94
barley
The knight Guimard was dumbfounded.
No, the phrase “I’m speechless” doesn’t fully express this feeling.
The baby died.
Yeah, I think I would have to be dead to be able to express my current feelings.
“Delfgu! I’ll take the right side!”
“Yeah! Adolgu, I’m on the left!”
The two naturally disperse to either side.
They were used to joint attacks, and the way they attacked was unusual.
‘Knights fighting knights together!’
Guimard stepped back in a panic as the fists flew in succession.
As a visitor from another castle, I couldn’t even draw my sword.
No, it was clear that drawing the sword would actually be disadvantageous.
thud.
Backed into a corner, Gimir gritted his teeth and threw a punch.
He was able to block the male knight’s punch, but the female knight’s fist flying from the blind spot struck Gimir in the jaw.
Fight.
My mind was momentarily clouded by a heavy sound.
A brief gap caused by it.
During that short gap, the guys rained down punches one after another.
Their collaboration was truly exquisite, as if they were always committing such despicable acts.
The punches continued until there was no gap left.
If it had been a simple one-on-one fight, I think I would have won, but when it came to this one-on-one fight, I had no countermeasure.
Gimir raised his forearms and protected his face as much as possible.
Non-stop punching.
‘What about the others?’
Somehow with the soldiers…
“Strategic strategy! Strategic strategy!”
The soldiers’ side was surrounded by people and was not even visible.
‘What kind of neighborhood allows such shameless joint attacks so naturally···!’
puck.
Kimir fell backwards after being struck by two fists at the same time.
When I opened my eyes again, I was in front of a priest with his head tilted back.
“Are you coming to your senses?”
“Here… Wait a minute.”
After hesitating for a moment, Gimir came to his senses at the sight of two knights behind the priest.
The two were celebrating their victory by bumping fists.
At that shameless sight, fire rose up in Gimir’s heart.
“You crazy kids! You’re doing a joint attack?! You guys are still knights after doing that?!”
Since there was a person from the Gimir religious sect, I decided that they wouldn’t be able to swing their fists like before.
“Don’t get excited. You need to calm down.”
“Stability?! How can you just sit still after being treated like this! You got beaten up by two knights!”
“Tell me calmly and clearly. What happened?”
In a strangely calming voice, Kimir slowly explained what had happened to him.
He said that he had spoken harshly at first, but that it was just a common fight between knights.
But then they started throwing punches and even joined forces like neighborhood bullies!
However, since this was another noble’s castle and the person he was talking to was the abbot, Gimir was very careful with his words.
“Aren’t those two going to attack together? Don’t you have any honor? No honor!”
“This is not a joint attack! This is a strategic collaboration!”
“Strategic Collaboration!”
A confident attitude that says there is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.
Kimir scratched his head at the sudden, difficult word.
“So you were the one who started the swearing first? Why did you do that?”
“As I said before, it’s a common fight between knights. But how can you throw punches and join forces all of a sudden! This is a cowardly act that clearly tarnishes the honor of a knight!”
“This is not a joint attack, this is a strategic collaboration. I don’t know how many times I have to explain this.”
‘What is strategic cooperation!’
I was speechless at the truly courageous rebuttal.
It seemed like a fancy word, but I couldn’t ask what it meant.
“Hmm… I see. Then are there any rules or regulations for martial arts fights?”
“Huh? No, that’s an unspoken rule among knights…”
“There are no rules or regulations? Then how can their cooperation… no, strategic cooperation be considered wrong?”
When a really picky and smart-looking man pointed out something in a low voice, Kimir was at a loss for words.
“And from the moment you insult someone, aren’t you responsible for what happens next? They say it’s a fight between knights, but that’s also a personal standard, so I can’t judge. There’s something like that in the Bible…”
Kimir blinked her eyes at the man’s unexpected sermon that followed.
I don’t know what on earth this has to do with the current situation, but the sermon continued smoothly without interruption.
After hearing the dizzying sermon, Gimir quickly admitted his mistake.
It seemed like that was the only way I could get out of this place.
“Yeah, both sides are wrong. How can honorable knights fight in a bar like this? That makes them no different from thugs.”
When I came to my senses, I found myself shaking hands with those trash knights.
‘······Let’s just wait and see. You cowards.’
Kimir promised to wait until later.
When I was about to leave the bar with the soldiers.
“Ugh… Ugh… Business failed today….”
“I’m screwed. I’m sad.”
A woman crying and moaning as if the bar was really ruined and a girl standing awkwardly.
The woman’s acting was so good that I felt guilty. In fact, Gimir was also responsible for this mess.
‘But… were there chairs and tables like that?’
The broken things were so shabby that they were noticeable compared to the things placed next to them.
“Compensation. How much would be enough?”
Gimir wanted to get out of the place quickly, so he opened his pocket without bothering to ask.
“Ah… This is the table that is my late father’s heirloom….”
‘···It wasn’t broken, it was burned?’
Although he was skeptical, Kimir opened his pocket and gave her whatever she asked for.
***
‘What was that smell?’
After Count Behar passed by, the smell caught my mind.
It was definitely a familiar smell, but I couldn’t remember it at all.
When he asked the weasel and the weasel about it, they both replied that they only smelled a strange smell.
‘You ignorant bastards, that’s a weird smell.’
It’s a smell that makes you hungry even though you only smell it for a little while.
I couldn’t see the checkpoint properly because I was so caught up in the smell.
There was no choice but for the grass and the weasels to take charge of the inspection, but when I thought about it, it wasn’t much different.
Even when the inspection was over and I returned to headquarters, I was still immersed in the smell.
“Captain Aaron, there was a huge fight at Hannah’s bar.”
Kel reported to me with a very tired face.
“fight?”
It’s only been a day since opening and what the…
“Yes, there was a quarrel between the Viscount Bonita and the Namaiyads. There was even a knight involved.”
‘If it’s Bonita… is that the poisonous spider? If it’s the poisonous spider… is it the Tyrannosaurus Knight? Or something else?’
While watching the inspection, I recalled the characteristics of the men I remembered.
“Why are the knights fighting in the bar?”
“You were the one who started the fight. The Abbot of Brighton mediated, but isn’t that the case when things get more complicated later?”
I nodded to Kel’s continued words.
Unlike the mercenaries who cursed and threw punches in front, the knights’ fights were messy afterward.
That would be the case, since the knight was the face of the nobles he served, and the nobles’ tea ceremony took place behind his back.
‘Virginia Bonita… She seemed difficult, but I guess the lord’s head is a bit complicated.’
But what can you do? Originally, when a dog did something wrong, the owner would get scolded and be the one to clean up the mess.
“The furniture in the bar was broken, but aside from the kids who fought, everything else was fine.”
In the first place, unless a knight had gone mad, there would have been no way he could have touched the civilians in another noble’s castle.
Count Bechardt had now arrived at the castle.
Everyone must have been watching the count’s reaction and told them to be cautious, but it was also strange that the knights got into a fistfight with each other.
‘But the furniture is broken?’
Suddenly, I remembered Hannah, who moved to a new bar without throwing away the shabby chairs and tables from her old bar.
When I asked why they were moving when the newly opened bar was already full of new chairs and tables, Hannah replied, “They’re all useful.”
‘···It’s really useful.’
I gave a small exclamation of admiration.
After a brief chat, we left headquarters and headed to a bar.
The bar was a mess.
There were broken tables and chairs, bottles of liquor scattered on the floor, and blood splattered everywhere.
But Hannah, the one who was in charge of the mess, was cleaning it up with a big smile.
The broken debris looked very familiar.
‘But I didn’t take out the things I brought, so why are they broken?’
I had doubts, but I didn’t ask.
“For the victory of Namaiyad!”
“Strategic Collaboration!!”
On one side, there were guys wearing stupid helmets and celebrating while raising their glasses. None of them looked like knights.
‘···Why are those guys stuck there?’
Among them were some guys who had been hanging out at bars before.
“Ah! Aaron! You worked hard today!”
Hannah, who found me, greeted me with a bright smile.
I nodded and sat down in my assigned seat.
A spot with a view of the cool, sunlight-filled entrance.
Kanna quickly ran over and sat down on the other side, grinning and showing off her necklace.
‘···cadre?’
The word ‘executive’ engraved on the picture of Deokgu cheering was really annoying, but I didn’t bother asking.
Listening to it only made my head hurt.
Kanna handed me a frozen beer.
If you look closely at the ice, you can see me drawn on it, but I’m getting used to it now.
The problem was that by the time I got used to it, Kanna would always bring up a new problem.
Even when he made that crooked grin, it was always like that.
Clap clap.
As Kanna clapped briefly, the washing machine brought raw meat and a hot plate.
‘···Raw meat and iron plate?’
Anxiety began to creep up on me.
At that moment, Kanna placed the raw meat on the iron plate and spread out both her hands.
A fierce battle between Deokgu and the great darkness recreated by fire.
The problem, however, was that their foothold was meat.
Kanna was grilling meat over that splendid flame.
‘···why?’
I felt a sense of doubt rising to the tip of my tongue at the sight of that unrealistic sight, but I tried to suppress it.
Support-.
As the great darkness descended upon the earth, the meat cooked with a delicious sizzle.
Support, support. Support.
As the fight became more intense, a delicious smell wafted in the air.
In the flames, Deokgu flew through the sky and cut down the huge dark attacks with one sword.
The mouth was murmured as if he was concentrating hard, and sweat was dripping from his round forehead.
I tried to smile at that cute yet incomprehensible situation and watched the fancy but pointless grilling of meat.
Then, when Deokgu tore the giant dark head apart with his hand.
Kanna’s strange meat grilling is over.
I couldn’t help but applaud Kanna’s anxious gaze, which was separate from her true feelings.
Then, Kanna, whose face was straightened, held out the grilled meat.
‘···It’s all gone.’
An object with an identity somewhere between charcoal and meat.
I felt sorry for the pig that died just to become charcoal, so I gave a small prayer.
As I hesitated for a moment, Kanna’s eyes grew anxious again.
He put a piece of charcoal in his mouth.
‘Wow – Crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.’
The outside was really crispy, but the inside was moist like raw meat, and I couldn’t help but swear at it.
‘I’d rather have fish bread.’
However, unlike his true feelings, he applauded and admired the pride that appeared on Kanna’s face.
‘Horo kid.’
When Kanna tried to pick up the meat, perhaps curious about how I was eating, I hurriedly slapped her hand away.
Kanna opened her eyes wide.
I hurriedly put the remaining charcoal lump into my mouth.
It was fortunate that there were only a few points.
Kanna, with the corners of her lips raised and a smug expression on her face, jumped up and ran inside.
That excited back view was very unsettling.
Just then, the door opened and Nova came in, her face wrinkled.
Nova quickly looked inside and came towards me.
A familiar scent wafts out as Nova approaches.
It was the smell that Count Behar had been giving off earlier.
The flavor and smell of the charcoal lump left in my mouth combined to make me remember its identity.
“garlic!!”
How can I forget the smell of garlic?
The guys here really hate garlic, so it was really hard to get it. That’s why I never saw garlic since I came over.
From a distant memory, the thought of pork belly and the garlic smothering it came to mind.
The sad pig, who was only tanned on the outside, smiled brightly at the appearance of garlic.
“Does it smell bad?”
Nova, sitting across from me, asked with an annoyed look on her face.
“garlic?”
“That’s right, garlic. Count Behart suddenly told me to eat all the garlic…”
“garlic!!”
“Why… why is it like this.”
I tried to suppress the excitement on Nova’s bewildered face.
“···Count Behard brought garlic?”
“Oh, and they brought a wagon full of garlic, and the smell of garlic filled the castle. That’s why I came out here. … Does it smell bad?”
‘A carriage full of garlic.’
I swallowed without realizing it.
I quickly calculated the situation in my head.
‘I’ve already memorized the internal structure. If I get a suitable helmet and armor and invade…’
It was obvious that the defenses would be weak, as no one would steal the garlic. Behart’s knights were formidable, but they were not at a threatening level.
‘This is not theft… Yes, frost. It is frost.’
All it took was a single word to change and he suddenly went from a thief to a mischievous prankster.
Yeah, I was a frost hunter.
“What’s wrong with your expression? Don’t look at me like that. You always cause trouble whenever you do that. Let your gaze go. Don’t do that! I don’t know what it is, but… don’t do it!”
Nova waved her hands wildly.
“But why did you bring garlic?”
Nova narrowed her eyes at my question, stared at me for a moment, and then opened her mouth.
“···Everyone’s gathered for Vivian’s birthday, and they’re going to have a knight duel tournament for the sake of friendship. Garlic is the prize. It’s worth 20 gold coins, but no one’s buying it in the first place, so what about the gold coins···”
“There’s a story that table tennis was once a knight game···.”
“No! Seriously, no! The opponent is Count Behart! Count! No! I don’t know why, but no!”
Nova reacted violently.
As if that wasn’t enough, Nova jumped up and grabbed my head with both hands, repeating firmly, “No!” about ten times.
Seeing such a strong reaction made me want to do more, but I gave up when I heard that it was a duel tournament limited to nobles.
If the qualifications were right, then how could there be no room for error?
“···Are you saying that because the story about garlic being a prize money is true?”
I nodded slightly at Nova’s astonished gaze.
‘I bought a new helmet and I’m going to use it as a garlic chisel…’
If the regular method doesn’t work, you can use another method.
It’s just that you can’t see it up close.
When viewed from a distance, there were always multiple roads.
“You like garlic?”
“okay.”
“······That?”
I shook my head slightly at the shock on Nova’s face. In the uncivilized Middle Ages, these guys didn’t know the real taste.
Everything they put out as food was either bland or rancid.
“Yeah… that could be true. There’s some uneaten garlic left over at the office…”
At Nova’s subsequent words, I jumped up.
The reason I woke up so quickly was because I saw Kanna taking out raw meat from inside.
“egg plant.”
“I’ll take a break… Okay.”
Nova sighed softly and got up.
I ran into Hannah on my way out of the bar.
“Aaron? Where are you going?”
“My office.”
“Oh my, Sister Nova was here too.”
Seeing the two of them constantly smiling and talking, it seemed like they were on good terms.
***
The smell of garlic fills the castle.
I headed to Nova’s room, savoring the smell.
As I entered the room, Nova rummaged through the desk and handed me a clove of garlic. It wasn’t peeled garlic, it was raw, and its shape was strange.
‘Why is this color like this?’
Not only was it strangely large, like my fist, but its color was so ominously black that it looked like black garlic.
Even for me, who knows the taste, its appearance made me feel uncomfortable for no reason.
It’s not for nothing that they call it the devil’s material.
There, the smell was stronger than any garlic I had ever smelled before, so much so that my nose hurt the moment I smelled it.
Rather, it was surprising that there were people who thought of eating this.
Of course, apart from that, it was precious garlic to me, so I treasured it.
“Do you really like it?”
Nova looked at me with a strange expression that was a mixture of surprise and wonder.
“Beautiful oranges that give garlic.”
“What are you talking about? But there are a lot of people who don’t like it, so I think we’ll be able to save more if we try.”
Nova, her face slightly red, avoided eye contact and snapped her fingers.
“Follow me.”
Soon, Nova took the lead with a smile on her face like an office worker who had just received a performance bonus.
Nova went anywhere without hesitation and easily received garlic. Ironically, the people who gave him garlic were more grateful, but Nova got upset when he was thanked.
‘The quirky orange.’
As I was walking around, I ran into a familiar face in the hallway.
Adela had a face covered in sweat.
Adela walked confidently towards me, then trembled when she saw me.
“Sir Adela.”
When Nova bowed her head slightly in greeting.
Adela quickly bowed her head deeply to me.
Soon, when Nova raised her head again, Adela bit her lip and avoided eye contact.
Adela passed by as if running away.
‘···Adela? A duel between knights?’
As I faced that anxious face, a plan came to me like a flash.
“Will Count Behart also be participating in the duel?”
“No, because the Count put the prize on the line.”
“I see.”
“Why are your eyes like that again···.”
‘If it weren’t for Behard… then Adela too…’
It seemed possible.
“Don’t do it. I don’t know what it is, but…”
‘Princess Knight Maker.’
I stroked the garlic, looking in the direction where Adela had disappeared.
“No! Don’t do it! Stop!”
Kkung kkung kkung.
Nova knocked diligently to get Aaron’s attention, but Aaron’s stray eyes did not return.
***
‘···Why is that person in my inner self?’
Adela clenched and unclenched her trembling hands.
‘Damn it, why are you risking your honor…’
I never thought for a moment that he would be able to open something that I couldn’t open even after using Aura.
Surely there must have been some trickery involved, but he had already lost the match of honor in front of the other knights.
I had no choice but to back down.
In the end, since she had ended up handing over her honor to the bastard, Adela never left her inner self again unless absolutely necessary.
But all that effort was in vain when I met him in the inner sanctuary!
Adela wandered around the room, chewing her lips in growing impatience.
‘···I can’t live like this.’
He had been quiet until now, perhaps because he didn’t know the meaning of honor to a knight, but it was unknown what he would ask for later.
Adela grabbed the handle of her sword as the women of Kurtun came to mind.
‘We have to solve this somehow before that.’
The easiest way was assassination, but there were always a lot of people around him.
Even the slightest evidence would have to be blind, for Adolf would testify to his honor.
At that moment, a small wind blew.
‘I told you not to leave the window open.’
The maid seemed to ignore her words again.
Adela raised her head, furrowing her eyebrows.
“How have you been, Bori?”
The bastard was standing in front of him, smiling eerily.
‘how?’
A moment of doubt crossed Adela’s mind, but she quickly figured out the situation.
Anyway, this was his room.
Adela was a knight, but she was also an unmarried virgin.
To break into that girl’s room through the window…
This was something that was beyond words even after death.
Since my honor has been taken away, if I go to trial, everything will be dismissed···.
‘Dead men have no mouths.’
After a brief moment of deliberation, Adela drew her sword.
The sword, flowing naturally, shot quickly as if it would cut the guy in half.
Adela pulled herself up to Auror with all her might.
A blue line drawn in the air.
He drew his sword too late.
Even in the dark space without the lights on, an unusually dark black line was drawn in front of him.
‘···Blocking Aura with a sword. What an idiot.’
Adela was confident of her victory, grumbling.
His sword was no ordinary one, but he had no aura. Aura could only be stopped by aura···.
Chaaang-!
Sparks flew into the air and Adela’s sword was pushed down.
The weight was so heavy that Adela felt as if the sword was being crushed by a mountain.
The bastard’s black aura bypassed Adela’s aura and naturally caused Adela’s sword to flow in the other direction.
‘This kind of swordsmanship······!’
Adela gritted her teeth and tried to draw her sword, but the sword wouldn’t budge.
‘You’re trying to suppress me by force, even though I caused the aura?’
The shadow of the scar on his face grew deeper and lighter by the second.
Those unchanging, emotionless eyes, that sword that doesn’t move no matter how much strength you put into it.
Adela couldn’t understand.
How can a mere security guard have this kind of power…
However, that thought did not last long.
“To a dog that bites its master···.”
A blunt punch followed by an unknown word.
Adela’s last bit of pride was not letting go of her sword.
“The hawk is the best.”
Of course, the power contained in that fist was so great that he quickly crouched down and put down his sword at the second punch.
***
‘Hmm… I get it now.’
Swallows nodded, looking at the goblin corpse.
In his hands, there was still a warm heart.
Swallows looked down at his heart for a moment before turning to the goblin tied up next to him.
“Kki··· Kkiheeeek! Kiheeeek!!”
The goblin made a strange noise, but Swallows simply waved his hand lightly.
The goblin’s heart split open at that gesture.
From now on, it was important.
There were so many wires connected to the heart that it required extreme concentration.
‘If it were Kanna, this would have been easy.’
I held back my regret and moved my finger to cut the connected wire. Then I froze the area slightly to stop the bleeding.
Sweat dripped from Swallows’ forehead and fell into the goblin’s blood.
Swallows managed to pull out the heart and place it next to him.
Then he took the heart he had pulled out from the goblin next to him and placed it in that area.
A thread made of mana moved slowly, binding the joint.
Heart pounding.
“Okay.”
Swallows laughed, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
“Ahhh··· Congratulations···.”
Swallows nodded at the gloomy voice heard from beside him.
“Thank you for giving me the book about chimeras. I really appreciate it.”
“Ahhh… You succeeded by studying on your own through books… As expected, you are Swallows, the ‘parent-killer.’”
Swallows nodded slightly and looked away.
There were dozens of goblin corpses tangled together.
‘It would be more accurate to try it with a person, but security has been strengthened recently···.’
Swallows clicked their tongues.
He caught a goblin that was most similar to a human and practiced on it, but he couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
Since we don’t know his identity, we have no choice but to be careful.
‘Symbols and hearts.’
If I were to give both to Kanna…
‘I will advance the magic world with my own hands.’
Swallows chuckled as he looked at his hand covered in green blood.
···Kkieeeeeek!!
At that moment, the goblin vomited green blood as the mana thread disappeared.
“We’ll need more goblins. We’ll also need mana stones to sustain the magic.”
“Ahhh… yes.”
Swallows stared at the woman for a moment at her innocent answer.
A gloomy look that goes really well with the gray rooftop.
‘The Gray Tower… They were talking about the end of the world.’
It was a rumor about the Gray Tower.
“What is your end?”
“Ahh··· That······.”
Swallows nodded at the woman’s answer.
***
Knock knock.
“who is this?”
“It’s me. You said you were looking for garlic···.”
Nova nodded as she looked at Blossom, who was peeking out through the door.
Aaron had already left, but I planned to collect them separately and hand them over later.
Blossom placed the hideous thing on the table and carefully left.
‘smell.’
Nova glared at him with a frown, then stood up.
‘···Is this delicious?’
Nova had never seen Aaron smile so brightly before.
Nova hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and began to tear the garlic with his own hands.
Within, something black took shape.
Knowing the spiciness and sourness, Nova tensed up naturally.
I was so nervous that my palms were sweating.
Nova glared at him and poked him with her finger, then quickly made up her mind.
Take out that one giant egg-.
Aghjak.
Nova shut her eyes tightly and took a big bite.
“······!!!”
Kkung kkung kkung kkung!
The soldier guarding the floor ran to the strange noise coming from Nova’s room.
