Chapter 17
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: The Gilded Guard Leader
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The Gilded Guard Leader
The woman who had been staring at me for a moment returned to her seat. Her expressionless face made her feel like a finely crafted doll. A cursed doll that would smash your head in at the slightest provocation.
“Haha. Sister Joanna has always been a quiet person. Please, have a seat.”
The pot-bellied priest, who had been watching the woman from the corner of his eye, pointed to an empty chair with a false smile.
‘Is this what you call quiet?’
I shook my head slightly and sat where the priest had indicated.
“Sir Ben praised you so highly, I simply had to request a meeting. Heh heh. Seeing you in person, you truly are magnificent.”
At the priest's words, Ben beamed with a proud smile. He looked like a puppy who’d just brought back a bone.
“Thank you. I am Aron. Priest Blian.”
Blian was the only priest in Casedic Castle. I had never seen him in person, but he matched the description Kel had given me. A belly so large he could barely walk, freckles dotting his cheeks, and a bulbous nose.
‘He described him perfectly.’
Kel had excitedly told me he’d seen him around Rosa’s house once. The next day, Kel also mentioned that the prostitute next door had thrown out a soaking wet bible.
“Oh, you know of me?”
Blian asked, his eyes wide.
“Yes. Who in Casedic Castle has not heard of Priest Blian’s great virtue?”
He was famous, alright. Blian often substituted blessings for payment, earning him a great deal of resentment. Of course, no one said it to his face; they just grumbled about it to us in hushed tones.
Blian was a typical priest, mired in the secular world.
But no one ever rebuked him for it. A priest's station was ambiguously positioned between that of a knight and a noble, and for a priest in the borderlands, his level of corruption was considered rather mild.
Blian was a priest ‘moderately’ mired in the secular world.
“Heh heh… I am still far from perfect. Casedic Castle must have remained so peaceful because a dependable man like you, Aron, is serving as the Outer Wall Guard Leader. Haha.”
Blian’s greasy cheeks quivered. My compliment seemed to have pleased him greatly. It wasn't that Casedic Castle had no problems. It was just that Blian, as a priest, never had to experience them.
“It is because a man like you, Priest Blian, resides in Casedic Castle that the devils dare not approach, is it not? Everyone in Casedic knows that you offer prayers every dawn.”
I once again spewed out some empty flattery.
It was a light, thoughtless compliment with no real weight behind it, but this pot-bellied priest, Blian, seemed to have so little experience with praise that his face instantly relaxed.
“You flatter me. Heh heh… To think I’m only meeting a man like you now!”
Blian glanced at the woman and grinned.
In principle, an Inquisitor could crack open the head of a noble. A priest would certainly not be spared. Even if Blian was more upright and only moderately secular compared to other priests, the Inquisitor would judge him on an absolute scale, not a relative one. There were more than enough reasons for Blian’s head to be split open.
“It is a true honor for me as well to become acquainted with a man of such high virtue as yourself, Priest Blian. Please, speak comfortably.”
“Heh heh… you really know how to lay it on thick.”
Blian’s lips parted slightly, and I had to fight the urge to grimace at the string of saliva that stretched between them. He seemed genuinely pleased, leaning back and shaking his body with small tremors, causing the table to wobble.
‘It’s certain. They can’t tell.’
I glanced between Blian and the Inquisitor and gave a small nod. If they had sensed even a hint of the devil in me, the priest wouldn't be laughing like this, and the Inquisitor wouldn't be sitting so still. Even conversing with a devil was classified as a sin.
“So, what brings you here?”
I casually removed my hand from my sword’s hilt and leaned back in my chair.
“Ah, you aided in the sacred work of catching a devil. How could I simply let that pass? Especially for a man as faithful as you, Aron!”
“Haha, I didn’t do it expecting a reward.”
“I know! I know! But good deeds must be rewarded. That is how people are encouraged to do good! This is for the sake of setting the world’s principles right, so do not refuse, no matter how much of a burden it may feel!”
With just two compliments, Blian had become so affectionate it was as if he’d offer me his own flesh.
‘How little praise must he have received in his life…’
A pang of pity almost stirred within me, but it quickly vanished at the sight of his sagging jowls. On second thought, he was a man with no praiseworthy qualities.
Blian fumbled inside his robes, pulling out a small box and a silver pouch. For some reason, I imagined they would be warm, which was unsettling, but what truly mattered was their contents.
A pleasant clinking sound came from the silver pouch, and my face immediately broke into a smile.
“Here! Take it! This is a fitting… no, an insufficient reward, so don’t feel too burdened! Take it!”
I casually held out my palm while turning my head away, and Blian placed the box and pouch in my hand. I muttered, “You really shouldn’t have…” as I quickly secured them.
The silver pouch was heavy enough to make me laugh out loud, and the gold inlay on the small box made my shoulders straighten with pride.
‘He may be fat and ugly, but his heart is kind.’
I smiled brightly and shook Blian’s hand. After a few shakes of his soft, doughy hand, Blian’s face turned pale.
“That’s… that’s enough! I understand your gratitude!”
It was only when Ben placed a hand on my shoulder that I realized I had been dancing around while holding Blian’s hand.
‘I’m sure of it. As long as they don’t see the handprint, they won’t know.’
To be extra certain, I had even held the priest’s hand, but he hadn't noticed a thing.
After that, Blian went on for a long time about God, blessings, and other such things, and I, the most devout of all demon-possessed men, listened to him with rapt attention.
***
“Hm-hm…”
I couldn't help but hum a little tune.
A freak accident might have embedded something strange in my heart, but neither the Inquisitor nor the priest had noticed. In fact, the priest had even praised me and given me a gift. By the end, we had become so friendly that he even asked me to visit often.
The voice had vanished ever since the Inquisitor gave her blessing. The handprint remained, so I guessed the thing had been knocked unconscious or something similar.
Since there was no way to get it off for now, I decided to keep it simple. All I had to do was not bare my chest in front of others. Having lived over twenty-five years in a Confucian country, that wasn't a difficult task.
And the pouch Blian, that shining pig, had given me was so heavy that it pushed all my worries and complex thoughts out of my head.
Inside the silver pouch were three gold coins. Their brilliant yellow glow sparked a faith I never knew I had, and I even offered a brief prayer.
Even without a devil inside me, this was a world where my head could be smashed in at any moment. This was just one more penalty added to the list. A simple yet brutal penalty where revealing my chest meant a one-way ticket to the fiery pits.
‘But it’s not fair to just have a penalty.’
If I couldn't get rid of it right away, it was only right to think of a way to use it.
It had been for a very brief moment, but my sword had definitely been imbued with aura. Even if the duration was incredibly short, an aura could turn the tide of a situation in an instant—a trump card, like the hidden spike in old man John's hand.
The only problem was that the spike belonged to a devil…
‘Is it even a devil in the first place?’
I’d have to talk with the thing a bit more.
“Jojang, you look like you’re in a good mood.”
A voice from my side broke my train of thought.
I turned my head to see Kel, a rose-colored scarf that was clearly Rosa’s wrapped around his neck, standing with a slight slouch.
“Ah, I am. I am.”
I gave a slight smile and stuck out my neck. A magnificent, solid gold necklace with a sun emblem hung from it.
The gold sun necklace—or gilded sun necklace for short—had been in the small box Blian gave me. According to him, it was a gold necklace that brought good luck.
Of course, I wasn't some primitive medieval man who believed in superstitions, but gold wasn't a superstition; it was tangible proof of faith.
“What… what is that tacky thing?”
“Tacky?”
How could this gilded sun necklace, radiating a brilliant golden light, be tacky? His eye for quality was abysmal.
“What’s with this deep tooth mark here?”
“Ah, it’s a long story.”
I waved my hand dismissively, stood up, and stretched my back.
“Did… you buy armor too?”
“A cart driver came in. I bought it from him.”
“Where did you get the money… no, and why did you pick such mismatched colors… you could have at least matched them…”
Kel stammered, his eyes scanning me up and down. His gaze was fixed on my new purchases, and a smile crept onto my lips.
I had gathered all the cart drivers who had entered Casedic Castle and assembled this collection based purely on functionality. Each piece was of such high purity that it made a dull thud when tapped, and they were all at least a finger thick.
The amount of iron meant the price was absurd, but the guards received a special discount, which made it affordable.
“Well… no… it’s nothing. If you like it, Jojang, then…”
Kel stammered and rubbed his face.
On my way to work this morning, I ran into Jace, and he had been so startled he fled. Here, the iron you wore on your body was your status, so I had effectively skipped several ranks.
“So… you’re going on patrol dressed like that?”
“Of course.”
What a foolish question. I obviously bought it to wear it. I puffed out my chest and examined my spaulders. A calming green that brought peace to the beholder’s heart.
The cuirass was a despair-inducing red. The knee guards, since I often rolled in the dirt, were a practical brown to hide stains.
The weight of the armor pressing down on me made me constantly clench my jaw. I felt like I could stand next to a knight and not be outdone. No, I would probably overwhelm him. This was a collection that had cost two whole gold coins, after all.
“Good heavens… well… let’s go, Jojang.”
I nodded and set out on patrol. Did they recognize my grandeur? I could hear people whispering. I puffed out my chest and proudly displayed the might of my iron.
“Ah, Jojang. There were a few problems while you were away.”
“Problems? What kind?”
In a castle this tiny, what kind of problems could there be? I asked lightly.
“Well… Berman got into another scuffle with some mercenaries…”
“Berman?”
It was well-known that Berman hated mercenaries. There had been a few incidents before because of it. Of course, they had all turned out to be nothing more than light sport in the end.
“There have been quite a few mercenaries in the castle lately, you know.”
“That’s true.”
It hadn't been long, but it felt like a lifetime ago.
“Are there still a lot of them around?”
“Yes. Even more than before, actually.”
It was a bit of a headache. Mercenaries were always causing trouble, so an increase in their numbers was like having more dogs off their leashes. And it was our job to clean up their mess and put them back on their leashes.
“Anyway, they got into a fight… and, um… they pulled out axes.”
“What?!”
My voice boomed, my disbelief getting the better of me. No matter how unruly mercenaries were, there were certain rules they had to follow inside the castle walls.
And not drawing steel was at the top of that list.
“So, Berman is…”
“They only pulled them out to threaten him, so he just got a scratch… he’s at home for now.”
“Ah, I see. What about them? In the Can?”
“Yes, they’re in the Can, but… Ah, Jojang, we already talked some sense into them. This is just for your information… Ah! Jojang!”
“You start the patrol. I’ll be right back.”
I waved a hand at Kel’s voice behind me and headed straight for the Can.
The Can was slang for a room in the Outer Wall Guard’s basement. When residents caused trouble, we’d just toss them in the Can and let them out when we remembered. A trip inside was usually quite effective.
There was a famous story about a gambler who, after a stint in the Can, would scream at the mere sight of dice.
In front of the door to the basement, a kid from Squad 6, Maren, was dozing off. Maren, still with baby fat on his cheeks, was the youngest member of the Outer Wall Guard.
“Kid.”
“Mmm… Eek! Jojang Aron! You scared me!”
Trying to be considerate of the rookie, I had gently tapped his shoulder, but the kid shrieked, shot to his feet, and yelled at me.
‘Who was Squad 6’s leader again?’
I tried to recall which bastard wasn't managing his rookie properly and waited for the kid to calm down.
“What brings you here? Ah, is it because of Berman-hyeong?”
When I nodded, Maren excitedly handed me the keys from his belt.
“One of them, the one with the scar on his eye, called me a dwarf. He’s definitely a nasty piece of work.”
Maren chattered on, trotting behind me. He told me which one smelled the worst and that the one with a big pimple on his nose snored so loudly his nose needed fixing.
In front of the thick wooden door, I took a moment to stretch. The only light in the dark basement came from the torch hanging behind me.
Maren, looking nervous, gripped his spear and breathed heavily.
“Stay here. Come in when I call you.”
“…Y-Yes, sir!”
I stuck the key into the lock on the wooden door and turned. It was so stiff that I had to practically break it to get it unlocked.
Inside the space, completely dark without even a torch, a few men were squatting. As I opened the door and light flooded in, they shot up as if they had been waiting.
‘They’ve already broken the wooden shackles.’
Normally, we’d bind their arms and legs with wooden shackles, but I don’t know how they did it, but these guys had freed themselves.
‘Five of them in total.’
I calmly counted the number of men rushing toward me.
“Get him! It’s just one guy! We just have to take one down!”
“You goddamn guards!! You start a fight, and then you lock us up for a little scratch?! What did we do wrong?!”
“How dare you come in here alone!”
They must have sharpened the broken pieces of their shackles, because each of them was charging at me with a wooden skewer. But one of their voices sounded strangely familiar. The one in the very back, screaming and instigating the others.
“Get him! Uh… huh? Hyeong-nim?”
It was the Weasel.
‘What the hell is this bastard doing here?’
How long had he been back to already get himself thrown in the Can? It was absurd.
“You shameless criminals! You should be punished for your crimes, yet you dare raise your weapons against the sacred guards! You lightning-struck bastards!!”
Upon spotting me, the Weasel leaped into the air, spun his wooden skewer around, and promptly whacked the legs of the man in front of him.
“Aargh! What the! What’s wrong with this bastard!!”
“Who are you calling a bastard, you lightning-struck criminal! Quietly accept the cudgel of justice!”
The Weasel repeatedly beat the fallen man with his wooden skewer.
The other three, oblivious, were still charging at me.
‘I need to tell them to get some better shackles.’
The man in the lead thrust his skewer at my chest, but it couldn't penetrate my cuirass, the epitome of hardness. I shot out my hand, grabbed the man by the scruff of his neck, and slammed him into the ground. *Thud!* With a heavy sound, the man’s tongue lolled out of his mouth.
‘Good-for-nothing bastards who can’t be reformed.’
*Tsk.* I clicked my tongue and kicked the chest of the man behind him. *Bang!* With a loud crack, he flew backward, leaving only one man standing.
“Aaargh! Die, you bastard!!”
I grabbed the wooden skewer, which probably wouldn’t have killed me even if I’d been stabbed bare-chested. The man trembled, straining with all his might, but I simply lifted the skewer, and he was hoisted into the air.
He looked at me with a dazed expression, and I swung the skewer downward. As he lost his balance and fell, the wooden skewer came into my hand.
“Not bad.”
I smiled with satisfaction at its decent grip and weight. This would be more than enough to rehabilitate these ignorant fools.
“Everyone, gather around and get on the ground.”
I smiled brightly, vowing to personally rehabilitate these devilish bastards.
***
“I… I was truly framed, Hyeong-nim!”
The Weasel clutched his rear and spoke in a pleading voice.
The other men were sprawled out, drooling evidence of their rehabilitation. Maren walked among them, shouting, “Ha! Who’s the dwarf now?!” while punching them in the head.
Each time, the men would repeat in unison, “We will never mess with the guards again!”
Primitive violence was indeed the most effective educational tool, and the men who had received a lengthy lesson seemed to have been properly rehabilitated.
“Framed? What do you mean, framed?”
“It’s true… Hyeong-nim!”
The Weasel reached into the pants of the unconscious men, pulled out their silver coins, and presented a pile of them to me. He even polished them on his clothes until they shone. The amount was substantial enough to make me consider that he might actually have been framed.
“Hmm…”
The ones who had attacked Berman were the other four, so I had only hit the Weasel a few times. And each time I did, he would play dead and roll around on the floor, making so much noise that I didn't want to hit him anymore.
“It’s the truth, Hyeong-nim. After traveling with you, my whole perspective on the world has changed, you see? So I put down my blade! I was going to live by the sweat of my own brow…”
“So?”
“I played just one last! Reeeally the last! Game of dice…”
He was going to live by the sweat of his brow, so he played one last game of dice… I scratched my head for a moment, wondering if I had heard him correctly.
“And?”
“That bastard was cheating!”
“…Cheating?”
“Yes. My eyes are really sharp! I’m sure of it. She put the dice in the cup and rolled, but I heard the sound of dice rolling one more time!”
The Weasel spat out his words in a fury. At first, I thought it was just a loser’s excuse, but as I listened, the fact that a six had come up five times in a row did seem very strange.
“Does rolling a six five times in a row even make sense?! That woman was wearing a loose tunic, and her wrist looked strange, so I asked to see it, and she just screams, ‘Aaaah!’ and calls the guards! Suddenly, the men next to her grabbed me! I… I’m so wronged I could die! Hyeong-nim! The precious silver coins I earned fighting those corpses! Fighting alongside you, Hyeong-nim, crossing the line between life and death! Aigo—Hyeong-nim!! My eyes are about to pop out of my head! My eyes!!”
To hear the man who had been lying among the zombies talk, you’d think he’d taken down ten of them himself.
‘He wagered his precious silver coins on a game of dice?’
I was dumbfounded by the sight of him spouting such barefaced lies.
Whether this guy lost his money or not was none of my business, but if he lost it to a gambling scam, that was a different story.
Here, dice gambling was so common that you’d be asked if you wanted to play the moment you sat down in a tavern. If a professional gambling cheat had entered the castle, there was a chance that several households could be ruined.
‘Hmm… I should check it out.’
Just thinking about dice made my heart pound. ‘This is an unavoidable part of my patrol,’ I muttered to myself.
“Where did you get fleeced?”
“The Aching Mermaid Tavern! Hyeong-nim! I knew you were the only one I could count on! *Sniff*… I was going to use my silver to buy you a nice sword…”
It was a tavern in Sector 5. It was quite large and even had dedicated dice tables, making it a popular spot for men after work. Having confirmed the location, I got up.
“I knew it… Hyeong-nim is the only…”
“Put thicker wooden shackles on him. And from now on, make sure at least two armed men go in.”
“Yes, I understand. Hold still!”
“Hyeong-nim!! Hyeong-nim!”
“I said hold still!! Hah!”
Leaving the dull sound of something breaking behind me, I left the Can.
‘A game of dice… Is it time for the high roller to return?’
A smile crept onto my lips, and I flexed my fingers.
***
After tying up the whimpering man, Maren dusted off his hands.
He didn't know about much else, but the infamous Jojang Aron was truly amazing when it came to beating people up. It was as if he were a butcher born to beat people. A rumor floating around about Aron being from a ‘fighting pit’ began to seem more plausible to Maren.
‘…But isn’t Jojang Aron banned from gambling?’
Maren tilted his head, recalling a past incident.
‘Nah… he wouldn’t do it again.’
He shook his head lightly, dismissing the thought.
Just then, his eyes met with the man with the scar. Maren deliberately mimicked Aron’s fearsome expression and readjusted his grip on the wooden skewer.
“Now, who’s the dwarf?!”
Maren smiled, just like Aron.