195
determination
‘shut up.’
– He didn’t say anything.
I scratched my beard at the tenant’s curt reply. I thought he was whispering, but it seemed I was mistaken.
‘This is a bit dangerous.’
I clicked my tongue as I checked his physical condition. He was in dire straits. His physical injuries were almost healed, but…
‘You’re getting too close to your tenants.’
If the bastard was breathing, he was close enough that I could smell his breathing. It was more than just noisy.
I don’t know exactly what the tenant’s true identity is, but it can’t be good to be close to the devil.
Before, you had to press a button to cause erosion, but now it feels like you’re pressing the erosion.
It feels like it’s going to burst at any moment if I let my strength go even a little.
Rustle.
At that moment, one of the bushes swayed.
I sighed softly at that.
‘······You were next to me.’
Well, even if it were me, I wouldn’t have left the old man behind.
“Come out.”
“···It’s because you moved! You stupid Kel.”
“Stupid Kel? This kid-.”
Kel and the weasel could be heard muttering. Then the bushes shook violently, and the two entangled figures came rolling out.
‘You still have strength left. You guys are really amazing.’
I clicked my tongue and kicked them both amicably.
“Ahh!”
The two of them simultaneously grabbed each other’s buttocks and jumped up and down. They patted each other as if they had never fought before. As expected, nothing could stop a fight better than violence.
“Ah! My butt is weak!”
“Okay, the rest.”
In response to my question, Kel pointed to the back. There was a small campfire a short distance away.
The abbot was unconscious, his mouth open, and Berman was beside him, putting sticks into the fire.
Berman nodded as their eyes met. It was a little chilly at the time, so he headed towards the campfire.
Berman moved away slightly. The place was quite soft, with a lot of grass spread out on it.
As I sat down, Berman handed me a water bottle. It was warm, as if it had been heated by a campfire. It had a delicacy that didn’t match its appearance.
I took a sip from him. It was a pretty decent drink, and it smelled good. The heat spread down my esophagus.
By then Kel and the Weasel were sitting next to each other, grumbling.
Kel held out an unidentified piece of meat. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was a rabbit. The rabbit here was so large and fierce that it could almost be called a monster.
I was hungry so I took a bite. It was a natural product with a rough taste and the breath of the wild. I kept my mouth shut and chewed because I felt like a rabbit would jump out if I opened it.
Kel took the water bottle out of the product and placed it next to me. It looked like he was offering tribute. Then the weasel hurriedly took out the water bottle and placed it next to me.
Kel, with his eyes narrowed, immediately hit the weasel on the back of the head. The weasel, who had been cursing harshly, noticed and took out another water bottle.
As I strained my eyes, the weasel took out another one and stood it up.
I sipped my water bottle again.
“You stop eating! You’re eating two legs all by yourself!”
“Then why didn’t you go first?”
“It’s basic manners! Didn’t you learn that when you were young?”
“I don’t know much about that because my parents died when I was young.”
The weasel, who had just put his leg in his mouth, spoke confidently.
“Are you the only one without parents? I don’t have any either, brat! And this one doesn’t have any either!”
“···I have it?”
Berman, who had been pointed out by Kel, made a trembling expression. Then Kel slyly turned his finger towards me.
‘···Those lacking guys.’
He clicked his tongue and took another sip of his drink.
“Dylan, don’t you have a girlfriend? You’re getting older now, so it’s time to…”
“I haven’t reached my goal yet.”
“···target?”
As Kel asked timidly, Dylan’s eyes widened. The target was Kel. The two began bickering again, and Berman put sticks into the fire.
This stupid conversation continued. They didn’t ask me anything even until I had emptied the last canteen.
That’s why I didn’t say anything.
“let’s go.”
I emptied my water bottle and stood up.
“But do you give me a separate allowance for this? I worked so hard, you idiot.”
Everyone chuckled at the weasel’s grumbling.
There was no way those ignorant medieval people would care about such things.
I looked down at the unconscious abbot, holding the sword with the imperial seal.
Whether it was because of the force, the veins were visible and the face was blue as if bruised.
I looked around at the people around me who were getting up one by one and stretching, and then at the abbot.
Knock knock. I tapped the sword for a moment.
I had a lot of complicated thoughts, but I was just too tired.
At that, I sighed softly and took care of the abbot.
The abbot was lighter than expected for his size. He seemed to be made of little more than bones.
I looked up at the sky and the sun was hanging halfway up. The rain had stopped and the clear sun was peeking out.
It was a good day for a hike.
Berman and Kel walked forward, with the weasel following behind.
Coming down like that, I encountered an unexpected crowd.
“······!”
There were mini-lung-carrying corpses, heretic inquisitors, and soldiers.
Everyone looked like they had just been through a war, and out of all of them, the condition of the abandoned buildings was the worst.
The armor was all broken or crumpled, and there was black and red blood everywhere. The originally white face was as pale as a corpse, and one arm was dangling.
It seemed like he had had a tough night too. The sergeant who had found me approached me with brisk strides.
The lung level that had come right up to me looked up at me. The pupils of the lung level, which had hardly any change, widened.
The constant blinking was a similar reaction to when I first fed him fish bread.
When I saw myself reflected in the eyes of the deceased, I knew the reason.
‘···Why are your eyes yellow?’
My eyes were bright yellow. They were so bright yellow that I almost thought they were emitting light.
– Excessive erosion is harmful to health.
The tenant chuckled. The sound of his laughter filled my head, making it dizzy and noisy.
I tried to ignore him and came up with a good excuse.
“Oh, I couldn’t sleep… I guess I’m tired.”
As I nodded my head while talking roughly, Lunggyup nodded along.
Then the lungs reached out.
I was troubled by the black blood and mud-covered hand of the lung-level, but I tried to endure it. The hand of the lung-level placed on my head was filled with light.
It was a blessing, but its light had dimmed so much that it was nothing more than a firefly.
After a while, I took my hand off and nodded at the abbot who was carrying the scroll on my shoulder.
The monk, whose eyes were filled with anticipation, tapped the abbot on the head. The abbot nodded in response.
“I won’t be able to move for a while.”
The corners of Lunggeup’s mouth slightly rose at my answer.
The abbot raised his hand on her head and drew the light up. His hand shook as if he was trying too hard. It didn’t seem to have much effect, but he didn’t bother to stop her.
After finishing the blessing, I pretended not to see the abbot and lightly grabbed his head. I pretended not to see him and looked at the guys behind the abbot.
The expressions on the soldiers’ and inquisitors’ faces were strange. The Parsi inquisitor, who usually stared at the corpse with disgust, now looked as if he was looking at a hero.
‘You must have worked hard.’
After all, it was the job of the Inquisitors to catch devils and blasphemies.
He was such a bad boy that his eyes would spin just at the sight of a devil, so it seemed like he had been working hard all night.
“First, let’s go back.”
Nod nod.
The abbot nodded and held out a mini-abbot. It seemed as if he was asking for it. He took it and stacked it on top of the abbot.
Nod.
The sergeant nodded in satisfaction and stood in front of me, drawing his greatsword. It seemed to me like a division of labor.
‘Are you saying you can’t leave it to someone else?’
I was dumbfounded by the unknown god, but I tied the mini-lungs tightly so that they wouldn’t fall.
Lunggyeop stood in front, and I followed him. As I looked at Lunggyeop’s dignified back, my mouth started to tingle.
“Ah, I am now free to worship. The abbot has released me.”
“···What?”
How embarrassed he was, Lunggyup asked out loud. I raised the corners of my mouth at that.
The reaper did his best to count the number of men he had caught, stretching out his fingers. There were quite a lot of them, so much so that he had to open his palms several times.
‘···How many of them came here?’
From a quick glance at the situation, it seemed like they had come around from the opposite side of where I was.
‘You were lucky.’
It seemed that he had survived by being placed furthest from where the old man was.
‘At this rate, Cassidy will be at peace.’
I clicked my tongue as I looked at Cassidy in the distance. The sergeant major had cleared the other side and I had caused a ruckus here, so Cassidy seemed safe.
He also sent five eldest sons.
I felt a little relieved.
The old man kept moving his hands. He was arguing that since he had caught so many, he should also skip the service.
“I caught about five times that.”
At my answer, Lunggeup hurriedly spread his fingers again.
They went down, talking about who caught more.
In the end, I won by catching about 400,000 fish.
***
Before descending the Kirton Mountains, we encountered another force.
There were internal soldiers, guards, and Frederick Guild men. The captain at the front of them ran over.
“Captain Aaron, the person I trust the most! What on earth happened?!”
I was surprised that the captain had come out here. Seeing him made me realize how serious the situation was.
“I’m lost.”
As we made excuses, the captain winked at us excessively and pushed us aside.
Instead, soldiers and inquisitors had to answer their questions.
“You don’t look very well, so go inside and rest for now. By the way, your eyes have gotten nicer. Did you eat a poisonous mushroom?”
The captain, who had pushed me and my crew aside, asked quietly. Looking at the sparkling fleshy eyes, it seemed that the yellow eyes looked quite nice.
After nodding roughly, he turned around and headed towards Cassidy.
Cassady was more peaceful than expected.
Still, a fight broke out between the Imperial Knights and the Templar Knights in the square and a fire broke out, and it seemed to them that it was the most sacred day for such savages.
Nod.
I clicked my tongue as I looked at the lung attached to my back. The movement of my body slipping away was so natural that no one noticed.
We entered the castle and each dispersed. Reporting was the priority, but the ones we caught would probably say anything worth reporting anyway.
In addition, as I saw earlier, they also sent separate troops to the mountains.
First of all, since rest came first, I headed to my lodging.
As expected on the day after the festival, there were quite a few fallen people on the streets.
I headed to my dorm, kicking their asses to wake them up.
As soon as I opened the door to my room, something ran and hit me.
Kanna was very tired, as if she hadn’t slept at all. Kanna kept banging her head into my stomach. She was banging so hard that my chest armor was shaking.
I pressed the round head hard and the beating stopped.
Kanna lifted her face and looked up at me. When our eyes met, Kanna’s eyes widened. She seemed bewildered by my yellow eyes.
He hurriedly came up with an excuse.
It was a waste of time, it was a waste of time, so it could have been passed off as just being tired, but Kanna, who was smart, needed a more plausible excuse.
While I was contemplating between colored contact lenses and the excuse of being stung by a mosquito, Kanna opened her mouth.
“It suits you well!”
Kanna looked up at me with her eyes sparkling brightly.
The captain and the yellow-eyed ones seemed to be more popular than expected.
“Okay, thank you.”
“Are you here? Delmuto is···.”
Hannah came out from inside. Hannah wasn’t in bad shape. She was tired because she had a lot of work to do, but she was still pretty clean.
At Hannah’s words, Kanna twirled her finger.
Water rose from below along Kanna’s fingers. Unlike before, it was warm water. The water did not just pass by quietly, but spun around violently like a washing machine.
I was a bit taken aback when the water passed through me and greeted me in my form, but now I was quite used to it.
Then the warm wind quickly blew away the moisture and dried it.
‘The functions have been upgraded.’
I was impressed with the hot water and dehydration functions.
Although it was a bit strong, it left my clothes feeling much fluffier and more refreshed than when I got them from the washing machine.
At this point, it was clear that it had surpassed the washing machine. For a moment, I pondered the meaning of the washing machine’s existence.
Led by Kanna’s hand, I sat down at a table filled with food. As Kanna twirled her hand, a hot heat enveloped the table.
‘···Even the oven?’
After a while, steam rose from the food. I tore off a piece of meat and put it in my mouth. Perhaps because I had eaten meat with the hair still attached, the taste was impressive.
“It’s delicious.”
“Really? I made it all by myself!”
As I was amazed without realizing it, Hannah jumped up from her seat. Her smile was brighter and more raw than usual.
It was an incredible advancement considering the cooking skills of the past. In the Middle Ages, this level of skill was enough to open a restaurant.
‘···It’s already prepared.’
Come to think of it, he was the owner of the biggest bar in Cassadic. It seemed like the causal relationship was reversed, but it didn’t matter because business seemed to be going well.
At that moment, Kanna sneezed awkwardly and twirled her hands.
Then, a small flame shot out from Kanna’s hand. Looking at her sparkling eyes, it was clear what she wanted. It seemed as if she was asking me to give her some praise as well.
“It was really cool, it was the best. Everyone was talking about it.”
He scratched his beard and gave a crude review.
Because of that, various things happened, but it wasn’t Kanna’s fault.
“Did you see? That was created by simultaneously generating fire, water, and wind. Since it shouldn’t be too hot, the temperature was adjusted with water, and the size was adjusted with wind······.”
Kanna kept babbling nonstop. It was a series of difficult things to understand, but she seemed so excited that I nodded diligently. In the middle, she even pinched her thigh because she was so sleepy.
Kanna, who was very excited, jumped up and waved her hands around.
“Hot!”
As Kanna put in a spirit that suited her power rather than her order, a small flame appeared.
I continued eating while watching the flames that had become my shape dance around. However, I had to applaud every now and then.
By that time, the weasel had returned. The weasel, sitting in the empty seat, was hastily tearing at the meat. No, it was trying to eat it.
“That won’t do!”
“······Yes? Why not?”
The weasel cried as Hanna stole the meat he was holding.
“I mean Aaron.”
I looked at the weasel with its slapped face and ate its meat with relish.
The weasel quickly regained his energy and quickly picked up something else to eat.
Judging from the way he laughed heartily, saying, “Where is something that’s free?”, he seemed to be a nice guy, more so than I thought.
“I mean, I beat the Imperial Knight? When this guy was still unconscious, I just stabbed him with my dagger, “Swish!” “Swish!”
The weasel, who had been drinking wine, kept talking about his heroic feat of hitting the back of someone else’s head. He was really something to brag about.
Kanna slowly climbed onto my lap and dozed off.
The noisy meal continued for a long time.
My knees were sore, but it was bearable.
***
How long did you sleep?
Talk.
‘···Doesn’t this kid know the concept of a door?’
I frowned at the five long-haired men coming in through the window quite naturally.
The guy who came in like a thief adjusted his clothes and stared at me.
“···Are you going to sleep like that?”
When I turned my gaze to the guy’s trembling question, I saw erosion up to his waist.
Somehow, even though it was night, the view was clear.
“It’s a sleeping habit.”
I gave a vague answer and suppressed him. Unlike before when he listened well, he didn’t seem to be getting any sleep.
After struggling with it for a while, the erosion finally set in. It was becoming increasingly difficult to control.
“···You overused your powers. It’s not for nothing that you turn your powers into claws.”
The five elders looked down at me and muttered. I waved my hand at the unexpected advice. Do you think I would have wanted to use you?
“So what happened?”
The expressions of the five elders changed at my question.
“So what happened to him? The master of the sword? The royal knight?”
The fifth eldest son asked in an unusually quick voice.
“I don’t know, he’s dead.”
I answered while scratching my neck for no reason. The guy’s face blanked out for a moment as if he had been slapped in the face at my answer.
“···He died?”
Then, a guy with a hideously distorted face began to chew and spit out each word.
“Oh, I buried it in a sunny place. It was a mutual aid.”
At my answer, a surge of energy suddenly occurred. A sharp energy surged through the sweet scent. The air was suddenly becoming heavy and the momentum was sharp.
I habitually stroked the hilt of the knife. After a while, the guy with his eyes tightly shut returned with his usual unlucky expression.
However, the corners of his lips were trembling.
“Is this the work of the sword master?”
His question was full of earnest murderous intent.
I scratched the ball at him.
In terms of the percentage of fault, it was clear that the sword’s owner had the highest proportion. Since the sword was stuck right in the heart, if left alone, he would die.
However, since I was the last one, it was difficult to answer with certainty.
“You could say that.”
My answer made the guy even more determined.
It seemed like it would be pretty useful if I ever had to kill the sword’s owner.
I asked him a question with the intention of changing the flow of conversation.
“So what happened to you brothers?”
In response to my question, the guy muttered quietly, “Master of the Sword,” and took a deep breath.
“The fourth side was originally small-minded. He was also a mean and cowardly man. This time, he tried to deal with you as part of that. He must have thought that he would give up his great undertaking without you. But now, things have changed.”
The bastard gave a long explanation in his usual cold voice. The knight of the temple known as the Sword of the Order pointed his sword at the imperial knight.
There were many witnesses to that incident. Moreover, the five eldest sons did not seem to have any intention of handing him over, so there was no way the fact would be buried.
“Now that the devil has emerged from the palace… the sect will start to move in earnest. No, it can’t be helped. It’s funny how the one who was at the back will end up leading the way.”
It was a story that made some sense.
“···Isn’t the Empire in a state of turmoil? Is there any possibility of negotiation?”
“The Empire would never do that.”
I nodded at his firm answer. My thoughts were the same.
The Empire will not compromise.
It was one of the foundations of maintaining the empire.
I looked out the window for a moment. The cold wind kept coming in, cooling my face.
My hazy mind came back. I washed my face roughly with the water placed next to me and got up.
I still faced a man who couldn’t erase his will to live.
Now was no time to back out.
“Isn’t it time to explain what that great undertaking is?”
The guy looked ambiguous at my question. After a moment of silence, he nodded.
Snap. The guy snapped his fingers.
A small curtain opened with a ripping sound. It was one of the guy’s special abilities.
‘I used that to ambush them.’
I remembered the fight with the Master of the Sword. It was one of his hidden moves.
Whenever he used his power, there was a sound of air bursting, but there was a time when that sound was not heard when he was fighting the master of the sword.
Perhaps that was the bastard’s hidden dagger. If it couldn’t be seen or heard, it was definitely a lethal weapon.
However, the bastard did not move when using the technique, as it required a high level of concentration.
“Okay, it’s time to tell you.”
The one who cut off the noise opened his mouth.
“We will kill God.”
However, the words that came out of his mouth were different from what I expected.
Looking at his serious face, it seemed like this wasn’t a joke.
“······god?”
I asked back, trembling.
“There is a god in the empire called hypocrisy.”
‘Hypocrite…’
It was a word I heard a lot. When warlocks or demons dealt with knights, they called them ‘hypocrites.’
‘······Was that hypocrisy really hypocrisy?’
It was a more honest nickname than I thought. Considering that the abbot had called the old man a predator, it seemed to be something of that kind.
However, the concept of killing was problematic.
Even though I bit the prey out of the old man’s body by biting him, I didn’t feel like I killed it.
They were originally called gods.
“···How do you kill a god?”
The guy was silent for a moment at my question.
“The Emperor is a hypocrite. We just have to kill him.”
He said firmly.
It was really easy to understand because the sentences were simple.
‘So you’re going to kill the emperor. It’s that simple.’
I nodded.
They were guys with a clearer purpose than I thought.
Of course, the absurd story of killing a god was much more touching than the story of killing the emperor. It’s not like there had been no attempts to kill the emperor in the first place.
However, the problem is-.
“how?”
It wasn’t that the goal was clear, but it was the emperor he was talking about.
Seeing that it was called hypocrisy, it could have been a similar condition to that of the old man or something abnormal.
Just capturing the Emperor, the head of the empire that rules the continent, was an extremely difficult task.
But how can you catch the emperor if he is not a pot-bellied old man, but a monster with the same power as an old man?
‘No, I guess they have their own thoughts too.’
I nodded my head with effort.
Although they were brothers, their relationship with each other was a bit… no, really bad, but they were still executives of major organizations such as the royal family, the grand duke, the religious order, and the rebels.
Since these kids got together and seemed to have been planning it for a long time, it was clear that they would have a pretty good plan.
The guy’s eyes sank low at my question.
I felt relieved as if I had regained my composure.
Then the guy moved his hand. It seemed as if he was trying to take out a thick wad of paper from his bosom.
However, contrary to my expectations, the guy’s hands did not go into his pockets but were extended.
Then the bastard’s finger pointed at me-.
I seriously considered breaking those long fingers.
Come to think of it, it was a career position.
***
“···Were they rebels?”
Pulpouts asked, pressing his temple.
The guild leader, Pulita, who was actually asked the question, had a relaxed expression. It was as if there was nothing bothering him.
“Didn’t you know?”
“······You knew?”
Pulpouts was very surprised, but tried to hide his feelings and asked back.
“No? You were raising your eyebrows.”
Rather, Pulpouts’ head became complicated as he questioned the guild leader.
‘How can he be so confident?’
How can someone so shameless be the leader of a rebel army? The guy was really arrogant.
‘No, I guess it’s not worth worrying about in the first place.’
Pulpouts sighed and nodded. The enemy was a rebel army in the first place. This was a castle on the border.
Plus-.
“You may break the contract if you wish. Unlike the Empire, we are not coercive.”
The guy surprisingly obediently offered his choice.
‘···It seems like it’s already tied up.’
Pulpouts, who noticed my intention, pressed his temples.
“Come see me when you’ve made up your mind.”
The guild leader left the room with a more reserved attitude than before.
The guild leader left and other people came in.
“The investigation team we sent out has returned. Most of the bodies are of warlocks or those related to them. There were traces of imperial knights or holy knights, but their bodies were not found. The life or death of Marshal Balhar Khan is also unknown.”
It was a series of dizzying reports. Still, thanks to having become somewhat accustomed to the shock, Pulpouts was able to hold back his screams.
After hearing Nova’s quick report, Pulpouts snapped his fingers.
‘A fight broke out between the Imperial Knights, the rebels, and the Knights Templar in Cassadic, and for unknown reasons, all the Imperial Knights were annihilated.’
To summarize it briefly, it was definitely easier to understand the situation.
However, that does not mean that the weight has been reduced.
It was an empire that would send troops even if just one imperial knight died. But now that twelve imperial knights had died, it was clear what to do.
‘In common parlance······I’m screwed.’
Fullfoot looked up at the ceiling for a moment.
It was a gloomy ceiling that gave off a stuffy feeling.
I looked at the ceiling and slowly tried to figure out where I went wrong, but I couldn’t figure out anything.
They came on their own, fought each other, and then said that a great demon had appeared and headed towards the Kirton Mountains.
The news I heard after that was complete destruction, so where would I have any room to intervene?
To be honest, it was unfair. Then Pulpouts thought about the reason. The reason was clear.
‘···I have no strength.’
Fullfoot nodded his head in vain.
The reason the royal knights could manipulate Cassidy at will, and the reason they had no choice but to nod to the order to bring Vivian, was because they lacked strength. Being weak was a sin.
Pulpouts’ thoughts continued to flow. What Marshal Balhar Khan had demanded was Aaron and Vivian.
This time, they somehow got through it, but there was no way the empire that had even sent an enemy would give up.
Complicated thoughts came to mind one after another. Pulpouts washed his face dry and took a deep breath.
My thoughts were going round and round. My cool-headed reasoning foresaw the situation that would follow. I was afraid of the big things that would happen.
However, Vivian’s weight weighed them all down.
Which father would give up his child easily? Not even an animal.
But the worries continued for quite some time.
After a while, when I put my hand down-.
Pulpouts’ eyes were sharper than ever before.
I didn’t feel any headache anymore.
