Gloves and Fangs
Leaving behind Farmer, who had started his belated meal with a face full of gratitude, Donghee returned to her room and headed straight for the front door.
Without even changing clothes, she left her studio apartment and went directly to the convenience store.
“Where is it?”
Donghee’s eyes darted busily as she searched for something.
After wandering around the convenience store for a long while, she finally found what she was looking for and began putting them into her inventory.
The space that could hold four hundred items was now filled with identical objects.
Though they weren’t new, she was certain they would be a great help to the workers.
“Oh man! I’m such a good lord, aren’t I?”
As Donghee muttered to herself while puffing out her chest, a status window suddenly appeared.
Very L-rank and nice choice. You're trying to buy the favor of the territory residents by throwing very cheap items! Clap, clap for the user's excellent and great eye!
That’s definitely mocking me, right?
When Donghee widened her eyes, the status window quickly wrote “Oops!” and disappeared again.
A temporary barracks had been set up near the dusty wasteland. There was nowhere nearby to take shelter from the wind, so the workers needed a place to rest and eat.
“To think she even prepared something like this for us. Our lord is truly a benevolent person.”
“Indeed. After eating a hearty breakfast, strength just wells up on its own.”
“I’m really glad I came here.”
Henry and Ned had already become fervent followers of the Grace lord.
Though a few still felt uneasy, most of them, like Henry and Ned, found their favor toward the lord growing with time.
They had expected to return empty-handed without even finding work, so the lord’s extraordinary treatment felt like a dream to them.
The two men felt they could do anything the lord asked of them.
While the workers were murmuring among themselves, a cart loaded with a large pile of something arrived in front of them.
A sour, musty smell wafted from the dark heap piled on the cart. It looked like withered grass or perhaps a collection of useless weeds.
“Is that fertilizer?”
“Oh dear, what difference would spreading fertilizer on this land make? No matter how much rain falls, this ground dries out in half a day.”
“You’re right.”
“What does it matter? We just do the work and get paid.”
Because the workers had received lodging and abundant food from the Grace lord, many of them felt sorry for the lord who seemed to be wasting effort on a futile task.
“Attention!”
As the workers gathered in small groups and muttered about the unidentified pile of grass, the knight commander they had seen in the clearing yesterday shouted loudly. Beside him stood a man dressed in clothes as worn as those of the workers, standing with a neat posture.
The man with curly hair that stuck up like broccoli was busily looking over the gathered workers with wide eyes.
“This man is Farmer, the team leader who will oversee and carry out the reclamation work. From now on, address him as Team Leader!”
The numerous eyes of the workers turned toward Farmer, who was blinking his large eyes.
“Hic!”
Startled by the sudden attention from so many people, Farmer let out a hiccup. At his comical appearance, a small burst of laughter erupted among the workers who had been standing stiffly at attention.
Red Bear frowned disapprovingly at Farmer’s undignified behavior.
However, the thoroughly nervous Farmer could see neither the knight commander’s disapproving gaze nor the workers who had burst into laughter because of his sudden hiccup.
His mind was filled only with the thought that he must do this job well.
Farmer cleared his throat loudly.
“From now on, we’ll divide into two groups and proceed with the work, hic! From here to five rows, dig out the rough stones in the ground, hic! These two rows will help me make fertilizer, hic! And the rest will take the selected, hic! stones, hic! outside.”
Even under Red Bear’s sharp gaze, Farmer’s hiccups showed no sign of stopping.
Laughter could be heard here and there. But at Red Bear’s fierce glare, the smiles quickly vanished from their faces.
As the people listened with serious expressions, Farmer’s hiccups gradually subsided.
After many twists and turns, Farmer let out a long sigh once he had safely finished giving instructions. Though hiccups had slipped out in between, he looked much more relaxed now that he had delivered the words he had prepared.
When Farmer finished his explanation, Red Bear continued.
“What we are distributing now are gloves the lord has specially bestowed for the workers’ safety. Receive them while keeping in your hearts the lord’s deep affection for her people!”
While Red Bear explained in a loud voice, the knights who had come with him began distributing one pair of rolled-up cotton work gloves to each worker.
Donghee had rushed into the convenience store and brought the work gloves she used to wear.
Farmer, who had received gloves in advance before departure, found his eyes growing moist once again.
The workers, who had never once owned a pair of gloves in their lives, looked with gratitude at the soft cotton work gloves being placed in their hands. Henry was no different.
“Are you really giving these to us?”
Henry kept asking, holding the gloves on his palm without putting them on.
“Everyone, put on the gloves bestowed by the lord and work!”
“What?”
Voices twice as loud as when they had received the gloves burst out from all around.
To be told to use such precious gloves not for going out, but for working. Moreover, the work they were doing required getting dirt on their hands.
“But if we wear the gloves while working, they’ll get dirty, won’t they?”
It wasn’t only Henry who was worried. From the back, an older worker raised his hand and asked with a voice full of concern. He seemed worried that he might be punished for dirtying something the lord had bestowed.
“The gloves are to be worn so you don’t injure your hands.”
Even greater confusion appeared on the people’s faces.
To them, getting injured while working was no different from moving their legs to walk.
Though Red Bear repeatedly told the workers to wear the gloves while working, most of them stored the gloves carefully in their clothes instead of putting them on.
“I should give these gloves to my wife. She’ll love them.”
“I’ll give mine to my daughter. How surprised she’ll be when I tell her the Grace lord gave them.”
These were people who had always worn only rough cloth clothes and mended hand-me-downs from others.
To them, the cotton work gloves were softer, fluffier, and more luxurious than any fabric, so they had no intention of getting them dirty with soil.
Even Red Bear, who had told them several times to wear the gloves, eventually gave up and could only watch the workers labor with bare hands.
Perhaps because they now had gifts to bring home, smiles never left the workers’ faces.
The faces of the mercenaries, knights, and carpenters heading toward the Black Forest were filled with tension.
Though it was broad daylight with the sun shining brightly, the forest, dense with trees, was as dark as midnight.
The forest was filled with an eerie atmosphere, as if monsters could leap out from any direction.
The temperature felt much colder without sunlight. White breaths escaped from the mouths and noses of those walking and looking around.
Urun, who was leading the logging team in place of Red Bear, drew his sword and slowly moved forward.
Even while holding in one hand a greatsword so large that an ordinary person could never lift it, Urun showed no sign of strain. His thick arms were as wide as another man’s thighs.
In the forest where not even bird calls could be heard, only the rough breathing of the mercenaries and workers filled the air.
To reach the Como tree grove, they had to go deeper into the forest from the edge.
“Seeing the moonlit flowers blooming, it seems we’re getting close to the Como tree grove.”
Dirk, who was guiding them, spotted the moonlit flowers and called out in a delighted voice. Dirk had an excellent sense of direction and was also knowledgeable about plants, making him an indispensable figure in the knight order.
Just then.
“Shh!”
Though Urun urgently told them to be quiet, the sound of monsters moving could already be heard rustling around them.
Dirk, who had unconsciously raised his voice in excitement, gripped his sword in panic.
“Logging team, get down!”
At Urun’s shout, the carpenters flattened themselves on the ground where they stood, while the mercenaries and knights slipped between them evenly.
It was a formation they had practiced several times in preparation for emergencies before entering the Black Forest, so they moved quickly despite their tension.
The mercenaries and knights standing between the flattened loggers drew their swords and kept watch in all directions.
Whoosh!
Screeeech!
At the unusual movement in the forest, the birds that had been silent as if dead flew up into the sky, chirping nervously.
The already pitch-black sky grew even darker with the shadows of the birds.
Whoosh!
“From the east!”
At the sound of wings cutting through the air like arrows from somewhere, Urun shouted loudly, and the knights swung their swords nimbly.
Kyaaak!
“Aaaah!”
“Hik!”
The monsters that flew fiercely toward the logging team were large, bat-like creatures called Cullens.
The Cullens, with wings spread as wide as an adult man, were large bloodsucking monsters that fed on the blood of animals or humans.
Even in the darkness, the Cullens’ fangs gleamed sharply.
“Aaaah! Save me!”
“Aaaah!”
The terrified workers buried their heads between their legs and screamed.
“Protect the carpenters!”
“Maintain the formation!”
Witnessing the knights and mercenaries fighting desperately to protect them even while trembling in fear from the sudden monster attack, the workers were moved.
Slash! Slash!
The Cullens fell one after another to the swords and arrows swung by the knights and mercenaries.
Thud!
Thump!
Every time a Cullen with its head or wings severed fell to the ground, the workers jumped up in surprise like springs.
However, a few brave ones among them swung their axes with all their might at the approaching Cullens.