Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 306

Just like the first time Zeon met her, Brielle’s face was expressionless.

Her face, completely devoid of any emotion, was enough to make Zeon let out a faint sigh.

Brielle’s gaze was fixed on the man from the Helbrin Mercenaries.

The man who had been gruesomely destroyed by Zeon and ultimately left lifeless.

His neck was broken, his tongue lolled out, and his face still bore the terror he had felt in his final moments.

Brielle had watched everything, how Zeon had extracted every bit of information from the man before killing him.

If she were just an ordinary child, she would have been terrified of Zeon’s actions. But Brielle was far from ordinary. She had endured countless hardships and had grown so accustomed to such scenes that they hardly fazed her anymore.

Moreover, as a High Elf, her mental fortitude was several times stronger than that of a child her age.

That was why she could remain unshaken even in the face of the carnage Zeon had wrought.

But no, she wasn’t simply “unshaken.”

She was angrier than she had ever been.

The men Zeon had killed were none other than the human hunters who had once kidnapped her.

It wasn’t just her, countless children had been orphaned and abducted by them, only to be sold off to various places.

Brielle’s circumstances were comparatively better.

Aside from being forced to manufacture drugs, she had not suffered physical abuse.

She had been treated with a certain level of care because she was an alchemist capable of producing highly pure narcotics.

Other children were not so fortunate.

Some were sold to deranged sorcerers and used as test subjects. Others became gladiator slaves or were thrown as food to monsters by tamers trying to domesticate their beasts.

The children who were sold off like that led miserable lives before meeting tragic ends.

Brielle didn’t even know how many children had been taken by the Helbrin Mercenaries.

Among them, there had been numerous elves, too.

The infuriating part was that even until the moment he died, the man didn’t recognize Brielle.

There had been so many like her that she had been just another nameless elf to them, a slave, nothing more.

The fact that they had so thoroughly ruined the lives of others yet couldn’t even remember their victims was what made her seethe with anger.

Brielle’s shoulders trembled slightly as if her fury hadn’t completely subsided.

At that moment, Gaia poked its small head out of the subspace.

It had been quietly observing the situation from within the subspace but came out cautiously, noticing Brielle’s unsettling expression.

, Biiiii!

Had Gaia not tried to comfort her just then, it would have taken her a long time to calm down.

Brielle hugged Gaia tightly and whispered softly.

“Oh, yeah. It’s okay. Thank you, Gaia. Now hurry back into the subspace before anyone else sees you.”

, Bii?

“Yes, really. Please, just keep watching from inside. I don’t want you to stay in such a filthy place, even for a moment.”

, Biiiii!

Looking a bit reluctant, Gaia slipped back into Zeon’s subspace.

For Gaia, a spirit creature, the sewer’s environment was unbearably dreadful.

If it had grown even half as much as its mother, Moby Dick, it might have been able to withstand it. But for now, it needed to stay pure and only interact with clean energy.

“Phew!”

Brielle let out a deep breath, and her face quickly returned to its usual calm expression, as if nothing had happened.

She turned to Zeon and asked.

“What’s the plan now?”

“We keep tracking them.”

“I figured as much.”

Brielle clenched her small fists tightly.

Before he died, the man had revealed that the Helbrin Mercenaries had entered a contract with Eli. However, he didn’t know why Eli had wanted to retrieve a hundred slaves.

Everything was still shrouded in mystery.

To uncover Eli’s true intentions, they had no choice but to capture the leader of the Helbrin Mercenaries, Hassim.

“But before that…”

Zeon turned his gaze to the boy standing off to the side.

It was Zetoya, the boy who had been pursued by the Helbrin Mercenaries.

Zetoya stared at Zeon with a face full of fear.

Zeon killed the men who had annihilated the Red Horn Crocodile Crew in an instant like swatting flies.

Zetoya had never seen such incredible combat ability in his life.

He had been so shocked that he hadn’t even noticed Gaia briefly emerging from Zeon’s subspace.

“Ah, ah…”

Zetoya’s mouth opened and closed repeatedly, but no words came out.

Zeon and Brielle were the first outsiders Zetoya had ever encountered.

He was born and raised here, in the underground.

To Zetoya, the outside world was both a dream and a source of fear.

He had always wanted to escape this filthy place and see the world above. But his body had adapted to the damp, dark underground, much like a crocodile.

He couldn’t survive without a certain level of humidity.

He had tried leaving a few times, but the excruciating pain always forced him to return.

That’s when he realized it, he was destined to remain here forever.

And he wasn’t alone.

Most of the children born here were in the same situation as Zetoya.

Unlike him, however, they didn’t even dare to dream of escaping.

Unless they Awakened and gained special abilities, their fate was to live and die in this place.

For someone like Zetoya, Zeon was a terrifying presence, far more frightening than even the Helbrin Mercenaries who had killed the Red Horn Crocodile Crew.

Zeon looked at Zetoya and asked.

“What’s your name?”

“Z-Zetoya…”

“Zetoya?”

“Yes!”

“That’s a good name. I’m Zeon, and this is Brielle.”

“Zeon… Brielle…”

Zetoya repeated their names blankly.

“As you can see, we’re from the surface. We’re chasing after those people. That’s why we need your help.”

“H-how can I help?”

“Guide us to where they are.”

“I’ll guide you… but I have a condition.”

“A condition? You don’t seem to be in a position to make demands.”

Zeon’s expression turned amused as he looked at Zetoya.

Despite being terrified and trembling, the boy still had the guts to set a condition.

“I… I know that. I’m not in any position to make demands.”

“Then why are you?”

“Because… I’m desperate.”

“What are you so desperate about?”

“We need electricity.”

“Electricity?”

“To purify this polluted underground, we need electricity. Please get us a mana generator.”

Zetoya fell to his knees, pleading.

Zeon frowned slightly.

It reminded him of something from the past.

Shortly after returning to Neo Seoul, Zeon had purchased a mana generator from the Goblin Market, only to have it stolen.

‘They were crocodiles too. Their boss’s name was Croker, wasn’t it?’

All of them had died by Zeon’s hand.

At the time, they had also insisted that they desperately needed a mana generator.

Zeon hadn’t paid much attention to their pleas back then.

But hearing a similar request from a young boy now gave him an odd feeling.

After organizing his thoughts, Zeon spoke.

“Sorry, but I can’t get you a mana generator. They’re no longer supplied to the Goblin Market.”

“N-no…”

Zetoya looked like he was about to cry at Zeon’s cold response.

It was a pitiful sight, but Zeon couldn’t give false hope for something he couldn’t deliver.

Then, Brielle cut into the conversation.

“I can make one.”

Zeon turned to her, startled.

“What?”

“I said I can make one.”

“How? You don’t even know how they’re built.”

“I do!”

“Don’t tell me… Did you dismantle the one at home?”

“…Sorry!”

Brielle’s face turned bright red as she lowered her head.

When Zeon wasn’t around, she had secretly taken apart the mana generator equipped with the “Watching Eye” spell.

“Well, can you really make one?”

“Yes! If we gather the materials, I can build it.”

“What materials do you need?”

“It’ll cost some money, but I can get everything we need at the Goblin Market.”

“Then that’s settled.”

Zeon nodded and looked at Zetoya.

“You heard her.”

“Can she really make a mana generator?”

Zetoya looked at Brielle with a doubtful expression.

Brielle replied firmly.

“I can make it. I can’t provide you with a mana crystal, though.”

“I can take care of that part.”

“So, you’ve got a way to get mana crystals. In any case, my answer is ‘yes.’ But you’ll need to help us in return, won’t you?”

“I’ll help. I’ll do anything.”

“Then guide us to where they are.”

“But…”

“You’re not about to say you can’t, are you?”

“No, it’s just… there are so many of them. Are you sure it’ll be okay?”

“That’s none of your concern. Even if every single one of them comes at us, they won’t stand a chance against Zeon. You’ve seen how strong he is, haven’t you?”

“Ugh…”

“If you’re scared, don’t bother. We’ll find them on our own without you. But if that happens, you won’t get your mana generator.”

Brielle’s cold words made Zetoya flinch.

“No! I’ll do it. I’ll guide you.”

“There’s no time to waste. Lead the way.”

“Alright!”

Zetoya took the lead, and Zeon and Brielle followed close behind, talking as they walked.

“What made you decide to take apart a mana generator?”

“I was curious.”

“You really are something else.”

“I can’t help it, it’s just the way I am.”

“You figured out the structure completely?”

“Yep! There was a protective magic circle to prevent anyone from understanding the internal structure, but that’s useless against me. Hehe!”

Brielle grinned mischievously.

The mana generator was the pinnacle of Neo Seoul’s magical engineering.

To prevent its technology from leaking, it was heavily safeguarded.

Each module was inscribed with protective magic circles, designed to self-destruct if tampered with.

But even those protections were meaningless against Brielle’s exceptional magical alchemy.

Like a cicada shedding its shell, she had stripped away all the protective magic circles and mastered the technology Neo Seoul had spent a century developing.

Zeon spoke gravely.

“Never let anyone else know you can make a mana generator. If Neo Seoul finds out, they’ll stop at nothing to eliminate you.”

“I won’t tell anyone. I promise.”

“Good.”

Zeon let out a quiet sigh.

Having such a talented companion could be a problem, too.

If others discovered how gifted Brielle was, it was inevitable they would covet her abilities.

‘I can’t even stay idle without trouble finding me.’

It felt like his power was a curse, one so great that the world refused to leave him in peace.

‘I suppose it can’t be helped.’

Just as Brielle had said, the only option was to follow the flow of fate.

Just like now.

Zetoya continued leading them down deeper, darker passages.

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]