Chapter 91: Andy’s Perseverance.

Oak Town, Imperial Border.

Old Andy could hardly recognize the town before his eyes. What was once a desolate outpost had transformed into a scene of serene prosperity.

“Fresh bread! Get it while it’s hot!”

At the East Gate, the air was thick with the scent of toasted wheat and sweet sugar.

“New magic-lighting equipment! Sturdy, reliable, and built to last…”

Across the street, the general store was packed with various magical apparatuses. Andy inspected them briefly, stunned to find that not only were the prices lower than in the Imperial heartland, but the quality was arguably superior.

How was this possible?

He had been away for only a few months. Having lived undercover in this border town for years, Andy knew its “ghostly” history better than anyone. Prosperity? It used to be a struggle just to keep the people fed.

“They are supposed to be under the Second Prince’s blockade. How is this town thriving even more than before?”

Andy had intended to use his ability to “break the blockade” as his primary bargaining chip. Now, he felt a sense of profound disorientation; his carefully laid plans had hit a massive snag.

“Green.” Andy whispered the name of the wandering bard. While Old Man Martin and Colonel Ryan were capable men, they weren’t the type to overcome a deadlock of this magnitude.

Only that man—mysterious, unfathomable, and possessing a depth that even Andy, with all his power, could not pierce—was capable of such a feat.

“But how did he do it?”

Strength alone cannot conjure goods onto store shelves. Surely he wasn’t personally running back and forth across the blockade lines to play deliveryman?

“If you’re so curious, Mr. Andy, you’re more than welcome to join me at the fortress for a chat.”

A voice materialized right beside his ear.

“Who—?!” Andy’s heart jolted.

When did he get there?

Andy pivoted instantly, his wooden staff becoming a blur as he unleashed a fluid, relentless offensive strike toward his flank.

Clang.

The instinctive counter-attack was futile. It was like a wave breaking against a cliff—plenty of white foam, but the rock remained unmoved. The figure beside him had caught the staff effortlessly between two fingers.

“Mr. Green?”

Andy managed a strained, sheepish grin. “It seems you’ve seen through my little masquerade for a long time now?”

“Strictly speaking, a kind soul shared the intelligence with me.”

As the actors of his script took their places on stage exactly as he’d envisioned, Green, the bard, wore a look of genuine delight.

He studied Andy. The man who had spent years playing the groveling, slick-tongued merchant was gone. In his place stood a calculating, meticulous strategist.

And more importantly…

A Legend.

To think he actually eluded my senses, Green thought, genuinely surprised.

Though Green had known since their first meeting that this “itinerant merchant” was unusual, he hadn’t expected him to be a Legendary-rank powerhouse. From Green’s perspective, a Legend wasn’t an invincible god, but out of the Empire’s hundreds of millions, there were barely a hundred such people. They were the ultimate rarity.

For a Legend to live in total anonymity as a merchant was unheard of. In the rigid hierarchy of the Empire, a person of such power would typically be showered with wealth, land, and noble titles.

“Welcome to Oak Town.”

Regardless of the mystery, Green—acting as the town’s Sheriff—maintained a dignified welcome. He wasn’t in a hurry to force a confrontation. He wanted to observe this man. Why would a Legend choose to play the role of a lowly merchant and bow to officers who were nothing compared to him?

“I suspect he has quite the story to tell,” Green felt a spark of creative inspiration.

Tap. Tap.

In a silent, mutual understanding, the two began walking toward the Indomitable Bastion.

As Green observed the “merchant,” Andy—the former Chief of Staff of the Eighth Legion—was re-evaluating the town he thought he knew.

Only a few months, and yet…

Andy remembered leaving Oak Town on a mission for the Lady Anna. Back then, the town was a leaf in a storm. The fall of the previous corrupt Sheriff was supposed to bring justice, but in reality, the fall of a tyrant usually meant chaos or the rise of a new oppressor.

But this?

There was no chaos. Looking at the crowds and the polished magical streetlights, Andy felt as though he had been transported to the Imperial capital. If not for the jagged silhouette of the fortress and the soldiers patrolling the streets, he would never have guessed this was a front-line border zone.

“Did you… truly eliminate the barbarians?”

Finally, overwhelmed by the sights, Andy broke the silence. He had made up his mind: the Seventh Princess, Theresa—or rather, the “Bard” Green behind her—was the ally they had been searching for.

She was royalty, yet stripped of her inheritance and far removed from the power struggles of the capital.

“They are the perfect investment for the Northwind Chamber of Commerce,” Andy mused.

“Indeed we did,” Green replied with a sunny smile.

“But the garrison had only a few hundred men. You crushed a barbarian horde of ten thousand?” Andy clicked his tongue.

It was a common saying that a Legend could turn the tide of a war, but that usually implied armies of comparable size. In a scenario of eight hundred versus ten thousand? A Legend could kill at will and escape unharmed, yes, but protecting a town while doing so was a different matter entirely.

But the evidence was in the streets. Without total victory, this level of development would be impossible.

Just how did he pull it off?

Hungry for answers, Andy tried to sound casual. “By the way, Mr. Green… with your immense power, why do you deign to live in a tavern and play the part of a wandering bard?”

Andy knew the “official” history of Green—a man who once lacked even the talent to become a basic practitioner. To go from a commoner to a mysterious Legend overnight was a story with many hidden chapters.

“That?” Green gave Andy a deep, knowing look. “I thought you, of all people, would understand. Everyone has their reasons for playing a part.”

“For instance… why would a mighty Legend pretend to be a simple border merchant?”

Green patted his chest. “As a bard, I find this kind of dramatic irony absolutely fascinating.”

“A border merchant…” Andy paused, a bitter smile playing on his lips.

Yes. That was his reality. A merchant. A commoner who traded in sweat and labor—the very class he once looked down upon.

He thought back to his former life: arrogant, full of conviction, following his Commander toward a glorious future. And now?

He looked down at his plain, coarse clothing. He had been a soldier to his core, but after losing his honor and rank, he had embraced this life. He didn’t regret it. Pride and noble status meant nothing compared to his one remaining goal: Revenge.

He would have his vengeance for the Eighth Legion—for his brothers who were lured into an orcish trap and wiped out, only to be branded “incompetent” by history.

No matter what, I will see this through.