211
`How many meters?
The biggest cause of the medieval smell was livestock.
Medieval people lived with their cattle and horses as if they were dogs. In the winter, without heating, the livestock felt like a boiler.
As such cattle and horses roamed about, spreading waste, the stench and the Middle Ages were inseparable.
But the capital had less of a medieval feel to it.
First of all, the temperature was just right so there was no need for a livestock boiler, and the biggest reason was that if livestock were caught defecating on the street, the owner would be punished.
To maintain cleanliness, we also invested a lot of money in magicians and manpower.
But even the capital city can’t help it, and as I entered the deserted alley, a pleasant smell began to waft up.
I laughed and fixed my sword.
The main square was made up of a series of small alleyways. As you got closer to the main square, the small alleyways merged into one large street.
Anyway, there were quite a few alleyways, and there were many royal knights who spent their time separately.
It was a very good environment to achieve the goal.
“···Number 457? Why is Article 38 here?”
An unusually large imperial knight asked in a low voice.
He checked my shoulder. Just as he said, there was a number engraved on it.
’38 articles? I thought there were 12 royal knights in a group?’
When I broke it down in my head, it seemed to be roughly correct.
I checked the guy’s shoulder.
‘Number 187. It’s a little worn.’
I don’t know if the numbers are in order of skill, but the relief was definitely more worn than mine.
Judging from the number of people talking there, it seemed like he had more experience than the owner of this armor.
When I didn’t respond, I saw annoyance in the guy’s eyes between the helmets.
“Aren’t you going to answer? Nimiral, I told you that these days, things are really out of date.”
The guy started swearing right away. He didn’t seem like a very good senior.
I took a quick look at the other guy. The other guy was even lying down.
On his shoulder was written ‘191’. Beneath it was a luxurious cloth. He seemed to be resting quite soundly, but his sword was in a good position to draw.
‘These guys are really good.’
He was even wearing a stuffy helmet. It felt like the difficulty level had suddenly increased from the ones he had just caught.
It seemed like skill levels varied depending on the number.
There was no such thing as absolute skill, but it was still useful information.
“Huh? Look at this kid?”
He was a former gangster, and the way he waved his hands around was unusual.
The eyes of the guy who gave me a lot of strength. I decided on a way to deal with that fierce gaze.
I tilted my head up and looked at the guy.
His posture was also slightly hunched over.
Then, open your eyes wide and-.
“······yes?”
He asked back in a weak voice.
I got an immediate response because my acting was pretty good.
“Huh? Huh? Huh, it sucks that I got dragged out for questioning at this point, and this kid-. Hey, who’s the leader of Team 38?”
A big horned guy approached me with long strides. He walked with a long stride. I watched his stride closely.
Looking closely, it was quite large. It was armor that seemed like it would fit me well.
“···Are you a leader?”
“Are you a captain? Hey, look at this kid. He’s a hit. Didn’t you receive royal knight training?”
The guy standing in front of me growled as if he was threatening me. His eyes were extremely murderous.
‘I didn’t receive it.’
I tried to suppress my ticklish mouth and strained my eyes a little more.
I looked at the loose leather strap beneath the bastard’s helmet.
“I was wondering why I was dragged out at this time, but it’s because the kids below are like this. Ha, now I understand.”
It seemed like the successor had been through a lot, and his words were like a stream of water. I checked on him while letting out a steady stream of words.
‘You have your hands around the sword.’
He was a cautious man, unlike his size, who had been stabbed while looking for a successor.
“Ha. Look at this kid’s eyes. Are they so fierce?”
I tilted my head further at his remark.
“Did I mishear you?”
“What? Did I hear that wrong? Ha, this kid is really a troublemaker. Take off your helmet.”
“I don’t like it.”
“······what?”
The bastard’s pupils shook greatly at my firm answer. The military discipline among the imperial knights seemed stronger than I had thought.
I glanced at the guy behind me. I could probably deal with the guy with the five elders lying down and sleeping.
“I don’t like it-? Huh, what is this···.”
How absurd it was, the bastard laughed out loud.
At that moment, the guy’s eyes flashed. His back twisted. It seemed like he was planning to give me a medieval education through fists.
It seems like he had some experience with successor training, as his attitude was unusual.
I quickly pondered the fist of the guy who was coming closer.
If I take out the erosion, I can’t pretend to be an imperial knight. If I take out the aura, the coronation ceremony will be disrupted.
At that moment, the guy’s fist hit my shoulder.
A heavy impact was felt beyond the armor.
The punch was sharper than I thought. I gasped and sat down slightly.
“Anyway, I say you have to hit it hard to listen to me.”
The guy’s back broke again. This time it was his foot.
He was more serious about training his successors than I thought.
I turned my shoulder and caught the guy’s foot with my shoulder blade. Thump. A heavy sound. The guy’s shin shook.
At that moment, a very faint sound of air bursting was heard.
I jumped up and threw my fist. The startled guy quickly turned his head to avoid it, but he was a little too late.
He swung his fist slightly. Kuung-. There was a heavy sound from the guy’s helmet, and it turned slightly. The leather belt beneath it shook.
It was the guy’s fault for not tying his helmet belt tightly.
The guy quickly raised his aura. He was moving at a decent speed, but his vision was already blocked by the helmet that had been turned.
I hit the guy’s helmet again. Kuung- The guy’s scream that escaped was muffled.
Two punches landed cleanly on the helmet, but, befitting his size, the guy held on without falling.
The guy came and swung his fist. Whoosh- The sound of the wind splitting was quite scary, but the direction was wrong.
I pushed the guy’s helmet to the right. My balance was off and his fist slid past me. Whoosh-. It was a threatening punch, but it was useless if it didn’t hit.
“This dog···.”
“Successor Punch.”
The guy’s swear words were muffled as I punched him in the back of the head. Bam. His helmet was dented.
The guy shook violently, unable to hold out for three times. He swung his fist desperately, but unfortunately, it was in the wrong direction.
I grabbed the back of the guy’s head and kicked his knee. Bam! There was a heavy sound and his knee felt cool. I kicked him twice more and he stopped dead in his tracks.
Just in case, I brought it up again. Then the guy swung his fist hard and fell down. He was a clever guy despite his size.
I held my breath and put my sword into the guy’s neck. His large body shook violently and then stopped.
“three.”
I muttered and readjusted my grip on the sword.
“four.”
The five elders added from the side.
The bastard’s voice was somewhat excited.
So we moved to the next alley-.
“How many units?”
I asked the imperial knight, who was openly smoking his pipe.
The number of his shoulder dance was low. He quickly hid his pipe and lowered his head, so it seemed that this side was higher.
I stroked the hilt of the knife and walked briskly, with a walking stance like that guy before.
***
“Eleven.”
“Ugh······.”
The royal knight with his throat pierced, clearing his throat and waving his hands in the air.
The aura that had been attached to the bastard’s sword dispersed.
The guy whose eyes met mine opened his mouth.
It was a desperate mouth shape, but only air came out.
I twisted my sword as I looked into the eyes of the bastard who resembled a cow.
The guy’s clean-shaven head rolled to the side.
“Fuck.”
I cursed under my breath and shook my sword.
‘If it weren’t for this armor, it would have been more difficult.’
Thanks to the strong military discipline of the imperial knights, they wore high-numbered armor, so everyone knew how to use them. Thanks to this, things were quite easy.
“This one’s finished too. This guy even drank alcohol.”
The five elders, whose armor was blemished here and there, spoke. His voice sounded strangely more refreshing than before.
“You look happy.”
I asked, wiping the blood off my sword.
“Because it’s about killing hypocrites.”
I clicked my tongue at the slightly raised guy’s answer.
The guy’s voice was extremely excited, as if he was suited to capturing royal knights. Excitement was not a very good emotion.
‘Twelve, that should be enough.’
It was less than planned, but it was still enough. Plus, I caught some pretty high-numbered articles.
I also gained a lot of information about the imperial knights.
“The great undertaking has come-.”
Plus, he was excited, so there was a chance he might make a mistake.
I had to get up after I had won a certain amount. It was a lesson I had learned when I lost my entire fortune playing dice before.
“Let’s go back now.”
He said, putting his sword away.
It was the last sword, and it fit my hand well. I also got a lot of gold, and it was a good side job.
“Are you going back like this?”
The five elders stretched out their words.
I nodded and the bastard raised his blood-soaked helmet.
The bastard’s straight eyes had taken on a different color than usual. It seemed as if he had tasted blood.
I looked that guy in the eye without saying anything.
“Aren’t there still many hypocrites who have fallen apart? The fewer they are, the higher the success rate of the great undertaking. How can it be over so soon? After today, the vigilance will be strengthened. This is an opportunity that will not come again!”
He was talking nonsense, unlike usual. His words were somewhat reasonable.
As he said, from today onwards, the security will be greatly strengthened.
That was my goal.
“It’s a nickname.”
I spoke firmly and turned around.
“······Shit!”
An old-fashioned curse erupted from behind.
After a while, rough footsteps followed.
I went into the alley I had seen earlier. It was a little narrow, but thanks to the boxes overturned outside, I couldn’t see inside, so it was suitable as a changing room.
After chasing away the rat that was biting the bug and looking up, he took off his imperial armor. The smell of blood and sweat mixed together and gave off an extremely unpleasant smell.
I took out a clean cloth and wiped the dirt off my body. However, it just wouldn’t come off.
“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity······.”
The five elders changed their armor while grumbling.
Since there was no room to put it in his pocket, he put the armor in a sacred box.
The five elders took out a long stick. It was similar to dragon’s snot, but strangely more luxurious in appearance.
I habitually grabbed the handle of the knife. The bastard paid no attention to me and pointed the stick at himself.
Then the water poured out and the guy rinsed himself off roughly. The soaking wet guy then took out another stick. Warm air came out of it.
‘What a neat kid.’
I stuck out my hand, clicking my tongue.
The man who had been frowning for a moment handed over a stick.
It was surprisingly easy to use.
Thanks to that, I was able to wash it cleanly.
As I put it in my pocket, the guy raised his eyebrows. When I said, “It’s a royal order,” he turned his head.
The already dark sky became even darker.
The sun seemed about to rise.
“I’m craving some hot stew.”
As he said this and walked away, the five elders followed him.
Although he still had a displeased expression, his face seemed to have calmed down a bit and was free of his usual manners.
First, I got as far away from the main square as possible. Then I looked for a restaurant, but there was no one open.
He woke up the owner of the tavern where he was staying and asked for some stew.
‘Stew really sucks.’
I sat down and stirred through the stew. The vegetables, including the beans, were mushy and had a moderate red color. No matter how much I searched, there was no meat.
I was hungry because I had been moving around all night, so I just put it in roughly. Each ingredient had a unique flavor that did not compromise on the other.
“How could this be so horrible···.”
The five elders muttered while looking at the stew with an uneasy expression.
“Stop complaining about the side dishes. Eat them.”
The five elders, who had returned with completely uncivilized faces, raised their eyebrows.
The guy who had been hesitating closed his eyes tightly and started drinking the stew. I chuckled at the sight of him drinking poison.
Beep-.
At that moment, a whistle was heard from afar.
It was a bit faster than I expected.
It seemed like the shift change times were different for each district.
I looked toward the whistle and guessed the shift change time.
‘The preparations are complete.’
I ate the rest of the stew and got up.
“Ugh-.”
The five eldest sons followed him, repeatedly vomiting.
***
As soon as I opened the door to my house, I couldn’t help but sigh at the sight that greeted me.
In the center of the crowded room where the unemployed were sitting, there was an abbot. He seemed to be praying.
Even though I didn’t do it, I sighed at the overflowing piety. In another sense, I became tired.
“Even if you can’t see the light······. Oh, Aaron. You came at a good time.”
The abbot who found me gestured.
When the abbot of Cassadic would give a service, everyone would have a shit-eating face or be asleep, but now everyone’s eyes were sparkling.
“Aaron, I heard you’ve become an honorary abbot.”
The abbot spoke in a low voice. Even though he was just speaking, it felt like he was reading the Bible.
“No matter how honorable it may be, how can the abbot not attend the dawn service? Come this way.”
I had to make the service short because I was caught up in the obvious nagging.
The service ended with a song similar to a military song, and the weasel distributed bread to each person. As the weasel distributed it, he grabbed each person and spoke.
He spoke earnestly about how precious this bread was and what efforts he had made for it.
“All this bread was obtained by begging from my brother. How many times did I get hit to get just this one… Brother?”
The weasel that found me opened its eyes wide.
“How many times did you get hit?”
“Hehehe… People are so clever that they don’t know how to be grateful if you don’t tell them. You have to tell them in advance like this.”
“So how many?”
The weasel looked around and raised one finger. When I shook my head, he raised another finger. I lightly tapped him three times.
The abbot was giving the final prayer.
‘The closing service… It’s not like it’s some kind of course meal.’
I shared the bread I brought with the abbot and the mini-monk next to him.
“Then let us offer a pre-meal prayer. Our daily bread······.”
I felt a little impressed by the abbot who somehow made excuses to worship.
The abbot and the mini-bride, who had prayed once more, ate the bread.
“So what are you going to do now?”
They both stopped at the same time at my question. There was no answer. It seemed like they hadn’t decided yet.
“You don’t know how to do anything anyway, do you?”
The abbot nodded and coughed slightly in response to my question.
“Do you have divine powers?”
“···The divine power comes from Him, not from the religious order. My faith has nothing to do with position.”
The abbot answered in a firm voice. He raised his hand, and a white light appeared. That was fortunate.
As I turned my gaze, Mini Lung-gyup opened his mouth.
“The blessings are taken away, but the divine power remains.”
“blessing?”
Mini-Lung-Gup chewed his lips for a moment at my question. He looked troubled. What could a dismissed guy have to worry about?
“The Templars have the Pope’s blessing. They have the power to judge the impious. That’s the biggest difference between a Templar and an Inquisitor.”
Instead, the abbot explained calmly.
‘It’s a blessing···.’
It seemed to be referring to the strange light that the Knight of the Temple had seen.
I definitely felt drained when dealing with it.
‘Wouldn’t the abbot’s prayer be more effective?’
As I raised my head with that thought, I saw the abbot whose hair had become more gray than before. It was definitely a statue of the Pope.
“Can’t you bless me?”
The abbot clicked his tongue slightly at my question.
“A blessing can be given by a priest who has reached a certain level. However, the blessing that the Pope bestows on a Templar is of a different kind.”
Mini Lungeup shook his head and said, it seemed that he still had some pride in being a Knight of the Temple.
The abbot nodded with a bitter smile.
The light of the Templar Knight was harsh, but to me, the current king of demons, the prayer of the abbot was more threatening.
“Then please give me a blessing.”
When I pointed to the mini-lungs and said that, they both looked at me with strange expressions.
The mini-bailiff who had been pointed out looked exactly like an idiot, and the abbot let out a soft sigh.
“Aaron, the Honorable Abbot. Are you talking about blessings as if you were buying something at a market?”
The abbot grumbled softly and closed his eyes tightly.
Now, a fairly familiar prayer followed-.
“······Huh?”
The mini-lung surrounded by sparkling lights let out a short exclamation.
The face of the mini-lung seen through the light was filled with confusion.
“This feeling is definitely similar to the blessing of the Knights of the Temple… No, it’s subtly different… Huh?!”
Mini Lunge looked down at my body, muttering nonsense.
The abbot’s prayers continued for a long time, and the light grew brighter. The mini-lungs looked like light bulbs.
“Ooh-!”
Those who had been eating bread melted in their mouths knelt down and began to pray.
In an instant, I was filled with piety.
“···Brother, isn’t that going to explode?”
The weasel asked quietly. Judging from the way he was twirling his dagger, it seemed like he was planning to finish him off immediately if he nodded.
“It doesn’t explode. It’s a blessing.”
“···Is this a blessing?”
The weasel twitched at the sound of the word blessing.
The light slowly faded after a while.
A mini-lung with round eyes, nose, and mouth and a monk with a plain face.
“Okay.”
The two nodded vaguely to my muttering.
“So can we make them into knights of the temple?”
I asked, pointing to the unemployed below. The unemployed people I pointed to avoided my gaze.
“Creating… What an irreverent choice of words.”
“No, it feels a little different from that···.”
As the two were muttering, Kanna and Park’s heads came down.
The weasel who saw Kanna filled the table with bread with meat in it. It seemed like bread that had been kept separately.
Park Dae-gari, who saw him, picked up the meat bread and shared it with the unemployed. The weasel was slightly frustrated, but Kanna had not eaten much in the first place.
“The Gray Tower Master is coming today. He’s here to help with the second magic circle transplant. He’s the one who first studied Vivian’s heart, so I think he’ll be a great help! Oh, and we’re also going to discuss the magic we’re going to use at the coronation! I have a great idea!”
Kanna kept chattering while eating her meat bread.
‘···wrinkle?’
As I opened my mouth in a strange sense of uneasiness, a neatly dressed Kuabarou came down.
“···Where’s my meat bun?”
Kuobarou muttered in a daze, looking at the empty table.
I picked up a piece of hard bread that was rolling around on the floor and gave it to him.
“The meat buns I bought···.”
After muttering for a while, Kua Bao Rou began to eat the bread slowly.
Although he grumbled for a moment, Kua Bao Rou ate the food without complaint.
Beep- beep-.
By then it was getting noisy outside.
***
‘Twelve imperial knights killed in the capital in one night?’
Gesher Wind of the Eastern Management Office squinted and read the paper again.
The written content was the same. It seemed like the management office was in disarray since morning, and that was probably why.
‘What is this?’
The last picture drawn left a lasting impression on Gesher Wind.
There was a strange and crude drawing of a circle with horns on its head and winking eyes, but it was a rather cute drawing.
“······King of Demons?”
Gesher Wind involuntarily let out a sound at what was written below.
It had to be that way. What is one of the biggest tasks of the administration?
The prophecy that the Demon King would destroy the empire. Capturing the Demon King was the biggest goal of the Administration.
Of course, the meaning has changed somewhat now, but the King of Demons was the greatest goal of the Administration.
‘···The one who dealt with the twelve imperial knights was the king of demons?’
Killing twelve imperial knights in one night in the capital. What could be a more appropriate introduction?
Even the day before the coronation-.
‘I don’t feel good about this.’
Gesher Wind tapped his fingers.
The entire administration would probably be turned upside down.
The administration had been keeping an eye on rumors of a rebellion during this coronation, and was planning to use him to clean up and collect supplies.
But the day before, the king of demons appeared…
‘This is really fucked up.’
Just thinking about it makes me dizzy.
“Gesher Wind!!”
At that moment, a sharp sound was heard from inside. Gesher Wind sighed softly and went inside.
The room was filled with smoke. With a light wave of my hand, I saw Avery in the center.
Avery, bloodshot eyes, stood among the tangled pile of papers.
‘You ate hallucinogenic mushrooms.’
Gesher Wind guessed what the dust and smoke around him was all about.
Meeting the Demon of Despair didn’t seem to help much.
“Is this all there is to it?”
Avery asked pointedly, pointing to the scattered papers.
‘That’s all···.’
Gesher Wind was moved, but he swallowed it hard. It was his boss.
“That’s all I can ask of Director Selena.”
It was information that could not be obtained within the ranks of Gesher Wind. Without the help of the Central Administration, it would not have been possible to obtain it, and to think that was all-.
“What about the demons in the underground? I heard several demons are gone!”
Avery asked, looking at Gesher Wind with unfocused eyes.
“That wasn’t available.”
The disappearance of the demon wasn’t just a problem that concerned Selena. It was something Gesher Wind had no authority over.
“Hmm… Yeah, I got this much. It’s not that useful though.”
Avery muttered in a weak voice.
“Ah?! Welcome! It’s an honor!!”
At that moment, Sinan Halina’s greeting was heard from outside.
The Eastern Administration had few visitors, and even fewer to whom the stern Halina would bow so solemnly.
‘···You’re here.’
Just then, the door opened gently and Selena came in.
A coolness permeated the room, as if a forest had been moved there.
As the smoke that had filled the room cleared, Avery’s battered appearance was fully revealed.
Avery gaped at the unexpected visitor. Her eyes, which had been venomous until just now, softened.
Gesher Wind took a step back.
Selena was a rare beauty, but Gesher Wind, who knew the truth, did not want to get close to her.
Selena opened the door, but did not enter the room.
I just stood at the threshold, looking at Avery, the corners of my mouth slightly raised.
“You’re wearing it.”
And then it closed again.
The sound of receding footsteps-.
“It’s an honor to have you visit! Take care!”
Sinan Halina’s polite farewell was heard loudly.
As smoke filled the room again, Avery’s eyes returned.
“······What does that mean?”
Avery muttered, looking at the closed door.
Gesher Wind recalled what Selena had said.
[You can do whatever you want, but could you please wear clothes? I don’t know when he’ll come back.]
‘He’ll come tomorrow.’
Gesher Wind vowed not to come to work tomorrow.
Then suddenly I became curious.
How handsome must he be to drive Selena crazy like that?
‘Shall I just take a quick look at your face?’
Gesher Wind stroked my chin with curiosity.
He too was a helpless wizard.
