Responsibility without pleasure
“What are you talking about!! Requesting support!!”
‘Knight Adela is good in every way, but her pride and fiery temper are the problem. She also has a sense of entitlement… The more I think about it, she has a lot of problems.’
Baron Fullfoot clicked his tongue as he watched Knight Adela shouting next to him with the veins on her neck rising.
“I am making this suggestion in preparation for future dangers.”
In contrast to Nova’s calm answer, Pulpouts nodded slightly.
How polite and nice it would be if we could exchange opinions calmly like that without having to raise our voices.
“Is the danger real? Is this information accurate?”
The sheriff, bowing his head toward Fullfoot, asked Nova.
“It is clear that the forces targeting Cassidy have moved.”
“Are you sure that the move is directed at Cassidy?”
“···That’s not certain. Even the Information Guild finds it burdensome to approach them any closer, so that’s the limit. However, considering that they attacked Cassidy before, the possibility is very high.”
“I don’t know. They already failed three raids, and they know how foolish it is to target Cassidy again. We can’t ask for help from those around us with such inaccurate information. There is no such thing as free help in this world, so if it’s not us they’re after, it would be a waste of money.”
Nova shut her mouth at the sheriff’s firm answer.
Baron Fullfoot thought the sheriff’s opinion was also reasonable. After all, if he asked for help from those around him, they would surely use him as an excuse to demand something.
The nobles were not satisfied with what they had and were greedy for bigger and tastier things. They were the ones who lent knives and took meat in return.
“I add one more vote to Nova’s opinion.”
At that moment, Geralt suddenly stood up and raised his hand.
Baron Pulpouts, who had been leisurely observing the meeting, was taken aback by the unexpected situation.
‘···Gerel and Nova have the same opinion?’
It was a situation I had never experienced before. In this case, I couldn’t execute ‘As Geralt said, as Nova said.’
Pullputs became anxious in the face of an unexpected crisis.
“Gerel. What does that mean?”
Fullfoot opened his mouth hurriedly.
“Don’t we have a powerful ally, the Fener family? They will be happy to lend a hand.”
“I see. Nova? What do you think?”
Pulpouts turned his gaze towards Nova. Gerel’s already hideous face became even more distorted, but it was beyond Pulpouts’ attention.
“···Fener is a good option, but we also have Count Behard. And even if it’s not necessarily both, we should bring troops if we can.”
‘Count Behard is a bit···.’
Count Behart was too greedy, but he had too much. He was so greedy that he would set a table full of meat at every meal, and when he was full, he would vomit it out and eat again. His entrails and appearance were too big to attract.
Even the Catholic saint could have eaten it and then spat it out again. Pulpouts had no desire to go into that pig’s stomach.
“What kind of support can you give me when I’m here! Didn’t I protect you during the last incident?”
Knight Adela raised her voice again. Some people agreed, others nodded.
Fullfoot was the one who was shedding tears.
‘It was that man named Aaron who protected us, and it was also that man who carried the unconscious Adela.’
I felt regretful again that I couldn’t immediately pull her aside as Nova had said.
The meeting became increasingly heated, and soon Knight Adela even made the bizarre declaration that she would protect Cassadic!
If Nova was warning, it was clear that there was danger, but it was impossible to ignore the words of the only remaining knight, Adela. The sheriff wasn’t very friendly either…
Everyone’s opinions were sharply divided.
It would have been neat if Gerel and Nova had different opinions, but Gerel and Nova had similar opinions for no reason, making it difficult to make a decision. Baron Pulpouts felt a headache and pressed his temples.
“I will write to Fener immediately…”
“My lord! Please trust me···.”
“If we ask the Fener family, we can postpone the wedding···.”
Baron Pulpouts, who had been listening quietly, raised his hand. However, everyone else, except Nova, was still talking.
‘Spoiled bastards.’
The story came to mind that a great monarch would cut off one finger and get a new one as an annual ritual.
“Quiet!”
Pulpouts stood up from his seat and shouted loudly.
Only then did the noisy guys shut their mouths.
Fullfoot looked around at the vassals below. There were some useful ones, some stupid ones, and some mediocre ones, so it wasn’t a bad balance. It was a satisfactory balance where they could fight each other and keep each other in check without having to worry about it.
In that situation, if I had chosen someone, it would have been obvious that the balance would be lost. But if I had stayed still, it would have been an itchy feeling in the back of my head.
If you can’t choose anything, you have to create a new option and choose it. Pulpouts thought back to the words that the clever and gloomy Nova had slipped in.
‘Since it’s a troop with no affiliation… there must be quite a bit of money left in the castle, right?’
There was one more option that had not yet been brought up on the agenda. It would be a pretty big deal, but it was a better option than asking for help from another noble.
“Let’s hold a tournament. It will be one-on-one, so that the duration can be as long as possible, and it will last until Vivian’s birthday. The prize money will be… 20 gold coins, I think.”
Pulpouts clicked his tongue as he looked at the dumb faces looking up at him.
All those idiots gathered together couldn’t hold back their laughter except Nova.
‘···This is dangerous.’
Pulpouts let out a sigh as he looked at Nova’s bowed head.
***
‘This kid is upset.’
I muttered as I looked at the inquisitor sitting right next to me.
Although he was expressionless as usual, his eyebrows were strangely tense, clearly showing that he was very uncomfortable.
Even though I nodded five times, he didn’t accept it even once.
‘What kind of heretic inquisitor is causing trouble by bringing worship?’
Although I was taken aback, I soon nodded.
Originally, the border areas were prone to being filled with runaways and destitute people.
“We will start the worship service between breakfast and lunch.”
The pious-faced monk Ains stepped forward and spoke clearly and declaratively.
‘What is the worship between breakfast and lunch?’
I was scratching my head at the random brunch service.
After briefly reciting the scriptures, Monk Ains stepped back and the abbot stepped forward.
I swallowed for no reason as I looked at the abbot, who had a usually strict expression on his face, but who had now become even stricter.
It was clear that it was going to be a tough fight.
But I have to persevere because I have to look good to the abbot in order to get support…
I muttered something a hundred times longer than I used to hear every day, and then fell asleep right away.
Then I held the cape in my hand and bowed my head forward as if praying.
“···The sun will shine upon your feet.”
I raised my head with a feeling of completion.
The monks stood up and applauded. I looked to the side and saw the inquisitor bowing his head like me.
Although I couldn’t see her face, I could hear her breathing evenly, and it seemed like she was so impressed by the sermon that she went to meet the person in person.
‘What kind of inquisitor sleeps during worship?’
I clicked my tongue in disbelief and placed my cape over his head. Now he looked like a total martyr.
The monks went forward and said a few words to the abbot. They all said something like, “The sermon was really good today.” It seemed like a kind of social life.
The abbot took hold of the monks one by one and said one more word to each of them. The monks who heard those words had unadorned expressions of sorrow. Their expressions were far from impressive.
I watched him and when it was over I stepped forward.
“Ah, Honorary Monk. You didn’t run away.”
“I’m the kind of person who does things when I have to.”
“That doesn’t seem like something a monk should say after hearing the service.”
“Anyway, let’s talk.”
“Okay, okay. Come this way.”
The abbot, with the corners of his lips slightly raised, turned around and moved his long legs. I followed him.
“But where did the heretic inquisitor go? Wasn’t he with you? Did he run away again?”
“No. He was so moved that he was even shedding tears while praying. I couldn’t bring myself to disturb him, so I came out alone.”
“Inquisitor Joanna Ethan···?”
The abbot turned to me with wrinkled eyes. I briefly considered whether it was okay to lie in the synagogue, but I had already come too far to impress God.
“Yes, they said the speech was really good today.”
“Yeah. That’s good. How were you?”
“Oh my- what are you talking about?”
“Really? What did I say today?”
“Oh my… What are you talking about?”
“···.”
The abbot, with his eyes narrowed, let out a ‘ahem…’ sound. Then he muttered softly, ‘Okay, since I’m here for worship…’ and continued walking.
The abbot’s room was no different from the last time I visited. There was only a Bible and some shabby stuff. It was so simple that it was hard to believe it was the youngest monk’s room.
He was a difficult gentleman in many ways.
I sat facing the abbot.
The abbot’s gaze upon me was strangely irritating, and I scratched my neck.
“Aren’t those guys the ones that invaded last time?”
“Yeah, you mean the subversive ones.”
“Yes. There’s talk that they might come again.”
“I see.”
The abbot answered briefly, placed his right arm on his forehead, and closed his eyes.
‘Praying while talking… Is it narcolepsy? Prayer disorder?’
After clicking his tongue and waiting for a moment, the abbot opened his mouth.
“I’ll ask the parish for help. Since it’s related to the devil, they’ll probably come.”
I nodded at the answer that was faster than I expected.
And then a subtle, heavy silence followed.
As I was getting up, thinking, ‘I guess I can get up now,’ the abbot opened his mouth.
“···He had a son.”
The abbot had that morning expression.
An expression that looks like a knife has stabbed his heart.
I didn’t ask why it was in the past tense.
If you give birth to four, two of them will die.
I flipped a coin and it just came up tails.
“If you resemble the abbot, you must be very handsome.”
“He was handsome. He was as tall as you. He also hated the Bible as much as you do.”
“I don’t hate it. I just have a Bible allergy…”
“Anyway, don’t be lazy in reading the Bible.”
The abbot who had cut me off returned with his usual stern expression and waved his hand. I bowed my head and left the room.
As I was leaving the synagogue, a strangely familiar face blocked my path.
“Aaron Honorary Monk!!”
The voice that immediately called my name also had a familiar, thick tone.
‘···Was there a guy like this in the synagogue?’
The look in his eyes as he looked at me was so sad that I thought he was someone I knew, but it was a face I was seeing for the first time. Then I looked at his cape and there were two lines drawn on it.
‘Two lines, then… No, priest? Priest… Priest?’
There was only one priest in the synagogue at Cassady Castle.
The pig praise machine that appointed me as an honorary monk.
I squinted my eyes and looked at the thing vaguely. It looked strangely similar. It felt like I had divided the thing into exactly two equal parts.
“···Father Blian?”
“That’s right! Ah, Honorary Monk Aaron! How long has it been!!”
Father Blian, who had lost half his weight thanks to the successful abbot’s diet, called out to me in a trembling voice.
“Yes, Father Blian. It’s been a long time.”
‘How many times did you catch the kid, half of the kid is…’
I held the hand that Blian extended to me, hiding my doubts. The flesh felt dirty when I held it before, but now I could feel the bones.
“Let’s go to the hideout first!”
Blian 1/2 looked around as if someone was chasing him and spoke urgently.
‘What is an escape?’
Since I had already received something, I nodded.
Blian dragged me deep inside. It looked like a warehouse, and he pushed aside the piled up stuff and went deeper inside.
There was a worn-out wooden box there that looked too dirty to touch, but Blian picked it up without a care.
Beneath it was a wooden plank that looked like a door.
After looking around for a moment, Blian tapped the wooden board with a steady rhythm.
I habitually remembered that rhythm.
Soon, the wooden plank opened with a creaking sound, and underneath it was a monk with a pale face.
“Father Blian? Who is this person?”
“He who saves us from evil.”
“Ahhh··· Finally···.”
I let out a strange sigh and stepped aside, and Blian naturally went down the passage. I hesitated for a moment in the gloomy atmosphere before following him down.
Below was a small space filled with rocks, giving off a strong smell. Judging from the sleeping bags and bread, it seemed like they were going to sleep here.
Three people, including one who looked similar to the one who opened the door, were sitting there, looking up at me.
“Where is this place?”
“This is the last refuge where I can hide from him! It’s so bad that all the other places have already been closed off! I can still hear the screams of my brothers who were dragged away when I close my eyes! Oh… God… Have you abandoned us!”
Blian’s appeal was full of desperation. The others followed Blian’s muttering.
Priests and monks huddled together in a dark and damp space.
The small figure of praying is that of a martyr who fights until the end against the evil that has taken over the world, but···.
‘Just go out and worship.’
I was so shocked that I couldn’t help but laugh. But I didn’t show it because I still had the gold coins I ate.
“Ah …
“Ah, because the opponent is the opponent.”
“That’s right! He’s a very strong opponent!”
“If we’re not careful, we could end up in danger… We’re being very careful… so to speak, being very careful.”
When he spoke with a serious face and low voice, Blian and the rest of the monks nodded their heads in agreement.
“That’s right. It’s not just about getting rid of him, it’s about restoring him to his original glory! My faith in Honorary Monk Aaron has never wavered!!”
I listened to the strange complaints that arose while doing what a priest should do. Afterwards, as if reporting on the results, I brought up the story of my time with the abbot.
“What? There might be another attack? Oh… I guess I should stock up on food.”
That answer made me realize why I hadn’t seen Blian in the last two raids.
‘This damn bastard… Should I just bury him here?’
I hesitated for a moment, but I held back, thinking that there must be a use for these guys too.
“But why are you asking for my support without even thinking about it? If you’re going to be sent to a remote place like this, the abbot must be on bad terms with the main church… Seeing you’re pushing yourself too hard, it’s clear that you’re doing something right!”
He scratched his cheek at Blian’s words that followed.
‘Was that too much?’
I wasn’t feeling very good.
While listening to the lamentations of the poor people, he slyly added an absurd compliment, saying, “You’re really amazing for continuing your beliefs in a place like this.” Blian handed him a few worn-out silver coins.
‘But before, they gave me gold coins.’
It was a paltry sum, but I didn’t refuse and took it anyway. Then the remaining monks gathered up their money and gave me silver coins. I took that too and climbed down the ladder and went outside.
‘Not bad.’
It wasn’t a lot of money, but if you think about it as a place to stop by every now and then to buy some snacks, it wasn’t bad.
As I was leaving the synagogue, I came face to face with the inquisitor who had returned with his usual expressionless face.
I was momentarily nervous, thinking that he might crack my head open in return for my betrayal, but the Inquisitor was holding a cape instead of a mace.
The heretic inquisitor hesitated for a moment, then bit his lip slightly and approached me. Then he held out his cape to me like a sword.
When I handed him over, the Inquisitor nodded slightly. It seemed like his displeasure wouldn’t last long.
I nodded along with him and then pointed to the ‘shelter’ inside.
“It’s safe there since they haven’t caught you yet.”
The heretic inquisitor nodded vigorously, with the same expression but strangely gentler eyes, and I nodded back.
The heretic inquisitor nodded again and quickly headed inside.
The mace hanging from the Inquisitor’s waist seemed to swing like a tail, and he shook his head.
The frontier was always full of runaways and destitute people.
The Inquisitor was clear on the latter.
***
I met Berman, whose face was strangely reminiscent, in District 6.
“What’s with that grumpy expression?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Did the matter you had go through go well?”
“What is the solution?”
“ha ha ha!”
“Why are you laughing, you rascal?”
“Huh? No, I just laughed… Ahem, no.”
“Don’t laugh. I don’t like seeing it.”
“Huh? Ahem.”
I didn’t like the corners of Berman’s lips that were slightly raised, but I tried to hold it in and looked around the castle.
As I was walking around, as usual, picking on a few men who looked like they were going to take a shit on the street, and teaching them basic hygiene principles, I saw children running around, laughing.
‘Come to think of it, shouldn’t the air conditioner have some friends too?’
I don’t know much about it, but I think that as children grow, they need friends of the same age to become social.
A child who eats and sleeps in bars and is surrounded by mean adults. Even though it was a simple sentence, it felt like he was going to be accused.
He sat in an appropriate spot and watched the children running around.
‘That guy? He’s a boy. Absolutely not. Then that guy? He’s too strong-willed. He could get influenced. That guy? That guy… Why does he pee himself while running?’
No matter how much I looked, there was no one with the right education, the right personality, and the right kindness.
‘Still, I’d like to have at least one friend…’
I clicked my tongue and looked at the kids again, but something about the song they were mumbling bothered me.
“There’s a really, really scary scoundrel at Castle Cassidy! A scoundrel who even eats up the devil! A scoundrel who beats up all the insolent bastards!”
““You piece of shit!! Wahahahaha!!””
Judging from the precision of the notes, it was clear that someone had carefully crafted the song, but the content was extremely jarring.
‘Is this the work of that guy who was calling me a wandering poet?’
At that moment, the children discovered me and came running excitedly.
“Captain, these guys are kids, so be gentle… Ouch!”
“What are you saying?”
He silenced Berman, who was talking nonsense, in a medieval way.
“Wow! This is a mess!”
“What? You’re Hansen’s son? Tell Hansen to come to the outer city guard tomorrow.” “Hahahaha!”
“Stop laughing. What song is that?”
“This? It’s a popular song these days!”
“Informal speech… Anyway, do you want to eat this?”
I shook the leftover candy from the village in front of the kids. It was so much fun to see the kids’ shining eyes follow the candy, so I shook it a few more times and the kids jumped up and down.
I squeezed those little heads shut like a mole catching a mole.
“Hey, you guys remember the song you just sang? Change the word “mangnani” to “orange” in there. Then I’ll give you this.”
“Orange? Orange!”
“No, change the lyrics in the song. Change the word ‘man-nanny’ to ‘orange.’”
“orange!!”
“No, you stupid bird···.”
“Boss. These are the kids.”
“Yeah, you idiots. Change orange to punk… no, punk to orange.”
I forced myself to hold back the children who kept jumping around like living fish and changed the lyrics of the song. When I threw candy crumbs to the children who were concentrating, the children also started to concentrate.
In the meantime, Berman went out on patrol.
“There is a very, very scary orange in Cassidy Castle···.”
By the time the candy was gone, the children were so excited that they started singing the orange song without being asked.
After finishing the singing class, I was thirsty and headed to the bar, but suddenly, Kua Ba Rou blocked my way.
“Oh, I’ll take care of it.”
“It’s not Kua Barou, it’s Swallows… No, that’s fine. I have something to say.”
“Okay. Go ahead.”
At my answer, Kuabarou opened his eyes wide for a moment and then nodded slightly.
“It’s too much of a talent to rot away here in the outskirts, but if that’s your judgment, I’ll respect it. I’m not the one who can judge it. But it’s ridiculous to leave a child with such talent alone! It’s not a talent that can be used to make ice for beer!”
Kuobarou suddenly got angry and shouted in a heated voice.
‘Is he a real genius?’
To my eyes, he was just some kid throwing ice, but when the real magician, Guobarou, spoke like that, it seemed like that was true.
Yesterday’s cleanup of the fire boulder was stupid, but the sense of presence wasn’t bad.
“so?”
“I will teach you. These outbackers don’t seem to know this, but in the capital, you don’t need even a bag of gold to learn from me. You have to get permission from the White Tower to learn from me! This is a golden opportunity.”
Kuobarou shouted with a confident expression. It seemed like he was trying to show off, but he still looked stupid from yesterday and it didn’t look that cool.
“If you want to teach him, just go to him and ask him. Why are you asking me?”
“Aren’t you that child’s father?”
Kuobarou opened his eyes wide and asked, as if asking why something so obvious was being asked.
My head started to hurt from the pleasureless responsibility that had been suddenly thrust upon me.
“I’m not Abby… Just… Anyway, go ask her. Or ask Hannah next to her.”
Kuobarou opened his mouth to say something, but when I made a face, he nodded and stepped back.
“Hey! Come back again.”
“What? I changed my mind···.”
“You know how to use a cleansing spell? Try casting it. It’s creepy.”
When he heard my words, Kuabarou’s eyes grew wide as if they were going to tear.
“I am the Swallows of the White Tower. Only such lowly wizards can do this…”
“Can’t you do it? Even the Drop Wizard can do it, so if you can’t do that, the White Tower is nothing···.”
“shit!”
I recognized that the guy was a great wizard of the white tower because of his fluffy and comfortable body.
“It’s truly amazing. Even though it’s a minor magic, I can feel the difference. It’s not for nothing that he’s called the White Tower Wizard!”
“Ha! Of course. In the capital, they come to me to receive teachings in gold…”
“Yeah, yeah. Swallows. What other magic do you know how to use?”
I put my arm around his shoulder as a sign of friendliness to keep him from running away.
‘This… there’s also a magic Daiso.’
It made my mouth water to see that guy quickly become arrogant and extend his magic.
***
Gesher Wind, an officer from the Imperial Eastern Administration, hesitated for a moment before clearing his throat loudly.
“Ahem···.”
Only after clearing his throat sore did his superior, Ben Hardt, open his eyes.
Looking at Ben Hardt, who was yawning deeply, Gesher Wind muttered softly, ‘That’s why he was demoted from the center to the east.’
“What is it?”
Ben Hardt’s discomfort at waking up from his short sleep was clearly expressed and not hidden.
“A report came in, so I came to give you a report.”
“Isn’t that the end of the story if it’s the eastern side? What kind of report should I submit?”
“Last time, you told me to upload it···.”
“Okay. Don’t report back there anymore. It’s over. Why are kids these days so stupid? Tsk.”
Gesher Wind tried hard to hold back the curses that were on the tip of his tongue.
‘That little brat told me to list all the big guys around Cassidy… And if the Eastern Management Office doesn’t hear any reports about the East, then what kind of reports are you expecting to hear?’
But since he was my boss, I held back my grumbling, lowered my head, and stepped back.
The information I had spent time compiling, the fact that the ‘Luscious’ Kurten had entered the East, and the prediction that the ‘Great Darkness’ was waiting for the permission of the Administration but would move soon, everything else was useless.
“What did Hart say?”
As they came out, their classmate, Shinan Halina, poked her head out and asked. Seeing her slitted eyes, Gesher Wind gulped.
“What did you say? I told you not to report to the eastern side.”
“What the hell is this, telling the Eastern Management Office not to report to the East?”
“Do you understand? Would you have been demoted from the central to the eastern region for nothing? That would have been like falling off a cliff, but you’re being pushed out because of that nonsense.”
“Oh! That’s right. I have a string in the middle. I asked around and…”
“···Have you seen it?”
Sinan Halina freckled her cheeks and closed her mouth. Geshu Wind handed her a gold coin.
“Thanks for the snack money! Anyway, I heard Ben was involved in the Byzantro Kingdom Project. You know what happened to that desert kingdom on the western end, Byzantro Kingdom…?”
Geshu Wind nodded after looking at Sinan Halina, who was playfully turning the gold coin between her fingers.
“I’m screwed. I’m screwed.”
It was such a famous event that everyone in the administration knew about it. Of course, they didn’t know the full story, but all they knew was that the main supplier had suddenly been taken over by the Empire, causing a disruption in supply.
Anyway, since there was such a huge uproar at the time, even Gesher Wind of the Eastern Management Bureau knew the story roughly.
“The story is that Ben was one of the people in charge of the Byzant project and was demoted here as punishment for it.”
“Ah, so that’s why you always curse at those big guys.”
“Yeah. The guy who screwed it up was that big… ah… what was it, what was it?”
“Stupid?”
“No, that wasn’t it. Oh! I don’t remember! Anyway, that’s why I got demoted.”
hmm···.
Gesher Wind nodded.
If you were involved in an incident of that magnitude and ended up being demoted here, you were definitely lucky.
Originally, it was such a big incident that even the entire family had to be used as material.
“So there’s no need to try to please him. He’s already cut off from me anyway.”
Sinan Halina whispered softly, crossing her arms over her neck, and hurried past.
‘Because the name starts with A···.’
Gesher Wind stood there for a moment, then suddenly remembered one of the names of the big guys he had collected at Ben Hardt’s direction.
I was startled by that, but soon shook my head.
Because the crazy guy who caused that incident was declared dead by Selena of the Central Administration and ended it.
Gesher Wind shook his head, shook off his thoughts, and walked away.
Now that Ben Hardt knew he was out of luck, he had to quickly find another line.
Because this was the Eastern Administration Office, also known as the Administration Office’s Graveyard.
Gesher Wind didn’t want to be a mountain corpse.
***
I scratched my ear because it felt itchy for no reason, and then sighed deeply when a black hood appeared.
I guess she hid it so well that I couldn’t even see her chin anymore, but there was no way anyone else in the Castle of Cassadic would be wearing a black hood pulled down so deeply like that, except for Youngae Ppak-dae.
Even his shoulders shook violently, as if he thought that he was not recognized. It was amazing how he could show his stupidity with only his appearance without showing his face.
I tried to pass by him as if I didn’t notice him, but he moved so quickly that I couldn’t ignore him.
“···Vivian?”
“!!”
When I called her name softly, Youngae raised her head.
Judging by the way his eyes were wide open, it seemed like he really thought he wouldn’t get caught.
“What brings you here?”
“As expected… this is no ordinary bet.”
When I saw him awkwardly reciting lines that sounded like they came straight out of a novel, I wanted to run away right away.
“I don’t have time because I still have work to do.”
“Huh? The sun has set? And yet, the work isn’t over! How on earth does the work of the Foreign Guard go?! I told Dad…”
As I watched Young-ae quickly sympathize and explode with anger, I imagined the captain being scolded by Baron Fullfoot, and my mouth started watering, but I held it back and opened my mouth again.
“Come to think of it, the sun has set. I’m done with work.”
“Aha! You’re mistaken! That could be true! I sometimes confuse morning and night too!”
‘Isn’t that something you shouldn’t be mistaken about?’
I nodded awkwardly, feeling as if I was deeply sympathizing.
“Anyway! I can’t run away today! Let’s have a serious talk!”
I was curious about what he kept talking about. I nodded, and Youngae slightly pulled back her hood and checked her surroundings.
And then, after making sure that no one was there, he nodded vigorously and opened his mouth.
“These! Are these yours?! I know everything!”
Young-ae, her face flushed, thrust in some familiar handkerchiefs.
Those handkerchiefs seemed to be shouting at me.
‘Responsibility without pleasure.’
I felt like I had a headache, so I pressed my temples.
***
“Hey, did you pack everything?”
“Still, why can’t we use the dead?”
Grieg, a black magician belonging to the ‘Hoe’, grumbled softly and forcibly pushed his protruding arm back in.
Recently, the Master has been ordering all harvests to be brought to him, making it difficult for the Warlock to obtain the most important corpses.
‘I don’t expect a good quality corpse. But isn’t a goblin or orc corpse too much? I should have passed when I first heard from Black Blood! It’s useless to hear that the great darkness is the master…’
Grieg sighed deeply, regretting that no matter how fast he did it, it would be too late. As expected, in an organization, management philosophy was more important than the strength of the leader.
“What can I do? That… Master told me to do it.”
Greg nodded slightly at his older brother Greg’s words.
Gyaaaahh …
Aaaah …
Deep in the cave. A deep presence was felt in the place where screams had been heard continuously for some time.
‘···But eat something good.’
Grieg muttered softly, trying to erase the intense and enormous presence that was so strong that it made his hands tingle even though he was far away.
The Master continued to eat, as if he really intended to go out. He did not stop even though it was clear that he had exceeded the amount set by the Empire.
‘Isn’t this really a big problem?’
Grieg gulped, crumpling his protruding fingers and pushing them in.
“Ah, this. Well written.”
Greg turned his head at Greg’s voice and couldn’t hold back his rising anger.
His treasured corpse, the beloved ‘Le Ponderian de Ponceva’, was walking around in a mangled state.
“Oh, really! I told you not to use it!”
Grieg screamed loudly at the sight of him not even cleaning up.
“We are not strangers.”
Just as I was about to recite the spell, Greg’s shameless words continued.
Ding ding.
thud.
Ding ding.
thud.
My body instinctively trembled in fear at the sound of huge footsteps coming from deep within.
Greg, who had been joking around until just now, turned around with a very stiff face.
Grieg turned his stiff neck and looked inside.
A place painted in pitch-black darkness where you can’t see even an inch ahead.
After finishing their meal, they instinctively felt that their master, the ‘Great Darkness’, was rising.
Grieg gulped as he held the cold hand of his beloved doll, Le Pond.
Then suddenly, I turned my gaze.
“Miss, why are you holding on to me!”
Greg, who was holding Lepont’s other hand, shouted at him.
