110
A book of lies
I was in the swamp.
A very bad swamp that sinks down every time you walk and disappears up to your ankles.
I looked down at him for a moment and then habitually touched his waist.
There was nothing that was always there.
The implications were clear.
‘It’s a dream.’
A world that seems to shake as if in agreement.
I tried to control my heavy heart, which was sinking despite having nothing on me, and walked forward.
In front, there was something huge that was sucking everything around it in.
It was clear that it would be dangerous to approach, but I also knew.
That I had gone forward.
Also, we have to move forward.
My feet sank deep into the ground, but my nerves were all focused forward.
In a space filled with darkness, strangely, a deeper darkness showed its presence.
Krrrrrrrr-.
Something I don’t want to hear.
It was the sound of him laughing.
To fight the monster, a weapon was needed.
I imagined a laser sword in my head, but nothing came out.
He also thought about a spaceship, but it didn’t come out.
‘Even in dreams, nothing goes as planned.’
As I clenched my fist and clicked my tongue, something caught in the swamp.
I tried to ignore it and move forward, but my feet wouldn’t move.
It seemed like I had to check to be able to move on.
‘That’s bullshit.’
I muttered softly and put my hand in and pulled him out.
It was a crushed face, as if a monster fly had stuck its proboscis in it.
But underneath that is a nice beard.
There could never have been another beard as wonderful as this one.
‘Cedric… Captain.’
It was an unforgettable name.
Because he was the first one to teach me how to use a sword.
[Promises must be kept. That is the criterion that distinguishes man from beast.]
[Your name is Aaron. Aaron.]
Voices that come up one after another.
However, the color of that emotion was rather light.
Then I tore the corpse apart with my own hands.
And he stuffed the swampy mess into his mouth.
The rising guilt darkened the faded colors.
I could remember the name.
After catching my breath for a moment, I looked straight ahead again.
Was there.
The monster that had taken everything from me was laughing strangely.
Just like that day, the anger was still greater than the fear, but just like that day, there was a moment when I tried to move forward somehow.
“We’ll take care of it from here. Get out.”
A voice that sounds like annoyance.
A large sword painted on top of dazzling golden armor.
‘Oh, that’s right.’
The moment I was about to nod to him, I realized that he was much shorter than I thought.
‘runt?’
Plus, the voice sounded very young and familiar.
As I grimaced in embarrassment, the bastard advanced.
At first glance it seemed reckless, but in reality it wasn’t.
He was the sword of the empire.
A large number of golden armors appear behind him.
It seemed like the sun was rising in the darkness.
Some of them yelled at him to get back out.
As he stepped back, the sword of the empire flashed in both hands.
“Kuhh!!!”
It spat out a huge amount of flame like a dragon.
I realized who he was at the sound of his playful voice.
“Get out of the way!!”
I ran hurriedly, pushing past the guys blocking my way.
– Hmm… it has a strange taste.
The voice of the unpleasant tenant followed.
***
dripping.
[Kuhh!!]
‘You can’t be a magician!’
My mind suddenly opened.
Sweat pouring down my whole body.
I wiped the sweat from my face with trembling hands.
I had a terrible nightmare, and I felt really uneasy.
I stood up, fiddling with my sword as if it were my habit.
I took a deep breath and opened the door, and there was the abbot with his usual wrinkled face.
“You look good today. Did you sleep well?”
I didn’t bother answering the abbot’s useless questions.
“It’s been quite some time since you promised to come to church. When do you plan to come?”
“I will go without being late.”
I went to Choco’s room to wake him up, then went down and woke Kanna up too.
Hannah, who always woke up late, was up today.
I shook Kanna awake, who was drooling profusely while sleeping.
I went to the backyard, stretched out, and swung my sword.
Kanna often copied my posture next to me.
Of course, it wasn’t a very difficult move since it was just a basic slash and stab.
However, looking at him today, I felt particularly uneasy.
After swinging his sword until his muscles were aching, he looked at Kanna.
Although it looked strange to breathe fire from its mouth, it was very effective in surprising the enemy when facing them from the front.
Who would expect that the opponent you are fighting with will start spitting fire from his mouth?
‘It’s practical… It’s clearly practical, but why does it feel so uncomfortable?’
I have seen many people spit sand to survive, and I have even done it myself.
Flames are cooler and more efficient than sand, but looking at him made me feel uneasy for some reason.
Even though he tried to change the shape of the fire, Kanna would never give up.
I had no choice but to leave the shape as is and cut down on the fire-breathing aspect to make it more effective.
‘It seems really efficient and good… but why do I feel uneasy?’
I tried to suppress my anxiety and finished Kanna’s basic training as a swordsman.
While receiving magic from the washing machine, Kanna suddenly shot something.
It was the lightning magic I told Kuabarou about, but it stung badly because it was still wet from the washing machine.
Compared to Kua Bao Rou, its power was so weak that it felt similar to licking the end of a battery.
‘I guess being a magician is the right choice.’
After finishing that, I packed Hannah’s meat bread, which was so big that it was burdensome, and headed to headquarters.
The road to headquarters was cleaner and quieter than usual.
There were hardly any people walking around.
‘It’s because of the Imperial Army.’
The imperial army that had reached Cassidy, the eastern frontier, could not immediately return.
It seemed like everyone was hiding, since facing the Imperial Army was not the right choice.
‘I bet you’re busy too.’
Of course, the outer castle guards would also have to be on their toes, but there was no reason for the imperial army to bother with the outer castle guards.
‘I can smell your perfume, so I guess you gave me a present last night.’
Park Daegari seemed to be more diligent than expected.
I arrived at headquarters and gave a brief report.
I headed to the inner sanctum after hearing that Nova was looking for me.
The atmosphere inside was more bleak than outside.
There were hardly any people walking around, and only the occasional imperial army could be seen.
I don’t know why, but I was stopped by the Imperial Army several times on my way in and had to reveal my identity.
Among them, there was one who didn’t believe me and called the inner security guard.
So I made my way to Nova’s room, where security was tighter than usual, and knocked on the door.
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
The room was much cleaner than before.
There are only a few pieces of paper that are visible.
‘It feels like it was covered up before the tax audit.’
Nova’s face was sharper and more stern than usual.
He tried hard to swallow the orange that was full to the tip of his tongue.
“You look busy.”
“The Imperial Army has requested a tax list. I usually organize it so it’s fine, but there’s a problem on Gerel’s side.”
Nova said, pointing to the paper in front of me with a quill pen.
‘Gerel? Isn’t that Cassidy’s new mascot?’
The paper Nova handed over had an amount and a name written on it.
‘Olivia··· Denle···.’
What these names had in common was that they were all self-employed.
Although they handled different items, they were doing quite well in business.
“They adjusted the taxes by bribing Gerel. If they had sorted it out properly, it wouldn’t have been a problem, but Gerel made such a mess of things that it’s impossible to handle.”
Nova said, pointing to each name with a quill pen.
“You have to make up for the shortfall as quickly as possible. Do you know what I mean? It’s usually the guillotine, but if you give it to me quickly, I might let it slide.”
“···Get the money?”
Normally, each castle would have a separate tax collector, but in Cassidy, Geral and Nova were in charge, but it seemed that there was a hitch when the position became vacant.
“Uh, as fast as possible. I’ll ask you to do this as soon as possible. The Imperial Army will be prying at me….”
It was the first time Nova had asked for something.
I could feel how serious the situation was.
‘Anyway, those imperial bastards…’
At that, I clicked my tongue and wiggled my fingers.
At my gesture, Nova spread both of her hands wide.
I nodded at the quest that paid better than I expected.
Then Nova tapped my chest with a strangely burdened expression.
Kkung kkung.
I hurriedly left the place because it looked like they were going to start dancing soon.
‘···By the way, you’re telling me to get the money I owe you. That doesn’t suit someone as likable as me.’
[Aaron’s eyes are like a deer’s. Clear and transparent.]
I laughed bitterly at the voice that suddenly came to mind.
Still, it seemed like if I just roughly beat them up a few times, they would probably spit out the money on their own.
‘If you don’t spit it out, I’ll just hit you with a hammer until you do.’
I unfolded the list and checked the one at the very top.
***
“Here it is! Please take it!!”
Dent, the fruit vendor, lay down flat and politely held out his pockets.
‘Hmm… It’s definitely easy, but why do I feel bad?’
All I had to do was show them the list and make a quick face, but they all took out their money without hesitation.
It was to the point where I felt like it was pointless to have prepared a line like a ticket to the guillotine.
‘I was originally a regular payer, but I guess I forgot to pay because I didn’t have automatic transfer.’
I clicked my tongue, feeling strangely regretful.
Now that the Imperial Army had entered, it seemed like a smooth family trip, with even the slightest chance of getting entangled in one of the events leading to the guillotine.
‘Imperial Army···.’
I looked at the imperial soldiers walking around as if on patrol.
Although they were well-disciplined, they were rough and tumble, similar to the private soldiers of nobles. Of course, their level of armament was much better.
In the end, he was just a gangster.
“Oh my… Your Majesty!! That won’t do!!”
I turned my head at the desperate voice and saw a familiar figure rolling around on the floor.
He was one of the regulars at Hannah’s bar.
He’s the guy who bought me beer a few times.
In front of him, two imperial soldiers were giggling.
‘Anyway, those imperial bastards···.’
I approached them, clicking my tongue.
“What… what?!”
As I approached, the guys backed away in terror.
Even though I didn’t do anything, I pulled out my sword.
It was a sight worthy of the Imperial Army.
Of course, as the leader of the guards, I couldn’t stop the imperial army.
“What are you doing to my followers now?”
I imitated the abbot, smoothing my dusty and discolored cape.
“A… believer? Just by looking at him, he’s clearly a mercenary. What kind of believer is he!”
Then their faces crumpled.
At their wild resistance, I gave a quick glance to the one lying down below.
Then the guy got startled and took out the pocket he had hidden in his shoe.
After thinking about it for a moment, I accepted it and nodded back.
The man who had been thinking for a moment shouted with a face that seemed to have realized something.
“Ah··· Honorary Monk Aaron!!”
I didn’t like the sound of that voice, as if it was pointing out the culprit, but it was the answer I wanted.
“This… This guy is a monk? What kind of nonsense is he talking about….”
The Imperial soldier raised his sword even higher with a trembling expression.
“The sun will light your path. Wherever you are, even in the darkness, the sun is always within you. So do not be afraid, always be courageous…”
Everyone’s expressions became subtle as the prayer flowed smoothly from my mouth.
‘Why do I know this prayer? This damned abbot… he has managed to contaminate me!’
Of course, my expression was just as crumpled.
I was becoming more faithful without even realizing it.
Before the long prayer was over, two Imperial soldiers picked up the fallen man and shook his buttocks.
Although it was born out of the relationship between the church and the empire, I felt strangely uncomfortable with the excessive reaction.
“Even a savage recites a prayer, and it’s a shame that I don’t know him. Even a savage can join a religious order! I’m sorry for doubting you.”
The Imperial soldier offered a rude apology and handed me the pouch.
Then he placed his right hand on his forehead, said a short prayer, and walked away.
“Ah··· Aaron··· Honorary Monk! Aaron Honorary Monk!!”
The guy who had been lying down raised both his hands and cheered.
I clicked my tongue at him and took the bag I had received.
The guy looked at me with his eyes wide open and his mouth wide open.
“You didn’t pay your taxes. Do you want to go to the guillotine? Do you want to pay?”
The guy laughed awkwardly and stepped back.
‘I guess I’ll have to ask the church to patrol with me.’
Since the guards couldn’t stop the imperial army, it seemed that having personnel from the religious order would be enough to remove some of the noise.
‘But we can’t continue to drag the religious sect out… We have to push the imperial army back as quickly as possible.’
However, I had a feeling they would be around for a long time.
At that moment, a familiar face approached.
He was one of Count Behar’s knights.
The one who seemed to have the lowest skill level approached with a face that showed a lot of displeasure.
“···The Count is looking for you.”
“Yes, I understand.”
I nodded politely.
The knight, whose face became grim for a moment, led the way.
The place we arrived at was…
‘Isn’t this Hannah’s bar?’
Of course, a count couldn’t drink alcohol anywhere.
Unlike common guests, noble guests were picky, but the units of money they gave were different, so they were guests who produced gold coins.
When Haena built the tavern, she also took the nobles into consideration.
Familiar faces stood around the bar, looking uneasy.
They looked like a bunch of thugs who got kicked out of a bar.
‘Why are you wearing similar clothes again?’
I didn’t like the strangely united atmosphere, but it wasn’t something to worry about now.
I waved my hand and dismissed them.
The tavern door was guarded by Behart’s knights.
“Leave the black one behind.”
Among them, the chief knight extended his hand.
When I met my brother, I didn’t need a sword.
After leaving the sword in his hands, I went inside.
Count Berhard was sitting in the spacious hall.
There was a lot of delicious food on the table, but there was no sign of a burn on anyone’s hands.
I took a quick look around the bar.
Fortunately, no one was in sight except the washing machine.
‘It looks like Hannah took action in advance.’
“It’s here.”
Count Behard… no, his younger brother spoke in a solemn voice.
I took a moment to compose myself and sat down on the other side.
‘Ignorant and angry.’
This was the characteristic of the ‘set’ that I felt from talking to them.
It was a bit difficult to express him as a modern person, but it was pretty easy once I tried.
“By the way, isn’t your name Aaron? I heard the name of this bar is the Cool Aaron Rabbit.”
Count Behard spoke lightly.
I thought about it for a moment, but it seemed easier to deal with what would happen later if I said it was mine.
“Yes, it’s my bar. I run it as a small side job.”
“···A small side job? Hmm, I see.”
Count Behard nodded.
Then, the washing machine brought me a beer mug.
When his younger brother saw him, he gave him a slight wave, and the washerman’s eyes instantly opened.
‘This kid is my washer and cook?!’
The washing machine was a silent washing machine that did its job silently, so for a moment I frowned and thought something was wrong.
However, judging from the fact that his breathing was steady, it seemed like it was a simple anesthesia rather than something dangerous.
‘···Are you a black magician? Even a washing machine is a magician, and you can make something like that with just a gesture of your hand.’
I habitually remembered the gesture just now.
“Huh? I guess you were a wizard.”
My brother said it nonchalantly.
“Is it okay?”
My question made Awoo’s expression become subtle.
I hurriedly spoke to him.
“The stew that guy makes is so delicious that if something goes wrong, I’ll be really upset because I won’t be able to eat it.”
“···Haha. You’ll come to your senses in about half a day. It looks like the Empire is in a hurry too. An imperial knight has come all the way to a remote area like this.”
My brother smiled awkwardly and said while running his finger along the top of his beer glass.
Speaking of the empire, I opened my mouth and came up with a suitable recipe.
“Pull out all the intestines and let the blood flow out…”
When I roughly recited the recipe for Gopchang Jeon-gol, the guy nodded with a frown.
“I know what happened to the three of you. You’re so famous. The reason your brother is in the outskirts… Oh, I didn’t mean to offend you.”
The way he was thinking about what he was saying seemed different.
‘Why are you in the outskirts…?’
I muttered, trying to figure out what it meant.
“It’s okay. We’re brothers.”
“······That’s right. Brother. Because we’re brothers.”
He rolled the words around in his mouth like he was eating sweet candy.
“Ah! That’s why you called me here separately. I know that you three hate the Imperial Army, and I also know that it’s very hard to tolerate him, but I can’t make the same mistake again, can I? In fact, my heart ached when I saw my brother tolerating him yesterday.”
He spoke as if he was soothing a child.
I quickly analyzed the meaning of his words with my face crumpled.
‘The mistake back then… I guess the three of you caused a big problem and the three of you split up because of that. It’s not just because of my extreme words and actions that you think I’m one of the three of you, but is it also because I’m on the outskirts?’
I made a face that said I was angry and couldn’t stand it.
“Yes, which brother wouldn’t feel wronged? The Empire bastards are just running around like that. But as you know, that day is not far away. The day when the hypocrites fall will come soon.”
‘If he’s a hypocrite, he’s a knight. The day will come when he falls. I wonder what he’ll do. But why do you call a knight a hypocrite?’
My mind kept getting more and more complicated.
The subtle sense of foreboding I had felt before gradually grew stronger in his words.
‘I was able to summon demons and use Aura…’
– I’m really curious.
The tenant’s playful voice shook my thoughts.
Now, all that mattered was to pretend to be an ignorant, choleric person.
“It’s not far away! The day will come when the hypocrisy of the hypocrites will be exposed!”
I swung my fist at the guy like I was making a mistake while I was very excited.
Even though it was quite fast, the guy dodged backwards without any problems. And judging by the fact that his expression didn’t even change, it seemed like he didn’t feel threatened.
‘I guess I need to close the distance a bit more.’
I remembered the guy’s reaction.
“The hypocrisy of hypocrites is exposed… I see. That’s right.”
It was probably a stupid, repetitive phrase, but the guy seemed to really like it and muttered along.
“There isn’t much time left. I don’t know what your assignment is, but it must be related to the Great Work. Everything we do is for him.”
The word ‘great undertaking’ coming out of his mouth really bothered me.
The undertaking undertaken by the Devil Candies could not possibly be as constructive as the Saemaul Movement.
‘You have to change a great undertaking into a slowdown···.’
I nodded in agreement with what he said and wondered what to do.
“You dare block my path now!!”
At that moment, a loud noise was heard outside.
The frowning man snapped his fingers, and the dazed washing machine came to its senses.
Although his face looked a little dazed, perhaps due to his mental state, the silent washing machine seemed to be fine.
The washing machine stared at me with trembling eyes.
I waved my hand at him roughly.
The washing machine, which had been pondering for a moment, bowed its head deeply and stepped back.
bang!
The door opened roughly and golden light poured in.
He was the one at the very back of the royal knights I saw yesterday.
The knights of Count Behart with puzzled faces behind them.
Auga raised his hand and waved them off.
“I was wondering where the Count had gone, and here he was. Didn’t you hear me tell you not to come out of the castle?”
The royal knight came straight to the table where we were sitting and spoke in a muffled voice.
‘You followed my brother.’
Aou also frowned, as if he was thinking the same thing as me.
“Do I need your permission to move?”
“I said understanding, not permission. That’s good, since I was thirsty at the time.”
The Imperial Knight bared his teeth and sat between me and Behart.
The imperial troops that followed in surrounded the tavern.
The knights and soldiers of Behard standing on the opposite side.
The tension was so intense that it seemed like it could explode at any moment.
A crumpled face of a younger brother.
On the contrary, the imperial knights seemed to be laughing at him.
At that moment, my brother and I met eyes.
The younger brother who faced me shook his head slightly.
It looked like he was worried that I might have an accident right away.
I looked sideways.
The imperial knight was looking his younger brother up and down.
On one side are the imperial knights, on the other side are the counts, the true losers of the easternmost part.
The invisible imperial era, unlike yesterday.
It was balanced to the point where it wouldn’t be strange no matter where the weight was tilted.
I had to drive out the Imperial Army, who were clearly only going to cause trouble, and I also had to sabotage the Devil Candies’ great work.
‘If you do this well···.’
The most important thing was how deeply the younger brother cared for his younger brother.
If they were truly brothers, shouldn’t they be able to fight the empire as the weasel said?
Unlike before, I saw my brother putting his hand under the table.
‘I think it might work.’
I had a rough plan in my head.
As always, the process was spacious, with clear goals. That way, we could flexibly deal with any problems that arose in the middle.
If winning without fighting was the best policy, then letting the enemies fight each other and then drinking beer could be seen as a bad policy.
‘···What a shame.’
An imperial knight happened to be glaring at me.
Keep a proper line so that if things go wrong, it’s not my fault.
Although the line is very thin and almost at the level of a stunt, tightrope walking was also my specialty.
I did a quick calculation in my head.
“Then drink plenty. I’ve had enough.”
At that moment, my younger brother tried to get up and motioned for me to leave.
I took a deep breath and caught my emotions.
‘I’m a loser.’
It was a burdensome role for a modern person like me, but I had to do it.
After muttering a few times, he roughly slammed his beer mug on the table.
thud!
The beer splashed on the royal knights.
‘If I just let this go, I’ll get in trouble? Can’t you stand it?’
I looked at my brother with an angry expression on my face.
In a space filled with tense tension, I pulled the trigger.
The atmosphere changed in an instant again.
The younger brother’s face became complicated as if he was calculating something, and the royal knight’s face looked flustered.
‘From now on, let’s fight each other.’
I looked at the two of them and tried to suppress the corners of my lips that were twitching.
***
‘Count Behar went to see Aaron himself?’
Pulpouts pressed his temples and thought back on the report he had just received.
Right now, the imperial army that was running rampant in the castle was already making people lose their minds, and even Count Behart was getting on Pulpchus’ nerves.
With Count Behar being so active, Pulpouts became very anxious.
This was especially true because, according to Nova’s words, Aaron was only given gold coins and nothing else.
‘No, if it’s Nova’s judgment, then it’s trustworthy. But Geral isn’t here···.’
If Geralt had been there, I would have been sure, but I was so excited at the time that I ended up cutting off his head.
I had no regrets.
Because someone who has made a mistake once will make a bigger mistake someday.
However, in this situation, it was difficult to tell whether my current course of action was right or not.
Another nagging headache.
Pulpouts gritted his teeth and held his head.
Adela, who was behind her, hurriedly lit a candle containing an anesthetic ingredient.
I took a deep breath and smelled him for a moment, and my headache went away a little.
‘Nova’s judgment may be right. Nova said that Aaron would remain at Cassidy even if they maintained their current relationship.’
But Fullfoot couldn’t leave him alone.
I couldn’t just watch Aaron, a key figure in Cassidy, play dice.
‘What Count Behart cannot give, only I can.’
Pulpouts continued his thoughts, pressing his temples.
The first thing that came to mind was Nova and Aaron’s marriage.
The Nova that Fullfoot knew was not someone who would leave Cassidy no matter what happened.
Although she was cold, Nova was someone who put the people of Cassidy first, so if Aaron had married Nova, he would have felt at ease.
But, since Nova was a novice, there was no progress in the situation.
‘No, nothing might happen right away. Let’s not think too deeply about it.’
Pulpouts tried hard to suppress his anxiety.
With so many big things happening lately, I think I’ve been thinking too much.
Even if the Imperial Army comes and causes a lot of trouble, it can pass without any problems.
Just then, the door opened roughly.
“Baron! Count Behart and the Imperial Army are currently in conflict!!”
Pulpouts closed his eyes tightly at the unbelievable report that followed.
