Main Character Hides His Strength

ded.
They were truly a candlelight before the storm.’

The strangest part about the ordeal was Martin Breggas’ reaction.
Rationally, one must pull together the excess forces from the other frontlines towards any breakages, but he had leisurely sent away the Crusaders of Salvation.
It might be less odd if the Crusaders had been sent to the Order of the Iron Blood Knights.

“Couldn’t we just go back? I’ll be honest.
I don’t trust that mage.”

Sophia continued to speak, and a mumbling voice followed.
It was a voice that was too quiet to be heard clearly, but Sungchul focused on his hearing to listen in.
It was Elijah’s voice.

“… We don’t have any other options.
Think of this as our last resort.
If we go back now, it’ll only go the way that man wanted.”

“But…”

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“That mage… even I don’t have much faith in him, but remember this, the only method to our salvation lies in the Demon Realm.”

Sungchul couldn’t hear anymore; the conversation ended there.

The sauce was done simmering.
The faint smell of food burning brought Sungchul back to reality.

‘Those siblings.
They definitely weren’t going to the Demonic Realm on a whim.’

He couldn’t determine what they were seeking yet, but even the discovery of their motive of entering the Demonic Realm was a great boon.
At the very least, this trip into the Demonic Realm wouldn’t simply be to collect some Alchemic ingredients.

Sungchul placed the deer liver soaked in steaming wine sauce last.

“H-how could this… this flavor…! I’m touched.”

The effect of the dish was great.
Different than the practiced smile Elijah held during his sister’s cooking, his face exploded with life as he devoured his meal.

“How could there be a liver dish on a noble’s table…”

Sophia didn’t look pleased.
Sungchul quietly revealed the golden brooch hidden under his coat as he spoke.

“Why not just give it a try?”

Sungchul let his brooch peek out as he crossed his arms and looked toward the sibling with an expression full of leisure.

“Sophia, what’s wrong? Just try it.
It’s truly delicious.
This might even be better than what we ate at our home.”

Elijah spoke after he had already finished half his meal as he took another sip of his wine.
Sophia didn’t look pleased, but she finally sliced off a piece of the dark liver and took to her lips.

“..?!”

It was only for a brief instant, but the pale skin of her cheeks became rosy pink.

‘D-delicious…?’

The moment it entered her mouth, the deer liver melted on her tongue and all of the meaty juices hidden within performed a symphony of flavors with the wine.
The ill-willed sister who had been intending on taking a bite before tossing the rest away found herself addicted to this strange man’s dish.

It wasn’t only the deer liver that was delicious.
The fried potatoes battered in rice powder that adorned the outside of the dish was crispy and synergized well with the softness of the deer liver, and even the salad offered a refreshing sensation that didn’t fall behind.

The Breggas siblings emptied their dishes not long after.
Elijah wore a satisfied expression on his face as he wiped his lips, and turned to ask his sister.

“How was it? Wasn’t it amazing?”

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Sophia let out a haughty snort in reply as she answered.

“It’s not inedible.”

Her reply was curt, but her words had no impact as her plate was sparkling clean.
When the meal had ended, Elijah praised Sungchul’s skills as he handed him a gold coin as payment.

“It’s not much, but it is from my heart.”

As he said so, he continued to request another meal despite Sophia’s glare in protest.
Sungchul generously accepted.
He found an interest in the offspring of Martin Breggas.
He figured that, although he did not know why the children of a celebrity decided to head into the demonic realm despite the dangers, following them could potentially lead to great rewards.

“Call me any time.
I’ll be happy to put my skills to use.”

Sungchul said as such before he let the golden brooch under his coat peek out a little more.
However, the siblings never noticed it.

–

The Crusaders of Salvation and the Suicide Unit continued on their path towards the Demonic Realm as the day ended.
They passed through the rugged mountains after an hour and found themselves in front of a desert surrounded by a crimson light that extended toward the horizon.
This land known as The Land that Swallowed the Sun had little sunlight and high precipitation with frosty winds which was starkly different than a normal desert, but it was still quite a vast desert.
The secret behind the heat was buried in the sand.

The sands extending as far as the eye could see were hot all year round.
It was because the sands were being cooked from below by geothermal activity which is why the demons remained active in this region despite being winter.
Furthermore, the infamous ‘Sand Hell of Death’ spawned here as well.
The terrifying monster Sajators had witnessed still lived here thousands of years later..
Anyone with half a wit would know to never step foot in this land that swallowed the sun, but instead, would choose to walk the waterfront with solid earth and lower temperatures.
However, this expedition ignored such sound logic.

“Time is money.
We shall take the shortcut through the desert to save time!”

A guide in name only, Aaron Genghis had chosen the worst possible marching route.
One through the crimson desert.
The veterans caused a small ruckus, but they were a minority.
Also, Aaron led the charge in order to assert his decision.

“As long as I am in front, we shall overcome any obstacle!”

A dark shadow loomed over the veteran soldiers as Aaron shouted his words of inspiration.

“Can someone talk to the young leader? It is looking like that rockhead is going to throw everyone including the Crusaders of Salvation into the maws of the Sand Hell!”

Arkaard looked around and cried out words of protest, but he was just a criminal.
It was impossible for him to gain an audience with the leader of the Crusaders, the heir of the Breggas family.
There was just one exception.
Sungchul Kim.

He snuck in to seek Elijah and reported the situation.

“Hmmm.
Is that the truth?”

Elijah looked indifferent on the outside, but the effect of Sungchul’s words was clear.
Sungchul watched the Breggas boy scolding Aaron where all the soldiers could see.

“Do you think of me an idiot, Aaron?”

Aaron could only keep his head down as Elijah continued to scold him.
A new marching path through the waterfront was decided.