234
Garlic Bbung Bbung
‘hmm···.’
Pulpouts glared at the people in front of him.
“The items you mentioned can be filled at Flitton Castle.”
“We are a bit lacking, but······. We will make up for it somehow.”
A variety of people were sitting around a large table.
Beginning with the nobles, the representatives of those who returned with Aaron were raising their voices and engaging in a heated debate.
The previously stiff nobles were all obedient. No, they even showed signs of regret for not being able to offer more goods.
It seemed like they thought they had a chance of winning. No, they were already tied up, so they knew that if they didn’t win, their whole family would be guillotined.
Thanks to that, I was able to roughly match what was written in the document Selena had prepared. Frederick’s Guild and other guilds were also involved.
Pullputz felt a strange sense of foreboding.
The identity of the sense of uneasiness is-.
‘···Why aren’t these guys asking anything?’
Pulpouts’ eyes became sharp as he watched the nobles awkwardly smiling while slowly looking at his expression.
Even from a distance, Aaron and Fullfoot looked completely different. From their size to their hair color, appearance, and even the amount of hair they had, there was nothing in common.
But no one questioned him. It was as if someone had issued a gag order.
‘No, do you think it doesn’t matter?’
Judging from the look on his face, the person Aaron brought seemed to think of Pulpouts as Aaron’s territory manager.
Even the nobles were relieved to see Pulphutz. They seemed to be afraid of him, since Aaron had blown up Behart’s second head.
He also said that he was Baron Pulpouts, but no one raised an objection.
Pulpouts raised his head in tears at such an incomprehensible smoothness. Since becoming the unintentional king of demons, Pulpouts has been shedding tears more and more often.
Last night I cried for a long time in my wife’s arms.
‘Behave like a man.’
Mary was more hawkish than Fullfoot. She advised Vivian, Fullfoot, and Cassadick to come to their senses and move forward boldly.
That’s true, and Pulpouts knew him too, but when Mary said that, he felt very sad.
No matter what Pulpouts was doing, the meeting proceeded smoothly under the leadership of Selena and Nova.
Selena laid out her plan without hesitation, as if she had prepared it in advance. Nova checked her calculations one more time from the side.
Fullfoot tried to find an opening somehow, but the combination of the two worked out better than expected.
“We must prepare and advance within a month.”
Selena declared softly. Nova nodded.
“Oh······.”
A quiet exclamation filled the conference room. Some trembled with anxiety, some felt hopeful, and some had greed in their eyes.
Looking at the various emotions, Pulpouts let out a small sigh.
If it was prolonged, it would only give the capital time to recover. It was the right and reasonable choice to see the results as quickly as possible. That was clear, but-.
‘Suddenly advancing to the capital.’
Pulpouts wiped his eyes. He was confused, having gone from being a nobleman in the frontier to the leader of a rebel army overnight.
The number of rebels was so great that just providing food was a headache.
Fullfoot focused on that period.
A month. It may seem like a long time, but it was a short period of time compared to what I was trying to do.
‘A time when the capital is somewhat lacking in restoration, and this side can exert maximum cohesion.’
No matter how many different types of people gather, if you specify a period of one month, they will somehow endure it.
In the quiet conference room, Pulpouts let out a soft sigh and stood up from his seat. Then, as the eyes gathered around him, Pulpouts began to organize what he wanted to say.
Anyway, since I had started, I had to win to survive. I had to keep my wits about me.
“We are now bound together. The Empire’s brutality is well known to all. Now either the Empire falls, or we all die.”
There were murmurs of laughter here and there. I had a rough idea of what it meant, but putting it out loud meant something else.
Pullputs continued speaking, looking around at the subtly changed atmosphere.
“As you know, the Empire is a powerful entity that has ruled the continent for so long.”
Pulpouts strained his eyes and looked at them. They all had tense faces.
Even with the capital city destroyed and the swordsman dead, the empire was no easy opponent.
If it weren’t for Aaron, I wouldn’t have even thought of it.
“In contrast, we are a rabble of people, with people of different opinions mixed in from all over the place.”
Several people’s eyes sharpened at Pulpouts’ cold words. Pulpouts did not avoid their gaze.
“Let us remember why we, who are so diverse and spread out across the continent, have gathered here, at the eastern end, in the outskirts.”
Fullfoot deliberately emphasized the word ‘we’. The documents about the ‘imperial atrocities’ that Selene had given him were already posted everywhere.
It was one of the first things Selena did when she arrived at Cassidy.
“The Empire deliberately neglects and raises the demon. It grows large by feeding on the blood of the continent’s people, and only then does it move. The Administration calls it the harvest. To the Empire, we are a kind of grain. If left alone, it will offer sacrifices on its own, and in the end, it will suck your blood.”
Pulpouts’s speech became faster and more intense. His once weak voice became firm.
I couldn’t completely believe Selena’s words. She was a stranger to Pulpouts.
However, her words were plausible. The doubts that a noble would have had about the empire were resolved.
Why do we pay taxes, and the Empire doesn’t pay for it? According to Selena, it was to harvest blood.
The more this happens, the stronger the empire will become, and the more powerful the emperor will become.
In order to overcome him, the nobles aimed their swords at each other and coveted the territory, a vicious cycle that continued.
“So just remember one thing.”
No matter what the cause, humans were creatures of desire. Problems were bound to arise.
Pulpouts looked around the room. There were different faces and various expressions.
“We are united to survive.”
A look of determination appeared on everyone’s faces.
However, it was necessary to instill fear in case something unexpected happened.
“And as you can see, the king of demons doesn’t keep his hands to himself. Be careful not to get caught with idle thoughts.”
Pulpouts said, holding back his hot face.
Those who actually saw the collapse of the capital nodded vigorously and preached how scary the Demon King was. They chanted ‘Demon King Pulpchus’, but they were not looking at Pulpchus.
‘···The decision will be made in one month.’
Pulpouts took a deep breath and thought about a plan.
The meeting continued for quite some time after that. Among those gathered were representatives of the rebels or the noble alliance, so there was quite a lot of useful information.
Most of this information was already known to Selena, but it eased Pulpouts’ anxiety a little.
“······The Frederick Guild has decided to separately gather the top and guilds to handle the provision of food during the advance.”
At Nova’s report, Pulpouts swirled the glass in his hand.
He was the lord of a small castle in the outskirts, but he was now the leader of a rebel army and was advancing to the capital.
No matter how many times I thought about it, I just couldn’t get it.
However, the carriage had already departed and he was tied to it.
It was enough to moan after surviving.
“Then let’s review it from the beginning.”
“Pulputs said, removing the candle that had fallen to the ground.
Everyone pretended not to see the tears flowing down Fullfoot’s sunken cheeks.
***
“Take it out quickly.”
Brighton winced at the harsh voice.
On the other side sat Aaron, his face unadapted.
“Sacred power is not something that can be found on the market. How blasphemous of you to bring it out.”
Brighton grumbled, clicking his tongue slightly. Aaron frowned slightly at that. He had no scars, so his face was clear, but-.
‘···Your eyes have actually gotten deeper.’
Brighton slowly summoned his divine power while looking at Aaron’s slightly crumpled eyes. A brilliant white light appeared in Brighton’s hands.
It was similar to the one in the church, but the color was different.
Compared to the sacred power of Brighton, that of the sect was very slightly turbid, as if mixed with impurities.
This was the change Brighton experienced as he rewrote the Bible. It was also the reason why Brighton had been sleeping less recently.
At that moment, Aaron shook his finger. The black divine power rose around Aaron’s finger.
It was a strange power even when I looked at it again. It was clearly divine, but it felt strangely different. Brighton’s wrinkles deepened.
“Okay.”
Aaron said that and laughed coolly.
“What do you mean?”
“There is something like that. But you have a worried look on your face?”
Brighton let out a sigh at Aaron’s question. He opened his mouth for a moment and then swallowed with difficulty.
“Is it because of this?”
Aaron said this and shook his hand. Then the black fire flickering in Aaron’s hand grew even bigger.
It was something of a new kind and of a different nature, but it was undeniable evidence of God.
If Brighton’s divinity felt warm, Aaron’s was intense and sharp. It felt like he was showing off his own, not for others.
Still, it could not be denied that it was divine.
‘···In the beginning there were nine.’
In the Bible, nine were written in the beginning. However, the other eight were all evil spirits and were cast out.
‘He’s an evil spirit.’
Brighton stared at Aaron intently. His eyes were deep, and it was impossible to read what he was thinking.
At that moment, Aaron wiped away his smile and shook his hand. The black fire naturally disappeared.
“You must have heard that the Pope cured me.”
Brighton was slightly surprised to hear Aaron address the Pope with the honorific title.
“······I heard that the Pope melted my body and healed you.”
Brighton answered, placing his right hand on his forehead. He did not know much about the Pope, but he was the one who had shown grace to Brighton.
I excommunicated Brighton, but I didn’t resent it. The position didn’t matter in the first place.
“There was a power of hypocrisy there.”
“···hypocrisy?”
Brighton’s eyebrows furrowed at the harsh words.
“I think I am a god, but I am just a very strong demon. But the emperor is a hypocrite. It seems that there was originally a god, but the hypocrite put on the mask and imitated it-.”
Brighton closed his eyes tightly at the shocking content that did not match the crude explanation.
‘The Emperor is the devil. But I felt that power from the Pope.’
It was hard to believe, but Brighton, who felt that there was something impure in the sect’s sacred power, was able to convince him.
‘The Empire has tampered with the sect’s scriptures.’
Brighton sighed softly at the conclusion he had reached.
“Aren’t you believing it too easily?”
At that moment, Aaron asked with a trembling face. It was as if he was feeling burdened. Brighton tried to raise the corners of his mouth, but he didn’t have the strength to do so.
“···There’s no reason for you to tell such a lie, right?”
Besides, I don’t have the brains to do that… I swallowed the gossip.
“Okay.”
Aaron got up with a small grunt at Brighton’s answer.
“Are you busy? While you’re here, why don’t you go to church one more time?”
As he said that, Aaron’s face became even more wrinkled.
“I’m busy. I have to go catch a dragon.”
Aaron answered lightly and turned away.
No matter how insincere it was, how could he make such a ridiculous excuse? – Brighton clicked his tongue slightly.
In the quiet room after Aaron disappeared, Brighton looked down at the Bible for a moment.
After hearing a series of shocking stories in Aaron’s rough tone, my head was in a mess.
I didn’t show it in front of Aaron, but what I just heard was so shocking that my mind was in turmoil.
Other gods, a sect that is fundamentally wrong, and the devil called hypocrisy.
Was the God that Brighton believed in real, or was he merely a distorted object of the devil known as hypocrisy?
So what is the difference between the sacred power of the church and that of Brighton? Is the direction right now?
The more I thought about it, the more my worries became tangled and inflated.
“Please give me an answer.”
Brighton took a deep breath and began to read the Bible. It was his own Bible, so he had it all in his head, but it all felt new.
Brighton simply read the Bible.
When I read the Bible all the way through without even getting up from my seat-.
Brighton let out a soft breath.
“Mr. Brighton, are you okay?”
Brighton nodded to the worried question of Monk Eins. He had not eaten or slept, but his body was full of energy.
However, I still couldn’t figure it out.
So I just thought I’d try to do it like I did back then.
“Would you please call Joanna and Johelia?”
Brighton spoke softly.
“I will give you a blessing.”
If this path is right-.
···He will give you the power to punish the devil.
“That Joanna······.”
Brighton looked out the window at the sound of Monk Eins’s silence.
It was early in the morning.
‘If this is the time···.’
The stall was taken yesterday, so it won’t go today. Then Joanna…
“Ah, if you look for it on the highest roof of District 3, you’ll find it. Hmm… I’ll go. If someone else goes, they’ll ask.”
Brighton stood up, letting out a deep breath.
***
“···Are you going to the workshop again?”
“It’s not a workshop, it’s a workshop, you idiot.”
I clicked my tongue slightly at Berman who asked stupidly. The crew members followed me, groaning.
The guards were so weak. I thought I should use them properly when I had time.
Those guys tried hard to hide their hardships.
The reason is-.
“Workshop!”
Kanna, who was riding on Vivian’s back, raised both her hands and shouted.
Although she was wearing light clothing, Vivian carrying Kanna showed no sign of fatigue. Instead, she was smiling brightly.
Since Vivian, the beloved, was doing it, the other guys couldn’t show it even if they were having a hard time.
On my way to get some garlic and bungbung, Kanna blinked with a gloomy look in her eyes.
Perhaps because she was sent from the capital first, Kanna seemed very upset even though she didn’t show it. I couldn’t not take her with me.
Plus-.
‘He wasn’t that dangerous.’
Before BbungBbung, the only dragon I had ever encountered was the Red Calamity. That’s why I couldn’t help but treat BbungBbung a bit harshly.
The Red Calamity was literally a calamity. However, BbungBbungi wasn’t as vicious as the Red Calamity.
‘I guess it’s because it hasn’t been touched by human hands.’
Although it was big, it was still a baby compared to other dragons.
All dragons except for the Red Calamity were hiding during the Empire’s hunt, so it seemed like they were wild dragons born during that time and never touched by humans.
This time I think I’ll be able to subdue him fairly easily.
Under such calculations, it was the way up to take the kids who would take the garlic.
“Wow! The Kirton Mountains! I’ve really wanted to go there! It looks like fun!”
Vivian, who had a set menu with Kanna, said with a big smile.
The executioner, Dalus, stood next to me and said:
“You’re quite the womanizer. Even the young lady.”
I muttered a curse under my breath at Dalus’ unfunny joke.
However, it is difficult to simply say no.
“Kanna. The scar on Aaron’s face is gone!”
“I’ll fix it later.”
“Wow-! Thank you! You fixed it! Aaron!”
I clicked my tongue at Vivian, who was shouting at me with strangely powerful eyes.
I couldn’t understand why the burden of pleasureless responsibilities kept increasing.
“If you were to become my guest, I thought it would be a crime of assault or murder of a nobleman, but now that I look at it···”
“Okay, this way.”
I gave a small push to Dalus, who was muttering seriously, and walked forward.
“Don’t worry. I’m good at cutting that part. I have the tools.”
Dalus said with a cool smile. Apparently, the bastard’s wife had run away from his bizarre humor.
“My brother should be beheaded as well! He’s my big brother!”
“Guillotine? Hmm… I see. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Dylan, who had just come in, spoke with a confident expression. Dalus nodded with a serious expression.
He clicked his tongue slightly and checked Vivian’s side. It seemed like Vivian wouldn’t fall even if the others fell behind.
Before reaching the dragon, I thought I’d grab some garlic first.
If I hadn’t tried it, I wouldn’t know. The pungent taste of garlic that I ate after a long time kept coming to mind.
Thinking about garlic made my feet feel lighter.
At that moment, the Swallows that had been groaning fell down with a thud. He was ugly and had poor stamina.
I clicked my tongue and grabbed the bastard by the back of his neck.
Then Dylan, who had been watching, fell forward with a thud. As I looked up at his mean eyes, I lifted my foot slightly and sat up abruptly.
I was walking fast, so by the time I reached the garlic I was carrying three on my shoulders. I lightly shook my shoulder and threw them away.
“Oh my! My back!”
The fallen ones screamed, but I couldn’t hear them because I was so shocked by the scene.
It was full of gorgeous trees, as if we had come to an elven forest.
The trees that were shining and sparkling like flutters were unrealistically beautiful, but-.
“Where’s my garlic?”
This was where they planted garlic. They even sprinkled the garlic with troll blood to make it grow, but it was full of strange trees.
I hurriedly clung to a nearby tree.
“···Can garlic become a tree?”
He muttered, caressing the sturdy tree.
Certainly the garlic here looked very strange. It is possible that garlic could grow there after it has become a tree.
In other words, there was a possibility that garlic could grow on a very dazzlingly beautiful tree.
“Ohhh… Isn’t this El Bartos!”
At that moment, Swallows came running and checked the tree. He touched the tree with eyes filled with emotion. That intense admiration was extremely annoying.
“···Elbartos? This is a garlic tree.”
I clicked my tongue slightly at the stupid medieval guy who didn’t even know what garlic was.
“Garlic! Elbartos is a very precious and valuable tree known for its excellent mana sensitivity! In addition, its hardness is superior to iron, making it the best material for magic wands! And isn’t garlic a plant that grows in the ground in the first place?”
The Swallows were so excited that they even spit out saliva.
Then I put my nose against the tree and sniffed. It was fragrant. It wasn’t spicy.
Next, I dug up the ground and looked at the roots. There was no garlic. I climbed up and checked for fruit. There was no garlic.
There was no garlic anywhere.
I had to admit it. This wasn’t garlic. Garlic was a monocotyledon. It wasn’t a tree.
“Is it that expensive?”
Dylan jumped out before Swallows could finish his sentence and hung on the branch, the brilliant leaves fluttering and filling the surrounding area.
The sight was so beautiful, like a falling star, but it didn’t catch my eye.
“It’s pretty! I’ve never seen anything this pretty before!”
“Wow!”
‘How dare you touch the detective’s garlic.’
I opened my eyes wide and searched for a clue. There was a deep mark at the bottom of the tree. I crouched down and checked him.
The deep and thick grooves were the teeth marks of a wild beast. However, they were extremely large. It was rare for a monster to have a snout this large.
I touched the evidence with my hand, imagining a monster of that size in my head.
If only the garlic had disappeared, one might have thought that it had been eaten by demons.
However, it was not the work of a demon that such a beautiful tree appeared where the garlic used to be.
Plus, knowing this location-.
‘Bboongboongi.’
I laughed heartily at the truth I had soon arrived at.
A dragon that eats garlic? – he muttered as he examined the tree.
Its hardness is said to be greater than that of iron, so it would be very suitable for use as a whip.
I finally found one that was the right thickness and held it with both hands.
“It’s harder than iron, so when collecting it, use the knight’s aura······.”
Then the Swallows shouted that it was good to use as a club.
He held onto both sides of the branch and applied force. The resistance was certainly not insignificant.
I used my modern wisdom to do that. I used the principle of a lever, pressing down with one elbow while pulling the other.
After wrestling for a while-.
Crunch. The branch snapped with a heavy sound.
The stupid medieval guys who were swinging their swords from the tree looked at me in horror.
“Why bother with force···”
Ignoring the five elders’ trembling, I fiddled with the club. It was larger than an adult male, and felt quite comfortable in my grip.
I swung it in the air just to test it out.
Boohoo- boohoo-.
The club pointed the finger at the culprit.
***
Once a dragon sleeps, it doesn’t wake up for at least fifty years. So, a dragon needs a lot of preparation to sleep.
The most important of these was a device to deter intruders.
First, he gathered all the monsters around him. Since the monsters instinctively followed the dragon’s words, he was able to give them some orders.
Additionally, the area around where the dragon resides is full of life due to the dragon’s influence, so naturally, monsters flock there.
Next, they blocked the entrance with a huge stone. Now, from the outside, it just looks like a huge mountain.
In the first place, there was no reason for him to come to such a deep mountain range, but Alvarsik had experienced the fear of humans, so he became even stronger.
As soon as I finished preparing like that, I yawned.
Alvarcik would sometimes lie down in his favorite spot, where the heat was rising, and turn the kettle black.
I wondered how beautifully decorated the mountain would be the next time I opened my eyes.
‘I wish garlic would grow again…’
Alvarsik yawned deeply and slowly closed his eyes.
A very heavy sleep slowly began to press upon his huge body. It was a very long sleep, the price paid for his long life.
My breathing slowly slowed and my thoughts became calmer.
When my mind becomes clouded-.
thud.
The tiniest sound grated Alvarsik’s nerves.
However, Alvarsik could not open his eyes because he was already asleep.
‘It won’t be a big deal.’
thud.
The sound was slightly louder than before. It could have been an earthquake or a storm. Sometimes, the mana was unstable, so the ground would shake.
The biggest problem is that the mountain is spewing fire, but that is still a long way off.
thud!
The dull sound that soon became loud enough to be heard was definitely not an earthquake.
Someone was knocking on the stone blocking the entrance.
‘······no way.’
Suddenly, I thought of that scary person and shivered slightly.
‘No, that can’t be. How can I find my nest in this vast mountain range?’
It would have been impossible even if it had stuck to itself and visited the nest once before.
However, the anxiety that had once arisen grew. However, there was no way to escape from the sleep that had once fallen into it. Contrary to such worries, Alvarsik’s mind gradually became clouded.
Kuung!!
The sound was heard from further away.
That can’t be······.
Alvarsik muttered softly and lost consciousness.
A deep sleep, a curse that no dragon can shake off, has fallen upon Alvarsik.
However, it didn’t last long.
The intense pain he had never felt before forcibly dragged Alvarsik up.
Alvarsik, who had never been forced to wake up from sleep, could not come to his senses.
Bam!
A sharp pain shot through Alvarsik again, accompanied by a sharp sound.
Only then did he come to his senses. Alvarsik opened his eyes hurriedly and what he saw in front of him was-.
“The smell of garlic is vibrating.”
He was a handsome man I had never seen before.
‘···Is this really a human?’
Just by being in front of him, Alvarsik averted his eyes from the tingling presence that made his shoulders hunched.
The crumpled face and the huge club he was holding somehow reminded me of that scary man.
After that, a huge hole was visible. The entrance to Alvarsik’s nest was originally located at the top. So the hole over there is-.
Beyond that, humans were everywhere. They were all looking at me with surprised faces. Although they were far away, the dragon could see them all.
Alvarsik’s eyes were fixed on one of the women. It was not her appearance, but a certain aura that emanated from the woman that took Alvarsik’s mind away.
It was an indescribable impulse. Feeling the strongest impulse he had ever experienced in his life, Alvarsik jumped up without realizing it and ran to the woman.
No, I tried to run.
Bam-!
Alvarsik stopped without realizing it, feeling the sharp pain in his forehead.
“Oh, wait.”
I don’t know what showing my palm meant, but my body froze involuntarily at the sight of that huge club and those murderous eyes.
The albatross’s massive tail slid down between its legs.
