117
rainfall
“Hehehe···.”
As I went to the gate to change shifts, the guy on duty looked at me and smirked.
It seemed as if his mouth was itching to say something right away.
‘Tsk.’
As I nodded with a sigh, the bastard opened his mouth.
“Please fuck me.”
The guy who greeted me politely ran away.
“Do you feel it?”
The weasel asked, twirling his dagger.
The movements were so flashy that they were very annoying.
“Okay. Just turn the pulley.”
I shook my head and waved my hand.
Several carriage drivers were waiting in front of the city gate.
“Stand in line.”
Since these guys had no concept of waiting in line, we had to instill the medieval concept of waiting in line.
As I shook my fist, the experienced carriage driver hurriedly lined up the children.
‘There are a lot of kids from the castle of Byzant.’
It seemed like most of the guys with slightly crooked eyes were from the Byzantine side.
Seeing so many carriage drivers waiting before the gates even opened, I could tell that Cassadick’s stock was on the rise.
‘Stocks that I can raise with my own hands.’
I swallowed hard and wondered what kind of last name would be close.
‘Karzan is not an Imperial property, we’ve already taken the Vault Castle, so is Byzant or Billiant next?’
At that moment, all the iron gates went up.
First, he put the carriage drivers on standby and sent out the peasants who were waiting inside.
“Aaron, good morning.”
A passing farmer gave me a turnip.
Vegetables were considered extremely lowly by the people here, so they were not served on the tables of nobles.
They looked down on vegetables so much that stealing them didn’t even count as theft. There weren’t many people who stole them in the first place.
If you’re a vegetarian, it’s a place where you don’t have to pay for food.
“Oh, I told you not to bring it. Tsk. Anyway, if anything happens, scream.”
“yes.”
The peasant nodded vigorously.
After the previous orc raid, I told the peasants to stand a certain distance apart.
In case a monster or wild beast appears, we can scream to each other so that we can reach the castle in the shortest possible time.
I wish there was a faster means of delivery, but we didn’t have any fireworks, so that was the best we could do.
Increasing patrols or security outside the gates was impossible with the current personnel.
The peasants who heard my story looked at me as if they were expecting something.
They were looking at my cape.
‘Tsk… those uncivilized guys.’
I sighed softly and put on a solemn expression.
“May the sun shine before you.”
When he spoke in a loud voice like an abbot, only then did the peasants bow their heads and go out.
The peasants thought that since I was an honorary monk, if they received prayers from me, they would have a good day without any wild beast attacks.
To begin with, my prayers, which lacked faith, could not have had such an effect, but since they said it was good, I just roughly imitated it.
Actually, there is also a Platango effect.
All the peasants went out and motioned to the carriage driver.
The weasel strode forward proudly, and I leaned against the gate with a frown.
The weasel saw the checkpoint and I stood behind it with a bad attitude and set the mood.
It was a thorough division of labor.
‘It’s a bit of a shame that Geralt isn’t here.’
I clicked my tongue as I looked at the empty gate.
I was quite attached to Gerel, but one night someone stole Gerel.
The family was identified as suspects, but Gerald had done enough work that no one bothered to catch him.
Gerald, who had worked hard, deserved a rest.
And even if we left it, it was our job to clean it up, so it was our job.
A smooth checkpoint followed.
There were some rough guys here and there, so I felt the void left by Geralt, but when I shook my fist, everyone smiled brightly.
“Big brother, they don’t take bribes when they check the castle of Byzant.”
The weasel, chewing on the jerky he received from the carriage driver, spoke.
The turnips were tasteless.
I nodded, trying to swallow the rough taste of turnips.
“I heard that Count Bonita is very strict, and the tax rate is high. Isn’t he very greedy?”
The weasel looked around and spoke very quietly.
‘There were quite a few people who ran away to Cassidy because of the tax rates there.’
When there were a lot of visitors, there were quite a few people who came from Bizan.
“The noble who imposed high taxes did not last long. The high-ranking nobles must have known about him, but doesn’t imposing high taxes mean that the situation is serious?”
The weasel made a rather sensible story, which was not very appropriate.
‘What is this kid trying to say?’
The weasel’s eyes were shining with ambition, which was unusual.
At that, I slightly lowered my right hand and nodded.
“It seems that the castle of Byzant needs a new ruler… Ugh!”
He quickly stuck out his fist and silenced the weasel.
“Ha… but… riding a dragon has always been a monarch’s….”
The weasel did not give up and spoke a few more times before closing his mouth.
“You are still the same.”
Then, a familiar voice was heard.
When I raised my head, there were two beggars there.
However, both of their faces looked strangely familiar.
The face of the guy who just spoke to me looked very familiar.
I looked at him for a moment and then I realized who it was.
It took me quite some time to recognize him as he looked completely different than before.
“···Ben?”
There was another one next to it, and upon closer inspection, it was Geluru.
When his eyes met mine, he looked startled and avoided eye contact.
He wasn’t a human cub, but he was still a knight, and yet he looked like a beggar without a sword or armor…
‘Ah, I’ve lost my honor.’
I heard that he cut down the gate of Bolt Castle with his sword, and that’s probably why he ended up like that.
It was an honorable and knightly act to rescue the kidnapped Yeong-ae, but in the end, it was just a dog baring its teeth at its master.
“You must be thirsty.”
I clicked my tongue and held out the flask of wine.
Ben, who had received it, looked down at the water bottle for a moment and then brought it to his lips.
Even though he was a beggar, he drank it very slowly.
After taking a few sips, Ben apologized to me and handed the canteen to Geluru.
“What’s going on?”
I asked Ben, whose face had become much more relaxed.
“Oh, this is it. I’m free.”
Ben literally laughed heartily.
“I see. The lighter something is, the freer it is.”
I smiled bitterly and searched through my pockets.
I put the gold coin back in and took out the silver coin.
“Come in and get something to eat. There’s a nice bar called the Aaron Rabbit. This isn’t given to you, it’s loaned to you.”
“It’s the place I went to last time. Thanks.”
Ben, who had been looking down at the silver coin for a moment, picked it up and bowed his head deeply.
He pretended like nothing was wrong, but he seemed hungry.
Geluru nodded and followed him.
Ben was the most unchivalrous knight I’ve ever encountered.
So it seemed like I lost my honor.
‘I’m glad you like him.’
“Big brother, I am also free···.”
The weasel, who had taken off his armor, held out his palm.
I hit his head and called the next carriage driver.
***
When I returned to the bar after work, a much more refreshed Ben was waiting for me.
It seemed like he had just washed up and bought new clothes.
Hannah was sitting next to me, talking about something, when she noticed me, waved and got up from her seat.
“You have a good wife. Beautiful and kind.”
As I sat down across from Ben, he spoke to me.
‘···That’s where the rumor originated.’
Seeing Hanna running away with a thief’s face, it seemed like it was right.
I clicked my tongue and drank the beer mug in front of Ben.
It was lukewarm.
Ben laughed and picked up the meat in front of me and put it in his mouth.
Next to it was a pile of crusty bread soaked in sauce.
Since they used hard bread as a bowl, it looks like they ate quite a lot.
‘You pretended not to know, but I guess you were starving.’
A hungry knight…
I laughed out loud at the absurd sentence.
“Why did you take up the sword?”
Then, Ben asked an unexpected question.
I shook my head as I recalled the first time I held a sword.
“I caught him trying to kill someone.”
“Haha! That’s right. Swords were originally meant to take other people’s lives.”
Ben responded with a big laugh and his eyes lit up.
It seemed as if he wanted to ask himself questions as well.
I wasn’t that curious, so I ignored it and took a sip of my beer, and Ben kept coughing, saying, “Ahem!”
“···Why did you take up the sword?”
I asked, sipping my Ming Ming beer.
“I wanted to be a hero. A hero who could defeat dragons and save princesses and people.”
I averted my gaze, feeling stung by the word ‘dragon’ that Ben had mentioned.
There was silence for a moment.
Ben fiddled with the meat with his hands, as if he was deep in thought, and I sipped a lukewarm beer.
Kanna didn’t seem to be playing outside.
“I’m going to cross the continent.”
Ben suddenly spoke again.
Looking at that very serious face, it seemed like he had made up his mind.
‘It’s a cross-continent journey…’
Originally, it was a rather symbolic word for these guys who didn’t move much from their birthplace.
Walking from one end of the continent to the other.
Some did it to prove their faith in God, some did it to prove themselves, and some did it simply to escape.
‘So that’s why you came to Cassadic.’
In the Middle Ages, even death by sword was considered a natural death, so the success rate of crossing the continent was significantly low.
A successful crossing of the continent would require adequate funding and force, but Ben seemed to be lacking the former.
Of course, but I’m a knight, so I have to die…
I thought I’d feel uneasy when I went to sleep if I just let Ben go with that stupid face.
Tsk,
At that, I clicked my tongue and took out my pocket.
It was a pouch containing a few gold coins.
“I’m lending it to you.”
He pushed the pocket towards Ben.
Ben’s eyes widened as he looked into his pocket.
“At least double when you pay it back.”
Of course, it wasn’t just given to me.
Ben may not have been a very human being, but he was still a knight, so it seemed unlikely that he would die while crossing the continent.
Plus, the price of a knight who has traveled across the continent tends to go up, so it wasn’t a bad deal.
Given Ben’s personality, I don’t think he would do that.
“······You are kind.”
Ben, who had been staring at his pocket for a moment, looked at me with a burdened look.
“I don’t intend to give you more.”
I frowned and showed both my hands.
Ben laughed out loud at that.
“You always help me.”
Ben muttered.
‘···Did I help him?’
I don’t remember helping him out, I just used Ben’s name to avoid being a bother.
However, Ben was a knight with a bright future.
I nodded, seeing as there was no reason to kick away the opportunity to pay off Ben’s debt.
When Ben hesitated, he tried to grab his pocket, but Ben was startled and took it from him.
‘I’m going to receive it anyway, so why am I holding back···.’
Ben, who made eye contact with me, coughed awkwardly.
There was silence again for a moment.
When he had finished drinking his Ming Ming beer, Ben suddenly sat up.
“Child….”
At that moment, I was so surprised that I let out a sound effect.
Ben jumped up and the chair fell backwards with a loud crash.
Ben, who had stood up so confidently, immediately got down on one knee.
‘···The Knight’s Oath?’
I could see what he was trying to do.
My head started to spin because of the sudden action.
“I, Knight Ben, swear that if I ever complete my journey across the continent and return to Cassadic, I will take you as my lord.”
Ben declared with absolute confidence.
The voice was so loud that it shook the bar.
‘······This guy is crazy.’
I never thought I would see an article about a commoner being treated as a lord.
It was clear that he was crazy, really crazy.
A moment of silence followed.
Meanwhile, Ben was handing me a butcher knife.
Of course, the knight came under me on his own accord, so I had no reason to refuse···.
‘···This bastard is the one who broke the landlord’s door.’
I felt uneasy for no reason because he was a guy who had done something similar to insubordination.
The story of a commoner putting down a knight was sure to attract attention.
“Take it! Take it!”
However, the reactions from those around me gradually grew louder.
‘···This is really fucking crazy.’
My head was pounding, but there was no reason to refuse.
“Yes, bring 30 gold with you when you come.”
I took the knife and tapped Ben on the forehead.
“···Forehead and shoulder. And didn’t you clearly say it was double?”
“Oh, that’s right. I’ll correct it. It’s three times.”
I tapped Ben’s shoulder and forehead with the knife.
“Ahem, there were 5 gold coins in my pocket.”
Ben muttered, rubbing his reddened forehead.
‘I’ve heard more than I thought.’
“Oh, as the lord said.”
I clicked my tongue in a strange regret and replied.
“Not now, but when I get back.”
“Really? Then let’s leave right away.”
“It’s getting late, so let’s sleep for a night…”
“Where is the late hour? Are you scared?”
“Ahem! Got it. Got it. Gelheim! Let’s go!”
At Ben’s shout, Geluru, who had been eating in the corner, jumped up.
He handed Geluru the bag that Hana had taken off.
Looking at the plump things, it seemed like they had packed various necessities.
Hana raised a few fingers and scolded Geluru, who had a subtle expression on her face.
Geluru nodded with a nervous expression and accepted him.
“Then, have a good trip, Sir Ben.”
“···When I come back. Not yet.”
“There is a saying that a good start is half the work, so I am your half-lord. Be careful what you say.”
Ben laughed out loud at my words and took Geluru outside.
I followed him out and saw his back.
The sight of the two walking somewhere with only one bag was truly shabby.
‘···Isn’t this a failed investment?’
The shabby appearance made my mouth water for no reason.
“Why did Arong give you gold coins?”
Hannah asked, leaning forward slightly.
“I should buy it because it is a good stock.”
There was a chance he would die on the road, but Ben was more honest than any knight I’ve ever seen.
Of course, sincerity didn’t necessarily pay off.
It was clear that if we met again, it would be different than it is now.
“Cross-continent… sounds cool.”
“It’s just a national trek.”
I answered briefly and closed the door.
The weather was getting colder and a cold wind was blowing in.
***
“One glass for the bastard who left. One glass for the 30 gold you brought…”
“What is that…, I need a quiet place.”
While we were passing around beer glasses in hopes of a blue chip listing, Kuo Bao Rou spoke with a very serious expression on his face.
When I first saw Kuobarou after a long time, his complexion was much better than before.
In Kuo Bao Rou’s hand was a glass bottle containing an unidentified liquid.
Kuobarou showed it to me briefly as if it were a treasure and then quickly hid it.
‘Are you done with the troll blood research? It took longer than I thought.’
I nodded and gestured.
Then, Kanna, who was playing with lightning next to me, ran over and caught me.
I took them both to the lodging.
One of the three housekeepers was cleaning the room.
‘Did you say Zenta?’
As we came in, the guy nodded.
I gestured to him, but upon closer inspection, I saw that the direction of the wave was not towards me.
As I waved my hand at the Kanna attached to my leg, the thing raised its head.
I took them both to my room, since I had broken down the walls on both sides of the room and combined them to make my room the largest.
“Sit comfortably on the bed.”
Kuobarou spoke in a firm voice.
“Take off your shoes.”
I quickly added my words.
Kanna nodded vigorously, took off her shoes, and went up after wiping her feet with magic.
I gave a thumbs up to the concept-filled look, and Kanna grinned.
I quickly stopped the excited Kanna from making ice shoes on her own feet.
“Now that you are comfortably seated, calm your mind. Imagine the ice and the wind pressing down on it. Also, like fire······.”
Kuo Bao Rou spoke in a serious voice that was not appropriate for him.
As soon as I heard it, I instinctively yawned.
Kanna followed him and took a deep breath.
Then, Kuobarou continued speaking incomprehensibly.
Watching those two from the side gave me a strange sense of foreboding.
A genius kid sitting cross-legged in a serious mood.
And the old man, holding a clear liquid and posing with a face that is detached from the world.
It was a sight I had seen somewhere before.
‘This is exactly like obtaining an elixir from a martial arts movie.’
No matter how you look at it, it was like a martial arts film with the wrong Western cast.
“Raise your head and open your mouth. I will drip one drop at a time, but do not breathe…”
Kuobarou lifted the clear liquid.
Although he was worried that the unknown liquid might cause him to get caught in the coin trap, Kuo Bao Rou explained that he had experimented on it himself first.
He was the kind of guy who would put up with kidney stones and fill my beer glass with ice for Kanna.
It seemed unlikely that such a fool would make a mistake in the matter involving Kanna.
However, I loosened my hand in case the coin-operator came.
Soon, the clear liquid slowly disappeared into Kanna’s mouth.
Gulp.
I clenched and unclenched my fists without realizing it, becoming nervous.
Kanna closed her eyes tightly after drinking all of the clear liquid.
The silence continued.
Kuobarou began to recite a spell in a strange language.
Sweat poured down Kanna’s forehead and Kuabarou screamed.
The invisible energy from Kuabarou touched Kanna.
The atmosphere is getting more and more tense.
My fists were filled with sweat as I had a premonition that something huge was about to happen.
I watched them both, wiping the sweat on my legs.
As soon as Kuobarou stopped screaming, the tension that had been building up for a long time suddenly disappeared.
Kwobarou, covered in sweat, took a step back.
Kanna took a deep breath.
The depth of his breathing was unusual.
First of all, it was clear that it was a success.
I was so nervous that I almost broke Kuabarou’s head with my fist.
Kanna, who had been taking deep breaths, opened her eyes.
‘Is it done?! Im Dong-yang?! Awakening? Evolution?!’
I was expecting to see a light effect coming from her eyes, but Kanna just blinked.
“Oh-.”
Kanna muttered softly and suddenly got up.
‘···Have you grown a bit? Have you completely transformed?!’
Kanna, standing tall on the bed, slowly closed her eyes and looked down at her fist.
Gulp.
I swallowed and waited for Kanna’s next move.
Pin Kanna clenched her fist for a moment and then suddenly stuck her fist out.
Boo-,
A fist that is clearly more powerful than before!
There was a very faint sound of the air tearing.
I clapped my hands in small admiration.
Then, Kanna, whose face quickly became proud, jumped and kicked high.
Booooow-.
A mighty kick!
The posture was not good, like a yellow belt.
However, I clapped my hands at Kanna’s raised lips, but suddenly a question arose in my mind.
‘······Why are you punching and kicking?’
Kanna, who was very excited by my applause, pulled out her dagger and swung it in the air.
The momentum was better than before.
I felt like I had some of the strength I had lacked before, but I didn’t understand why I was doing that.
“Hey, Kkwobarou,”
I called out to Kuobarou, who was shedding tears of joy next to me.
However, the guy was so obsessed with Kanna doing Taekwondo that he only turned around after getting hit in the head.
“Something.”
Kuobarou looked at me with sharp eyes and asked.
“···What was the effect of what you fed me?”
I asked in a very small voice so that Kanna could not hear me as I kicked and stabbed her with the dagger.
I swear it wasn’t a pretty sight.
“The troll’s blood regeneration ability and the promotion of Aclapithyps… No, I don’t understand when you say it like that.”
Kuobarou cut off his words and made a look of deep thought.
It’s like trying to figure out how to teach calculus to a monkey.
‘Should I hit you?’
I thought about it for a moment, but after hearing the effect, I thought it would be better to just hit him, so I held back.
Soon, Kuo Bao Rou opened his mouth as if a good idea had occurred to him.
“To put it simply, I got healthier.”
I hesitated for a moment at Kuobarou’s short answer.
‘···Are you feeling better?’
“Kuh!”
It did seem like he had gotten a bit healthier.
‘Of course, health is the most important. It’s important···.’
What did you see just now?
When you see him, you naturally expect something grand like a complete transformation, Im Dong-yang, or awakening. But just health…
“That… blood vessel?”
After watching Kanna for a while, I asked her briefly.
“I got healthy.”
Kuobarou looked at me with eyes that asked why I was asking such an obvious question.
“Kuhh!!”
Kanna swung a really cool dagger with lightning in it.
It looked oddly weasel-like, but the lightning swirling around the dagger was pretty cool.
‘······He was a good kid.’
I clicked my tongue and corrected Kanna’s posture.
***
[You haven’t fully absorbed Count Behart yet, so you’re proceeding with him, are you in your right mind, Roxit?]
Roxette took a moment to catch her breath as she heard a voice from beyond the darkness.
Although he was being reprimanded, it was clear that everyone would be shocked if they found out what he had found.
The longer it sits, the tastier it gets, so Roxette was scolded some more.
[And there was even a conflict with the royal family. I really don’t know what he’s thinking. Fifth brother Roxette.]
Finally, when the time was right, Roxette opened her mouth.
“I met my third brother.”
The silence that fell as soon as the words were spoken.
Roxette savored the shock they must have felt.
[But all the third brothers···.]
[Did I misread the Roxit? Even if you say it’s the third, it only has external characteristics.]
Denial and doubt followed by shock.
It was a reasonable question.
I’ve been thinking about it for a long time myself.
“It’s true. He smells like a brother, and his face is something I’ve never seen before. And his size is definitely that of a third person.”
[Thirdly, they won’t smell? They have acquired a physical body, but they can’t control their energy.]
It was a natural question.
The third brother with great aura!
Even Roxit wouldn’t have believed it until he actually saw it.
“You all know that my nose is particularly sensitive. I’m sure of it. I’m the third brother, but I can control my energy.”
Although there were some shortcomings, Roxit spoke with confidence.
It was clear that this would increase his presence.
Shouts of shock were heard everywhere.
[Then that is···.]
[It could be the third eldest son’s blood relative.]
Someone’s mutterings have once again caused a commotion.
In any pair of brothers, the eldest son was the most important.
The reason the three-way line was cut off was because the third eldest son suddenly disappeared.
[But where is he now? If what you say is true, why isn’t he here?]
At the reproachful words, Roxette paused for a moment before answering.
“He said he had some work to do at Cassidy. He couldn’t force his brother to do it. That’s why he held a banquet to invite him to Flitton Castle.”
[I see! I thought you were crazy for suddenly throwing a grand banquet when you couldn’t fully digest Behart! You had an idea!]
The praise that followed, Roxyt listened to him silently and stared into the darkness deep within.
The eldest son who has never opened his mouth from the beginning until now.
He had only heard stories of being somewhere in the imperial palace, and had never once spoken of it until now.
Third brother, even the eldest candidate, expected to hear his voice upon hearing the news of his discovery, but he remained silent.
[If it’s Cassidy… isn’t that where the seeds were sown by the Administration? It seems to be related to that.]
‘···Seeds?’
Roxette perked up her ears at the story she heard for the first time.
But the explanation did not continue.
[It’s Flitton Castle. I should join in too.]
[Me too. All the brothers in the East should gather together.]
The small talk that followed.
It was a deep voice that cut him off.
[I will participate too.]
Roxette shivered slightly at the news of the participation of the five eldest sons.
Even though it was just a simple matter of participating, Roxette felt acknowledged.
‘The banquet will be very grand.’
The corners of Roxette’s mouth went up very deeply.
[For five.]
Someone took the lead.
“For the real five.”
Everyone muttered as if reciting a spell.
