Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Seven Knights
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A variety show once did a hidden camera prank where they made the cast skydive from 3,500 meters up.
Sitting on my couch, watching the terrified cast, I vaguely thought:
*If it were me, I'd just jump without hesitation!*
I was confident I could leap off like a real man, no second thoughts.
“Uwaaaaaaaaah!”
Sorry...
I deeply apologize for my reckless words.
And Noise... today’s my last day! Sorryyyy!!
Soi! This pathetic father is heading out first! Be happy!!
I guess this is the end for me.
And... sorry again.
I think today really is my execution day.
*- Park Yeon-jeong’s Ghost Story Escape Log… Retirement Ending*
So before I die, someone—anyone—please save me!
Sniff.
Tears blurred my vision.
The fierce wind from plummeting toward the ground made it impossible to keep my eyes open.
As I kept thinking *I’m really gonna die like this*, imprinting the terror of death into every fiber of my being...
Soft.
The instant I felt a warm sensation on my back, I turned my head.
“Bear! Bear Doll!”
What enveloped Park Yeon-jeong was none other than our cute, all-purpose Bear Doll.
But by now, we were less than a meter from the ground.
And—
Boom!!
With a sound like a massive explosion, the Bear Doll and Park Yeon-jeong crashed into the earth.
“...Ow, my back.”
From amid the billowing smoke, Park Yeon-jeong clutched his waist and hauled his numb body upright.
Luckily, he’d crossed the threshold of death unscathed.
All the impact from the fall had been absorbed entirely by our Bear Doll, leaving him mostly unharmed.
Our Bear Doll truly boasted absurd performance, better than any airbag on the market.
*...Oh, right!*
Mid-sigh of admiration for his airbag prowess, Park Yeon-jeong belatedly checked on the Bear Doll that had taken the full brunt of the drop from that height.
“Bear Doll!”
His desperate cry, laced with an endearingly cute name, pierced the dusty haze as something slowly emerged.
Rustle rustle!
Our Bear Doll stood tall on its stubby legs, boldly facing Park Yeon-jeong, perfectly fine.
At least outwardly—no burst stuffing or tears.
I extended my palm toward the ground.
Hop!
The Bear Doll leaped vigorously onto my outstretched hand.
I placed it on my shoulder and slowly scanned our surroundings.
Stranded in the middle of a hiking trail ringed by dense trees.
Just before crashing into this inexplicable spot, the view from above had been nothing but endless fields of grass.
This time, pinpointing the location seemed tricky. Unlike before, we had no choice but to move.
Step.
As he started walking, a thought inevitably crossed Park Yeon-jeong’s mind.
Why did the Arbiter send me here?
And what the hell had that Noise guy—fawning over some “Her Excellency”—been up to in life for every ghost story to mention him?
It was truly baffling.
And lastly, Jeong Da-ram...
Worrying about her makes me the fool.
Just pretend she doesn’t exist.
That’s the most comfortable approach.
Right now, more importantly—if we escape this place no matter what—shouldn’t I ask Noise who this “Her Excellency” really is?
Park Yeon-jeong pondered seriously.
Just as his curiosity about Noise ballooned like a balloon...
Pat pat.
Our Bear Doll lightly tapped his cheek with its tiny stuffed paw, piquing his curiosity.
Swish swish!
A gesture like pointing somewhere.
He followed its direction.
Rustle… rustle.
Creak—
Eyes locked on the eerie creature stirring amid the dark grass.
At first, something emitting a rusty machine-like screech slowly heaved its heavy body from the undergrowth.
Creak—
*...Knight?*
The word that flashed through his mind was spot-on.
It looked like a knight clad head to toe in medieval armor.
The armor even gleamed orange.
Clank.
It moved.
Was there actually a person inside?
“Hey there?”
“......”
“Hey there?!”
“......”
No reply.
It wouldn’t even answer my call.
Clank.
Our knight began taking steps—slowly at first.
Clank…… clank… clank clank clank.
Huh?
Was it speeding up? Or just my imagination?
“Ruuun.”
“Huh?”
As the distance closed, our knight’s voice grew audible.
“Ruuun.”
“Huh? What?”
It seemed to be saying something, but I couldn’t make it out clearly, so I craned my neck toward the approaching figure.
“Arm.”
“Arm?”
Finally hearing it, I perked my ears, and the knight’s next words were:
【Give me your left arm!! The Princess wants the Prince’s arm!!!】
!!
The voice that had merely tickled my ear now pierced my eardrum and rattled my entire brain.
A ghost story!
Clank clank clank clank!
Park Yeon-jeong bolted in the opposite direction from the knight closing in with accelerating steps.
But.
His embarrassing jog wouldn’t outpace it—capture was seconds away.
“Uwaaak! Bear Doll! Go! GOOO!!”
Whoosh!
At Park Yeon-jeong’s frantic shout, the Bear Doll instantly swelled in size, hoisted him up by both hands, and dashed off.
Pat pat pat pat pat!
【Arm… Give me your left arm! The Prince’s left arm!!!】
Would you hand yours over to a crazy knight like that?!
In the first ghost story, they bet body parts.
Now this knight’s desperately after my arm.
My body isn’t some toy you detach and reattach!
Pat pat pat!
【…Arm!……Arm!………!】
The sounds faded.
Peeking back, the knight was out of sight—our Bear Doll had shaken it off completely.
“No more chasing. Let me down.”
Thud—
At my words, the Bear Doll halted right there.
His mind wandered back to that knight.
Upon landing, Park Yeon-jeong hadn’t immediately identified the ghost story, but seeing the knight made it clear.
One that called him “Prince.”
And made absurd demands for body parts.
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/Ghost Story Log
[Seven Knights]
:Identification Code Cd-B-7
For the Princess alone!
For the Princess’s happiness alone!
For the Princess’s love alone!
The Seven Knights move to gather what each different Princess deems necessary.
The Red Knight seeks the head.
The Orange Knight seeks the left arm.
The Yellow Knight seeks the right arm.
The Green Knight seeks the torso.
The Blue Knight seeks the left leg.
The Indigo Knight seeks the right leg.
The Purple Knight seeks the heart.
They vowed never to return to the Princess’s side until they obtain their pursued gifts.
But the Princess herself feels burdened by these excessive gifts from the Seven Knights.
Impossible to subdue physically.
No mental damage.
*Additional Mechanism.
Even the highest physical-subduing employees must absolutely avoid fighting the knights.
No one has ever scratched the armor they wear. (Pointless power struggles lead only to death.)
The Purple Knight is the only one among them who can be reasoned with.
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We’d escaped C-grade ghost stories, only to get promoted to B-grade.
Tears just well up.
Hell, I just want to cry.
The one after my left arm was the Orange Knight.
And being spotted by the Orange Knight means my info’s already passed to the others.
Rustle—
【R… right leg! The Prince’s right leg!!】
What is this, a relay race?!
Pat pat pat pat!
Clinging to the Bear Doll again, I fled through the forest.
【Head! Give me your head!】
No thanks!
【Left leg! Give me your left leg!!】
No way!!
【Le, left arm!!】
You again!
Chased anew by the reappearing Orange Knight.
“Aaack, stop following meee—”
Park Yeon-jeong’s scream echoed across the forest.
For the next several dozen minutes, borne by our Bear Doll, he raced across the vast grasslands.
*****
How long had we been running?
Fatigue piled up immensely.
...I know.
It wasn’t me who escaped those countless knights—it was our cute, versatile Bear Doll.
But.
But still.
The psychological stress from being chased drains way more mental energy than you’d think.
-...Huh? Don’t you have glasses that block mental damage?
You’re too much.
As Park Yeon-jeong wrestled with an inexplicable inner voice...
Rustle.
!
Again!
Do these knight bastards never rest while targeting my body? Grabbing the Bear Doll’s arm for yet another endless chase...
【Prince…?】
?
“Wait!”
At my shout, the Bear Doll stopped dead.
Unlike the others who demanded body parts on sight, this voice was calm.
Park Yeon-jeong quickly checked the knight’s armor color.
Purple.
“...No rule saying I have to die.”
【The Princess awaits the Prince.】
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/Ghost Story Log
[Seven Knights]
:Identification Code Cd-B-7
.
The Purple Knight seeks the heart.
.
.
.
The Purple Knight is the only one among them who can be reasoned with.
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