Mastermind
Copyright© 2026 by FantasyTranslater
Chapter 37
Two weeks and three days had passed since Alon left Teria, the capital of the Kingdom of Asteria.
He was currently crossing the southern desert, a necessary passage before reaching Colony.
“Whew—”
Alon glanced at the scorching sun, feeling as if just breathing in and out was enough to sear his lungs.
“It’s filthy hot.”
At Evan’s voice, who was blankly staring at the sky, Alon nodded in agreement, albeit with difficulty.
No matter how well-made the carriage was, it couldn’t block out the heat.
“If only I had an Ice Crystal Stone—”
Evan was lamenting about an artifact so expensive that even purchasing one required the cost of several mansions.
His tongue hung out like a dog’s, which looked quite ridiculous, but Alon couldn’t bring himself to laugh.
The desert was, quite frankly, unbelievably scorching.
‘I should have already arrived by now ... if only I’d moved a little faster... ‘
With a soft sigh, thoughts flickered through Alon’s mind.
In reality, Alon had arrived at the edge of the desert just over a week after heading toward Colony.
If he had entered the desert immediately back then, he could have already reached Colony.
But there were two reasons why Alon had been lingering in the desert.
One was because he made a brief stop in another territory to prepare a gift for the Seolrang in Colony.
‘Even if it’s our first meeting, and they don’t help, I should at least bring a gift.’
As a result, even though he should have already arrived in Colony, Alon was now still traversing the desert under the scorching sun.
In retrospect, it didn’t matter whether he left early or late, as the distance to cross the desert was the same.
But as he felt the burning sun, Alon couldn’t help but feel somewhat unfair.
“Whew—”
How much time had passed since those unreasonable thoughts stirred in him?
“We’re camping here!”
Just as the blazing sun began to sink and turn into a sunset, Alon heard a voice from outside and stepped out of the carriage.
What he saw was a line of dozens of carriages on the dimming ground, each with a small lantern hanging from it.
This was the second reason Alon had delayed his departure.
“I’ve been seeing this for five days straight, but it still gives a sense of security the more I see it.”
At Evan’s remark, Alon nodded.
He had been traveling with a caravan to cross the desert.
He knew far too well that crossing such a vast desert alone was a terrible idea.
“By the way, Count.”
While watching the merchants starting to set up camp as per the caravan leader’s command, Evan spoke up.
“What is it?”
“Are you not going to practice magic?”
Though trying to act indifferent, Evan couldn’t hide the hint of anticipation in his expression.
Alon, who was momentarily puzzled, soon realized what Evan was getting at and replied.
“I plan to, but it will be different from the magic I’ve been studying so far.”
“Ah.”
Evan looked a little disappointed, but Alon had no intention of giving in.
After months of research, he had mastered his current magic to the point that practicing it now was meaningless.
“ ... Can’t you practice just once?”
“No.”
“Ugh...”
Evan sighed in regret at Alon’s firm refusal.
But his disappointment was short-lived.
“Whoa, that’s just ... completely flat. You’d think it was a bug.”
As the sun finally disappeared and the weather turned chilly, Alon lit a campfire and followed Evan’s gaze.
Evan was looking at five people.
One was a man dressed in quite luxurious clothes, and another was a woman with fiery red hair that seemed to symbolize flames.
Behind them stood mercenaries, each holding their respective weapons.
‘The caravan leader and the mage from the Red Tower. Not a day goes by without seeing them.’
Alon knew them well.
In fact, it was impossible not to know.
The man groveling before the red-haired mage and mercenaries was none other than the leader of the ‘Golden-Haired Caravan,’ and the mage had been picking fights with Alon at every opportunity lately.
“Look at him, offering food without fail every day. Does he have no pride?”
Evan shook his head, watching the caravan leader diligently rub his hands together and present high-quality wine and food once again.
However, both Evan and Alon understood why the caravan leader was acting so submissive toward the mage.
From the caravan leader’s perspective, it was a great advantage to be on friendly terms with a mage from the Magic Tower, especially since the mage in question was the daughter of the Red Tower Master.
Although she had not yet ascended to the position of Vice Tower Master, she was already ranked at the 4th level at the young age of 23.
In the world of trade, where connections were as important as business acumen, it made sense for the caravan leader to treat her with utmost reverence.
While Alon himself was also in a position where important connections naturally gravitated toward him, it seemed that the caravan leader, unaware of Alon’s recent rise as a faction leader, had decided not to bother building a relationship with him.
More precisely, it was likely that the caravan leader had wanted to befriend both sides but, due to the mage’s ongoing conflict with Alon, chose to focus all efforts on her.
As Alon absentmindedly watched the caravan leader bowing, he soon realized that the mage had noticed him staring.
“Hmm. What are you looking at?”
The sharp-eyed woman, Liyan Aguileras, quickly caught on and approached to pick a fight with him.
“Just happened to glance over.”
“Do you enjoy spying on others?”
Liyan started provoking him without hesitation, her voice tinged with contempt and scorn.
“I don’t have that kind of hobby.”
“Is that so? My mistake. I thought someone who eagerly spreads rumors might also enjoy peeping.”
Despite Alon’s neutral response, Liyan continued to provoke him. He let out a sigh.
‘How tiresome.’
Alon wasn’t entirely sure why she constantly picked fights with him.
However, he could guess a few reasons, one of which was the rumors.
Word had spread, primarily among the mages of the Blue Tower and Caliban, that Alon had played a significant role in dealing with foreign threats using magic.
Though Alon had never spoken a word about it, Liyan seemed convinced that he had personally spread the rumors.
Another reason she antagonized him was:
“I’ve said it several times, I didn’t spread the rumors.”
“You’re as evasive as the Blue Tower.”
It seemed that Liyan harbored a strong hatred for the Blue Tower.
Behind his expressionless face, Alon stifled a laugh.
Even if Alon seemed suspicious to her, picking fights so openly wasn’t exactly a rational behavior, even in this world.
But Alon merely listened to her provocations because they felt too childish to elicit any real reaction from him.
That, however, was only part of the reason.
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