Record of a Thousand Lives: Chapter 26

Chapter 26.  Record of a Thousand Lives

The alchemist clan’s building

Those people who had safely escaped from the Chimera Dimension were transported to the inside of the building.

The fireplace, through which they walked out of, has lost its teleportation capability between the dimensions, and returned to its original form with the usual crackling of fire.

“Thank you!  Thank you very much!”

“I’ll never forget your help!”

The men, including Lee Kanghyun, bowed their heads multiple times as they thanked Kang Yoonsoo.

Kang Yoonsoo took the blunt of the lightning with his body, and eventually killed Lavian.

If it wasn’t for him, they were as good as dead, already.

However, Kang Yoonsoo was just busy untying his own wrists and ankles.

“He must be very tired.”

Shannette, who was massaging Kang Yoonsoo’s thighs, quickly spoke.

As Kang Yoonsoo did not even have a bit of social skill, she thought to speak on behalf of him.

Although Kang Yoonsoo did not respond, Lee Kanghyun and his team members thanked him several times.

Lee Kanghyun was about to give something out of his leather pouch as a thank you gesture, but Kang Yoonsoo shook his head.

 “No need.”

 “Really?  You don’t need to turn it down.”

Lee Kanghyun turned his head.

He stared at Shin Hanyul who was standing without saying much.

“Hanyul, shouldn’t you be saying something to thank him, also?”

The other swordsmen looked at him in not such a favorable way, either.

It was because Shin Hanyul has already lost the team’s trust.

Their respect for him began to shake off from the moment that he had ordered to desert one of their own comrades.

To add to that, they were nearly killed by the side effects of his magic that had gone awry.

Even under the circumstances in which unexpected results were produced, it was Shin Hanyul’s role to issue timely and appropriate orders.

Having kept silent for a long while, Shin Hanyul spoke.

However, it was very far from saying a thank you.

“You, you already knew that Lavian was going to absorb the magic?”

Kang Yoonsoo remained silent.

Shin Hanyul was no fool.

He said without any hesitation.

“You said it before.  That the reward was greater when he was killed after absorbing the magic.  Kang Yoonsoo, you already knew that the boss monster was going to absorb the magic.  Then why did you not tell me, a sorcerer class, that fact?”

“Look, Hanyul.  Still, we suffered no casualties because Kang Yoonsoo personally fought for everyone.”

Lee Kanghyun spoke in defense of him, but Shin Hanyul just put on more vicious expression on his face.

“Quiet.  Had this person given me that information, that precious magic scroll would not have been wasted like that.”

In fact, he got angry.

“Come to think of it, that was strange.  How did you also know that the only way out of the Chimera Dimension was to kill Lavian?  What are you, anyway?”

Then Kang Yoonsoo spoke.

“I already knew it.”

Shin Hanyul made sarcastic remarks in a scathing fashion.

“Ha!  I knew it.  Did you push others to the brink of death in order to claim all the rewards by yourself?  Others could have died.  You must have really wanted to act like a hero?”

Kang Yoonsoo slowly got up.

He walked towards Shin Hanyul.

Kang Yoonsoo extended out his right arm, and Shin Hanyul took a cautionary posture.

Soon, Kang Yoonsoo grasped the clamp on the white lion cape.

Everyone who was close to them opened their eyes wide.

In a very brief moment of time, Kang Yoonsoo stole Shin Hanyul’s cape without much effort.

Kang Yoonsoo’s hand movements were natural, and no one could even visually catch the actual act of stealing the cape.

Everyone even felt that no one, including a thief who stole for many, many years, would have such a talent.

Fluttered, Shin Hanyul spoke.

“What, what is this?  Now, you want to take someone else’s cape, too?”

Kang Yoonsoo shook his head.

“I told you.  That I knew already.”

Kang Yoonsoo threw the white lion cape towards the fireplace.

The cape slowly burned away inside the crackling fireplace.

Shannette had a curious look in her.

Why is Kang Yoonsoo acting in such a meaningless way?

He wasn’t someone who would ever act driven by impulsive emotions.

However, Shannette and other people’s responses were completely different.

“What, what is that?”

“That cape burns so quickly like that?”

“The white lion cape, given by the clan, is made out of wyvern hide.  It would never lose its strength in fire?”

Lee Kanghyun’s team was made up of people who desperately wanted to join the White Lion Clan.

As such, they were well studied in the white lion cape, the symbol of the clan.

Kang Yoonsoo took out a part of the burned cape from the fireplace.

It was the part of the drawing on the cape in which the white eyes of the white lion were roaring towards the king’s throne.

“In the first place, the white lion’s eyes on the cape provided by the White Lion Clan are blue.  This lion’s eyes are white.  With time, the color has faded.  This cape is a fake.”

Everyone now looked at Shin Hanyul with different attitude.

Lee Kanghunn’s team members’ hands were even noticeably shaking.

We travelled with you for the sole purpose of joining the White Clan, but, he was a con artist?

However, Shin Hanyul was visibly upset.

“Do not kid me!  Do you have a proof?”

Shin Hanyul was certainly thick faced.

However, there was not a very clear proof, anywhere.

This remote place in the south did not even have any member of the White Lion Clan for the purpose of comparing the cape against his/hers.

“Gosh, this is ridiculous.  How could you accuse a White Lion Clan member as being a fake, like this, without even any proofs.  You just simply ruined a precious cape.  For crying out loud.”

However, unlike his insistent defense, he tried to quickly leave the building.

At that moment, a loud voice was heard.

The voice was accompanied by some laughter, but it certainly was one with an aura of confidence.

“Do not worry!  A proof has just walked in here, like this.”

An impressive looking man walked into the alchemist clan’s building.

Seeing the grayish white armor suit and bright, glittering cape which he was wearing pointed to the fact that he was someone of a high statured.

Lee Kanghyun and other men could not close their opened mouths as they looked at the ingrained symbol on the man’s cape.

“It’s white…, a meshed symbol of a white lion and fire!”

“The unique class cape made out of white lion’s hide by the emperor’s tailor!”

After looking at one another, they gulped their dry mouths.

They could not believe it.

Lee Kanghyun asked with a shaky voice.

“Is, is.  Ha, Han Saehyun!  Are you Han Saehyun, the captain of the White Lion Clan?”

The man scratched his cheek and appeared embarrassed.

“There is no one who recognizes me in a glance, like that… You must be quite an observant?”

“Whoaaa!  Can I please have your autograph!”

Lee Kanghyun and other men all looked as if they could take their hearts out for him.

Han Saehyun smiled and kindly declined.

On the other hand, Shin Hanyul shouted in a harsh tone.

“Han Saehyun?  The captain of the White Lion Clan?  Don’t kid me!  Why would a man of that great stature even walk in to a remote place like this?”

“Hmm.  Certainly, the captain of the White Lion Clan does not like petty and annoying things.”

Han Saehyun put on smiled briefly.

He was certainly smiling on the outside, but his inside felt much colder than anything.

“The captain of the White Lion Clan does not leave the capitol over small things.  I’ll tell you the two reasons why I came here in person then.”

Han Saehyun showed his pointer.

“First, I heard the rumor that there, in this Chimera Dimension, exists an evidence for the quest which I have been desperately searching for.  That reason was sufficient already for me to come to this remote location from the head-quarter in the capitol.  However, unfortunately, someone had already attacked the Chimera Dimension.”

While saying that, he subtly looked in to Kang Yoonsoo’s direction.

However, he soon turned his attention and continued.

Han Saehyun’s voice was cold.

“Second, someone named Kang Yoonsoo had sent a message via the alchemist clan.  That some idiotic person was daring enough to con people by claiming to be a member of my clan.  As a result, I quickly flew to this place by hurrying the itinerary.”

Kang Yoonsoo was the person who sent the pigeon-gram when he had first visited the alchemist clan.

That man was no other than the captain of the White Lion Clan Han Saehyun.

“No, no way!  You, you called the captain of the White Lion Clan, just to catch me, me?”

Shin Hanyul exaggeratingly shouted as if he wanted to deny the truth.

He shook with unimaginable fear.

As Han Saehyun approached, Shin Hanyul gritted his teeth and pulled down his shirt.

A cringed, devilish looking black tiger tattoo was visible on the collarbone.

“Don’t, don’t come any closer!  If you are the captain of the White Lion Clan, you must know what this tattoo means?  If you harm me, it is a declaration of war on our clan!”

“Hmm.  I have no interest in looking at a tattoo on another man’s collarbone.”

Han Saehyun smiled once, and lightly placed his finger at the tattoo.

Paddddeuck-!

Shin Hanyul’s clavicle got immediately crushed.

 “Aaaahk-!”

Shin Hanyul shrieked with the acute, unbearable pain.

Han Saehyun, using only one hand, grasped his shirt around his neck.

Then an incomparably coarse voice came out of his vocal cord.

“Declaration of war?  Don’t be silly.  Have you seen a lion that fears a kitten?”

 “Ecough!  E-Aaack-!”

Shin Hanyul painfully coughed.

However, Han Saehyun spoke in a merciless tone.

“As expected, you are a black tiger clan bastard.  You have foolishly decided to show off after you’ve gotten some fame in the back alleys, ha!  Is your captain still enjoying the spoils from dealing drugs?”

 “Aaaack… Aaack!  I’m, I’m sorry.  Please, please spare me!  Please!”

“I’ll just put a stain on my hand by killing a low life like you.  Tell your captain.  His life will not be spared if he keeps up this imitation cape business, but then by the way, are you even in the position to talk to your captain directly?”

“I, I’ll relay the message…!  For sure, I will…!”

As if it was a bother, Han Saehyun threw Shin Hanyul.

Rolling to the ground, Shin Hanyul fell to the floor.

Swaying severely, he ran out of the alchemist building.

Lee Kanghyun and other men all cheered.

 “That, that was truly great!”

 “My name is Kim Sangchul!  I pray you will remember!”

 “I, I’m Ahn Hyungsoo!  Please, remember me, too!”

Han Saehyun was neither, hearing or not hearing them.

Han Saehyun, passing by them, walked towards Kang Yoonsoo.

After smiling, he spoke.

“What is your name?”

“Kang Yoonsoo.”

“You are the person that sent me the message.  I’m getting hungry having travelled from far.  I want to take some food, would you like to join me?”

“No.”

“Pardon?”

Han Saehyun was embarrassed as if to say that he didn’t expect his invitation to be turned down.

Shannette, who was sitting next to him, said quickly.

“Please forgive the rudeness.  Such a way of speaking does not work on Kang Yoonsoo.”

Han Saehyun sheepishly smiled when he heard her.

“Then you, my pretty lady, know of any way to share a dinner with that man?  Ah, and if it’s OK with you, your name, also.”

“I’m Shannette Elogran.  And, um… To do that.”

Shannette whispered something into his ear.

Looking very curious, Han Saehyun walked towards Kang Yoonsoo.

And he said lightly.

“Let’s have a drink.”

“Sure.”