201
To hell
‘hmm······.’
Pulpouts tapped the table with a groan.
Across from him sat Swallows, looking a little tired.
Things happened one after another. His wife’s health was rapidly deteriorating, and it was said that Vivian might have a breakdown because of it.
Pulpouts originally did not believe in God, but this morning he went to the synagogue alone.
Pulpouts, who was sitting in the synagogue and absentmindedly listening to the service, only then realized why people believed in God.
Because the problem was out of my hands.
Knock knock.
‘Should I trust this man?’
I thought about it for quite some time, but the answer was clear. It was Vivian who had been out of control before. Swallows’ words were well-founded.
‘My death puts my children in danger.’
Could anything be more tragic than that?
Although he didn’t know if his wife would be able to hold out until she returned from the capital, Pulpouts decided to trust her.
His wife was a gentle but not weak woman.
“Is there a way to get to the capital?”
Even though I had gathered my thoughts, I couldn’t help feeling uneasy. My voice came out a little raspy.
“I can’t say for sure, but it’s at least more likely than what’s here.”
A slightly twisted answer came back. Pulpouts nodded. What the bastard said was reasonable.
“Yes, the child has been curious about the capital for a long time. I will send Sir Adela and the soldiers to you.”
The situation in the East wasn’t very good either, so there was no room to spare, but that didn’t mean I could send Vivian away alone.
“Oh, Aaron asked that only the minimum number of people go. You don’t have to do that.”
Pulpouts blinked for a moment at Swallows’ answer.
“······Is Aaron going too?”
“Yes, I was just talking and I was on my way back.”
The Swallows’ affirmation made my head spin.
‘Well, since Kanna said she’d go with me···.’
A subtle emotion came to mind when Aaron said he was going.
If Vivian went with him, it seemed like she would return safely. After all, Kanna was there too…
However, a chill came over me when I heard that Aaron was heading to the capital.
The last time Aaron disappeared, something huge happened where the front of the palace collapsed.
How long has it been since you went to the capital again? What on earth are you planning to do this time?
‘No, that’s overthinking.’
Pulpouts shook his head. Since he was a man who especially cherished Kanna, it was clear that he was following her to protect her.
“···Are you going because of Kanna?”
“I said I was doing it because I had other business to attend to.”
‘What on earth is your business…’
Pulpouts wiped his face with his hand.
“···Okay, I see.”
However, I still felt more at ease than before.
‘I guess I need to speed things up a bit.’
Pulpouts muttered as he looked down at the map of the continent in front of him.
I don’t think that will happen, but I heard that Aaron is heading to the capital-.
‘···What if the palace collapses?’
I was thinking of preparing for any unforeseen circumstances.
Originally, the one with the mouth open was the one who ate more.
***
“Arong.”
I raised my head at the sound of a soft voice calling me.
Hannah sat across from me with a slightly tired smile. Her clothes were clean, as if she had changed.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“Hey, it was hard work. I had fun too. I’m so glad that Kanna likes it so much… It wasn’t just a small amount of money that went into it.”
Hannah smiled wryly and held out her beer mug.
He thought of Kanna, who was very excited about it. It was vivid. She was a little child celebrating her birthday.
“That’s right.”
“Did you see Kanna say thank you for congratulating her? She was so cute-.”
I nodded at Hannah’s soft words. While drinking, Hannah talked about Kanna.
When I took a sip of beer, Hannah followed suit. Hannah, who doesn’t drink much, drank quite quickly today.
Then, his pronunciation became increasingly garbled and nasal. When people laughed at his funny appearance, Hanna sat down awkwardly.
“Recently, with the collaboration with Frederick Guild, the size of the top has grown even bigger. In addition, we are easily taking up the empty spot at the top of Gyarrot.”
Hannah said, putting one arm on the table and sipping her beer. She seemed to be trying to look relaxed, but her arm kept shaking, perhaps because she was drunk.
‘Oh, you haven’t told me yet.’
Seeing Hannah’s excited expression, I realized that I hadn’t told Hannah the truth about Frederick Guild yet.
“It’s the Frederick Guild Rebels.”
“···Huh?!”
I took out a handkerchief and wiped the beer that had splashed on my face. I expected a violent reaction, but I didn’t expect it to be this intense.
“Oh, sorry. I’ll wipe it off. No. There’s too much on it! It’s gross, right?! Should I wash it?”
Hannah asked, wrinkling her nose. She shook her head, smiling at her protruding molars.
Then Hannah sharpened her eyes, glared at him for a moment, then furrowed her eyebrows slightly and moved her mouth.
It seemed like there was a difficult question to ask. As I waited, sipping my beer, Hannah cautiously opened her mouth.
“···Arong, do you really like guys?”
I coughed in vain at the unexpected question. Fortunately, I had already swallowed a beer.
“Are you okay?! I can understand!”
“···Understanding is a disease. What the hell are you talking about?”
I frowned and pushed away Hannah’s hand that was holding my shoulder.
“No, I heard that rumor. It’s quite famous.”
Hannah’s face was too serious to be considered a joke.
It was clear that some fucking bastards were spreading weird rumors.
‘Ignorant medieval bastards…’
I’d heard all sorts of rumors, but to think she liked guys… was ridiculous.
“I saw Arong riding a wyvern with two handsome men. … and he even took Vermunt as a sex slave…”
I briefly touched my temple at Hannah’s serious voice that followed.
Using a very small truth, it was the most clever technique among native strategies.
I shook my head, thinking about what to say in rebuttal.
“That’s not it.”
It is true that I rode a wyvern, but there was a reason. It is true that I brought Vermunt, but there was a reason for that too. No, there was a story.
“······Then are you a gossip?”
There was a dry cough at Hannah’s subsequent question. Hannah had a very serious expression on her face.
“I’m fine.”
“What the hell? No, don’t answer.”
“This is it! This is it!”
For a moment, I felt dizzy at Hannah’s shallow gesture.
“Otherwise, it would be weird. I’m the one who’s pushing it like this! I’m popular!”
Hannah’s voice rose.
The air was filled with the smell of alcohol.
I laughed without realizing it because her voice was filled with resentment. Hana glared at me with a frown.
He laughed even louder, and the corners of Hannah’s mouth twitched.
“Kanna said she wanted a younger sibling too! A younger sibling!”
I laughed even louder at Hannah’s continued drunkenness.
I took a moment to choose what to say.
How should I say this?
It was complicated and difficult to explain.
I tapped my beer glass and looked at Hannah.
There was still a lot of work to be done.
“Go and come back.”
After much thought, selfish words came out.
“···Really?”
Hannah, who was holding out a gold coin, smiled brightly.
I nodded and an awkward silence followed.
When you put the finished beer glass to your lips-.
“Just do it. Why are you stretching so much?”
The weasel sat down next to him and giggled. The weasel’s eyes were somewhat open, as if he had had quite a drink.
It was true, but when the weasel spoke like that, I felt like refuting it for no reason. I thought of a suitable example.
“Why do you know that gold is precious?”
“Since it’s gold, isn’t it precious?”
The weasel answered without hesitation. When I heard it, I was speechless because it was true.
“Because it’s not common.”
I said, raising my finger.
The silence lasted a long time. By then I had realized that the example was strange, but I couldn’t ignore it.
He folded his outstretched fingers into a fist.
The weasel, who was about to refute, quickly rubbed both of his palms together. Even though he was drunk, his survival instinct seemed to still be intact.
“Then, brother, is that place gold? As expected, brother… Aah!”
“Okay. What are you talking about with that ignorant guy?”
“I’m not ignorant! I can write my name in letters!”
The weasel, who had been yelping, scratched the table with his dagger.
Hannah seemed drunk and would have been angry if it had been normal, but now she was laughing and clapping.
The word ‘Byeolran’ was written crookedly on the table. The weasel who finished it smiled proudly.
I shook my head at the thought of arguing with such an ignorant person.
“Brother, would you like a drink?”
Tylan bowed and filled my glass with wine.
The weasel then filled Hannah’s glass as well.
“Now, for Kanna!!”
The guy who was smiling brightly suddenly stood up and held out a glass.
“······For!”
Hannah, her face red as if it were going to burst, raised her glass and screamed.
‘Are you drunk? You said something stupid.’
I clicked my tongue and clinked my glasses.
At that moment, another glass was quietly brought out from the side.
It was a washing machine with an awkward face.
“Delmuto! Yes, you too have had a hard time!”
The weasel screamed and grabbed the washing machine by the shoulder.
The glasses clinked loudly, spraying wine. A distinctive aroma filled the room.
The wine was quickly emptied. Then the washer and the weasel came running and brought another barrel of wine. The glasses clinked again.
A third of it spilled on the ground, but there was so much alcohol that I didn’t care.
The washing machine, which appeared last, was the first to fall.
“I’m still a wizard… Delmuto….”
The washing machine, which had fallen to the floor as if it had fainted, used magic while drunk. Thanks to that, the boots were cleaned.
I kicked the squirming man far away.
“Made of gold···. Gold···.”
Then Hannah fell down on the table. She threw him inside and came out only to find the weasel sitting there.
‘You’re a pretty good drinker.’
I sat down across from him and took another sip of wine.
“Brother, I heard you are going to the capital.”
The weasel, who seemed a little heavier than usual, perhaps because of the alcohol, asked.
“okay.”
The weasel’s eyes flashed dangerously at my answer.
“······Are you going to do it?”
The weasel suddenly pulled out a dagger and stabbed it into the table.
‘What is this ‘Jekki···’
I clicked my tongue at the bastard’s way of speaking, but then I thought that maybe he was right.
“I will go that road with you.”
The weasel declared, looking at me with hardened eyes.
I scratched my beard as I looked into those singularly mean eyes.
“Didn’t I swear that I would stand with you even if you pointed your sword at the Empire? If you gave up the Empire, I would stay.”
He spoke in a low voice and tapped my chest. He tapped it so lightly that I heard a thump-thump sound.
“okay.”
He hit me on the back of the head, but it didn’t seem like he would die. He was the kind of guy who would still be smiling and caressing his gold coins even if the world were to end.
I nodded to him.
The weasel laughed lightly, panting.
The man who had been laughing for a long time raised the corners of his mouth as he held out his glass.
“Let’s go. To conquer the empire.”
I smiled at the curious eyes of the mismatched guy.
He was more fun to drink than I thought.
The drinking party continued for a long time because the weasel was surprisingly strong against alcohol.
“Empire… No! Just an empire! Yes, hell! I will assist you even to hell! Brother!!”
The weasel made a bold statement, swinging his fist.
I was dumbfounded by the guy’s attitude of guaranteeing I would go to hell, but I thought the same thing.
Eventually, the weasel also fell backwards.
The bar became even more quiet.
I chuckled and drank the rest of the wine.
“That brother······. I drank too much yesterday······. Also, Cassadick needs someone like me who can keep its balance···.”
The weasel, with a pale face, seemed to be suffering from a hangover, groped and muttered.
Judging by the way his hands were shaking, his memory seemed to be intact.
“I have to help. To hell with it.”
I patted the bastard on the back and laughed out loud.
Hannah couldn’t get out of bed because of a hangover.
“Let’s go!”
He shouted inside, pushed the weasel’s back, and left the house.
“Nimral···. I will never drink again···.”
The weasel took the lead, shedding tears like chicken poop.
I chuckled at that sobbing.
***
“Please take care of me.”
The Flying Baron said with a very stern face.
Behind him, Park Daegari was hugging his mother.
It was a tantrum that didn’t match his age, but it suited Park’s brain quite well.
“Don’t worry. I will take good care of you.”
The answer came from the bottom right.
It was a stately Kanna wearing leather armor and carrying a bucket over her head. She even had a club on her waist that looked like mine.
“I’ll just trust the administrator.”
The Flying Baron, with a mysterious expression on his face, reached out his hand to Kanna. However, his gaze was still directed at me.
I nodded to him.
Park Daegari was one of Kanna’s few peer friends.
I intended to do my best.
“Thank you. I will definitely reward you greatly.”
The Flying Baron, who had finished shaking hands with Kanna, extended his hand again. Hearing this, I quickly met his gaze as it was a welcome sight. Contrary to his appearance, he had considerable strength.
“···That’s enough. I felt your sincerity.”
The Flying Baron hurriedly removed his hand and turned his gaze away, shaking his hand.
“Always be careful, man. Don’t trust anyone except Aaron and Kanna.”
The Flying Baron gave Park Daegari a long and serious piece of advice.
The Flying Baron seemed to trust me more than I thought.
Or else, they believe in the theory of the high priest or the theory of the blue priest. When they return, they promise to catch and punish those who spread such strange rumors.
The Flying Baron’s speech went on for a very long time. He even yawned in the middle of it.
If his wife hadn’t pulled him away, he would have continued to do that all day.
After the Flying Baron’s speech, I talked to the rest of them.
“Can I not go with you?”
Choco asked with a slightly disappointed expression. I shook my head at him.
“Just take good care of the house. I’ll be able to help you out later.”
After greeting the guards, I headed to the carriage.
There were three carriages. Two of them were ours, and the remaining five were for the eldest son and Frederick.
“Nimiral alcohol···.”
I rode in the carriage with the sobbing weasel sitting on the coachman’s seat.
“You’re late.”
The abbot was sitting in the carriage.
I let out a small sigh.
As the erosion that occurred each morning became more severe, the abbot was a necessity.
In addition, regarding the previous incident, the abbot said he had to go to the main church.
Kanna, who was about to follow me, hesitated for a moment, bit her lip, and got on.
“Take this. It’s a Bible made for children, so it’ll be easy to read.”
Kanna’s expression became mysterious as she looked at the small book the abbot handed her.
Pin Kanna clenched her fist and took the Bible with an awkward smile.
I pointed to the door with my chin to Kanna. After thinking about it for a moment, Kanna quietly got out.
As Kanna disappeared, the abbot’s gaze turned to me.
Thus began the abbot’s Bible torture.
‘Should I anesthetize you?’
As I was contemplating physical anesthesia, the door opened and an ugly guy got on.
“I heard that the coronation ceremony will follow the White Tower succession ceremony. I can take care of business while I’m there.”
Kuo Bao Rou said as he sat down across from me. I nodded. The capital was quite expensive, and I was planning to take care of various things while I was there.
“Aaron, Honorary Vice-Abbot. Are you reading the Bible these days? I don’t think so. So you don’t have any divine powers. No matter how honorable it may be, someone who has risen to the rank of Vice-Abbot can’t use divine powers-.”
‘···Are you in your right mind?’
I shook my head as I watched the nagging abbot. I had a hard time understanding what kind of idea it was to criticize someone for not being able to use divine powers on a demon.
“Oh, Abbot of Brighton. I have many questions about the Divine Powers, but I have no one to ask them. May I ask you a few questions?”
Guo Baorou blinked his eyes slightly and asked the abbot. When the abbot nodded, Guo Baorou’s mouth moved quickly.
“What do you think is the basis of divine power? Some say it is a type of magic that uses mana, but experiments have shown that it is not mana. Since then, there have been various theories, but…”
“Divine power is the power of God. Its basis is, of course, faith and belief. In fact, there are cases where divine power is increased through reading the Bible······.”
The two of them started talking about strange topics, as if they had a strange connection.
Kuobarou’s strange curiosity saved me.
By then the carriage had started moving.
I read the paper I had prepared again.
[Avery, of the Bureau, appointed Director of the Eastern Bureau in recognition of his contributions to events in the West.]
‘Avery··· Avery···.’
I closed my eyes and recalled my memories of Avery.
***
“···If you’re in a hurry, you should go to a prostitute. You made a lot of money, so why did you do that?”
I said, grimacing at the unpleasant feeling of hot blood flowing down the sword.
The guy opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but all that came out was the sound of air escaping, and no meaning was conveyed.
When I pulled out my sword, the bastard waved his hands around in vain. Blood kept gushing out from the hole right near his heart.
“I told you I didn’t want to do this either. How much does it cost-.”
I grimaced and pushed the guy. He fell backwards roughly. The broken box underneath him broke.
‘This sucks.’
I wiped the blood off my sword in irritation. How many times has this happened already?
“thank you.”
When I turned my head at the monotonous thanks, Avery was looking up at me askance.
Her white body was completely exposed under that billowy hood, and her irritation rose to the top of her head.
“······Why aren’t you wearing any clothes? How many times has this happened?”
Even though I wiped it, I couldn’t help but curse at the stickiness that I felt on my hands.
Of course, I knew it wasn’t her fault.
Most of the guys here were beasts who could talk. Coming into a bar full of them dressed like that was a kind of provocation.
Of course, of course those guys are the problem, but I couldn’t understand why they would go to such lengths to make things happen.
‘···I’m telling you, I really have no luck finding a successor.’
He clicked his tongue and placed the blood-soaked cloth over the dead man’s face.
I already won money playing dice, so I was a little upset that he didn’t buy me beer. But I didn’t intend to stab him in the heart like this.
‘Anyway, these wizards···.’
He shook his head slightly.
Wizards, despite their excellent and simple abilities, were all fucking bastards.
For a wizard, he was quite quiet, to the point of wearing nothing under his robes.
‘···Fuck.’
I crouched down and rummaged through his arms. I put my hands in every nook and cranny and found some useful stuff.
‘You have a lot of money, kid.’
I just hit the guy in the head for no reason. It seemed like I could call a body-sweeper for this.
I was lucky.
“···I feel stuffy if I wear something inside.”
At that moment, I heard a slightly trembling voice. I turned my head and saw Avery with a slightly hardened face.
You take it off because it’s stuffy. Even though several people died because of it…
I couldn’t understand it, but I nodded because he was a wizard.
Understanding the wizard was proof that I was crazy.
It was rather fortunate that I did not understand her.
According to the captain, he was a ‘precious wizard’. He seemed so precious that he assigned me as his bodyguard.
“I understand. It was the one who rushed in that was at fault. Anyway, is it possible to use a magic that digs the ground?”
I pointed to the body and asked, “If we do it right, we can save on the cost of disposing of the body.”
In order to live like a human being in this shitty place, I had to save as much as I could, even the cost of burying the body.
“yes.”
Avery nodded, took out his cane, and pointed it at the floor. As he muttered something, a gust of wind blew.
Then a small pit was created.
“Wow! That’s amazing!”
He gave a short response and placed the body in the pit.
I took a copper out of my bosom and put it in the guy’s mouth.
“Namu Amitabha Buddha. Amen.”
After saying something plausible, he covered it with dirt.
‘You saved 3 silver.’
No, I saved 3 silver 50 coppers because there was a late night surcharge.
“Then let’s go.”
I said, hiding my trembling hands behind my back.
Avery nodded to him.
It wasn’t my place to say anything, but Avery seemed a bit awkward.
It definitely smelled like paper.
Of course, that’s obvious, since he’s a wizard.
What can I do? He’s the successor.
Still, it was fortunate that we were getting pretty close as the captain had ordered.
***
My thoughts were broken when the carriage stopped.
“So, you’re saying that the Bible can function like a magic book? To prove this, you need to….”
“A book of magic in the Bible? That is blasphemy. Faith and belief are completely different concepts from mana! No, they can’t even be compared.”
The abbot and Kuo Bao Rou were still discussing strange topics.
Their voices were somewhat disjointed, as if they had been talking all along.
I looked out the window. The surrounding area was a quiet forest. It was a place where no one seemed to be walking around and no one seemed to be seeing anyone.
“Okay. Let’s talk later. But why are you standing up so early? We need to move diligently to get to the capital on time.”
Kuobarou said with a frown.
“I guess there’s a shortcut.”
I shook my head and got out of the carriage.
Those who got off the other carriages also had somewhat bewildered looks on their faces.
At that moment, a man who looked a little like the five eldest sons stepped forward. Seeing as he was not the leader of the Frederick Guild, he seemed to have sent his entourage.
“From now on, we will be moving by Frederick Guild’s vehicle. We will keep the carriage separately, so please pack your luggage and come over here!”
A smart-looking man raised his hand and shouted.
“The means of the Frederick Guild?”
Kkwobarou asked with a frown.
“You’ll know when you go.”
I waved my hands roughly and walked.
“Aaron!”
“hello!”
Kanna and Park Daegari were standing next to each other. The two of them had messy hair as if they were having a good time.
I was just wondering how they played in that little carriage.
There was a huge hole where the man led me. A foul smell was emanating from the hole.
‘It’s even more terrifying when seen during the day.’
Things that were previously invisible because it was dark became clearly visible.
A huge mouth filled with countless sharp teeth was constantly opening and closing. Even though I knew it was a subway, the sight was so horrifying that it was creepy.
It looks exactly like the entrance to hell.
“A… a monster? Isn’t this definitely a sandworm from the West?”
The unexpectedly broad-minded Kua Bao Rou shouted in surprise. The next thing that came into his eyes was curiosity.
“Oh, don’t worry. Although they are known as monsters, sandworms are closer to beasts than monsters. They are the proud means of transportation of our Frederick Guild. Of course, it is confidential, so you must keep quiet.”
Although the man spoke quite cheerfully, the reaction was not very good.
“What are you talking about? Sandworms are monsters designated by the Empire. It is said that if you are eaten by a sandworm, not even your bones will remain···.”
Kuobarou explained at length again.
“Even if I walk a dark path···.”
The abbot began to say the prayer of rites-.
Except for Kanna and Park Daegari, who seemed excited, everyone had an awkward atmosphere.
So I decided to take the lead.
“To the weasel position.”
“···yes?”
The weasel habitually stood in front while asking questions.
“Help me out.”
I laughed and kicked the guy.
“Eww! You little shit!”
The weasel screamed loudly and disappeared into the hole. Everyone looked at me with dumbfounded expressions.
“You little shit!!!”
A moment later, the weasel’s curse could be heard from below.
Then I grabbed Kanna and jumped down.
A cool breeze blew through. Kanna raised both her hands and let out a long scream. It was as if she was on an amusement ride.
The surroundings shook slightly with a heavy sound. The floor was soft like last time.
“Eww!”
I quickly moved to the side at the sound from above.
Kuung, there was a heavy sound and the surroundings shook violently.
“···It’s fun!!”
The disheveled Park Head raised his hand with sparkling eyes.
“Kkieeeeeeeek-!”
“Darkness is upon me-!!”
Then, the abbot and Kuobarou fell one after another.
The polite, smart-looking man fell down, and the five heavy-handed men came down last.
I looked around for the guy.
In the corner, the guy was smiling awkwardly.
“Hey, what happened with the sale?”
He put his arm around the bastard’s shoulder and laughed.
“That… that… it’s not that simple…”
The bastard turned his gaze to the five eldest sons, making a lame excuse. It seemed as if he was asking for help, but-.
The five elders who glanced at me avoided eye contact.
The subway started running with a rumbling sound.
Thanks to the digging I did last time, the speed was faster than before-,
I was able to arrive quickly.
Because the White Tower succession ceremony and the crown prince’s coronation ceremony overlapped, the area around the castle gate was bustling with people.
The sturdy walls beyond looked like a giant shell.
Caw-.
I laughed bitterly at the sound of a crow cawing somewhere.
I tapped the inside pocket where my sword was.
