93
It’s unfair
“Good morning, Captain Aaron!”
When I arrived at headquarters, Maruni, the little boy from Group 6, greeted me brightly. Maruni had grown about a palm’s length taller since I last saw him.
“You seem a bit tall?”
“···Hehe, I recently bought a canine that grows taller.”
At my words, Maran laughed awkwardly and scratched the back of my head.
‘···Fangs that make you grow taller? Fangs have that effect too!’
I was greatly impressed by the efficacy of the infinite canine teeth.
The Flamenco Effect, which is based on scientific evidence called belief, has no clear end.
“But what’s going on?”
“Oh, the captain called us in today. He has something to say.”
Come to think of it, there were quite a few guys wandering around.
I nodded and went inside. Kel and Berman followed me in, their faces looking very tired.
“Captain Aaron, are you here?”
“okay.”
I went to change my boots, bowing to the tired people around me.
“What are you doing?”
Kel was a little further away, in a corner, struggling to change his boots.
When I asked, Kel flinched and hid his boots in surprise.
“This is really not right! Rosa bought it for me specially.”
“Your feet are too small to fit, little one.”
“Who said I was small? I’m big!”
Kel shouted in anger.
When I teased him, saying, “You’re small,” Kel brought his boots over to me and placed them next to me.
When I looked at it with my eyes, it looked small, but when I roughly pushed it in, I heard a popping sound and the boot widened.
It seemed like there was a magic built into the boots that adjusted their size.
“Oh, that fits well. Thank you.”
“Huh? Okay… Wait, Chief, that’s not it… Oh, this is really expensive! Chief, you have a lot of money, so why do you keep….”
“I’ll write it down and give it to you. Oh, I said I’ll just write it down for a bit.”
Actually, the boots the weasel gave me would have been enough, but I got up and tap danced because Kel’s reaction was funny.
“Thank you… Chief. I believed in you.”
When I handed him the boots back, Kel was touched and grateful.
It was originally Kel’s, but I was happy to receive the thank you note.
“It’s gotten bigger… bigger….”
Ignoring Kel’s sobbing while wearing his boots, I went upstairs where the guards were gathered.
‘Why are they like that···.’
Group 5 guys caught my attention.
Group 5, led by Giant Flip, was a bit rough and ignorant, but now they had the air of a Germanic tribe that had just emerged from a battlefield.
Their leader, Vermunt, was looking at them with a satisfied expression.
“In this battlefield, the thickness of your muscles is the thickness of your lifeline.”
At Vermunt’s gesture, the five men fell to the ground and then got up again.
‘···I still haven’t gotten rid of my desert habits.’
In order to withstand the pressure of the empire, the kingdom of Byzantro only worshipped strength.
They pursued strength to the point where they would accept anyone who was strong, regardless of their origin or status.
Although his training methods were primitive and barbaric, his skills were genuine.
The morale of the 5th platoon kids was pretty good, as if Vermunt was taking care of them himself. It felt a bit excessive, but considering the recent situation with Cassidyck…
“Because of the new leader of Team 5, the kids in Team 5 are going crazy, saying they’re going to die. The guy who used to like drinking and sometimes came to look for Rosa has been replaced by that guy, so after work he just lies down and can’t think of anything else.”
Kel, who had regained his composure, came next to me and explained.
“okay?”
“···Chief, why is your expression like that?”
“When was the last time you trained?”
At my muttering, Kel and Berman’s faces turned pale at the same time.
At that moment, a weasel came up to the platform prepared in front.
“Now, everyone, if I were to tell you about this item right now, married men who feel their lives are in danger! Even young men who feel their strength is running out! This is an incredible item that will save them all!”
The weasel roared, baring a handful of his fangs. His peculiar, raspy voice reminded me of a peddler.
“You can make it into powder and eat it! You can put it on your body! It’s a great product that shows incredible effects no matter how you use it! A chance to see it at a special price for the Guard!”
A brick came up next to the weasel.
Brick had three fangs strapped to his waist.
“Don’t believe it? Here, here is Brick, the living proof of the effectiveness of canines!”
Brick, with his usually gentle and solemn face, raised his hand.
“I, Brick! I was afraid to go home! But Three Fangs! Charlotte made me run away instead! Brick! I’m not afraid of my wife anymore!”
‘Why do you speak like that?’
Although his speech was quite crude, perhaps because he had stage fright, the ignorant medieval bastards seemed to trust him more, and the response was enthusiastic.
“Just by wearing it, your stamina increases? Does that make sense?”
At that moment, Group 2 Leader Mad Dog Chart frowned and asked.
An unexpected counterattack.
The answer came from elsewhere.
“I felt the effects too! I grew taller after I got that fang! Can you see it?”
Group 6’s little boy Maruni jumped up and shouted.
There was a huge uproar because the skinny guy actually grew taller.
“Chart Leader! You don’t know anything. This fang has a Plasci… effect. You know what Plasci effect is, don’t you?”
The weasel fought back with a vulgar smile.
‘···I said flamenco. You ignorant bastards.’
I clicked my tongue, but kept my mouth shut so as not to stir up the heated atmosphere. It wasn’t the first or second time that ignorant people made mistakes.
“Just by having it, you will automatically grow taller and have more stamina?! You’d be stupid not to buy it!”
As the crowd raised their hands and shouted, the others also quickly raised their hands.
The weasel walked around busily with its fangs raised.
‘You sell well.’
It seemed like I could sell all my remaining fangs here.
Even in the midst of the tense atmosphere, the 5th platoon members did not move an inch like captured soldiers.
After a while, the captain came forward.
It was clear that the captain had not washed his nose, as there was still a little blood on it.
“Everyone, be quiet.”
The captain shouted with an unusually stern expression on his face.
Those who would have been mumbling at other times kept their mouths shut and focused.
It was a tribute to the man who created the legend.
The captain finally got recognition for his amazing achievements.
“I’ve called you here to inform you that security will be increased as Miss Vivian’s birthday approaches. From now on, there will be three checkpoints and three patrols. This time, Count Behart will be here, so be alert. But don’t work too hard either. Just don’t cause any trouble and do it moderately, moderately.”
As soon as the captain finished speaking, the men chanted, ‘The captain with ten silver coins in his nostrils!’
Then the captain took out silver coins from his pocket, put one in each nostril, and withdrew.
The cheers became even louder as the amazing performance took place.
I went down to the captain’s place and went up in his place.
As soon as I raised my fist, it disappeared.
“Everyone should know that Hannah’s new bar is offering half-price beer to security guards.”
As the bar grew larger, it was clear that incidents and accidents would become more frequent.
It was my own countermeasure against it.
Of course, even though it was half price, it was still more expensive than the original price.
“Hannah, Aaron’s wife!!”
The guy who had yelled at me hit his own head as soon as we made eye contact.
***
He headed to the checkpoint with the weasel and the grass.
I brought the two most intelligent people among the crew members, so it felt like I was hunting automatically.
I leaned against the gate and watched what they were doing.
The grass and the weasel were a fantastic combination.
When the grass was valued accurately, the weasel next to it instinctively inflated the value slightly.
The grass acknowledged the weasel, even though it did not like him.
‘By the way, the magic lasts…’
I muttered while shaking the water bottle.
I haven’t seen Kua Bao Rou much lately.
I thought he had stopped teaching Kanna, but it seemed like that wasn’t the case, seeing as Kanna was using new magic again.
This morning, Kanna suddenly took my water bottle and fiddled with it for a while.
I thought he was going to draw another weird picture, but upon closer inspection, I saw that it wasn’t a picture, but a magic circle.
‘···A magic circle.’
Even though it was only lukewarm to slightly cool and seemed to go out quickly, it was amazing that the kid had carved such a complex magic circle.
It’s like watching a kid solve college math problems.
I don’t know much about magic, but looking at this intricate painting, I can tell that Kanna is a genius.
Of course, looking at the contents of a lukewarm water bottle may not be effective.
“Welcome!!”
The weasel’s cry broke my thoughts.
I turned my head and saw a carriage that clearly belonged to a nobleman approaching.
‘Kembain Street?’
They were the baronial family that ruled the Blant Castle, famous for its high tax rates.
I’ve been there before, but I just passed it by without stopping.
I thought it would be the same this time, but contrary to my expectations, it slowed down slowly.
‘You wield a greatsword. It’s a little shorter than mine.’
I habitually glanced at the previous article.
The knight reported that the eldest son of the Kembain family had come at Youngae’s invitation.
Since it was just a formality anyway, we didn’t ask any more questions and just stepped aside.
The carriage and the driver went inside.
After that, a nobleman’s carriage passed by, but it was filled with rich people.
Last year, the head of the household came in person for my birthday, but this time, it was mostly the eldest son.
‘It’s not a situation where the head of the household can leave the castle, but… there’s something.’
The average was one eldest son, one knight, and two or three soldiers and what appeared to be attendants.
I sent them in after examining the knights the elders had brought.
There weren’t any articles that really stood out enough to make me nervous.
When the weasel grumbles that he was having a hard time today because of the nobles.
A huge carriage, twice the size of the other carriages, approached.
‘You are Count Berhard.’
Behar’s Seal was the first thing any Outer Guard had to memorize.
Cassadic Castle bordered the County of Berhard.
Of course, he was not the Earl of Behard, but he was only superficial.
The areas adjacent to the County of Behart, including the Baron of Pulpouts, were no different from being under the jurisdiction of the County of Behart.
This was the first time I had actually seen the seal, as Count Behart had summoned Baron Pulpouts and had no reason to come in person.
I quickly lowered my head.
Looking to the side, the weasel was already lying face down on the ground and the grass was tilted vertically.
‘······Why stop?’
The carriage slowly slowed down.
There were three knights at the front of the carriage, all of whom had a sharp air of agility.
I quickly checked them up and down.
I put each person’s weapon and arm length in my head.
The knights looked around without saying much.
The carriage door opened.
‘What is that smell···.’
As the carriage door opened, a strangely familiar and mouth-watering smell wafted out.
I grimaced, trying to identify that strangely familiar and nostalgic smell, but nothing came to mind.
I bent my upper body a little more so that the sword handle was next to my neck.
The man who got out of the carriage was an old bear-like man. He was large and had sharp eyes, but the corners of his eyes were droopy, which was quite funny.
‘You are Count Berhard.’
Count Behard looked around for a moment and then took something out of his bosom.
It was a large leather pouch, and Behard threw its contents towards the gate.
‘···petal?’
It was a situation I couldn’t understand, but I didn’t bother to question it.
Count Behart, who had been scattering flower petals from the front of the carriage to the castle gate, nodded in satisfaction and got into the carriage.
‘There was one more article behind it.’
Just taking four knights with you as personal guards…
It was an escort befitting the title of Count.
As the carriage passed, the strange smell disappeared.
I swallowed the saliva in my mouth and examined the petals that had fallen to the ground.
‘Canua? Isn’t that a flower that wards off bad luck?’
There was a superstition that when sprinkled with canua flowers, it would ward off bad luck and bring good luck.
However, since it is very expensive, it is common for ignorant mercenaries to just sprinkle one leaf or so, but they are scattering it around so carelessly.
“Hehehe.”
I turned my head at the sound of strange laughter and saw a mud-covered weasel picking up fallen leaves on the ground.
“If you pick that up, all kinds of bad luck will come to you.”
There was a story that even brushing against a fallen canoe flower would bring bad luck.
Just looking at the grass made him step back with a disgusted expression on his face.
“It’s okay! Don’t you already have a brother? And since you’re going to sell it again, shouldn’t it go to the person who bought it?”
The weasel laughed heartily like an elementary school student who found a four-leaf clover.
‘You already have an older brother?’
That tone of voice made me feel strangely uncomfortable, so I quickly grabbed him and held him back.
“That’s because I picked up a canoe flower.”
Poole muttered quietly as he watched Dylan get hit by Aaron.
***
The nobles who had expressed their attendance at Vivian’s birthday sent their eldest son instead.
Except for the women whose intentions were unknown, Viscount Bonita and Count Berhard, all of them were eldest sons who came as proxies.
‘Hmm… If the condition of the castle is so bad that you can’t leave the seat, or if that’s not the case…’
Pulpouts guessed the situation by looking at the elders around him.
Pulpouts stared at Count Behard, who was sitting on a chair covered with canoe flowers.
There were rumors like that going around.
Count Behart is said to be obsessed with a sorcerer and will not come out of the castle.
Count Berhard’s blind belief in superstitions has long been known.
Although I still had my doubts, the man behind Count Behart’s cloak proved that the rumor was true.
Count Behard originally hated having others behind him. That’s why he placed his knights in front of him instead of behind him.
It didn’t look good that there was such a strange guy behind Count Behart.
‘The rumors were true.’
Pulpouts thought that sending the eldest son might be an expression of dissatisfaction with the count.
It wasn’t a bad situation for Fullfoot.
Rather, it could be seen as a good thing.
If you are reconsidering your marriage to Fener, you can look into the eldest sons of other families.
It was Vivian’s birthday, the year she became an adult.
It was clear that if Vivian did not get married within a year, unfounded rumors would start circulating about her.
Pulpouts calmly examined the faces of the elders.
“It must be so hard for you that you can’t come in person and have to send your child.”
At that moment, Behard opened his mouth.
Several elders were surprised by the strange feeling and sat up straight.
“Of course, there are those who survived the situation without much damage thanks to their excellent response. Wasn’t that the case with Bolt Castle?”
“Yes. We discussed it with the church and doubled the size of our worship services to stop him.”
Fener’s proud voice caused small laughter to erupt here and there.
Everyone knows that worship is of little use to vampires. That is why the Inquisitors resort to dangerous methods.
However, he did not express it openly in front of Behard.
“Worship won’t work on vampires… you’re lucky. But I know a method that really works on vampires. It’s… this.”
At Behar’s gesture, the man wearing the cloak pulled something out.
Then, the foul smell that had been lingering for a while began to waft around.
‘···garlic?’
It was an item produced in the northern part of the empire.
Its smell and taste were so bad that it was even nicknamed the devil’s ingredient. I heard that the price was quite high because not many people looked for it.
Pullputs tried hard to suppress the wrinkled eyebrows at the strong smell.
“I recently discovered that vampires really hate garlic. That’s why Flitton was barely harmed by vampires.”
Behard continued, but everyone was too busy trying to contain the smell to focus on him.
‘···Is it true that you only hate vampires?’
If vampires hated that, then the world would already be full of vampires.
“I brought a lot for you, but it wouldn’t be fun if I just gave it away.”
Every time Behard opened his mouth, the smell got worse.
It seemed like he was eating garlic three times a day.
“Let’s have a light duel. I’ll give the winner all the garlic I brought. That alone will be worth more than twenty gold coins.”
Behard smiled contentedly as he spoke, but everyone remained silent.
“And there’s also···.”
As Behard continued speaking, Pulpouts’ headache worsened.
***
Flitton Castle in the County of Bechard.
In a corner of the bar, a man with a deep black hood sat.
Pros Heizentar, once the leader of the vanished Black Bloods but now an Imperial foe, sipped a cheap, sour beer.
He originally hated alcohol because it clouded his reason, but now he couldn’t live without it.
“Kuuuuu- I heard all the vampires were caught!”
“You dared declare war on the Empire. It was your fate. You stupid vampires.”
‘I didn’t declare war…’
Pross suddenly felt tears welling up in his eyes and hurriedly drank his beer.
It was hard to stay sane without drinking because of the strange rumors I heard wherever I went.
Although I managed to escape the Empire’s pursuit, I lost too much.
First the canines.
Pross pulled out his own fangs.
For vampires, fangs were their identity and pride.
No, I could see it all.
In human terms, it was no different from pulling out one’s own genitals to escape pursuit.
Originally, they were the kind of people who would shut their mouths and watch, thinking that even listening to the devil would be a sin.
I wonder how those guys came up with the vicious method of pulling out all the fangs…
No matter how much they wanted to live, there weren’t many vampires who could endure having their fangs pulled out.
But Pross pulled out his own fangs to survive.
That day, I cried for the first time since I was born.
What made him possible was a deep, burning desire for revenge.
‘table tennis···.’
Pross was determined to catch the ‘legendary vampire hunter Takgu’ who had ruined his plans and show him hell.
Just thinking about it made me endure excruciating pain and pull out my fangs.
“But you never know, maybe there are vampires left….”
Pross bowed his head deeply at the unexpected remark.
But still, I felt a cold gaze.
The guys glared at him with stern faces.
Among them, there was already a guy holding a hammer.
Pros showed it to me in a hurry.
Hollow canines.
Just showing this would have put my doubts to rest.
“You don’t have any fangs. But that’s not all you can do.”
‘···Just that?!’
The murderous intent surged in me at their words, but I suppressed it. I couldn’t die until I bit off that bastard named Takgu’s neck.
“Unlike other stupid castles, we have a surefire way to detect vampires.”
Pross gulped at the bar owner’s confident voice.
Catching these guys wasn’t a big deal, but this was Count Behar’s Flitton Castle.
If you commit murder, the aftermath will be…
“Here, eat this.”
What he confidently handed me was some food that had a terrible smell.
‘···garlic?’
Pros frowned, unable to read their intentions. However, he hurriedly accepted the bread as the atmosphere became tense.
A disgusting and pungent smell.
Pross swallowed hard at the attention and slowly ate the bread.
‘···It’s spicy.’
It was spicy enough to bring tears to my eyes and tasted weird, but it was nothing compared to having my fangs pulled out.
“···It’s delicious.”
Pross chewed hard, then lifted his thumb and smiled.
“You’re not a vampire. Sorry. I won’t charge you for it, so drink as much as you want.”
Pross sobbed, feeling so pathetic and insignificant that he was relieved.
‘···If they are the ones who deceive even the empire.’
Pross braced himself as he thought of those whose names he didn’t even know.
Although I don’t know anything about them, I had received an invitation before.
‘Wait a minute. The legendary vampire hunter Tak-gu.’
Write-.
Pross muttered, breathing through the gap where his fangs had fallen out.
***
The ‘Awesome Aaron Rabbit’ bar.
There were gathered figures wearing lumps of iron over their heads.
It was a bar, but the atmosphere was heavy and didn’t fit with a bar.
Everyone swallowed and paid attention.
A man wearing armor and holding a bucket over his head climbs up to the space provided in the center.
Adolf, a zealous member of the Namaiyads, looked around the room.
I saw people wearing thick helmets.
There was only one thing that tied these people who had lived different lives together.
‘hero.’
Words that touch the heart.
Although each knight had a different form, they all had a desire that they could never give up.
Adolf dreamed of becoming a hero since he was a child.
When he passed the exam, he was hopeful that he would be able to achieve his dream.
But then came the elimination from the Imperial Knights.
I saw things I didn’t know when I wasn’t a reporter.
Any knight who failed to become a royal knight was trash to them.
Once you become a knight, you will be treated well wherever you go, but those who fail to become an imperial knight know that they have failed.
There was someone who single-handedly defeated a knight of royal descent.
That alone would have been thrilling, but he didn’t stop there.
He was a hero.
Adolf, who had been lost in thought, shook his head slightly and opened his mouth.
“During the recent series of difficulties, our Namaiyad has been helping everyone on the front lines by putting forward the ‘strategic cooperation’ that the hero Deokgu has been keeping. Although Deokgu is a ‘political omission’, he could not ignore those in need. Impressed by such actions of Namaiyad, the number of members has increased. And today, we have finally reached fifteen.”
Thump thump thump-!
Instead of applauding, everyone thumped the pitch in the Namaiyad style.
“In order to govern such numbers, I, Adolgu and Delphgu, have decided to elect officers. Today is the day to announce them.”
Thump thump thump-!
Adolf turned his head, checked the second floor, and nodded.
“The new leader of Namaiyad, who will carry on the will of Deokgu not only in Cassadic but also throughout the entire continent, is······, Kangu, who was unanimously elected!!”
Thump thump thump-!!
The sound became louder.
Kanna jumped down from the second floor, fixed her bucket, and confidently walked up.
“Kuhh!!”
“Kuh!”
Adolf stepped back after receiving Kanna’s salute.
‘···Was there a necklace like that?’
The necklace that Kanna was wearing caught my eye.
The necklace with the seal of Deokgu raising both hands seemed to have been made for the executives.
As Kanna stood in front, one of the agents shouted, “Salute!” The agents saluted loudly.
Kanna looked around calmly at him and saluted him with a small ‘Kuh.’
“First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to all of you who have appointed me to this honorable position. Furthermore, in the future······.”
Adolf nodded at her fluent speech that did not match her age.
The sorcerer Kanna was so smart that she sometimes used advanced words that were difficult to understand. It wasn’t for nothing that she was appointed to an executive position.
Although he may not be as good as Deokgu, who was a genius strategist, he was sure to become Namaiyad’s brain in the future.
At that moment, the bar door opened and strangers came in.
It was a knight and soldiers with extraordinary armor and momentum.
The seal on his chest belongs to another baron’s family.
“I came here because they said it was the biggest bar, but it turned out to be a place where idiots hang out.”
The knight’s ramblings.
It was a light brawl that occasionally happened when knights met outside. It was a brawl that ended in a fistfight even if it got heated, unless it was a duel.
If it were before, I would have endured it. The opponent was bigger than Adolf and his armor looked good.
But Adolf was not alone now.
No, Adolf was Adolf.
Delphran, whose eyes met mine, nodded vigorously.
“Strategic strategy!!”
Adolf was the first to run, shouting his spirit.
“Strategic strategy!!”
After that, Delphran’s voice rang out.
“What···What is this? The knights are joining forces! This crazy bird···”
The embarrassed knight muttered, but it was quickly buried.
“This is not a joint attack, this is a strategic collaboration!!”
Adolf raised the corners of his mouth at the thrilling taste.
“Oh my, if we fight here······!”
Hannah pretended to stop him and pushed something like a shabby chair or table in.
Kanna, who was watching him from the side, also helped him diligently.
