Running Weasel
Swish-.
The rain became heavier and visibility became narrow, but Aaron still had a huge presence like Mt. Taishan.
Next to him, two men were stuck against the shabby wall, with only their lower bodies visible, and they didn’t move at all.
“···What is this.”
Someone’s low mutterings of astonishment were swallowed up by the sound of the rain.
Aaron leisurely reached out and caught the rainwater to wash his face. He pushed back his wet bangs, revealing his scarred face.
Kururung-.
The sight reflected in the pale light from the small lightning strike was…
Gulp.
Those who were watching him swallowed at the same time.
“Wow… That guy has some moves. Come at him at once!!”
A man who had hugged a noble woman shouted while thrusting a sharp skewer into the man.
‘Tsk.’
Levy clicked his tongue as he looked back at him, but he was no different from those guys.
After all, he too was one of the deer before Aaron.
Beep-.
A whistle was heard nearby.
As if he had been pushed back, the men rushed at him again.
This time, unlike before, one of them kicked the wall and jumped upwards while the other two men slammed into the walls on either side of him, pushing towards Aaron at the same time.
The remaining man followed him slightly behind.
Levy was surprised by their eye contact, as if what they had been talking about earlier wasn’t just empty boasting.
‘This… even Aaron…’
Levy concentrated so hard that he even forgot to breathe.
Soon the men and Aaron became close.
“Get behind-!”
A sharp-nosed man leapt up and stabbed a skewer into Aaron’s temple.
In the face of the onslaught of men filling the alley, Aaron took a step forward.
The skewer missed and Aaron slammed his head directly into the man’s stomach. Boom. A sound effect like something breaking could be heard through the sound of the rain, and the man was pushed back.
Aaron then swung both his fists from the inside out at the two men rushing towards him from either side.
The men were startled and each swung the hook they were holding, but Aaron blocked it with the gauntlet on his forearm.
Boom! Two loud noises combined, pushing out the sound of the rain and filling the alley.
The last man who had been hiding behind the men took advantage of the gap and jumped into Aaron’s arms.
Phew. The dagger in the man’s hand was stuck deep enough that only the handle was visible near the seam of Aaron’s left breastplate.
“Hehehe… You stupid, big bird….”
Boom! There are now five decorations pinned to the wall.
At that moment, the man who was first kicked in the air fell to the ground and the mud splashed out soaked Levy.
아론이 깊숙이 박힌 단검을 ‘아- 따갑잖아. 이 개새끼야.’라고 투덜거리며 뽑는 걸 보고, 레비는 황급히 양팔을 들어 귀 옆에 바짝 붙였다.
“Ah, it’s hot.”
Aaron frowned and pressed the pricked spot with his finger.
The grumbling was as light as a mosquito sting, but every time he pressed, red blood poured out like a wine cask had been opened.
“Heal, Healing, Recovery, AC doesn’t work. You’re an honorary monk.”
Aaron, who had been mumbling something over my wound, spat.
Aaron, who was pinning the men against the wall one by one and pushing them deeper, seemed to have found Levy and slowly approached her.
I’m scared. No, the word scared isn’t enough.
Every time Aaron took a step closer, it felt like someone was squeezing my heart, making it hard to breathe.
Levy could do nothing but raise his trembling arms higher.
“Oh, Levy. Long time no see.”
“Ah···ah···that···that···that···.”
Levy realized for the first time that when he was extremely nervous, his mouth would freeze and he would not be able to speak.
Aaron’s sharp gaze looking down at her made her mouth freeze and she couldn’t even breathe properly.
‘I need to apologize quickly for what happened back then… I need to beg for my life somehow…’
My body just wouldn’t listen to me.
Is this how a human being feels when standing before the devil?
“hmm.”
Aaron ran his hand through his hair again, the blood on his hands reddening the long gash on his face.
Aaron blinked for a moment and then put his hand inside his breastplate.
I was moved to tears by the thought of Aaron, who had turned men into decorations with only his fists, trying to take something out.
‘··· What did I do so wrong!’
And that fear greased Levy’s frozen body to move a little.
Levi fell forward in a panic and grabbed Aaron’s feet. He begged like a beggar on the verge of death clinging to someone carrying bread. He let out every word that came out of his mouth without even knowing what he was saying.
Puck- Aaron shoved him and Levi fell backwards. The puddle soaked his back and Levy, who was lying face down, stared at Aaron with blank eyes.
How to kill.
Should I break my head?
Or should I just tear it off with my hands?
Endless imagination drew all sorts of pictures.
‘I’d rather bite my tongue than be captured by the devil and dragged to hell…’
When Levy, who had made up his mind, opened his mouth wide and trembled.
“Okay, take this.”
Aaron held out something from his bosom.
Levy bit her tongue slightly and looked up at him with her eyes wide open. What Aaron held out were ten silver coins that shone brightly in the moonlight.
“I drank too much at the time. I messed around with my hands while drunk.”
Levy couldn’t understand what Aaron was saying because of the sound of the rain, but instinctively she reached out her trembling hand and hurriedly took the silver coin.
However, my body was so weak that I fell forward and the silver coins scattered on the ground. Because the blood flowed to my head to its limit, I was slow to perceive the situation.
“···Do you have hydrocephalus? I’m already tired.”
Levi came to her senses with a start as Aaron kept slipping and swearing as he picked up the silver coins that had fallen to the ground with his large fingers.
This punk apologized for what happened then.
You have no intention of killing yourself.
So did you save me?
“I… I’ll do it.”
Levy hurriedly crawled on the ground and picked up the silver coins. After putting nine of them in his pocket, Levy was finally able to breathe comfortably.
‘Now that I think about it… he’s a rough kid who swears, and sometimes swings his fists…’
Maybe he had misunderstood Aaron based solely on his appearance and past behavior.
Levy looked up at Aaron with renewed eyes.
Aaron’s massive body seemed even bigger.
So huge that it could block the pouring rain as if a hole had been made right away···.
‘It’s just a rose umbrella, right?’
Why on earth do I carry around a rose umbrella that can’t even properly cover my body?
Levy got up, smiling faintly.
My legs weren’t very strong, but I was able to move around pretty well.
“Aaron, I misunderstood you···.”
puck!
Levy fell face down from the strong impact he felt on the back of his head.
My face was completely buried in a puddle of water, and water filled my nose.
What is this situation? What kind of misunderstanding has occurred again? Levy turned his head away from the puddle and looked up at Aaron.
“I’m dirty?”
Levy frowned for a moment at Aaron’s muttering, then realized that it was no different from the swearing he had done half a year ago, and he laughed.
“What are you laughing at? Get up. I’m busy.”
Aaron grabbed Levi’s back with one hand.
Levy nodded, feeling like a kitten to him.
***
“Where did you go?”
“I heard it was hidden in District 7.”
Hoo- Hoo- Dylan. No, the weasel had been regulating his breathing to calm his trembling heart.
‘That piece of shit kid is a problem solver? No- if he is a problem solver, he should at least show it. He’s annoying people.’
The weasel bit the tips of its nails out of impatience. It spat at the moist taste it felt on its rough nails.
“Hey, Dylan, what’s wrong?”
The grass tapped his shoulder.
“No, brother.”
Strangely enough, Aaron, the little brat, was afraid and called him big brother, but to Grass, the call to big brother really came from the depths of her heart.
As Aaron said, I seriously considered whether they were really half-brothers.
A big guy like a bear, grass, and one guy with a fierce look. This was the safest group except for Aaron. So the weasel broke the original rule of three people per group and joined this group.
“How dare criminals roam the Castle of Cassidy without my permission.”
The bear muttered and took out a large hammer from his bosom. The weasel nodded slightly at the hammer, which suited its size.
Among the original mercenaries, those who used hammers were the most vicious. They only stopped after they had reduced their opponents to rice cakes.
“Let’s move again. We have to go a little further.”
“Do not order me around. I am Scar, the Shadow of Cassidy.”
“If you don’t listen, the leader will tell you to speak.”
“Ahem… But this is an emergency situation, so let’s hear some additional explanation. Hey- You heard me? Tell the kids to move.”
“Yes, brother!!”
As the bear roared, the fierce-looking guy ran off somewhere.
As thick raindrops continued to obscure his vision, the weasel swept his hands around his eyes.
Beep- beep-.
The weasel blew the whistle in his mouth desperately.
He blew with all his might, scaring the bastards with this sound and making them all go towards the ignorant guy.
“Just a little further on…”
“fizzle.”
As the bear muttered, Grass raised her hand, narrowed her eyes, and stared somewhere.
It was an alley in the direction I was going.
Buck! Buck! Kkaaaak!
Unfortunately, the sound of metal clashing against metal and screams were muffled by the rain.
Gulp.
“Hyung… It sounds like a couple fighting! It’s a family matter, so don’t get involved….”
The weasel opened its mouth hurriedly at the feeling of ominousness that it felt instinctively.
“Let’s go. It could be the leader.”
He put the whistle in his pocket and drew the sword from his waist and held it in his hand.
The narrow, sharp-tipped sword glowed faintly in the moonlight.
“Ahem… If Aaron is in trouble, he’ll need me.”
The bear swung his hammer in the air, as if trying to show off his strength.
The raindrops that fell on him soaked the weasel’s face.
The weasel had no choice but to follow along, but it walked with its heels pressed so that it could run away at any moment.
Ughhhhhhhhhhh-.
A suppressed groan erupted from the dark alley and Grass raised her right hand.
Everyone stopped and looked into the alley.
Thud- thud-.
The only sound that could be heard was the sound of heavy raindrops hitting the ground, and enough time had passed that it felt ridiculous to be so nervous.
The moment the weasel was about to open his mouth.
A tall man walked out of the alley.
The cool moonlight slowly shone upward from the man’s feet, and soon the weasel saw the man’s face, desperately holding back a scream.
Tall as a pole.
A pale face like a made-up prostitute, with an awkward expressionless look as if she was wearing a mask over it.
I have seen it before.
The troubleshooter, whose head the weasel had cut off, was standing there holding a blood-stained longsword.
‘Why is this kid here?’
The weasel frowned and turned his mouth to the side, trying to avoid being recognized.
“Hey, bro, you’re not from here?”
A bear with a hammer slung over his shoulder stepped forward in a slouched posture.
“His appearance matches that of the escaped troubleshooter. He’s a dangerous opponent. Let’s attack together.”
The grass clung to the bear and muttered softly.
“That’s pride···.”
“If you don’t listen, the leader said he’d cut off that useless ear and feed it to you.”
“Yeah, sometimes a joint attack is necessary for strategic reasons.”
“Dylan, if we block your way… what’s wrong with you?”
The grass that was stuck to the bear’s back turned its head and asked the weasel.
“Huh? My mouth is watering because it’s cold.”
“What? …Anyway, Scar and I will take the front, so stab us when you have an opening.”
The weasel wanted to hurl curses at the back of the heads of those who were determined to fight the man who obviously looked incredibly strong, but he swallowed it and nodded.
“Cathedral Castle is my territory, and you can’t wield a sword without the master’s permission.”
The bear strode towards the man.
Thud-.
As an unusually large raindrop hit the ground and scattered, the man moved like lightning.
There was no sound. The man simply leaned forward awkwardly and the bear swung the hammer.
But the man dodged the hammer smoothly as if he were possessed by a ghost.
Boom! The bear’s massive hammer brought down the wall.
However, the man who was the target had already passed.
The bear stumbled for a moment, dropped the hammer, and grabbed my face with his hands. A red line ran through his hands, and he fell forward with a thud!
The man flicked his sword, and the raindrops mixed with blood and painted the puddle below.
It happened in the split second before the sword was thrust into the grass right behind the bear.
“Dylan!! Jump!”
Grass shouted and thrust his sword forward, but the man dodged him easily and stabbed Grass in the shoulder with his sword.
The puddle of water grew even redder. Kkaaaak- A scream of pain erupted through the heavy sound of rain.
It was not going to work. There was no chance at all. The weasel, having made a decision, quickly took a step back.
At that moment, the man grabbed the back of Grass’ neck and pulled out the knife he had stabbed into his shoulder. Blood poured out like a fountain.
Kkaaaak-.
The scream of the grass caught the weasel’s feet.
The weasel shut his eyes tightly against the face of the grass full of pain.
Good memories of the grass flashed through my mind.
‘Aaron is a dog?’
Sweet memories of drinking together and chewing Aaron.
‘Ahahaha! Dylan, you’re lonely? Come with me! I’ll give you what’s yours too! Didn’t I call you brother!’
A flesh-colored memory of being a true brother and comrade who even gave his own arm.
‘When receiving money from a carriage driver, the most important thing is to know the amount. For example, in the case of that carriage driver···.’
I even remember him generously sharing his precious secrets.
They were all warm memories worthy of being called memories.
The man playfully stabbed her with the knife again, but Grass screamed and waved her right hand.
As if telling me to run away quickly.
Something rose from deep within the weasel’s heart.
He was exhausted from the squalid and tense life of a low-level mercenary, never knowing when the next guy would stab him in the back of the head. Something he had forgotten pricked his heart.
And then it popped when the grass’ right hand fell down – boom!
“Hey you fucking piece of shit!!!”
Dylan tried to relax his crumpled face.
No, rather, he smiled his characteristically vulgar smile, as if he had hit the back of a man’s head.
The man’s head slowly turned, and the moment I met his emotionless gaze, my feet flinched, but I forced myself to hold it back.
“You- you idiot. You got beat up by me. Don’t you remember?”
Dylan laughed as viciously as he could, swinging the knife in his hand like a club.
Finally, as if he recognized me, the expressionless face that seemed to be that of a man wearing a mask broke for the first time.
“The younger brother, the younger brother!
Dylan let out a loud groan, again.
Then the man kicked the ground, and Dylan ran away without looking back.
Knock knock! His feet were heavy as he kicked the ground, but Dylan ran with all his might.
Soon both paths came into view and Dylan chose the left. He turned and slipped in a puddle.
Dylan’s body rolled on the ground, but he got up right away and started running again.
It wasn’t a metaphor, there was a real guy chasing me with a knife, so my feet didn’t even hurt.
Crunch! The man’s sword was stuck in the wooden box where he had just rolled around.
Dylan swallowed hard and desperately moved his heavy, soaking wet legs.
There was only one person that came to mind right now.
A face so scary that I even see it in my dreams.
개 좆같은 십새끼지만, 사람 쥐어패는 거 하나만큼은 기똥찬 십새끼!
At that moment, I rolled forward at the chill I felt behind me, and the back of my neck felt hot. When I touched my back, it was wet with red blood.
“Hey- you fucking piece of shit. Swinging a sword at the back of someone’s head?! Hey- you dirty little dog!”
Dylan swore and kicked the crates stacked next to him, knocking them over. The crates fell down with a crash, blocking the way. Dylan knew it wouldn’t last long, so he ran again.
‘Where are these little brats?’
Dylan kept running, unable to wipe away the tears that were pouring down his face in fear.
My throat was choked with breath as I reached my limit. With every step I took, I deeply regretted why I had done such a retarded thing that did not suit me.
At that moment, a burning pain was felt in his back. Dylan rolled forward, screaming.
‘You dirty little bastard who swings a knife at someone’s back!’
Dylan wanted to curse the bastard for his meanness, but his mouth was so full of water from rolling around in the puddle that all he could make was a gurgling sound.
I lost consciousness for a moment as the blood flowed from my back. Soon I hit a wall and the world seemed upside down.
The man standing upside down approached with a light gait as if he were taking a stroll. Red blood dripped from the sword in the man’s hand.
I wanted to run away, but my body wouldn’t move.
Dylan felt a sense of injustice as he watched death clearly approaching.
A guy who usually shows up out of the blue and pesters you, but isn’t there when you really need him.
That was so frustrating, I opened my mouth.
“아론- 이- 좆같은- 개- 십새끼!!!”
The lump in my chest poured out like blood. No, upon closer inspection, it was real blood.
‘What a fucking miserable life. I thought that if I could somehow survive until the end, it would have some meaning.’
Dylan glared at the man who had come right up to him and raised his sword.
The bastard didn’t seem to feel any guilt about killing a person, but he glared at the man as if he would follow him even after death.
When the man with his mouth twisted while looking down at Dylan was about to swing his sword.
Kwa-ang.
The wall to the man’s right burst.
A colorful thing burst through the wall and struck the man, sending him flying and crashing into the wall on the other side.
“What did you say?”
The weasel closed its eyes tightly, its black pupils shining steadily amidst the vibrant colors.
Blood was flowing out of my back, so I thought I could easily pass out.
‘A sweet-eared bastard appears when you curse!’
However, even when I closed my eyes, the sharp gaze lingered in my mind and I could not help but become conscious.
***
‘This kid is pretending to faint.’
I clicked my tongue as I watched the weasel, which was curled upside down against the wall and whose eyes fluttered open whenever raindrops hit it.
What was important now wasn’t this guy.
Even though it was a body slam with proper force, I pulled out my sword as I watched the guy get up without any problems.
The blade glowed coolly in the moonlight.
“Is that you? That piece of shit that got screwed by him.”
He swung his sword around, grumbling.
“This guy and that guy···.”
The boy muttered, brushing the dirt off his shoulders.
“Hey, I asked on the other side too.”
At that I pointed my finger to the guy’s right.
The moment the frowning guy turned his head.
He ran, kicking the ground.
bang!
“It’s not like this···.”
The guy frowned at the sword he was facing.
His reaction was slightly delayed, and my blade lightly sliced through his shoulder.
“mean···.”
“The one who got fooled is the idiot.”
I smiled broadly at the guy’s whining.
I looked into the guy’s eyes and put more strength into the hand holding the sword. The guy’s sword was pushed away in an instant, and blood spurted out from his shoulder.
The guy must have felt that force wasn’t enough, so he immediately changed his stance and my sword scraped the area near his shoulder.
The guy’s red flesh peeled off like the rind of a fruit, exposing the pale bones beneath.
The guy grimaced in pain, but didn’t even groan.
As my sword struck the guy’s shoulder and he moved to the side, he stabbed me with his sword.
The guy’s sword aimed for the spot where the dagger had struck earlier.
‘You dirty little bastard.’
Clicking his tongue, he bent his right shoulder and struck the guy’s sword with his shoulder blade. The guy’s sword grazed the back of his neck, causing a burning pain.
Phew-
We were so close that I could feel each other’s hot breath, so I punched the guy in the stomach with my left fist.
Phew. The guy’s abdomen sprayed with moisture, and he lifted slightly.
In the meantime, the guy was looking at me, and I was looking at him too.
I spread my left hand, which was stuck in the guy’s stomach, and pulled at his clothes, throwing him to the floor.
The guy bounced on the ground behind me like a water blob. In the process, the guy kicked the ground and was pushed backwards.
It seemed as if they were trying to stop the momentum that was continuing by widening the distance.
He was no pushover. He was a true problem solver who was so vicious that he didn’t even scream once while his flesh was being torn apart.
‘How on earth did that little weasel catch that guy?’
I took a deep breath and swept back my bangs that were covering my eyes.
“They said our kids were caught. So there was a reason.”
The guy who got up staggeringly looked down at my bare shoulder and muttered softly.
“Why do you keep crawling into these remote places? Are you trying to become a farmer? There’s no room for you, you brat.”
He grumbled and pressed his finger against the dagger wound. Hot, red blood flowed down his finger.
Beep beep beep beep
The sound of a whistle rang out through the heavy rain.
The guy who had been looking around for a moment opened his mouth.
“Oh, I’m looking for a girl. She’s about this tall and has purple hair. Have you seen her before?”
The guy spoke in a calm, even voice, but his face was pale and he didn’t look too good.
‘It’s a mini fridge.’
The situation was naturally portrayed through the guy’s words.
However, I didn’t understand why they sent a troubleshooter to find a single magician.
True wizards are rare, but there are at least one magician who has not evolved into a true wizard in a high-class bar or cafe in the city, so why bother sending a troubleshooter?
‘Are you a frugal guy?’
I was scratching my head at the task, which was becoming more complicated than I thought.
“You seem to know. Even if you kill me, our leader won’t give up, so just go ahead and···.”
At that moment, a sharp blade emerged from the guy’s abdomen, and blood sprayed out like a fountain.
“Ha!! This fucking piece of shit Sher-lee dares to touch Boradongi···.”
The weasel, half-open and in a state of near-death, groaned.
“You···You···.”
The guy opened his eyes wide and waved his hand, but the weasel had already fallen backwards.
‘It turned out I was right to hit the back of the head.’
He laughed out loud at the sudden resolution of his doubts, then stabbed his sword in the stomach and approached the staggering guy.
“We··· two··· heads··· forgive···.”
The guy continued to speak, spitting out blood from his mouth.
I grabbed the guy by the hair and pulled.
Even when his shoulder was hit, the calm boy’s eyes grew wide and fear filled his pupils.
No matter how strong or calm they pretended to be, when death was right before their eyes, their expressions were all similar.
I faced him and readied my sword.
After thinking about what to say at the end, I swung my sword, thinking that it would be useless since he was already a loser.
The body that had lost its owner fell over, and red water spray soaked my feet.
He threw his head on it and opened the umbrella he had tucked behind his waist.
Beep beep beep beep
As the sound of the whistle faded away, it seemed like the day was coming to an end.
I just wanted to take a warm bath and drink a cold beer.
