Episode 209
Newspaper Villain
209 ? Newspaper Villain #1
Waggle, waggle-.
There were quite a few people gathered in Luna and my yard. Thanks to that, I could see that the potato patch I had worked so hard to plant the other day was being trampled here and there.
I feel like this has been happening a lot since the Subal Yard was created.
Knock knock-.
Strange visitors knocked on the door of the hut, whether the potatoes were spoiled or not, and sometimes shouted at the closed window above it.
“Is anyone inside?”
“Come out and let’s talk!”
What on earth is going on? Are they guests at the workshop? But the atmosphere seems a little different for a guest.
So I raised my head in wonder, and I was able to meet emerald eyes looking outside through the slightly open window on the second floor.
Anyone could see that it was Luna.
Luna’s eyes are filled with confusion.
Although they didn’t say anything to each other, Luna’s expression and eyes seemed to be saying, “Hassan, what should I do?” She also seemed a little scared.
Well, if a large group of people came to a house where a person was alone, knocked on the door, and yelled, I think anyone would be confused and scared.
So I had no choice but to open my mouth.
“Who are you? This is private property. If you want to come in, you should at least pay.”
I wondered if it was effective to speak with my neck slightly lowered. I felt the gazes that had been directed at Luna and the cabin turn to me.
What a sudden surge of attention.
I thought I had gotten used to the intense interest from others these days, but this situation still gives me a little chills.
“Who are you?”
Some rather grim faces looked at me with a puzzled expression. Seeing as they didn’t know my face, I wondered if they were people who had nothing to do with adventurers.
At that very moment someone spoke.
“Black hair, necklace of Mars Guild Bronze Tier. Perhaps Hassan of Samaria?”
“Oh? I guess so?”
“Hassan of Samaria, what are you doing here?”
“There’s probably only one woman in this cabin. I heard it’s a regular party. Are you cohabitating with her?”
“Living together?”
“That would be fun!”
They were like a flock of crows attacking at any moment. They chattered about this and that without giving me a chance to say a word, and even took out their notebooks and started writing things down.
“Who are you guys to be doing this here?”
“I am from the daily newspaper of the Melcus Trading Company in Sodomora. I would like to ask your opinion on this matter-.”
“No, I was here first. I am Vanadis Perdic, the weekly editorial writer for Vanadis Company. Do you have any relationship with the woman who lives here?”
Suddenly, people started rushing towards me. I was out of my mind, but judging from what they were saying, I thought they were reporters from weekly or daily newspapers.
I quickly understood because I had experienced something like this before when I had defeated a large number of goblins. However, it seemed like they had not come here because of the goblins this time.
“Please say something about this leap controversy!”
I don’t know what the leap controversy is.
I think the problem may have started without us knowing about Luna and the potion she was making.
When I heard that Luna was in trouble, I felt like everything before my eyes went dark, but on the other hand, I was filled with anger.
So I spoke firmly to the reporters occupying the yard, or rather, to the lynx-like bastards who were wandering around looking for gossip.
“I have something to say, so write it down carefully.”
“Write it down!”
“Ready!”
I felt like everyone was looking at my face, holding a quill and a notebook.
The way he waits for me to say something is just like a seal waiting for a fish to be thrown from the trainer’s hand.
I said to them.
“This is private property, so if you don’t get out immediately, I’ll snap your spine in half.”
* * *
“Hey, you brats. You really trampled on us.”
The yard, where people had left like an ebb tide, was truly miserable.
The ground has been dug up and trampled here and there, and even the traps that Luna had painstakingly set up have been destroyed.
Just when I thought things were going well, I got a little annoyed when visitors or raccoon-like kids came and messed around like this.
Should I get a dog?
If you raise a really big pit bull and tie it up in the yard, no one will be able to invade it, right?
My own pet shotgun pitbull.
With that thought in mind, I buried the potatoes in the ground again. After working in the field for a few weeks, I was now used to it.
“This time, you have to grow up well.”
It was when he said that as if it were an incantation and tapped the dirt with his palm.
Crunch, crunch.
Luna peeks her face through the small gap in the door as the lock opens.
“…Hassan, is everyone gone?”
“Oh, I think they’re all gone.”
“Huh, what the heck is going on….”
Luna was shaking as if she was scared. When I looked at her face, it was so pale that it looked like she had lost her mind, and I felt sorry for her.
Swish, swish.
Luna looked around and only after making sure everyone else had left did she slowly walk out of the yard.
He was so flustered that he was walking barefoot on the dirt, not even wearing sandals.
“The yard is completely ruined!”
“I know.”
“Hassan, do you know what’s going on? My elixir, my elixir is causing problems!”
Could it be that I had heard the reporters’ story through the door of the cabin? I was very embarrassed because I had some idea.
“Hassan, I think you know something. Tell me the truth!”
Since Luna looked really desperate, I couldn’t help but show her the weekly newspaper I had seen earlier.
Of course, there are stories written there about Luna’s leap being irreverent, unhealthy, etc.
“What is this? Hassan, if you knew about this, you should have told me in advance. Huh, I used unholy ingredients. This is a complete sham…!”
“that is….”
I hid it because I was worried about Luna’s feelings. Luna shouted at me as if she was really angry that I had hidden such a thing from her. On the other hand, I wonder if I was angry too?
Even though I have a mouth, I don’t really have anything to say.
Here, I felt it was a bit embarrassing to keep making excuses like, ‘I’m afraid you’ll be offended…’, so I just stayed still.
If I opened my mouth to say anything, Luna would literally burst out laughing.
As if my thoughts had resonated well, Luna tried to say something more to me but soon closed her mouth.
“… .”
“… .”
Luna and I were silent for a short moment.
Since I met Luna, there have been many times when we were together without saying a word, but this was the first time that the silence felt this long and stuffy.
This time, when there was no words between us, felt like a dividing window, making Luna and I seem a little further apart.
At that moment I could feel it.
Luna and I, who seemed like we’d never fight again in our entire lives, are fighting right now.
I can understand why couples who are busy loving each other fight, get angry, hurt each other, and sometimes even break up.
Of course, this was my fault.
If I had known this would happen, I would have told you the truth. I said I didn’t tell you because I was concerned about Luna’s feelings, but if it turns out like this, it’s just an excuse.
I think it would be better to apologize.
However, my mouth didn’t open properly. I had also thought about Luna’s feelings. But it didn’t work out so well.
If you think about it, aren’t the biggest culprits the reporters who rudely invaded the territory or the potion master who slandered Luna’s elixir?
Maybe it’s because our silence has become so long that my mind is starting to go blank.
Then, all of a sudden, I suddenly became afraid that if we kept silent like this, something like an irreversible rift would develop between us.
“Luna, that’s….”
It was easy for me to say thank you, but strangely, it was hard for me to say sorry.
I wasn’t really thinking about showing off my pride, but it felt like something was stuck in my throat and wouldn’t come out.
When you are hesitating so much.
Luna, who had been catching her breath for a while, spoke first.
“I guess I was a little angry at the time. Hassan must have deliberately not said anything to make me feel better. If I hadn’t been afraid to read the newspaper at that time, this wouldn’t have happened. This is my fault.”
“… No, I’m sorry.”
“You can tell me without hiding anything next time. I’m not weak enough to collapse just because I saw something like this! Being misunderstood is a daily occurrence.”
“… .”
If possible, let’s live without lying or hiding anything from Luna.
That’s what I thought.
“And yet, you’re babbling such baseless words as a knight! Potions Master? What the hell does he do? I should go and find out!”
Luna tried to run out of the yard, looking really angry.
But it was getting dark and evening and night would soon come, so I had no choice but to calm Luna down.
Eventually, Luna went to bed early.
Luna said with a cheerful tone, “I’m not weak enough to collapse after seeing something like this!” But it seems that she was still quite shocked and angry that such negative comments were being made about her.
Eventually, Luna, unable to control her emotions, curled up under the blanket and sobbed.
“Why are you doing this to me… I’m just trying to live hard…”
In fact, it was natural for envy and jealousy to follow when someone seemed to be doing well.
On the one hand, the fact that someone is slandering and framing Luna means that Luna is on the right path to success.
However, I hid the truth from Luna because I didn’t want to see this kind of thing.
Now I’m angry at the reporter who made this baseless slander.
I continued to stroke Luna’s back through the blanket until she calmed down and fell asleep. That’s when I could hear a squeak, squeak sound.
I made up my mind to go see the newspaper and the reporter tomorrow.
* * *
“Hassan, another newspaper has arrived… ”
Early morning.
Luna shivered as she looked at the leather newspaper in the mailbox, as if she was afraid to check what was written there.
“I’ll read it.”
“This time, you have to tell me the truth.”
“okay.”
This time, I have to tell Luna what’s written in the newspaper without any filtering.
From now on, I will pursue an honest relationship without hiding anything or lying to Luna. – I made up my mind as I opened the leather newspaper.
The Golden Count of Sodomora offers a reward for the cure of his child Enya’s chronic illness.
The collaboration between Bainar Trading Company and the Alchemist’s Guild begins! New product, Vitality Potion, is being produced!
A large number of Michuri swarms move across the plains of the Kallan region. Farmers are crying over damage to their crops.
The mines near Sodomora are depleted. Are there no alternatives? Seo Min-gyeong groans from an unexpected shortage of resources.
First of all, the first page, which contained the most important story, didn’t seem to contain any story about Luna and the leap. So, I turned the page half relieved, half nervous.
A workshop selling elixirs of stamina. I tried to approach them, but they refused to interview me!
Is it true that among those involved in creating the fake potion, a famous adventurer named H is involved?
“Oh, crap.”
“Hassan, what does it say? Who wrote what?”
Luna was almost screaming, covering her face with her small palms. I read the words written on the page out loud more carefully for Luna.
“The Ideophee stamina elixir sold on the market. It tastes terrible and has no effect. Selling this is an obvious fraud-.”
“Hassan, that’s too much! Have you been thinking like that all along?”
Soon, Luna slapped my back with her palm. It hurt.
“No, no, that’s not what I thought…! It’s written right here in the article. Here, right here, it says that Luna’s elixir is clearly a fraud and that the Sodomora Alchemist’s Guild will take strong action against those who sell counterfeit potions.”
“The Alchemist’s Guild!?”
Luna screamed in disbelief.
That would be surprising.
The Alchemist’s Guild is a group of experts in making potions, elixirs, and elixirs.
In my case, I won’t get seriously hurt, and since I have Luna’s elixir, I won’t have much to do with alchemists.
The influence of the Alchemist’s Guild is enormous, as many adventurers and citizens within the city purchase potions of fire, recovery, etc. from them.
If Luna were to be likened to a peddler selling mineral water on a mountain, the Alchemist’s Guild would be like Coca-Cola.
Big company.
Yes, that’s right.
The current situation is similar to a large corporation attacking Luna, which is gradually increasing its presence in the alley market.
Could it be that someone did this on purpose?
So Luna and I went to the Red Potion Shop, which published the morning newspaper. What we heard in the reception room there was quite shocking.
“That article was written by the Alchemist’s Guild. We are the ones receiving support from them, so we have to write the article as they tell us to. Our company is a large merchant group that grew by distributing potions. Its name is Red Potion.”
The man in charge of publishing the newspaper at the Red Potion Shop, a halfling with a weasel beard, acted awkwardly as if he really had no choice.
“So if you can just tell me that it’s not true, I’ll put out a correction. So, put that club down. I’m scared to say anything when you’re so angry.”
Of course, the reason he answers so obediently is because I am pulling out a big club from behind him.
Luna, who was crying while listening to the story, said.
“If I reveal that my leap isn’t fake, you’ll correct the report?”
“Yes. At the Alchemist’s Guild, please tell us about the ingredients, materials, and manufacturing process. Then things will be resolved neatly. Maybe it will go in a better direction. But what’s your relationship? Are you two dating? I’d like you to tell me.”
Luna suddenly blushes at him.
“… T, why is that!”
“Well, that’s because romance articles sell well. Hehe-.”
