Peaceful Patrol
I felt very strange.
No, it was dirty.
‘Why is it okay?’
I frowned, looking down at the remaining bite of fish bread with a sour look in my eyes.
It should have tasted bad, but strangely enough, it tasted okay.
No, it still had no flavor, but that tastelessness was delicious.
‘What the hell is this···.’
I looked at the last remaining piece, thought for a moment, and then put it in my mouth.
As expected, it was tasteless, and that tastelessness was attractive.
He shivered slightly as he recalled Brick giving him a thumbs up.
‘No, this is tasteless. It should be tasteless.’
I kept mumbling to myself as if I was brainwashing myself.
If this were to taste good, I felt an ominous sense that my intellectual, modern-day identity would disappear.
“Hoo… Hoo… I brought it! Brothers!”
The weasel that had been eating fish bread could no longer stand it and ran away came back dragging a large wooden barrel, making a fuss.
“What is it?”
“It’s a day off, shouldn’t we do something?”
The weasel put his hand on the snout and shook it gently, pulling the cork off the wooden barrel. A fragrant smell wafted out.
‘···Where have I smelled this?’
I sniffed without realizing it because of the strange familiarity.
“Where did you get that?”
He asked with a stern face.
“Oh, this? Wasn’t that the day of the execution? Some idiot threw a barrel of red wine in the square. So I quickly picked it up! Hehe. This is something I treasure very much, and I brought it specially for you guys!”
The weasel laughed wickedly as he rummaged through the cupboard as if it were his own home and brought out three large glasses.
‘A barrel of red wine at the execution…’
I scratched my head at the strangely familiar sentence.
And then a moment later I realized that the barrel was the red wine barrel that had been stolen and was supposed to be sold in the square on the day of the execution.
“Ahem… Yes, since you saved my life, that’s… No, but you’re not an ordinary owner… Would you like a drink?”
“Yes, this is well-aged, the taste is amazing! I usually drink it sparingly after work, but since you guys are my brothers, I’m giving it to you specially.”
As I watched her sway her hips and fill the glass with wine, my fists automatically tightened. Then, Grass hurriedly grabbed my shoulder.
“···I’ll take what I bought. You don’t have to pay the deposit, so let’s just drink it here. Boss.”
“Okay, then what.”
I hated the weasel, but it wasn’t so bad when I thought about it not being my money.
“Here it is! Brothers! I am giving this to you because I like you all.”
“Thank you.”
Poole smiled forcibly and accepted the glass.
“Okay, let’s have a drink with our favorite brother Aaron!”
“The thief’s baby is crazy.
“promotion.”
The grass was dry next to me and I swallowed the gossip.
It was so full that the wine flowed out at the slightest shake.
“I hope that from now on, I can just suck the honey without any problems!!”
The weasel lifted his glass.
“Wait a minute, why don’t I give it to you?”
The scarecrow tilted his head and asked, the corners of his lips raised as if he had been expecting it.
“Didn’t you say it was fasting?”
The weasel answered with his characteristically mischievous expression.
“Yes, if you fast, even wine is not allowed.”
The grass nodded.
“I thought I’d lose weight if I ate it.”
I said, glaring at the scarecrow.
This time, the scarecrow’s face crumpled.
Later, Berman, Kel, and Brick also came by, each with a case of alcohol, and we spent the whole day there.
Scar drank it secretly, got caught by me, and got hit in the back of the head.
After that, I also drank with that guy.
***
“Whew···, my head is going to burst.”
“Kel said, shaking his head.
“What kind of joke are you talking about?”
“Are you okay, Captain? I drank that much yesterday.”
“I didn’t even drink much.”
“Your father’s house is full of barrels of alcohol.”
Ignoring Kel’s tired gaze, I changed my boots.
The fluffiness was gone and was replaced by dampness.
“Ah, Captain Aaron! The captain is gathering quickly!”
At that moment, the 6th group’s little boy, Maran, shouted in an urgent voice.
“From the morning?”
“Yes! The captain’s face is red!”
“I see it’s broken. Got it.”
“yes!”
Maruni, who had answered cheerfully, suddenly disappeared.
“What kind of gathering is this early in the morning? Ah… I already have a headache.”
“You must have gotten in trouble with the sheriff.”
“This really sucks. This really sucks.”
Kel grumbled and shook his arm.
I patted him on the shoulder and went up.
In front of the captain’s room on the second floor, there were a lot of guards with rotten faces gathered.
It smelled like fucking air, a mixture of sweat and wet leather.
“You’re like a pig that needs to be roasted… Are you here, Aaron?”
Group 6 leader Dwarf Kelup muttered a curse, then raised his hand in greeting.
“Good morning, Kelep.”
“What a fucking good morning.”
“Kelp grumbled in his characteristically thin voice.
“Attention.”
“Attention is the plague.”
A captain wearing ill-fitting armor stepped forward and spoke solemnly, but everyone else just grumbled and did not respond.
Ironically, the captain was unfazed by this and continued talking.
“The sheriff was really angry. He was yelling so loudly that my ears were bleeding. Of course, it was more the Feners who made the mistake than us, but what can I do? If you want to criticize, you have to criticize. So there will be no passwords for the next month. I wanted to block it, but since the sheriff himself gave the order….”
“You wicked bastard! You devil! You devil! You devil pig!”
The captain continued to speak as if he didn’t care whether you listened or not.
In fact, it couldn’t be seen as the captain’s fault.
Although the captain was a very worldly man who was useless and only interested in sucking honey and promotion, he was not the kind of man to deliberately screw us over.
‘Still, a one-month password is a bit too much.’
Even though I knew it wasn’t his fault, I still wanted to punch him in the face for no reason.
“Yeah, yeah. Everyone, work hard. Don’t let your guard down, the sheriff might be walking around. If you get caught now, you’ll be in big trouble.”
After that, the captain talked at length about various things.
Most of them were talking about how hard it was for them to be stuck in the middle and how much they longed for it, so everyone spent time yawning or chatting.
“Aaron, did you hear that? The eldest son of the Fener family is expected to visit soon.”
After cursing at the captain for a while, Caleb said to me.
“Pener Ga?”
“Oh, I heard that the eldest son who is negotiating the young lady’s marriage is coming in person.”
“If you’re the eldest son, then… you’re a candidate for knighthood?”
“That’s right. I graduated from an institution in the empire, but I didn’t become a knight.”
It was a pretty famous story. The eldest son of the Fener family was known as a child prodigy. He went to the capital with high expectations, passed the exam, and graduated, but returned without becoming a knight.
“I see.”
“There have been a lot of cases of carriages coming to Castle Cassidy being attacked recently. Rumor has it that goblins and orcs have been appearing. So, there’s talk that they’ll be going out to clean up the area soon.”
“Cleansing… But haven’t you still been unable to fill the TOEIC exam spot?”
“There is also a story that the eldest son of the Fener family is coming. Of course, it is not accurate.”
Kelep nodded, muttering his characteristic phrase, “Not exactly, but…”
The abbot who came down from the church and the eldest son of the Fener family. And the cleaning of the surrounding area.
‘It seems like there’s no end to the work these days.’
Even with the feeling that more trouble was about to happen, he scratched his cheek nervously.
“Okay, everyone, do you understand? These are bitter words that I said so that everything would go well, so don’t hold them in too much. Let’s work hard today too.”
Clap clap! The captain clapped alone.
The people who had gathered scattered, staggering around like zombies.
“Ah! Aaron, my trusted one! Nova called.”
As I was about to go out on patrol with Kel, the captain motioned for me.
Then I counted the number of walls I had broken in my head, and stopped when the number passed ten.
***
“Hey, bastard square. How’s things going with that shit-spreading woman?”
“···I clearly told you not to call me that,”
In front of Naeseong, the somehow bashful bastard square, Jayce and I exchanged a few simple words.
“Ah- The external guards are also locked out? What a pity! Next time the password is unlocked, let’s have a drink. I’ve prepared some amazing drinks.”
“Yes, I will definitely go. Haha!”
I went inside after making another appointment for drinks with Rayam.
Knock knock- knock.
“Come in.”
I tried knocking at a different rhythm than last time, but it didn’t seem to be doing much good as my voice was still filled with irritation.
“Yeah, of course you.”
“What a beautiful orange today. It’s so fresh, like it’s covered in dew.”
I hastily praised Nova’s sharp glare that raised the corners of her eyes, but it seemed to have no effect as Nova’s eyes raised even more.
“Look carefully.”
Nova put down her quill pen, got up, and headed toward the door.
“This is a door.”
Nova, standing in front of the door, pointed to the door.
“This is how you open the door. When you open the door, a space is created where people can walk. Did you see it? I’ll show you again. Okay- Open it like this.”
Nova opened and closed the door several times as she explained, speaking in an unusually soft tone, as if teaching a child.
I had no idea what he was doing, but I nodded my head because I felt like it would explode if I touched it.
“I know that too.”
“You know? You know?! But why don’t you go through the door and instead go around breaking everything down? I thought you didn’t know about doors! You break down all the walls! Huh? Do you know how many walls you’ve broken down?! Are you enjoying breaking down walls? Do you find it boring to go through the door like everyone else now?”
Nova, standing right in front of me, glared at me and snapped.
Among them, I was a little surprised by the part that said, ‘Is it fun to go around the door?’
“I told you I had no choice. Do you think it would be good for me to break down the wall? If I had been a little later, the kids would have been in danger.”
He explained with the most serious expression on his face and a low voice.
Then Nova took a deep breath and said, “Whew…” and glared at me with a crooked posture.
“Are you sure?”
“That’s right. What do you think of an honorary monk?”
“A… honorary monk? You? I heard the story, but I thought it was just crazy nonsense. … Oh, my God.”
Nova, who saw the golden cape draped around my shoulders, looked at me with a face full of astonishment.
The sight seemed truly disturbing, so he placed his hand on Nova’s forehead like an inquisitor.
“···What is this?”
“It is the blessing of an honorary monk.”
“You really are… no. If I talk too much, it’ll only hurt my head. Anyway, this guy had a bounty on him too, but since he was already caught, I don’t have anything else to give him. I deducted the cost of the wall you broke from the last bounty. Here’s the remaining money.”
Nova, who had pushed my hand away, raised the corners of his lips and held out a silver coin and a coin.
‘Just 1 silver and 1 copper?’
I don’t know what the original bounty was, but it was too small to be called a reward.
I hesitated for a moment, but I took it anyway since it was extra income.
He took the silver and placed the coin back in Nova’s hands.
“What is this?”
“Here’s a tip. Go buy something delicious to eat and have a beer. People get sick from staying in their rooms too much.”
“···get out.”
I wanted to play more, but Orange’s gaze was so fierce that I hurriedly left the room.
Nova laughed as she watched the back of Aaron’s head as he carefully closed the door and left, afraid it would break.
Then Nova noticed that she had laughed, got startled, and slapped me in the face.
***
Kel was sitting outside a bar, sipping a beer.
He had been complaining of a headache earlier, but it seemed to have gotten better.
“Captain, did you get ripped off by Nova?”
“It’s similar. Let’s go.”
At my gesture, Kel put down his glass and stood up.
Although the checkpoints where you could legally collect money were more fun, the patrols were also fun in their own way because these uncivilized medieval guys caused trouble every day.
And the fun was quickly discovered.
Two men with red faces were grabbing each other by the collar and swearing at each other in the street in broad daylight.
“No, well. Aaron, listen carefully. What did he say….”
“No, you punk! What if you only say things that are in your favor! Aaron, that’s not it···”
The two men grabbed each other by the collar and complained about their grievances.
“Hmm…, let’s fight fairly and decide whoever wins is right. I’ll be the judge.”
I watched him and offered them a simple solution.
“What a clever way! Good! You rascal! Let’s see who’s right with a fair fight!”
“Good! You little punk! You know you’ve got me caught!”
The two of them lowered their postures and rolled up their sleeves.
When I shouted, “Start!”, the two of them clung together and swung their fists back and forth.
It was a shabby fight with poor skills and reckless behavior, but shit fights are the most fun.
Kel brought us beers from the bar next door, and we made a bet over a Ming Ming beer to see who would win.
Kel went with the big guy and I went with the small guy with calluses on his knuckles. The result was my victory and I earned 1 silver.
“Yeah, he won, so he’s right. You were wrong, honey.”
“Whoa-! I was right! I was right! You big, ignorant brat!!”
The onlookers applauded and the victorious man raised his hand and ran around.
His face was covered in bruises, but he didn’t seem to feel any pain.
“No, how can you lose with that size? It’s a waste of size. It’s a waste of size.”
“I···I’ve been big since I was born···.”
“If we just pushed forward, we would have won!”
Kel stood next to Jin and took out his anger by hitting his head with the palm of his hand.
After letting each other savor victory and defeat for a while, the winner and loser embraced each other, turning the street fight into a light sport.
We continued our patrol, and this time the kids clung to us and started chattering away.
“So Aaron, do orcs really eat people?”
“Okra… eat it. They eat each other too. They’re just beasts, beasts. They walk on two feet, are incredibly strong, but lack intelligence.”
“Wow! That’s scary! They eat people!”
“Then, if Aaron and Orc fight, who will win?!”
“Of course···”
“of course?!”
“The one who stabs first wins.”
The children sitting around me were disappointed by my answer and said, “Ahhh,” but it was true.
Whether a knight, a veteran mercenary, or a hunter, the one who gets stabbed first always loses.
There were cases of knights with famous names being stabbed to death by vengeful servants. There were no absolute strongmen or absolute weakmen here.
“So, you guys, learn farming diligently. If you don’t want to be eaten by orcs later on.”
“Adults are always talking about farming-.”
When I took out a coin from my pocket one by one and gave it to them, the children cheered and praised me here and there.
Among them was the vague statement, ‘Aaron is like an orc!’, which, judging by the child’s bright smile, seemed to be a compliment to me.
Of course, I took the coin I put in his hand.
After refilling his drink at a nearby bar, he continued his patrol, this time when he heard a woman’s shrill scream.
“I told you to bring it right now!!”
When I got there, I saw a large woman standing in front of three people and yelling at them.
It smelled.
A delicious smell that will make the rest of your working day more enjoyable.
“Ahem···.”
Then I stepped forward, feeling a sense of weight.
Kel followed me, sighing softly.
“Ah, Aaron! You came at a good time! Look at this! These bad guys stole the silver spoon! It was passed down through our family for generations!!”
The lady who found me shouted and pointed at the people in front of me.
I wondered what kind of family he was from for a commoner, but I nodded my head.
“Not me! No, even if silver is expensive in the first place, who would steal a silver spoon that is too rusted to be used!”
The man, with his hunched back and saggy skin under his eyes, but with his protruding belly, looked like a goblin and glared at him.
“Me neither. I even have a silver mirror at home! A silver mirror! Why would I need a silver spoon?!”
A woman with a severe protruding tooth briefly defended herself.
“Me neither. I don’t even know why you called me in the first place. I’m embarrassed.”
The man with unusually pale skin trailed off without looking me in the eye.
“You! You’re someone I’ve never seen before!”
“Are you saying that you suspect me of being an outsider? I’ve never heard such strange logic.”
‘He’s a learned guy,’
Although his voice was slightly raised as if he was being aggrieved, he spoke his mind clearly and without harsh words, and it reeked of ink.
“You stupid lady! Who would take that rusty silver spoon!”
A more common reaction would have been to run wild like a goblin man.
“Hmm. So there are three suspects in total?”
“Yo… Suspect?! No, Aaron. You’re saying that because you didn’t see that woman’s silver spoon! I told you, it’s not a silver spoon, it’s a green spoon!”
“Ha! Aaron, you want to get my attention? Is this it?”
“What the heck is this case···.”
The three suspects each showed different, passionate reactions to my muttering. I observed them with eagle eyes.
“You can catch Aaron, right?! Aaron is Aaron!”
I nodded at the desperate woman’s words.
“Chief, why do you have to do such a bothersome thing···.”
“The culprit is among these.”
Ignoring Kel’s attempts to stop him, he blurted out the words that had tickled him from the start and that he couldn’t stand.
“what?!”
“Aaron, you’re making a big mistake. You’re not looking at the silver… no, green spoon. No idiot would steal that!”
“I was born with nothing more than a silver spoon in my mouth…”
Once again, the three of them showed various reactions, and my sharp eyes did not miss him.
“I will begin the investigation now, so if you don’t want to become the dew on the execution ground, cooperate.”
“Director, the death penalty is not for someone born with a silver spoon in their mouth.”
Kel, who had been trying to dissuade her, sighed softly and shook his head.
“Okay, victim. When did the crime occur?”
“A crime occurred…? Oh, when did it disappear? After eating dinner last night!”
“When did you realize that your spoon was missing?”
“This morning! I was going to eat breakfast and there was nothing there! Those damn guys!”
I see···.
I nodded and collected my thoughts.
“The crime occurred between yesterday evening and this morning.”
He nodded and declared in a low voice.
“I just told you···.”
“Shh. The captain is enjoying himself, so come this way.”
Kel took care of the bothersome lady.
I looked at the three suspects in front of me one by one. It was unusual for them to avoid my gaze.
“Each of you, tell me in detail where you were and what you did from yesterday evening to this morning.”
I lightly stroked my chin, but since I had shaved it off while washing this morning, there was no beard left. I touched my sideburns, feeling disappointed.
“First, you.”
I pointed to the goblin man first.
The goblin man looked around for a moment, then slowly opened his mouth.
“I… I came home early last night after finishing the hay, and went straight to bed. I didn’t even eat dinner!”
“Why didn’t you eat dinner?”
“I… I don’t have an appetite these days, so I don’t eat dinner much. I just eat breakfast or lunch.”
The goblin rolled his eyes in confusion and answered.
‘You didn’t eat dinner? With that kind of belly fat? That’s suspicious.’
It was a shocking statement in a place where eating three meals a day is an important pleasure and the meaning of life.
I mentally moved the goblin guy up one space.
“What about you?”
Next, he pointed out the woman with the buck teeth.
“Me? I···.”
“You hesitated? As expected, you’re the culprit! You punk!”
“What are you talking about! I was just worried because it was a personal matter!”
“Personal matter?”
“···Do you have to say something like that?!”
“Suspicious.”
“I’ll say it again, I even have a silver mirror in my house! A silver mirror that can’t even be compared to a silver spoon!”
The woman shouted, showing her buck teeth. She seemed angry, but her blushing face was unusual.
‘It’s a silver mirror…’
It wasn’t so expensive that it was impossible to obtain, but it wasn’t something that commoners would associate with.
I’m suspicious…
The woman also went up a notch in her mind.
“Okay. Next, what were you doing at the expected crime time yesterday?”
“I didn’t take a single step out of the house. If that woman hadn’t dragged me out forcibly in the first place, I wouldn’t have come out even now.”
“I’m the most suspicious of that guy! He’s the first person I’ve seen!”
“How dare you call me a bastard!”
I looked at the face of the guy who strangely reminded me of him.
Sensing my gaze, the guy turned his head.
‘Avoiding eye contact… That’s suspicious.’
I mentally raised the white guy one notch.
Then, everyone stood on the same line again.
‘Do we have to do it that way?’
I touched my sideburns and thought for a moment.
“Captain, how about we just arrest anyone and leave?”
“No, my honor is at stake.”
“There is no honor in being a leader…”
“Aaron! Can you catch him?! I guess he is···”
“A bastard! And it’s not right to suspect him of being an outsider.”
“Who would steal a green spoon like that in the first place? Tsk.”
“Oh, can you finish it quickly?”
The suspects’ voices became louder, perhaps because they were anxious about the approaching investigation net.
“Quiet!”
When I shouted with all my might, everyone shut their mouths.
“I don’t want to do this, but I have no choice. I have no choice but to use this last resort.”
“The last… method?”
The goblin man nodded at what he muttered.
Then someone swallowed and said, ‘Gulp.’
In fact, in cases like theft, there was a very simple and clear solution. Of course, this was only possible in the Middle Ages.
“If you look, you’ll find it. Everyone, open the doors.”
If you search until it comes out clean, it will come out.
“···What is that!”
“no!”
“Absolutely not.”
I felt something from the three completely different, intense reactions.
‘There’s something here.’
It smelled very delicious.
‘This is today’s patrol.’
I looked at the three of them one by one, their eyes shaking with anxiety, and raised the corners of my mouth.
