151
The talent is that of a beast
“Come in.”
When I opened the door and went in, Nova was sitting in the same spot as always, looking up at me.
Her orange hair was tied back tightly, not a single strand out of place, and her eyes, open tightly, strangely did not seem threatening.
Judging by the dark circles under his eyes and the pile of papers in front of him, he seemed to have quite a lot of work to do.
‘Well, Cassidy has been busy lately.’
As a Nova who had a lot of work to do, it seemed like there wasn’t enough time.
Nova cleared her throat and coughed for a moment before opening her mouth.
“Cathedic doesn’t have any spare cash right now, so I’ve called you in to discuss this compensation.”
Knock. Nova, her face slightly wrinkled, wiggled her fingers.
‘···compensation?’
I thought for a moment about what the compensation was for.
If the quest NPC Nova called for it directly, the reward was bound to be quite large.
Although I am a very diligent security guard who contributes a lot to Cassidy, I have never received any rewards from quest NPCs.
‘Is it a raccoon? But don’t you know that I stopped the raccoon?’
I looked at Nova’s expression, but it was just a grumpy orange, not Exorcist Orange.
When I remained silent, Nova continued speaking.
“You said you had Vice-Chief Dylan rescue the three knights? They were attacked by some strange old man and almost crippled… You weren’t wearing a mask, were you?”
I was able to understand the situation thanks to Nova’s additional explanation while glaring with narrowed eyes.
‘So that’s why the weasel was tearing it apart.’
I was a bit curious as to why the weasel was tearing it apart, but it seemed like it had done a great job and was excited at the thought of being rewarded.
It would have been a great feat to have saved the lives of three knights.
‘······But old man?’
Since this wasn’t a martial arts world, there couldn’t have been many old men beating up three knights.
‘The knight hunter is here again?’
I kicked him out of Cassidy several times, but he came back again… He really was a grumpy old man.
The old man’s skills were so real that I could crush him with pure swordsmanship.
If an old man were to fight one-on-one, it would be hard to imagine that he would lose to anyone, but one-on-many was different.
Even if the opponent was a knight who could handle Aura, it was one of the two.
Was the old man as strong as the master of the sword, or was the sum of the three not right?
I guessed it would be both.
Even though the old man is not a master of the sword, he is strong and the three of them do not fit well together···.
Knock, knock. Nova’s long fingers tapping on the table broke my thoughts.
“It’s not really you, is it? The knights just bumped shoulders or stared at each other like that…”
Nova asked in a strangely trembling voice.
I was so dumbfounded by that I laughed in vain and shook my head. I’m not crazy. I wouldn’t swing my sword just because someone bumped my shoulder. I’d swing my fist.
‘I guess they figured I sent a weasel.’
Originally, it was the law of the world that animals showed off their talents and people received the money. The idea of animals receiving money for showing off their talents was something out of a story from Animal Farm.
“I see you’re okay.”
I made an embarrassed expression because my good deed was caught.
Nova’s eyes narrowed even more at my answer. When I winked at him, like a smirk, Nova laughed slightly and then coughed as if he had caught a cold.
“······Anyway! Your Majesty knows how great your contribution was in saving the three knights. But as you know, there have been a lot of big events in Cassadic recently, right? With the restoration work and the sewer construction, we don’t have much money left.”
Actually, since it was a weasel’s, I didn’t really mind not taking it, but I nodded because I had no intention of refusing it if it was offered to me.
“So, I’m thinking of giving you shares like last time. What do you think?”
“Okay.”
Having launched to the top, it was clear that Cassady’s stock price would continue to rise.
Plus, I wasn’t short on gold right away, so it was a good choice for me.
“Then······ your share will now be 8 for every 100 gold coins you receive.”
Nova explained, spreading out both palms as if explaining to a child. It was a gesture befitting an ignorant medieval person who did not know percentages.
‘8%? That’s a lot.’
Even though he had handled quite a few big things, it was outrageous that the nobles gave him 8%.
“Oh, and I’ve decided to give you as much convenience as possible as well. The lord is also very pleased with it.”
Nova said, pulling out a few pieces of paper from the pile on the table and handing them over. There were all sorts of complicated things written on them.
I nodded after reading it for a while. Since it was the result of Hannah and Nova’s collaboration, there was no need for me to interfere.
It was enough for me to just place a spoon on the table set for two.
“By the way, the top… How did you come up with that idea? It was just the right time.”
Nova took the paper back and said with the corners of her lips twitching. I scratched my neck at the unexpected compliment.
Nova smiled at him and handed him another piece of paper. This time, too, it was full of writing, so I felt sleepy for no reason.
“The Viscount Bonita has declared war on Baron Quent’s castle of Lazbangne. There is a reference to Lazbangne in a document from a hundred years ago. But it’s strange, Lazbangne isn’t a place worth taking such risks.”
‘You really did something.’
I agree with Nova. The siege here was a very hard and long fight.
Even if they had siege weapons, they wouldn’t have been able to easily destroy the thick castle.
Because of this, most sieges were a battle of patience and supplies.
During the Bolt Castle, it was easily ended with the Flying Baron’s charge order and pounding, but the nobles who had much to lose did not push their knights into such danger.
The besieging side surrounded the castle and waited for those inside to surrender, and those inside consumed their saved supplies and held out until those inside gave up.
In the process, the amount of materials consumed was not small, and since dirty things were gathered, diseases frequently occurred in the process.
Because of this, there were more than a few families that lost their fortunes after starting a siege incorrectly.
‘There’s going to be chaos.’
As Count Behar’s successor was unclear, the place became ownerless.
It was clear that all the nobles were just watching.
In such a situation, when Viscount Bonita moved, he was like a signal flare.
“I’m still gathering information. There might be someone targeting Cassidyk.”
Nova seemed to have similar thoughts.
“Anyway, in a situation where we don’t know what will happen in the future, it was a good choice to put the top down······. It’s clear that the top of Gyarrot will get in the way. But hey, it’s you.”
Nova’s tone was subtle, but so was my thinking.
After all, the top was just a group of thugs with swords and riding carriages, so there was no way they could defeat the desert guys.
Moreover, foreign workers will continue to gather in the future.
‘When will you come?’
I nodded, my mouth watering.
“They’re not the kind of guys who get hit everywhere.”
To be exact, they were the ones who beat up others, but in this place, it was the loser’s fault anyway. It was a place where weakness was a sin.
“Oh, wait a minute.”
Nova suddenly got up and looked outside with a stern face as if she was talking about something serious.
Nova, who had roughly checked who was around, whispered quietly.
‘I’ve been hearing whispers a lot lately.’
As Nova approached, the smell of garlic wafted strongly. The smell of my hometown brought tears to my eyes. No, it was as if the spicy smell had stimulated my tear glands.
“···Cardinal Gobert was the great devil known as the king of heretics.”
Nova kept glancing around as if she was talking about something very important. Her voice was slightly trembling, perhaps because she was nervous.
‘The King of Heretics? How grandiose.’
It was quite an impressive nickname for a raccoon. Of course, he was strong enough to live up to that nickname.
‘By the way, I heard about him… I guess he has a lot of trust in Fullfoot.’
It was clear that the sect had silenced Pulpouts. But the fact that Nova knew about it showed how much Pulpouts trusted Nova.
“······This is a secret.”
Nova said with a serious expression on her face and strength in her eyes. When I nodded, Nova wiggled her fingers.
“Now that Cardinal Gobert has been convicted of heresy… the East will probably be even more noisy.”
Nova’s face looked very tired. I looked at the pile of papers behind him for a moment and then opened my mouth.
“Crispy orange.”
“······what?”
Nova’s voice and the corners of her eyes twitched.
Knock knock.
“They say the top has arrived.”
At that moment, a report was heard from outside.
“You arrived safely.”
Nova, who had been glaring at me, stepped forward first.
***
‘It’s later than I thought.’
Nova hurriedly followed Aaron’s quick strides.
Aaron was so big that his stride was unusual. Nova had to walk almost like a runner.
However, I put strength into my face so as not to show it.
‘I wonder what happened.’
It was his first trip, and the destination was Karzan, a city with little connection. So Nova did not expect much from this trip.
First of all, if you could get into Karzan, that would be considered a success.
‘Even if it’s Aaron···.’
Nova stole a glance at Aaron, who was yawning.
‘The scar has gotten deeper?’
Nova squinted her eyes as she noticed Aaron’s scar subtly deepening.
I hadn’t seen him in a few days and it seemed like he had been fighting again.
Nova’s thoughts continued. The situation had become chaotic since Count Behar’s death, and there was too much to worry about.
‘It’s a bigger mess than I thought.’
I followed Aaron around and looked around. The seriousness of the situation became even more apparent when I actually saw what I had seen in the documents.
‘We need to repair the gate as soon as possible.’
The two gates that had been blown away by heretics had to be repaired first in preparation for any possible threats.
The lord also knew him, so he asked the dwarf he had called as a sewer expert.
‘It’s fortunate that Vivian and Kanna are here.’
It didn’t seem like it would take too long since there were only two dwarves.
While I was running after Aaron with such random thoughts, I arrived at what used to be the gate.
The ruined gate had been roughly cleared away, and a larger number of guards than usual were standing guard in front of it.
Beyond that, there were people laughing and talking loudly in front of the gate. Anyone who saw them saw that they looked more like mercenaries than merchants.
First of all, Nova’s eyes widened as she felt a little relieved that he had returned safely.
‘······Why are there four carriages?’
Nova squinted her eyes, wondering if she had seen things wrong, and looked at him again.
There were still four. It was clear that there were two carriages when they set out, but when they returned from the uphill journey, there were now four.
‘······What is this?’
The new carriage was covered in blood and had a torn emblem on one side. It looked like it had been robbed.
‘···You picked up the robbed carriage!’
Nova nodded, thinking positively. It could be repaired and used at that level.
“Ah! Master! I won!”
The large woman smiled kindly and spoke to Aaron. Nova’s eyes widened at the sight of him.
‘···victory?’
A feeling of unease rose up in her mind at the words that did not fit with the order. Nova tried to suppress her anxiety, remembering that they were originally not good at speaking the Imperial language.
“You worked hard. What is this?”
“It is a rightful spoil.”
At the woman’s answer, those resting nearby raised their hands and cheered. They looked just like mercenaries who had won a war.
‘Loot?’
Nova’s eyes narrowed. The lower part of the torn sentence seemed strangely familiar.
“What kind of top is this? How dare you try to trick me.”
The woman smiled coolly and patted the carriage. Then the people behind her started chatting about their dancing skills.
‘···Gyarotte top!!’
Nova jumped in surprise, his bangs standing on end.
‘You were robbers?!’
I thought it was a carriage that had been robbed, but alas! These were the robbers!
And it had to be the carriage of the upper class of Gyarot! It was already heart-pounding to have to face the upper class of Gyarot, who we had to be most careful of, and they even stole the carriage!
Nova, who had been sleeping in a state of exhaustion, suddenly regained consciousness. Nova poked Aaron.
How to solve this quickly···.
“Well done. What’s inside?”
However, Aaron’s reaction was different from Nova’s expectations.
Aaron spoke lightly, as if praising the worker who had brought in one more stone.
Nova tried harder, but Aaron’s forearm was as hard as a rock, and only Nova’s fingers were hurting.
“I didn’t check. It’s customary for the owner to look at it.”
“Okay, open it.”
At Aaron’s brief words, they opened the chariot.
‘Wait a minute! If you open the carriage… there’s no turning back…’
Nova’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open as she looked inside the carriage.
The carriage was filled with valuables such as iron, silver, and luxurious fabrics. It looked like a treasure trove.
Nova’s head quickly turned when she saw him.
It was obvious why they had taken such valuable items from the top of the Garot to Karzan.
‘These are items to purchase for the Territory War.’
Nova looked around at the group with surprised eyes.
A merchant of this value must have had a superior force, so how could they have obtained him as a legitimate spoil?
They looked like they were not ordinary people, but there were only about ten of them, and there were not a single casualty…
‘It’s grown?!’
Nova’s eyes grew wider as he counted the number. The number had increased since he left. What the…
Nova’s gaze was fixed on the carriage again.
‘The Fullfoot family’s stake in the upper······.’
“Wipe your spit. Orange.”
Nova’s expression changed at Aaron’s words and he wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
‘If it were Aaron the loser, he’d swallow it.’
Nova swallowed hard as she thought about that. At the same time, Cassidy’s financial situation was also precarious.
This opportunity······.
“Brock Lesnar, the Empire is not like the desert. It’s one thing to beat up someone, but it’s another story to bring them supplies.”
“hmm······.”
At that time, the words that came out of Aaron’s mouth were different from Nova’s thoughts.
There were many problematic elements in the extortion of the upper ranks. However, the target was the upper ranks of the Gyarrot.
There was no way that the bad-reputed Gyarot Top would take it lightly, and furthermore, this was a method used by the Gyarot Top to trample on other Tops.
They call themselves the Top, but they are really bad guys, just like thieves.
It was no different from rescuing goods from those guys. It was, as they said, ‘rightful loot.’
“for a moment······!”
Nova, who was growing impatient, grabbed Aaron’s arm, but before he could, Aaron continued speaking.
“I need to take care of things more thoroughly. If I do this, I’ll have to bring it back and sell it. I need to exchange it in advance.”
At Aaron’s next words, Nova lowered her hand.
‘headsman.’
Nova muttered, the corners of her lips twitching, then lowered her head when she realized she had laughed out loud.
Even if the opponent was bad, this was an act no different from robbery.
If you tolerate him······.
‘······You were the one who started the fight first.’
Nova looked at the contents of the carriage again and shut her eyes tightly.
***
Digg was a dwarf with exceptional dexterity.
Of course, not all dwarves were good with their hands.
There were rare dwarves who were not very dexterous, but they became warriors and died shortly after.
As a result, only the dexterous dwarves survived, and the stereotype that dwarves are dexterous arose.
Such stereotypes have both benefited and harmed dwarves.
There were more than a few dwarves who were captured by greedy humans and disappeared.
The dwarven kingdom fell into ruin with the rise of the empire, but was recognized as a dwarven territory with a separate title of duke.
The amount of goods that had to be supplied to the Empire was dizzying, but in return, Imperial law was changed and people were no longer taken as slaves as before.
However, to meet that delivery deadline, he had to swing his hammer almost all the time, except when he was sleeping.
Dig was a dwarf who ran away because he thought that the appearance was exactly like that of a slave without a seal.
Digg, who was thrown into the human world, faced many crises, but somehow managed to survive.
Digg always avoided risk by moving after finding the next trade.
The sewer construction of the capital city of the empire was the most expensive, as it was built by dwarves. Of course, it was very rare for a castle to have a sewer installed.
That’s why Dig came to this remote area. And this time, he was given the additional task of repairing the castle walls.
After this job was done, I could fill the cave with iron and not have to come out for a while.
Dwarves were the best at handling stone and iron. They took great pride in it.
It was definitely like that······.
At first I was angry.
It was clearly a ploy to save on construction costs, as all the people sent by the lords were pretty human women, small human women, and some kind of monstrous human man.
Her anger flared up, but it quickly subsided at the sight of the monstrous human man’s gaze.
Dig had seen it all, entangled with greedy people. If he had messed up something to this extent, he would have been hanged long ago.
I was just thinking of passing the time and letting them know that it was impossible to do so···.
“Eurya ryaryarat!”
“after.”
The small female human standing on the neck of the pretty human woman waved her hand in the air, causing the blunt stone in front of her to be chiseled neatly.
‘You were a wizard.’
Only then did Dig understand the situation. He understood why a wizard would send two human women.
However, I couldn’t understand why the pretty human woman who carried him was screaming.
Of course, Dig also knew that the wizard could use mysticism.
But the magic of wizards had no soul.
Of course, there was no need for a soul to build a normal wall, but Digg couldn’t stand to see the wizard’s attitude of trying to pass it off as easy.
Those carved with magic had no soul, so their cracks were not consistent. If a wall was built with such stones, it would easily collapse.
From a dwarven standpoint, it was inevitable that there would be resistance.
“Wait a minute, little human woman, the materials for building walls aren’t something you can just shred with magic.”
Digg stepped forward with a dwarven expression on his face.
Then the little human woman’s eyebrows shot up. Her eyes were quite sinister, so Dig stroked her beard.
“If you cut a stone with magic, its surface will be uneven, and it will easily collapse after the wall is built. If you look at this side······ If you look? If you look?”
Digg tilted his head as he looked at the shiny stone.
The craftsmanship was no less than that of a dwarven stone table. Who on earth put a dwarven stone table here?
“what.”
“Kanna. She’s short, but she’s still old.”
“······yo. this.”
Digg overheard a conversation nearby and only then remembered that this stone was the one that the little female human had used magic on earlier.
‘This level of sophistication achieved with magic?’
Digg’s eyebrows rose, and his rough brown eyes moved busily between them.
Arrogant humans often tried to outwit the dwarves’ dexterity with their so-called magic.
Although crafting time could be reduced with magic, it was ultimately the quality that determined the item.
Even if there is a lot of trash, it is just a lot of trash and not something that has become an object.
Dig was definitely thinking that way···.
“What is this guy?······.”
“Double! Double!”
“Dwarf.”
Dig came to his senses at the sound of lively conversation.
‘···oh my god.’
Digg’s face, hidden by his bushy beard, instantly turned red.
I knew that this stone was suitable for use as a wall, but my dwarven pride would not allow me to acknowledge it.
Digg glared and searched for the sharp point on the stone. There was none. But he couldn’t back down.
He was stubborn, a dwarf’s weakness, but there was nothing he could do about it. Dig was a dwarf.
Digg tried to find fault with it somehow, but couldn’t find it. So he thought of another way.
“It’s a great stone for building human walls! But it’s not suitable for dwarven walls! Little human woman! Have you heard how strong dwarven walls are? When dwarves build walls, in order to increase their strength······.”
Digg brought up the recipe for building a dwarf wall to make a point for the sake of making a point.
I realized it later and thought, “Oh no!” But it wasn’t called the Dwarf Wall for nothing. This wasn’t a method that could be said to be informative.
To build a dwarf wall, a dwarf had to attach himself to each stone and carefully chisel it with a chisel and anvil.
In this way, a dwarven castle wall that surpassed art was born. Of course, it was cut down by Aura.
That realm is only possible with magic.
Wheeeeeeing.
‘······Is it possible?’
A few strands of Dig’s beard fell off at the sight of the stone being cut just as the girl with the long hair said.
A moment later, the dwarf’s stubbornness suddenly flared up again.
It was a dwarf technique that had been passed down for countless years. I couldn’t lose to such a small human woman.
Digg kept pointing out things that were impossible with magic, but possible with only the dwarven sleight of hand.
Of course, the more this happened, the more Digg’s beard fell off.
***
‘Everyone’s so discouraged.’
Adolf clicked his tongue as he looked at Delfran, who had her head bowed.
The atmosphere was heavy because Delphran, who was usually the most active, was quiet.
‘That makes sense. Where can you find a man like that…’
Adolf shuddered slightly as he thought of the old man. The old man had literally played with the three of them.
Defeat was not an unfamiliar feeling to them, having been eliminated from the royal knighthood and drifted to the remote area of Cassadic.
However, this was the first time such a crushing defeat had occurred.
The three of them who took out the auror were unable to inflict even a single wound on the old man.
The pride of knighthood in their hearts was completely shattered.
The old man was different from any other strong man I had ever seen.
‘It was as if he was seeing through the swordsmanship.’
I felt like I was an old man’s toy.
However, Adolf, who had already suffered defeat several times, was not so discouraged.
It’s not that they were weak, it’s that their opponents were unusually strong.
However, it was clear that it would have felt differently for the two hot-blooded people.
“Delfgu! It’s okay. As we live, there are days when we lose. How can we always win?”
Adolf laughed loudly, raising his voice, but the other two’s reactions were lukewarm.
Adelaide was usually quite sassy, but Delphran was still looking at the ground with a deadened look on his face.
“Huh? Delphgu! Have you already forgotten Deokgu’s legacy? What is the reason we follow the hero Deokgu? No matter what adversity there is, even if we fall! Isn’t it because of his spirit to advance!”
Adolf raised his voice and tapped the Namaiyad’s sentence.
That sentence was made by the officer, Kang-gu. It was quite expensive, but I heard that it had the effect of increasing one’s courage when worn.
“Deokgu… But unlike Deokgu, I am weak.”
Delphran, who would have gotten up and shouted a slogan as usual, lowered his head even further and muttered softly.
‘It’s bigger than I thought.’
Once defeat had set in his mind, he could not shake it off no matter what he did. Adolf knew this best.
“You’re getting discouraged just because you lost once? How ridiculous.”
At that moment, Adela shouted in a helpless voice, though she could not help.
“······.”
Although Adela looked childish and naive, her skills were the best among us, and Delfran admired her as a fellow female knight.
When he heard such bitter words from Adela, Delphran’s face quickly turned into a sad expression.
“It is not that the author, who is a knight, failed to protect his territory, but that he was disheartened by his own defeat, which disqualifies him as a knight.”
Adela declared, looking down with cold eyes.
‘I too, until just now···.’
Adolf, who had been watching Adela mutter curses from the side, was astonished at her shamelessness.
Judging from his expression, Delfran seemed to be thinking similar thoughts to Adolf, but he didn’t seem to be able to bring himself to express them because of the difference in their level of consciousness.
“Are you going to give up your sword and give up your spirit after just one defeat? I thought you had spirit, but I was wrong.”
Adela continued to scratch without stopping. Her harsh tone had a strange effect of making even ordinary words unpleasant.
As he continued to shoot at him, Delphran’s face turned red. His fists shook as if he couldn’t control his anger.
“······Then! Is there any way for Sir Adela to do so!”
Finally, Delphran, unable to bear it any longer, screamed.
Adolf shut his eyes tightly. There was no way for Adela to do anything. Now that he had hit the nail on the head, it was clear that he would get into trouble even more.
“······There is. A way to become stronger.”
Adela, who had been silent for a moment, gave an answer that was different from what Adolf had expected.
Adolf’s eyes widened at that. How could the three losers here become stronger in the most powerful castle in the border region?
I was curious as to what the method was, but more curious was why Adela’s face turned red when she told me the method.
“Don’t lie. How can you become strong in Cassidy, which is not the capital!”
Delphin raised his voice again, as if he was about to leave.
That was true. It might be different if they received help from the imperial family in the capital, but they couldn’t increase their aura on their own.
“No, there is. You must know that my swordsmanship skills have improved.”
They both nodded at the same time at Adela’s words.
That’s true. Of course, Adela was stronger than the two from the beginning, but at some point, the gap became even wider.
The two of them simply assumed that Adela had been working harder than usual.
“There is a way to become stronger. He guarantees it on my honor.”
Adela, her face red as if it were going to burst, spoke in a strong tone.
‘······Why is honor given to a place like this?’
Adolf was puzzled, but he was curious about the method.
Delphine looked up at him with a lively face, unlike a little while ago.
The corners of Adela’s mouth trembled slightly at the two’s gaze.
Adolf let out a soft sigh as he saw him.
Adela, who had been holding her attention for a while after coughing, continued speaking.
“But it will be very, very difficult. It will be very painful.”
Adolf and Delfran’s faces became delicate as if they were warning each other.
“It’s also quite humiliating.”
What on earth could possibly be the method that could scare you like that?
“If I could become really strong! I would do anything!!”
Delphran suddenly shouted.
“······Okay, I understand.”
Adolf felt dreary at the sight of Adela’s flushed, frowning face.
