Cloudy then clear
“Hey, wake up.”
Even though he saw something startling, the weasel still had its eyes tightly shut.
When I kicked him near the head, the startled guy opened his eyes wide.
“Get up.”
“Brother, I lost so much blood that I feel dizzy and confused….”
The weasel turned slightly, showing me the wound on his back, and trailed off.
“It’s just a little scratch. Don’t joke around like that. Get up quickly.”
“Oh… just a little scratch! There’s blood here….”
“one.”
As I counted the numbers, the weasel got up. It didn’t look like it was in good shape because it was staggering slightly, but it wasn’t like it could sleep here in the rain.
“The kids.”
“Kids… Ah! Brother! Brother Pool is badly hurt! We have to go quickly!”
The weasel limped ahead.
Even in front of the fork in the road, the weasel continued forward without hesitation, and soon a large, bulky one and a thin one appeared on the ground.
“Oh my-! Brother!! Eeeeek!”
The weasel ran screaming, but tripped over his own foot and fell flat in a puddle of water, not moving.
‘This is fucking crazy.’
To suppress the rising irritation, I checked on the kids while pressing my temples.
None of them were in good condition. There were two holes near the shoulders of the pool, and blood was gushing out of them.
The scar on the scar boy ran from just below his eye to below his left chest, and blood poured out from there.
The weasel’s wound wasn’t deep, but it seemed to have fainted after hitting its head.
I crouched down and searched through the grass pockets.
‘There it is.’
As if he was worried that someone might steal it, there was a clear bottle deep inside his pocket.
When I smelled it, I realized it was a low-grade potion.
This was enough to stop it in a hurry.
I gathered the guys together in one place, covered them with an umbrella, and evenly sprinkled the potion on their wounds.
The Scar guy was so big that it didn’t seem like he would die like that, and Grass was a poisonous guy who had survived being stabbed in the stomach before, so it seemed okay.
After sprinkling both, there was some left, so I sprinkled it on the weasel’s back.
‘I should buy some potions and carry them with me.’
“Aaron!”
“Levi. Bring that over here.”
Then Levy arrived and I pointed to an old cart parked in the distance.
Levy brought the cart and I piled them on top of each other. The Scar bastard was so heavy that my wounds burst open again as I lifted it.
After putting the guys on the cart, I put an umbrella next to the cart to keep the rain out.
Levy, who moved briskly without being told, pulled the cart and after a while came face to face with Berman.
“Sir! You’re not at the scheduled location… What’s that? That?”
“What about the rest?”
“I caught them all except that one guy who was a problem solver. Grass?! What’s wrong with this kid?!”
Berman, who had been checking the cart, raised his voice and opened his eyes wide.
“I took care of that troubleshooter, so let’s finish this quickly. I’m tired.”
“Yes. This way is fine. Oh? It’s Levy. Long time no see.”
“It’s been a while, Ber···.”
“Let’s say hello separately later.”
Berman nodded and took the lead.
Soon, we arrived at the place where we had left the kids earlier.
Around there, guards and people wearing baker’s hats were moving busily.
“Aaron, if you’re going to kill me, then kill me for sure, or leave me hanging in the dark and cause trouble···.”
“Captain. Captain Aaron has returned. We’ve caught that troubleshooter too.”
“Ah! As expected! Team Leader Aaron, whom I trust the most! As expected of Team Leader Aaron! He gets things done with certainty! A team leader who runs things himself!”
The captain smiled broadly and clapped his hands. The men next to him followed suit, and soon I was a local hero who had returned home in glory.
“Master!!”
The brat next to the captain jumped up to Levy. As the two were having a touching reunion, the guys in the baker’s hats approached.
The guys stopped, looking at the men tangled up in the cart.
“Hey, take them all and treat them.”
“···Yes? Yes.”
The guy who answered right away nodded and pulled the cart. Another baker’s hat followed behind him.
“Then I will go first. You guys come too.”
He bowed his head slightly to the captain and gestured to Levy and the kid who were jumping around beside him.
The two of them looked at the captain for a moment, then sneaked up behind me.
“Aaron? This guy was also detained, so there’s no need to investigate in detail…! He’s someone that Team Leader Aaron can guarantee, so it’ll be fine! I trust Team Leader Aaron very much!”
The captain laughed awkwardly, and I laughed along.
***
dripping.
“You don’t have to take care of me like this···.”
“Just shut up… no, be quiet.”
I was about to speak harshly to the hesitant Levy, but then corrected myself at the brat next to him.
There was a noise beyond the door, and then the door opened wide and Ha-na came out. There was a mini-fridge right next to it.
“Aaron! Are you okay?!”
“It’s okay. Come in.”
“Ah… Hello! My name is Levi!”
“Oh, come in-.”
“I brought your new friend with me. Let’s get along well.”
Since peer friends are important for personality formation during the growing period, I gently pushed the bratty little boy towards the mini fridge.
“Ah…hello.”
The blushing brat greeted me with a strange tone, extending his hand, as if his face was about to burst.
“hi.”
The mini fridge glanced at me, then walked over to me at a brisk pace and grabbed the brat’s hand.
I nodded at the sight of the little things greeting each other.
“Aaron, isn’t that blood?!”
“Oh, it’s a little scratched.”
“There’s blood! Something’s scratching me!”
“I said just a little bit.”
I hurriedly pushed away Hannah’s hand that was trying to touch the leather strap on the chest armor seam. Hannah opened her eyes wide and looked up at me.
“It was just a scratch. Just a little.”
“···Okay. Are you going to take a bath first?”
“uh.”
“I heated up the water, so do it right away. I also brought some clothes.”
Hannah rolled her eyes, her expression somewhat dull.
I nodded to him and headed inside.
As Hannah said, the wooden bathtub was filled with steaming warm water.
Then I blocked the door with my sword angled and slowly took off my armor.
When I took off my breastplate, the blood that had clung to it dripped down and my face naturally grimaced. I had so much on my body that it took a long time to take it off.
I took off my sweaty, rainy, and blood-soaked underwear and got into the bathtub.
The water that was once clear quickly turned red.
The blood that had hardened around the scar fell off, and blood flowed out again.
‘It’s hot.’
Instead of using the remaining potion on the weasel, I should have sprinkled it here. With belated regret, I slowly wiped the things off my body.
dripping.
“No need.”
I answered quickly, just in case someone came in.
“···That’s not it! Aaron, are you really okay? You’re not seriously hurt, are you?”
“I told you it’s okay.”
“You said nothing happened last time, but I heard later that you fought a demon! How can that be a big deal? I know Aaron is good at fighting and is physically fit and strong, but the human body is….”
After that, Hannah continued to nag and complain for a long time before leaving.
After washing my body and coming out, there were clean bandages and a herb of the devil in front of me.
***
Huris was born an orphan and experienced the hardships of the world firsthand.
After enduring the storm, Huris thought of himself as an adult.
Huris opened his mouth wide in shock, the biggest shock he had ever felt in his life (12 years).
‘Wow, a person can be this beautiful!’
Huris’s heart felt like it was going to burst as he looked at the woman sitting across from him with a pouty expression, not saying a word.
It was the first time.
I was worried that others would hear my heartbeat.
When I saw the purple woman’s smile, I couldn’t even breathe properly.
“Oh my, are you okay?”
“Okay… it’s okay.”
Huris nodded hurriedly at the voice heard from the side.
‘It’s so obvious!’
How could such a foolish and immature mistake be made! Huris shook his head and pulled himself together.
But I couldn’t help but feel my eyes kept getting drawn to it.
There were various conversations going on around me, but I couldn’t hear a single thing.
A little later, the ignorant guy who had gone to wash up came out and sat down at the table.
“Kanna, can you bring me some beer?”
The other woman asked, and the purple woman jumped up and disappeared inside.
It was a shame. I couldn’t control my facial expression.
At that moment, the woman who had gone inside stuck her head out and waved her hand. It was a signal for me to come over.
Huris jumped up without hesitation.
‘Yes! That woman felt the same way as me!’
Since her mother was a popular prostitute, she was confident in her looks.
Huris headed inward, straightening his clothes like the young men of the city.
‘Did you want to hold my hand without me knowing? Unlike your haughty appearance, your personality is cute.’
Huris went inside with a serious expression, but the woman was nowhere to be seen.
The moment I tilted my head at him.
Bam! I felt a pain in the back of my head.
He hurriedly turned his head to see the woman holding a pot in her hand.
What the heck? Huris didn’t understand the situation.
Then the woman swung the pot again and Huris hit him square in the face, causing him to fall to the ground.
“If you keep nagging, you’ll get kicked out.”
He didn’t understand why the woman was glaring at him and speaking harshly to him, or why she was swinging the pot.
Yet the woman was still beautiful.
“What’s weird? Uncle Dylan said to hit the back of the head first···.”
Did I hit her too hard? Kanna frowned as she watched the little boy foolishly writhing around.
***
As soon as I woke up, I looked for the sword by my bedside.
Phew… I slowly relaxed my body while catching my breath.
Since there was no further comment, it seemed like the password was valid today. He put on his armor, grabbed his sword, and headed to the backyard.
The weather was clear, as if it had never rained before.
As usual, I ran, swung my sword, stabbed, and slashed until I was out of breath.
Even though I was wearing armor, the number of times it happened was gradually increasing.
As I was catching my breath after finishing that, the mini fridge held out a frozen beer.
I patted the head of the mini fridge and emptied the beer in one go.
“Ah, career counseling.”
“···?”
I looked up at the mini fridge with wide eyes, choosing what to say.
“Do you have any aspirations for the future?”
“···yes?”
“I want to be something. I want to do something. Things like that. For example, a knight, or a noblewoman.”
“ah···.”
The mini fridge gaped at my question.
He seemed to be thinking about the answer.
Watching that, I looked forward to seeing what the refrigerator would evolve into.
‘Air conditioner? Humidifier? Shaved ice?’
The potential of the mini fridge was endless.
The mini fridge, which had been pondering for a long time, opened its mouth.
However, the answer that came out of his mouth was unexpected to me.
“···I want to live.”
I scratched my head at the clear determination contained in that young voice.
It was the Middle Ages, when two out of four people died, that it was difficult to say that such a thing could not be a hope for the future.
If you look into it, it could probably be ranked as the number one future dream.
“Okay. I’ll try.”
“effort···.”
The purple eyes looking at me grew wide.
“So you try hard too.”
I tapped the tiny purple head.
“effort···.”
The mini fridge muttered quietly.
***
Even if it was a password, there was nothing to be done in a medieval frontier castle.
My free time was all about just rolling around, occasionally going to District 3 to eat some delicious food, and having drinks with a few guys in the evening.
It’s not for nothing that they’re so enthusiastic about executions.
First, I headed to the synagogue with the idea of buying some potions.
‘There’s an employee discount, right?’
I ran my hand over the gold cape draped around my shoulders. This was proof that I was an insider in the Holy Cartel. Of course, I was more like a spy since I had the devil’s handprint.
Unlike the last time I came, the synagogue was bustling with many monks.
“Hey, over there-.”
I called out to the gentle-looking one among them.
A man with large earlobes who looked just like a Western Buddha tilted his head, then looked at the gold cape on my shoulders and walked towards me with quick steps.
“Ah! That… is the Honorary Monk Aaron.”
“Yes. I am that honorary monk.”
In response to my answer, the bastard tilted his head in the opposite direction this time and then opened his mouth.
“Ah, yes. Honorary Monk Aaron. I am Monk Ains.”
“Nice to meet you, Monk Ains.”
“Yes. But why···?”
“I have come to see Priest Blian.”
“Right now, Father Blian is not in the synagogue because of some business.”
It was a shame that there was no vending machine for compliments in the synagogue. I scratched my head at that, and the Earlobe monk continued speaking.
“But why are you looking for a priest…?”
“I’m looking to buy some potions at a cheaper price.”
“···Cheap, you say?”
The earlobe monk tilted his head again. It seemed to be a habit of his.
“Yes, Father Blian told me to come by anytime···.”
“I see. I’ll show you around for now.”
As I nodded, the Earlobe Monk walked away with a brisk gait. I followed him inside.
‘It’s the main building… I wonder what’s there.’
Seeing those guys who were always drunk and had red faces moving around diligently in a haggard state seemed like something big was going on.
“But the main thing is···.”
“Oh, they said the abbot will be coming to Cassidy Castle this time, so everyone is busy preparing.”
When I asked him subtly, the earlobe priest answered.
‘The abbot of the monastery···.’
If the priests were in charge of the synagogues in these remote areas, the monasteries in the cities were managed by the abbots. The order seemed to place more weight on the Catholic Church.
I briefly wondered if it would be okay for him, but even the Inquisitor didn’t notice, so it seemed like the abbot would be no different.
Soon I entered a small room that smelled strongly of medicine. There was a long table in the middle, like a pharmacy, and a balding man with a gaunt expression was sitting across it.
“Monk Ketup.”
“What is it?”
“I guided you because Honorary Monk Aaron said he wanted to buy a potion.”
The bald man looked up at me crookedly at the monk’s words. His gaze was so arrogant that it felt like a mercenary was sitting there, not a monk.
Then I gently placed my right hand on his forehead.
“An honorary monk? That’s not even funny.”
The bald guy ignored my greeting, one corner of his mouth turned up, and headed toward the back.
“That… Monk Ains.”
“Yes, Honorary Monk Aaron.”
“Is there any punishment if monks fight among themselves?”
“···yes?”
The earlobe monk’s eyes widened at my question. He seemed not to understand what I was saying, so he asked again.
“So, what is the punishment for a minor fight between monks?”
“Are you…eating?”
“Yes. Just a few light slaps.”
As I nodded to the monk who was asking me in a trembling voice, my already wide eyes grew even wider as if they were going to tear.
“Ah… That’s not right! It’s ridiculous for monks to fight among themselves.”
“Then I guess I’ll have to do it secretly.”
“Yes, secretly···. Yes? What are you saying···.”
“Here it is.”
Then the bald monk came back again.
The guy was holding two transparent bottles in his hands, and at first glance, they were obviously low-grade potions.
“I want to buy a lesser potion, but do you have any lesser potions?”
“Originally, there were lower grades, but recently, the lords bought them in large quantities, so there aren’t any left. There aren’t many of these left, so be thankful.”
‘Why is this kid so twisted?’
I turned my wrist slightly at the strangely arrogant tone of the guy’s speech, as if he believed in the god behind him.
“What’s the price?”
“Ahem… each one costs 90 silver.”
“Yes? You are an honorary monk, so why do you receive a regular salary?”
“Of course. So you’re saying that someone from somewhere you don’t know is a member of the religious order?”
It was common to see him glaring and snapping at the questioning monk.
‘Ah, that’s it.’
It was the look in his eyes like he was looking at a parachute that suddenly appeared out of nowhere when his promotion was blocked.
“However, the honorary monk was appointed directly by Father Blian and the Inquisitor at the request of the Order.”
The earlobe monk, who seemed like a very nice person, spoke bluntly. The bald monk frowned and clicked his tongue.
“Honorary monks… that’s not even funny. Each one costs 50 silver.”
The guy’s harsh tone was worth it for the low price.
‘Almost half price. Is this the Holy Cartel?’
He nodded and took a gold coin from his pocket, exchanging it for two potions.
“···That fierce-looking guy is an honorary monk. Even Priest Blian has gone as far as he can go.”
I clenched my fist slightly at the constant grumbling, and the Earlobe monk was startled and whispered, “No!” and pushed my back to get out.
“Are you leaving without praying?”
“Yes, I’m a little busy. I’ll come back next time.”
I waved at the monk with his head tilted and left the synagogue.
An unusually large tree next to the synagogue. An inquisitor sat beneath it.
Looking closely, I saw that the Inquisitor was eating the cake with his gauntleted hand.
It felt like his usual expressionless face had strangely loosened up.
‘But why doesn’t he go back and is still here?’
Usually, the Inquisitors didn’t stay in one place for long. They were busy going around and breaking the heads of the blasphemous.
At that moment, my eyes met with those of the heretic inquisitor. I bowed my head slightly, but the heretic inquisitor, with his eyes narrowed, suddenly got up and approached me.
The heretic inquisitor raised his right hand, as if he was planning to give a blessing without even saying hello.
‘···Wipe what gets on your hands before you do it.’
The inquisitor pressed his hand against my forehead while eating the cake.
After a brief blessing, the inquisitor lowered his hand and offered me the cake he had been eating.
I looked at him because I didn’t understand the situation, and the Inquisitor’s eyes lit up. There was a feeling in his eyes that said, “Try this. This is the real taste.”
‘The fish bread was quite a shock.’
After thinking about it for a moment, he took the cake and took a bite.
My face relaxed slightly without me realizing it due to the sweet taste, and the heretic inquisitor who saw him nodded slightly with a relieved expression.
Then he went back to where he had been, sat with his back against the tree, and ate the cake again.
‘···He’s not normal either.’
I nodded, pushing the piece of cake stuck between my molars with my tongue.
***
To check on the kids, we decided to go for a visit.
Since I am an intellectual, unlike other ignorant people, it was natural for me to bring a gift when visiting the sick.
I decided to give him fish bread as a gift when I visited him in the hospital.
After buying some fish bread at Marsha’s restaurant, I planned to go to headquarters and check where I left the kids.
“Ah! Aaron! What’s going on so early in the morning?!”
“Charlotte?”
I ran into Charlotte in front of Marsha’s restaurant.
“Yes. Today is my day off, so I decided to help out a bit.”
Charlotte answered, her face strangely blushing.
‘Brick, you’re amazing for holding up fish bread.’
As I was admiring the small thing, a brick appeared at that very moment.
“Sha- The ingredients inside are…. Sir?”
Brick, who had naturally put his hand around Charlotte’s waist, found me and nodded.
“Is it good?”
“yes?”
“B- Feel free to talk.”
Charlotte bowed her head slightly and went inside.
It was strangely annoying that the two called each other by their first letters.
“Don’t split it.”
“yes?”
“Don’t laugh.”
“Umm… yes.”
“The corners of his lips went up.”
“Yes-.”
“It’s raining so much. Who are you kidding?”
“Aha, yes.”
I smiled slightly as I watched Brick playfully moving the corners of his mouth up and down. Brick smiled back.
Brick told me what happened after I left yesterday.
Kel and Brick were on the other side and the last to arrive, but when they got there I was already gone and they said they ran there when they heard that Poole was injured.
“I went to Hormann’s house.”
“I see.”
“But there’s no rotten part… If it weren’t for the resection, wouldn’t he be a trustworthy person?”
Brick nodded at his words. There were several people who called themselves doctors at Castle Cassidyck, and of them, Horman was the most respectable.
Of course, he would have a fit and say that if there was even the slightest rotten part, it had to be cut out, but other than that, he was a folk remedy expert who could be called a doctor.
“It was a little dangerous, but I don’t think I’ll die because the bleeding will stop. But it’s that grass, so why would I die?”
“That’s true. I don’t know about anything else, but the thing that stands out is its toughness.”
“But why did you come here? You said you would kill me if I came here again last time…”
Brick spoke, then rolled his eyes and trailed off.
I got angry at him for no reason and hit him on the back of the head.
“Ouch! Why are you hitting me!”
“Okay, go in and pack up three fish buns.”
“Yes? Captain, have you finally discovered the taste of fish bread? I thought that even Captain, you would discover this taste someday…”
“I’m not going to eat it, I’m going to buy some for the kids.”
“Aha. But… he said he would kill me if he saw the fish bread one more time…”
“Then either kill me or die.”
“Okay… Okay. I understand. I’ll bring it right away.”
Brick, who had been thinking for a moment, went inside and quickly came out with three fish buns.
“Ugh… the smell.”
“Oh my, Aaron.”
“This is mouth-watering.”
I gave a few silver coins to Marsha, who came out to say hello, and headed to Horman’s house.
As I pushed aside the curtain of the rather neat house and went inside, a musty smell wafted in the air.
So, I see you with the desk! Fighting, I have a bleeding!
As soon as I entered, I saw the weasel waving its hands repeatedly and telling a tale of last night’s adventures. Looking at Scar crouching in front of it and Grass lying down and scratching its belly, everyone seemed fine.
They were really tough guys.
“Oh, the leader is here.”
“My comrade has arrived.”
“Heeeeeeek!”
The weasel that found me fell over like a dog meeting its owner and turned over on its belly. It was a truly ugly sight.
“Hey, is everyone okay?”
“Yes. I know I need to recuperate, but I’m okay for now.”
“I won’t budge.”
Scar, whose face bore a thick scar, nodded.
“You’re finally becoming a man.”
“Ahem···. I like it too.”
“···But, Chief, what is that smell?”
The grass asked with a wrinkled face.
“It’s a gift for visiting someone in the hospital.”
Then I took out the gift I had hidden behind my back.
“Eww! This is fucking bread!”
“···Brick, you little bastard.”
The corners of my mouth went up involuntarily at the more passionate reaction than I expected.
“But I’m fasting, three groups.”
At that moment, the scarecrow tilted his head and muttered.
“Oh, did you bring some snacks for the chef?”
The grass that had been frowning at him smiled brightly.
This time my face was crumpled.
