Detective Aaron
“You don’t like it?”
I stroked my sideburns as I watched the three react passionately.
“That… that’s right! What’s with that silver spoon! I told you I have a silver mirror!”
“I think so too. It’s not even a silver spoon, it’s a green spoon. If you look at it, you wouldn’t think anyone stole it!”
“It’s really absurd to suspect me simply because I’m a foreigner.”
As I watched them continue to talk as if they were one side, I realized that these guys were thinking about something wrong.
“Did it seem like I was asking for permission?”
In the first place, the guards could enter the homes of commoners whenever they wanted.
Like me, there was no need to ask questions, they could just break down the door and go in and turn everything upside down.
If you refuse, you will be arrested and charged with either ‘conspiracy to rebel or heresy’.
The only thing that was peaceful about it was the Castle of Cassidy, but in other castles, it was common to make up for the meager salaries by raiding the houses of commoners.
Although the religious order gained power and slavery and crimes were severely punished, commoners had no right to refuse searches.
‘I guess I was too gentlemanly.’
If it had been any other guy, I would have already searched the house. If not, I would have arrested the one I disliked the most out of the three.
“These guys… are they spitting on the leader’s words? Leader, these guys seem to have something fishy going on. Are you going to arrest them all? Usually these guys are heretics or rebels.”
Rather, Kel, who was angrier than me, pulled out his sword and lost his temper.
“Ah···No, that’s not what I meant···.”
The buck-toothed woman who had been mumbling until just now looked around, trailing off at the end of her words at Kel’s reaction.
“Do you have any Bibles written upside down or red flags at home? This is going to be a big problem. Don’t worry though. I’m an honorary monk and a guard, so I can handle both.”
“No! Why is that happening! I… I am so faithful and love the Empire!”
“Me neither! I must have gone mad for a moment. I will open the door right now, so you can calm down.”
“···Tsk.”
Goblin and Bucktooth answered my question in a much more friendly voice.
However, the foreigner, who was a bit shy, still held his neck stiffly up.
‘I guess he has a back.’
Heo Yeo-mul-geon looked at the face of the man carefully.
“Then… shall we go to my house first? Let’s go quickly – I told you there’s a cake I bought yesterday.”
The squeaky-nosed man swept my arm with his hand and walked ahead.
Whether it was intentional or not, she was moving her hips back and forth vigorously, like a duck.
“These guys are so arrogant that they think they’re their friends because the leader is smiling at them···.”
“Calm down.”
“No, don’t they vomit on the leader’s words? Have they lost their sense of fear···.”
He patted the angry Kel on the back and followed the woman.
“What are you doing! Come with me quickly!”
Behind him, Kel could be heard chasing the other guys.
Most medieval commoners’ homes were large, single-room houses without even a bathroom.
There was a stew pot on one side, livestock on the other, and a sewage cesspool similar to a chamber pot in the corner, without any distinction between the kitchen and the bathroom.
It was an efficient structure that allowed eating, sleeping, and excreting to be done in one space.
The woman’s house was similar. However, there were not many things in it, except for a bed and a silver mirror.
I glanced at the white clothes in the corner.
It was too big for a woman’s item.
“You see? There really is a silver mirror. There’s no way I would steal it since I have a silver mirror.”
The woman, who had become much more gentle, spoke while hiding her protruding teeth.
‘It really exists.’
There was a silver mirror in the house where the woman lived alone, and it was surprising that it had not been broken into yet.
I went and stood in front of a smooth silver mirror.
Inside, a handsome man who would make anyone give a thumbs up was smiling brightly.
I gave him a thumbs up and he followed suit.
‘You’re handsome.’
Then, I discovered a familiar picture drawn on the lower right side of the silver mirror.
‘Where have I seen that…’
I thought about it for a while, but nothing came to mind.
“Is there a man?”
Then Kel asked the woman.
“Yes? …No. There isn’t any.”
“Really? It smells.”
“A man?”
“Director, houses where men hang around smell a little different. I know because I’m used to it.”
Kel answered, sniffing like a dog.
“A man! And if there’s a man, what’s the problem?!”
The woman, who had become contemplative, asked back in her usual rough voice.
As the woman said, there was no problem.
In this remote castle where there was nothing to do, relationships between the sexes were a popular pastime enjoyed by everyone.
‘But the reaction is a bit subtle.’
Contrary to what she said, the woman’s voice was that of someone caught doing something bad.
‘Is this an affair?’
If it was an affair, that kind of reaction would have been expected.
If you were caught having an affair, you would have to wander around the castle naked and endure all kinds of humiliation.
But the woman’s affair had nothing to do with this incident, so I didn’t really care about it.
“Here- take some of this and···.”
A woman smiling awkwardly offered me a piece of cake.
Since most of the people being searched had something to hide, they tried to win their favor by giving them a souvenir.
I always tend to buy souvenirs wherever I go.
This was the greatest pleasure of searching.
I took the cake and took a bite.
It wasn’t bad, but the cake the Inquisitor gave me was softer and tastier.
“This doesn’t seem to be the woman. Let’s move on.”
The woman looked visibly relieved.
“Let’s do it this way next time.”
I pointed to the foreigner.
“···How much is that silver spoon worth? I’d rather pay for it myself.”
The guy opened his mouth with a deep frown.
“What price does a silver spoon that has been passed down through generations cost! … It should be worth at least 5 silver!”
The lady who had been yelling as if she wasn’t going to sell immediately continued to tell me the price.
It was clearly a dump, as six silver spoons were worth about 8 silver.
Heo Yeo-mul-geon gave off an impression that he knew him.
But the guy searched through his arms, as if he really wanted to escape from the current situation.
‘My reasoning is not complete yet!’
I couldn’t let my honor-dependent mystery end so meaninglessly.
“So, are you admitting your guilt?”
He asked solemnly, placing his hand lightly on the hilt of the sword.
“···You admit your guilt?”
“Didn’t you say you’d pay the price now? That would be admitting your guilt.”
“What kind of nonsense is this···.”
“Then is there anything that you can’t get caught for?”
I glared at the guy and asked.
“Okay! You’re not making any sense! I’m just being annoying, so do whatever you want. I’m innocent.”
A man with a bald face who had been chewing his lips for a moment raised his voice and walked ahead.
“Captain, that kid seems to have some kind of belief. His neck is really stiff. If he keeps doing that, he’ll break it.”
I nodded to Kel’s words and followed him.
“That… then 2 silver… no, 1 silver….”
The woman behind her muttered, but no one listened.
The man’s house had a desk that you wouldn’t see in a commoner’s house. Judging from the thick books next to the desk, it was clear that he had been drinking ink.
I took one of them out and unfolded it.
“Don’t touch it… Tsk, you don’t even know how to read.”
The illiteracy rate in this era was extremely high, so the man’s reaction was natural.
‘If only I had your love, I could die for you at any time… What? It’s a novel, isn’t it?’
It was a romance novel with a heartbreaking story.
I was terrified and put the book back where it was.
Then I searched through the desk, and among the thicker books I found a shabby white bracelet.
It was a white bracelet about as thick as a finger, but it was so simple that it was obviously cheap.
I must have put it away and forgotten about it.
‘Is it a souvenir? I just needed a white one.’
I put a shabby bracelet around my left arm that I wouldn’t mind losing.
It was so small I thought it wouldn’t fit, but I forced it in and it fit perfectly.
I was smiling because I liked it, and then my eyes met with a guy who was a bit strange.
At the same time, my body swayed for a moment as if something was placed on my shoulder.
– How arrogant. How dare you pour all your scattered power into this body… ugh-.
The tenant muttered something, but I was too distracted to hear him.
“Captain, are you okay?”
“Oh, my shoulder feels a little sore.”
When I shook my head, the pressure on my shoulder disappeared in an instant. Then I turned my neck and released it.
A man with a somewhat uneasy expression on his face opened his mouth.
“···If you like it, take it.”
I nodded to him without hesitation.
‘It was a souvenir after all.’
I nodded, stroking the bracelet.
After all, searching is always fun.
***
‘That’s why I didn’t want to come to the border···.’
Hey, that bastard… no, the white-towered wizard Swallows clicked his tongue as he watched the returning form.
The castles in the remote areas, untouched by education, were truly the height of ignorance and uncivilization.
These guys had no concept of a toilet, so they would often throw feces on the street.
It was something unimaginable in the capital where he was.
It was really hard to hold back when a middle-aged woman grabbed her by the collar. How dare a commoner grab the white-top wizard by the collar.
But since I had been urged so earnestly at the top of the stairs before coming, I gritted my teeth and endured it.
‘I am the one who receives Mana’s love···.’
Although the rumors were obviously far-fetched, Matap wanted to investigate. So he sent Swallows, who had recently been ruining his research one after another.
Matap strongly advised them not to let anyone know that the target was a noble young lady.
Even though the Magic Tower had some authority, it was difficult to deal with an imperial noble, even a baron from the frontier.
The uncivilized nature of the frontier continued to test the patience of the Swallows, who had been following the elite course.
A middle-aged woman grabbing herself by the collar.
I thought there could be no greater rudeness than this, but then the next person to show up was a security guard who looked like a vicious criminal and easily outmaneuvered him.
He was the epitome of barbarism and the embodiment of ignorance.
The guy insisted and came all the way to his house. Did he notice something? Swallows turned his mana around, ready to react at any moment.
Swallows kept flinching at the rough hands that were flipping through the magic book. Even though he knew that there was an identification spell, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
Then, when the guy found the bracelet and put it on his arm as naturally as if it were mine, I couldn’t stand it any longer.
‘How dare you, that bracelet!’
The Swallows, their eyes rolled back, instinctively moved their mana, and instantly sprayed the crystallized magic at the man.
‘Damn, this is going to be annoying.’
Swallows, who came to his senses only after seeing the magic hit the man, clicked his tongue.
Things got complicated in an instant.
‘If I take care of all the other guys…’
When Swallows, who had quickly finished calculating, tried to recite the spell again.
“Captain, are you okay?”
A rude, sensitive-looking man opened his mouth.
“Oh, my shoulder feels a little sore.”
I turned my head at the calm voice, and the guy who should have been bleeding and falling was fine.
Swallows’ heads were spinning busily.
No matter how lightly he swung the magic, it was magic he, the wizard of the White Tower, had cast.
It wouldn’t have been strange if he had collapsed immediately, spewing blood, but he acted like he just had mild muscle pain.
Since it was a simple magic, a knight could raise the aura and neutralize it, but there was no way that a mere guard leader in the border could handle the aura.
I assumed all the possible scenarios, but none of them made sense.
‘One more time? No, there might be trouble.’
He was a variable.
That too is a very large, primitive and ignorant variable.
And the wizard Swallows had an extreme fear and loathing of variables.
‘But the bracelet… No, my life is important. But the bracelet… How much is it… Do you recognize him? Are you testing me?’
The worries that had been going on for a long time were all scattered the moment I met the man’s uncharacteristically deep eyes.
No matter how precious and important that bracelet was, it wasn’t worth taking a risk on.
Swallows made a cool-headed judgment, as befitting a wizard.
“If you like it, take it.”
“Thank you. You are innocent too.”
Swallows shed tears of blood inside at the sight of the guy speaking as if he was doing a good deed.
Swallows hated this damned outback castle so much.
***
“Director, even the white bracelets… Are you thinking of wearing all the colors on your body?”
Kel looked at the bracelet on my wrist with a weary look and asked.
“You’re next.”
He turned a deaf ear to him and pointed at the goblin.
‘What kind of souvenir will there be this time?’
I smiled in satisfaction at the pressure I felt on my left wrist and the sweetness that remained in my mouth.
“Then… please make one promise.”
“I promise that if you don’t open it right now, I will smash your head in.”
Kel was still angry, so he immediately blurted out harsh words.
“Wait a minute! This isn’t that hard! Aaron, can’t you come in alone? You’re enough to prove my innocence.”
“What is this guy going to do to the leader?”
“What could I possibly do to hurt Aaron? Huh? We don’t need the others, do we?”
“That’s true.”
I nodded at the desperate goblin’s words.
Anyway, among these, I was the brain.
There was no need to look at the other guys.
However, since a detective needs an assistant, he decided to go with Kel.
The woman who was found innocent and the man who was swindled didn’t seem to care at all and each went home.
I pushed aside the woman who was trying to follow me and followed the goblin.
“There are two doors. They are unusually large.”
The goblin nodded at my words, looked around, and then opened the door.
I placed my hand lightly on the sword hilt and pulled Kel back.
The first thing I saw was a large pile of straw spread out on the floor.
Some people used straw as a bed, but they did not spread straw all over the floor.
When I tilted my head at him and looked inside···.
“Fuck.”
“You crazy kid.”
I couldn’t hold back the anger that was welling up in me.
“Ehehehehe.”
In the center of the room was a pony with unusually long eyelashes.
Of course, that wasn’t unusual.
It was not uncommon for people to live together to protect their livestock, which was their property.
The only problem was that the horse was wearing clothes.
A skirt that is clearly a woman’s skirt.
Below, the horse’s long tail swished.
“Charbert- Am I too late today?”
The goblin smiled warmly and brightly, not befitting a goblin, and gently stroked the horse’s muzzle…
“That was a crazy remark.”
“That··· Captain, let’s go out for now.”
I nodded to Kel’s words and quickly left the house.
“Oh, if you go straight like this, Charlotte will be upset! She’s the first guest to come to our house, and she’ll even have hay stew…”
The goblin followed him and kicked him. The kicked one rolled around, and Char… something licked his face with its long tongue.
I came out in horror.
When I came outside, the sun was already setting.
It was time to leave work.
So we quickly headed to headquarters.
“That… That guy is a famous horse breeder at Cassidy Castle. I heard he’s very skilled… Hmm….”
Kel muttered softly, then trailed off.
He nodded slightly.
With that level of affection, he must have been a better horse breeder than anyone else.
He was a horse lover more than anyone else.
After briefly reporting to the captain, Kel disappeared, saying he wanted to see Rosa.
‘But I think I forgot something···.’
I scratched my head at the subtle feeling, then shook my head.
‘It’s probably nothing. Whatever.’
I headed back to my accommodations, satisfied with a fulfilling day.
***
Gelheim of the Fener family wanted to return to his original Bolt Castle, but the order to return was not given.
“Tsk- How long do I have to stay in this tiny castle···.”
“I heard that Sir Ben is also here to guard Young-ae.”
“That Ben Sir is acting as a female escort… How ridiculous.”
The soldiers’ discontent was at an all-time high, as they had recently been filling the gap left by the outer guard of Cassidy Castle.
In the first place, there was no need to be dissatisfied with the fact that the outer wall guards, which had not been done at Bolt Castle, were now being done at Cassidy Castle.
Even while working with the ignorant foreign security guards, various minor conflicts kept breaking out.
Gelheim wasn’t there, but I heard there was a fight with the outer guard just yesterday.
Of course, the trained soldiers won.
They kept bragging about him.
‘Well, it’s not my place to talk about it, but…’
Funnily enough, it was Gelheim who had changed his perspective on the world a little after being beaten by a guy named Aaron.
He consoled himself by saying that he had met his life’s match, but it was more like physical therapy.
“Gelheim? Why is it so quiet? When I first came here, you were ready to kill someone. And that vicious looking guy too-.”
“···It’s an order, so there’s nothing I can do. The other person is a noble, so I have no choice but to follow it.”
“Haha, that’s strange. Where did you get that? That Gelheim is so quiet···.”
“You’re going crazy! What are you talking about!”
“Ahem… I see. It’s just a joke, so why are you so excited?”
Gelheim belatedly realized that his reaction had been too harsh and blushed.
‘Still, it’s fortunate that the other person is tight-lipped.’
If even a rumor got out, how could I show my face?
“Hey, aren’t you going to say hello?”
“Ah- Hello.”
The soldiers couldn’t stand it any longer and grabbed a man who was passing by and started a fight with him. Judging from the leather armor he was wearing, he seemed to be from the outer guard, so Gelheim flinched for no reason.
He was like a gangster, swearing and poking at each other while standing between them.
“Let’s go now. I want to go in quickly and rest.”
“Stupid expression… Oh, okay, I see. Gelheim, you’ve been acting so strange lately.”
‘I did that before… I’m embarrassed.’
Gelheim shook his head slightly and walked ahead.
I wanted to finish work quickly and relax in a quiet place where there was no one around.
Gelheim, who had been walking ahead, discovered something and his body froze.
‘Why··· is that guy here···.’
He was the captain of the outer guard at Castle Cassidy, so it was only natural that we would meet him on our way to the outer guard headquarters.
But why did we have to meet at a time like this?
A colorful···. A vicious looking guy with a white bracelet on his arm was walking along peacefully drinking beer.
However, his face was wrinkled as if something bad had happened…
‘No, is that your original face?’
Gelheim thought that might be the case.
“Haha, did you see that guy’s expression just now? And he’s a security guard. How funny.”
“You looked like you were going to pee at any moment!”
The spirited soldiers with their eyes burning with excitement, wondering where else they could start a fight.
A colorful, cheery security guard walking in front, drinking beer peacefully.
‘Ah… no…!’
Gelheim could picture in his mind what would happen next.
“I think you took the wrong road. I think that’s the right way. Go back!”
“What are you talking about? Isn’t this the place you always go to? This guy is really acting strange today.”
“Did you get a head injury?”
Another man grabbed Gelheim’s shoulder as he tried to leave in a hurry.
And then, as if by chance, the incident occurred.
“Huh? Isn’t that big guy that guy from back then? The guy who hit Gelheim in the back of the head!”
“Where… That’s right! Even that weird clown costume! It’s him! Who else would wear that bizarre costume?”
“But that guy doesn’t even greet us? He’s attacking us from behind and ignoring us. It’s ridiculous.”
“Don’t worry, Gelheim. I’ll make sure to educate that ignorant bastard.”
That’s not what I’m worried about···.
Gelheim swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue and opened his mouth.
“I’m fine. How about we go and have a beer? I’ll buy it today!”
“Beer! Alright! Then let’s get revenge and go together. I’ll make that big, ignorant guy dance next to me. Haha!”
You were wrong. These guys weren’t listening.
Gelheim tried hard to suppress his scream.
How can you defeat a big guy with an iron shield wrapped around his head?
Of course, he had been like that himself, but Gelheim couldn’t understand that curiosity at all.
He looked back and forth between the guy and the soldier, and soon realized something.
The problem was the weird color scheme of the armor he was wearing.
Because they were painted in bright colors, the large iron pieces looked like toys, and the large ones looked like clowns.
It made the opponent let his guard down.
“You bastard. Why don’t you even say hello to us? You’re so ignorant, don’t you know…”
Soon, soldiers surrounded him, all smiling and looking very excited.
‘No. If they get hit this time, they won’t have to suffer alone… But if the story gets to the captain or the lord later, it’ll be impossible to control…’
Gelheim, whose mind was complicated, scratched his head.
It was something that had already left his embrace.
The bastard was so big that his face could be seen through the people surrounding him.
The guy was laughing.
At that, Gelheim shivered slightly.
Gelheim recalled the time he had been questioned with the guy, and took out a few silver coins from his bosom.
This seemed like enough to be worth the price of life.
Then, just in case, I took out one more.
