrong, the 3rd Infantry could have been annihilated because of him. As if in atonement, Darriant threw his life away and fought.

As a result, due to El’s participation in the war, the siege of monsters was lifted and the tide of the war turned. Fortunately, the vanguard unit of the 3rd Infantry was able to maintain the front line and organize a garrison at the front line.

The next day, Derrient came to El’s barracks and knelt down.

“Chief of Staff, I am a sinner and a knight who has lost his honor! “Why is the reward even being given to me!”

A sinner among sinners who almost destroyed the unit. There was no such thing as a reward. The fact is that a knight lives by honor and dies by honor. Derivant thought only of that and asked to be punished.

“You clearly made a mistake. But after that, the number of monsters you cut down becomes a mountain. Because they went ahead of anyone else, the morale of the soldiers also increased. Mistakes and merits cancel each other out. Doesn’t punishing such a general mean that the number of monsters to kill in the future will decrease? No matter how much you come from a knight who lives and dies by honor, shouldn’t you have a chance to regain that honor? You got that opportunity because you captured the hearts of your men. Yesterday’s battle was ultimately a victory. Your subordinates all say that if you don’t accept the reward, they won’t accept it either. So, why don’t you get a reward too?”

“that… !”

“Or are you going to trouble your subordinates twice because of that honor? If I punish you, my subordinates will also suffer defeat. Everyone will be punished, right? Do you want that? Choose. “Will you save your men and get a chance, or will you die with them?”

Derivant couldn’t say anything. But that doesn’t mean he can’t cause trouble to his subordinates, whose only crime is following him.

It was clearly more important than fame.

Derivant had no choice but to nod.

I decided to forget about restoring my honor.

However, because he had forgotten the honor of a knight, Derivant fought with gritted teeth even more from that day on.

While El was in the 3rd Infantry Division for about three months, he achieved repeated victories through appropriate operations, and at the center of all this was always the Deriant’s vanguard unit.

The reward money accrued as a result.

Derivant steadfastly refused the reward.

El heard from his colleagues that his wife was pregnant, so whenever this happened, he gave his wife a reward behind her back.

It is difficult to eat properly in a war situation. No matter how safe the city is, unless you are a noble.

It was only after the war that Dariant learned that his wife was able to give birth safely thanks to the bounty.

After that, El leaves the battlefield for a while and gets caught up in a bigger war, but Derriant didn’t know about it.

However, he believed that it was only because of El that he was able to regain his lost honor and that his wife and daughter were safe.

After the war, Derriant, who was recognized for his achievements, continued to be promoted within the knights, and before he knew it, he had risen to the position of vice-captain of the 1st Knights.

***

Derivant briefly spoke about what he had experienced.

“Then this person is not the vice-captain’s enemy… Are you afraid?”

“Far from being an enemy, you are a benefactor! Although I am angry at the fact that the favor I received disappeared without even being given a chance to repay it! That can’t be resentment. “Calling them Eunwon was just a way to make you move a little faster.”

Darriant looked around and shouted loudly again.

“Put the knife in now!”

The knights, who were blankly looking back and forth between their superiors and me, were startled and hastily put away their swords. And Derriant knelt in front of me.

“It’s been 5 years. Although the time I spent with my staff was short, I have never forgotten it for a moment. Do you know how surprised I was today? After sending off my subordinate first, I quickly received permission from His Majesty and rushed over! Do you know how desperately I have been looking for you all this time?”

It seems that he spotted me at the very moment he was watching the procession.

“I know. A long time.”

I was rolling around on the battlefield even before I gained absolute power. That was life after being summoned to this world. While wandering around the battlefield, he achieved everything from the bottom to becoming a high-class wizard on his own. Of course, this also extends to areas that humans can achieve.

It was only after he gained talent that he began to transcend human power. I didn’t become a transcendent from the beginning. Rather, the period of fighting the fear of death was longer. A battlefield like a sheet of thin ice.

Derivant is a subordinate I met on the battlefield when I only had human powers.

Of course, whether it is human power or transcendental power, it is now just a memory that does not matter.

I stood up and opened my mouth.

“Will you forget me back then? “Now I’m just a retired restaurant owner who’s tired of fighting.”

“So that’s why I couldn’t find it. I never dreamed you were in a place like this! But, Chief of Staff, isn’t the war over now? “I don’t have to get tired of fighting any more, so I just need to be treated the same way!”

Derivant only knows me back when I had human powers. I don’t know what happened after that. Because his eyes are not filled with awe, but just joy for his comrades.

“What do you use the treatment for? Just getting caught up in another battlefield. I just like the freedom of being in peace. “I am satisfied with nice people and nice scenery.”

“that… .”

Darriant trailed off as if he was at a loss for words. However, he is not a man who cannot understand that each person’s ideal is different. As evidence, Derivant quietly shook his head.

“Rather than that, since we’re here, why don’t we at least have a meal?”

Derivant immediately shook his head at my words.

“no. I came here briefly with permission during official duties, so I will come back after I finish official duties. I am satisfied knowing you are here. So, I will bring my wife and daughter. Even now, my wife always talks about the reward money she sent back then… . haha.”

Darriant scratched the back of his head.

“Is that good?”

It’s a heart-warming story just to hear.

“Aren’t you suddenly disappearing again?”

“That won’t happen. “Just as you have a home, this is also my home now.”

There is even a dragon lair at the bottom of the hill, so now this is my home that I cannot leave or leave. When I spoke strongly, Darian nodded as if relieved. And then he left the restaurant with his subordinates.

It seems he found me by chance on the street and came to me in a hurry. Since I have to carry out my knightly duties, it goes without saying that I can’t stay for long. Thanks to this, it felt like a storm had swept over me.

“They are arrogant people. I do not like it.”

“It’s a guy I used to know.”

“If you weren’t eating, I would have killed everyone!”

Lulin raised his eyebrows. Take off the rice and tell me.

“But since I kneel to you, I accept. “If you are a person who shows respect to me, I will not treat you poorly either.”

“Thank you for that.”

As I spoke while removing the rice paste, Lurin started laughing. Then he put his finger in the rice paste I had removed and put it into his mouth.

“Hi-Hi.”

Still smiling.

That was all good, but this dragon suddenly started biting my finger. That too.

“Hey, don’t bite!”

When I screamed, Lurin declared loudly and spit out her finger.

“Your fingers are mine now!”

Fingers with clear teeth marks.

Then the dragon ran straight to the second floor. Then of course I have to chase after it.