Potbelly Cops
When I arrived at headquarters and went out to get my face stamped by the captain, Quarter was nowhere to be seen. He must have run to bed. That ungrateful bastard.
“Are you leaving work early?”
Berman, who had taken off his leather armor and was now dressed in casual clothes, greeted me casually.
“Uh. Did anything happen during patrol today?”
“Our patrol was in areas 3 and 4, so it was similar to usual, but there was a problem with Brick, who was patrolling areas 5 and 6. It seems like there have been a lot of foreigners recently, so there are various noises.”
“Oh, really? What’s the problem?”
I answered, pressing the seam and releasing the leather armor. Taking off the armor full of stale smell, I felt refreshed, as if I had been reborn. It was clear that the more things a person puts on, the further away from freedom they become.
“I heard there was an altercation between mercenaries at the store. Can you help me?”
“Hey, hold on there. It won’t come off.”
“All right.”
Berman grabbed the other end of my leather boot and pulled hard. After struggling for a while, the boot came off with a crisp pop! My foot was free.
“Oh. I told you this doesn’t fit, how many times do I have to tell you to give me a new one? You cheapskate.”
He took off the other boot and threw it to the side. Then he glanced at Berman’s feet, and Berman, startled, moved to the side and covered his feet.
“Hey, don’t take it. I said I won’t take it.”
“I heard you took a Kell hat last time. The one with feathers.”
“At that time, I was annoyed because that kid kept bragging about girls.”
“Chief, why don’t you make a woman? You’ve been settled down for over two years, and I heard Luna has expressed interest.”
“Okay. Okay. Anyway, so what happened?”
“The mercenaries ignored Brick’s words and continued to fight, even after drinking alcohol. In the end, we received support from 2nd and 3rd teams and put them all in a barrel.”
“Oh, really? They’re the ones who are really swollen even when their livers are swollen.”
“Aren’t all mercenaries who eat rice with a knife like that?”
Berman clicked his tongue and cursed at the mercenary. Something about that stung me for no reason, so I got up from my seat. Berman was right. There was no way that a mercenary who had learned to throw dice every day that would put his own neck on the line would do that. I didn’t eat Kalbap because I wanted to. I just had no choice because that was the only thing I could eat.
“I don’t know why there are so many people all of a sudden, but I really want to put all those bastards in District 7.”
Berman had always had a particular disdain for mercenaries. At other times, he was a gentlemanly man, not unlike the Middle Ages, but he would turn a blind eye to mercenaries.
About that, Kel claimed that ‘Berman had his lover stolen by a big mercenary there’, but it was not proven to be true.
The things I took off were roughly shoved to one side. There was no concept of a locker in the guardhouse. The place where you put your clothes every day became your seat. My seat was well-ventilated and had good visibility.
‘There have been a lot of people here recently.’
As it was a castle in the outskirts, the only visitors were carriage drivers and merchants, but recently the number of visitors has increased rapidly.
It was good that the number of benefactors increased, but problems inevitably arose when people flocked. It had always been that way up until now. It seemed that things would get busy again soon.
‘Well, I did go there last year for Young-ae’s birthday too.’
Her beauty was quite famous, so at that time she was so busy that she could hardly sleep. Since two or three carriages with noble emblems came in every day, she couldn’t even avoid being lazy.
“···You too, captain, be careful.”
“what?”
“They say there are a lot of mercenaries in District 5, so be careful. Also, beat them up so that something like last time doesn’t happen again. If you just call the guys from other groups and press them, won’t the mercenaries give up?”
I wondered what he was talking about, but it was nonsense. I just waved my hand in agreement.
It was a really funny story, calling in another group to solve it.
What is the best thing about being a guard? Being able to eat bread and fruit at a low price? Making a little money while checking people and promoting friendship?
No, those things were just minor byproducts, or welfare.
The biggest advantage of the guards was that they could knock down anyone who wasn’t wearing fancy clothes.
These ignorant medieval guys kept making big mistakes one after another, so once you beat them up, something will come out. And the guards didn’t have any problems beating them up to a certain limit.
“Ah! Please be careful not to tie us up again and have our salaries reduced!”
As much as the salary was reduced… no, they gave me more, so why are you so dissatisfied? I waved my hand lightly at Berman’s shout.
However, I had no intention of doing as Berman said.
Why share the most delicious part with others? You should eat it alone.
I just couldn’t understand it.
***
“oh my···.”
The pot-bellied Cobbs groaned as he sat on the hard wooden chair.
In the past, even if I worked all day, I would still have enough energy to go home and touch my wife, but now, even if I only worked half a day, my body would become limp, and when I got home and made eye contact with my wife, I would get chills and have to look down without realizing it.
There was less work than before, people were hired, and work hours were earlier, but that didn’t mean he could go home. At some point, Cobbs couldn’t fully relax at home.
The only pleasure for such a corpse was to have a cup of warm tea at the ‘Laughing Rabbit’ inn after work.
There were several reasons why Cobbs liked the Laughing Rabbit Inn. First of all, the inn itself was quiet.
Wherever he went in Cassadic Castle, it was always noisy. The teahouse in District 1 was supposed to be quiet, but there was no way he could go to District 1 in his current situation.
And next.
“Ah! Mr. Cobbs! Is that hot tea?!”
The waitress, Hannah, was kind and warm, and the prices were very reasonable.
‘My wife was like that when she was young… Did she catch some orc and eat it now?’
Ugh. I licked my lips and touched the teacup in front of me. In the quiet atmosphere, the only thing I could hear was the sound of Hana cleaning, and my mind became peaceful.
Cobbs sipped his bitter tea and recalled the first time he came here.
On my first visit, I was surprised by the quiet atmosphere that was unusual for an inn.
In other inns, it was common for men to gather together, clink glasses, and fight loudly, but here it was very quiet.
How can the waitress be this beautiful and yet so quiet? It would have been normal for the place to be full of grumbling men.
Could it be that something secret is going on here?
Such a question was a fresh stimulus to Cobbs, who was tired of the daily routine at the time. From that day on, Cobbs visited the inn to find out the secret.
Just as Cobbs began to open his eyes to the bitter taste of the tea sold at the Smiling Rabbit Inn, an incident occurred that made him realize why the inn was so quiet.
‘That must be where that scoundrel Aaron was staying.’
A few mercenaries were harassing Hannah, and the Smiling Rabbit Inn was noisier than the other inns that day.
He had heard that in the distant city, the nobles would make their mercenaries kill each other for the sake of watching, and that day, Cobbs realized why the nobles would make such barbaric acts.
Watching the primal violence, I feel something inside me being released. It’s as if the sadness I’ve felt from being beaten here and there is melting away…
Squeak.
The old wooden door opened, quietly expressing the passage of time.
‘They say even the devil will come if you speak to him.’
Cops turned his head in surprise when he saw the door open and a large man come in.
Tae was handsome, but the scars carved all over his face made him look bad. Even though he was wearing only clothes, his strong body gave off an aura that made other males look down on him.
“Ah! Aaron! You worked hard today! Are you going to take a bath first?”
“uh.”
Only after seeing Aaron go up to the second floor was Cobbs able to breathe easy.
‘It’s scarier than a knight.’
Although Corpse often reads articles due to the nature of his job, he was able to answer confidently. That Aaron was scarier than the article.
Squeak!
“Oh my! Why is this door so stiff! I told you to go to the inn earlier, why did you come all the way to this remote place?”
“They say that restaurants in backward places like this are the best.”
The wooden door opened with a louder sound than before, and three men with fierce faces entered. With axes on their backs and daggers strapped to their backs, they were clearly mercenaries, the number of whom had been increasing recently. They chattered noisily and looked around.
‘Was it today?’
As he spied them, Cobbs’ heart pounded. He had been expecting a surge in mercenaries, but he had never expected it to be the same as when he visited!
“Welcome! Would you like to eat?”
“Can I sleep? Haha! Just kidding. First, let’s eat.”
“Oh! John! You were right! You were right!”
“Ahahaha… Would you like to sit over here?”
Hannah smiled awkwardly at the guys’ rude remarks and guided them to the table in the center.
‘It’s today!’
Cobbs secretly cheered as he watched Hannah continue to make crude jokes while sitting down.
As Hannah forced herself to smile and push away the hand that was grabbing her wrist, and disappeared into the kitchen, they started to chatter even louder.
They were talking loudly about how this commission was from a noble, the reward was huge, and that if they completed this project, they would be able to buy farming tools and live a proper life.
While they were making such a fuss, Aaron came down. He was dressed lightly, but as usual, he had a sword slung at his waist.
As Aaron came down, the noisy mercenaries suddenly became quiet. The mercenaries glared at Aaron and grabbed the axe handles that had been placed next to them.
Aaron just passed by without paying any attention to them. He found them funny for being wary of him.
“Ah! Aaron! I heated up the water!”
“thanks.”
“What about this? 70 Cooper? I said it was Aaron!”
Unlike when she was meeting others, Hannah smiled broadly, even showing her dimples. As usual, she made vulgar gestures and raised her eyebrows.
Aaron went inside with a tired expression. Hannah stuck her tongue out at him and disappeared back into the kitchen.
“What kind of kid has that look in his eyes…”
“Pfft. Are you scared?”
“You’re so annoying! And you’re even ready to take out an axe.”
“You saw that little brat try to break the canister! He touched it to break it!”
Perhaps embarrassed by the silence just now, the three men began to swear louder and harsher than before. They then started picking a fight with the person at the next table and took out their anger.
The cowardly Gureuk, who was sitting at the table right next to him, was so startled that he grabbed his glass and got up from his seat, moving to a seat as far away as possible.
Cops noticed that Gureuk had the same expectations as he did.
“But did you see that gesture just now?”
The man, who resembled a goblin with his eyes pointed out, grinned.
‘It’s today!’
Cobbs met Gureuk’s eyes and grinned. Gureuk hesitated for a moment, then glanced at the men and slyly cut his throat with his finger.
When Hannah came out a moment later with a plate of food and a mug of beer, the men were up and dancing as if they were going to break the hall.
As Hannah, who didn’t smile but only raised the corners of her mouth, put down her plate and glass on the table and turned around, a man who resembled a goblin grabbed Hannah’s wrist.
Hannah tried to pull her hand away with her usual awkward smile, but this time she frowned as if it wasn’t easy.
“I saw you earlier and it seemed like you were doing something nice. I sweated a lot today, too. Could you give me some bath water?”
“Well… I’ll get you some water once Mr. Aaron finishes washing up. There’s only one bathtub.”
“Is that the 70 Cooper that you told me about earlier? I’d like that too. But it’s a bit expensive. I heard that you can get all sorts of things for 50 Cooper over there. Is there something special about it?”
“I was just joking. I’m really busy right now, so could you please let this go?”
“I heard it clearly, and now you’re discriminating against me by calling me an ignorant mercenary brat?!”
The largest of the men jumped up from his seat and shouted. The two men next to him followed suit and surrounded Hannah.
Corpse watched the mercenaries speak the same language as before, and felt a small admiration. Was that perhaps a famous courtship tactic among mercenaries? If so, it was clear that mercenaries would never be able to continue their lineage.
“I know that you mercenaries are rough and tough guys, but I don’t really provide that kind of service. I’m really sorry for making a joke that could be misunderstood, but… If you keep doing this, it’ll be really difficult and annoying for me and the customers, so will you stop here?”
Even though she was surrounded by men, Hannah showed no fear at all. Instead, she looked at the men with a pitiful look in her eyes and continued to speak clearly.
“Ha! What a bothersome situation? Do you trust the guards? You really are such an innocent girl.”
The large man stroked Hannah’s cheek with the back of his hand and spoke in a lustful voice.
“Do you really think that a guard who doesn’t even get paid 30 silver a month would take care of a shabby and remote inn like this? And do you really think that we would be afraid of a guard in such a remote place?”
“···Yes. Yes. I guess so.”
At the man’s words, Hannah nodded as if she had given up and gave a vague answer. At that moment, the man frowned and grabbed Hannah’s head.
Squeak.
I heard an ominous sound of a door opening and heavy footsteps.
The men who had been teasing Hannah until just now all turned their heads. The heavy silence in the hall was replaced by the sound of footsteps getting closer.
Finally he came out.
A large lump that fills the passageway.
He was not wearing any clothes, so his upper body was clearly exposed, and his muscles were so firm that it looked like a sword wouldn’t be able to penetrate them. And on top of those muscles, there were horrible scars carved without a single gap, so horrible that they reminded me of demons who had been punished by eating each other for eternity.
The water droplets that had dripped from his head because he hadn’t wiped them off ran down the long scar across his chest. For a moment, the water droplets looked red.
The eyes that glowed menacingly like those of a beast that had found its prey had an aura that made one’s hands tremble just by looking at them.
A barbarian who preys on people living in the dense forests far west of the empire. A barbarian so powerful and so cruel that even the empire gave up on him.
‘Aaron is clearly the king of the barbarians!’
Cobbs was convinced.
Cobbs swallowed hard, holding back the screams that kept escaping his lips. His hands were shaking even though Aaron wasn’t looking at him.
“About 10 days.”
Aaron muttered calmly, receiving everyone’s attention.
“···What the heck?!”
A large man among the mercenaries shouted, but his voice was trembling and cracking at the end.
“5 days! It’s less than last time! And you’re the guard! It’s Aaron’s job to do it in the first place!!”
The answer came from Hannah, who was caught by the men. Hannah answered with an irritated voice and her mouth stuck out.
“I got off work. It’s the 9th.”
“Six days! No more! Business isn’t going well these days!”
“8 days.”
“6 days! This service is available there!”
“Just make it 6 days. That’s not necessary.”
Aaron sighed and nodded at the sight of Hannah waving her hands up and down even while being held by the men.
“These… bastards are ignoring us now?! How dare they attack the Steel Axe Trio?!”
The mercenaries who had been pressed down by the machine then realized the conversation between the two, and their faces distorted. They shouted, trying to express their shame as anger.
“How dare you ignore the Steel Axe Trio! Do you think they’ll let you off the hook for being a country bumpkin?!”
“You cheeky bitch, I’ll see you later.”
“Whoa!!”
Hannah was pushed by the mercenaries and hit the wall, screaming.
Cobbs, who was watching him from the side, stuck out his tongue at that moment as he saw Hannah gently pushing a table with one of its legs broken towards the mercenaries.
“···Ignorant medieval bastards.”
Aaron, the rascal of the Cassidy Castle, clicked his tongue.
Cobbs pressed his body as close to the wall as possible and strained his eyes to not miss a single thing that was about to happen.
Cops was certain that the Smiling Rabbit Inn would be quiet for a while from tomorrow.
