Ignorant medieval bastards
Tok tok tok···
Raindrops lightly hit my body. They say that summer rain comes when it’s hot and autumn rain comes when it’s cold, so this rain falling in April seemed lukewarm.
I looked up at the sky covered in dark clouds, unable to see even a speck of sun, and thought for a moment. What the hell is going on?
“Chief.”
Berman, who was on duty today just like me, greeted me with a sour look on his face, brushing back his wet hair. He was already so freckled that his nickname was Strawberry, but now he looked like a rotten strawberry soaked in water.
Beep! Beep!
The sound of a whistle was heard from all around. It seemed to be a powerful signal to the surroundings of how serious the situation was. To me, it sounded like, ‘Fucked! Everyone! The lord is very angry!’
“What the hell is this? Hans really did something like that?”
I, too, waved goodbye to him, running my hand through my hair that was soaked in the rain. I listened to his brief conversation, but I couldn’t hear the full explanation because I had just woken up in a hurry.
“Yes. I just came here and heard, and the witness definitely said it was Hans. And he’s not someone you’d mistake for someone else either…”
I nodded to Berman’s words, which trailed off. Handsome Hans. There couldn’t be anyone else with such outstanding looks in this remote castle. Probably, if the witness wasn’t lying, it would definitely be Hans.
But I couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling because I couldn’t believe that the ‘kind and wonderful Hans’ I knew would do something like that. Berman was the same, frowning deeply.
“You even passed the academy exam? Why on earth would someone like that do that?”
“Isn’t that because he’s a wizard? Wizards are strange by nature. Good night! Leader.”
My mumbling was interrupted by Kel, who appeared behind me. Kel was holding an umbrella with a flowery picture on it, which was not appropriate, and was smiling brightly. As soon as he said his last words, a bucket of water from the eaves poured out. He simply turned the umbrella around and let the water flow to the side.
‘You probably got it from Rosa.’
As Kel approached, a sweet smell wafted through the air. It was an open secret that Kel frequented the house of Rosa, the prostitute. No, there was nothing to be secreted about in this small castle.
It wasn’t a very good rumor, but I didn’t point out Kel’s behavior. We were just a group of people who were trying to exert some power in the castle, not knights who valued honor. As long as you did your job properly, you would rarely be criticized for your behavior.
“Why is this happening on my day off? I haven’t had much sleep.”
“That’s why the boss always tells you to take a rest after work. Don’t be too revealing with women, tsk.”
“Huh? Berman, it’s unfair to point that out. I saw that captain next door to Rosa yesterday too…”
“First, go to headquarters.”
I cut him off and walked away, knowing that if I left him alone any longer, he would growl at me like usual.
“No matter what, it’s a little strange. Hans is usually so kind…”
“That’s just how wizards are, you know? I once saw a wizard who turned a restaurant employee into a pig because he didn’t like the taste of the sauce.”
Kel, who had been hesitantly asking Berman, shrugged his shoulder and brought up the story of the wizard he had heard dozens of times. Kel had been wary of Hans, bringing up that story from time to time. He said it was because of his experience with wizards, but I guessed it was because Hans was jealous of the guy who had stopped hearing the name of a handsome man since coming to this city.
Of course, I thought I was the most handsome guy, but Kel would just grin and be offended whenever he saw me.
“···You’ll understand when you hear the story.”
“Can you hear me? If I catch him, he’ll be immediately…”
Before Berman could finish speaking, we arrived at the headquarters of the outer guard. A small orange light, visible through a window in the thick wall, brightened the darkness.
If you get caught…
Berman’s last words, scattered by the sound of the rain, made my head spin. It was obvious what would happen if Hans was caught.
‘If you’re lucky, your head will be blown off. If you’re not, your heart will be pecked out by a crow. If it’s worse than that…’
There would be no trial. Hans, who had been kind to everyone, would instantly turn into a servant of the devil.
Those uncivilized medieval bastards… I muttered a few curses and pushed open the thick wooden door to go in.
Everyone must have gone out, the usually full hall was empty. I climbed the stairs, smelling the musty smell of wet wood, and headed to the captain’s room. Creak. The wooden stairs gave a small scream.
“Come in.”
As soon as I knocked on the door, I heard a hoarse voice. I took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
‘That gentleman had armor too.’
His trembling cheeks and tired eyes. The captain was tapping the seams of his arms and shoulders with his hands, as if the armor he had been wearing for a long time was uncomfortable. I was always amazed that this man, who seemed to have never exercised in his life, was the captain of the guard.
“Aren’t you a little late, Captain Aaron?”
“Ah… I was so fast asleep that I heard the news late.”
I thought he was trying to focus his eyes, but his eyes were twitching, as if he was lacking nutrients. The captain took a deep breath as if it was difficult for him to do so and wiggled his fingers. As I approached him, the captain stood up and continued speaking.
“You were close to Hans, right?”
The captain’s sly eyes within his drooping brows stared at me.
Strictly speaking, we were on friendly terms. Hans was a smart, kind, and sensible young man, which was unusual for the uncivilized Middle Ages. However, the situation was not good enough to be positive at the moment.
“···Well, I just happened to see it.”
“I’m not blaming you. Who doesn’t know that our Captain Aaron is working hard for the Cassidy Castle?”
The captain tried to tap my shoulder, but the height difference was too big to reach. So I slightly bent my knees, and the captain tapped my shoulder and smiled slyly. I tried to suppress the desire to stretch my trembling cheeks.
“Anyway, it’s something related to the young lady. Even the knights of the inner castle have been mobilized. Everyone is searching with their eyes wide open. Since there’s no sign of her leaving the outer castle, she must be hiding in the residential area between the outer and inner castles. The knights are great, but isn’t that area our responsibility? If our guards find her at a time like this… wouldn’t the lord be very pleased?”
The captain looked up at me, catching his breath as if he was out of breath just from being tapped on the shoulder.
“Yes, I guess so.”
“Since you exchanged a few words with Hans, I’m sure you have some idea where he’s hiding. I have high expectations for our Captain Aaron.”
The captain’s face, which smiled brightly after finishing speaking, was a mean face that made me want to punch him right away, but my answer was already set.
“Yes. I will do my best.”
“Then, then. I trust our Captain Aaron very much.”
The captain, who smiled with satisfaction, sat down on the chair again. It was so heavy that dust rose from the chair. The captain lowered his gaze to the desk and lightly waved his hand. In response, I bowed my head slightly and left the room.
‘If that’s the case, why are you wearing armor?’
Perhaps he wore it because he thought the lord might come looking for him. He’s like a raccoon who only sucks the honey pot.
As I left the room, muttering a curse, I saw five people gathered there. Since it was a gathering on a day off, everyone had discontented eyes, but no one complained.
This was an uncivilized place where even a simple mispronunciation of something related to the nobility would get you hung at the city gate.
‘This fucking other world.’
As I made gestures and muttered curses that had become a habit, the people sighed softly and moved around. Their appearance reminded me of my days in the reserve forces.
On a day of the week when it was my day off, and on a rainy day like this, I did something like that and caused this trouble. He was really tactless. I swore that if I ever met him, I would punch him in the face.
I went down the stairs and collected my thoughts. These ignorant guys were definitely checking the entire area in a fist-fighting manner. They were probably poking everything, whether it was straw or blankets.
‘There will be troubles all over the castle.’
My head was pounding because it was clear that work would pile up starting tomorrow. I thought to myself as I pressed my fingers against my temples.
‘Not areas 1 to 3. If they were there, they would have reported it a long time ago. Jackson is in charge of areas 4 to 6… so it must be area 7.’
And everyone instinctively avoids Area 7, so if you were hiding there, you probably wouldn’t have been discovered yet. And I’ve encountered Hans in Area 7 a few times during my previous patrols.
“Go to District 7.”
“Director, no matter how much the wizard messed around, would he be in a place where there’s so much filth on the streets? And he lives in District 3.”
“Those… knights are also coming out, so where can they catch their breath before they get caught?”
They were ignorant. When you come from above like this, if you hide and get caught, it won’t end with a pay cut like usual. In times like this, you have to work hard even if you don’t get results.
When I waved my hand without answering, the guys nodded and stepped forward. They were grumbling, but they were quick to follow orders. Of course, it took a lot of effort to make them like that, but the results were satisfactory.
As I stepped outside, the sound of whistles mixed with screams rang in my ears. I pushed off the muddy ground and headed towards Area 7.
With a torch in hand, he slowly and heavily walked towards District 7, a place inhabited by filth and humans who were no different from it.
***
“You two over there. You two over here. You move with me.”
“yes.”
The guys who had been grumbling earlier nodded with stern faces.
“If you pass by and get found in Area 7 later, you’re screwed. Check it out.”
They weren’t that kind of people, but it couldn’t hurt to be careful, so I warned them again and headed towards Central Street with Berman.
Phew.
I felt something unpleasant on my feet. I looked down, doubting whether it was true, and saw a brown lump of crumbled flesh.
“Ah …
Every time I patrolled, I warned them several times not to shit on the street, but they never listened. Is it really that big of a request to shit in a place where no one can see you?
“Fuck… haha. Captain, that pronunciation is always amazing to hear. There’s no restroom in District 7, right?”
“If there’s no toilet, go to a corner and poop. What’s the symbolism of pooping in a place where people walk by? Sigh.”
I rubbed my shoes in the mud next to me, but the squishy feeling was still vivid and made me feel dirty.
“But since the foreman stepped in the shit, I guess I’ll have good luck today.”
Berman chuckled and joked. The heavy dampness from the rain, the fatigue from not getting much sleep, and the feeling on my legs.
I wondered where the luck was in any of this, but these guys were really superstitious, so I just nodded.
“Spread out. You check this alley.”
“Yes, sir.”
I sent Berman away and walked around, looking around. Unlike other districts, District 7 did not resist at night and was more accepting. Of course, that wasn’t their intention.
The dark streets were dark and eerie, as if a demon would jump out. The moon was covered by clouds, and it was so dark that if I hadn’t had the torch in my hand, I would have fallen before I could take five steps. I walked slowly, caressing the handle of the sword on my waist like a cross.
At that moment, a person appeared crouching next to a pile of wooden boxes on one side of the street. The figure with the tattered hood pulled over him looked quite suspicious.
“Take off your hood.”
I placed one hand on the hilt of my sword and gave the order.
Then the guy raised his head. His eyes were full of rebellion, and he was about to shout something, but then he looked at the sword on my waist and closed his mouth.
He was a familiar guy, but it wasn’t Hans. He was the guy who had caused trouble a few times while patrolling Area 7. I tried to pass him by, but turned around and hit him on the back of the head.
“Ouch!! Why are you hitting me!”
“Don’t poop on the street. If you’re going to poop, go to a corner and poop.”
“No… I’m not a dog and I’m pooping on the side of the road….”
The boy protested as if he was being treated unfairly, but his listless voice was soon drowned out by the sound of the rain.
The mud mixed with rainwater clung to my feet, but I walked briskly.
“Mr. Aaron!”
I almost screamed in surprise at the sudden high-pitched voice amidst the sound of the rain, but I barely held it back. I couldn’t even imagine what kind of rumors would spread tomorrow if I screamed.
When I turned my head, a plump middle-aged woman was looking up at me.
“Oh, Mrs. Bonica.”
“Oh my~ Aaron, you’ve worked hard. I wish I could give you a cup of warm tea, but… That bastard even took the kettle to gamble, didn’t he? Ha! Aaron, can’t we arrest that rotten bastard? Last time, he brought silver cutlery from Caleb’s house….”
The woman’s loud voice echoed through the quiet District 7.
“I told you, you can’t be caught like that.”
I quickly shook my head, as this wasn’t the first time.
“Oh, don’t do that. I’m going to get so angry that I’ll gasp for breath while I’m sleeping. Why can’t you make me live in prison for a month? Then I might come to my senses!”
“If you stay there for a month, you won’t be able to walk on your own.”
“That wouldn’t be so bad! I could hit you in the head every time I get angry! Anyway, District 7 has been weird lately! The atmosphere has changed so much since I first came here. Even today, the horrible herbs were spread out, but they’re all gone?! They’re all over the mountain behind the neighborhood! You can’t be bothered to move them, so you steal them… You rotten bastards!”
The word “Geumsagwi” that came out of the woman’s mouth caught my attention. Geumsagwi. It was a cheap herb that could be easily obtained around the castle, but was effective in stopping bleeding. Even if you took a bunch, it wouldn’t cost 5 coppers, so it wasn’t something to steal and embarrass yourself with.
“Where did you put it?”
“Hey, I left it somewhere where no one could see it, but it’s gone!”
The place the woman pointed to was a small alley between low, dilapidated buildings. It was so dark that not even moonlight could reach it, making it a place where the devil would come out.
Thud thud thud-.
Raindrops, heavier than before, pounded the leather shoulder pads on his shoulders.
I looked at it and stroked the handle of my sword out of habit.
