Chapter 13: Count Chase (2)
Chapter 13: Count Chase (2)
I changed Langestrom to Langesthei, which is an actual place in Austria.
Like the rest of the mansion, Count Chase’s drawing room was brightly and beautifully decorated.
The white ceiling, paired with a white and clean marble floor, and the wall with several large glass doors leading to the garden was turquoise, giving it a cool feeling.
There was a carpet that boldly used red and yellow colors to give off a sense of splendor, and several luxurious furniture with a bright overall tone.
A foreign presence stood alone in a place where it would seem more right for beautiful ladies to have a tea party here.
“Have you come?”
Arthur Chase.
Count Chase.
He is a member of the Northern Four Rivers and a 7-star wizard, and one of the most prominent battle wizards in the north.
And as if to reveal that fact with his whole body, he was big, scary, and sharp-looking.
If Jude could compare him to a sword, he was like a claymore.
‘Red Storm.’
Count Chase’s nickname.
He is also known as the ‘Red Monk’, and always wore blood-like red robes, as he is now.
“Mr. Jude Bayer greets Lord Chase.”
When Jude showed proper decorum, Count Chase who was standing while facing the garden, turned around.
He had short-cut red hair and a height nearing 2 meters tall.
Strong broad shoulders and rock-like muscles presumed to be honed on the battlefield.
In addition, sharp piercing eyes that could see through the opponent, and the overall impression was truly overwhelming.
Jude felt more like he was facing a mighty warrior than a wizard.
‘The mother’s genes worked hard.’
All three children of Count Chase, including Cordelia, were good-looking men and women that were as beautiful as flowers.
Of course, Count Chase didn’t have an ugly face. Rather, he had a thick, dark, and manly handsome face.
It was like the time when they went to Leisegang. All the big talk in his head went out because of his nervousness.
“Sit down.”
Count Chase spoke low again and sat down at the head of the table.
Jude took a bated breath after Count Chase sat in his seat of authority.
If this was an ordinary meeting, the maids would have come in and served tea and cookies at this point, but only the deep and heavy silence was set between Count Chase and Jude.
As such, a dozen or so seconds passed.
Around the time the cold sweat began to flow along Jude’s back, Count Chase opened his mouth again.
“I heard a few stories.”
It has come.
Count Chased looked down at Jude while maintaining a straight posture, and Jude swallowed nervously as he faced Count Chase’s chilly gaze.
Frankly, he was scared. Similar feelings sprang up in his heart like when he first saw Leisegang.
But he did not turn away.
Jude mustered up and endured Count Chase’s gaze.
A few seconds passed then.
Count Chase, who looked at Jude with glassy eyes, opened his mouth and said again.
“I heard about your actions during the deviation.”
Deviation (weekend getaway).
It was Count Chase who came in hard from the start.
However, Jude kept his composure. What Count Chase mentioned was not just the deviation.
“You were lucky to get the Sun’s Necklace.”
Count Chase could not have known that he had planned to get the Sun’s Necklace in the first place.
But Jude didn’t answer, and instead took the Sun’s Necklace that he had put in his clothes and placed it on the table.
“It’s the Sun’s Necklace.”
“Hmm.”
A golden necklace engraved with the crest of Solari, the sun god.
Count Chase’s gaze, which had been focused on Jude, shifted to the Sun’s Necklace. He stroked the necklace a few times with his thick, coarse fingers and nodded.
“By all means, is it an item that constantly radiates Yang energy? You got a great start.”
The Sun’s Necklace was the divine item used by the sun god Solari’s champion Gallus, and not anyone else.
It was not an exaggeration to say that it was a divine treasure of the denomination, so it was natural for Count Chase to admire it.
“Whatever.”
Count Chase laid down the Sun’s Necklace.
He once again looked at Jude as if searching him before suddenly pulling out a small box from his bosom, pushing it to Jude, and speaking.
“This is of no use to me. But I already brought it, so take it.”
What the hell is it? When Jude sent a glance to ask if he could open it, Count Chase said with a snort.
“Hmph, I’m telling you in advance, but it’s not much.”
It was a little vague, but he thought it was okay to open it, so Jude carefully opened the box and soon opened his eyes wide.
‘It’s a big deal!’
What was inside was a Yang Earth Pill, which possessed a powerful amount of Yang energy. He had just opened the box, but the fragrant aroma seemed to fill the drawing room.
It wasn’t something that could cure Gueumjulmaek at once like the Sunfire Carp, but it was still a valuable item that would be of considerable help to the treatment.
“And.”
Count Chase spoke again before he could even express his gratitude for the Yang Earth Pill.
Once again, the Count asked, looking at Jude with fierce eyes.
“I heard that Cordelia carried you when you jumped off the cliff. Was it true?”
“…it’s true.”
“Tsk, how foolish.”
Count Chase who clicked his tongue in disapproval, searched his arms again and held out a small box.
“It’s a fruit that strengthens muscle strength. All I have around me is a bunch of wizards who just need the strength of a cane, that’s why it’s useless to us, so take it.
‘The Fruit of Strength?!’
Jude once again looked in surprise.
The Fruit of Strength was an item that permanently increased muscle strength a little, and it was hard to obtain this in the beginning, as all of these kinds of items do.
From the Yang Earth Pill to even the Fruit of Strength.
‘H-he’s actually a very nice person?’
No, maybe he’s very fond of Jude himself?
He seemed to be displeased with the fact that Cordelia carried Jude herself in their daytime runaway rather than the daytime runaway itself.
It’s because he had a fierce impression and was awkward at expressing himself, but he was actually a good person.
Jude looked up and saw Count Chase.
He still had a scary face, but somehow, he looked different from before.
“And.”
He began to talk once again.
Now, rather than being afraid of what he’ll say next, Jude began to look forward to it.
“I’ve heard that you’re going to join Cordelia in the upcoming social gathering.”
Children of the 12 northern families – specifically, it was a social gathering of underage children who have not yet started official duties.
This time, Jude had given his word to Cordelia that he would participate too.
Jude replied with a little expectation.
“Yes, I will.”
“You need stamina to go a long way.”
Count Chase was absolutely right.
Jude quietly waited, and Count Chase did not disappoint this time either.
Jude thought he was just clearing his throat, but once again Count Chase took out a small box from his bosom.
“Everyone around me is just a bunch of geeks stuck in the lab, that’s why it’s useless, so take it.”
‘The Fruit of Stamina!’
As the name suggests, it was an item that gives a small increase to stamina permanently.
For Jude who had poor stamina, it was a treasure as valuable as the Yang Earth Pill.
“And.”
“Yes, father.”
When Jude quickly answered, Count Chase cleared his throat again and said, putting his hand in his inner chest pocket.
“When you say you’re going on a trip, that meddlesome old man, Count Bayer, will do something stupid like a test. It’s not much, but this will help.”
Jude didn’t say anything this time, but the size of the box gave him a rough idea.
It was clear that it was one of the fruit series.
‘Ah, father. Ah, father.’
If he could play Legend of Heroes 2 again, he’d try to dig into Count Chase somehow.
He’s like a treasure goblin – No, a treasure father.
T/N: Treasure goblins came from the game Diablo. They are small demons that steal loot and everything that glitters, carrying said treasure in sacks over their shoulders. Attacking them will make them drop loot while running away and killing them will grant you all items it had.
Count Chase, who snorted again as Jude shone with deep gratitude, stood up and said.
“Hmph, the business is done. Now get out of here.”
“Thank you very much.”
“There’s a bag under the table, so put it in there.”
The small-spoken Count Chase turned to the garden, as he had when Jude first came in.
It meant there was nothing more to talk about.
It was a bit rude, but Jude didn’t mind.
What more do you want from the treasure father who even packed your bag?
When Jude quickly packed up the boxes into the bag and left the drawing room, the people who were waiting – to be exact, Cordelia, approached him.
“Hey, are you okay? Did anything happen? What did father say? Did you get scolded a lot? Di-did he tell you to break off our engagement?”
She looked a bit scared.
Before answering, Jude looked over Cordelia’s shoulder, and smiled at the figure of Maja and Dahlia standing there restlessly.
“Hey, what did you talk about? Come on, tell me.”
“Father.”
“Father?”
“He wants me to carry you around from now on. So don’t carry me.”
“…what?”
Cordelia opened her eyes widely as if asking what he meant, and Jude laughed cheerfully.
***
At Count Chase’s garden.
Jude and Cordelia walked through the beautifully decorated flower garden, and Maja and Dahlia stood side by side and looked at the two such figures.
So, Cordelia said in a small voice, covering her mouth with a hand fan.
“So, did father gave and packed you with items?”
“Yeah, he told me to eat, cheer up, and carry you around. Don’t carry me.”
When Jude spoke again, Cordelia lightly blushed and snorted.
“Well, that’s a relief anyway.”
“You’re your father’s daughter. That snorting.”
“What the hell?”
“It worked out really well anyway. If I eat everything your father has given me, I’ll be in a much better condition than I am now.”
It was really an unexpected luck. The condition of the Gueumjulmaek is better than it is now, and if he ate the fruits of strength and stamina – and the fruit of agility given to me lastly, with a little exaggeration, he’d be 1.5 times stronger than now.
‘Of course, it’s not very good right now.’
Either way, 1.5 times is 1.5 times.
The mere sight of the bag made him smile.
“By the way.”
“Oh, are you going to give me something too? I love you, Ms. Banker. Please call me anytime.”
“It’s not? Hey, anyway, are you starting that now? ‘Father’s Test’ quest?”
“I suppose so.”
Father’s Test.
The first main quest that appears in the main scenario of ‘Jude Bayer’.
As the name implied, it was an event where his father, Count Bayer, recognizes that his Gueumjulmaek is cured and that he’s ready to leave the city.
In the game, after being completely cured of the Gueumjulmaek with the Sunfire Carp event, he could challenge it if he practiced martial arts for a month or two, but despite it being the first main quest, it boasted an uneven level of difficulty.
‘It was one of the reasons why Jude is a non-mainstream character.’
As a matter of fact, Jude started later than other characters, but he had to waste more time because of the ‘Father’s Test’ quest.
Furthermore, unlike other quests, it was a quest that had no particular trick.
“Don’t worry. This is why I got the Thirty-Six Worldly Steps. I’ll be able to go with you to Langesthei.”
“Hmph, I’m not saying that I want to go with you together to Langesthei.”
“Well, what should I say. It’s a typical dialogue, but it works well with your good appearance.”
“What’s this crazy b*stard saying?”
Cordelia blushed like a character with a typical dialogue, and Jude had a small laugh. And Maja and Dahlia, who looked at the two from a distance, also smiled warmly. From afar, they were a cute couple shyly whispering love.
“When does it start anyway? First of all, we’ll be leaving after the fortnight.”
“My father’s coming in ten days at the latest…so there won’t be a problem with the time.”
After passing his “Father’s Test” quest and preparing for his trip, he’ll head to Langesthei with Cordelia.
“Can I trust you?”
“Just make sure you’re well-prepared for the trip. There are things to pack on the way.”
This was enough.
It was Cordelia who understood exactly what Jude was saying as a rotten water.
“Then I’ll be waiting for the news.”
“Yes, I’ll see you again soon.”
The two who bumped their fists like a habit, moved towards Maja and Dahlia.
And a week later.
Count Bayer is back.