229
Aaron
‘···I trust Sir Ben.’
Ben’s seed, Gelheim, gulped at the pouring gaze.
Gelheim was a soldier in the Bolt Castle, living a comfortable life. Then, he went to support Cassidy for a while, and his life changed after meeting that guy.
‘···Aaron!!’
Even now, when I think of that name, the place where he hit me still stings. How much money did that monster take from me!
Of course, looking back, I was also wrong for picking on him for no reason.
Anyway, after meeting him, Gelheim went from being a soldier to being Ben’s servant.
Then, another incident occurred. During the Vivian kidnapping incident, Ben pointed his sword at my master.
Gelheim thought it was an honorable act, but the knight who pointed his sword at his lord was not forgiven.
In the end, Ben was expelled in disgrace, with nothing to gain. The banishment of his squire, Gelheim, was also natural.
Suddenly, Ben suddenly declared that he would cross the continent. Gelheim hesitated for a moment, but Ben was more knightly than any knight Gelheim had ever seen, so he followed him.
Even if he is an upright Ben, I wondered if he could remain unchanged.
The continent was vast.
Gelheim and Ben have been on the brink of death countless times.
Most of them were starving. Since most of those Ben helped were weak, there was little compensation. No, even if they were offered, Ben would stubbornly refuse.
It was a story that seemed to be drawn like that, but from Gelheim’s perspective, it was a terrible feeling.
There were more than a few times when he almost died from eating the wrong mushrooms or grass. In the end, it was Gelheim who had memorized the list of things he could eat.
Ben took on anyone, including monsters, demons, bandits, and thugs.
Thanks to this, Gelheim has been bitten to death by a monster, scratched by a demon, run up a tree to escape bandits, and been beaten up by thugs.
Each time, Ben somehow overcame the adversity.
No, it actually got stronger.
Even to Gelheim, who didn’t know him well, Ben had grown beyond comparison to when he left.
A knight who stands on the side of the weak, always risking his life, and never taking any reward. It was truly a heroic act.
The fame followed naturally.
Before we knew it, we had even earned the title of Sword of the People.
Then, calls came from all over the place. High-ranking nobles, beautiful beauties, even merchants promising chests of gold.
But Ben refused them all without a moment’s hesitation. He said he had a place to return to.
Yes, no matter how many times he went through a crisis, Ben never changed.
The problem is-.
‘Why did I choose that guy as my lord…! What did Sir Ben lack!’
When he became a knight without shame, Ben Gelheim was so frustrated that he wanted to return to the bastard and serve him.
What is Ben lacking that he would go back there? He even wants to serve him as his master! Then wouldn’t he be no different from becoming his servant?
Thinking about him made my body tingle.
‘Absolutely not. That must be stopped!’
As I was muttering like that, the path ahead opened up.
People began to chant the people’s sword.
Gelheim lifted his chin for no reason. It was a compliment to Ben, but Gelheim was genuinely pleased.
The title Sword of the People had a special meaning.
The honor he had built up from the lowest level, the sword of the people, was a justification in itself.
It was not for nothing that the high-ranking nobles were desperate to serve Ben.
So, as the king of demons who has taken up the cause, it would be difficult for him to refuse a meeting request.
As if the prediction was right, a person came out to greet them in person.
“Knight Ben, I’ve heard the rumors.”
A woman with a cold expression bowed her head slightly and guided them.
Gelheim followed, waving his hand on Ben’s behalf. There were so many people that it took a long time to walk. There were people everywhere.
Gelheim, who had dealt with those who followed Ben, could guess what the situation was.
While many will join because they were impressed by his legendary performance, there will also be quite a few who simply want to add to his fame.
‘You haven’t cleaned up at all.’
Gelheim frowned slightly. If he accepted anyone like that, there was bound to be trouble.
Of course, if you have the power to crush him all, then it doesn’t matter-.
‘Is it true that you defeated the master of the sword?’
Soon we arrived at a huge carriage.
Gelheim swallowed his doubts as he looked at the back of Ben standing in front of the carriage. The Ben he knew would not lose.
dripping.
“The Sword of the People, Sir Ben, has arrived.”
The woman spoke in a harsh, irritated voice.
“I’m busy right now! Wait, Ben? Ben?”
A peculiar, irritating voice came out from inside.
‘Where have I heard that voice?’
Gelheim narrowed his eyes. He had definitely heard that peculiarly irritating voice somewhere. He searched his memory, but he couldn’t remember because he had met so many people while traveling around the continent.
“Is that Ben guy blond?”
The woman turned her gaze at the unexpected question. Ben raised his helmet slightly in response.
“yes.”
“Wearing black armor?”
“yes.”
“Hmm… I see!”
Then the woman opened the door. He looked inside and-.
The familiar, mean-spirited guy was laughing at the ugly guy. He just kept laughing.
“You can come in.”
The woman pointed inside. Ben got into the carriage without hesitation. Gelheim followed her in a hurry before the door closed.
Since it was his first time in such a luxurious carriage, Gelheim hesitated slightly and stroked the handle of his sword.
The opponent was the king of demons. If you let your guard down-.
“You… you?”
At that moment, the face of that vile man suddenly came to mind. The one who was always next to that devil-like man.
“Do you know me?”
The bastard tilted his head. He had grown thicker and his eyes were sharper than before, but it was still him.
“Huh? If this is Ben, then you···!”
The vile man pointed at Gelheim and raised his voice. Then he shouted, “Oh!” and stared at Ben. His eyes were gleaming.
“King of Demons. My name is Ben.”
Ben spoke seriously, drawing his sword. However, the target was ambiguous, so the sword wandered for a moment.
The most demonic of them all was a huge carapace in the corner, lying there. It must have been well-maintained, because its surface was extremely shiny, almost like a giant bug.
Ben was silent for a moment.
“Show your face, King of Demons. If you are truly the hero they say you are!”
Ben shouted loudly and aimed his sword.
The atmosphere became heavy in an instant.
Gelheim swallowed at the anxiety that emanated from the vile bastard’s gleaming eyes. The vile bastard always clung to the ignorant bastard. Then-.
“Rise, King of Demons, and face the sword of the people!”
At that moment, Ben shouted. It must have been Ben’s way of showing his determination.
“Phew, the sword of the people!”
“···Hmm.”
The mean and ugly man turned his face away as if coughing.
Ben paused for a moment, as this was his first time in this situation. Ben then drew his Auror and made his presence felt.
A brilliant aura filled the carriage.
The ugly guy turned his hand in surprise. The mean-looking guy waved his hand to stop the ugly guy.
“It’s okay. I know him. Oh, since I already picked him, can you give me a discount on this side? I’m really uncomfortable.”
Looking at his calm reaction, that guy over there is-.
‘Ah… no!’
Gelheim covered his face as the horrible scene came to mind.
“I’m serious. Even the devil doesn’t want to attack someone who is lying down, so get up. This is your final warning.”
“So, first of all, if you could give me a discount on this side-”
“Even the devil can’t make a surprise attack.”
“Then why did you choose Auror?”
Gelheim muttered quietly as he looked at Ben and the vile bastard.
···Fucked.
I opened the door and told Ben to just go, but there was no way Ben would back down.
Ben, who had warned him ten times, finally followed the bastard’s instructions and carefully cut off the shell on his face.
A very unexpectedly handsome face appeared.
The carriage became quiet at that.
“······Did I bring the wrong one?”
In the tense atmosphere, a mean-looking guy scratched his head.
***
“Hey, you brought it here without even checking properly!”
The ugly swallows shouted in anger.
“No, I said it felt like you were my brother! And your voice was also your brother!”
Dylan, who was feeling aggrieved by this, shouted back.
To begin with, most of the face was surrounded by the shell. The only part that was visible was the mouth.
Moreover, the shell was so hard that it could not be torn even with a dagger.
However, judging by his characteristically deep voice and the way he called my name, it was clearly a punk.
“And you kept your mouth shut until now, and now you’re blaming me! How shameless!”
“I… I thought you were a bastard since you risked your life to take care of me!”
He pretends to be a wizard, but he’s completely useless.
“······Isn’t it just that the scars are gone?”
The knight named Ben muttered and asked. He was the king of demons, and he was just sitting there, boasting.
Dylan glanced back at him again.
Upon closer inspection, they did look similar, but the original identity of the cub was its scars. It was hard to imagine its face without those scars.
“No way! He’s handsome! That’s ridiculous! He can’t be this handsome! You brought the wrong one!”
Ugly Swallows lost his temper and screamed. Dylan scratched his chin at the violent reaction, then reached out his hand to Swallows.
“Please give me something to write on.”
“Letters? Ah···.”
Swallows, who had been rummaging around for a moment, held out a long stick. Dylan took it and crouched down in front of Aaron. He moved the stick in a jagged motion, following the memory.
It took quite some time, but I was able to roughly mark the scar with lines. Let’s leave it at that-.
“You’re a bastard! You’re a bastard!”
Dylan clapped his hands and gave a thumbs up. He had just drawn a rough line, and now he could see what it had been like before.
“Oh my god-. He’s handsome-. There’s no way···.”
The ugly swallows sank down, clutching my face. There was an indescribable despair in their muttering.
It was good news for Dylan. He was already popular with the girls. Now with his looks, no one could handle him. Now, his siblings would multiply like crazy.
“Aaron was the king of demons….”
At that moment, Knight Ben got up in a hurry. The guy who had slowly drawn his sword quickly knelt down. The servant next to him who saw him hurriedly ran over.
“Not yet… Are you still out of your mind? You haven’t even returned to Cassadic yet!”
Dylan pointed to the familiar face of the seed that was desperately trying to stop him.
“That Bolt-type bastard got beaten up for messing with a punk!”
Of course, it wasn’t the first time I’d been hit by a punk, but he’d been hit so well that I remembered it. When I shouted that, the punk turned a blind eye and looked away.
Dylan had watched Ben swear to Aaron before he left. With that seed guy over there.
“Yeah, didn’t you say that if you went around the continent, you would become my brother’s confidant?”
Dylan stood up and tapped Ben on the shoulder. Ben looked up with a subtle expression.
“···He said he would serve you not as a servant, but as a lord.”
Isn’t that it? Dylan wondered, but didn’t bother asking. It was customary to wrap it up in more plausible terms.
At that moment, the lines drawn disappeared. Everyone had a subtle expression on their face as the handsome faces came back to mind.
Swallows, who had recently been holding back on drinking, said that he had more research to do and started drinking wine whole.
“That’s good. The shell looks a bit weird, so let’s trim it down to make it look nicer.”
I couldn’t call the people gathered outside, so I held back, but I could trust Ben, who had sworn to keep warm.
Ben, with a subtle expression on his face, took the dagger and raised his auror.
“This way. This way, a little rounder-.”
After cutting it for a while, it became a pretty good looking thing. I thought the shell would grow back, but the cut part grew back while lying down. It was a much better looking thing.
“Your swordsmanship is better than I thought!”
Dylan looked at Ben and honestly admired him. Since Dylan was a swordsman, he could tell that Ben was skilled.
Ugly Swallows drank two bottles of wine in quick succession and passed out. Ben’s squire sat across from him with a shit-eating face, and Ben looked at the pups with a serious expression.
“Why can’t I get up?”
Dylan felt strangely uneasy at the question full of concern. Dylan had already secured his position and was promised the position of Archduke, but Ben was a guy who was quite close to the punks.
“You suffered fatal damage while fighting the master of the sword. You passed out and haven’t woken up yet.”
Dylan tried to suppress his discontent and answered.
“···Did Aaron really defeat the master of the sword?”
Dylan nodded to him.
“That’s right! I cut the sword master with confidence. After that, my brother also lost consciousness and almost became a double-crossing plan! But your son! I, Dylan! Cut the sword master’s throat! And I took my brother and escaped the capital!”
Dylan jumped up from his seat and pointed at himself with his thumb. He glared at Ben with a strong look in his eyes. Don’t look down on me.
“Aaron is the master of the sword…”
Ben, who heard him, shrank strangely. Ben put away the sword he had taken out and sat down on the other side.
Ben, who had a confident expression on his face, looked embarrassed for some reason. Even though his servant praised him for his great achievements, Ben’s face did not lighten up.
“······I just came back from traveling around the continent.”
Ben was hunched over, Swallows was chugging bottles of alcohol one after another, and even Squire had a dejected look on his face. The carriage was filled with a dark atmosphere.
Dylan ignored him and crouched down next to Aaron, muttering.
“Dylan is cute, Dylan is lovely, ahhh- Dylan is really unbeatable-. Dylan is the best-!”
***
‘Nine knights, twenty-four inquisitors, and a priest······.’
Fullfoot checked the paper several times in disbelief, but the contents remained unchanged.
‘···I was excommunicated from the church-.’
Fullfoot muttered softly. Brighton was more devout than any priest. It was not enough to be simply devout.
That such a Brighton was excommunicated – there was clearly something going on with the church.
Whatever the reason, it was good news for Pulpouts. This was more troops than Pulpouts had hoped for.
Of course, it wasn’t a full-fledged force, but when we talked, they said they would stay in Cassidy. That alone was enough.
And most importantly, Vivian came back healthy. There was something about it that felt off, but Vivian’s health was a favor that was hard to repay.
However, Brighton also left the capital before the coronation and said he had no news about Aaron.
‘Where on earth is it?’
At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Nova came in with a very strange expression. It was a face that even Pulpouts had never seen before.
It was clear what had happened.
“what?”
“That···. Hmm···.”
Nova hesitated and couldn’t submit her report. Pulpouts stood up from his seat in anxiety.
“Tell me.”
“Information from the capital has arrived. But······.”
Novae hesitated again, and Pulpouts’ head became complicated.
Judging from Nova’s reaction, it was clear that it was related to Aaron. Nova had prepared various alternatives for the unexpected situation with Fullfoots. If Nova was that hesitant-.
‘It looks like Aaron was the one who destroyed the capital.’
Fullfoot let out a soft sigh. He had expected it to some extent, but his expectations and certainty were different. His mind became complicated all at once.
If something had already happened, the important thing was to have a plan to get through it.
“······It’s okay. Didn’t you come up with an alternative for that?”
And if the capital had fallen, a rebellion was not entirely out of the question.
“That is…. They say the king of demons killed the master of the sword and turned the capital into a sea of fire.”
Pulpouts’ eyes widened at Nova’s continued words.
He remembered Aaron bragging about holding the sword of the master of the sword. He thought it was just Aaron’s bluff, but he really caught the master of the sword-. Pulpouts was slightly shocked.
Who is the master of the sword? He is an absolute being who has single-handedly dealt with those who pose a threat to the empire for a long time. How could Aaron defeat such an absolute being?
‘···You weren’t someone I could hold.’
Pulpouts sighed softly. Apart from that, if the sword’s master had fallen to Aaron, the possibility of a rebellion would have increased.
But why did Nova react like that? Shouldn’t she like it more? Maybe Nova felt the distance that Pulpouts felt.
Then, Nova hesitated for a moment and then opened her mouth again.
“They say the king of those demons is currently coming to Cassidy. He has a huge following.”
Pulpouts nodded at Nova’s continued explanation. He immediately understood what Nova was worried about.
The upper class, the gathered nobles, and the Brighton side were also in Cassadic, so Cassadic was currently virtually saturated.
‘It will certainly be difficult to handle if the numbers increase here.’
That wasn’t part of the plan. It was understandable for Nova to be taken aback.
But how many can there be? We can handle it somehow. Pulpouts nodded.
“Now that Kanna and Vivian are back, I think we should consider expanding the castle walls. Maybe we should build a second outer wall by surrounding the castle with a bigger one…”
Then Nova opened her mouth again.
“That··· the king of demons······.”
“···hmm?”
There was a moment of silence as Nova continued speaking, avoiding Pulpouts’ gaze.
“Baron Fullfoots···.”
Even though I heard it clearly, I couldn’t understand it.
He slowly recited the sentence.
‘The king of demons is Baron Pulpouts. Was there another Pulpouts besides me? No, not Aaron?’
Because it was a sentence I had never imagined, my thoughts just couldn’t flow.
‘No, there can’t be another Baron Fullfoot besides me. If that’s the case······.’
The meaning was obvious, yet I had to repeat it several times to understand it.
After a while, Pulpouts pointed at himself and muttered in a daze.
“·········I am the king of demons?”
Nova nodded to him.
“···Why on earth?”
Pulpouts, who had been frowning for a moment, muttered in vain.
Hiccup! Hiccup!
Vivian, in the corner, desperately held back her hiccups.
***
······.
In the void, Oman trembled quietly.
Because right in front of him, deep eyes were looking at him with a pout.
Since he never gave up under any circumstances, I briefly thought that he might win.
But this time, I was sure that even he wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.
After their mother disappeared, they had to accept the full karma. Hypocrisy tried to stop him later, but it was impossible.
In the end, they had to carry their own karma. There were more than a few who couldn’t stand him and were eaten, even though they had the class.
Of course, there were a few who overcame him like Oman, but it was only possible because they had class.
But now, the guy was in a state of no class. Even the target was the karma of arrogance that had reached its peak.
But, as always, he just continued on silently without complaint-,
Now he was facing himself.
How much time had passed for him? I couldn’t even dare to guess.
For the first time, Oman was amazed by something other than himself. He shuddered and acknowledged it. No, anyone who saw it would do so.
It was an achievement that even that clever and greedy hypocrite would bow to.
– ···Indomitable. Yes, you are indomitable.
A rising shiver passed through Oman’s lips.
It wasn’t a name he had given himself. It just came out of Oman’s mouth.
Yeah, he was indomitable.
Oman showed full respect that could not be hidden.
At that moment, the bastard’s eyes crinkled.
The guy who had been flinching for a moment opened his mouth.
“I am Aaron.”
Arrogance stopped for a moment at the bastard’s words.
He must know the meaning of the name. He must also clearly understand the meaning of what he just said.
But how-.
“I am Aaron.”
The moment Oman was about to ask back, the bastard spoke in an even firmer voice.
Arrogance was furious at his foolishness.
– You idiot. Don’t you know what a name means? If you receive a name, you will be able to rise to the top. You will not be a temporary being that simply passes away, but one that will remain forever…
“I am Aaron.”
Unlike the feverish Oman, the guy was still calm.
As if it would never be shaken.
Oman was incomprehensible.
Don’t you know how great the achievements he’s made are?
The moment I was about to speak again to enlighten him of his foolishness, our eyes met.
Oman realized in those unwavering, unfathomably deep eyes.
He clearly knew what the name meant.
No, there was no way I didn’t know from the beginning. I faced the karma myself.
He made that choice even though he knew the meaning and weight of it.
In the end, even this was just a means to that bastard.
His arrogance was dispelled. He was no different from the human he thought was foolish.
– Is that really such an important promise?
The guy didn’t answer but just laughed.
Oman sighed deeply.
He was truly an idiot.
As expected, foolishness suits him better than indomitability.
“You do the rest. I’m tired.”
As he said that, he took a step back.
As for what was left, there was only one.
Oman just stared at the guy quietly.
There have been many who have fallen because they could not support their karma, but this is the first time I have seen someone give up on his karma after bearing it all.
He was so stupid and foolish that he would never be seen again.
The arrogance of looking at him only made me more angry.
-···Will you really not regret it?
Oman asked, holding back his shaking hands.
The bastard laughed even more cheerfully at him.
“What you have is mine, right?”
It was a shameless answer.
Just as he treated the guards with the captain, he meant to leave everything to Oman and enjoy it through him.
It was a plausible story. If he gets a name, he has no choice but to come over here. He won’t be able to keep his promise.
So it might have been more appropriate for him to deal with him through arrogance.
but···.
– ···This is everything.
How could you think like that in front of this?
“No need.”
Oman laughed in vain at the bastard’s answer.
It was such an incomprehensible stupidity-.
That’s why he was so bastardized.
– As expected, you are stupid.
Oman said and grabbed the last piece.
“I am Aaron.”
Arrogance laughed out loud at the guy’s stupid joke.
– Yes, you are Aaron.
He didn’t need a name.
Because it already existed.
