Gongwari
“Right? Yours!”
Yeong-ae waved her handkerchief with a confident face.
“It’s my first time seeing this.”
I opened my eyes as wide as I could and answered.
At that, Young-ae flinched slightly and then laughed out loud, saying, ‘Ha!’
“Lies! I saw it myself when you threw it away in front of my house last time!”
Youngae raised the corners of her mouth.
‘Did you have eyes to see?’
“Tsk,” he said, clicking his tongue.
Yeong-ae’s eyes sparkled and she pushed the handkerchief in again. She couldn’t evade any longer since there were already witnesses.
“Yes, it’s mine.”
“As expected! It wasn’t a dream!”
Yeong-ae smiled brightly and exhaled softly while holding the handkerchief in her arms.
I looked at Youngae running around and collected my thoughts. What does Youngae remember?
‘If you see a red face, do you remember getting milk?’
Young-ae, who had met my eyes, smiled again. Her smile seemed to say, ‘Gotcha!’ so I gulped.
The reason you came here in person is probably not simply to check if your memories are correct.
‘It must be because I showed my breasts to another man.’
If it became known that Young-ae was exhibitionistic and that I had witnessed him, it was clear that both Young-ae and I would be in an awkward situation.
I looked at Young-ae, who was still waving her handkerchief brightly, and collected my thoughts.
In such a case, it was better to use explicit words to distract the opponent and seize the opportunity to win rather than just succumb to pressure. Even the opponent was a woman so innocent that she was stupid, so he expected an easy upper hand.
“Oh, don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone that I saw Vivian’s breasts.”
I said it with a shameless face, emphasizing ‘milk’ in particular. I expected to see Yeong-ae’s embarrassed face, but…
“Ah! That’s okay! My appearance isn’t weird, is it? The maids said I was pretty! I’m pretty, right?!”
‘hmm···.’
I was speechless at the answer that was so far beyond my expectations.
“Why? Was it weird? It would be pretty! I said it was pretty!”
When I didn’t answer, Youngae tilted her head with a worried expression.
‘I underestimated exhibitionism.’
I shook my head as I thought about what to say in response, feeling that whatever I said would lead straight to the gate mascot.
“Isn’t it pretty? My sisters said so! They said it was the best!”
I turned my gaze when Youngae lifted the neck of my one-piece dress to check inside.
“Anyway! I came to say thank you! And I wanted to confirm that my dream wasn’t a delusion! But why did you keep running away? Was it a game?”
I scratched my head at Youngae’s question.
‘You came all the way here just to say thank you.’
I paused for a moment, wondering if there was another intention, but Yeong-ae’s clear eyes were filled with a foolish innocence, and I could not see any other intention.
“Anyway! Thank you! For saving me!”
I was taken aback by Young-ae’s sudden bowing of her head.
Yeong-ae was less aristocratic than any other noble I’ve ever seen.
Yeong-ae glanced at me from the corner of her eye, then raised her head and smiled brightly again, opening her mouth.
“Thank goodness it wasn’t my dream! When I told my nanny, she said that everyone my age has dreams like that and that it’s not embarrassing. Sometimes, my nanny says really strange things!”
Young-ae, who had suddenly wandered off, chattered about useless things for quite some time. I had to learn useless things like Baron Pulpouts hating vegetables and the caretaker, Gerel, constantly bringing up marriage.
Since Youngae showed no sign of finishing her words, I frowned and signaled for her to shut up, but Youngae simply frowned along with me and laughed.
“Anyway! That’s why I came to say thank you! And this too!”
Yeong-ae put her hand inside the hood and took something out, her mouth agape as if concentrating.
What Yeong-ae took out was a gold candlestick that looked expensive at first glance. Even the melted candle wax was still attached to it, indicating that it had been used recently.
“I want to express my gratitude, but I read in a book that it would be rude to just say it out loud! They say a gift made of gold is the best! What do you think?!”
Yeong-ae shook the candlestick with an expression like a puppy carrying a bone.
‘Youngju must be having a hard time too.’
Of course, I didn’t refuse and quickly took care of him.
Then Youngae smiled brightly and nodded.
Looking at him, I felt it was a shame to send him away like this.
‘If I shave, more will come out, right?’
Yeong-ae was clearly the most beautiful woman on the continent.
“But I saved you three times.”
“···yes?”
“thrice.”
I got a reward from Nova, but I brought it up briefly because I thought I might get duplicates.
“···There’s only one candlestick! And that’s one I snatched from my father’s room! I’ll bring the rest over later! There are quite a few gold things in my father’s room!”
Yeong-ae, whose eyes were wide open in genuine embarrassment, nodded her head vigorously as if she had made up her mind.
I nodded to him and told him to bring me something small and shiny next time.
Yeong-ae muttered with her small lips, ‘something small and shining.’
Then, at the sound of a whistle blowing nearby, Yeong-ae let out a small, startled exclamation, “Ouch! I’ve been caught!” and bowed to me before disappearing.
‘Even nobles can’t help it when it comes to the little bastards.’
I shook my head slightly, quietly taking the candlestick into my arms. Youngae had given it to me, but it was more like a stolen item than a gift.
He headed towards the inn, being careful of it.
As I entered the inn, I saw someone familiar lying on the mat.
Upon closer inspection, I saw that it was a Kua Ba Rou.
‘Why is this kid lying here?’
“Vermunt!! I told you not to hit him first! He’s a teacher!”
I heard Hannah’s voice, very angry.
“You look unpleasant.”
Looking inside, Choco was being scolded by Hannah.
‘It did look a bit unpleasant.’
He nodded while looking at the fainted Kuobarou, who had stuck out his tongue.
As expected of a wizard, Kkwobarou had a gloomy appearance. However, despite his appearance, his personality seemed to be good.
“Ah! Aaron! Vermunt has beaten up another guest!”
Hannah, who had discovered me, pointed at Choco and shouted as if she was tattling.
‘Again? This isn’t the first time.’
I nodded my head as I gave him the job of guarding the house and he seemed to be carrying out that role faithfully.
Then Vermunt looked at me and hit my chest with his right fist.
“It’s okay. It’s the guards.”
“But what if you beat the customer because you don’t like his/her face?”
“That’s about it. How can I say I didn’t kill anyone?”
“···yes?”
Hana opened her eyes wide at my muttering, and Choco nodded along. If it had been a desert, the guy who would have swung his sword first ended up with a fist, so I guess he was being careful.
“And it did look a bit unpleasant.”
“That’s true, but still, you can judge a person by his/her appearance…”
Choco nodded.
Hana opened her eyes wide and looked at me and Choco alternately before letting out a deep sigh.
Just then, Aircon came over and handed me a glass of beer.
I looked at the cereal-like ice cubes filling the beer glass, thought for a moment, then drank it down.
Aircon, who found the unconscious Kuobarou, squinted his eyes and wiggled his hands. He quickly stopped him.
“I’m not saying I’ll take you, I’m just saying I’ll teach you magic.”
“···Free? Why?”
Hannah held the air conditioner in her arms and looked at Kuabarou with a suspicious look.
‘I don’t think they said it was free.’
After scratching his head for a moment, he opened his mouth.
“Kanna is a genius, so I have to teach her. If we leave it like this, it will be a loss for the empire, a loss for magic, etc…”
As soon as I finished speaking, Kanna raised her chin.
Hanna put her hand under Kanna’s armpit and lifted her up. Kanna, who was listening to Hanna, skillfully threw her hand, and ice cubes that resembled me were thrown out. Then, thunderous applause poured down from the surroundings.
I was amazed by the smooth flow, as if it were a well-written play.
“First, wake him up···”
I pointed at the unconscious Guobarou, and our eyes met with the weasel that was searching through his pockets.
“Hehehe… Brother, should I wake this guy up?”
The weasel, who had been laughing awkwardly, took out a dagger from his bosom and pointed it at the guy’s thigh.
When I first met the guy, my head started spinning as I remembered the mercenaries with blood dripping from their thighs.
I stopped Kanna from hitting Kuabarou with an ice club that resembled me and woke him up by pouring cold water on him.
Kuo Bao Rou, with a bruised eye, gave a long explanation about Kanna’s worth and talents, as well as his own fame and abilities, with a serious expression on his face.
So, Kanna decided to learn from the guy under Hannah’s observation.
‘It’ll be a little different if you learn from a real wizard.’
He let out a small sigh as he looked at the face of the ice club he had taken from Kanna.
I don’t know what kind of ice sculptor I’ve become, but my face carved into the ice now looks exactly like a mirror.
He stroked the scars carved into the ice, then squinted at the large crease running across his nose.
[Don’t forget me.]
The scar that was now only a trace was burning.
***
[Run away.]
– It’s so sweet.
Knock knock.
As soon as I woke up, I grabbed my sword and took a deep breath.
‘This is fucking crazy.’
His hands were shaking as if he had slept more deeply than usual.
When I gave him a look and put strength into my hand, the shaking stopped.
He took out his sword for no reason, looked down at the sharp blade for a moment, and then touched his face.
Touching the numerous colorful traces reminded me that everything was over. I grabbed my sword and stood up.
“It’s a good dawn to pray.”
When I opened the door, the abbot was silent for a moment and then nodded.
Today, I felt particularly dizzy and didn’t think I would be able to control my strength, so I headed to the backyard without waking Vermunt.
I ran and swung my sword until I was out of breath. It was just a reckless, unformed movement, but as my body grew heavier, my mind became clearer.
As I lay face down, the abbot approached me. I saw myself reflected in the abbot’s eyes as he recited a prayer while looking down at me.
‘It’s like someone got stabbed in the heart.’
He laughed and got up from his seat, coughing.
“I guess you had a nightmare.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
“You’ll feel much better if you read the Bible before you go to bed.”
I didn’t mean to do that, but I simply nodded.
The abbot stepped back after a short prayer.
The washing machine did its familiar laundry magic and the air conditioner handed me a beer mug.
The air conditioner stared at me intently, then scooped up a bucket of water from inside and sprinkled it on the ground. Then, muttering, it made some Kua Ba Rou ice.
Then the air conditioner handed me an ice stick that looked like me.
‘···Are you telling me to swing it?’
I looked at him for a moment, then took the ice club and swung it vigorously.
Bang!
My mood lightened a little as the ice shattered with a refreshing sound.
The air conditioner nodded in satisfaction, made a small ice cube, and swung it after me.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As the ice on the floor broke into small pieces, my head, which had been as cloudy as fog, became clearer.
The sun was rising, so it was time to go to work.
I headed to headquarters with my head in a messy state due to the air conditioner and a much more relaxed mind.
As I crouched down in the main office to change my boots, a weasel held out a pair of shiny leather boots.
“Brother! Take this!”
“What is it?”
“Ahem… This is my brother’s sincerity. Brother.”
Although it was uncomfortable to see the corners of my lips twitch, I didn’t necessarily refuse.
When I received them and tried them on, they were a little big, but they were okay once I gained some weight on my feet. I put on the boots and tapped the ground a few times, and they fit.
At that moment, the weasel’s previously unseen shoes came into view.
The shoes had a very pointed front, just like a goblin’s nose, and they were so shiny that they seemed to be of high quality.
‘I’m afraid this kid’s new shoes will be stolen. I bought him cheap ones.’
It was ridiculous. There was no way I could have snatched those pointy shoes without going crazy.
Those pointy shoes were not only ugly, but they were also narrow at the front, making them unsuitable for moving around comfortably.
Anyway, I nodded satisfied with getting a new pair of work boots and went back and forth to get the feel of it.
I threw away my worn-out boots. If I threw them away like that, someone would definitely wear them and laugh at me later.
“Aaron, the captain I trust the most! You arrived at work on time today!”
The captain smiled broadly and his eyes sparkled as if he was expecting something. In response, I handed him the ice I had brought with me along with my armor.
“As expected, it’s Captain Aaron! I told you that all the others are useless. They only know how to fight and rob… They don’t even realize that they’re guards. Ah! I’m not talking about Captain Aaron. Captain Aaron can do whatever he wants! I’m behind him!”
The captain, who had put ice in his clothes, shivered.
“And what are those boots? Are they goblins? They look similar.”
Then, the captain saw the weasel’s pointy shoes and clicked his tongue and waved his hand.
As I left the captain’s room, a goblin… no, a weasel, with a serious expression on its face, pulled out a dagger from its thigh.
“Are you kidding me? If you just give me the order, I’ll do it for you, big brother…”
I lightly ignored him and sent the weasel away first, then headed to Nova.
“State your identity and business.”
A stranger I had never seen before stopped me in front of the inner gate.
The man next to him was startled and hit the back of the man’s head.
“You’re a loser, Aaron! Haven’t you seen the key figures I told you to get to know?”
“Yes? But you said that bastard Aaron had horns on his head.”
“That’s a joke! Where did you get such a piece of crap….”
‘The horn is a plague…’
I ignored the conversation I heard behind me and went inside.
People were moving around busily as if they were preparing something. Among them was the illegitimate child, Square. He was carrying a load on both shoulders and was sweating profusely.
“Wow- this is fucking crazy.”
When there was no response, I repeated it three times and the guy’s face turned red as if it was going to burst. I held back and headed to Nova’s room, thinking that if I teased him any longer, he would burst.
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
As I went inside, I saw an indoor NPC who was always in the same spot and posture.
“Orange, when was the last time you went outside?”
“What are you talking about as soon as you get here…”
“Oranges need the sun to grow.”
“What are you saying?”
“I guess I need to see more of the sun. Orange.”
“Where are you looking when you say that?”
Nova, her face flushed, glared at me with narrowed eyes.
“I checked to see if you were wearing the heart protector I gave you. You’re wearing it well.”
“Ha! I told you this is too small. It’s so tight! How uncomfortable!”
Nova, smiling confidently, tapped my chest, and there was a hollow metallic sound. It was a very clear metallic sound, as if nothing was behind it.
“Huh? This can’t be happening. I’m sure in the morning···.”
“You can use it as a sesame seed. A sesame seed orange.”
“···What is a gong?”
Nova stared at me with her lips pursed. She had to answer carefully, holding a quill pen in one hand like a weapon.
“There is one. It’s very big and good.”
“Big and good?”
“hmm···.”
“Ha! I have no choice but to admit it.”
Nova, whose eyes soon became crescent moons, twitched the corners of her lips and began to pick out walnuts and put them in her mouth.
Ododok-.
Nova swallowed it with a frown, as if it was bitter. Nova immediately took out the next walnut and put it in her mouth.
“Orange with a twist.”
“Huhhh···.”
I had to try to hold back my laughter at the sight of Nova’s incongruous swaying as he heard the sound of the gong.
At that, I coughed and put the word ‘kkwaenggwari’ in my mouth several times, and every time I did, the corners of Nova’s mouth twitched.
At the end, I couldn’t hold back laughter because he was pounding his chest like a performance and making a ‘thud thud’ sound.
“Why are you laughing?”
“It was too much trouble.”
“···Okay, so what happened then?”
Soon, the real Nova returned to his usual sullen expression and opened his mouth. I cleared my throat a few times and answered.
“I heard you were asking for support.”
“That’s fortunate. As expected, he is an honorary monk.”
“Um… I’m embarrassed.”
“That’s not a compliment. And it’s your right hand, not your left.”
I quickly switched my hand to the other side. Nova twitched her lips, laughed softly, and continued speaking.
“The lord has decided to hold a tournament.”
“tournament?”
I scratched my head at the word that reeked of sweat.
Tournaments were one of the nobles’ more refined pastimes. They were competitions held by the rich and bored nobles for the purpose of entertaining the public and appeasing the public.
“Yes. Since Cassadic’s own military power is weak, there is a risk of being eaten by the surrounding nobles. Rather than giving them a reason to do so, they chose not to ask for help, even if it meant spending a lot of money.”
Nova explained it step by step as if she was explaining it to a child.
‘It’s a tournament···.’
Since the maintenance costs of the knights were enormous, there were quite a few who participated in tournaments. I heard that there were also knights who only looked for tournaments.
“The prize is 40 gold coins. One-on-one without any questions asked. No family or origins asked.”
‘You’ve written a lot.’
The tournament took place in a variety of formats.
There was a battle royale where players would battle against each other over ten times, a team battle where players would fight as a team, and a horse battle where players would ride horses and stab each other with spears.
One-on-ones were not very popular because the above were more interesting to watch. However, one-on-ones were the best for simply keeping applicants engaged for a long time.
Even if they came simply to participate in the tournament, they would certainly be of help in an emergency. According to imperial law, knights are not allowed to pass by a demon.
It wasn’t a bad choice.
“But if you don’t look at family and origins, all sorts of people will gather together.”
If they didn’t have to reveal their family lineage or origins, it was certain that even non-knights would pretend to be knights and participate.
“Yeah, probably knights from the surrounding castles, retired knights, or mercenaries blinded by money.”
Misread-.
Nova furrowed her delicate brow, took out another walnut, and put it in her mouth.
Due to the nature of sword-fighting tournaments, no one was held accountable for casualties during the duel. This was due to the very primitive reason that if one were to worry about him, they would not be able to give their all, and thus there would be less to see.
However, killing was rare. Of course, this was due to the practical reason that if you let your opponent live, you could receive additional money from them, called the ‘defeat price’, rather than respect for life.
Additionally, Auras are banned from the tournament.
The first reason was that battles using auras were boring because they ended in one fell swoop, and the second reason was that if auras were allowed, no one except knights would support them.
The tournament was always lively, as there were quite a few people who thought they could do it too, even if they didn’t use Aura.
Of course, most of the winners were knights even without using Aura.
“When is the deadline?”
“The preliminary round starts in 4 days. The deadline for applications has not been decided yet.”
It was a period in which the intention to gather troops as quickly as possible and hold out for a long time was clearly visible.
‘Forty gold coins.’
It was an amount that made me feel hungry even after eating the meat bread. If I had 40 gold coins, I wondered where I would spend them.
“no.”
Nova immediately shouted with a serious face and pointed at me.
“what?”
“Nothing is okay. Your eyes are weird. No. Don’t do it.”
The quick-witted Nova must have sensed something and kept muttering, “No, don’t do that.” and frowned.
The more I was told not to do it, the more I wanted to do it.
“hmm···.”
I trailed off.
“No! Real knights are coming out too! It’s dangerous! Don’t do it! Don’t have strange thoughts!”
Thump thump!
The orange cymbals began to play, as if trying to get my attention, but the 40 Golds already settled into my ears and started canceling the noise.
I slowly took a step back, and the punk who was tied to the desk as an indoor NPC couldn’t follow me.
“No!! Don’t do it!!”
Nova’s raspy voice and the sound of a gong being struck echoed through the hallway.
In a tournament that did not consider origins or family lines, many different types of people would participate, and quite a few of them would hide their faces with thick helmets and use fake names.
Tournaments were a very clean, gentlemanly sport, with no need for status, where the strongest were the best.
’40 gold.’
It was a large sum of money, enough to buy a helmet and still have some left over.
A very thick helmet that no one will ever recognize if you wear it…
***
“Brother, how about this? This blunt thing is only worth 10 silver.”
A weasel with a huge bucket-shaped lump of metal on its head asked me.
It felt like a penalty rather than a helmet, with holes punched in places where eyes would be.
It was made from scrap metal, so the colors were different here and there. It was clear that they had selected the lowest of the lowest grades.
‘That’s a very thick helmet.’
I nodded, thinking that I didn’t have to spend my own money.
Two days had passed since I heard about the tournament from Nova. Since then, the number of people coming to Castle Cassidy increased. There were also men with fierce appearances and swords who gathered one by one.
“Isn’t it hot?”
“Huh?! It’s hot! So fucking hot!”
The guy’s voice was so thick that it resonated. I clicked my tongue at his stupidity and looked ahead.
A longer-than-usual line formed in front of the gate.
Among them were not carriage drivers, but also travelers, immigrants like last time, and men with swords.
It looked like it was going to be a pretty fun day.
“yes?!!”
Suddenly the weasel screamed.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Yes! But why did you say it twice?!”
The weasel wearing a stupid helmet kept saying stupid things. When I lightly hit the helmet with my fist, the weasel screamed and ducked.
“The world is falling apart! Brother! Hide!”
At him, I clicked my tongue and turned my head.
“hello.”
“Yeah, where are you from?”
A family with a cart full of luggage was the first customer.
Since I had to fill the empty house anyway, I just did a quick household survey. He didn’t have any weapons and he looked thin, so I didn’t think he would cause any trouble. I finished asking him a quick question and let him in.
Next was a young man who was wearing an iron helmet.
That pose was quite plausible, as he seemed more like a knight’s heir than a mercenary.
“I came to participate in the tournament.”
He spoke in a solemn tone that was unbecoming of the man.
I was convinced that the guy was a seed guy.
‘All kinds of guys···.’
Well, 40 gold was an amount that would tempt even the seed grandfather.
“Is that so? Where are you from?”
I followed him, stroking my beard and speaking solemnly.
“Where the cold wind blows… Ugh!!”
“Where are you from?”
“···I came from Sarhan Castle in the south.”
After being hit once, he quickly learned the correct words.
“Be careful what you do when you go inside and don’t cause any trouble. And if you get caught shitting on the street, you’ll get in trouble, so be careful.”
“Then where should I poop?”
I frowned at the guy’s question.
Then the startled man nodded.
“I’ll try to endure it as much as I can!”
I was about to hit him again and send him in, when suddenly a weasel grabbed him.
“Something!”
“Does that look good?”
The weasel tapped the bastard’s dark brown belt.
“This… this is it? But this….”
The bewildered guy stuttered and backed away, but was soon caught by the weasel.
“I’ll write it down and give it to you. I said I’ll write it down and give it to you.”
Eventually, the man whose belt had been taken from him grabbed his trousers and went inside the castle.
‘You uncivilized bastard.’
I clicked my tongue as I watched the weasel giggling while wearing an ill-fitting belt.
Next was the coachman.
By discussing the sacred tradition between the guards and the carriage drivers, they arrived at an appropriate amount that was satisfactory to both parties.
It was a little awkward, but the guy was smiling too, so he was obviously satisfied.
The next carriage driver was a familiar one.
He was the one who hadn’t been to Cassidy recently.
The guy smiled awkwardly and pushed Cooper aside.
“Hmm… I guess you don’t notice since it’s been a while since you came to Kisses. Prices have gone up quite a bit.”
“I’m not Kisses, I’m Siris… But the price went up?”
“It inevitably went up due to the inflation rate.”
“···Inflation rate? What does that mean?”
When I used difficult words, a look of disappointment appeared on Kisses’ face. Normally, these guys would give up if I pressed them using difficult words.
A stupid medieval guy couldn’t defeat a modern man.
“I guess you haven’t heard yet. Since the royal family raised interest rates, the inflation rate naturally rose, and we had no choice but to raise our dues. Do you think we would want to do that? Kisses, you and I even had a beer together.”
“First of all, I’ve never had a beer with Sirius.”
“Really? I must have mistaken the face. Then I guess I should raise it a little more. I guess···.”
“That’s right! Don’t you recognize me? Kissex or Casses? Whatever! It’s me! Here I am!”
Kisses quickly handed me the remaining Cooper, and I put it in my pocket. I patted the guy on the shoulder and laughed heartily, and he laughed along.
It was a great deal that satisfied both of them. I pretended not to hear the guy mutter something under his breath like, ‘Those damn royals are raising their prices…’
“next!!”
Thanks to the news of the tournament, it was a huge boom. At an unexpected moment, I smiled without any pretense and waved my hand vigorously.
Last time, I sent it in roughly and then made the Baron go sky-pang-pang, so I looked into it carefully.
Those who carried swords were trained separately and received a small amount of tuition, filling their pockets.
The sun was just past midday, but my pockets were already full. The sweat from the rewarding work felt refreshing.
As the search continued, a scream was heard from far away.
Aaaah!!
The people waiting in line dispersed.
In the meantime, I saw a carriage rushing towards me at a furious speed. I squinted my eyes and searched for the pattern.
‘···Imperial? No, it’s the Imperial Knights.’
At the unexpected appearance of the big shot, I knelt down and bowed my head.
I turned my head to warn the weasel, but instead of kneeling, the weasel was lying face down on the ground.
Those who tried to avoid the carriage jumped to the side or cursed at the wounded, but they all closed their mouths and fell flat on their faces at the sight of the pattern on the carriage.
The carriage, which had been running furiously, slowly slowed down as it approached the castle gate.
I raised my head slightly and looked at the other person.
‘A female groom?’
The coachman I encountered up close was a woman, and her outfit was very revealing, as if she also worked as a prostitute as a side job. The men who had been lying down in their clothes that barely covered their private parts raised their heads slightly.
The weasel lifted the helmet he had not taken off until now, gave a small exclamation of admiration, and threw the helmet aside.
“Is this the Cassadic Castle?”
The woman, her face frozen and red as if about to burst, muttered as if spitting out something. Judging from her reaction, it seemed like the outfit wasn’t to her taste.
“Yes, it’s Cassidy.”
“okay.”
The woman with her lips pursed carefully got down from the stable. Then the men next to her let out exclamations.
The woman’s face crumpled even more, and she bit her lips as if holding back her anger and headed toward the door.
‘It’s noisy again.’
The woman grabbed the carriage door handle, and her hand was full of tendons.
“···Arrived.”
The woman who opened the door spoke in a low voice and lay down.
Soon, a man wearing armor stepped on the woman’s back and got out of the carriage. At first glance, it seemed like he was quite heavy, but the woman trembled but did not fall.
‘Imperial Knights?’
And the person who appeared was a really handsome man.
Her lips were red as if she had put on makeup, and her face was pale, making her look like she wanted to punch me right away.
However, the man’s steps were light even though he was covered in thick iron as much as I was. The man had two swords strapped to his sides, one sharp and the other thick and short.
‘The sharp one is for attack, and the short one is for defense.’
I habitually observed the man’s stride, the length of his arm, and his sword. It was about half a fist’s length longer than mine.
Although the opponent was not precisely quantified, he was not an easy opponent.
“Thank you again today, Miss Cashier.”
“Don’t… mention it.”
The man’s voice was filled with anger that could be felt even here, but he tapped the woman’s back with the top of his foot.
He was an annoying guy, from his appearance to his behavior.
“There are a lot of onlookers.”
As the man looked around and muttered with a smile on his face, the others quickly lowered their heads again.
I noticed a pattern carved into the man’s armor near his heart.
‘···It’s not the emblem of the Imperial Knights?’
It was similar, but subtly different from the emblem of the Imperial Knights.
“Oh, hello?”
The guy who approached me gave me a quick greeting.
I bowed my head to him and checked the guy’s feet.
The feet were not made of iron, but of shoes.
Those are pointy shoes, similar to those of a weasel.
There, the left foot’s stride was slightly larger.
“This is Aaron, captain of the Castle Guard at Cassidy Castle.”
I introduced myself without raising my head.
“Really? I guess being ugly is a requirement for being a guard here.”
I clenched my fists at the guy who started the fight, but I held back. There were too many eyes watching me to grab the knight with the royal seal on it.
And if you call an ugly person ugly, they’ll get angry, but if you call a handsome person ugly, they’ll laugh it off.
I laughed out loud at that.
It was very annoying to see the weasel laughing next to me.
“Contrary to his impression, he’s actually a very witty guy. He’s big and ignorant, and his eyes are lively… Hmm, is he any good?”
The guy smiled strangely, uneasy. I saw his hand go towards the sharp handle of the sword and slowly lowered my hand.
I stared at the guy’s wrist, tapping my fingers.
It took a split second for the guy to draw his sword.
His wrist flinched for a moment, and before I knew it, he was thrusting his sword into me. It was a speed that did not match his rough demeanor.
I was already watching the guy’s wrist, so I was able to react quickly.
However, I didn’t block it completely, but only pulled out my sword halfway, as if my reaction was a bit delayed.
The guy’s sword jabbed my shoulder diagonally, but since he was aiming for the left side, not the right, it was blocked by the shoulder pad.
“Oh, this is useful.”
The guy gave a small exclamation and poked my left shoulder blade with his sword.
I deliberately made a surprised expression and recalled the workshop that had just taken place.
‘Fast. But not so fast that you can’t react.’
If it was before I met Kensul Daiso, it would have been a difficult opponent, but if I were to face him now…
‘I guess it’s worth doing.’
He came to a dry conclusion.
“Surprised? Sorry. My hands get itchy when I meet someone who looks like they might use a sword.”
“it’s okay.”
It wasn’t bad for me either, since I could gauge the guy’s skills.
If the guy had been aiming for my right side, where there was no shoulder pad, instead of my left, I would have taken his head off without hesitation.
Me, who got my shoulder stabbed by a skewer, and the guy whose head was blown off. You didn’t even have to compare them to see who would suffer more.
“This guy’s personality is as hearty as his size! I like him! Get up!”
When I got up, the guy looked up at me and raised one corner of his mouth.
“I’m curious, is that place as big as your body?”
“It’s very difficult.”
The guy let out a small ‘Oh…’ in admiration at my answer.
“Even the security guards are this fun. I thought it was funny because it was the frontier, but it’s much more fun than I expected!”
The man who had been laughing heartily said to me, ‘I’m also in a very difficult situation,’ and went to the carriage. The woman crouched down again, and the man stepped over her without a care and got into the carriage.
The carriage door closed. A woman with clear footprints on her back climbed onto the coachman’s seat and drove the carriage. By then, the woman’s face had turned pale.
As the carriage passed by, I looked inside and saw that there were many naked women. It almost looked like a carriage made of flesh-colored material.
Among them, there were some who seemed to be enduring the humiliation like the woman in the horse statue, but there were also women who had their mouths wide open and their eyes rolled back.
As I was looking at him, my eyes met with the man’s. The man winked one eye while pulling the woman next to him.
‘Not good.’
I wiggled my fingers and continued to replay the scene from just now in my head.
“Brother, is that a knight?”
At that moment, the weasel asked with great seriousness. When I nodded, the weasel opened its mouth with a determined expression.
“From today on, my dream is to become a knight.”
The weasel declared with a very serious expression on his face.
‘It would be impossible.’
There was no chance that the weakest one would become a knight. However, it was more fun to leave him alone, so I nodded and patted the guy on the shoulder.
“Yes, you can definitely do it.”
“Tongue… Brother! No, Father!!”
The guy’s face, which was very touched, didn’t look that good, but he nodded his head with all his might. It was better to dream while he could.
“Okay, next.”
At my shout, a loose man slowly approached me, pulling a carriage.
I’ve seen him a few times. He’s just become an adult, but his face looks like he’s in his thirties. He’s the guy called Boong-Boong.
“Hey, Captain Aaron.”
Boongboong, who had been handing me a silver coin, suddenly hesitated and opened his mouth.
“I can’t give you a discount. You made a lot of money last time. I heard it all from Poole.”
“No, that’s not it… How much does something like a sword cost?”
“It depends on the quality. Why?”
“That’s… I’m thinking of settling down and practicing now….”
“Why? Are you trying to become a knight too?”
“Huh?! How did you know?! Do you sense the aura of a knight from me?!”
At the sound of Boong Boong’s cries, the weasel next to him opened its eyes wide.
“Wake up, you punk! You have no talent! You should at least be as good as me to write a story. You don’t know anything.”
The weasel immediately raised his voice and pulled out the sword at his waist and swung it around.
It seemed like he had found his bearings, but it was blatantly sloppy.
But it looks like he worked quite hard because the speed was pretty good.
Boongboong, who had been watching him for a while, opened his mouth.
“I think I can do that too.”
The weasel’s movements suddenly stopped at the sound of Bboong Bboong’s muttering.
“Okay! Let’s see if you can do it!!”
The weasel, who had been frowning for a moment, suddenly screamed and ran towards Boongboong. The two of them rolled around on the ground, tangled together, but Boongboong was no pushover either, having pulled a carriage before.
Boong Boong grabbed the weasel’s ill-fitting belt and their positions were instantly switched.
I looked at him for a moment, then picked up the stupid lump of iron helmet lying next to me.
The thing that rattled when the weasel wore it fit me perfectly when I wore it. It felt like it was mine from the start, not the weasel’s.
Through the hole, the distorted face of the weasel that had been rolling around was visible. The weasel licked its lips as if it had lost its lover.
“I’ll write it down and give it to you.”
When I said that while giving him a thumbs up, the weasel hesitated for a moment and then gave him a thumbs up. However, his fingers were trembling.
At that moment, BoongBoong’s fist landed squarely on the weasel’s face.
“This guy is crying! I won! I won… Aaaah!”
“십새끼! 개 십새끼이이!! 도둑 십새끼!!”
The weasel exploded with anger and grabbed BoongBoong’s hair.
I kept swallowing the saliva that was rising in my mouth as I watched the amusing sight.
‘···40 gold.’
He tapped the thick helmet on his head.
The helmet was thick enough.
