This is the story of a magician and an elf girl.

"I heard, Richard, you brought the elves back to the fort again."

"Ah, you are really well-informed. I only told a few people - Jie Si."

Jess, who threw a throwing knife at Richard who was sitting at the bar counter, was wearing a wallet that exposed his upper body and a belt with a scabbard. It was his specialty to spin the knife in his hand.

In contrast, Aojun, who didn't order anything, didn't say a word and just waited quietly for Richard's instructions.

"Boss, give me a bottle of wine."

"Ah... I've told you so many times not to destroy my counter."

"Hey, don't be so stingy. I won't give you less tokens. Take them."

Jie Si pulled out the throwing knife from the counter and put it back into the scabbard, then threw three copper tokens into the pocket next to the boss's collar. Not knowing how to make requests to such a customer, he could only compromise and do as he was told, pouring wine into a wooden glass and giving it to Jie Si.

"You are such a nimble fellow. You caught a bunch of them last time, but now you only have one. I guess you have more tokens in your pocket than you can use up. Tell me, Richard, how did you catch them?"

"Well... it won't do me any good to tell you."

"What do you want? A woman? A weapon? Or a tool that can be used?"

"Idiot, time, time to live. Tokens are just one of the means to extend my life. Can you give me another benefit to extend my life?"

"...boring, everyone will die one day."

"Until then, I will survive. This is the most important thing - even if it means sacrificing someone's life, I don't care."

"Hmm, no wonder people say they can't get along with you, you're such a narcissist."

Jess, who drank the wine in big gulps, did not have a good impression of Richard. Although he brought a lot of tokens from the beginning, he did not use them at all.

After all, he, this weirdo, has been living like this in this fortress. No one can trust him, no one can rely on him, no one can criticize him, and no one can be his enemy - this man is no one's friend.

"So how do you want to use me? There must be something, right? It's impossible for a guy like you to know nothing about me, right?"

"Jiesi, an expert in throwing weapons, is known as the master of flying weapons. You are a leader in this field. I think you are a good chess piece, but I don't have any plans for you at the moment. After all, you and I are not compatible."

"Don't say that. You don't get along with anyone. If no one cooperates with you, you will definitely be alone forever."

"Compatibility is something that was born with personality and ideals. No one's personality is the same as another's, and no one's ideals are the same as another's. Pure coincidence is just chance and longing. It's okay if you want to laugh at my loneliness. After all, I have never sought the understanding and trust of others. I will live, not for anyone but for myself. This is my belief."

"Where did you come from, little cockroach? Never mind... Gurgle Gurgle..."

Jie Si, who drank half of the wine in one gulp, was not a person without a purpose.

Richard knew very well what his goal was. Jess's strength came from his flexible combat ability. His joints were softened through intensive training, allowing him to draw out throwing weapons and throw them in any posture. Some people even said that he could kick a throwing knife standing on the ground directly into the bull's eye of the target - incredible, Richard happened to have met such a person recently.

"Well... I'll tell you what, after I thought about it this seems to help my lifeline."

"Oh... As expected, is it tricky?"

"You asked that because you knew..."

"Of course - elves are not easy to get. Who did you fight? The famous Aojun still has wounds on his feet. Those are wounds caused by throwing. And he is the type who is very focused on breaking through. He can understand that he must use this method to win against an opponent who is physically invincible. If it were me, I would do the same, but it didn't happen because Aojun's hands were also injured. He failed, but he also fought back and was able to fight a powerful warrior like Aojun head-on. At the same time, he still has flexible speed and reaction ability - I'm very curious, Richard, where is such a powerful opponent?"

Moreover, Jie Si, who possessed a certain combat insight, could tell at a glance that the opponent that Ao Jun had dealt with was definitely not a third-rate guy, but a top-notch warrior who was good at using throwing weapons and had the strength to fight against Ao Jun. In this fortress, Jie Si could guarantee that there was no other person who could match his combat experience.

"Good insight, but I hate it when people snoop on me like this. Let me first talk about that elf and the previous batch of elves. Originally, I could have brought back more, but I was obstructed by that guy almost the entire process. I failed to capture all the members of the tribe. Some elves seem to have stayed over there, and this one is just out looking for companions."

"Oh... I've walked into a trap..."

"Not really. As you said, that guy is also here. He has paved the way as a protector. Although he is not as good as Ao Jun, but..."

"I lost that battle."

"!" "!"

Suddenly, the silent Ojun interrupted Richard's speech, and Jess, who was very interested in this, leaned over and asked, "Oh, what do you mean, Ojun?"

"I was already a general at that time. If Lord Richard hadn't taken hostages, the victory would have definitely belonged to that man... That man - he was very strong, not like the strength that humans have achieved through training, but more like the fearless warrior who survived fighting countless monsters. His eyes were filled with an obsession that scared even me."

"Hey, Ao-kun, we agreed not to tell anyone..."

"I don't remember this happening. Anyway, the guy is already half dead. Winning or losing doesn't matter. I beat him so badly that he can't stand up and raise the knife again."

Looking back, Ao-jun could only feel guilty and ashamed. He had tried his best to use his skills to fight him. Every blow was infused with fatal force, but everything was bounced away and dodged in front of him as if it was meaningless.

There will never be another opponent like him, and there will be no chance to turn around after his defeat. Aojun feels vague about his life creed.

"Tsk... We don't even know if he's dead or just dying, why don't you just kill him?"

"I will not extinguish the life of my opponent. Either I let him die on his own and let him think about his last short life, or I can close my eyes and wait for death. This is the only qualification I can give to the loser."

"I am really impressed... The combination of you two is truly a masterpiece."

"Anyway, that's why I want you to do something, Jess. If he's still alive, can I leave it to you? Fighting is what you want, right?"

"I don't want to kill a half-dead piece of shit. I hope he can enjoy the last battle."

Although he said that, Jie Si, who was actually looking forward to fighting with such a person, left the bar. Richard, with an unhappy look on his face, tilted his head and looked at Ao Jun's unmoved profile.

Most of the people here are like this, doing what they want. People who pursue women. People who pursue victory. People who pursue fighting. People who pursue survival.

Richard was just one of them - so he had no right to dictate the beliefs of others.

The only person he wanted to deny and reject was the magician who was willing to sacrifice his own interests to protect others.

Unreasonable behavior, meaningless actions, and people like that made Richard very unhappy.

It would be better for him to disappear. If a guy like that doesn't die, seeing him again will definitely kill him.

For Lady Hera's purposes, your presence is already an eyesore enough, so just disappear.

"Let's go. I'm not interested anymore. Let's go buy a weapon first. It's really unsettling to be unarmed."

"..."

The man in the white robe with his cloak pulled up walked out of the folding door of the bar with the tiger-wolf. The scene reflected in his bright red eyes was a society created by countless pairs of orc warriors walking on the streets carrying sub-human slaves. Because their desires have not been satisfied for a long time, they need an object to vent their desires at any time, but at the same time, in order to survive in this environment, they need more than that.

"One hundred tokens, take them."

"What a luxury, sir... Just choose whatever you want..."

Whether it is slaves or food, there is a benefit exchange system here, just like the gold coins held by the human continent in the past. At the beginning, it was just because there were always problems and disputes in the transactions. Later, it became more and more difficult. As a result, under the proposal of a man in a white robe, the business model of the fortress gradually became unable to leave the tokens that fairly represent interests.

"Look, no matter what era people live in, they will pursue perfect rationality and order. The tokens that exist for this purpose have solved countless problems and disputes. As long as a normal price can be used to measure a person's value, people feel satisfied in the era of peace. They can get the benefits they need from each other without shedding more blood. For this reason, the magician who destroyed the human continent and denied the concept of money, don't you think he is a notorious villain?"

"At least I... still want to fight him again."

"Is fighting really that interesting? Victory is nothing more than the result of mutual slaughter, or the conclusion of a dispute. I really don't understand your feelings..."