Originally, Cale did not plan to destroy the whirlpool. He was planning on taking care of it using the Indestructible Shield and the Vitality of the Heart.
'But that was when I didn't have the Black Dragon.'
There was no reason for him to work hard when he had the Black Dragon.
Cale stuffed the Black Dragon, On, and Hong with a ton of food before sending out these Beasts that averaged 7 years of age and greeting his first guest.
"I do not know what you stole, but you did something big."
It was Billos.
"I guess I am a bit famous these days."
Billos shook his head at Cale, who did not seem to be injured at all. He could see Cale starting to drink while claiming to still be injured.
"You indeed are famous, young master Cale. But is it okay for you to drink?"
"There's no reason for me to lie in front of you."
Billos smiled as he filled Cale's empty cup. He then handed a magic box over to Cale.
"Here are your requested items. Thank you for returning the items from last time."
Cale had returned the other items to Billos through Choi Han. Cale caressed this new box of items as he looked toward Billos.
Cale had already decided how to use the first of the two opportunities to use the golden plaque.
He decided to buy some time.
Cale decided to buy some time for the moment when the Northern Knights, a dangerous existence for not just Roan Kingdom but also the Breck Kingdom and the other mid-northern kingdoms, started to head south.
To be more specific, other than the Northern Knights, there were also the Empire at the center of the Western Continent, the mage slayer, and the Queen of the Southern Jungle. Cale decided to buy some time to get away from all of them. It would be one thing if he was on his own, but now there were others he needed to care for.
"Billos."
"Do you deal properties too?"
"I don't, but I do know about what is going on lately."
Billos really was a merchant. He received information very quickly.
"The Western continent is on the verge of blowing up, and that is a great time for merchants like myself to make money."
"Merchants will run toward anything that will give them a profit."
Billos liked Cale, who understood merchants a lot. He also liked that Cale didn't beat around the bush and got right to the point.
"The Whipper Kingdom will become a mess soon. I'm sure you are already expecting it?"
Billos nodded his head. The non-mages and mages could no longer coexist in the Whipper Kingdom.
"That is why I am trying to figure out what I can use to make money in that chaos. Young master Cale, what do you think will be the most profitable investment there?"
Cale easily answered Billos's question.
"People."
The mages will lose the civil war and the Magic Tower will be destroyed. Then what would happen to the remaining mages? All of the mages were not going to die at the end of the civil war.
The Whipper Kingdom was the Western continent's greatest supply of magic devices. There were many mages who stayed far away from power and politics, but there will be nowhere for those types of mages in the Whipper Kingdom after the civil war.
In the novel, Crown prince Alberu Crossman was going to target this issue. As for the destroyed Magic Tower, Rosalyn was the highest-tier mage who decides to create a new Magic Tower in a different location.
Billos was a very sharp person.
"You're thinking that the mages will look for a new home."
Cale did not give Billos a direct answer.
The mages needed to lose in the Whipper Kingdom. That was the only way for the Whipper Kingdom to move to a better future.
However, Cale did not put much weight onto those things.
What he wanted was something else.
The Western Continent's greatest supplier of the highest-grade magic devices. Cale needed the things that will remain after the civil war.
"Immediately let me know once the Magic Tower is destroyed."
"…May I ask why?"
Cale shrugged his shoulders and lightly responded.
"You'll find out when it happens."
The Magic Tower.
Cale was planning on purchasing it.
The Magic Tower will be filled with irreparable broken magic devices after the civil war. Cale also knew the method to purchase this Magic Tower. Alberu also will not be able to do anything about Cale's actions.
"I'm looking forward to it."
Cale nodded his head in agreement. He was looking forward to it as well.
Buying the Magic Tower will buy him some time. It will give him time to protect himself from danger. It will be very expensive, but …
'Not like it is my money.'
Billos saw the evil smirk on Cale's face and his expectations went up.
"Then I will contact you when it happens."
"Okay. I look forward to it."
Cale said goodbye to Billos, his first guest. He then greeted his second and last guest. Well, the second guest more so rushed into the room.
Cale looked toward the terrace window that was open, before flinching at the existence that rushed in through the window.
"What is this?"
A clay doll the size of his palm climbed in through the window. On and Hong jumped into Cale's arms in fear.
It was because the expression on the clay doll was terrifying. It looked more like a zombie than a doll. The Black Dragon spoke into Cale's head with magic as usual at that time.
– I feel the power of a God.
"Ah."
Cale blurted out someone's name.
The crazy priestess.
"Cage."
Once he did that, the clay doll that did not have any eyes or ears but only a mouth started to speak.
"I knew you would recognize me, young master Cale. This doll is connected to me. It is a single-use item that can only listen and talk."
She really was skilled enough to be called a necromancer.
Cale looked toward the Black Dragon. The Black Dragon was talking into Cale's mind, but did not turn invisible. It seemed to have figured out right away that it could listen and speak, but could not see.
'Just how strong is this dragon?'
Cale suddenly questioned the Black Dragon's strength.
However, the clay doll started to speak and prevented him from thinking about it for a long time.
"We are leaving the capital today. I'm sure Young master Cale does not like us contacting you like this."
'Correct. Absolutely correct.'
"However, Taylor said he had something he wanted to tell you."
"'Young master Cale when I go take back my position, no, when I am one level higher than my original position, I will return to pay you back for your help.' is what he wanted me to tell you."
"There was no need to tell me."
"I know."
Cale looked into the empty eye sockets of the ugly clay doll.
"Even still, Taylor and I both need somewhere to share the news when we get what we desire."
"Do whatever you want."
The clay doll started to smile at Cale's words before it started to melt. On and Hong dug even further into Cale's clothes in order to hide after seeing the doll melt away.
"Then please be healthy, young master Cale."
The clay doll disappeared without leaving any traces behind. The Black Dragon stared at the empty spot where the clay doll stood for a bit before looking toward Cale.
"Then is that when I can get my revenge?" ( Quotation for the Black Dragon when he is talking out loud, bullet/hyphen for when he is talking into Cale's mind. Maso wanted me to clarify so you don't grill him about it 😉 )
Once Taylor Stan returned to power and became the master of Marquis Stan's estate, the current Marquis and Venion will both need to face the wrath of this Black Dragon.
"Yes. You can do as you want at that time."
"Great."
The Black Dragon made up his mind about when to get his revenge after hearing about Marquis Stan's estate's current situation from Cale.
The Black Dragon was going to strike Venion and the Marquis when they were at their lowest point. He was going to show them despair and make them suffer.
The Black Dragon flapped its wings happily. It really was a vicious creature.
Cale heard the Black Dragon mutter its revenge plan in his head and treated it as a creepy lullaby as he went to bed. Naturally, those vicious comments did not make it easy to sleep. The next morning, Cale was standing in front of the carriage early in the morning.
Rosalyn, Choi Han, and Lock saw them off. Cale looked at the three of them with a stoic expression.
"Cale-nim, if you think you see that mage bastard, please tell the dragon to kill him right away. All you have to tell him is to blow his head up so that he is not useless like me, who was only able to cut off an arm."
Choi Han was spewing vicious things from early in the morning.
"I will definitely get stronger and come back! So make sure you listen to the young master while I am gone. Think seriously about the thing I told all of you last time. It is for your future. We all need to get stronger now."
Lock was surrounded by his 10 younger siblings and telling them what was on his mind. Rosalyn was whispering with the Black Dragon inside of the carriage, and it was so quiet that even Cale could not hear.
"Dragon-nim, this is the textbook on Roan Kingdom's alphabet, and this is the one for the continent's common language."
"Thank you, human. I am great and mighty, so I will learn it quickly."
"Absolutely. Dragon-nim is great and mighty. I pray that you come up with a cool name for yourself."
"I will ask for him to come up with a name for me."
"…I'm sure Cale-nim will know what you mean by asking him."
"Hmph."
Cale didn't know what they were talking about, but he stared at Rosalyn, who was watching the Black Dragon with a satisfied smile on her face, and started to frown. He then turned toward Choi Han and started to speak. Choi Han was still going on about what Cale should do in order to stay alive without him.
"Cale-nim, your rate of survival goes up if you blast anything away in one hit and then run away. Also-."
"Enough with the nonsense."
Cale stoically continued speaking to Choi Han, who immediately shut up.
"Just make sure you don't get hurt."
"…Yes. I will make sure to do that."
Cale didn't want to see Choi Han's innocent smile anymore, so he got onto the carriage. Rosalyn got off as soon as Cale got on.
Cale felt the weight of the invisible Black Dragon, as well as On and Hong, on his lap as he looked out the window toward Hans.
"Let's go."
The staff, who were all outside the residence to see them off, bade Cale goodbye. Cale did not understand why these staff members would delay their work and come out to see him off. He told them it was fine, but they all still wanted to come and see him off.
"Young master-nim, please return home safely!"
"It was our joy to serve you, young master-nim!"
"We look forward to seeing you again in the future!"
'What terrible nonsense.'
Cale had no plans to ever come back to the capital. He just casually waved at them and then closed the carriage curtains.
That action was the signal to go. Cale's group had two more carriages than when they arrived, as they left the capital and headed to the Northeast.
Ubarr. Cale was headed to the sea that was filled with whirlpools for hundreds of years.
***
"Sniff! It smells salty! Is this the sea?"
The red kitten Hong looked out the open carriage window and sniffed the air. Cale nodded his head as he received a small round item that the Black Dragon handed to him.
"This is the condensed mana from the bomb?"
The Black Dragon nodded his head at Cale's question and responded.
"Yes. We can make a new magic bomb now."
Cale became jovial at this confirmation and opened the carriage window wide. The cool sea breeze entered the carriage as he looked out toward the Northeastern sea. There were many islands visible in the ocean. The Northeastern sea had quite a number of these small islands.
The silver kitten On was also quite excited.
"Oh! Look at that sharp cliff!"
The sharp cliff brought forth both awe and fear as they were riding across a path created on top of that cliff.
Cale looked toward the, 'Cliff of Winds,' the most beautiful sight in the Ubarr territory. There were many small islands next to that cliff.
Between the cliff and the islands were multiple raging whirlpools. Those whirlpools were the culprit behind why the seas of the Ubarr territory were so dangerous.
'The mage slayer ends up landing on one of those islands after being shipwrecked by the whirlpools, and ends up finding the, 'Sound of the Wind.'
The mage slayer was known for being an intelligent barbarian. He was even stronger than Lock, the Blue Wolf Tribe member and the future Wolf King, and held the title of the strongest individual in the Western Continent. The mage slayer's name was Toonka, known as Toonka the Tyrant.
'I just need to get it before he does.'
If things went as it did in the novel, it was still too early for Toonka to come here. Cale was thinking that there was no chance he would run into Toonka as he looked out to the sea with satisfaction. This journey would be smooth, as long as he avoided Toonka.
Cale, who had been looking out the window with satisfaction, could see something far in the horizon.
"Hmm?"
Cale rubbed his eyes a bit, but it was still the same.
"…Isn't that a whale?"
A pod of large whales were shooting water into the air as they crossed through the Northeastern Sea to head north. Cale suddenly had an ominous feeling, and clenched the magic bomb ingredients in his hand.
The whales tended to live in the Northern sea. This was true for the Whale Tribe as well. It was only during the war with the mermaids that the Whale Tribe came down south.
'I'm sure that's just a group of whales passing by. Tons of whales head north. Absolutely no way, right?'
The Black Dragon's voice echoed inside Cale's ear.
"I feel a strong presence."
That echo stabbed right into Cale's brain.
That was why Cale was frowning when they arrived at a small village just outside the Cliff of Winds.
"Young master, did you get sick on the way?"
Cale shook his head at Hans's question.
"No, I just have a bad feeling."
"Ah, it is scary because of the cliffs. However, our driver is a veteran, so you have nothing to worry about."
Cale ignored the useless comments from Hans and reached his hand out to the person approaching him.
"Long time no see, young lady Amiru."
"Hello, young master Cale."
Amiru had her uniquely calm smile on her face as she welcomed Cale and crew.
This was a small seaside village in the Ubarr territory. This small village, that had nothing special and allowed the residents to live in peace and quiet until now, was suddenly busy with visitors.
The village was quickly changing every day. However, they would soon face an opportunity that will allow their village to change incomparably in the near future. Tomorrow night would be that moment. Tomorrow night, Cale was planning on blowing up a magic bomb deep inside the ocean.
However, something that, in Cale's point of view, should have never happened had happened. This terrible situation began when one of Amiru's knights came to report to Amiru. The knight urgently approached Amiru and quietly reported.
"My lady, the person we rescued has regained consciousness."
"Oh, is that so?"
'Rescue?'
That word made Cale think of a single person.
As Cale started to frown with doubt on his mind, Amiru noticed Cale's expression and started to explain.
"We were inspecting the shoreline and nearby islands for the new naval base when we rescued a shipwrecked person. It seems that he has regained consciousness."
'I have a bad feeling about this.'
"We were debating what to do when we saw him unconscious and being dragged into the whirlpool, but I remembered what you did at the plaza and decided we needed to save him."
Amiru continued to speak to Cale.
"Because a person's life is precious, right, young master Cale?"
Cale answered that question after a long moment of silence.
"…Of course."
"I knew young master Cale would answer like that."
Cale could not even think about Amiru's smiling face right now. All that was on his mind right now were the details regarding how the novel described Toonka's situation.