Heavy raindrops
“Okay, then let’s prepare some delicious horror for our beloved Dune.”
Hard.
Dune nodded, looking at the floating skull with a crooked look in his eyes.
“Everyone, click-click! Walk in sync! Left foot click-click on one! Right foot click-click on two!”
The floating skeleton comically clapped its two palms together, and the skeletons waiting behind it began to stagger forward.
A skeleton with a crunching sound, looking at him, wrapped its bones around Dunn’s shoulder.
Dunn’s face crumpled at the unpleasant chill coming from his bones.
“The plan is simple! Fear the Dune until it escapes the Aesongi! Then, once the Dune Knights are dealt with, I’ll take care of the rest of them…”
Dune simply closed his eyes and focused on the fear he felt in the distance.
It was so loud I didn’t want to listen, but it was a well-laid plan.
As a ‘child’, he could not gain strength until he drank a certain amount of fear.
The ‘Nightmare Eater’, who becomes a bug in front of those stronger than him and reigns over the weak like an absolute being, was able to single-handedly deal with everyone except for knights.
Send his skeleton out first to collect fear, then make a full-scale move – not a bad plan.
but···.
“Well, what do you think! Our compatibility is perfect! Fantastic! This is it! Within the Empire’s guidelines, we are the two of us who can maximize efficiency! The other idiots…!”
‘···Should I change my nickname?’
Dune looked at the Cassidy Castle with serious thought.
***
‘I don’t feel good.’
Dylan… no, the weasel bit his nails with his mouth in inexplicable anxiety.
Because it was raining so heavily, there were no visitors at all.
Since the tenant farmers were unable to work, they simply took shelter from the rain under the empty city gate.
Swaaaaaaahh …
The heavy rain made it so difficult to see anything far away.
“Dylan, what’s wrong?”
“Ah, Brother Pool. I don’t feel good.”
The weasel scratched its head at the voice heard from the side and honestly told me what it felt like.
“How does it feel? In what way?”
“My chest feels tight and I feel out of breath… I feel like I’m standing in front of Team Leader Aaron. This happened last time too… Every time it happened, there was a huge fuss, so I feel uneasy for no reason.”
The weasel spoke, pounding his chest plate with his fist.
The weasel felt strangely at the heavy sound of the iron.
‘Strange punk.’
He was catching rats and then he gave them such an expensive thing without any concern… He really was a strange bastard.
“Haha! How does it feel to stand in front of the leader… Is that serious?”
He laughed out loud, saliva flying from his mouth.
“This is no joke, bro.”
The weasel’s voice became hoarse.
“Yeah, yeah. Brother Dylan has a good sense. Hmm… Then, since there are no visitors, let’s close the gate and meet up above.”
“Yes? Is that okay?”
The weasel opened its eyes wide at the grass’s words.
“It’s okay. Anyway, when it rains like this, no soldiers will come here. If you get caught, you can just sell the captain’s name. Even if that gentleman grumbles, I can block that kind of thing.”
“Huh? You mean that piglet?”
“Poohaha! Okay. Let’s go up first.”
Who would have thought that the pig leader, who is the pinnacle of incompetence and is realizing the future he dreamed of, would have a sense of responsibility…
The weasel couldn’t believe it, but he jumped inside, grabbed the handle, and spun it around.
“This is too stiff!”
My hands kept slipping because of the rain.
“It’s not like that – it’s like this -”
The grass next to me was shouting something, but the sound of the rain was so loud that I couldn’t hear it properly.
Judging by the gesture, it seemed as if he was being told to turn to the side, so the weasel nodded and applied force again.
Kick-kick-.
The thick, rusty iron bars came down with a small scream and locked the gate. Still uneasy, the weasel whined and closed the thick wooden gate.
The weasel climbed up the grass and the gate.
As I was walking down the stairs, water was pouring down, so I twisted my ankle and almost fell down.
The startled weasel regained his senses and slowly climbed up.
A weasel sticks out its tongue as it looks down from the top of the wall.
It was eerie because of the heavy rain that made it impossible to see what was beyond. It felt like a demon like Aaron would jump out at any moment.
If a demon that looked like Aaron came running out, I bet my heart would stop in shock and I wouldn’t even be able to scream.
‘If I had known this would happen, I would have followed that brat and left the classroom.’
The weasel placed his left hand on his forehead and clumsily imitated the monk’s posture. He felt a little relieved.
“It’s not the left hand, it’s the right hand.”
He quickly switched to his right hand at the end of the grass.
If it were a normal day, he would have chatted or hidden away somewhere and had a drink, but today he felt particularly uneasy, so the weasel opened his eyes wide and stared ahead.
The weasel stood up for duty for the first time with all his heart and soul.
Then suddenly something ominous appeared between the raindrops.
“Since ancient times, men are all about money. When meeting a woman, you need to have a lot of money···.”
“older brother?”
“Yeah, just like me. That Kel guy is always handsome – even though he causes such a fuss···.”
“older brother?”
“Yeah! You have to have a lot of money like me…”
“older brother!”
The white thing gradually came closer, and the weasel, who soon confirmed its identity, screamed, “Brother!”
The grass that had been boasting about my pockets finally saw the future.
“···Jump!”
“Isn’t that a skeleton?! Heek! Brother!”
“Run, you little punk! Go ring the bell and report to the captain and put him in!”
Grass kicked the screaming weasel in the back, took out the bow on its back, and shot an arrow.
The weasel came to his senses and ran up the stairs.
The weasel twisted his ankle from running too fast and rolled down the stone steps. Thud! Thud! Thud! Fortunately, it landed on his shoulder and was only slightly cold, so the weasel cried out loud.
There was a small bell on the other side that was usually used, but it was clear that it wouldn’t be heard even if I rang it now. I had to ring the large bell in the square.
Phew phew-.
The weasel ran desperately, sobbing and spitting out the shit-tasting mud that had entered its mouth.
“The skeletons outside are here!! The dead are here! The devil is here!!”
The weasel continued to scream and run into the square.
The uproar thrown into the peaceful castle spread like sparks sown on dry straw.
The weasel, who arrived at the square, climbed up the long ladder. It was so high that he couldn’t see the end because of the rain.
I was a little scared to go up there myself.
The weasel then grabbed a man running beside him.
“What…what! The devil right now!”
Since time was of the essence, the weasel did as Aaron had taught him and punched him in the face. Then the opponent became quiet.
“Go up and cry!”
The weasel pointed to the ladder leading to the bell tower.
The man shook his head in horror, but Aaron struck him with his fist as he had learned, and he soon began to cry and climbed the ladder.
‘Is that why that little brat is being held hostage?’
The weasel looked down at his fist and gave a small exclamation of admiration.
I thought it was just the ramblings of an ignorant kid, but when I tried it myself, I found it very convenient.
Just in case, the weasel grabbed another man running around and had a quick Aaron-style conversation before pointing to the ladder.
The man climbed up the ladder, sobbing.
At this point, even if the one above slipped, it seemed like the next one would ring the bell.
The weasel, having finished him off, ran towards headquarters this time.
As the grass said, I had to report to the captain.
The weasel continued to run, dragging its heavy, wet body through the rain.
“The devil-! The skeletons have appeared-! The dead have surrounded the castle-!”
The weasel moved around desperately, screaming so as not to be buried in the sound of the rain.
***
It was a day like any other.
However, because the sight he saw yesterday was vivid, the pot-bellied Cops was able to spend his days more energetically than usual.
I felt like a small spark had been lit in my heart.
‘Did you do it like this?’
Cobbs put down his hammer and took a stance, extending his fist.
‘No. Like this?’
Cobbs, who had thrown a few clumsy punches, smiled with satisfaction. It seemed similar to Aaron.
That was when.
Ding-ding-ding-ding-···.
The heavy sound of a bell rang out continuously through the heavy sound of rain.
Then Cops hurriedly put on his leather vest and headed to the square.
There were already many people gathered in the square.
They were shouting something at each other and pointing their fingers.
“It’s because of that woman! I saw that woman dancing alone at night! That woman is definitely a witch! Burn that woman right now! Or we’ll all die!”
“What are you talking about! What’s wrong with dancing! You ignorant fool!”
“I think the new prostitute is a bit strange! I saw her earlier, and her breasts were a strange shape!”
“No! I heard that last time I went….”
They were raising their voices and talking about all sorts of things. Most of them were about who was suspicious and who needed to be caught and burned quickly.
The targets were mostly widows or unmarried old women.
In a corner, there were people gathered who had met at the ‘Laughing Rabbit’ yesterday. Cops quickly headed there.
After watching Aaron’s performance yesterday, they formed a full-fledged group. They named the group ‘The Unruly Spectators’ and bonded over their friendship.
“Stop it. Everyone, be quiet.”
The leader of the 5th company of the outer wall guards, Giant Flip, let out a long roar, silencing the surroundings.
“Each of you, bring your weapons or tools and come to the castle walls. This is the lord’s order.”
Flip, who had just said what he wanted to say, disappeared into the rain with a thump.
Cobbs was inwardly startled.
Having to fight demons or skeletons…
“Seo···Come to the castle wall! I’ve never heard of such a thing! I should go to the inner castle. The lord likes my leather vest so much···.”
Gelm, who was popular with the girls of the castle because of his thick sideburns, spoke with an unusually weak expression and stuttered.
“Yes! The guards should do it! That’s what they get paid to do! Let’s go to the castle! The lord has a duty to protect us! How much tax do we pay!”
Some people raised their voices in agreement with him.
Then, opinions gradually began to gather in favor of going to Naeseong.
“Where are you going! I told you to come to the castle walls! Didn’t you hear me?”
At that moment, the woman made a sharp sound.
‘···Hana?’
I couldn’t see her face because of the heavy rain, but I could tell who she was just by looking at her body. It was definitely Hannah from ‘The Laughing Rabbit’.
Next to Hannah, a male chef was holding a rose umbrella and holding Kannah’s hand.
The three big guys who had been beaten up by Aaron yesterday were standing behind Hannah as if assisting her.
‘Why are you standing there like that?’
Cops tilted his head at the sight of the three big guys protecting Hannah.
“Ahem··· Hana, I guess you don’t know much···.”
“I don’t know! You usually brag about catching orcs and brag about it! But you run away in a situation like this?! Ha! And do you think the lord will accept you if you go to the castle?!”
It was the complete opposite of Hannah we usually saw. Hannah had returned to her rough and sharp appearance before Aaron came to Cassidy Castle.
“This… this is real.”
“Hannah! That’s harsh!”
“The worst thing is you guys running away in fear! Get out! Get out! You don’t need anything!”
Despite the harsh attacks from her surroundings, Hae-na kept her eyes wide open and raised her voice.
Cobbs, who was looking at them, suddenly felt embarrassed.
Wasn’t it you who decided to walk the path of a man after seeing Aaron yesterday?
Cobbs looked down at his fist.
A fist with a swollen mass of flesh. It was clearly a poor fist.
‘No! Aaron’s fists weren’t strong from the beginning either! It’s all a product of effort!’
···Isn’t it?
Cobbs shook his head, dismissing the thought and stepping forward.
after···
Cobbs took a small breath and pulled his stomach in with force.
“Let’s go to the castle gate!!”
Cobbs screamed as loud as he could.
People turned their heads and stared at Corpse.
Cobbs opened his mouth, trying to hold back the trembling in his throat as he felt the burden of the focused gaze.
“Everything we’ve gathered so far… our lives! They’re all here, where can we run away to? And aren’t the guards our friends too! To abandon them and just look for our own way of living… how cowardly of an act!”
Although he didn’t know what he was saying, Cobbs continued to spit out,
Despite his sincerity, people still had sullen expressions. Someone placed a hand on Cobbs’ drooping shoulder, who had been hurt for no reason.
The ‘stalwart onlookers’ stood behind Cobbs with stern faces. They spoke out loud, lending weight to Cobbs’s words.
“What are you talking about, you little punks?”
Gelm stood before Corpse with a sneer on his face.
Cops looked up and swallowed hard as he looked into Gelm’s fierce eyes.
The two were natives of the same age, so they had played together since they were young. No, rather than playing together, Gelm, who was unusually large, always bullied and teased Cobbs.
Even after becoming an adult, Cops would go back whenever he saw Gelm…
‘It’s smaller than I thought.’
Maybe it’s because I’m used to Aaron’s large size.
Gelm, which had previously looked huge, now looked okay.
“I don’t know what these guys ate wrong… especially you, you pee-pee corpse. You’re getting old….”
The guy was talking about something, but I couldn’t hear him because of the heavy rain and my excited mind.
‘If it’s Aaron!’
Remembering that scene yesterday, Cobbs awkwardly stepped forward with his left foot. Then, as he turned his waist, he extended his right fist.
It was a perfect Aaron fist.
puck!
“Ahhhh!”
Cobbs grabbed his right hand and screamed as he jumped up and down. His first punch was more sloppy than he had expected and it hurt terribly.
“What is this?”
Cobbs was grabbed by Gelm by the collar and left hanging in the air.
At a moment when you feel like your face is going to burst from embarrassment.
“Let go. He’s our regular.”
Hannah spoke coldly, aiming the crossbow at Gelm’s neck. The crossbow was already loaded with a bow.
Gelm raised both his hands in the air, and Cobbs fell to the ground on his buttocks, being supported by the ‘depraved onlookers’.
“Anyway, I won’t force you to do this, but think carefully. Who has guarded the Cassadic Castle so far?”
After finishing speaking, Hannah headed toward the castle gate without hesitation. Several people followed her.
“Shall we go too?”
Cops muttered uncertainly, and the rest nodded.
The ‘idle onlookers’ followed Hannah.
Then suddenly, a thought occurred to Cobbs and he turned around.
Come to think of it, there was no need to do something I couldn’t do.
Because Cobbs’ forte wasn’t his fighting skills, but his exceptionally excellent memory.
Cobbs shouted as he saw a considerable number heading towards the castle.
“I will tell Aaron the names of all those who went to Naeseong!”
The movement towards the castle suddenly stopped as Corpse’s scream pierced through the sound of the rain.
***
Exactly!
The fourteen-year-old young man who had recently entered the Castle of Cassadic, Buburis… no, Buris, swung the sword in his hand.
A skeleton poked its head out from between the walls and thrust its pale hand out with a loud crack.
“Eww!!”
It took three more swings of the sword for the skull to fall down.
‘Cathedral Castle is safe!’
Burris muttered curses under his breath, shivering.
I moved in yesterday and woke up and what the hell is this!
Suddenly, skeletons started climbing up the wall, and he was dragged by a passing guard and was fighting the skeletons.
Somehow, when I saw the murderous appearance of that guy who was checking me, I wanted to go back!
‘What kind of castle guard is that! They’re demons guarding the gates of hell!’
Just then, a skeleton poked its head through the gap in the wall, and Buris swung his sword again.
On the wall, there were many people holding various weapons.
The Buris were in relatively better shape because they had swords that had been passed down as family heirlooms. Some of them even wielded wooden sticks.
In the meantime, the number of people continued to increase.
In Karzan, when there was chaos, everyone was busy hiding or running away, but it was strange that people here took up arms themselves.
Even Buris, who was almost an outsider, felt something hot in his chest.
‘But all your faces look like they’ve been dragged in?’
Buris tilted his head as a sudden thought occurred to him.
“Hey! Berman!! Where did Aaron go!”
I turned my head at the sound I heard next to me, and saw what appeared to be guards talking to each other.
“I don’t know! I just went out on patrol, but no one knows where he is!”
“Really? Shouldn’t we send the kids to find Aaron?!”
“I’ve already sent a few!”
They continued to search for a man named ‘Aaron’.
‘Aaron’ was a name I had been hearing for a while.
Burris guessed that Aaron was the knight.
I don’t know why the knights were called friends by the commoners, but judging by the desperate search they made for them, they were clearly very strong knights.
“Berman! Aaron! Where is Aaron!”
This time it was the fat man who shouted.
I heard that he was the captain of the outer wall guard, and he showed up late and commanded the men with a loud voice, so that they could set up a defensive line.
“I don’t know! I went on patrol with Kel, but he disappeared!”
“Where are you taking a nap?”
“Captain! Even if our team leader is a loser, he’s not that kind of person! Isn’t he the one who always takes the lead?”
“Okay! Why are you yelling! Anyway! You can leave the seat, so find Aaron first!”
“Yes, I will send the kids!”
Eek!
At that moment, a skeleton reached out its gaunt hand through the gap in the wall. Buris quickly swung his sword and struck down the skeleton’s head. However, the skeleton did not fall.
“Eww!”
Buris shouted at him and swung his sword again.
Crunch!
The powerful blow shattered the skeleton’s skull, but Buris’ sword also split in half.
‘You said to go and see this! It’s a famous sword! Father!’
Buris looked at the half-broken sword with vain eyes.
Why did you put it in such a visible place!
“Don’t just stand there blankly, get out of the way!!”
Buris was startled by the sharp voice he heard then and stepped back.
A woman with a crossbow in her hand pushed the burris away and aimed it at the bottom of the wall.
“Boss! It’s dangerous!”
The three large men behind the woman shouted and swung something in their hands.
‘Isn’t that a cooking tool?’
Buris, who was pushed back awkwardly, narrowed his eyes and checked him out.
“Hannah!”
“Kel! Where’s Aaron?!”
“Everyone is looking for you right now! Weren’t you with me?! When the bell rang but you didn’t come, I thought you had finally overthrown the foreman…”
“Are you kidding me right now?!”
The woman shouted sharply.
‘Who the hell is Aaron?’
Burris was panting heavily and wiping the rainwater from his face with his hand.
My head was spinning from the cold rain and the word ‘Aaron’ that I kept hearing.
‘Where is Aaron!’
Buris unconsciously looked for Aaron, whose face he did not even know.
Judging by their reactions, it seemed like Aaron was the one who would put an end to this terrible situation.
“I haven’t seen your face before. Get out of the way!”
At that moment, Buris was startled by a loud voice from behind and stepped aside.
A huge man came up, holding a hammer in both hands.
Boom bang!
A large man swung his hammer and smashed the heads of skeletons that were poking their faces through the gaps in the wall.
Although his skills were crude, he must have had good strength because the skeletons fell down as soon as they were hit.
“Scar! Haven’t you seen Aaron?!”
“What-?! Aaron is gone? This is a big problem! Without my comrade, I can’t fully exert my power···!”
However, the man also found ‘Aaron’.
Meanwhile, people continued to climb up the wall.
The people on the religious side began to treat the fallen and exhausted. The front line, which had been pushed back slightly, pushed back the enemies once again.
at that time.
A blue light emanated from behind.
People backed away in a hurry at the brilliant blue light that resembled a star rising from the ground.
What appeared between them was a heavily armed woman.
A woman holding a sword full of blue light climbed up the wall.
As the woman swung her sword, five skeletons split open at once and fell down.
Buris’s mouth fell open in amazement at the overwhelming dance.
‘Is this woman Aaron?’
Aaron was a man’s name, but Buris was certain that this woman was the Aaron they were looking for. With that level of force, it was worth the effort.
A woman shining with a blue light swung her sword and pushed away the skeletons.
The sword of humanity against the devil.
It was an aura that was the evidence of the article.
‘Knight Aaron!’
Burris cheered inwardly.
At that moment, a small voice was heard from the side.
“So what about Aaron?” “What about Captain Aaron? Haven’t you found him yet?”
“I told you, it’s obvious where you’re taking a nap!”
“Captain! I won’t tolerate insults to our team leader!”
“Insults are fucking ridiculous! I’m the boss! You crazy bastard!”
“Anyway, I won’t tolerate it! And even though our leader is a loser, he’s not that kind of person!”
“That’s right! Aaron is a crooked man, but he’s crooked in the right way!”
“No, you guys! I told you I’m the boss!”
Burris wrinkled his nose at the sight of them still looking for ‘Aaron’.
‘Who the hell is Aaron?’
Buris, who was not included in the conversation, felt deeply alienated.
“Oh, that’s right! Honorary Monk Aaron!”
At that moment, the young monk in the corner opened his eyes wide.
***
Ugh-.
I woke up thirsty.
I poured the clear potion placed next to me into my water bottle, shook it, and drank it.
When I mixed the potion and wine, the taste was somewhat better.
‘Was the ratio just 3:7?’
To lighten the potion’s flavor a little, I mixed it with wine, and the taste and aroma turned out pretty good.
‘Is the effect the same?’
It seems like the fatigue has gone away a bit.
I shook my head, pushing away the sleep and recalling the memories.
‘I came to the hall to refill the potion I gave to Ben… and sat down at the potion exchange at the request of Monk Ains…’
The synagogue itself was very quiet, perhaps because it was well-soundproofed. The potion exchange was located at the innermost part of the synagogue, so it was very quiet, as if a soundproof booth had been installed.
I couldn’t even hear the loud sound of rain that was pounding on my ears, so I took a quick sip of a potion cocktail and closed my eyes for a moment…
‘I think I slept for quite a while.’
There was no news of Monk Ains, who was either slacking off or was just hanging out somewhere, even though quite some time had passed.
‘Even monks avoid being lazy…’
When you are clicking your tongue at such medieval behavior.
Boom! The door opened violently and the bumbling ‘White Leaf’ guy who had been following me came in.
“You may be surprised at who I am and why I suddenly appeared! But that’s not important right now!”
The boy screamed loudly. He looked like a little kid who was hiding and was very excited to surprise someone.
I knew from the beginning that he was following me, so I wasn’t that surprised, but I didn’t say anything.
“Ouch- what is it?”
“Cathedral Castle is under attack by demons!”
I made an awkward sound effect as a joke, and the guy seemed to like it because his face relaxed a lot.
‘Raid? Who? He couldn’t have come already?’
I stood up from my seat, frowning at the sudden comment.
“You have to get out right now···.”
“wait for a sec.”
I gestured to the guy who was pointing outside excitedly and headed to the back.
There was a small wooden door on the ceiling behind the potion exchange room. I pulled the handle of the small wooden door.
Then a small ladder descended leading to a hidden attic.
I put one foot on the ladder and poked my head up, and there I saw the Inquisitor crouching in a small space covered in cobwebs.
‘How did you get in here wearing that thick armor?’
As I clicked my tongue slightly, the heretic inquisitor who had discovered me nodded his head vigorously.
I nodded in agreement and opened my mouth.
“The devil has appeared.”
In the darkness, the black eyes of the Inquisitor glowed.
