Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Galaxy Z Flip
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"We've arrived, sir."
"Thank you."
I stretched as Luna paid the fare behind me.
Sitting in this goddamn carriage for hours was pure hell.
We left in the morning and arrived well past noon.
Adela was right about the distance. If we'd left after noon, we would've had to find an inn the moment we arrived.
If it weren't for the scenery along the way, I might have blown up the carriage out of sheer boredom.
If I ever have to travel for more than a day, I'll be a corpse by the time I arrive.
"We're here, Luna! It's Pallet Town!"
"That's not the name of this place, but…"
"I know. It's just a tradition."
It doesn't feel like I've truly arrived unless I say it.
A domain with a view of the vast sea.
The scent of salt hung in the air. Though the territory wasn't as vast as the Empire's capital, it was clear a fortune had been spent on developing its buildings and infrastructure.
Clean buildings and specialty goods unique to the area. Being close to the sea, there were many ornaments made from processed fish or shells.
"Looks like the lord here is a better person than I thought."
"I agree. This isn't the kind of territory I'd expect from the nobles I know."
Mindlessly raising taxes, secretly embezzling funds... Aren't those the kinds of things that pop up in any novel with nobles?
The territory I was in seemed far removed from all that.
The high quality of life for the commoners was proof.
And so was the decision to use the domain's funds to hire adventurers for a commoner's kidnapping case.
That's not something an arrogant, self-absorbed noble would do.
"Hmm… But something about this place feels familiar."
Like it's on the tip of my tongue.
"What is it?"
"Is this that part? The one with the womanizer?"
“...?”
I don't know. Let's just go and see.
We headed for the Adventurer's Guild in Devon County.
Adela had told us we needed to show our request form to the local guild.
-You absolutely cannot cause any trouble there! Understood?
-Kay.
I have no idea why she treats me like I'm some kind of troublemaker.
A brick building painted white.
Above, a wooden sign read 'Adventurer's Guild'.
Since the territory itself was smaller than the capital, the Adventurer's Guild was also smaller, but it still had everything it needed.
"Welcome."
An unfamiliar receptionist.
Seeing someone other than Adela for a change felt different.
"We're here for the missing person investigation request."
"Yes. May I see your request form?"
The receptionist stamped the form we submitted and handed it back.
"Is that all?"
"Yes. If you take this to the Count's mansion, he will provide you with the details."
I always think this, but the Adventurer's Guild is really efficient.
*This might be over sooner than I thought.*
After getting the request form back, we left the Adventurer's Guild and headed for the mansion.
Finding the Count's mansion wasn't difficult, even for someone like me who has no sense of direction.
Where else would a Count's mansion be in his own county?
The biggest building, of course.
We made our way to the large mansion visible even from the Adventurer's Guild.
"Halt! This is the mansion of Count Devon! Unauthorized entry is forbidden!"
The soldiers guarding the entrance crossed their spears in an X to block our path.
A common sight in any medieval fantasy.
"We're adventurers here on a request."
Unfortunately for them, we were esteemed guests who had come on the Count's own request.
I took out the request form and showed it to the soldiers.
One of the soldiers approached and began to examine the form I presented.
"Hmph! How are we supposed to know if this is real or fake?"
"What a fucking idiot. You work in the Count's domain and you can't even recognize your own family's seal? Is that something to be proud of?"
They always have these in novels.
Idiotic characters that seem like the author wrote them with their brain turned off, and extras who act with no thought for the consequences.
If something like this happened in the original story, the protagonist would probably be at a loss, just whining loudly about how unfair it all is.
Even Luna, standing next to me, seemed stunned by his stupidity, as if she couldn't believe what she'd just heard.
I mean, the request form even had the Count's personal seal, authenticating it was from him.
And this guy, a guard at the Count's own mansion in his own domain, can't tell if the seal is real or fake?
If the thing in front of me was a real person, this would be impossible.
*Is he a Demonic Human, then?*
*Maybe I'll find out if I kill him.*
As I stood at a crossroads, debating whether or not to draw my sword, the bastard opened his mouth first.
"For a con artist, you've got a smart mouth."
Huh? Does he dare challenge me, a man trained by K-netizens, to a battle of wits?
A medieval grunt like him?
I guess I'll have to give him a little taste of the K-netizen spice.
"You must have been born with brain damage from oxygen deprivation when your oversized head got stuck during childbirth. Your poor mother must have gone through hell after having you."
"You… you son of a bitch!! Are you done talking?!"
"No, not yet. Do you know what your mother had to do to feed and raise a moron like you? In a brothel, right between my legs—"
"You fucking bastard!!!"
***
The office inside Count Devon's mansion.
Scratch, scratch. The sound of a quill pen was all that filled the room.
- Aaaaaaaah!!!!!!
“...?”
Just then, a sudden scream echoed all the way to the mansion. Isaac, who had been working, set down his quill and looked out the window to find the source of the noise.
What came into Isaac's view were his soldiers gathered at the main gate and his own butler, wringing his hands.
Wondering what was happening, Isaac armed himself lightly and headed to the main gate to see for himself.
"Cedric. What is this commotion?"
"M-My lord…! What happened was—"
-*Crack.*
A horrifying sound came from ahead.
Followed immediately by a scream.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!"
What Isaac saw were his own soldiers scattered about, a red-eyed man folding one of his men in half like a piece of paper, and a Beastkin woman standing behind him.
"Watch closely, Luna. This is called a Galaxy Z Flip."
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The man spouted incomprehensible words.
Soldiers rushed to stop him, but they were all folded as easily as paper.
Just how strong was he, to be able to bend a grown man's body like that, as if folding paper?
The man looked to be around twenty, and the power he displayed, so contrary to his physical build, was a truly astonishing sight.
"You bastards. I told you to just let me see the Count nicely. Why do you keep popping up like cockroaches the more I swat you down? It's so annoying."
And what he was demanding was to see him, of all people.
He didn't know why the man had come, but he couldn't just stand by and watch any more damage be done.
Isaac took a step forward.
His butler, Cedric, tried to stop him, but Isaac could not be deterred.
"I am the head of this house, Isaac Devon. What is your business here?"
"C-Count, get back! This man is dangerous!" a soldier cried out.
But Isaac simply gave the soldier a small smile, as if to say it was all right.
"Are we filming a sitcom? Anyone watching would think I'm here to commit an act of terror."
"Aaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!"
"I am here now, so please release him!"
Only after he said that did the man before him let go of the soldier in his grasp.
After dusting off his hands a few times, he pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it before Isaac's eyes.
“...?”
The man who had been wreaking havoc to find him was now suddenly showing him a piece of paper.
Despite the bizarre situation, Isaac calmly scanned the contents of the paper.
“...Huh?”
***
I really hate sweet potatoes.
Not the kind you eat, but the frustrating situations you find in novels.
They say a story needs a good balance of frustration and satisfaction to be immersive, but when an author throws in some nonsensical, forced conflict, it just kills the mood.
In that sense, the minor-role extra soldier who stopped me was exactly that.
No satisfaction, just a being of pure frustration.
So I just folded him in half.
*The people here are way too easy to provoke.*
It's hilarious to me that they fly into such a rage over a few insults about their parents.
Back in Korea, your mother's highest academic achievement would instantly become graduating from Pizza School, and your father would be the man who got hospitalized for two weeks after fighting a seagull over some shrimp crackers.
After using the brain-dead soldiers to show Luna how to make a Galaxy Z Flip in the medieval era, I was finally able to enter the drawing room after showing the request form to the Count, who had come out late to assess the situation.
"My apologies. Our soldier was rude. I will ensure that he is properly disciplined."
"Yes. He was fucking rude."
If you'd come out one minute later, I might have turned him into a Galaxy Z Fold instead of a Flip.
Still, since you're taking appropriate measures, I'm willing to forgive him with my vast generosity.
*Though I'm not sure what more you could possibly do to him.*
"Ahem. Now, allow me to explain the request."
After all the commotion, we were finally getting down to business.
Isaac Devon's story was this:
At first, they didn't notice because only people with few social connections were disappearing. But recently, more and more complaints have been filed about missing family members and friends.
Isaac, realizing the gravity of the situation late, launched an urgent investigation, but they could hardly find a trace of anything, and the disappearances were becoming more frequent.
They also needed manpower to maintain public order, leaving no one left for the investigation. That's why they entrusted the request to adventurers who could help.
*These lines are exactly the same as what I read in the novel.*
It felt artificial, as if the Count's lines were predetermined and he was just reciting them.
The more I listened, the more certain I became.
That this missing person investigation we were on was related to vampires.
"Okay, Count. Let's make a deal."
“...Pardon?”
"If I solve this case in one day, you double the reward. Deal?"
The Count mulled over my words, his eyes suddenly turning sharp as he stared at me.
"You speak as if you already know something. What happens if I refuse?"
"If you're curious, refusing is one way to find out."
Proving he was the lord of this territory for a reason, his atmosphere changed 180 degrees from the gentle demeanor he'd shown just moments ago.
*What happens if he refuses?*
I'll just watch until the vampire queen awakens and the domain is on the verge of being destroyed, then I'll step in at the last second, help out, and run off with the reward money.
At my words, the Count laughed heartily and accepted my proposal.
"Hahaha! Very well! If you solve it within a day, I will double your reward."
"Ah. Since you just doubted me, I won't do it for anything less than triple."
“...?”