Chapter 64
‘Today’s start is lemon-flavored.’
Max put a Lollipop in his mouth and checked the clothes he had hung up yesterday once more.
“I just need to grab my outerwear and this.”
Today was the monumental day Max would meet the Leader of the Magic Noble Family, Eisen Crimsonhowl.
He didn’t know where they would meet.
He might head straight to the Family Estate, or there is a possibility they would meet at a separate location.
He didn’t even know the meeting time.
He was only told it would be today. Thanks to that, he was waiting in the office while looking over Flora and Ellen’s reports.
“Flora. Leave this part blank so you can go out with me when a request comes in later. Won’t we get at least one before your Intern period ends?”
“Then I’ll write down the matters agreed upon with the Association first.”
Flora wasn’t just stopping at desk work for the Mercenary Office; she was waiting to go out and experience Mercenary work firsthand.
It was likely an attempt to strengthen the differentiation from a Corporate Intern Report, which would mostly contain safe and similar content.
The direction she pursued was excellent, but it was content that made Ellen, who had experience going on a request with Max, act high and mighty.
“I can write it down. Jealous?”
“You just type fast, but your report content is a mess, so you’re not even a threat in the first place.”
“Don’t you know speed is life in practical work?”
Max thought as he watched the two.
How empty would it feel if they were separated after Bickering like this.
Watching Flora and Ellen, he felt they genuinely had a good relationship, no joke.
At the time when voices went back and forth in the office and the morning sunlight wiped away the moisture accumulated during the dawn outside.
Bzzzt! Bzzzt!
At the short vibration sound, Flora immediately answered the phone.
“Yes. Understood.”
She gave a concise answer, stood up from her seat, and approached Max.
Max was already gathering his outerwear and belongings.
“Oppa. It seems the car will arrive in front of the office soon.”
“Is he coming here? Or am I getting in?”
“The Driver will guide you to where father is. Oppa, you just need to get in.”
Having finished his preparations, Max crushed the candy he was holding in his mouth with his molars and quickly disposed of it.
It wasn’t proper etiquette to show the Driver sent by a Noble Family.
“I’ll be back. Call me immediately if anything happens.”
As Max was about to leave the office, Flora approached and straightened his attire down to the smallest details.
Then, with a stiff face, she let out a long Breath and spoke with certainty.
“···I think grandfather will be satisfied even if Oppa just acts like he normally does.”
“Come back alive~”
Max left the office receiving a luxurious send-off, with Ellen’s cheering.
After a moment’s wait, a vehicle approached the front of the building.
Screeech──.
The wheels stopped smoothly, and a Driver with red hair stepped out.
With a polite greeting, he opened the back door and gestured for Max to get in.
“Excuse me.”
Max marveled as he boarded.
The car sent by Crimsonhowl was a model with an excellent backseat aimed at a Customer with a Driver, commonly called a Chairman’s Car.
“Max-nim. We will depart now.”
“I’ll be in your care.”
The car rolled its wheels. The scenery outside the window was moving, but there was practically no noise or vibration.
Not only the outside, but the interior of the vehicle was quiet as well.
“···.”
An atmosphere where it felt awkward to even ask where they were going.
Max continued his deductions while admiring the outside.
“Are we heading to the Family Estate after all?”
If they were heading to District 2 where the Crimsonhowl Mansion was located, it would take a considerable amount of time.
He didn’t know the exact distance since he had never actually been there, but even District 12, where the Steiger Mansion was located, was quite a distance from here.
The anomaly occurred about two hours into the drive.
Vrooom!
The vehicle left the perfectly fine road and began to run along a bumpy Mountain Road.
He couldn’t even guess where this was or where they were going.
‘···What’s certain is that this isn’t the road heading to the Upper District.’
If they had to take such an uncomfortable road to head up, the Agency of Haze would have been smashed by the Upper Class.
They drove for about thirty minutes, scattering gravel as if the quiet drive from earlier had been a lie.
A smooth road appeared again, along with a thick metal wall indicating it was private property. They passed a machine that checked the license plate.
And what came into view was a small Cabin and a Reservoir.
It was scenery that had become hard to see in Haze, which had undergone indiscriminate development.
“Oh···!”
Max let out an unconscious exclamation of awe, and the vehicle stopped right on cue.
The Driver got out, politely opened the back door, and informed him.
“Max-nim. We have arrived.”
“Thank you for your hard work. Where should I go?”
“If you go toward the Cabin, the Family Head will be there.”
Expressing his gratitude, Max slowly headed toward the Cabin. The Driver backed the vehicle away and distanced himself.
As he got closer to the Cabin, ─Plop! A faint sound of water could be heard.
Taking a few more steps, he saw the tip of a fishing rod cast into the Reservoir.
Approaching closer, he saw a Ripper sitting in a chair with the fishing rod cast out.
Red hair and perked-up Wolf ears. Even from his back, he was a Person of Crimsonhowl.
His attire was a short-sleeved shirt, shorts, and slippers. Eisen Crimsonhowl’s outfit was simply resort fashion.
It was the exact opposite of the dressed-up Max. And naturally, it was the opposite of his expectations.
Eisen Crimsonhowl turned his head to look this way and laughed refreshingly.
“Haha! You found your way well.”
“···!!!”
Max was overwhelmed the moment he faced the other.
It was the sensation of facing a magnificent natural landscape that human power could do nothing about.
“This is the same lifeform? The same human···?”
It was hard to believe because he didn’t look human at all. He looked like something transcendent in the shape of a human.
Did blood really flow beneath that skin? Was a heart beating? Was he even breathing?
An aura that made one doubt providence itself.
“Breathe. I need to breathe···.”
Max pushed away the absurd imaginations rushing in and quickly bowed his head.
“···I offer my greetings to the Family Head of Crimsonhowl! I am Max Steiger!”
“Hoh? Raise your head.”
As their eyes met, Eisen’s gaze dug in. It was the sensation of being stripped bare and having everything read.
“My, your impression is completely different from Layton Steiger’s.”
“I’ve heard a lot since I was young that I take after my mother’s side.”
“I see. Have a seat here for now.”
Following Eisen’s order, he sat in the empty chair.
It became a picture of him looking at the Reservoir with the Crimsonhowl Family Head.
“Do you like fishing?”
“I’ve never tried it, but I am interested.”
“It’s a decent Hobby for clearing your head. Just staring blankly at nature is a Change of Pace.”
“I will definitely try it next time.”
Eisen lightly tapped the fishing rod resting on the stand and continued the conversation.
“What do you think is the reason I called you here?”
“···I don’t know.”
“First of all, I wanted to see for myself the mage in Haze whose tier has risen at an unprecedented speed.”
Max knew that being unprecedented drew more attention than necessary.
It was too ambiguous to be glad about, so he tried to deflect.
“Couldn’t it be the case that I was hiding my true tier?”
“Weren’t our Flora and that tomboy from the Clements Family with you? Then deceiving them would be impossible.”
Pride could be felt in Eisen’s voice when he mentioned Flora.
Eisen, whose excitement rose slightly while mentioning his granddaughter, continued speaking.
“When I face you in Person, you exceed my expectations. You might feel like you’ve hit a wall from here on out, but if you devote yourself, you will climb to an even higher place.”
“Thank you!”
Even if it was empty praise, he was happy.
Because the words of an Archmage carried power, they had an appeal that made the listener’s heart swell.
“And second, I called you to commend your excellent handling of matters.”
“By 'commend', you mean···?”
“I liked the results and conclusions of the Gaia Food, District 41, and District 19 requests that you took charge of.”
“!”
Eisen openly revealed that he was the Person behind the Bohemian Association President.
“Is there anything you need? I want to give you a reward within my reach.”
An opportunity that rushed in alongside shocking information.
Amidst the rapidly shifting topics, Max closed his mouth and thought carefully.
There were many things he needed.
Starting from money, elixirs, enlightenment regarding magic, information to fill in the gaps, and so on.
However, he knew that if he spoke hastily, just going with the flow, he would regret it later.
“It wouldn’t be easy even if I told you to speak right now. If something you need comes up, tell me through Flora.”
“Yes! I will consider it carefully!”
Even though Max answered, a fish tactlessly bit the bait.
“Oops.”
As the bobber sank deeply, Eisen grabbed the fishing rod resting on the stand.
He lightly pulled up a large crucian carp without even a landing net, removed the hook, and returned it to the water.
Eisen reloaded the bait onto the fishing hook and resumed the conversation.
“And third, I intend to give you, a Steiger bloodline, a choice.”
Despite his calm voice, one could immediately tell it was a serious topic.
Max steadied his breathing and answered.
“I will listen with full concentration.”
The bobber Eisen threw surfaced on the Reservoir.
In a peaceful place where the sound of flowing water and the chirping of insects rang out, Eisen brought up the topic as if it were infinitely light.
“It’s much earlier than expected, but the tie formed by Enri Crimsonhowl and Layton Steiger will soon be severed.”
“!”
Max was instantly left speechless.