152 Bossi
‘You’re really a dwarf.’
I clicked my tongue as I looked at the dwarf with his beard hanging off his head.
There were quite a few different races living here, most of whom lived in hiding, avoiding humans.
Even fellow humans are the kind of people who will strike you in the back of the head whenever they get the chance, so what if that opponent is from a different species?
Moreover, dwarves were easily overlooked because of their small stature. The fact that such dwarves were walking around so confidently meant that they had the means to protect themselves.
‘Anyway, the dwarves are stubborn…’
Each of these races had very distinct personalities. Of course, they were different in detail, but each had a distinct lineage.
Among them, dwarves were famous for their hot-tempered personalities and stubbornness to the point of risking their lives.
The dwarf never gave up once he became stubborn, no matter what the circumstances.
Dwarves were preferred over elves who could not lie at the gambling table. Once they made a call, they would stick with him until the end.
That’s why dwarves were so popular on the gambling tables.
It was very difficult to see a dwarf at the gambling table, as the dwarves also received some form of training, but when they did show up, everyone would swarm them.
“Not yet… Not yet! Not yet! It won’t end here! The Dwarf Wall….”
There was no need to mention the magical skills of Kanna, who was obsessed with the White Tower’s Kuabarou.
There was no way the dwarf, known for his dexterity, would not have recognized him.
But, as if he didn’t want to give in, the guy kept taking out other things.
Anyone could see that confidential information that should not be revealed to others was pouring out of the guy’s mouth.
Kanna, who was actually listening to him, yawned long as if she was bored.
This was a better opportunity than a dwarf sitting at the gambling table, so I quickly nodded to Kanna.
Kanna nodded vigorously at him and took on a serious expression again.
Park Daegari was picking up a dwarf’s beard that had fallen to the ground. Judging from the way he was picking it up, it seemed like he was planning to return it later.
As dwarves grew older, they began to lose their beard hair instead of their head hair, which was a great disgrace to the dwarves.
There was even a story about a dwarf who lost all his beard hair and threw himself into the boiling water.
“Yes! Admit it! Little human woman! This is enough stone to put in a dwarf castle wall! But! It is not enough for a real dwarf castle wall, the iron wall! Since ancient times······.”
As Kanna lightly made her request, the dwarf’s beard fell off again. Park Head smiled and picked him up.
‘The Iron Wall. Was it a dwarf city?’
When I got there, the Iron Wall had already been broken by the knights of the Empire.
‘It was great.’
The dwarves did not fix him, but built him anew a little later. When I asked, they said it was to not forget the past.
Although it was a broken iron wall, its grandeur was clearly conveyed.
How could they have built such a thing in the Middle Ages, with its black walls mixed with iron, so high that they reached the sky, he was so magnificent that it made anyone who saw him feel intimidated.
However, there is a trace engraved in the middle.
‘Did the master of the sword say it was left behind?’
I can still vividly remember how shocking it was to see that huge wall neatly cut away.
“Only when the entire wall is intertwined like one life can a true wall be born!”
His face was not visible because of his beard, but the dwarf’s large, innocent eyes, unusually large, trembled.
Although no one asked, the guy ended up talking about the Iron Wall.
Of course, I had no intention of stopping you from talking about it.
It seemed like he had used it as a means of conversion, but the opponent was not a good one.
The already great Kanna had a huge battery called Park Daegari, so it was like a 3D printer.
The giant stone was carved in real time according to Kanna’s gestures.
Before, it felt like carving with a fine hammer, but now it was like a 3D printer quickly carving from top to bottom.
It was an absurd level of work speed considering the level of detail, but the applicability was the problem.
‘Why am I in the connection part···.’
It was hard to describe how the seam of the stone changed into a dagger. Of course, it was true that it was an improvement over what the dwarf had told me.
“Ugh··· Ugh···.”
The dwarf groaned, his beard twitching.
“Wow… wow. A small human female wizard. Very impressive work. Of course, it’s not as good as a dwarf’s dexterity! Just look at this, it should be carved roundly instead of carved….”
Before the dwarf could finish speaking, the stone changed in real time. Deokgu sliding down the slide and the beard falling again.
“yap!”
Park Dae-gari grabbed him with a strange aura. The way he was taking care of him caught my attention.
“Wait a minute! The detail is good! In addition, if it is in this form, it will show the strength of a dwarf when combined, but any craftsman will consider the situation. Are there any workers nearby to help with this? If it is made of such large stones, there will be no one to combine it, so it will be useless!”
The guy who had been talking about the detail of the sculpture just a moment ago suddenly started telling a contradictory story. He must have felt embarrassed, because his beard fell off.
“yap!”
Park Daegari took care of it. He looked just like a village idiot playing with soap bubbles.
“joy.”
“Are you snorting now? You’re truly human! I can see the incredible sculpting skills of the little human female wizard, but what is the use of it······.”
The guy thought he had seized an opportunity to react to Kanna’s words and repeated the same story, spitting at her.
Kanna was not listening to him and was looking at me with sparkling eyes.
‘It just so happened that I was feeling a bit queasy.’
I relaxed my shoulders and headed towards the stone Kanna had carved.
“Wait a minute! Big human male! Your arms are as thick as a dwarf’s, but you’re heavier than you look! Your back will give out if you try to lift it by yourself!”
The dwarf next to him was surprised and stopped him. As the dwarf said, the stone was quite large. You had to stretch your arms out to barely be able to touch the two ends.
This seemed like enough exercise.
“Stupid people always ignore advice and do things too hard! It’s the arrogance of humans that can’t be helped, but…”
Thud. It was heavy, but lighter than I thought. I could see that my strength had improved a little.
‘It’s quite fun to eat devil candy.’
I held him and took a moment to gauge my strength.
The dwarf became quiet. His eyebrows were raised so high that his large eyes popped out.
I took the stone and brought it to the stone that Kanna had carved and rubbed it gently. It was not easy to combine them because they were heavy.
“Could you please listen to this for a bit?”
“Yes! Oh my god!”
Park Dae-gari, who ran over quickly like a new recruit, lifted the stone with his characteristic spirit.
When I pushed the stone against it, it stuck as if it had been one piece. And when I turned it slightly, it felt like a perfect fit.
“Wow! It’s so tight!”
As Park Head smiled brightly, the dwarf’s beard fell off again. Seeing him, Park Head quickly ran over and caught it.
Among these, Park Daegari was the busiest.
“It’s not over yet! There’s more… more! But that’s all for today!”
The dwarf who had shouted ran away, stomping his feet.
“I think Dwup is angry!”
Park Dae-gari, with a worried look on his face, quickly ran over and handed over the beard he had gathered.
‘He’s the most cruel.’
I shook my head as I looked at the trembling dwarf.
Park Daegari’s bright smile seemed to be difficult for even a dwarf to get angry at, so he just stomped away and disappeared somewhere.
“I’m sleepy.”
Kanna yawned as she muttered softly. He grabbed her by the nape of her neck and hugged her.
***
After work, I headed to the inner sanctuary for barley training.
Externally, I was the one being taught, as Adela’s seed.
‘I need to get new armor.’
Since all of my armor was destroyed when I was demonized, I had to get new ones.
Normally, we would have gone to Jackson to get them or captured the carriage drivers, but there was a dwarf in Cassidyck right now, even though it was a bit strange.
‘If it’s armor made by dwarves…’
There was no disagreement that the best quality swords and armor were those of the dwarves.
The money involved was the problem. Dwarves were known for being expensive, commensurate with their skill.
‘I have money to spare, though.’
I also thought that if I used the stubbornness I saw today, I might be able to get it for a cheaper price.
Since I am Adela’s squire, I was able to pass through without any separate security checks since I am quite famous in many ways.
Deep inside the castle, there was a separate training ground for knights. It was an open space located deep inside, out of sight of others.
Adela was more diligent than anyone else in maintaining the perimeter. If it was seen by others, it would be fatal to Adela more than anyone else, so she seemed to know how to manage her surroundings.
Today there were some different guys than usual.
Three of Cassidy’s knights, including Barley, stood in the training grounds, staring at me.
“···Hmm? Aren’t you Aaron, an honorary member of the Namaiyad?”
A slightly older male knight greeted me with a smile of delight. It was the man who had introduced himself as Adolgurah.
Next to him was a female knight with freckles on her face, looking strangely uncomfortable.
‘I think it was Delphgura.’
Barley was looking at me confidently with a proud face.
I squinted my eyes for a moment to assess the situation. Why were there two more knights in the training ground?
“Sir Adela? Didn’t you say that if you came here, someone would come to train you?”
I could guess the situation from the man’s subsequent words.
‘Did you bring your friends to train with you?’
As if my prediction was right, the other freckled knight was also grimacing strangely.
‘They are knights.’
Coming to the empire, I felt that the common knights who weren’t imperial knights were truly lazy.
Because Aura had such an extraordinary ability, it was rare for anyone to train him as he did not feel the need for a physical body.
‘Even a non-human kid said that.’
The knights say that because the match is decided by aura, their duels end at comparing each other’s auras.
He said that he was only interested in increasing the size of his aura while doing the dog thing called meditation.
If I had an Aura, I would have thought the same. Swordsmanship and other things were just tricks in the face of the overwhelming power of Aura.
How can you stop him if he swings his aura at you from the front?
Not only did he possess the deceptive sharpness of an Auror, but he also had extraordinary strength and agility that seemed to be exaggerated, making him difficult to deal with without an Auror.
No matter how hard I trained, there was no answer when I faced the knight head-on without Aura.
But he changed his mind after meeting the Knight Hunter. He could also receive the sword imbued with aura using swordsmanship.
Of course, that swordsmanship required extreme precision and sharpness, as well as a body to match, but unlike me, they had an aura.
If you teach that swordsmanship to knights, it would definitely have a good effect.
Of course, it was a swordsmanship I received from a knight hunter, but it was the Middle Ages, and there were no patents. Furthermore, given the circumstances, the knight hunter was someone close to the enemy.
‘Fighting with knights is good for me too.’
So far I’ve been lucky enough to have one-on-one encounters with knights, but you never know what will happen in this world.
It could have been used to fight against those cowardly knights one-on-one. It could also be used as training for him.
‘Because I have a stake too.’
Since I have 8% of Cassidy’s stock, this means that 8% of the articles here are mine. It was part of the stock I was putting up with my own hands.
As they grew stronger, it went without saying that Cassady’s stock price would rise.
Plus, I was able to receive appropriate compensation for my education.
He didn’t need to talk now. It would be more efficient to consult after he had been educated and when he was weak.
“He has excellent swordsmanship skills. He is a great swordsman who has been watching my swordsmanship for a long time.”
Barley, whose face was strangely reminded of me, pointed to me and explained.
The other two’s faces changed strangely. No matter how good their personalities were, the knights unconsciously had a sense of superiority.
It was a natural reaction when he introduced his squire, who was not a knight, as his swordsmanship master to those two.
The fact that he didn’t immediately start swearing was enough to show that he had an outstanding personality.
“Sir Adela, this kind of prank is not pleasant. I know you don’t like to be bent, but it is not right to use your servants to insist on a false statement.”
Adolgu said with a look of discomfort on his face.
‘Barley hates being bent. Our barley is so good at rolling to the left and right.’
I clicked my tongue at those who didn’t know the true nature of barley.
“That’s right, Sir Adela.”
The freckled knight agreed and slapped Barley.
Despite the two men’s criticism, Bori’s expression was confident. No, he was smiling. He had a sly expression that did not suit a knight.
‘It would be quite a shock if three knights were defeated by one.’
I clicked my tongue as I looked at the deep look of defeat on both of their faces.
The knight hunter’s physique was solid, but the shock would have been doubled because he was old.
His face seemed to be asking for an explanation, but there was no need to say anything. Education was meant to be done with fists, not words.
‘If you look at it, it’s the same surname… If you look, if you look.’
I simply recalled their names and drew my sword. It was quite a nice naming skill.
“Even if you’re a servant, you don’t have to follow the knight’s orders unconditionally! If there’s something wrong….”
Dealing with the knights was easy. Barley was particularly bad at it, but knights were basically arrogant and therefore immune to provocation.
“You can both jump in at the same time.”
“What? You seem to have lost your mind. I thought you looked good on me because you had a similar build to Deokgu!”
A freckled female knight named Delphgu, who looked at me, screamed.
The male knight furrowed his brows, and as if he sensed something strange, he looked back and forth between Bori and me with a subtle expression.
The barley looking at me had an expectant look on its face.
“Barley, watch the net carefully.”
“evil!!”
Barley, who had been shouting his best, looked around with stern eyes.
The other two’s gaze turned to Barley’s powerful shout. It was a mistake that would make their bones hurt.
I was the first to rush to the freckled female knight, Bo-myeon.
If you look at the sword on the left, the calculation was that since I was on the left, it would take longer to draw the sword and swing it.
When I realized it belatedly, I drew my sword while making this impression, but my reaction was somewhat slow.
‘You wave your hand before drawing your sword. You don’t even draw your aura right away.’
It may be her kindness that she did not immediately pull out the Auror, unlike other knights, but in the Middle Ages, kindness was originally synonymous with weakness.
Minor carelessness, painful mistakes, and even an inability to read others.
The three of them combined, and before his sword could reach me, my sword struck the guy in the stomach. My painful mistake paid off.
“Ugh-!”
A long stream of spittle flew out of Bo-myeon’s mouth, and her face was wrinkled up ugly. Freckles were gathered in the middle. Still, she had some spirit, and she didn’t let go of her sword and drew her aura.
Her body movements became faster as if she was on high gear. The momentum was completely different from before. It was a dramatic effect that made her look like a different person.
‘Fucking Auror.’
I clicked my tongue and pressed down on the sword.
Pavabak! With a cheerful sound, the aura-covered sword of the mask was pressed down.
Thanks to the increased strength, it was easier to deal with the auras, but my arms were still shaking. I couldn’t help but curse.
With his face wide open, a look of shock on his face, he turned his sword, but it was already too late.
At that moment, a sword was thrust in from the side.
Kuung, as the side of the sword that Auror had wrapped around it was hit, a huge shock was transmitted from the sword. When I turned my gaze to him, I saw Bo-eup with a shit-eating expression.
‘You are quick to judge. However, your temper is weak.’
If it were me, I would have cut off his neck instead of striking him with the sword.
“Sir Adolf! Now, in my battle···.”
When I saw him, he frowned and shouted.
“Delfgu!”
Even though Bo-eup pointed it out to him, Bo-eup’s gaze had already turned away.
‘You’re in bad shape. Haven’t you had much experience in actual combat?’
I kicked Bo-myeon’s breastplate hard. However, unlike before, Bo-myeon, who had caused an aura, was hard.
It lurched backwards with a violent rebound, as if it had been hit by a large log.
Bo-eup was shocked and belatedly moved his sword. The sword covered in aura aimed for my twenty-bone.
‘You intend to cut my sword. It’s the classic way.’
There was a sharp sound and sparks flew from the twenty-gol. I quickly relaxed my grip. The twenty-gol left my hand and floated into the air.
Although it overlapped only briefly, the scratches on the surface of the twenty-bone broke my heart.
‘To this extent, it’s a scratch on life.’
Bo-eup’s eyes widened as if he hadn’t thought I would put down my sword. When the twenty-gol he was pushing disappeared, Bo-eup’s balance was disturbed.
I rolled my hand like a dice and caught the moving twenty-goal in reverse. There was a considerable amount of recoil and a thud-like sound, but it wasn’t so much that I couldn’t hold on.
For a split second, I saw Bo-eup’s eyes rolling. It was a good habit to not give up and think about what’s next even at this moment.
“You should have hit his neck.”
If I were him, I would have cut off his neck. Even then, it would have been blocked, but if you look at it, it wouldn’t have been pushed back, and the fight would have been a bit longer.
The hilt of the twenty-bone sword struck the guy’s chest. Bam. Bo-eup’s chest armor went in bluntly and he fell back.
‘As expected, Auror is tricky.’
It’s amazing that these kids are so obsessed with each other that it makes me feel alarmed.
At that moment, Bo-myeon, who had regained her balance, swung her sword. I grabbed Bo-eup’s hair, who was spitting out a long stream of saliva, and pushed her away.
“This is so evil···!!”
When he saw this, he forcibly turned his sword while bursting out in shock. Crunch – There was a sound of muscles stretching as Bo-yeon’s sword was turned at an unusual angle.
‘The reaction speed is good, but it’s still weak.’
If he had just swung his sword, all he would have done would have been to cut off an arm.
It was regrettable that he avoided the abbot even though he knew that he would have him put it back on if he took it to him.
‘There is a lack of practical experience.’
It was the same case as barley. However, it seemed that there were fewer sprouts than barley.
“Ugh-.”
Bo-yeon, who had been hit squarely in the face with a fist, fell to her knees, gasping for breath. Bo-eup, who had regained his balance, aimed his sword at me.
However, my sword was already in the center of both their necks.
The two’s eyes shook in the coolness of the twenty-bone.
“Is this not enough?”
I laughed as I struck their necks with my sword.
The two of them widened their eyes in shock as if they were going to tear apart. They opened their mouths as if they were going to say something, but their words dispersed in the excited breath.
‘There must be at least two knights.’
It was a huge improvement over the previous days when I would have been struggling to catch a single article.
It was an easy finish because I was able to catch them off guard, but even without that, I didn’t think they would lose. But if barley was added, it might be a little dangerous.
The shock on Bo-myeon’s face as she looked up at me and Bo-eup’s face as she watched from the side was no different. It seemed like she didn’t know that I would knock them both down.
Not everyone looked convinced that he was a knight.
“Rush in at the same time.”
I spoke with deliberate arrogance, spinning my sword back and pulling it back.
Their faces crumpled again, but what took their place was not defeat, but anger.
The two of them filled the aura. Their presence rose rapidly.
When I faced him, I felt a thrill that made my palms sweat.
The old man said he had to deal with three, but I, a bright young man, couldn’t be satisfied with just two.
As I watched the two rushing towards me, the hand holding the sword gained strength and the corners of my mouth naturally went up.
***
‘We’re finally leaving…’
The ruthless sixth star, Pahant, clicked his tongue at the sight of the empty throne.
Even when his territory was in danger, the First Star led his troops across the continent with only one thought in mind: revenge.
‘That… Aaron was alive.’
Pahant muttered, narrowing his eyes.
Aaron, Aaron, Aaron. If you were from the Kingdom of Byzant, it was a name you could not help but hate.
Those who crossed the line with him will question: How could Aaron, who was full of God, betray us?
Pahant guessed that there was something behind it. However, since Ethan, the first star, did not open his mouth, there was not much he could find out.
‘Ethan brought Aaron into the city, and Aaron opened the gates for the empire.’
In a way, it may have started with Ethan’s hands, but it was clearly Aaron who opened the door to the empire.
“You have indeed set off.”
Pahant’s thoughts were broken by a voice from the side. When he turned his head, there were stars with discontented faces.
Ethan made his own judgment and assembled the best squad to cross the continent.
And those who were left here were those who were not included.
“The tenth contact has been lost. The first star confirmed to be with the tenth and last has closed its gates. How can the prime star be absent at this time?”
‘The first star···.’
Pahant’s thin eyebrows arched. The first star, who was the close associate of the previous leader.
That’s why it was the first star that was also named the next star. However, the first star gave up the star title in exchange for receiving the land where the palace of the first star was located.
Of course, the Byzantine Palace had a strong symbolic meaning, but it had already been destroyed by the empire at its roots, and it was a desert territory that no one wanted.
However, since the first star, which was considered the greatest enemy, was satisfied with him and withdrew, Ethan was able to easily rise to the top star.
Of course, as with all positions, it was difficult to gain trust as much as it was easy to rise to the position.
‘I also don’t understand why they sent all the annoying guys to different parts of the continent.’
After that, it was Pahant who had been keeping an eye on the first star. The first star had an odd personality from the beginning, so he had been keeping an eye on it.
But I asked the tenth star to look after him because his recent movements were suspicious.
‘Contact with the tenth star has been lost.’
Pahant’s eyes grew deep. He raised his head, but the sky was blocked by the ceiling.
In the Kingdom of Byzant, a hole was made in the ceiling to follow the stars, but it was now blocked by a stuffy-colored stone.
Funny enough, no one pointed it out. Not Ethan, not the guys complaining here.
“Sixth Star, what should I do?”
Pahant’s head turned at the heavy voice.
There were stars there that had been scattered on the continent for various reasons and then were hastily called back.
Compared to the time of the Kingdom of Byzant, his eyes were cloudy, but underneath they were deeply filled with passion.
Pahant was really bothered by those eyes. Pahant’s joints would ache when it rained. Why did he look at himself like that?
I am too old to live up to that passion. I am just maintaining this position with the tricks I have acquired over the years.
Or maybe other guys are just too naive and stupid.
“What are you talking about?”
“The Duke of Descartes is putting pressure on us even more. The people are already suffering because of their skin color. If things continue this way….”
Even though he was being sarcastic, Pahant understood him.
He looked up again, but still couldn’t see the stars.
‘···Did you say that Aaron’s side had Vermunt and Sophia?’
It was uncertain how things would develop.
The force that Ethan brought with him was obviously overwhelming, but he had to cross the continent and his opponent was Aaron.
‘Ethan never beat Aaron even once.’
Aaron was a man of force and something else. It was hard to figure out what the outcome would be.
‘You’re calling me an agent?’
Farhan thought back to the Ethan of the past. How did that bright and cheerful little boy become such a vengeful man?
Anyway, it was Farhan who took over as agent.
‘The kingdom has already fallen. What matters most is the people.’
That was the reason Farhan remained here.
“···Contact Duke Descartes.”
Farhan said in a voice filled with deep fatigue.
The faces of those who looked bewildered by his words seemed to be looking out for their own interests.
“Now we too must move forward.”
Farhan looked up at the ceiling again and said.
Still no stars were visible.
Now it was time to find a new direction.
