175
souvenir
dripping.
“Hey! Are you in there!!”
I jumped up at the sound of a knock.
Even though I held the rough handle of the hidden knife, it didn’t seem to subside easily.
I pulled out my sword and stroked its cool blade, trying to suppress the emotions that were welling up in me. I regained my senses as I caught my breath.
‘···It was still the capital.’
I woke up taking a deep breath.
The capital city is the capital city, and as soon as the incident happened, all the gates were locked. That’s why I haven’t been able to leave the capital city yet.
‘The five eldest sons also said that they still had business to attend to.’
I was able to escape through the gates, but the continent was vast.
It would have taken quite a while if I hadn’t taken the subway back, so it was more efficient to wait for the five-legged geezer.
He was killing time by finding a suitable inn for himself.
dripping.
“Are you still sleeping!”
It was a familiar voice. It was the guy I played dice with in the hall yesterday. He had a longer left arm than his right, and his eyes were turned up, giving him an unpleasant impression.
I walked to the door and collected my thoughts. Why did he come all the way to my room? I never told him where my room was.
“what.”
He stood in front of the door, adjusted the handle of the knife, and asked.
“I came here to play dice! I thought you’d run away since you didn’t come down!”
He spoke in his characteristically sharp voice. His voice was as raw as when he had lost the silver to me yesterday.
‘Tsk.’
I clicked my tongue and looked under the door.
The room had no windows and no candles, so the light coming in from under the door was clearly visible. There was more than one shadow.
The one I saw yesterday wasn’t Centaurs, so it means he has a companion.
‘This is becoming a nuisance.’
I did a quick warm-up. Warm-up was essential. It was even more important now that I was just waking up from a nap.
This was a place where a single twist of the ankle could result in a knife being stuck in your throat.
“Come out quickly! I will definitely not give up today!”
‘You bad boy. I even bought you a beer.’
I did calisthenics while clicking my tongue, anyway, medieval bastards only thought of hitting the back of the head if they saw the slightest opening.
“It’s a game of dice, do I need to wear armor!!”
He urged again. The light from under the crack in the door stretched out. He seemed to be looking around anxiously since there was no answer.
One was resting its head against the door, and one was right behind it.
‘···The hallway was narrow.’
I checked the plan I had made when I entered the inn.
“Phew-.”
I took a deep breath and chose the one that suited me best.
“This guy is trying to run away! Open the door!”
The guy urged me again. It was a rather awkward prompting.
My guess could be wrong. The guy who did something big yesterday could really be hot for revenge for the dice game.
Unfortunately, I always assumed the worst, and most of the time, the worst was the right answer.
I checked the joints of the wooden door. It was moderately worn. It would break if I knocked on it once.
“Hey, my friend······.”
After a quick inspection, I took a deep breath and kicked the wooden door hard.
Crunch. The wooden door flew away with a heavy sound. A small groan erupted from behind the wooden door. It seemed like they were too surprised to scream.
The hallway was narrow. I stepped hard on the wooden door. Crunch-. I felt resistance along with a strange sound.
When I turned my head, I saw a bunch of guys standing around blankly. They were holding their weapons awkwardly. Because the hallway was narrow, they were huddled together tightly.
‘It’s not the guards.’
After making a split-second decision, I put more strength into my feet.
Crunch-. The wooden door hit the ground with a crisp sound. Red paint sprayed down.
The hallway was dark, perhaps because it was evening. A candle held by one of the men illuminated the hallway.
“mi······.”
The mumbling of the guy at the very back was the signal.
I just stabbed him with my sword. The hallway was narrow, so there was no room to dodge. No, judging by his stupid face, he didn’t even seem to see the sword.
The two guys in front were skewered.
His face was so stupid that he didn’t even think about resisting. I grabbed the hilt of the sword with my right hand and pushed the guard of the sword with my left hand.
Crack-. With an unpleasant sense of resistance, the two became four. The guys fell down. The guy behind them opened his mouth wide.
He pushed one of the guys who was falling with all his might. The guy behind him was shocked by the entrails pouring out of him and made a save. They were guys who lacked experience in combat.
Through that gap, I hit the head of the guy with the unusually large eyes. Crunch-. With a crisp sound, the guy’s face flattened as if it had been hit by a hammer. It wasn’t a pretty sight.
“Chiiin-!!”
The last one left swung his sword desperately, cursing.
However, the path was already restricted by the guys in front. I struck the guy’s face with my gauntlet.
The guy who lost his balance stumbled greatly. I stabbed him with Ishigol through the gap. Crunch. The guy collapsed with an unpleasant sense of resistance.
Thud. I let out a long breath at the sound of flesh hitting flesh.
‘Tsk, I even packed Pochi for you.’
“Ugh······.”
A low groan was heard from behind. It seemed as if he was holding his breath, but pretending to be dead in such an extreme situation was extremely difficult.
Your breathing will become involuntary and your body will tremble with fear.
As I slightly opened the wooden door, I saw the guy in front of me who had barely survived being crushed by the guy in front of me.
The sharp-pointed eyes were the ones I beat at dice yesterday.
“Monster···monster···monster······.”
The bastard muttered, shivering. A sour smell vibrated among the scent of blood.
“Maybe so.”
I swung my sword as I answered briefly. The bastard’s head rolled down the hallway.
‘Thank goodness it’s not the guards.’
I muttered, wiping the blood off my sword. Anyway, those medieval bastards would turn their eyes away at the smell of money.
It was roughly the same time as the five elders had said. It was a very noisy medieval-style chime. My body was also somewhat relaxed.
‘Should I take better care of you next time?’
I muttered, grabbed my sword, and went downstairs.
The hall was noisy. People seemed too busy talking amongst themselves to care about the noise upstairs. I stepped down the stairs.
The middle of the old staircase collapsed. It was quite noisy and caught everyone’s attention, but they quickly dispersed.
“Ah… no! What is this….”
The innkeeper, who had just lost his boyish appearance, looked at the collapsed stairs and became very depressed. At that, I took a gold coin out of my pocket and hid it in the palm of my hand.
“I misstepped.”
I pretended to touch the clerk’s clothes and sneaked him in.
“Ah… Then there’s an additional charge….”
The kid was making a strange noise. I frowned and gave him a little push.
Anyway, it was a shitty place.
“Price adjustment······ Oh.”
The guy’s eyes widened as he looked at the gold coins in my hand.
“It’s a repair bill.”
“yes yes!”
I clicked my tongue at the little boy who suddenly turned and became wary of his surroundings. It seemed like this inn would lose both its repair costs and its conscientious staff.
Not wanting to get too involved, I gave the guy a cursory wave and left the inn.
The capital city that I encountered upon leaving the inn was a complete mess, looking completely different from a few days ago.
There were loud noises everywhere, as if it were a city, not a capital city, and there were more than a few tangled people. It seemed like there was a gap in the guards due to the palace cleanup.
‘The crow did it right.’
The fact that a demon had emerged from the Imperial Underground and that knight production would be impossible for the time being was a very big piece of information. It seemed that the crow had a good game based on that.
When I do something, the crows dig into the gaping wounds, tear off pieces of flesh, add a little sauce, and sprinkle it on.
Thanks to that, I could run away from his attention, and he would receive a price for my flesh in return.
The empire was so powerful that it could be called invincible, but it had many masters. Greed was endless, so there were always those who sought flesh.
The wider the wound was opened, the more mouths there were to feed on, the safer the one poking the wound would be.
‘This time, the devil was revealed openly.’
Thanks to this, interest in me was noticeably low. The crowd only talked about why the devil came out of the palace and the sword master’s inaction.
Of course, on the imperial side, you can find the Imperial Knight Montmartre-.
‘The eldest son will take care of that.’
I just had to quietly get out of the capital and that was it. I could just stop by the crow later and get some gold coins.
But this incident was bigger than expected.
‘What’s so good about brothers?’
I didn’t trust those devil candy guys. I just figured they wouldn’t be fools enough to let an opportunity like this pass them by.
Now, all we have to do is go to the place the five promised and leave the capital.
“Stop there.”
It couldn’t end that easily.
Two guards with the imperial emblem on their breastplates blocked my path. I glanced around.
It seemed like a simple security check, but I couldn’t help but reach for the hilt of my sword.
The guard consisted of one man and one woman. The woman looked somewhat vicious, while the man looked innocent. The woman seemed to be impatient, and had already drawn her sword.
“What’s going on?”
From the luxurious dwarven armor to the long sword. Since my appearance was that of a knight, I naturally looked down on him.
“Ah, leader… I don’t think it’s this person.”
The man who saw me grabbed the woman with an embarrassed expression. I looked closely at the sword hanging from the man’s waist. It was short.
“There, you,”
The woman frowned and pointed at me. Pointing at me when we first met – it wasn’t good.
I glanced around. There was so much chaos that few people paid attention to me. I touched the still warm hilt of the knife.
“What’s going on?”
The man cringed even more as he roughly imitated barley.
“Take off your helmet.”
“Hey, Captain, why are you doing that? You can tell right away that you’re a knight. Captain, have you forgotten that we got in big trouble last time when we did something like that?”
The man was tearing the woman apart. The boss was so strong-willed that he couldn’t tell the difference between superior and inferior. It wasn’t good.
Who are these guys looking for? There’s a high chance it’s me.
What criteria are they looking for? Is there a montage or something? I shook my head.
‘I guess they’ll just catch all the suspicious guys.’
Most of the work was done in a similar manner. It was obvious that the foolish but effective method would be to hold on to everything and compare them one by one.
The leather face mask attached to his face was quite useful, so only the lower part was removed.
Even if I showed them the eyes and nose of Montmartre and my lower body, no one would recognize me.
With that thought in mind, I picked up my helmet.
The two in front were startled.
“Is it okay?”
When I asked, the woman bit her lip for a moment, but her poisonous eyes still did not open.
“Would you please accompany me to the guard post?”
Although his voice was polite, the content was not very pleasant.
‘You have a good feeling for no reason.’
Knock knock. I looked around while caressing the still warm hilt of the knife. It seemed like I could handle it if I dealt with two or three of them.
Of course, it was just a scratch.
“No, Captain, why are you doing that? At first glance, you seem like a kind person······.”
The man hurriedly tried to stop the woman, but she seemed to have no intention of giving in.
I thought about it for a moment and then opened my mouth.
“Okay, then will you tell Marshal Balhar Khan that I will be late?”
He slyly called out the first name.
Then, the faces of the two changed abruptly. They looked like death row inmates about to be executed.
‘The first one hasn’t been caught yet. So, did you turn it the other way?’
I guessed the situation by watching their reactions. There was a high chance that my montage was not known.
The man, biting his lips tightly, pulled the woman. The woman squinted her eyes.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… It’s just that the leader hasn’t been in his right mind lately….”
The man apologized while forcibly pressing the woman’s head. The woman tried to slap his hand away, but it was not easy because of his large size.
“Okay. Then let’s go.”
“Ah… No! There’s no need to waste your time. How can such a kind-looking person be given such a bad reputation!”
When I tried to make a move, the man was startled. His reaction was quite good.
It was a situation where I needed directions. Moreover, if I had the guards as my guides, I could avoid the checkpoints, so it was like digging a ditch with a crayfish.
I blurted out the meeting place. When I said I didn’t know the way, the man’s expression brightened.
“The capital is already very noisy, but it’s even noisier today, so it’s understandable! We’ll show you around! This way!!”
The man who shouted energetically took the lead. The woman who glared at me for a moment bit her lip and lowered her head.
It was fortunate that she was a woman who knew how to kill her stubbornness before she died from it.
I headed to the meeting place guided by the guards.
The meeting place was the usual bakery. In front of it was a carriage with the imperial emblem on it.
“···.”
A subtle expression appeared on the faces of the five elders who looked at me. His gaze quickly scanned the guards and me.
Judging from the way he was letting his momentum go, it seemed like he didn’t understand the current situation.
‘That makes sense.’
The wanted man showed up confidently, with a security guard in tow, so it was worth thinking differently.
I waved my hand, wiping the blood off my breastplate.
“Thank you, young men. I will be sure to convey your help to Marshal Balhar Khan.”
“Oh no. I am Mandrian of the 23rd Division of the Capital Guard. This is Jaina, the leader of the 23rd Division.”
The man introduced himself while waving his hand. I patted them on the shoulder once and sent them away.
The five elders looked at me with subtle expressions, as if asking what the current situation was.
“Because I don’t know the geography of the capital very well.”
I briefly explained the situation and got into the carriage. There were boxes of cakes on one side of the carriage.
The five elders sitting across from me stared at me. Their faces still looked like they had a lot to say.
However, the bastard snapped his fingers without asking if he was in good shape. The carriage moved slowly.
It was still noisy outside, but there was no need to worry since we were in a carriage emblazoned with the imperial emblem.
I took a deep breath and released the tension that had built up. I wiped the blood on my gauntlet onto the chair.
“Why is that there···.”
The five elders who spoke briefly held out a handkerchief. The devil candy who carries a handkerchief around…
I clicked my tongue and wiped the blood from my armor.
The carriage moved smoothly.
The five elders started eating the cake. Seeing them eating the cake made me feel uneasy for no reason.
A man who had eaten a whole plate by himself without getting a single drop of cream on a rocking carriage opened his mouth.
“It may be a bit too much, but the demon in the palace has been revealed to everyone. As the Emperor has not been seen for a long time, rumors have been spreading, and now that the demon has appeared, even those who are not brothers will not miss this opportunity. Furthermore, it has been revealed that knights will not be produced in the future.”
He spoke at length, seeming somewhat excited. I scratched my cheek for no reason, as he was praising my achievements.
The man whose face had been crumpled for a moment continued speaking.
“Everyone will start moving in earnest now. No, they have no choice but to move.”
I nodded to his words. That was the reason why I would hit hard whenever I caused an accident.
If you make a small accident, only the surrounding area will move, but if you make it so big that it gets out of control, everything will move.
In such a case, attention would naturally be focused elsewhere. For example, in a case like now, all attention would be focused on the devil who suddenly appeared from the palace.
He continued to talk about this and that after that. Most of it was about what I would do this time and what would happen.
It was just a boring explanation, but the five elders repeated it several times as if they considered it a compliment.
“···So what are we going to do now?”
The voice of the man who always gave orders was somewhat softer.
I scratched my cheek at the stupid question. I felt the rough beard that I couldn’t cut.
“I have to go home.”
The guy’s face distorted at my answer.
It was quite nice to see.
The guy who was about to say something closed his mouth.
It was a quiet road back home, unlike the noisy outside.
***
It felt faster to leave than to come. I guess it was because the subway had made a passageway on the way there.
The subway dropped me off a short distance from Cassadic.
“I will contact you later.”
The five, who had become strangely rough, hummed softly.
I waved my hand, not having any regrets since I had already received a definite answer from the little one about giving him earthworms.
After confirming that the earthworm had gone back into the ground, we headed to Cassadick.
Seeing the familiar exterior of Cassady, I felt a strange sense of familiarity.
but-.
‘It’s grown again.’
I closed my eyes for a moment at the sight of Deokgu’s castle walls, which had become more splendid than before. For some reason, Deokgu was spreading his arms wide.
Also, because the gate was between the legs, it was not a very nice sight.
It was surprising that no one stopped the wall from being built in that form.
In addition, all the stone statues that were at the back gate were moved, so the path to the main gate was very ornate.
‘This isn’t at the level of a theme park, this is at the level of a religion.’
Even the main church of the church wouldn’t be like this… In the meantime, I could feel the sturdiness of the walls with my eyes.
It could be seen as being very faithful to its original purpose. The problem was that it seemed to have another purpose.
‘You came back safely.’
There were a lot of things going on, but in the end, I returned safely.
It’s shocking that the knights are causing auras through the devil’s handprint, but I also have the devil’s handprint, so I find it hard to criticize them.
‘So does that mean that devil candy comes from knights too?’
With that thought in mind, I headed toward the castle gate. There were a lot more people in front of the gate than usual.
As we passed the sculpture and approached the gate, we saw some familiar faces.
“······So I’m your older brother··· No, your older brother’s younger brother, and isn’t Inquisitor Joanna Ethan your older brother’s sworn brother?”
The weasel was chattering something in front of the trash can.
The sled simply stared at the weasel. The weasel coughed briefly at those clear eyes before opening its mouth again.
“Well, I am your brother’s younger sister. Inquisitor Joanna Ethan is your brother’s sworn brother—then what makes us?”
The weasel’s explanation made Lung-gyeop’s eyes widen. Lung-gyeop’s pupils wandered around as if he was confused.
The weasel remained still without urging. Grass and Berman were watching the inspection intently.
“But- I’ve known you for a long time now… You call me your brother….”
As soon as the weasel opened his mouth, the reaper immediately swung his fist. His posture was quite skillful. It was similar to the way he had beaten the previous junior heretic inquisitor.
“Ah! Aah! Why are you hitting me! Wait! Then you’re hitting Little Brother… No! Little Brother! Little Sister! Aah!!”
I nodded at the excellent example of the waste disposal company doing the work for me.
“Oh, the captain is back.”
“okay.”
He waved his hand in response to Berman’s greeting. The man who was being questioned only bowed his head deeply.
The raccoon that was in the middle of beating up a weasel spotted me and ran towards me. Its speed was quite threatening.
The train stopped right in front of me and kept gesturing. Even though it was just a little bit, even my expression changed.
The complaint was that since the sub-abbot, I, was gone, he was enduring all the tyranny of the abbot.
He seemed to be complaining that he had become the abbot of the monastery because of someone, so how could he be left behind and run around on his own?
Seeing the usually expressionless Lung-gyeop furrow his eyebrows, it seemed like he had been through quite a tough time. It didn’t seem like it would be easily resolved.
I put my hand in my pocket and took out what I had brought.
Stop. As soon as the cake was taken out, the monk who was describing the abbot with his hand suddenly stopped.
The eyes of the old man turned slightly. However, he was so angry that he didn’t come back right away.
“This is it. It’s the most famous cake in the capital. It’s so popular that you have to wait a whole day to buy one. And don’t you know that Inquisitor Joanna loves cake?”
Nod.
The lungs nodded. However, his eyes still had a wary glint.
I continued speaking with saliva in my mouth.
“The moment I saw the cake, I couldn’t help but think of Inquisitor Joanna Ethan. How hard it must have been to wait in that long line, my legs would go numb, my arms would go numb, and my neck would get stiff!”
As if immersed in the story, Lunggyeop’s eyes grew slightly wider. Lunggyeop’s head creaked slightly.
“Still, I endured it with the intention of giving this to Inquisitor Joanna Ethan.”
Nodding. The pupils of the lungs dilated slightly. The lips that had been quivering let out a small sigh. When he moved the cake slightly, the pupils of the lungs followed suit.
‘They’ve all come over.’
It seemed like a good idea to grab the cake from the carriage.
“Would you please accept it?”
When I held out the cake, Lung-gyeop slowly extended his trembling hand.
The trembling hand of the sergeant touched the cake-.
Nod.
The corners of Lung-gyeop’s mouth rose for a rare moment. A faint blush appeared on his cheeks, which were already flushed as if he had just eaten cake.
Berman, who was watching him from the side, sighed softly and continued the investigation.
***
“···sorry.”
First- No, Marshal Balhar Khan bowed his head deeply and apologized.
I was speechless. I had failed miserably in the mission that was entrusted to me.
It was a simple order to check only the third, but it failed to stop the great undertaking and even caused the palace to be overturned.
‘If it weren’t for that guy······.’
Balhar Khan ground his teeth as he remembered the mastermind.
“Hahaha! Okay. So, how’s he doing?”
A hearty voice rang out from beyond the sky. Balhar Khan opened his mouth in a cheerful manner that did not even offer a small scolding.
“······That guy is a good guy.”
I wanted to chew him to death, but my report had to be accurate.
Even though he was the third son, he successfully engraved the mark, and the smell he gave off was enough to be called the eldest son.
He was a perfect vessel. Maybe he had already surpassed the vessel.
then···.
Balhar Khan shook his head.
“Really? If that’s what you’re saying, then that must be it. Hmm······ A vessel.”
“I’m not sure. You should check it yourself…”
Balhar Khan added hastily.
“Okay. I can’t leave this place. But it’s time to clean it up.”
Balhar Khan nodded slightly at the small laugh.
Just then, the door opened and a servant came in.
“What are you doing? I told you not to disturb me.”
As Balhar Khan frowned and asked, the attendant spoke cautiously.
“The Master of the Sword-.”
There was no need to hear the full answer.
The old man was already coming in peacefully.
Balhar Khan desperately held back his hand from reaching for his sword. Even if he drew his sword, he would have no chance against that monster.
The old man, who had glanced at Balhar Khan, walked briskly as if he were walking through his own room.
Then, the sword’s owner stopped in front of the place covered by the cloth. I was astonished at how an old man with only a sword on his waist could have such a presence.
‘Why is the master of the sword here······.’
Balhar Khan’s mind became complicated. The sword’s owner was an eccentric old man who acted according to his own nature, so he couldn’t guess.
There was a brief silence. The old man simply stared through the red cloth.
“What’s going on here?”
He asked first. At first glance, his voice sounded gentle, but it was sharp as if he was holding a dagger.
“Have you come to see your ugly brother?”
“Tsk.”
The old man clicked his tongue loudly. Then, his momentum suddenly became sharp. Balhar Khan, judging the odds, shook his head.
No matter what I did, I couldn’t defeat that old man. Even if I joined forces with him.
“What are you planning?”
The old man asked in a soft but powerful voice.
“I didn’t move a single step from here as promised. How dare you accuse me of this. I’m disappointed.”
“You’re playing with words again.”
“Didn’t you guys get along well in the past?”
Balhar Khan swallowed hard. Did the master of the sword notice something?
“I am keeping my promise to you, brother. So you too-.”
A dry cough erupted from inside. The old man’s eyebrows slightly twisted. Balhar Khan was ready to unleash his divine power at any moment.
“···Please keep your promise.”
The sword master clicked his tongue at the firm voice.
The old man, who had been leisurely looking around for a moment, opened his mouth.
“One of the imperial knights ran away in the opposite direction.”
“Isn’t the life of an imperial knight the most precious thing?”
The old man’s words gave an immediate answer. The imperial knight running away in the opposite direction was clearly referring to the third one.
‘Have you smelled it already?’
Balhar Khan muttered, looking into the old man’s wrinkled eyes.
“He doesn’t have a good feeling.”
With that, the old man left the room.
Just one old man disappeared, and my pent-up breathing regained its composure.
The silence continued for a long time after the old man disappeared.
“Old people still have good instincts.”
A soft voice rang out from beyond the sky.
“If it’s to the point where an old man says he doesn’t feel well… Hmm, an old man would find it right away. Wouldn’t that be boring?”
Balhar Khan bowed his head deeply at the muttering that did not seek an answer.
“I guess he’s anxious since he turned the palace upside down.”
At the voice that followed, Balhar Khan opened his mouth for a moment.
‘······Is he anxious?’
I thought of the guy who did that ridiculous thing without even a moment of hesitation.
Balhar Khan shook his head to clear his mind of distracting thoughts.
