143
Raccoons are picky
“You don’t have to be so nervous. We’re brothers, aren’t we?”
The raccoon guy looked at me and smiled friendly.
It seemed to him that whether he should cut off the bastard’s head now or later was a different matter.
The circumstances were not good for cutting the guy’s neck.
The guy was a cardinal on the surface, and outside there were knights of the temple. And on the way there, I saw ten inquisitors.
If I were holding a raccoon’s neck, it was clear that I wouldn’t ask for any other reason.
‘And there may be others.’
The Cardinal was a devil’s candy. It wouldn’t have been strange if some of the people who came with him were devil’s minions.
It was funny how the cult protected the guy who was the devil candy. If you wanted to kill him, you had to do it somewhere no one was around or after his identity was revealed.
‘If he dies, his brothers will be suspicious too.’
Even the five eldest sons were difficult opponents. They were also so meticulous that they planted devil candy in the cardinal.
It would be refreshing to cut off the raccoon’s neck right away, but it would definitely leave a very bitter aftertaste.
There was no information on the guy yet. It would kill him if he were to cut off his neck, but there was also a chance that he might have some sort of shield.
If not, I could have handled a sword that didn’t look like the five eldest sons.
If he blocked my attack and called the Templar, things would be at their worst.
‘Opportunity comes.’
I took a deep breath and tried to control my anger. I thought about the attitude the third child should show.
“Nice to meet you.”
A curt answer. The bastard’s face hardened subtly. He was still smiling, but his cheeks were trembling slightly.
‘The other guys were fine, but their reactions are a bit different.’
My eyes were drawn to the ornate cape of a man who did not seem to belong to a clergyman.
“······I see, it was the third one. It’s been a while, so I’m quite flustered.”
The raccoon smiled and lifted the golden goblet in front of him.
It was a different reaction from the other devil candies that liked to be talked down to. Even though he was treated like an outcast, he seemed to be enduring it.
‘Is he tall?’
In terms of the sweetness it radiated, it was similar to the five great masters, but it was lacking compared to the five great masters.
The simple sweetness it exudes may not be the measure of its power, but this one was a bit easier.
‘I feel like I’m in a quandary.’
The raccoon was a creature that I wanted to avoid because it was dirty rather than strong.
“Are you dissatisfied?”
Instead, I took a step closer and grumbled. The distance between us narrowed slightly. The raccoon looked up at me.
As I got closer, I felt hungry again. I immediately ripped the guy’s neck off and had the devil’s candy······.
‘crazy.’
I bit my molars to clear my mind. I was planning to be a gentleman and cut off his neck with my sword before eating the devil’s candy. There was no need to tear it off.
The raccoon’s eyes moved busily. At first, he looked at me, then at the handle of my sword, and finally at the door.
‘You care about the temple knights outside.’
Knock knock. I habitually snapped my fingers.
“Please sit down first.”
He pointed to the table. I noticed that the guy had no index finger on his right hand.
‘A cardinal without an index finger···. A cardinal without an index finger···.’
Something came to mind, but I couldn’t remember it. I’m sure I’ve heard it somewhere…
I nodded vigorously, unsheathed my sword, placed it aside, and sat down on the chair. The chair screamed, but did not collapse.
It seems that since there were many pigs among the nobles, they used hard chairs.
“The Johelia Temple Knight asked for healing. What is the reason?”
The raccoon didn’t sit down, but stood a little way away, looking down at me and asking. Even so, he was about the same height as me when sitting.
I don’t know if the guy intended it, but the distance was out of my range.
“He suddenly started swinging his sword.”
I answered briefly. The third one didn’t bother to give a long answer.
“You’ve been swinging your sword again. That’s the nature of the Knights Templar. They’re arrogant and reckless because they don’t take responsibility. So where did you get hurt?”
The guy who clicked his tongue asked casually. The guy who asked lightly as if he really had the ability to heal.
However, those fleshy eyes quickly scanned me. They seemed to be looking at me.
‘You have healing powers.’
It was obvious from the beginning that one would not be able to rise to the rank of cardinal if one did not have divine powers.
‘Devil candy and divine power.’
It sounded similar to Jjamppong.
“Recovered.”
The guy’s gaze touched my red gauntlet, and I answered briefly.
“Ohhh… I see.”
The guy trailed off a little.
There was a moment of silence, and I stared into the guy’s eyes. He looked at me for a moment as if he was thinking about something, then opened his mouth.
“I am the fourth eldest son. As you can see, I am also a cardinal.”
The bastard revealed his identity.
I couldn’t completely trust him, but there was no reason for brothers to lie.
‘Fourth… A pagan?’
The fourth group of people I met at the last brothers’ meeting were pagans holding upside-down Bibles.
Not just any regular devil candy, but a pagan devil candy that’s a cardinal…
‘Did you change bodies in the middle?’
If you think back to the time of Count Behart, that was a possibility. Whatever it was···.
‘The pagan devil Candy is a cardinal… The religious order is coming to an end.’
“You must be busy.”
The bastard’s expression became strange again at my answer. However, he quickly returned to smiling.
The guy was smiling with both his mouth and his eyes. He looked just like a raccoon on drugs.
“So, you met the fifth eldest son?”
“Yes.”
Another moment of silence followed.
“What happened at Flitton Castle?”
The guy’s fleshy eyes stared at me. A shadow rippled behind him, even though there was no wind.
‘Oh, I see.’
Only then did I recall the memory of the cardinal without an index finger.
‘My brother used the Cardinal’s finger to brag.’
At the end, my younger brother, who had caused the Flying Baron incident, was cursing and talking about the ‘Cardinal’s Finger’.
How many cardinals are there without fingers? And how many of them are devil candy? There was a high probability that the finger my younger brother was using was this guy’s index finger.
‘My younger brother… was bothering me with his shadow.’
It felt like a long time ago, but the battle was vivid. Au had played with slime using shadows based on his excellent imagination.
It was not possible to confirm a connection between the two simply by that alone.
It is possible that the raccoon with its finger cut off was sold to make some money since it was already in this state. Trading fingers was not illegal.
I couldn’t be sure, but I felt like there might be some kind of connection between the two.
“He asked me what happened that day.”
My thoughts were broken by the raccoon’s urging.
‘You asked that… I guess you killed them all.’
Even though I was quite busy at Flitton Castle, there were still quite a lot of Devil Candies.
If they insisted on asking, there was a high probability that the report was not believed or was inaccurate.
‘It must be five eldest sons.’
Knock knock. The bastard’s fleshy eyes stared at me without blinking.
“I don’t know.”
The third one was confident even though I didn’t know.
“······I see.”
The raccoon didn’t seem to expect much either. After looking at the door for a moment, he took something out of his bosom.
It was a rough-looking ring, but it smelled sweet. It was mouthwatering, like a concentrate of devil’s candy.
“If you wear this, you will be contacted later. It is usually given to the eldest son, but since you are the third son, it is given to you specially.”
“The jewelry is uncomfortable. It’s small so it’ll probably disappear easily.”
“You don’t have to wear it, but you can’t lose it. Even if you’re the third child.”
‘I guess I can’t use the excuse that I lost it after eating it.’
I asked around to see if I could get more, but judging from the response, it seemed like it wasn’t possible.
‘Tight guys.’
I tried to put it in briefly, but it didn’t fit unless it was my ring finger.
A subtle feeling passed through my ring finger.
It felt like a snake was licking my eyeballs. It wasn’t a very pleasant feeling.
“But why do you stay in Cassadic? Is it because of the seeds?”
When I put the ring on, he asked in a much softer voice.
‘It was a seed… It was a park head.’
At the last brothers’ meeting, they called me a vessel and the pumpkin head a seed.
The brothers I had met before had also inferred the reason why I was in Cassadic, so there was no need to deny it.
After a quick calculation, I nodded.
“So, are you thinking of eating the seeds?”
‘Eating is a plague… You uncivilized bastards.’
It was clear that he was asking if I wanted to eat Park Daegari’s heart raw like last time.
I was curious as to why the name was seed.
It seemed like if I asked around, they would probably give me an answer.
However, I had to be careful because I had admitted with my own mouth that the seed was the reason.
“Hmm… It was indeed as beautiful as the rumors said. It was enough to shake me. What a shame. What a shame.”
The raccoon grinned sinisterly. It was such an unpleasant face that it made me feel bad just looking at it. The guy would often talk to himself without me answering.
“But why haven’t you taken it yet?”
Another question. Raccoon was really curious.
I thought about it for a moment. If I were to wait for an opportunity, there was a chance that I would be faced with a park head set on a plate.
“It’s not time yet. Don’t you know?”
I asked back, rather provocatively. I made a face similar to that of Kel, who was boasting about his shallow knowledge.
Then a sneer appeared on the guy’s face.
“If you’re an adult, you should be fully ripe. Of course, the later you eat, the deeper it becomes, but if you eat too much, you might fall off before you can consume it.”
I didn’t answer the guy’s laughter-filled voice, still maintaining a smug expression.
Then the guy’s laughter grew stronger.
“I understand your greed, but the other party is a seed. Of course, we didn’t touch it because it’s not our responsibility, but if the timing is late, they may make the first move. Even if they are just watching, they will try to transplant the seed that doesn’t have much life left.”
‘···in charge?’
The guy who was slightly trailing off raised the corners of his mouth as he looked at me. It was an unlucky situation, but I couldn’t hide my surprise.
‘You’re giving out information so fluently.’
The guy gave me quite a bit more information than I expected.
“Okay, then···.”
The raccoon, seeing my reaction, twirled his finger slightly. I looked at the hand without the index finger and released it.
“Is it related to the third eldest son?”
A cautious voice, unlike before.
I thought of the teaching of the five elders: do not tolerate stories about elders from others.
When I met his eyes, he smiled awkwardly.
I knew the guy had come all the way to the outskirts just to meet me.
And also, the careful and generous attitude my brothers showed toward me.
Thirdly, I was called the bowl and I was probably pretty important to them.
‘This is a chance to find out.’
I kicked the chair away and jumped forward.
At the same time, the guy snapped his fingers. It seemed like he was getting ready.
Then, a shadow rose up from behind the guy and blocked my path.
‘It’s similar to my brother.’
Unlike Awu, the guy didn’t even memorize the spell and his speed was incomparable.
There was a slight distance between us, so my fist was blocked by the guy’s shadow.
However, there was no sound. There was no impact. It felt like I had hit water, not something hard.
The power was not transmitted properly.
Shape, not just physical force.
It was different from my brother’s shadow that I could tear with my hands.
‘I guess I’ll have to use Aura.’
There was no need to draw the sword now that he was just pretending to be angry.
However, I had no intention of letting it go like this.
If the force wasn’t being transmitted, just apply more force and that’s it.
As I twisted my shoulder and thrust my fist, the shadow rippled greatly.
The screams that could be heard as the shadows stretched. The horrible screams continued as if possessed by a vengeful spirit. It was quite loud.
The shadows grew thicker and the pressure intensified.
Shadows tangled around my arms and pulled me closer.
Eventually, the fist stopped in front of the guy’s face.
A look of satisfaction appeared on the face of the guy who saw the fist stopped in front of me. His face was like a raccoon that had eaten cotton candy.
“Oh… I’m sorry if I offended you. I was just curious about the news because I was very close to the third eldest son.”
A grinning raccoon. He seemed to think he had the upper hand, but he overlooked the length of my fingers.
Taaak-!!
The bullet landed squarely on the guy’s forehead.
A guy falls backwards with a crashing sound.
At the same time, the shadow shot at me as if it had a will.
Shadows filled the surroundings. Sharp black thorns aimed at me.
The black thorns lightly pierced through my shoulder blades and breastplate, stinging a little.
‘Even though it’s not Aura···.’
I felt it even in the days of the five eldest sons, but those guys wield strange powers.
“This ignorant third bastard···.”
A raccoon with a red, swollen forehead.
It was as if the mask of the guy had been broken and his original face was revealed.
His face was filled with desire and anger. His eyes, which were already gleaming black, looked just like a monster.
Plus, the sweet smell and presence became more intense.
The already strong presence became even stronger.
‘There was one more finger.’
He looked like he had entered phase 2. However, the guy didn’t open his hands even though he was trembling and biting his lips.
He seemed to be holding back his anger somehow. He was holding back even though it was a pretty strong slap…
‘I guess I’m a precious person.’
He raised the corners of his mouth as he looked at the black thorns.
I expected it, but he couldn’t kill me.
“Phew······.”
The guy took a deep breath, waved his hand, and placed it on my forehead.
The black thorns disappeared in an instant, and a moment later, a white light enveloped the guy’s hand.
‘Divine power? The end times army.’
It was astonishing to see it glaring at me and emitting divine power. However, I noticed that the black thorns had disappeared.
‘You can’t use them at the same time. There’s a gap in between.’
I’ve learned quite a bit about raccoon habits.
“Yes, that can be true. It’s understandable to be angry. Most of it is a misunderstanding, but it seems that way to you. I hope this has appeased you a little.”
The white light disappeared and the guy with black pupils exhaled deeply and spoke calmly.
It seemed like they couldn’t be used at the same time. And the conversion process took quite some time.
“As you know, we must join forces to achieve the great cause. Why should we dwell on the past?”
‘It’s a great undertaking… I’ve never seen a decent person say something like that.’
본디 허황한 이야기를 하는 놈들은 대부분 사기꾼이거나 개새끼였다. 물론, 얘는 너구리 새끼지만.
At that moment, the guy turned his gaze towards the door.
The sound of footsteps behind it.
‘You have good ears.’
The door opened and a mini-luggage came in.
“Are you okay? That noise just now was···”
He was already holding a greatsword in his hand, perhaps because he was impatient.
“···My foot slipped and I fell down by myself. How embarrassing. Haha!”
The guy who returned to being a calm raccoon said while touching his forehead.
“Oh, so it’s over then?”
Mini Lungeup asked in a businesslike voice that showed no sign of concern.
The raccoon nodded.
I focused on the black thorns that disappeared at the sound of the mini-lung’s footsteps and the guy’s eyes that had cleared up.
‘Mini lungs aren’t on his side.’
It was unlikely that a knight under the direct command of the Pope would be persuaded by the devil’s candy, but expectations and certainty were different.
‘If you do this well···.’
Knock knock, I wiggled my fingers while looking at the two of them with a subtle sense of tension.
I don’t know how long the guy will be in Cassidy, but before he leaves, I need to make him pay for his sins of spreading worship.
Even without that, the sweet smell he gave off was hard to just let go.
Simply cutting the raccoon’s neck was tricky enough, but there was an even bigger problem.
The fact that he was a cardinal and the fourth eldest son. If he had only one of these, it would be awkward, but he had both.
If the guy died, it was clear that the church and the brothers would make moves at the same time. I don’t know exactly what the eldest son is, but if he was promoted to cardinal, it would be a pretty high position.
‘If you don’t want to be suspected by the Devil Candy…’
I nodded, looking at the stupid helmet of the mini-lung class.
It seemed like if we did it well, we could create a good result that would satisfy everyone.
Then, one of the inquisitors came in.
“The Abbot of Brighton is holding a midnight service.”
Ugh.
The black pupil of the raccoon’s eyes grew larger.
‘You’re feeding me worship again? You······.’
I ground my teeth at the sight of the abominable raccoon.
***
Johelia straightened her back and looked straight ahead.
The Knights of the Temple were required to pray alone and could not attend any worship services unless hosted by the Pope.
However, I participated because it was a mission to escort Cardinal Gobert.
‘······Joanna.’
Johelia muttered and bit her lip.
He was a quiet and incomprehensible child even before.
Joanna was exceptional from a young age. She had the ability to adapt quickly to blessings, as well as the patience and brilliant talent to endure harsh training without complaint.
Some would call her the chosen child of God. Of course, all the Knights Templar heard such words, but Joanna was particularly special among them.
Despite being of the same bloodline as Joanna, Johelia had mediocre abilities.
Just barely hanging on to the edge of the Knights Templar. The Knights Templar would have fallen if it weren’t for Joanna’s help.
To Joe Helya, Joanna was her pride, her idol, and her shining light.
Johelia always lived with Joanna’s pride in her.
Johelia had no doubt that Joanna would shine brightest in the Knights Templar.
Then one day, Joanna, who had gone on a mission by order of the Pope, suddenly disappeared.
The Knights Templar were turned upside down because Joanna was considered a promising candidate.
When Johelia heard the news and hurriedly returned, Joanna had already disappeared.
It seems like he talked about something with the Pope, but nothing is known.
‘I heard you were sent down to the Inquisition, but I didn’t think you’d be in the outskirts.’
I thought and believed that it was just a wandering, but contrary to expectations, Joanna did not return.
And the Joanna she met again was not the Joanna she knew.
“Ahem.”
My thoughts were broken by a cough.
When I turned my head, the man from before was right next to me. The man who had been with Joanna.
He was a man covered in scars so much that you couldn’t see his facial expression.
A strange man with a fierce appearance who screamed loudly just because his hand was pierced.
“What?”
Johelia habitually spoke in a low voice, straining her throat. It was a habit she developed because her voice was so thin.
“Can we read the Bible together? I didn’t bring it.”
It was ridiculous.
What kind of guy asks a temple knight to show him the Bible?
It seemed that he was an honorary monk living in a remote area and did not know much about the Knights Templar.
However, there was no problem talking about the Bible during worship.
‘······If you get angry because I show you the Bible, you’ll look like a fool, right?’
Johelia hesitated for a moment and then handed over the Bible. There were many Bibles, so it would have been okay to share one.
The man who received the Bible opened it and read it without moving from his side.
Joheliah was standing because of the security, but there were many empty seats. So why was she reading the Bible next to me?
Johelia hated having big people around her. And this man was one of the biggest of big people.
“You… no, may I ask who the Cardinal is?”
It was a random question, a question whose meaning was unclear.
After hearing him, Johelia hesitated for a moment, then realized that she was worrying and frowned.
“It’s noisy.”
Johelia answered in a low voice, then cleared her throat because it was sore.
This seemed to be enough to give him a hint, so the man nodded and lowered his gaze back to the Bible.
“My childhood dream was to become a Knight Templar.”
The guy muttered softly as if talking to himself.
‘So that’s why it’s attached under the pretext of the Bible.’
It was a common occurrence. The Knights Templar were a group that had as many admirers as they feared, so there were quite a few people who clung to them from the religious order.
“You can’t become a Knight Templar just because you want to. It’s only for the chosen ones.”
Johelia answered with a laugh.
“I see. I’m jealous.”
At the sound of his dry voice, Johelia’s chin lifted slightly.
“It was truly a special feeling to see the Knights Templar in person. They say that just seeing the Knights Templar brings good luck for the year…”
Since the Knights Templar themselves were so secretive, it was a famous rumor that spread among others.
Just encountering the Knight of the Temple will bring good luck.
It was all useless superstition, but Johelia didn’t bother to reveal it.
“What brings a Templar Knight to such a remote place?”
There was no answer.
“I heard that you only follow the Pope’s orders, so it’s strange to be with the Cardinal.”
At the bastard’s muttering, Johelia’s throat suddenly became sore. Johelia didn’t know what was going on either.
Johelia also had her doubts, as the Knights Templar had never been entrusted with the protection of anyone other than the Pope.
“······Are you by any chance on a secret mission?”
The man kept muttering. As I listened, something seemed quite plausible.
Those eyes sparkled just like a child’s. Like a child asking him to tell her a wonderful story.
“There is something around your highness······.”
It was a subtle and empty remark, but I couldn’t listen to it any longer.
“Get out.”
Johelia said firmly, grabbing the handle of the greatsword.
The man returned the Bible, but his expression was subtle.
The corners of her mouth seemed to go up, distorting Johelia’s expression, but upon closer inspection, she was gentle.
The man walked forward and Johelia stared straight ahead.
‘······Secret mission?’
Cardinal Gobert was a cardinal of fairly good conduct.
However, it seemed that there must have been a reason why the Pope had attached himself to the cardinal.
Because you are a person whose true intentions are unknowable.
Johelia glared straight ahead, her eyes focused on the ground.
***
‘Midnight worship? You’re really crazy.’
Net… No, Gobersan tried his best to suppress the anger that was welling up in him.
The crazy author followed me all the way to Naeseong.
As if that wasn’t enough, they held a late-night service. It wasn’t a good idea to refuse a service requested by someone below them.
‘If only there had been no knights of the temple…’
Gobersan gritted his teeth as he looked at Johelia standing behind him.
If it weren’t for Johelia, I would have moved on easily. No, I could have had my subordinates take care of that damn thing and make him disappear.
‘···Does the Pope know something?’
I couldn’t help but feel suspicious about the fact that they were giving me a knight of the temple who had been kept in a tight cage without me sending him off while I was alive as their escort.
After becoming a cardinal, Gobert worked hard to persuade those around him.
Of course, he did what other cardinals did too.
Because all the cardinals were dirty bastards.
Even though I had to use my divine powers, I was able to persuade him somehow.
Among them, there were quite a few who actually read the Bible.
The Pope immediately attached that knight to Gobersan, who was slowly expanding his territory.
I couldn’t try to persuade the Knight of the Temple because I didn’t know if my divine power would work on him. It was clear that if he changed his mind even a little, it would be impossible to control him.
Then, I saw a big guy sitting across from me.
A man with a fierce appearance and an ignorant disposition.
‘The third one joined.’
Gobersan’s brow furrowed. If the third vessel had returned, the great undertaking would begin.
As the fourth eldest son, he came all the way to the border himself. There was no need to say anything about his importance to his brothers.
The start of the great undertaking he had longed for was drawing near, but Gobersan was not very happy.
Unlike before, Gobert Mountain now has a lot to lose.
My head became complicated because of the sudden approach of a great undertaking.
At that moment, Brighton, with his hair neatly slicked back, came up to the stage.
My head, which had been complicated until just now, suddenly became clear and filled with disgust.
‘I have to see this. If only Johelia hadn’t been there······.’
Gobert gritted his teeth as he looked at Brighton.
The shadow of Mount Gober swayed greatly.
***
‘It’s full.’
Brighton nodded with satisfaction as he looked at those looking up at him with various expressions.
I was a little tired because I worked until dawn, but I couldn’t fall asleep because I was tired.
Brighton hesitated for a moment, his hands in his bosom. On one side was the Bible, on the other was the Bible he was working on.
He put his hand on the wall and stared straight ahead. The room was filled with heretic inquisitors.
Are you a heretic if you dare to change the Bible?
That could have been the case.
If I take out the Bible that is being produced, will I be branded a heretic and meet a terrible end?
That could have been the case.
Brighton, who had been thinking for a moment, reached out to his right and pulled him out.
After offering a short prayer inwardly, I unfolded it and read it carefully.
“No matter how dark it may be, He will illuminate the path ahead. If you seek it, light will rise again as it always does.”
When everyone nodded, Cardinal Gobert’s eyes grew wide as if they were going to tear.
And Aaron and Johelia took a close look at Mount Gober.
However, Brighton continued to recite in a calm voice.
