In fact, it was nearly impossible to come up with a perfect way to complete the quest. The quest for the knight order promotion certainly took place in the Osma Empire, and it was in the Osma Empire that Cadel was recognized as a commander of the knight order.

Before the quest, however, Cadel’s position in the Empire was that of an illegitimate son of a family disgraced for attempting to assassinate the royal family. In other words, he was a half-breed descended from traitors. He had to save himself.

It would be better to show up in time for the start of the quest if possible, but as usual, Cadel didn’t know when the quest would start. That was why he hurried to the Empire, tackling the previous quests like a man possessed.

‘I don’t want my promotion quest to be slower than I expect, and the longer I stay in the Osma Empire, the greater the risk of being discovered.’

No matter how well he hid, a fugitive hiding in the wrong place could only last so long. As the illegitimate son of a distinguished family, whose name was not unknown, he must keep himself hidden. However, if he remained at a distance and waited for an opportunity, he would most likely miss it.

A situation of dilemma where he could neither do this nor do that. In the end, Cadel took a gamble.

“Don’t worry, Commander. If anyone tries to catch Commander, I’ll take care of them.”

“No, things will get complicated if you deal with them.”

“Were you a wanted man, Cadel? That’s cool!”

“Don’t say it out loud.”

In any case, the beginning of the quest couldn’t be missed. So even if he was caught, he had to stay within the Osma Empire.

The starting point was obviously near the immigration gate. Cadel decided to stay in the neighborhood and hang in there.

Cadel stepped off the carriage after days of weary travel and onto solid ground. In the distance, he could see the great gateway to the Empire’s borders. Cadel Lytos’ home was just around the corner, but he didn’t feel much excitement. Just a place to pass through on a quest.

He glared at the gate with a gaunt face and strode off to pay the coachman.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you to the inside of the gate? It’s much simpler to get through the checkpoint in a carriage.”

“No, thank you, I have an errand nearby.”

“Well, if you say so…….”

With the promised money in hand, the coachman traveled straight toward the gates of the Osma Empire. Cadel pulled the hood of his robe tightly over his head in the dust kicked up by the receding carriage. Naturally, he had no intention of crossing the gates with his face uncovered.

“It’s lunchtime, so the guard is loose.”

“Good thing. If there were more guards, the burden on Lydon would have increased.”

Watching the gate carefully, Van was certain the number of guards on duty was four. Cadel approached Lydon, who had the appearance of a young boy. He studied Lydon’s face carefully, ran a hand through his curly hair, and nodded, pleased with his newfound innocence.

“Don’t say anything weird, and cast the illusion when Van is looking at you. Got it?”

Lydon casually showed positive signs to Cadel, who warned him several times ‘Don’t draw attention and act like a quiet younger brother’.

“I understand, Cadel. Though I’d rather have a clean kill than to have to use an illusion.”

“Listen to me, because it’s not better at all.”

There was nothing more convenient than Lydon’s illusion technique to cross the gateway avoiding unnecessary suspicion or search. After the seal was lifted, Lydon’s mana more than doubled, and his magic-casting speed was also reduced. Since he was not in the land of the Great Spirit Pinhai, he did not get the buff of using spells without chanting, but even without that, he got a tremendous amount of power.

Therefore, it was not too much to use illusion on only 4 humans. Rather, Lydon was the first to suggest ‘I will enchant the entire Empire’, but Cadel lightly ignored it. Not only was he wasting a lot of mana, but Cadel didn’t want to be treated as an invisible person throughout the Empire.

“Alright then, I’ll be waiting nearby, so go ahead. The two of you are good brothers from now on, so hold hands tightly. Van, sour expression is prohibited.”

Cadel patted Lydon on the back, who was waving his interlocked hands with Van excitedly, and Van, who was forcing a smile. As they walked away, he thought he could hear a conversation between the two men, something along the lines of ‘I don’t like your rough hands’ or ‘I’ll kill you when we’re done here’, but Cadel decided to pretend he didn’t hear it.

* * *

Van gripped Lydon’s hand so tightly that it could crush his hand. He seemed to want nothing more if he could crush it like this. However, the owner of said hand did not succumb to Van’s ignorant grip and instead smiled sarcastically.

“If you break my hand, I’ll tell Cadel.”

“Funny, you think Commander is going to take your side?”

“Of course, he’s my human.”

What an obnoxious fairy. How dare he said that Commander was his human, that they got married. If he hadn’t been a member of the mercenary corps, Van would have buried him long ago.

Van glared murderously, looking as if he would tear Lydon apart at a moment’s notice, then forced his expression to soften when he realized they were close to the gate. There was still a faint hint of anger, but it wasn’t as noticeable as it had been before.

“You there. Stop.”

As they reached the gate, a guard approached as if waiting for them. His scrutinizing gaze swept over Van and Lydon, noting their interlocked hands. They looked nothing alike, but their age and gaudy appearance suggested they were related, perhaps even brothers.

The guard eyed Van’s sheathed greatsword, then jerked at the bag at his side.

“What’s inside?”

“I’ve got some loot from killing a monster, and I heard there’s a guy here who’ll buy it for a lot of money.”

“……Are you a mercenary?”

“Yes.”

The guard’s expression changed at the stiff answer. He was looking at a young boy at Van’s side.

“Are you taking this little one?”

“While slaying te monster, I found a lost child. The child’s parents are here in the Osma Empire, so I’m here to sell the loot.”

Van waved his clasped hands in the air, reciting the lines Cadel had taught him. Lydon looked up at the guard with a smiling face and tilted his head affectionately.

The corner of the guard’s mouth twitched upward at his angelic appearance. No matter where the place was, a cute child would catch people off guard.

“Geez, this child must have had a hard time. Apparently, he’s from some noble family. Tell me the name of the family and I’ll show you the location of the mansion.”

“Ah…….”

Van had heard the name of the Imperial nobility in preparation for such a situation. However, he had got hives just by hearing the pronunciation, so he had slipped it off and he couldn’t remember it well.

While Van hesitated, delaying his answer, Lydon studied the three guards standing guard beyond the gate. If he was going to cast an illusion on the man in front of him, now would be a good time.

There was no need to hesitate, and as he drew on his power, a familiar circle of magic appeared above his red eyes. All Lydon had to show was a deserted gateway. It would last a generous fifteen minutes.

Recalling Cadel’s incantation, Lydon unfolded the illusion technique without delay. But before his magic was even activated.

Chiiing—

From behind them, a bright light erupted, accompanied by a terrible hissing sound.