Aftercare
‘What the heck is this?’
Hartun walked with heavy steps, breathing heavily.
Of the two guys I had just encountered, the one with the bigger body was the problem. He seemed to have some kind of blessing wrapped around his body, so he was able to repel all the black magic.
‘No, did you just get hit?’
Because of that, it took longer than expected. At the end, both guys suddenly fell at the same time, so I was able to pass, but the time wasted was fatal.
The danger had increased exponentially, and it was making the warlock, Hartun, nervous. It was rough, like swallowing dirt, and cold, like a knife to the throat.
He thought about running away and leaving Young-ae behind, but he quickly shook his head. He had put so much effort into this meeting, and if he gave up, he would be ashamed to face the Master.
No, I didn’t have the confidence to survive the Master.
“This way! Over here!!”
“Intruder!!”
‘You never get tired of it.’
Hartun swallowed his anger and twisted his hands.
There was nothing more effective than black magic in dealing with such rascals. However, black magic also made you weak like an insect in front of someone stronger than you.
“The darkness is what it is.”
Hartun spread the ‘Darkness of Creation’ created in his right hand forward.
Two foolish soldiers ran towards me, aiming their spears at my armor, and soon I was met with the ‘destroying darkness’.
The men hesitated for a moment, but there was nowhere to run in the narrow hallway.
Crackle-.
With a cool sound, two soldiers were instantly torn to pieces.
Hartun’s condition was not very good.
‘I used too much force on those weird guys earlier.’
Hartun stood still for a moment, catching his breath and concentrating on the sounds around him.
There were quite a few people walking around screaming.
If I faced four more in this condition, I would have to risk my life.
‘If we continue like this, it will definitely be a failure.’
In the face of crisis, Hartun’s head turned quickly.
I remembered why the Master had told me to bring Youngae.
‘He who receives Mana’s love.’
Hartun bit his lip at the weight he felt on his back. He placed weights on both sides and measured him.
Will eating Youngae’s heart really raise his level enough to escape the Master’s grasp?
‘But in the current state, there is no chance of me taking Youngae here and surviving. If I give up Youngae, I can take out one of my bodies, but then Master…’
Comparing the possibilities of the two, eating Young-ae’s heart seemed heavier.
The weight was tilted, and Hartun put down Young-ae on his back without hesitation. As expected, she was a beautiful woman, but he didn’t notice her because her life was at stake.
Hartun leaned Youngae against the wall and took out a dagger from his bosom.
He cut off Youngae’s forehead with a dagger.
Given the circumstances, I had no ill feelings.
‘You can do it. I’m worried about the time it takes to absorb the heart, but anyway, the amount that leaves the bowl will automatically disperse···.’
Hartun tried to suppress his tension as he recalled the time he had eaten an elf’s heart before.
And when he aimed the dagger at Youngae’s left chest-.
I heard footsteps next to me.
A woman was approaching from the end of the hallway.
Brilliant white armor, a greatsword on his back, and pitch-black hair and emotionless eyes.
Hartun let out a sigh as he looked at the pattern engraved in the center of the woman’s armor.
‘The Inquisitor… why at a time like this?’
The woman approached slowly, with steady strides.
Then Hartun also stood up, looked at the woman, and quietly recited a spell.
Now that I was facing the Inquisitor, it was no time to think about the future.
Even though I didn’t have much strength left, I was still able to take down at least one of the heretic inquisitors.
‘First, let’s deal with him and then return the heart…’
At that moment, the heretic inquisitor suddenly kicked the ground and jumped.
But the speed was extraordinary.
Hartun was shocked and quickly threw the spells he had memorized into the air. First, block the gap and then widen the distance again…
Boom! Boom!
Even as the black sphere rushed towards her, the woman simply ran forward with light radiating from her body.
Hartun’s eyes widened as if they were going to tear at the sight of the black spheres lightly disappearing when touched by the light.
‘What kind of heretic inquisitor is this! At least at the level of the Knights Templar…’
Hartun quickly abandoned the plan he had in mind when faced with the woman’s power that was greater than he had expected.
Even for a Hartun, confronting the Knights Templar head-on was no different from putting one’s own neck on the sword.
‘For now, survive. The Master’s work comes after that.’
Hartun, having made up his mind, pushed himself into a hole in the wall right next to him.
The peculiar musty smell of the castle disappeared and the refreshing night air greeted us.
Although the trees planted around him were so tall that they looked small, Hartun jumped down without hesitation.
I knew full well that jumping off would give me a better chance of survival than confronting that woman.
It was difficult to open his eyes as the cold night air scratched his entire body, but Hartun quickly recited the spell.
“It wasn’t a fall···.”
At that moment, Hartun turned his head at the cool sensation he felt on the back of his neck.
A woman was falling after him, her long black hair fluttering like wings, and the sword glowed coolly in the moonlight.
“Judgement upon the devil-.”
A voice as fresh as the dawn air tickled Hartun’s ears.
That was the end of Hartun.
***
‘Ugh- It’s tasteless.’
I rinsed my mouth with the wine from the flask to wash away the foul sensation left on my tongue, then spat it out on the floor.
The sensation of something hard going down my esophagus was so horrible that I never want to experience it again.
‘Has anything changed?’
I tilted my head and tapped my stomach with my finger. My stomach felt a little sore, but I also felt subtly full.
‘hey.’
– ···.
I could clearly feel the tenant’s presence, but there was no answer. He seemed busy, saying something about strength or something.
‘hmm.’
He looked down at the woman’s body for a moment and then moved away.
Since I didn’t know the situation, I still had to move.
As I was walking around like that, I found a familiar face.
Youngae was leaning against the wall and fainting.
‘Is it exhibitionism?’
Youngae was breastfeeding just like last time.
I nodded, thinking that it might be the noble lady’s secret hobby. For a noble, that was a nobleman to that extent.
Then suddenly.
‘It’s not that great.’
Perhaps because I had seen that huge thing earlier, I took out the handkerchief I had kept in my inner pocket and felt a different appreciation than last time.
It was one of the handkerchiefs I had bought in a bundle from a former carriage driver.
‘I think it was like this last time too.’
The moment I felt a sense of awkwardness and tried to put a handkerchief on her.
“Hmm···.”
Youngae tried to get up.
I was so startled that I hit Young-ae on the back of the head.
‘It was like this last time too.’
He lifted the handkerchief and nodded.
At that moment, there was a thud from below.
Looking down through the hole next to him, I saw the Inquisitor working hard to hit someone’s head with a mace.
Then the heretic inquisitor looked up as if he felt my gaze.
The heretic inquisitor nodded as he saw me, perhaps because he had bright night vision.
I nodded in agreement with him.
Then the guy started to pound the already messy mess with his mace.
‘What is a heart?’
You said there were two people who entered the inner chamber earlier, so did you catch them all?
Since Young-ae was safe there, things seemed to be somewhat concluded.
“Report it!!”
“Move! Find Youngae!”
Then I quietly left the room, listening to the sound of those bastards fucking.
The long night is over.
***
Although his mind was complicated, Nova’s hands moved diligently regardless.
To clean up last night’s events, two bodies were not enough.
‘Three dead and four wounded among the soldiers. Two dead and two wounded among the inner guard.’
The damage was less than expected, but that didn’t mean it was something that could be dismissed as mere numbers. Nova bit her lip and moved her quill pen.
‘The sheriff will take care of the soldiers. Let’s not worry too much about it.’
I only thought about the amount of money I had to deal with.
After I finished my work to some extent, the sun was rising.
“Aaron.”
Nova rolled the name off her lips in a small voice.
The unbelievable sight I saw last night came back to me again.
The sight of him confronting the devil alone, drawing out his aura, and finally cutting off its head was the heroic feat of a legendary warrior.
‘···Isn’t it that much?’
Nova shook her head slightly.
“Aaron. Knight.”
Nova muttered softly and continued her thoughts.
Aaron was a former knight who, for some reason, fled to the eastern end, to Castle Cassadic.
I don’t know exactly why he ran away, but I have a guess…
‘He must have beaten the noble to death because he was skinny.’
If you think about your usual behavior, you’ve done more than enough.
Nova nodded at his reasoning.
‘Refusing a position higher than that of a security guard…’
It was clear that he refused to accept the offer because he was afraid that he might be given a high position and his name would become known or that he would come into contact with someone who knew about his past.
Now, all the things that happened so far are fitting together like a puzzle.
The fact that he casually cursed at the lord and treated commoners harshly was clearly a natural behavior that stemmed from his past as a quasi-noble.
Knights were treated as higher class nobles than lower class nobles based on their skills and reputation.
‘Aaron. Knight.’
Nova imagined Aaron standing solemnly in his magnificent armor.
It seemed like they matched well enough, but they also didn’t match at all to the point of being hideous.
Just imagining Aaron speaking with a dignified expression and the classiness of a knight gave me goosebumps all over.
Rather than the knight who stretched out, Aaron is more··· now.
Nova hastily slapped my cheek.
Maybe it was because I stayed up all night, but I wasn’t in my right mind.
‘Anyway…! The important thing right now is to keep Aaron.’
Since the time when Knight Toik died from a stupid neck break, the only knight left in the Fullfoot family was Adela.
In that situation, Aaron, who was a knight…
‘It doesn’t stick to my mouth at all.’
Anyway, keeping Aaron was important to Cassidy Castle. That was it.
Then Nova pondered how to capture Aaron.
‘The problem is that your past identity is revealed.’
Or, the achievements may become widely known and receive excessive attention.
Nova nodded and looked over the report to the lord. There were quite a few blank spaces in the description of the night before. Instead of Aaron’s name, he filled in Knight Ben’s name in those blank spaces.
Nova had a gut feeling that this was the right answer.
Not to bother Aaron.
I thought that the only way to keep Aaron around for a long time was to help him as much as possible while enjoying the small pleasures of being a security guard.
‘I’ll leave someday, though.’
Aaron was not a man that could be contained in such a remote place.
Nova tapped the heart protector with her finger in frustration. It was clearly too small.
He shook his head slightly and continued his thoughts.
‘The reward… just trick Ben into giving it to Aaron.’
Nova nodded.
Ben might question it, but I won’t turn him down since he’s added my contribution.
As the outlines began to take shape, memories she had tried hard to suppress came back to her mind, tugging at her nerves.
‘But this kid… After the devil, now Yeong-ae…’
Nova looked down at her heart protector, biting her lip.
‘Aaron.’
The quill pen in her hand folded in half with a snap.
dripping.
“Come in.”
The door opened and the one who came in was the kind maid, Blossom. She politely placed a teacup in front of Nova.
No matter how many times she told him not to make commoners uncomfortable, Blossom still treated Nova like a noble.
Blossom was stubborn, despite her kindness, so Nova half gave up.
A fragrant scent filled the room.
Nova, who seemed to be getting tired, turned his head away for a moment to relax, but then narrowed his eyes.
‘Was he that big? We were definitely together when we were kids···.’
“Hey, Blossom.”
Nova hurriedly grabbed Blossom, who was trying to leave after greeting her politely.
“Yes, Nova.”
“that···.”
“yes.”
Nova hesitated for a moment, wondering how to ask, but couldn’t think of a way to phrase it.
After briefly facing Blossom-.
“Why are your breasts the only one that’s big?”
“yes?”
“It was definitely similar when we were young. What’s the reason?”
Somehow, Blossom’s eyes grew wide at Nova’s question.
Blossom, who was kind but flustered by the unexpected question, frowned and thought quickly.
And he used everything he knew to tell Nova about this and that.
For example, he talked a lot about how eating a lot of nuts is effective in making your breasts bigger.
“···That’s it. It was nuts. I really hate nuts!”
The kind Blossom didn’t bother to mention that she also dislikes nuts.
I couldn’t bring myself to say anything because Nova’s face brightened as if she had found the answer.
“Can you get me some nuts?”
“Yes, Nova.”
The kind Blossom simply nodded.
***
‘Oh, shit.’
He muttered a curse under his breath as his stomach hurt.
As expected, it wasn’t something that looked like a rock and was eaten.
At that time, I swallowed it without hesitation, intoxicated by the excitement and aura of battle, but the aftereffects of it came the next day.
I had bloody stool this morning.
‘Hey, rapid fire.’
– I bet you said you didn’t like that.
‘I’m sure eating it will have an effect, right?’
It seemed like it would be hard to endure the pain of having to spit blood like this and then hearing that it had no effect.
– Haha. I’ll show you. Draw your sword.
I felt a small sense of relief at the confident answer. I locked the door tightly and drew my sword.
– Look.
An aura filled my entire body, covering even my sword, along with a voice full of arrogance.
I felt a vitality and strength in him that I had never felt before.
A bright blue light shimmered over the body and sword.
It felt as if my whole body was burning with blue fire.
‘That’s why those knights are jumping around like they’ve been on drugs.’
I couldn’t help but be amazed by the overflowing power.
Now, instead of a wall, a gate…
As I was licking my lips without realizing it, the aura suddenly disappeared in an instant.
It felt like it lasted about 4 seconds.
– Hooooo··· Heeeee··· Hooooo···.
The tenant’s voice suddenly cut off with a heavy breathing sound.
The original duration was 2 seconds and now it’s 4 seconds…
‘It became premature ejaculation x2.’
Doubling the length was a huge improvement, but it was still four seconds. And four seconds was still a bit too long.
‘But it always happens.’
What was important was that I saw the possibility.
I nodded my head with effort.
I’ve been encountering demons a lot lately, so I pick them up and eat them one by one whenever I get the chance…
‘I guess I’ll really look like a knight later.’
A thought suddenly occurred to me and I smiled bitterly.
A knight···.
dripping.
A knock brought me back to my senses.
I quickly held my breath and pretended no one was there, but…
“Emeritus Aaron. I know you’re inside. It’s time for the midday prayer.”
I shook my head at the confident voice.
In the meantime, it seemed like he came at lunchtime instead of in the morning out of consideration for the night shift the previous day.
‘What the hell. What are those devil bastards doing? Not eating that honest abbot.’
I guess I should have caught it a little later yesterday.
I scratched the back of my head nervously and opened the door.
As expected, the abbot was in front with his usual dignified posture.
When I think about it, it was amazing that the abbot, who had no combat ability aside from his divine powers, jumped down from the castle. He was an incredible abbot who did not spare his own body.
“I was worried because you suddenly disappeared yesterday. Is everything okay?”
“I think something happened just now.”
“That’s right. For priests like us, there is nothing more important than prayer. The Bible says that prayer is more important than meals. Prayer is like food for the soul.”
As I passed by the abbot who was talking at length, the abbot followed me and said:
I was starting to get annoyed that I was starting to get used to him. I ignored him and went down alone.
In the empty hall, a refrigerator sat alone, fidgeting, and there was something unsettling about the round back of its head.
I patted him gently and sat down. The abbot sat down across from me.
“Is that your daughter?”
“no.”
“I see. The expression on his face is somehow subtly similar to yours…”
“yes?”
“Oh, I’m sorry if I offended you. I didn’t mean it that way.”
I was really annoyed by the way the abbot quickly apologized to my question. And it wasn’t to me, but to the mini fridge.
‘Why isn’t this kid apologizing?’
When I squinted my eyes, the abbot looked genuinely apologetic. Something about it made me feel very uneasy.
The mini fridge nodded and spread its hands with a confident expression.
What was placed on that small palm was an ice sculpture of me with my arms crossed.
‘···It’s stretched all the way to the upper body.’
Why is my sculpting skill improving more and more?
My head was pounding, so I pressed my temples.
“Wow – That’s quite a skill. This is a detailed carving that I’ve never seen even in the capital. The young believer is truly amazing. It seems like he has a talent for carving···.”
The abbot praised the refrigerator again and again, causing the refrigerator’s chin to point up.
I couldn’t understand why a sculptor would lift his chin when praised for his sculpting skills, but I forced a smile.
“Awesome… It’s the best.”
As I stroked its head and habitually praised it, the corners of its mouth twitched.
“yet.”
The refrigerator, which had been mumbling softly, suddenly took on a serious expression and frowned as if concentrating.
And then, the ice sculpture of my upper body rose into the air and began to spin around.
It even moved splendidly, alternating between both sides.
‘I’m going crazy.’
It wasn’t a very pleasant experience to see the carved ice floating before my eyes.
But I clapped and cheered at the refrigerator’s expectant eyes. In response, the refrigerator lifted its chin and the corners of its mouth twitched.
“You’re a wizard, not a sculptor. But why on earth would you use magic in such a way…”
I nodded without realizing it at the abbot’s softly muttering voice.
The refrigerator moved its hands dazzlingly, as if it couldn’t hear the abbot’s voice.
Following him, the ice in my shape spun around in the air in a flashy manner before suddenly flying away.
The flying ice hit the table and split into two pieces, the head and the body, before falling to the floor and shattering.
I felt a chill at the sight and rubbed my neck with my hand.
“Oh, you can just make it again.”
The refrigerator waved its index finger as if to tell me not to worry, with a completely innocent expression.
“···You little brat.”
I couldn’t hold it in any longer and muttered softly.
***
Ugh···.
Ben slowly opened his eyes.
‘Obviously at the end···.’
Ben slowly recalled his memories, holding his pounding head.
‘I won, but I was ambushed and thrown outside.’
Yes, I won.
Ben muttered quietly to himself.
“···I won.”
I said it out loud again for no reason.
When Ben came to his senses, the first thing he did was check his clothes.
It was the same when I fell.
It was a natural thing. According to imperial law, a knight’s body could not be touched without the knight’s permission or the permission of the empire.
‘Hypocrite···.’
Ben rolled the words off his tongue, leaving a sour taste in his mouth.
It was a thought that, if you fall deep into it, the ending will not be good.
Ben shook off his thoughts and got up from his seat.
The area where the hole had been made had new flesh growing as if someone had sprinkled a potion on it. There were no visible wounds, but perhaps because he had lost so much blood, his body felt weak.
‘I really don’t know how Aaron moved.’
It was amazing that even a knight known for his strength was having such a hard time, and that a body that wasn’t even a knight could move like that.
When you are loosening up like that.
dripping.
There was a knock.
“You may come in.”
As soon as permission was given, the door opened and a beauty with orange hair came in.
It was a familiar face.
Although she was a commoner, she played a very important role in the castle.
“This is Nova. Are you feeling okay?”
“It’s okay. What’s going on?”
The woman’s voice, devoid of any emotion, seemed somewhat rough, so Ben answered, straining his throat for no reason.
It was clear that he felt more uncomfortable even though the woman used honorifics and he lowered his speech.
“The lord will call you in later to discuss this matter, but first, as a resident of Castle Cassadic, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the knight who protected Castle Cassadic.”
Ben frowned at the woman’s emotionless words.
“I saved the Cassidy Castle?”
“Yes, Sir Ben stopped the demons and warlocks who invaded Lord Cassadic’s castle, and he chased down one of the demons and beheaded it.”
‘What are you talking about?’
Ben squinted his eyes and examined the woman in front of him.
It was clear that he had won, but he did not behead him.
“I cut off the devil’s head?”
“Yes. However, I heard that Sir Ben was injured to the point of life-threatening injury during the process, and that Captain Aaron of the Outer Guard, who found him, used a potion he had in his possession to administer first aid. The abbot said that if he had been even a little late, his life would have been in danger.”
Ben seemed to see how things had unfolded as the woman kept emphasizing ‘Aaron’.
‘Aaron saved me again.’
It was Aaron who had caught the devil before.
And this time, the opponent was less skilled in battle than before. And since he had pushed them all the way, he had accumulated quite a bit of damage.
‘No matter what, there’s no way he’ll come, so how come he came twice…’
A natural question followed, but it was his friend who had saved his life. Ben put the thought away.
“Youngae was rescued by the heretic inquisitor, so you don’t have to worry.”
“Hey, is Young-ae okay?”
“···Yes. There is nothing wrong.”
Ben nodded at the woman’s hesitant answer.
“The lord will give you a reward, but how will you handle it?”
I don’t know why you’re asking about compensation, but it was a good thing for Ben. He didn’t have to say anything.
“Aaron, that guy saved my life, so give it all to him. I don’t need it.”
Ben said without a moment’s hesitation.
The reward for saving his life was rather small.
There, just like last time, he took the ball himself, so he felt even more sorry. His heart was heavy because he felt like he was constantly stealing his friend’s ball.
“Yes, I understand.”
The corners of the woman’s lips slightly rose as she bowed her head. Was it because she was in a good mood? After that, the woman left the room.
At that moment, something fell down on the woman.
Looking closely, it was a walnut.
Ben turned his attention away from him and sat down by the window.
‘It’s still not enough.’
After looking at his gaping left shoulder for a moment, Ben grabbed the sword lying next to him.
It wasn’t enough to just be unwavering.
***
“So this isn’t Cassidy’s castle, it’s Bolt Castle.”
Purin, the outer wall guard of Bolt Castle, scratched his beard as he looked at the man in front of him.
Why are we here looking for the inner castle of Cassidy Castle, which is a day’s walk away?
If it had been another guy, I would have beaten him up a few times and sent him away, but he was so big that I couldn’t treat him carelessly.
“Are you sure about that?”
Purin’s body trembled at the deep resonance in the man’s voice.
‘What…what are you doing?’
Gulp- Purin swallowed and nodded.
“Ugh- I guess I took the wrong path again. I thought I was walking exactly as I was told···.”
The man laughed in frustration, and the pressure that had been weighing on Purin disappeared in an instant.
When Purin was finally able to breathe, he sighed in relief as he cleared his chest.
“Gyaaaah!”
People’s screams could be heard from inside the castle.
When he turned his head, he saw the knight Petrun riding his horse and speeding through the streets.
He would deliberately ride through people and laugh out loud when he saw people fall over in surprise.
‘That damn kid…’
He was just a guy who thought it was funny to see people being surprised. Some people got hurt by his vicious pranks, but he didn’t care at all.
Originally, Knight Ben was the one who stopped that bastard from doing such a crazy thing, but since Knight Ben had been away from Bolt Castle for a long time, there was no one to stop him.
‘Those fucking knights.’
The knight was a quasi-noble, so the guards could not stop him. In the end, a knight like a lord had to stop him, but there was no one in Bolt Castle who would blush with a knight for the sake of the commoners.
As far as Purin knew, Ben was the only knight who spoke the truth to the common people.
“Is that a knight?”
“···yes?”
“That man asked if I was a knight.”
Purin felt something was wrong with the sight of the man’s eyes shining like a child in front of something sweet.
However, there was no reason not to answer.
“Yes, it’s a knight.”
···He’s a bastard who’s so shameful that I can’t even call him a knight.
Purin tried hard to swallow his words.
“Yeah, you found the right way.”
The man opened his mouth wide and laughed at Purin’s answer, but Purin gulped because his laughter was like that of a beast facing its prey.
“Knight- knight-.”
Run far away.
That way, you’ll be happy for a long time.
The man stepped forward and hummed a song in a deep voice.
It was a song I knew.
A song I used to hum as a child while walking around the field catching bugs.
But the lyrics were different.
Purin gulped as he looked at the man’s broad back.
Somehow I had a bad feeling about this.
