Golden Sun Security Guard Captain
The woman who had been staring at me for a moment returned to her original position. With no expression on her face, she seemed like a well-made doll. A cursed doll that would immediately break the opponent’s head if it was touched.
“Haha. Sister Joanna is such a quiet person. Please sit down.”
The pot-bellied priest glanced at the woman, smiled fakely, and pointed to an empty chair.
‘Is this just a quiet level?’
I shook my head slightly and sat down where the priest pointed.
“I asked to see you in person, because Sir Ben had praised you so much. Hehe. When I saw you in person, you were truly magnificent.”
Ben smiled proudly at the priest’s words. His appearance was similar to that of a puppy carrying a bone.
“Thank you. I am Aaron. Father Blian.”
The only priest in Castle Cassadic was Blian. I had never seen him in person, but his features matched what I had heard from Kell: a pot-bellied man with freckles on his cheeks and a bulbous nose.
‘You described it very well.’
Kel had excitedly told Rosa that he had seen it around her house. The next day, Kel also told her that the prostitute next door had thrown away a soaking-drenched Bible.
“Oh, you know me?”
Blian asked with wide eyes.
“Yes. Who among those living in Castle Cassadic has not heard of the virtues of the priest Blian?”
He was famous. Blian often gave blessings instead of paying, so he was full of complaints. Of course, he couldn’t speak in front of people, so he just grumbled to us in a small voice.
Blian was a typical worldly priest.
But no one rebuked Blian for that. The status of a priest was ambiguous, somewhere between a knight and a nobleman, and for a priest from the frontier, that was considered good.
Blian was a typical, worldly priest who was ‘moderately’ steeped in the world.
“Haha… I’m still very lacking. I guess it’s because there’s a dependable person like Aaron in charge of the external security that Cassidy Castle hasn’t had any problems up until now. Haha.”
Blian’s oily cheeks quivered and trembled. He seemed to like my compliments. There were some problems that came with being a Catholic. However, Blian was a priest, so he didn’t have to deal with those problems.
“With someone like Father Blian in Castle Cassadic, wouldn’t the demons be able to stay away? Everyone in Castle Cassadic knows that Father Blian prays every morning.”
I blurted out the words again.
It was a light compliment, given without any thought, but the pot-bellied priest Blian’s face immediately softened, as if he had never been praised before.
“I’m embarrassed. Hehe… I can’t believe I met someone like Aaron so late!”
Blian glanced at the woman and smirked.
In principle, the one who could even break the heads of nobles was the Inquisitor. There was no way he would leave it alone because he was a priest. Even if Blian was more honest than other priests and moderately worldly, the Inquisitor would make an absolute evaluation, not a relative evaluation, so there was more than enough reason to break Blian’s head.
“I am truly honored to have met such a virtuous man as Father Blian. Please speak at your convenience.”
“Haha… They really did a good job of gilding it.”
Blian’s lips slightly lifted, and he had to fight not to frown at the drool dripping from between them. Blian was so happy that he leaned back and shook his body slightly, causing the table to shake.
‘I’m sure, I don’t recognize you.’
I nodded slightly, glancing at Blian and the Inquisitor. If he had sensed even the slightest hint of the devil in me, the priest would not have laughed like that, and the Inquisitor would not have remained silent. Even talking to the devil was considered a sin.
“But what happened?”
He slowly took his hand off the sword hilt and leaned back in his chair.
“Oh, how could I just ignore the sacred work of capturing the devil? Even the faithful Aaron!”
“Haha, I didn’t do it with the expectation of anything in return.”
“I know! I know! But still, good deeds must be rewarded. That way, people will do good deeds! This is to set the world straight, so don’t refuse even if it’s burdensome!”
After two compliments, Blian became so happy that he felt like he could take his own life.
‘I wish I hadn’t been praised so often…’
I almost felt sorry for him, but it quickly disappeared when I saw Blian’s sagging cheeks. When I thought about it, he was a man who didn’t deserve compliments.
Blian searched through his pockets and took out a small box and a silver pouch. The two of them felt warm, which was unpleasant, but the important thing was their contents.
I heard a pleasant jingling sound from the silver pocket, and my face instantly relaxed.
“Okay! Take it! This is an appropriate… no, rather inadequate compensation, so don’t feel too burdened! Take it!”
I turned my head, slightly spreading out my palm, and saw Blian placing a box and a pouch on my palm. I muttered, ‘You don’t have to do this…’ and quickly took him away.
The silver pouch was so heavy it made me laugh, and my shoulders rose involuntarily at the sight of the gold lines engraved on the small box.
‘He’s fat and ugly, but he has a kind heart.’
I smiled brightly and took Blian’s hand. I shook that soft hand a few times, and Blian’s face turned pale.
“I… I fully understand your feelings!”
It was only after Ben grabbed my shoulder that I realized I had been dancing while holding Blian’s hand.
‘I’m sure. I wouldn’t know unless I saw the handprint.’
I thought I should make it more certain, so I even grabbed the priest’s hand, but he didn’t notice.
After that, Blian talked for a long time about God and blessings and I listened to him like the most sincere of all the possessed people.
***
“Hehehe···.”
I found myself humming.
Even though I had a strange thing stuck in my heart due to an unfortunate accident, neither the inquisitor nor the priest noticed. No, the priest praised me and even gave me a gift. We became close enough that he even asked me to visit him often.
The voice disappeared after the Inquisitor gave his blessing. The handprint was still there, so I figured he had fainted or something.
Since there was no way to get rid of it right away anyway, I simply thought that I just had to avoid revealing my chest in front of others. Since I had lived in a Confucian country for over 25 years, it wasn’t difficult.
And Blian, the bag that the light pig gave me was so full that it pushed away all my worries and complicated head.
There were three gold coins in the silver pouch. The beautiful yellow color naturally gave me a sense of faith that I had never felt before, and I prayed for a moment.
Even if you weren’t a devil, it was a world where it wouldn’t be strange if your head was shattered at any time. There was just one penalty added to it. A simple yet brutal penalty that sent you straight to the fire pit if you showed your chest.
‘But it’s unfair to only receive penalties.’
If you can’t get rid of it right away, it would be right to think about using it.
It was very brief, but the sword was clearly awoken. Even though the duration was extremely short, the aura was a decisive move that could turn the situation around in an instant. Like the skewer hidden in the hands of the old mercenary John.
However, the problem was that the skewer belonged to the devil.
‘Was he really the devil in the first place?’
First of all, I thought I needed to talk to him a bit more.
“Captain, do you look happy?”
My thoughts were broken by a voice heard from the side.
When I turned my head, Kel was standing there, looking askance, wearing a rose-colored scarf that was clearly Rosa’s around her neck.
“Ah, good. Good.”
I smiled at him and stretched out my neck. Around my neck was a beautiful, gold sun-shaped necklace.
The gold sun necklace, or gold sun necklace for short, was in a small box that Blian had given me, and according to Blian, it was a gold necklace that would bring good luck.
Of course, I am not superstitious like some uncivilized medieval person, but gold was a sure sign of faith, not superstition.
“What… what is that tacky thing?”
“You say it’s rustic.”
This golden sun necklace, which emits a brilliant golden light, looks tacky. My eye for things is miserable.
“What are these deep tooth marks?”
“Oh, there is something like that.”
He stood up from his seat, waving his hand gently, and twisted his waist.
“Did you buy that armor too?”
“A carriage driver came in and I bought it there.”
“What kind of money is the captain… No, and why do they have to have such different colors… Or at least unify them….”
Kel stuttered as he looked me up and down. His gaze fell squarely on my new purchase, and I couldn’t help but smile.
It was a collection of all the carriage drivers who had entered the Castle of Cassadic, and they were all collected with only functionality in mind. They were all so pure that they made a dull sound when tapped by hand, and they were at least as thick as a finger joint.
Although the price was ridiculous because it contained iron, the guards were able to obtain it because they received a special discount.
“That··· no··· that’s not it. If the leader is good···.”
Kel stuttered as he washed his face dry.
This morning on my way to work, I ran into Jace and he freaked out and ran away. Since the iron body around here is your status, I felt like I jumped up a few levels.
“So… are you going to go on patrol wearing that?”
“of course.”
What a stupid question. Of course I bought it to wear. I straightened my shoulders and examined my shoulder armor. The green color naturally brings peace of mind to those who see it.
The chest armor is a red color that makes the viewer feel despair. The knee pads are often rolled around in the dirt, so I bought them in brown so that they wouldn’t show.
The weight of the armor pressing down on his body made him tense up his chin. He didn’t feel like he would be outdone even if he stood next to the knight. No, he would be overwhelmed. It was a collection that contained two gold coins.
“Oh my god… Let’s go, Captain.”
I nodded to him and went out to patrol. I heard Sookdeok’s voice, perhaps recognizing my majesty. I straightened my shoulders and proudly displayed my iron might.
“Oh, Captain. There were all sorts of problems when the Captain wasn’t around.”
“Problem? What.”
I asked lightly, wondering if there were any problems in this tiny castle.
“That··· Berman got into trouble with the mercenaries again···.”
“Berman?”
Berman was famous for his dislike of mercenaries. That’s why he’s had a few encounters with them before. Of course, it turned out to be a light sport in the end.
“Aren’t there a lot of mercenaries in the castle these days?”
“That’s true.”
It wasn’t that long ago, but it felt like a long time ago.
“But are there still a lot of mercenaries these days?”
“Yes. In fact, it has increased.”
It was a bit of a headache. The mercenaries were always causing trouble, and as their number increased, it was like having more and more dogs off leashes. And it was our job to clean up the mess and put the dogs back on their leashes.
“Anyway, there was an argument… Um… They took out an axe.”
“what?!”
At that moment, I raised my voice in disbelief. No matter how many mercenaries were going out, there were basic things that had to be kept in mind inside the castle.
And among them, not pulling out the iron was at the top.
“So Berman.”
“They just took it out to threaten me, so it was just a scratch… For now, it’s at home.”
“Oh, yeah. What about them? Tong?”
“Yes, it’s in the barrel… Ah, Captain, we’ve already explained it well. Just so you know… Ah! Captain!”
“You go on patrol first. I’ll be back shortly.”
I waved at Kel’s voice from behind me and headed straight for the barrel.
The barrel was a slang term for a room in the basement of the outer wall guardhouse. When residents caused trouble, they would just put it in the barrel and take it out when they remembered. Once they went in and came out, the effect was quite good.
There was even a famous story about a gambler who went into a barrel and screamed when he came out and saw the dice.
In front of the door leading to the basement, the 6th tier kid, Maruni, was dozing off. Maruni was the youngest of the outer wall guards, still not fat.
“Little one.”
“Ugh… Heeeeek! Captain Aaron! You surprised me!”
I was considerate of him because he was the youngest, so I gently patted his shoulder, but he screamed, jumped up, and screamed!
‘Who was the leader of Group 6?’
I waited for the guy to calm down, wondering what kind of guy wouldn’t take care of his youngest.
“What are you here for? Oh, is it because of that Berman guy?”
As I nodded, Maran excitedly handed me the keys hanging from his waistband.
“There was one among them with a scar over his eye, and he called me a dwarf. He must be a very, very annoying guy.”
Marni followed me around, talking about every little thing. He was talking about which one smelled the most, and the one with the big pimple on his nose was snoring so badly that he needed to fix his nose.
In front of the thick wooden door, I took a moment to relax. Only the torch hanging behind me illuminated the dark basement.
Marun was nervous, holding the window and breathing heavily.
“Stay here and come in when I tell you to.”
“···Yes!”
I put the key in the keyhole of the wooden door and turned it. It was so stiff that it felt like I was almost breaking it, and only after I turned it did the lock open.
There were not even any torches, so a few men were crouching in a space filled with darkness. When I opened the door and the light came in, the men jumped up as if they had been waiting.
‘Even the wooden chains were broken.’
Originally, he was bound with wooden shackles on each arm and leg, but I don’t know how they did it, but these guys had already untied him.
‘Five in total.’
I calmly counted the number of men rushing toward me.
“Cover! There’s only one enemy! Just catch one!”
“These are the dog guards!! You start a fight first, and then you lock us up here because we scratched that thing?! What did we do wrong!”
“How dare you come in alone without fear!”
They each held a wooden skewer and rushed at me, as if they had made them out of broken wooden chains. But one of them had a particularly familiar voice. He was the one at the back, shouting and inciting others.
“Cover! Hey… Huh? Brother?”
It was a weasel.
‘Why is this kid here?’
How could he have been caught in a trap so soon after returning? I was speechless.
“You shameless criminals! If you committed a crime, you wouldn’t be punished! How dare you aim your spear at the sacred guard! You deserve to be struck by lightning!!”
The weasel that spotted me jumped up, turned the direction of the wooden skewer, and struck the leg of the one in front of me.
“Ahhh! What the! Why is this kid like this!!”
“You little punk! You damn convict! Quietly take the punishment of justice!”
The weasel repeatedly beat the fallen man with a wooden stick.
The other three didn’t notice him and were running towards me.
‘I guess I should ask to change the chains.’
The man who ran in front stabbed me in the chest with a skewer, but it couldn’t penetrate my extremely strong breastplate. I stretched out my hand, grabbed the man by the nape of his neck, and slammed him into the ground. Boom! With a heavy sound, the man stuck out his tongue.
‘Anyway, they’re guys who can’t even be rehabilitated.’
Tsk, I clicked my tongue and kicked the chest of the guy behind me. Boom! With a sound, the guy flew backwards, leaving only one person left.
“Eww! Die you little shit!!”
I grabbed the wooden skewer with my hand, which seemed like it wouldn’t kill me even if I stabbed it with my bare body. The guy was shaking as if he was struggling, but I just lifted the wooden skewer and the guy was lifted into the air.
The guy looked at me blankly, as if he was confused, and I swung the wooden stick down. As he lost his balance and fell, the wooden stick ended up in my hand.
“Not bad.”
I smiled with satisfaction at the moderate grip and weight. This was enough to rehabilitate these ignorant guys.
“Everyone gather together and kneel down.”
He smiled brightly, vowing that he would definitely rehabilitate these devils.
***
“I… I feel so wronged. Brother!”
The weasel grabbed his butt and spoke in a mournful voice.
The others were lying on the ground, dripping with evidence of their rehabilitation. Marne was walking among them, beating their heads with his fists, shouting, ‘Ha! Who’s the dwarf now?’
Every time that happened, they would repeat, ‘We will never bother the guards again!’
As expected, primitive violence was the most effective educational tool, and those who received that education for a long time seemed to have been properly rehabilitated.
“What’s so unfair about it?”
“Really… Brother!”
The weasel put his hand into the pants of the other unconscious men, took out silver coins, and brought a bunch of them in front of me. He even rubbed them on my clothes to make them shine. There were quite a lot of them, so I thought that this guy might really be feeling wronged.
“hmm···.”
Since the other four were the ones who attacked Berman, the weasel didn’t get hit that many times. And every time I hit it, the weasel pretended to die and rolled around on the floor, so I didn’t want to hit it any more because it was noisy.
“It’s true, hyung. Since I’ve been hanging out with you, hasn’t my perspective on the world changed? That’s why I’m putting down my sword! I want to live off the sweat I’ve shed justly…”
“so?”
“The last! The last! I played that dice game···.”
I played dice one last time to make a living off the sweat I had rightfully shed···. I scratched my head for a moment, wondering if I had heard correctly.
“I did it.”
“Isn’t that dog cheating?”
“···A fraud?”
“Yes. My eyes are really accurate! I clearly put it in a cup and rolled the dice, but didn’t I hear the dice rolling sound again?!”
The weasel spewed out his anger. At first, I thought it was just a loser’s excuse, but after listening carefully, I realized that it was a bit strange that he had rolled a 6 five times in a row.
“Does it make sense that 6 comes up five times?! That girl was wearing a baggy tunic, and I asked to see her wrist because it looked weird! Gyaaaah! She screamed and called the guards! Suddenly, the men next to me grabbed me! I… This is so unfair, I can’t live! Brother! All the precious silver I earned while fighting those corpses! While crossing the line shoulder to shoulder with you! Oh my- Brother!! My eyes are really spinning! My eyes!!”
If the guy lying among the zombies listened, it would seem like he had defeated ten of them.
‘Wage your valuable silver coins on a game of dice?’
I was dumbfounded by the sight of that guy talking nonsense without even washing his face.
It didn’t matter whether the guy lost the money or not, but if it was a scam, it would be a different story.
In this place, dice gambling was so popular that if you sat down at a bar, they would ask if you wanted to play dice. If a professional gambler entered the castle, it was likely that several households would go bankrupt.
‘Hmm… I guess I’ll have to check.’
Thinking about the dice, my heart started pounding for no reason. ‘It’s an inevitable part of the patrol,’ I muttered quietly.
“Where did you get it from?”
“This is the sick mermaid bar! Brother! I told you, there’s no one better than you! Sob… I was going to buy you a nice sword with my silver coins….”
It was a bar in District 5. It was quite large, and even had a dice table, so it was a place where men gathered after work. I got up after checking the location.
“As expected··· there is no one else but you···.”
“Make sure to fill the wooden shackles with thicker ones, and tell them to bring at least two armed men in pairs next time.”
“Yes, I understand. Stay still!”
“Brother!! Brother!”
“Stay still!! Eight!”
I left the room, leaving a dull thud behind, as if something was breaking.
‘It’s a game of dice… Is it time to go back to being a gambler?’
I raised the corners of my mouth and wiggled my hands without realizing it.
***
Marun tied up the squirming man and shook his hands.
I don’t know about anything else, but the infamous Aaron was always amazing at beating people up. It was like he was a butcher born to beat people up. Among the rumors floating around about Aaron, Maran’s heart was drawn to the fact that he was from the ‘arena’.
‘···But, Team Leader Aaron, isn’t gambling prohibited?’
Maran tilted his head as he remembered something that had happened before.
‘Hey… there’s no way it’ll happen again.’
I shook my head slightly, shaking off my thoughts.
At that moment, he made eye contact with the one among the tied up men with a scar over his eye, and Marne pretended to imitate Aaron’s scary expression and adjusted his grip on the wooden skewer.
“Okay, who’s the dwarf now?!”
Maran laughed like Aaron.
