169
subway
Knock knock.
Nova straightened her back and turned her gaze at the familiar knocking sound.
There, Razbeth was sitting up, and Gillian was cracking walnuts.
Even without Nova’s instructions, Razbet quickly gathered the papers on the table. This was the effect of the code of conduct he had created for such situations.
Quickly tidying up, Razbeth grabbed Gillian’s ear and headed towards the wall.
Gillian tried to shout something, but Razbeth covered his mouth with practiced precision.
Razbeth reached the wall and kicked the drawer at the bottom. A small hole appeared. Razbeth pushed Gillian in and followed him.
‘The practice was worth it.’
Nova nodded slightly as the drawer returned to its original position.
It was created in response to Gillian’s suggestion that since it’s supposed to be an intelligence agency, it should have an emergency escape route, and it turned out to be quite useful.
Knock knock.
At the sound of the knocking that followed, Nova cleared her throat slightly and opened her mouth.
“Come in.”
The door opened and Aaron came in.
‘You look tired.’
Nova muttered softly, looking at Aaron’s face.
“Hey, Orange.”
It was a normal greeting, but strangely, it didn’t feel good.
“···What? At this late hour.”
His voice came out rough.
“Humble, humble.”
Aaron approached, mumbling an unknown answer.
Aaron was so tall that I had to crane my neck to look up.
Nova, who had been looking up at him for a moment, got up slightly thinking that it would look ugly from above.
But when I woke up again, my posture was awkward.
I sat down at the table with him and it was pretty good.
“What is it?”
Nova, who had finally found peace, looked at the indifferent eyes looking down at her and asked.
“Oh, I think I have a lot to handle.”
Aaron answered, looking through the papers on his desk.
Nova looked down at the hand for a moment. It was covered in many scars and calluses.
They say that the life you have lived is engraved on your hands, but just looking at Aaron’s hands made me feel cold.
“······You can do that tomorrow, right?”
The voice became shrill again.
“Because I’m on vacation starting tomorrow.”
“Vacation? Did the guards have vacations too?”
“Evil Orange.”
I’ve posted stories related to it before, but it’s still quite a bit to implement. But vacation…
“Oh, it’s vacation.”
The answer was so shameless that I couldn’t say anything.
Aaron took out a few of the piled papers and spread them out in front of Nova.
He was saving the documents that Nova was going to write one by one later. Things that required Aaron’s consent.
Nova’s brow furrowed as if she had eaten all the candy she had been saving up in one go.
“Kanna, you don’t have to ask me anymore. She’s doing pretty well. And for the upper part, you can call Hannah, Vermunt, and Pool and ask them···.”
Aaron’s answer was smooth as if he had thought it through in advance. The workload was reduced in an instant, but Nova’s eyebrows furrowed.
“As for the Magic Tower, you can just use Kkwaba… no, you can just use Swallows. Is that all?”
Aaron spoke quickly and gathered the paper again and pushed it in front of Nova. In an instant, all the candy he had piled up melted.
“What are you doing?”
Nova asked, trying not to sound sharp.
“preparation.”
Aaron’s answer was light.
“···What preparations?”
Nova’s question was sharp.
“Automatic farming.”
“what?”
Nova’s eyes hardened at the unknown answer. Only then did she see Aaron clearly.
The strange feeling that Aaron had been giving off grew stronger.
It felt like if I held it wrong it would disappear in an instant.
A number of thoughts ran through Nova’s head.
Did I burden Aaron? Did I cross the line? Where did I make a mistake? The things I had dealt with flashed through my mind.
So are you planning to leave?
Nova opened her mouth.
“What are you doing?”
“what.”
Aaron’s nagging question was again answered with a pointed answer.
“You know you’re an honorary secretary, right? You have to go to work. How much do you get paid?”
“A juicy orange.”
Nova reached into the drawer and found a piece of paper.
‘It’s crumpled. Something else.’
After rummaging through the drawers for a while, Nova finally found a piece of paper she liked.
It was paper that looked like it had just been taken out, neither too clean nor too wrinkled.
Nova dipped her quill pen into the ink.
I took a deep breath and opened my mouth, watching the ink drip from the tip of the quill pen.
In as casual and non-burdening a voice as possible.
“When are you coming?”
I asked in passing, as if I was just receiving a simple report.
“I just went there… um, I don’t know since it’s a one-way trip.”
“···one way?”
Although the answer was incomprehensible, Nova moved the quill pen.
There was no template, but Nova improvised it, doing her best to make sure the lines weren’t crooked.
“No, you should draw a chart there. And write your signature at the bottom. The upper part of the vacation certificate should be a little bigger so that the recipient feels better.”
The pouring out of strange training was hard to bear.
Nova had tried his best to speak nicely, but soon found himself speaking in a sharp tone.
“Shut your mouth. I can really tear it apart.”
The corners of Nova’s mouth twitched at Aaron’s outrageous action of covering his mouth.
The sense of awkwardness from the usual pranks has faded.
“Are you coming back?”
“Don’t covet my share, Orange.”
Nova wrote her name in large letters at the bottom of the vacation certificate, then tore half of it off and held it out.
“Oh, please tell the captain and the kids.”
Aaron said lightly before leaving the room.
Nova looked at the closed door and thought about Aaron’s words.
‘It’s clear that the vacation starts tomorrow······. But why are you asking me to speak to the captain of the outer wall guard?’
After thinking for a moment, Nova remembered that the person he was talking to was Aaron and understood.
‘Oh, so he just decided to take a vacation without even looking.’
So, what you’re asking me to tell the other kids is-.
‘···You said this only to me?’
Nova muttered as he looked down at the torn vacation certificate.
“Why don’t you go out? It’s too narrow.”
As it became quiet outside, Razbeth, who was about to go out, returned to Nova, who was flapping her hands with paper.
“Oh, I thought you were going out but I farted.”
However, I had no choice but to run away because of the unpleasant smell.
Gillian joined in the flapping of the two women to set the mood.
I was quite excited.
***
“Are you done?”
He nodded to the five elders’ questions. It seemed like there wouldn’t be any problems.
With the five eldest sons doing that, there was no time to tell Hana. When I told her that I would go home for a moment and get some underwear, she had an unusual expression on her face.
‘Kanna···.’
I shook my head to shake off my thoughts. It was now time to enter the Devil Candy Den. I had no time to worry about anything else.
‘Our last meeting wasn’t that good.’
I glanced at the five men and measured their distance. The man was not carrying anything. He was dressed in simple, everyday clothes.
‘Invisible aura.’
I thought back to the guy’s weapon. I remembered the speed I had stored up back then and the feeling I had when I practiced Park’s head.
The distance was close. After estimating a few times, I was sure that I could ring at this distance.
However, it wasn’t just one guy’s problem.
‘It’s a meeting of the eldest sons.’
Wouldn’t it be polite to let them know two days in advance? However, those devil bastards wouldn’t know such netiquette.
“egg plant.”
The guy who spoke briefly turned around.
I followed after putting my sword around my waist so that I could easily draw it.
‘But how did you get in?’
Suddenly, I wondered how the guy got into Cassidy.
If he had passed through the gates, word would have spread quickly, since his appearance was so unlucky that it was noticeable. If he had covered his face at this time, he would have had a hard time getting through.
The doubt was quickly resolved.
The guy sitting on the windowsill immediately jumped out.
When he looked down, he saw something black and round in the garden.
A huge circle with sharp teeth on its surface. It was a horrifying sight that anyone who didn’t know would think was the entrance to hell.
It was quite familiar to me. It was a monster I often saw in the desert.
‘Sand worm?’
It was a very tricky monster with a thick shell and would suddenly attack from underground.
But why are there sand worms in the East? Why does the guy jump into the mouth of the sand worm by himself?
Swish-.
I tapped the hilt of my knife as the creature disappeared into the sandworm’s black gullet.
‘···You came riding a sand worm?’
Well, it was a place where people rode wyverns and dragons. What’s the big deal about riding a sand worm?
‘It was strange from the start.’
I clicked my tongue and ran towards him.
A cold wind scratched my cheek. The corners of my mouth went up as I felt like I was jumping into hell.
I fell deep in one go with a clean dive-.
Kuung-. Kkieeeeeek!!
Something squishy caught me. A small scream erupted and the surroundings shook.
I wiped the saliva off my hands and looked around.
There was Lotteria, an old man, five eldest sons, and a guy with a dirty face whom I had never seen before.
The five elders were already leaning against the wall with their eyes closed. My appearance had been quite noisy, so the rest were staring at me.
“The ride isn’t that great.”
The stranger I was seeing made a face of disgust at my muttering.
“Mendy! Are you okay?! This··· ignorant······.”
He spoke pitifully, tapping on the sticky wall. Looking at him, I felt like I had done something wrong.
“He jumped first.”
I pointed to the five eldest sons.
“Let’s go.”
The five elders gave orders.
“Profit… Mendy! Let’s go!”
He spoke warmly, knocking on the wall.
Kuuuuung-!
The sandworm made a strangely cute sound. The surroundings shook violently. Soon, it felt like I was going down.
‘There was a subway.’
I exclaimed in admiration.
Why didn’t I think of riding a sand worm?
Since I was the only one who made the sandworms wriggle, I had no choice but to admit that my thoughts were short-sighted this time.
***
‘That ignorant kid…’
The demon tamer Lenin was dumbfounded.
“How many times did you hit me?”
He kept asking stupid questions like how many times he had to hit Mendy and where he had to hit him to make him obey him.
‘···What are you hitting me for!’
It’s not enough to pet it, so how can you hit such a cute monster!
However, the third one was not yet the eldest son. He was of a similar status to the eldest son. It was natural since he was the only one left.
He was not a man that Lenin could deal with. That is why Lenin tried hard to ignore what he said.
The problem was that he was really persistent.
“Did you hit him from outside? Or from inside? If you hit him from outside, his skin is thick so the impact won’t be transmitted, so you must have hit him from inside.”
He was a very talkative man, which belies his fierce appearance.
Lenin looked at the fifth eldest son, but the fifth eldest son had his eyes tightly shut.
‘Ah, you’re cool.’
He was a man who had nothing lacking in personality, appearance, or good looks. It was an honor to be the eldest son of the five.
“You hit me from the inside! Then I’ll hit you once too-”
“Wait a minute! I’m going to sleep!!”
Lenin stood up in horror at the sight of Mendy actually swinging his fist at the inner wall.
“Oh, you’re not mute.”
“Who are you calling mute!······?”
Lenin, who had been shouting, hurriedly added his words as he felt the gazes from the side.
‘Why is that woman staring at me?’
Lenin swallowed hard at the woman’s sharp gaze.
“So how many times did you hit him?”
“Why do you hit the monster?”
“Why don’t you hit the monster?”
“···yes?”
Lenin didn’t understand the flow of the conversation. The man didn’t give up, so he crouched down next to Lenin and poked the wall.
The inner wall was slowly going in as he stabbed deeply. Lenin was horrified and stopped him.
“Isn’t this a sand worm?”
“······you’re right.”
The sand worm was a rare creature in the empire, as it was only found in the west. But when the man took it out first, his mouth was ticklish.
“Then how did you tame the monster? It takes eight to eight years.”
In the first place, what does arm thickness have to do with taming monsters?
Everyone was disgusted by the monsters, but no one showed this much interest, so my mouth was wide open.
Finally, Lenin, unable to bear it any longer, opened his mouth after looking around.
“···It’s my divine power. I can communicate with monsters, even if it’s just a little bit.”
Lenin, who had habitually shrank after finishing his speech, was often criticized for saying that communicating with a demon was not a divine power.
“Oh, and the steel mantis too?”
The man’s reaction was a little different.
The man asked back, seeming really interested.
“···Yes, the steel locust is a bit tricky, but possible.”
“Then I guess I can make a steel locust and a sand worm fight!”
The man liked it so much that he even clapped his hands.
‘······?’
It took Lenin quite some time to understand him. When he realized what the man meant, Lenin was horrified.
Why are you picking on these monsters! Sand worms and steel mantises fighting! This is just…
‘······That would be cool.’
Lenin nodded without realizing it. His mouth fell open even though he had only imagined it for a moment.
“The steel mantis’s front legs are famously sharp. Can those sharp front legs pierce the sand worm’s thick shell?”
It was a strange way of speaking, but Lenin was instantly absorbed. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed cool. Of course, he wouldn’t make them do something so absurd as to start a fight between monsters…
“The steel mantis’s forelegs glowed in the sunlight! No way! The sandworm’s shell, soaked in hot sand, provides solid defense-. Ugh-.”
“Ugh-.”
Lenin unconsciously agreed with the man’s outrageous description.
It seemed like a steel locust and a sand worm were fighting right before my eyes. Gulp.
“Of course, the sand worm that has the upper hand because it can hide underground will eventually win.”
The man suddenly shook his head and decided the match. Lenin shook his head. The man knew one thing and did not know two.
“But! The steel locust can fly into the sky! It has been flying for over a day!”
“Oh. Really?”
“Yes. Even if there are sandworms hiding in the ground, they have to come out sometimes because they are stuffy… I think the steel mantis will win!”
Lenin nodded and made a judgment based on the evidence. No matter how many times he thought about it, the iron mantis had a higher chance of winning.
“I see. Maengmaeng will be sad.”
“Are you blind? It’s Mendy···.”
“Then what should I give Maengmaeng for food?”
“If you let them go, they will eat dirt and then eat things like bugs there.”
“Don’t people eat?”
“Yes, if you eat people, you will be pursued by the empire, so it is better to avoid it as much as possible.”
“Mingming has good fuel efficiency.”
Knock knock. Lenin, who was watching the man stroking the inner wall, suddenly realized that he was enjoying talking to the man.
“When Mingming has a baby later, can you give me one? I have BbungBbung, but if the weather is bad, I have to take the subway.”
It was full of words that were completely incomprehensible. However, Lenin’s ears perked up because it was the first time he had heard someone ask for a devil’s cub.
‘······topper?!’
There is a saying among monster tamers that there are no bad people among those who like monsters.
If you ask for a monster cub, then you like monsters.
“The meat of sandworms is really tasteless. Their tough hide in particular tastes even worse than shoes.”
‘···Is it true that you like monsters?’
Lenin was confused.
“Oh, then it would be good for digging sewers too? If you ask Ming-Ming, she’ll be able to do it in no time.”
‘······Do you like monsters?!!’
Lenin was truly confused by the various unexpected uses.
***
‘We’ve also secured the subway.’
I was promised a subway pass and headed to the wall.
The feeling of riding on the tongue of a sand worm was not very pleasant. It was strangely fluffy and extremely uncomfortable, especially when leaning against the wall.
‘You said it was divine power.’
The Devil Candies seemed to regard the Devil as a god.
‘God or the devil.’
From a human perspective, it was a strange power. Neither the aura, magic, nor divine power were of human origin.
‘You can tame a monster. That’s amazing.’
The one communicating with the demons seemed to be closer to black magic, but Lemon explained that it was not black magic but divine power.
First, I had to focus on regulating my physical condition.
I placed the sword in front of me and closed my eyes slightly.
‘It’s taking quite a while.’
The moment I was about to take a nap, Lotteria approached me.
“···I will help you sleep comfortably.”
I shook my head because the eyes filled with a strange yearning were not very pleasing.
I waved my hand at the guy and closed my eyes.
I woke up when the shaking stopped. The sunlight was coming in leisurely.
‘Have we arrived?’
The five elders got up from their seats. Lotteria, who had been sleeping with her head on the old man’s lap, also got up.
“egg plant.”
The five elders spoke briefly.
“Then I will upload it! Mendy! Please!”
Lemon knocked on the wall-.
My tongue went up. It felt like an elevator. A long, narrow passage like a cave passed by in an instant.
It was outside at the moment of small admiration. The tongue curved gently. It was able to slide like a slide and land on the floor.
The surrounding area was densely forested, but the trees were shorter than in the east.
‘Isn’t this a tree in the center of the continent?’
I squinted my eyes and roughly estimated the location. Judging from the warm temperature, I thought I was in the center of the continent.
‘It seemed like it was only for a day, but you came all the way to the central region?’
It was hard to tell exactly because it was still dark, but it was clear that about a day had passed.
‘This is a real subway.’
I was amazed by the demons’ means of transportation.
At that moment, Lemon, whose eyes met mine, nodded her head on the tip of her tongue.
I made a gesture to the guy to let him know that I would come and find him if he didn’t give me the subscription rights I had promised.
Lemon nodded with a smile, as if he understood correctly.
The five elders walked first and I followed them.
When we arrived at the place he followed, there was a huge carriage.
It was a huge carriage with six slender horses tied to it, and it was so splendid that one might suspect it was an imperial carriage.
‘···It’s the royal family’s, right?’
The carriage had the royal emblem painted on it.
Why is it that the devil’s carriage has the royal emblem on it, while the five eldest sons ride it without any concern?
I was a little nervous because I wasn’t on good terms with the royal family, but I was too old to complain about the carriage, so I rode without saying anything.
The carriage was very spacious for two people to ride in.
I sat diagonally to the guy’s left, keeping my sword on my left. The door closed by itself, and the carriage slowly started off.
Lotteria seemed to be sitting on the horse’s back.
I don’t know how much longer it would take, but it was really uncomfortable to be alone with this taciturn guy.
I looked at that unlucky face and collected my thoughts.
Anyway, I was already caught by the guy who wasn’t the third child. Since I was caught anyway, I decided to ask him the things I was curious about.
“What do you want, brothers?”
The guy looked to the side at my question.
The guy who sighed openly opened his mouth.
“The destruction of hypocrisy.”
“hypocrisy?”
I asked again, but the clueless guy didn’t answer.
‘The demons called the knights hypocrites. Does that mean the end of knights? But knights are produced by the Empire… Oh, I see.’
Combining the guy’s answer with the words “king of demons” gave me a rough idea.
It was natural, considering the knights’ duty to the devil.
As long as there are knights with duties to the demons, the demons will not be able to live in peace. In order to secure their basic rights, the demons had to destroy the empire.
“Are you planning to bring down the empire?”
The guy raised one corner of his mouth at my question. It was an ambiguous answer. It seemed like he was laughing, or it seemed like he was saying the right answer.
I wanted to punch him, but I tried to loosen my grip.
“What happened to the fourth one?”
This time the guy asked.
I looked at the guy and raised one corner of my mouth. It was quite amusing to see the guy’s eyebrows furrow.
“Dead. To the Knights of the Temple.”
After enjoying it for a moment, I answered.
“That bastard is just a knight of the temple? You must have eaten him.”
A long sentence came out of the guy’s mouth. I hesitated for a moment because the words hit the nail on the head.
It seemed like the guy already knew, so it was hard to deny it. In this case, building trust was important.
“I ate.”
When I patted his stomach with a serious face, the guy furrowed his eyebrows.
And then the silence followed. I opened my mouth, scratching my thighs for no reason, feeling ticklish.
“So what happened on the third side?”
I then asked something else I was curious about. This question was a bit sensitive, so the guy’s expression hardened subtly.
“Aren’t we already in the same boat anyway?”
It was already a bundle of goods that had been tied together since the guy helped me at Flitton Castle. I decided to go out even more shamelessly.
“Isn’t it better than me making a mistake at the elders’ meeting?”
“···I see.”
The guy snapped his fingers. At the eerie sound, I pulled out the hilt of the knife I was holding.
Ting. With a short sound, something was blocked by the blade and disappeared. It was only for a moment, but I could clearly feel it.
‘I guess I’ll win.’
I don’t know what the guy has hidden, but I can guarantee you that he will win more than 80% of the time.
“······Now it’s somewhat useful.”
Contrary to what I said, the guy’s eyebrows were slightly raised. He seemed quite embarrassed. I didn’t answer, but just raised one corner of my mouth.
“In anticipation of a great undertaking, the brothers offered their third son to the emperor. No, it would be more accurate to say that they used him as a shield.”
The guy said, his cheeks shaking slightly.
It was roughly what I expected. The guy closed his mouth after that. It seemed like he wouldn’t go into detail. I didn’t really want to know much about it in the first place.
Then I remembered what I had been wondering about.
“What about the bowl?”
“It means the body that will contain the king of demons.”
“hmm.”
Perhaps because he was touched by my description of ‘being in the same boat’, the guy answered surprisingly obediently.
I scratched my head again at the words “king of demons.”
After that, I asked him more questions, but he kept his mouth shut.
I watched him for a while and then fell asleep out in the open. The cushions were soft and nice, and the bed was spacious, so I could lie down and sleep.
Even though it was a little risky, we were in the same boat anyway.
After a while, the carriage stopped. No, the ride was so comfortable that I didn’t even realize it was stopping. I only realized it was stopping when the door opened.
“We have arrived.”
I raised my head at the calm voice of Lotteria.
The sight I saw over Lotteria’s shoulder made me know right away where I was.
A place where slender buildings made of white marble are lined up tightly, and knights in golden armor walk around…
“The Gray Tower Succession Ceremony-.”
“The imperial army heading north is being defeated again-.”
“Delicious Eastern Apples! Eastern Apples!”
“Looking for someone! A little brat like this…”
This place is full of energetic and clean people.
‘It’s the capital.’
It was the capital city at the top of the list of places not to be visited.
I’m not crazy, and I don’t know why demons are having a meeting in the capital where the imperial family is, but-.
‘······This is fucked.’
I instinctively covered my face.
***
‘What should I do!’
Vivian stamped her feet as she looked at the dead Kanna.
Aaron suddenly took a vacation and disappeared, so it seemed like that was the reason. Kanna really liked Aaron!
‘Why didn’t Aaron say anything? He must have been really busy!’
Vivian nodded, having asked and understood on her own.
Vivian felt impatient again when she saw the gloomy Kanna.
‘Ah! That’s it!’
Vivian recalled a performance she had once had at the Cassidy, where she would imitate him and everyone around her would burst into laughter.
It was a dance I used to show my mother when she was tired.
‘My father told me not to do it······.’
Vivian hesitated for a moment, recalling her father’s scolding, but shook her head at Kanna’s sullen face.
Who else but Kanna’s closest friend could cheer her up!
“Kanna! Look at this!”
Vivian raised her hand and shouted. The attention was drawn to the wall work, but Vivian paid no attention.
Vivian, who had always been the center of attention wherever she went since she was little, knew all too well how useless it was to care about what other people thought.
Vivian felt a surge of energy in her heart as she looked up at the round purple eyes.
Vivian began to dance as she recalled, jumping like a rabbit and stretching her neck like a deer.
Finally – he stuck his tongue out like a horse.
By this point, everyone was holding their stomachs and bursting into laughter.
‘You’ve become more serious!’
Kanna was a formidable opponent.
Vivian’s body froze at Kanna’s cold reaction.
Vivian, who was wondering what else she could do, swirled her tongue around. Since her tongue was unusually long, she was able to swirl it around quite quickly.
“Pfft.”
It was a very small sound, but Kanna’s laughter was clearly audible.
Vivian, who felt a surge of strength from him, used her waist and neck to turn her tongue.
Kanna still had a cold expression on her face, thinking she was an adult, but the corners of her mouth were twitching.
‘Just a little more!’
Vivian instinctively realized that she was almost there.
Vivian, feeling empowered, turned her tongue around two more times.
“Hehehe.”
Kanna burst into laughter. Vivian, who was pleased with him, laughed along. The two laughed heartily for a long time.
“Look over there. Oh, go over there and work. Delphgu, block that side.”
Adolf and Delfran were more diligent in protecting Pulphutz during Vivian’s travels.
“I will finish the wall. I will be happy when Aaron returns.”
Vivian’s hands weren’t as good as Aaron’s, but they weren’t bad either, so the corners of Kanna’s mouth went up.
