Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 124

Seven years was by no means a short time.

It was enough time for a child to become an adult, and for a fragile self to grow strong and mighty like a towering tree.

Just like Damien standing before Zeon now.

The boy who was there seven years ago no longer existed.

His tightly shut lips, unwavering determined gaze, straightened posture—all spoke of Damien not as the tender-hearted boy but as a man with strong convictions.

The problem was, Zeon couldn’t exactly discern what convictions he held.

Looking at Zeon with a smile, Damien spoke up.

“Brother! Can I ask you one thing?”

“Sure.”

“Did Dyoden-nim achieve what he wanted?”

“Yes.”

“Then Haeltoon is no longer in this world?”

“That’s right.”

“And Dyoden-nim?”

Instead of answering, Zeon looked up at the sky.

Damien made a saddened expression.

“I guess that’s how it turned out. Still, having fulfilled the lifelong vow, he must have departed peacefully.”

“Most likely.”

“How have you been, Brother?”

“Just wandering here and there.”

“It’s so unfair when I see you.”

“What is?”

“Some people really struggle and put in a lot of effort to find their path, but you just roam around the desert like it’s your backyard.”

“Your abilities are deceptive enough. You know that, right?”

“I do! But still, it feels like such a big difference.”

Damien pursed his lips.

“Don’t make an expression that doesn’t suit you.”

“Was I pouting?”

“Quite.”

“It seems like there’s still a lot to learn. Still, I thought it seemed quite natural.”

“Let me ask you something too.”

“What is it?”

“El Harun!”

“….”

Instantly, Damien’s face hardened.

As if his smile had completely vanished, like a lie.

“Did you find it?”

“What about you?”

“I asked first.”

“Not yet. But soon.”

“Is that so?”

“How about you?”

“I haven’t found it yet.”

“I figured. It’s usually not hiding in plain sight.”

Damien smiled coldly.

Zeon looked closely at Damien’s expression and asked.

“If you find it, will you let me know?”

“Of course I’ll let you know, brother. I promised Dyoden-nim.”

“Can I trust you?”

“Brother, I always keep my promises, at least.”

“I guess so.”

This time, Zeon smiled.

Damien looked at Zeon with a strange gaze.

***

By the time Zeon and Damien returned to the White Bear Caravan, Brielle had already finished shopping.

Zeon asked Brielle.

“Did you find anything you liked?”

“Yeah! But they were so expensive I couldn’t buy everything.”

Brielle made a sullen face.

The items brought by the White Bear Caravan were things that were hard to find in Neo Seoul.

Naturally, they were priced exorbitantly high.

Because of that, Brielle couldn’t buy all the things she wanted and only managed to buy a few.

“Still, with this, I can try out alchemy, which I’ve always wanted to do.”

“At least that’s something.”

“Yeah! Did you and Damien have a good talk?”

“It ended well.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Yeah.”

Zeon nodded slowly.

In his sight, he saw Damien talking with Alexandro with a serious expression.

Though Alexandro was the leader of the White Bear Caravan, he listened to Damien’s words.

Just that was enough to know who the real owner of the White Bear Caravan was.

‘He’s grown a lot.’

The problem was, he had grown too much.

While there were hardly any external changes from back then, it seemed like there were about ten times as many gears turning inside.

Zeon slightly nodded and said to Brielle.

“Let’s go back now.”

“Okay!”

The two of them left the fortress of the White Bear Caravan.

As they got somewhat away from the fortress, Brielle asked cautiously.

“What kind of person is Damien?”

“Why?”

“No, it’s just that he brought so many things that elves and dwarves would like. All of those things are hard to come by.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, there were so many items I’ve never seen even when I was in our village. Especially the Green Laurel Leaves were treasures I’ve never seen before.”

“Green Laurel Leaves are treasures?”

“They might be useless for other races, but they’re tremendous treasures for elves. Just having them on your body can boost your vitality. There’s nothing better for enduring the harsh climate of the desert.”

“It seems like it’s a good match for elves.”

Occasionally, there were such items.

They didn’t have much effect on other races, but they had a significant impact on specific races.

Perhaps the Green Laurel Leaves were one of those items.

Originally, Green Laurels were very common in Kurayan. But on the desertified Earth, they became rare treasures.

So rare that they couldn’t even be found in Brielle’s village of High Elves.

“I wonder how he managed to get Green Laurel Leaves? If possible, I’d like to kidnap him and ask.”

“If Brielle is willing to go that far, other elves would do even more, right?”

“Probably. They’d probably go crazy.”

“Hmm.”

Zeon turned his head and looked at the fortress.

From the highest point of the fortress, he could see Damien looking at him.

***

“It’s the first time I’ve seen you care so much about someone.”

“He’s a man worth caring about.”

“Is that so?”

At Damien’s reply, Alexandro’s eyes lit up.

They had known each other for seven years.

So he knew.

He knew how talented and intelligent Damien was.

A navigator.

Literally, a Guide.

In this world, there were countless Awakeneds, but those who awakened as a Guide were extremely rare.

And among them, it was even rarer to find a Guide as exceptional as Damien.

Through interactions with other colonies, he found out.

Damien was truly an unbelievably exceptional Guide.

Because of him, with minimal sacrifices, they could interact with other colonies, and the White Bear Caravan could grow to this extent.

No matter how strong the Awakeneds in the Yakutsk Colony or other colonies were, Damien didn’t care.

Today was the first time he showed concern for another Awakened.

At least since Alexandro knew Damien as an Awakened.

“Is he a Magic Awakened?”

“Hmm, what should I say? Ah, I’d rather not say anything.”

“Why? Did you swear an oath to keep it a secret?”

“I owe it to Brother. So, I want to keep at least the minimum loyalty.”

“Hmm.”

“Above all, I don’t want to appear annoying to Brother.”

“Is that man so frightening that you’re afraid?”

“To be honest… yes! I’m scared of him. At least, there’s no one on this desert who can stand against him.”

“Hmm.”

Alexandro’s tone became grave.

‘If Damien is saying this much, then he’s someone to be cautious of.’

Suddenly, a surge of hot emotion rose deep in his chest.

Alexandro knew exactly what emotion he was feeling right now.

It was competitiveness.

The desire to fight and win against a strong opponent.

Even though he was currently the leader of the White Bear Caravan, he was still an exceptional Awakened and a warrior.

Whenever he sees a strong opponent, he wants to fight and trample on them.

‘Someday, I’ll have the chance to face off against him. But for now, Damien’s affairs take precedence.’

He made an effort to suppress his competitiveness.

Then, they appeared.

In the distance, another group was approaching from Neo Seoul.

Just by looking at their attire and armament, it was clear.

They were Awakeneds.

Other groups besides Dongdaemun and Sinchon, were coming to visit after hearing the rumors.

Alexandro shouted to his subordinates.

“Guests are coming. Prepare to greet them.”

“Yes!”

The energetic responses of his subordinates could be heard from below.

As Alexandro was about to go down, he suddenly looked back at Damien.

“Damien!”

“Yes!”

“When will the fifth floor be open?”

“After enough interest is piqued.”

“Got it. We’ll do it like that.”

Alexandro went down, leaving Damien alone on top of the fort.

Damien watched Zeon entering the slums until the end.

***

Upon returning to the slums, Brielle ran straight home.

She was excited to try out alchemy with the items she bought from the White Bear Caravan.

Zeon’s destination was the street market run by Old Man Klexi.

While the sun was still high in the sky, Old Man Klexi was seen opening the store.

Approaching Old Man Klexi, Zeon caught his attention.

“What brings you out during the day? What wind blew you out so early when the sun hasn’t even set yet?”

“Why did you open the shop so early? It’s not even ten yet.”

“I opened the shop because of the uproar.”

“Uproar?”

“Because of the caravan from outside, all of Neo Seoul is bustling. People who usually don’t even show their faces during the day are out and about since morning. If a merchant misses this opportunity, they might as well close shop.”

“I also woke up early because I went to the White Bear Caravan.”

“Oh! You’ve been there already?”

Zeon didn’t miss Old Man Klexi’s sharp gaze.

Old Man Klexi was more focused on the trends and information of the White Bear Caravan than any other organization in Neo Seoul.

Even if they didn’t know, Argos’ Eyes were probably gathering information about the White Bear Caravan already.

“Yeah! How was it inside the caravan with your own eyes?”

“It’s a perfect fortress in itself.”

“A fortress?”

“Its defenses are remarkable enough that Dongdaemun suffered a defeat while trying to pull off a scheme.”

“Tsk! It’s not surprising at all that those fanatics tried to pull a scheme.”

Old Man Klexi clicked his tongue.

He already suspected it.

However, the fact that they acted so quickly and were caught trying to pull scheme was a bit surprising.

“Those fanatics won’t give up. Once fanatics latch onto something, they won’t let go until the end.”

“The White Bear Caravan won’t easily succumb either.”

“Ho! Do you evaluate them that highly?”

“I’ve seen their strength with my own eyes.”

“In that case, it must be trustworthy. I don’t know about anything else, but your keen eye is exceptional.”

It was a statement acknowledging Zeon.

Indeed, Old Man Klexi held Zeon in high regard.

“But it doesn’t seem like you’ve come just for a meal. What’s the real matter?”

“Please notify me if there are any unusual movements in the White Bear Caravan.”

“Unusual movements? Well, do you have any guesses?”

“Just a feeling that something isn’t right.”

“Hmm.”

Old Man Klexi narrowed his eyes.

It was his first time seeing such a serious expression on Zeon since they met.

That alone felt ominous.

“Got it. If there are any strange signs, I’ll let you know first.”