Estio Book 5
- Episode 21
It was undoubtedly a badge that symbolized the Ignis Guild executives. When the ballista guild members hardened like honeydews, Yeon Yeon-rang looked at Estio and complained.
"Ik, I'm annoyed! The leader does too. If you hear such a pathetic story, please respond!"
"Why should I do that?"
"Because I feel bad."
"It wasn't very unpleasant."
A wrinkle deepened between Yeon-yeon-rang's forehead after hearing the simple answer.
"Ha, I feel bad. You're an executive."
"?"
"If the guild leader is ignored, the honor of the entire Ignis guild will fall as well. I admit that you rose to a high position because you were strong, but it is not acceptable to taint the guild name as an executive."
It was still a decisive attitude.
Estio could easily recall the incident where she tried to kill Jose and the gang who had come to the guild counter the other day and had a riot. Just as she hates non-humans, she applied the binary logic of enemies or allies to the guild issue.
"So, take care from now on. Ignis..."
Birang's voice became slightly lower.
"It's a very special place for me."
Although his voice was still mixed with irritation, Estio thought that this single word sounded a little gloomy. Yeon-yeon-rang didn't even hear her answer, turned around and left her seat. Estio didn't even bother to catch her because she anyway was surrounded by her blue sands and had nowhere to go.
"Jose."
Instead, the topic turned to Jose, who raised the rude suspicion that he was a necromancer. José, who had lost his mind, shrugged his shoulders.
"Have your doubts been cleared or do you need more clarification?"
"Chu, that's enough! You don't have to explain anything like that!"
The tone he had uttered a while ago had completely changed to respectful. Jose wasn't the only one who changed his attitude. Even the chattering merchants were all quiet. Only Russell and Alzeniv, who knew that he was the guild leader, looked at him with unchanging, familiar eyes.
Now, no one doubted Estio. The position of the Ignis Guild executive was qualitatively different from the title of nobility. Even if he became an cadre, his status was still a commoner, so he had no special powers within the empire.
However, once he became a guild executive, he could not ignore the nobles. This is because the influence the guild has inside and outside the empire, including his military power and administrative work, is enormous. The emperor wasn't wary of Guild Master Kai for nothing.
"More than that, Estio-sama."
In the frozen atmosphere, Moobin spoke softly.
"Now it seems better to send these bugs to another place."
They were still in the middle of the Blue Sands. Even knowing that Blue Sand's killing function was disabled thanks to Estio, it was very uncomfortable.
"Although the lush desert scenery that unfolds in the middle of the night is breathtakingly beautiful."
Mubin groaned, but the merchants who had been plagued by the cursed legend of the blue sand seemed to choke in a different way every time they saw the wriggling bugs.
"Actually, that's impossible."
"Yes?"
This answer was also unexpected. In front of the bewildered guardian, Estio beckoned to the blue sand with a slightly embarrassed look.
"When I first saw them, I already told them to go back."
The worms did not obey orders.
"...it seems that there is no place to return to."
I couldn't exactly follow it.
Originally, the Blue Sands were a lazy race looking for food by flying in the wind. When I ordered him to go back, he had nowhere to go.
"Then we'd better leave this place sooner than later!"
At Parker's words, the other merchants quickly nodded their heads. They wanted to get away from Blue Sands as soon as possible. But, unfortunately, Estio also gave a different answer this time than expected.
"Even at this moment, terrified bugs continue to appear nearby."
"Again?!"
Parker, with a pale complexion, opened his mouth and shut it again, fearing that an insect might enter.
If you think about it, it was a reasonable principle. Since there is a source, the Blue Sands ghost story has been terrifying the desert for many years.
"If left alone, they will form another bluesand and attack the creatures in the desert."
In the end, it was a vicious cycle. The worms themselves were very fragile, but as they reached the end of their lifespan, new maddening worms continued to spawn and cause problems.
"If you leave now, nothing will be resolved."
"Estio-sama, that word now."
Moobin, who had been listening all the time, stepped forward and respectfully confirmed the owner's intentions.
"Are you talking about solving the source of the Blue Sands and going?"
"Yes."
got it right Estio resolutely nodded his head, but everyone on the top side of him looked at him and gave an absurd reaction.
"Hey, even if it's not us…"
"We have to transport things so that they don't get damaged, so such a dangerous thing..."
If it wasn't for Estio, all of them would have been killed by Blue Sands, so most of them couldn't speak loudly and mumbled their words.
One of them had the courage to ask Estio.
"Hey, can't you just keep escorting me like you are now until you reach your destination?"
He was still a young merchant.
As one person spoke, the others agreed as if waiting.
"Yeah. Ignis people followed you as escort mercenaries, didn't you?"
"For now, let's safely go to the village of the Turke tribe."
"That's right. Our merchants won't be of much help anyway. It's better to gather more mercenaries who are good at combat and solve them professionally!"
Not everything the merchants were saying was wrong.
Apparently, Estio's power was in a state that could not be properly controlled. So, Estio kept his gaze fixed on the sand to avoid making eye contact with other people as much as possible.
All those who make eye contact with him fall within the scope of mind control regardless of their will. It was good to be able to suppress the violent emotions of countless insects thanks to the explosively increased efficiency, but I didn't want to touch the heads of the people I was with.
Estio gently raised his head and stared at Mubin, Parker, Neju, and Ahur in turn.
The team members were fully guided by his decision as the leader. Even if he had stopped the upper escort here and turned to the source of the Blue Sands, he would have packed his bags without saying a word.
But Estio changed his mind.
"Okay. Please continue to guide us to the village of Turke, Alzeniv."
I couldn't sleep again with the blue sand all around me, so if I was going to leave, I had to leave immediately. Algernib, who rolled her eyes, smiled brightly and nodded her head.
Through the dark night air, the desert crabs smashed the sand again. Due to the nature of the desert crabs, they were vulnerable to darkness, so their speed was slower than during the day, but they steadily started moving away from the Blue Sands.
A small whisper remained like an auditory hallucination in Estio's ear, who covered her eyes by putting on the eye patch again.
「……I'm so sorry.」
Estio looked back reflexively. I couldn't see anything in the obscured view, but I could vaguely feel the energy of the blue sand waving in the distance.
"......scared......."
"What's wrong?"
Alzeniv, who was riding in the Poco together, looked up at Estio with a puzzled face. Estio was the only one who could hear the earnest whispers of the bugs.
After leaving behind the whispers of Blue Sands that lingered in his ears as thick as bloodstains, Estio straightened his posture again.
"it's nothing."
A dry voice came out. But he apologized to himself.
'I'm sorry I couldn't help you.'
"please."
At the end of the clamor that he had to turn away from, there was a desperate cry.
"......Help me."
* * *
The desert crabs on the top of Porima, which ran through the deep night, completely escaped the Blue Sands area at dawn. Even the blue twinkle of the bugs that lit up the darkness became as distant as the starlight in the dawning sky that was now disappearing.
The desert crabs, which had been running for a long time in the direction indicated by the little astrologer Alzeniv, slowed down at a certain point.
"Hey! It's an oasis."
Alzeniv, who recognized the destination first, was excited and stretched out his hand. A smile of relief gradually appeared on the faces of the grown-ups who looked in the direction where the tip of his little finger was pointing.
"Wow. Let's go slow, guys."
kuruk. gurgling.
At the hand pulling the reins, the desert crabs made a strange sound and began to walk slowly. As the lead crab slowed down, the other crabs that followed were accustomed to hearing the signal and moving their square legs slowly.
After a short walk, we reached a beautiful oasis full of palm trees.
"Welcome to the village of Turke!"
A dark-skinned woman holding a water jar greeted the new visitors with a relaxed smile. She greeted them not only, but also a young man planting a tree near her, a middle-aged man carrying a basket, seeing them.
"Ah! Are you a foreigner? You must have had a lot of trouble crossing that steep sand dune."
"Hoho, welcome. Are you thirsty?"
Even among the sandy deserts, it is the only resting place filled with beautiful flower trees and large cactus, as well as water and sweet honey to quench your thirst.
This was the only colony in the desert that developed around the oasis, the village of the Turke tribe. A friendly greeting was a familiar culture to the tribesmen. They were willing to be kind to people they met for the first time.
The Turke tribe live in the middle of the desert. Therefore, it was far from territorial wars and struggles for wealth and honor. Instead, he continued a fierce battle for survival against monsters and natural phenomena. As a tribe who risked their lives to survive in the desert, they also had considerable fighting power.
As a result, he often became indecisive and infinitely affectionate towards the same human beings. This is because people have developed a habit of helping and sharing with each other as they continue to fight lonely and lonely against the harsh nature.
When they found someone thirsty, they gave water to them, and they gladly ran out with a knife for those who were being chased by monsters.
"Um, hello."
Parker was greeted awkwardly. Seeing the crippled party, the tribesmen laughed at the reaction of those who first came to the village of Turke.
Especially for a movie star who came down from the desolate northern part of the country, their warm hospitality was enough to bring out chicken flesh.
"Thank you so much for escorting us safely."
"Thanks to you, I survived, Ignis guild leader."
Now that we have arrived at our destination, our accompaniment with the top of Porima is over. Instead of saying goodbye, the merchants who saved their lives in Blue Sands expressed their gratitude to each and every one of them.
"Our porima, although it is a small top, we can be proud that we never lose our faith."
Sang-Joo Russell finally shook hands with Estio.
"I will remember you as a benefactor for the rest of my life."
Estio hesitated for a moment, then took Russell's outstretched hand. Like a merchant who does a lot of dirty work, it was a rough and rough hand.
Estio Book 5
- Episode 21
It was undoubtedly a badge that symbolized the Ignis Guild executives. When the ballista guild members hardened like honeydews, Yeon Yeon-rang looked at Estio and complained.
"Ik, I'm annoyed! The leader does too. If you hear such a pathetic story, please respond!"
"Why should I do that?"
"Because I feel bad."
"It wasn't very unpleasant."
A wrinkle deepened between Yeon-yeon-rang's forehead after hearing the simple answer.
"Ha, I feel bad. You're an executive."
"?"
"If the guild leader is ignored, the honor of the entire Ignis guild will fall as well. I admit that you rose to a high position because you were strong, but it is not acceptable to taint the guild name as an executive."
It was still a decisive attitude.
Estio could easily recall the incident where she tried to kill Jose and the gang who had come to the guild counter the other day and had a riot. Just as she hates non-humans, she applied the binary logic of enemies or allies to the guild issue.
"So, take care from now on. Ignis..."
Birang's voice became slightly lower.
"It's a very special place for me."
Although his voice was still mixed with irritation, Estio thought that this single word sounded a little gloomy. Yeon-yeon-rang didn't even hear her answer, turned around and left her seat. Estio didn't even bother to catch her because she anyway was surrounded by her blue sands and had nowhere to go.
"Jose."
Instead, the topic turned to Jose, who raised the rude suspicion that he was a necromancer. José, who had lost his mind, shrugged his shoulders.
"Have your doubts been cleared or do you need more clarification?"
"Chu, that's enough! You don't have to explain anything like that!"
The tone he had uttered a while ago had completely changed to respectful. Jose wasn't the only one who changed his attitude. Even the chattering merchants were all quiet. Only Russell and Alzeniv, who knew that he was the guild leader, looked at him with unchanging, familiar eyes.
Now, no one doubted Estio. The position of the Ignis Guild executive was qualitatively different from the title of nobility. Even if he became an cadre, his status was still a commoner, so he had no special powers within the empire.
However, once he became a guild executive, he could not ignore the nobles. This is because the influence the guild has inside and outside the empire, including his military power and administrative work, is enormous. The emperor wasn't wary of Guild Master Kai for nothing.
"More than that, Estio-sama."
In the frozen atmosphere, Moobin spoke softly.
"Now it seems better to send these bugs to another place."
They were still in the middle of the Blue Sands. Even knowing that Blue Sand's killing function was disabled thanks to Estio, it was very uncomfortable.
"Although the lush desert scenery that unfolds in the middle of the night is breathtakingly beautiful."
Mubin groaned, but the merchants who had been plagued by the cursed legend of the blue sand seemed to choke in a different way every time they saw the wriggling bugs.
"Actually, that's impossible."
"Yes?"
This answer was also unexpected. In front of the bewildered guardian, Estio beckoned to the blue sand with a slightly embarrassed look.
"When I first saw them, I already told them to go back."
The worms did not obey orders.
"...it seems that there is no place to return to."
I couldn't exactly follow it.
Originally, the Blue Sands were a lazy race looking for food by flying in the wind. When I ordered him to go back, he had nowhere to go.
"Then we'd better leave this place sooner than later!"
At Parker's words, the other merchants quickly nodded their heads. They wanted to get away from Blue Sands as soon as possible. But, unfortunately, Estio also gave a different answer this time than expected.
"Even at this moment, terrified bugs continue to appear nearby."
"Again?!"
Parker, with a pale complexion, opened his mouth and shut it again, fearing that an insect might enter.
If you think about it, it was a reasonable principle. Since there is a source, the Blue Sands ghost story has been terrifying the desert for many years.
"If left alone, they will form another bluesand and attack the creatures in the desert."
In the end, it was a vicious cycle. The worms themselves were very fragile, but as they reached the end of their lifespan, new maddening worms continued to spawn and cause problems.
"If you leave now, nothing will be resolved."
"Estio-sama, that word now."
Moobin, who had been listening all the time, stepped forward and respectfully confirmed the owner's intentions.
"Are you talking about solving the source of the Blue Sands and going?"
"Yes."
got it right Estio resolutely nodded his head, but everyone on the top side of him looked at him and gave an absurd reaction.
"Hey, even if it's not us…"
"We have to transport things so that they don't get damaged, so such a dangerous thing..."
If it wasn't for Estio, all of them would have been killed by Blue Sands, so most of them couldn't speak loudly and mumbled their words.
One of them had the courage to ask Estio.
"Hey, can't you just keep escorting me like you are now until you reach your destination?"
He was still a young merchant.
As one person spoke, the others agreed as if waiting.
"Yeah. Ignis people followed you as escort mercenaries, didn't you?"
"For now, let's safely go to the village of the Turke tribe."
"That's right. Our merchants won't be of much help anyway. It's better to gather more mercenaries who are good at combat and solve them professionally!"
Not everything the merchants were saying was wrong.
Apparently, Estio's power was in a state that could not be properly controlled. So, Estio kept his gaze fixed on the sand to avoid making eye contact with other people as much as possible.
All those who make eye contact with him fall within the scope of mind control regardless of their will. It was good to be able to suppress the violent emotions of countless insects thanks to the explosively increased efficiency, but I didn't want to touch the heads of the people I was with.
Estio gently raised his head and stared at Mubin, Parker, Neju, and Ahur in turn.
The team members were fully guided by his decision as the leader. Even if he had stopped the upper escort here and turned to the source of the Blue Sands, he would have packed his bags without saying a word.
But Estio changed his mind.
"Okay. Please continue to guide us to the village of Turke, Alzeniv."
I couldn't sleep again with the blue sand all around me, so if I was going to leave, I had to leave immediately. Algernib, who rolled her eyes, smiled brightly and nodded her head.
Through the dark night air, the desert crabs smashed the sand again. Due to the nature of the desert crabs, they were vulnerable to darkness, so their speed was slower than during the day, but they steadily started moving away from the Blue Sands.
A small whisper remained like an auditory hallucination in Estio's ear, who covered her eyes by putting on the eye patch again.
「……I'm so sorry.」
Estio looked back reflexively. I couldn't see anything in the obscured view, but I could vaguely feel the energy of the blue sand waving in the distance.
"......scared......."
"What's wrong?"
Alzeniv, who was riding in the Poco together, looked up at Estio with a puzzled face. Estio was the only one who could hear the earnest whispers of the bugs.
After leaving behind the whispers of Blue Sands that lingered in his ears as thick as bloodstains, Estio straightened his posture again.
"it's nothing."
A dry voice came out. But he apologized to himself.
'I'm sorry I couldn't help you.'
"please."
At the end of the clamor that he had to turn away from, there was a desperate cry.
"......Help me."
* * *
The desert crabs on the top of Porima, which ran through the deep night, completely escaped the Blue Sands area at dawn. Even the blue twinkle of the bugs that lit up the darkness became as distant as the starlight in the dawning sky that was now disappearing.
The desert crabs, which had been running for a long time in the direction indicated by the little astrologer Alzeniv, slowed down at a certain point.
"Hey! It's an oasis."
Alzeniv, who recognized the destination first, was excited and stretched out his hand. A smile of relief gradually appeared on the faces of the grown-ups who looked in the direction where the tip of his little finger was pointing.
"Wow. Let's go slow, guys."
kuruk. gurgling.
At the hand pulling the reins, the desert crabs made a strange sound and began to walk slowly. As the lead crab slowed down, the other crabs that followed were accustomed to hearing the signal and moving their square legs slowly.
After a short walk, we reached a beautiful oasis full of palm trees.
"Welcome to the village of Turke!"
A dark-skinned woman holding a water jar greeted the new visitors with a relaxed smile. She greeted them not only, but also a young man planting a tree near her, a middle-aged man carrying a basket, seeing them.
"Ah! Are you a foreigner? You must have had a lot of trouble crossing that steep sand dune."
"Hoho, welcome. Are you thirsty?"
Even among the sandy deserts, it is the only resting place filled with beautiful flower trees and large cactus, as well as water and sweet honey to quench your thirst.
This was the only colony in the desert that developed around the oasis, the village of the Turke tribe. A friendly greeting was a familiar culture to the tribesmen. They were willing to be kind to people they met for the first time.
The Turke tribe live in the middle of the desert. Therefore, it was far from territorial wars and struggles for wealth and honor. Instead, he continued a fierce battle for survival against monsters and natural phenomena. As a tribe who risked their lives to survive in the desert, they also had considerable fighting power.
As a result, he often became indecisive and infinitely affectionate towards the same human beings. This is because people have developed a habit of helping and sharing with each other as they continue to fight lonely and lonely against the harsh nature.
When they found someone thirsty, they gave water to them, and they gladly ran out with a knife for those who were being chased by monsters.
"Um, hello."
Parker was greeted awkwardly. Seeing the crippled party, the tribesmen laughed at the reaction of those who first came to the village of Turke.
Especially for a movie star who came down from the desolate northern part of the country, their warm hospitality was enough to bring out chicken flesh.
"Thank you so much for escorting us safely."
"Thanks to you, I survived, Ignis guild leader."
Now that we have arrived at our destination, our accompaniment with the top of Porima is over. Instead of saying goodbye, the merchants who saved their lives in Blue Sands expressed their gratitude to each and every one of them.
"Our porima, although it is a small top, we can be proud that we never lose our faith."
Sang-Joo Russell finally shook hands with Estio.
"I will remember you as a benefactor for the rest of my life."
Estio hesitated for a moment, then took Russell's outstretched hand. Like a merchant who does a lot of dirty work, it was a rough and rough hand.
