TEB Ch 23

*** 

“Hey, Carter! Look over here too. The horse suddenly can’t open his eyes.” 

A sentence shouted through the dense bushes beyond the sound of buzzing insects. In the direction of the man’s voice, haystacks the height of a person were piled up, reaching towards the sky. The smell of grass was so thick that it felt like one’s nose might be blocked by hay dust.

“Are you listening!? There’s something wrong with his eyes!” 

Someone sorting through things between the haystacks responded with a long sigh, putting down the tool in their hand and wiping the sweat off their forehead with the back of their hand. 

“Yes, I’m coming.” 

Anyway, the only researchers who are appointed to places like this are idiots who can’t do their job properly with their own hands. Liev, tsk, secretly clicking his tongue, then came out of the warehouse and approached the man who had called him a moment ago. 

“This one! This one here. It seems like something is bothering him somewhere.” 

At the researcher’s words, Liev stared closely at the warhorse in front of him. The creature was probably around twenty years old by now, and too old to participate in battles, it emitted a strong exhale as it licked Liev’s forehead. Avoiding the attacks of the creature’s tongue for a while, Liev, after examining his eyelids, pulled out a piece of hay stuck in the corner of the creature’s eye. 

“It’s just something in the eye. The color of the pupil is a bit cloudy, but there doesn’t seem to be any major problem with seeing. You don’t have to worry.” 

With a clean diagnosis, Liev flushed the warhorse’s eyelids with saline solution. After a few blinks, the creature revealed its clear eyes. The warhorse, a hybrid with a magical beast, was at least a head taller than a typical warhorse, even though the shine and glossy black fur were still beautiful. Liev turned to the researcher and added. 

“Let it out for a moment to get some fresh air. I’ll take care of putting it back in.” 

At Liev’s words, the researcher shrugged his shoulders, saying it was nothing serious, and returned to the research building. However, it was always like this. As Liev muttered to himself and untied the reins attached to the wall, the warhorse obediently followed Liev’s gesture and walked forward. The reason this creature, which still seemed usable for active duty, was here was simple. 

“Now, let’s come out slowly. It won’t hurt that much.” 

A few steps made it clear. This guy was severely injured in the war two years ago and was no longer able to run. As the warhorse hesitated to take another step, Liev comforted him by petting his head. 

“It’s okay. Do you want to eat something delicious? If you can go this far you can eat it. Let’s give it a try.” 

Liev managed to move the horse about five steps with great effort. As soon as they reached a spot with tasty grass, the warhorse, with a big appetite, leaned on Liev’s shoulder and happily ate. It had been five years since Liev settled in this place, a military horse research facility located in the quiet countryside. 

“Well done. Let’s rest here for a bit and then go back in.” 

After working under Mr. Lambert for five years, Liev became independent. More than ten years had passed since he broke up with Renard and Liev, who had grown up, was living quietly.. 

“Besides, the work I’m doing… it’s almost the same as what he used to do before he died.” 

Liev, using the name “Liev Carter,” vouched for by Mr. Lambert, was working as a junior researcher in the Lobelia Magical Horse Research Institute, which was essentially a junkyard for military horses. Creatures bred by crossbreeding with monstrous beasts, almost like wild animals, were considered essential assets of the nation. Even during peacetime, these military horses, abilities beyond regular livestock, actively served in various places. The warhorse currently nuzzling Liev, despite being retired due to injuries, was a prestigious steed that roamed the frontlines only a few years ago, delivering messages. 

However, these horses had exhausted their usefulness, they couldn’t be disposed of casually. Calling it disposal was a cruel term. In Korea, there were cases where race horses were run to death and then slaughtered for meat after they aged. At least these creatures, who contributed to the war effort, could enjoy a peaceful retirement in return for their service. 

Anyway, a junkyard was still a junkyard. Compared to the facility that researched and birthed new horses, the equipment was ridiculously poor. Honestly, no authority figure showed much interest in the Lobelia Horse Research Institute. Research facilities needed noticeable achievements like, “We’ve improved a new breed!” or “We found a way to increase production efficiency!” to support. Taking care of creatures that had outlived their usefulness wasn’t exactly an exciting task. 

But, Liev liked it here. A place where creatures that had outlived their usefulness gathered. His own situation wasn’t much different from that. Just like how he succeeded in rescuing Renard from the fate of becoming a monster, Liev was convinced that he had fulfilled his worth. 

“…I’m really fortunate. The events of that day didn’t go to waste.” 

After parting ways with Renard, the world had overcome several crises and was maintaining peace. Although the content of the evil dragon Kevades from the story had disappeared completely, the Count lost himself to his desires. Having lost the dragon he had nurtured, instead of developing a second experiment, chose to become a monster himself. His goal was to forcedly maximize the magic inherent within himself and become a living calamity. However, this sinister plan, much like in the original work, was thwarted by the protagonist and their party. 

But the expected surprise was that none other than Renard, who had joined the group of heroes. 

“What on earth happened…??” 

Shortly after moving to the research facility, Liev, who had successfully handed Renard over to Mahatra, was surprised to find Renard’s name on the list of great heroes who saved the kingdom from crisis. Although the events had changed significantly from the original, it wasn’t impossible. If he had safely handed Renard over to Mahatra, there could have been an opportunity when the protagonist’s party sought Mahatra’s help to deal with an issue they couldn’t solve themselves. Perhaps during this process, Mahatra might have told Renard, telling him to go and provide assistance. In that case, it turned out to be a really good thing. 

“To become a companion rather than being labeled as an evil dragon by the main characters and becoming allies… It’s like a complete happy ending!” 

Although now he has become an existence in this world that he can never reach, joy surpasses regret. “I succeeded in saving you. It wasn’t in vain that I caused you so much pain.” That alone gave him peace of mind. Now he can truly focus on his life as an extra in this world.” 

Liev had been living in this world for twenty years already. Even though he no longer remembered the face of “Suhyuk,” and spent ordinary days, life continued. Working at the institute, where researchers often grumbled, was a bit annoying, but since he had no aspirations for promotion or anything of the sort, it didn’t bother him. Just pretend to fit in and look after the ones peacefully spending their lives here. 

At first, he was hired as a janitor responsible for odd jobs but thanks to his experience as a veterinarian allowed him to handle the magical horses well, and he eventually rose to the position of a researcher. This alone was a satisfying achievement for him. 

“These creatures don’t need to be restored to their wild nature and sent back to nature, so there’s no bittersweet feeling here.” 

The place where he could be with these creatures he cared for until the peaceful end was no different from the best workplace. Cleaning up after these creatures, who were as cute as their large bodies every day, moving hundreds of kilograms of hay daily, and handling similar amounts of meat for their meals. So even though it was extremely hard on his body, the job satisfaction was at its peak. He hoped for such a routine to continue into the future. He didn’t harbor any more desire, this was enough for his life. 

“It would be okay for extras to have this much of a wish.” Thinking this, a change came to the life of Liev Carter, the lowliest researcher at the bottom of the hierarchy, on one peaceful spring day.