Chapter 31
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Deer and Trap
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“It’s dangerous, so lock the door…”
I was about to tell Hana to be careful before leaving the tavern, but she was already pulling something out from under the counter.
She did it so naturally, as if she were getting some spare change or a dishcloth. But what she held in her hand was not a cloth, but a large axe.
Placing the massive axe on the table, Hana caught her breath for a moment, then reached back under to pull out another one.
‘…A crossbow?’
It was small and crude, but it was a crossbow.
In this era, a crossbow was akin to a gun.
Of course, it was useless against thick plate armor, but since few were so equipped, a crossbow could certainly take down at least one person.
“Hm? Aron, what did you say?”
Hana, who had been grunting and straining with Kanna to set the crossbow string, tilted her head and asked.
Kanna wiped the nock of the crossbow with her sleeve.
“…Nothing.”
Hana was a woman running a tavern all by herself.
Thinking my worry was misplaced, I waved my hand.
“Ah, tell Kanna to use the see-through function to check who’s knocking.”
I told Hana about the security feature hidden in the mini-fridge. The ability was about as useful as a peephole, but it was better than nothing.
“Okay! Aron, be safe out there! Kanna, you should say goodbye.”
“See ya later…”
The two waved, looking utterly unconcerned.
“Boss, maybe I should stay here and protect them…”
I grabbed the ear of the weasel, who was slyly waving next to them, and dragged him outside.
*Patter-patter.*
Thick raindrops beat down on my entire body.
The rain was pouring so hard that the alley in the distance was completely obscured.
‘It was clear just a moment ago. Fucking hell.’
I clicked my tongue and tightened the leather straps at the seams of my breastplate.
The cool metal pressed against me, squeezing out the rainwater that had seeped in.
“Jojang, you’re here.”
Berman greeted me, sweeping back his drenched hair. His freckles made him look just like a wet strawberry.
“Where are the others?”
“Pul went to headquarters. The rest are over there.”
Berman pointed to the side.
I turned my head and saw Kel and Brick standing side-by-side under umbrellas, chatting. Kel held an umbrella with a rose pattern, while Brick had a stained white one.
Kel said something, playfully poking Brick in the side, which made Brick’s lips twitch into a smirk.
“Hey, give me that.”
“What? Jojang, this is Rosa’s.”
“I said give it here, you punk.”
“But Rosa gave it to me…”
Kel grumbled as he handed over the umbrella.
“Why is it so small?”
“I told you it was Rosa’s. Don’t you dare break it, Jojang.”
“I got it. What do you take me for?”
The umbrella was so small that my shoulders still got wet even when I held it over my head.
Berman snatched Brick’s umbrella and shared it with him.
Brick’s right shoulder was completely soaked, but he was grinning like an idiot. Berman scowled and kicked him in the shin.
“Agh!”
Brick hopped around in the rain, clutching his shin.
I clicked my tongue at the foolish sight and headed for headquarters.
“Whew… They all escaped, Jojang.”
Kel, who had squeezed in under my umbrella, said as he wiped his face with his hand.
“How many were there?”
“Thirteen.”
“That’s why I told them to switch to thicker wooden shackles. Trying to save a few pennies.”
“They said they replaced them after the last ones broke. But apparently, one of them chewed through the wooden shackles with his own teeth and escaped.”
“He chewed through that thick thing? What is he, a beaver?”
“Huh? What’s a beaver?”
“Never mind. So?”
Just then, Dylan, his face pale, stuck to my back like glue.
I tried to push him away with my arm, but he clung on for dear life, whining, “Boss, Boss.”
“Dammit, what’s with this guy?”
“Boss! Boss!”
“The guy he knocked out and locked up is the same tough bastard who chewed through the wooden shackles and bolted. And it turns out he’s a fixer sent from Karzan, the same group as that guy who got his head lopped off. He’s apparently notorious over there…”
“A fixer?”
I turned to look at Dylan, dumbfounded.
The weasel was trembling, constantly glancing around as if someone was chasing him with a knife.
‘This weakling caught a fixer?’
Even if standards varied between organizations, a fixer was supposed to be someone of a certain caliber. It was amazing that Dylan had managed to catch one.
Though, at the end of the day, a fixer was still just a thug.
‘Must’ve hit him from behind.’
I looked at the pathetic weasel, who looked like a drowned rat, and became certain.
This bastard definitely sucker-punched him.
“So?”
“The Daejang ordered Squad 1 and 2 to block the castle gates and the rest to gather at headquarters.”
“The Inner Wall Guard isn’t moving again? Those lazy bastards.”
“They never cared about the outer wall, you know that. Hey, let’s share. It’s mine, isn’t it?”
“It’s Rosa’s.”
“Ah, seriously, you’re acting like a child…”
Kel tried to squeeze his way in, but a slight push sent him staggering back.
Soaked to the bone, Kel pointed a finger and yelled something, but his words were drowned out by the sound of the rain.
The sight was so amusing that I burst out laughing, and Kel, after pouting for a moment, laughed along with me.
The tiny umbrella was suffocating, so I folded it and shook the water from my hair.
The cool rain didn’t feel half bad.
“If you were going to do that, why did you take it…”
“Because it’s fun to annoy you.”
I offered the umbrella back to Kel, but he was sulking and refused, muttering, “It’s fine. You use it, Jojang. I have ten more of Rosa’s umbrellas.”
So, I tucked the umbrella under my arm.
Seeing this, Berman also folded his umbrella, and in the end, we were all soaked.
When we arrived at headquarters, guards from other squads were gathered out front.
I told my guys to hang out with them and went into the headquarters alone.
“You stupid bastards!!”
A sound like a pig being slaughtered came from inside.
I squeezed the water from my hair, gave my armor a quick wipe-down with my hands, and headed toward the noise.
Inside, the Daejang stood before the other Jojangs, screaming his head off.
“The prisoners you locked up escaped?! Are you out of your minds?!”
“That’s why I said we should switch from wooden to iron shackles. I heard those elves from far away even chew through wood.”
“Hah—you little shit! Do you have any idea how much iron shackles cost?! One of those costs as much as fifty wooden ones! Fifty! And what are the odds of meeting an elf in a backwater place like this!”
“He might not be an elf, but someone did chew through one and escape. And I heard Byzantium Castle uses iron shackles.”
“You little! How dare you talk back when you’re the one who messed up!”
Kelrup, the dwarf Jojang of Squad 6, retorted with a smirk.
The Daejang bellowed, but Kelrup turned his head, pretending not to hear, and let out a long yawn.
The Daejang’s body trembled with rage.
“Ah, why are we fighting amongst ourselves? We should all get along.”
Seeing that the Daejang was about to throw a tantrum, I casually stepped in.
“Oh—Aron, you’re here.”
“You’re late, Aron.”
The other Jojangs gave a slight nod of their heads in greeting.
I waved a hand dismissively.
“What’s this? They didn’t even greet me…”
“Daejang. Aron, Jojang of Squad 4, reporting.”
Seeing the Daejang’s face on the verge of a pout, I quickly gave him the formal report he loved.
The Daejang let out an awkward, “Hoo…”
“Aron, did you hear what happened?”
“Yeah. They escaped. Whose watch was it today?”
“Ahem… It was my squad. Apparently, a soldier from House Pener requested the cell be opened, and all hell broke loose.”
“Ah, those morons. Are your guys okay?”
“Yeah, the prisoners bolted in the opposite direction. Only the soldiers from House Pener got beaten up.”
“Armed soldiers got beaten up by naked prisoners? Fucking unbelievable.”
The other Jojangs nodded in agreement at my curse.
“Anyway, two who ran for the gate have been caught, and one guy who got stabbed was found dead in the street. The remaining ten scattered and hid like rats.”
Flip, the giant Jojang of Squad 5, explained with a nod.
‘Still, that crude method really works. The fact that they broke out proves it.’
It was a crude method—clubbing any surly or defiant-looking guys on the back of the head and locking them in a cell if they protested—but the fact that the captured men had escaped added a layer of credibility to its crudeness.
Escaping would obviously lead to bigger problems, so the fact that they took that risk meant they had something to hide.
“Let’s wrap this up as fast as possible. I’ll catch a cold in this rain.”
“Aron, you can catch colds?”
At my words, Kelrup’s eyes went wide as he asked a stupid question.
“Of course I can. I caught one last summer and was sick in bed for days.”
At my answer, they all let out a collective groan of ‘hmmm…’.
They clearly didn’t believe me.
“So, do you have a plan in mind, Aron?”
At Flip’s question, everyone’s attention focused on me.
The sight of these rough-looking men concentrating like elementary school students was deeply unsettling.
“Remember last year’s friendly hunting competition? When we made that bet with the Inner Wall Guard.”
I brought up the idea I had formed on my way over, scratching my cheek.
The other Jojangs nodded at my proposal, adding their own suggestions, and the plan began to take shape.
“…What are you guys doing?”
As we were getting heated in our discussion, the Daejang, who had been standing alone, began to tremble.
“Without even listening to my opinion as the Daejang…”
“Looks like our Daejang has a brilliant plan of his own?”
Kelrup cut the Daejang off with a sneer. The others pretended to focus, waiting for the Daejang to speak.
Under their collective gaze, the Daejang cleared his throat with a ‘khem, khem…’ and opened his mouth.
“In situations like this, speed is of the essence. Proceed with the plan devised by our trusted Jojang Aron, as I command.”
I couldn't help but laugh at the Daejang’s shamelessness.
He stroked his non-existent beard and put on a dignified smile.
He looked like a pig stoically accepting its death.
“Then we’ll follow the Daejang’s orders.”
I didn’t bother pointing it out and simply nodded.
It was a win-win deal: the Daejang got to feel good about his cheap confidence, and I got someone to take the fall if things went south.
“Waaaait a minute!!”
Just then, a kid I’d never seen before ran out and blocked my path.
“Who’s this kid?”
“Ah, he was brought in with one of the escapees. They didn’t put him in the cell, kept him here at headquarters, so he got left behind.”
“Not a kid! Huris! Hey—big guy! Are you in charge here?!”
“…Hey? Big guy? Another one of these little shits.”
I was dumbfounded by this pipsqueak, who didn’t even come up to my waist, pointing a finger at me and speaking so informally.
‘Are kids these days all self-taught when it comes to manners?’
First, there was Dalus’s son with his sudden death threats, then Kanna, the dice cheat.
Seems like every kid I met these days was trouble.
“Are you in charge of the guard here or not! I’m asking you!!”
“This gentleman here is in charge.”
I casually pointed to the Daejang, who lifted his chin as if he’d just received a compliment.
“That pig is just a scarecrow! It’s obvious you’re the real boss! Who do you think you’re fooling?!”
At the kid’s words, laughter erupted around us. The Daejang, his face flushed red enough to burst, trembled while still holding his chin high.
“How old are you?”
I squatted down in front of the fuming, huffing child, put on a kind smile, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“T…twelve! What of it!”
The little brat, clearly a graduate of the school of self-taught manners, yelled back.
For a child to so clearly express his opinion in a room full of hulking men could be seen as bold, in a way.
But to me, he was just a brat with no manners.
I squeezed the hand on his shoulder, just a little.
“Aaaargh! Agh! It hurts! Aaargh!!”
“Who taught a little punk like you to talk to adults like that?”
He twisted his body, trying to slap my hand away, but his small hands were no match for mine.
After exactly five seconds, I let go. The boy, having received a condensed course in home education, had a noticeably tamer look in his eyes.
“Pl… please save my master.”
“There, isn’t that much better?”
I patted his head, and he flinched.
“So, who’s your master?”
“Levi… sir.”
Levi… Levi…
The name sounded familiar, so I searched my memory.
“Ah, that stingy carter? The one who keeps his silver coins in his boots.”
“That’s him! …sir. Please, my master…”
“What happened to him?”
“You guys… no, these gentlemen took him away…”
“The soldiers on patrol put him in a cell, and he apparently bolted with the others.”
“That’s impossible! He was threatened by that lanky-looking guy and had no choice! …sir.”
I nodded at the bratty kid’s words.
That coward, that cheapskate Levi, would never have the guts to escape. He must have just gotten caught up in it by bad luck.
‘But didn’t that bastard Levi yell that this place sucked and he was never coming back?’
I remembered him shouting it from so far away he was barely visible, probably afraid he’d get caught otherwise.
I was curious to see the look on the coward’s face when we finally met.
“Alright. I’ll bring him back soon. You stay here with that gentleman.”
I pointed to the Daejang, who beamed.
He had no intention of going out into the pouring rain and seemed happy to have an excuse.
We didn’t want to drag along the Daejang, who would only be a hindrance, anyway. That pig was more likely to be taken hostage than be of any help.
“No! That man stinks! Like rotten meat!”
The brat pointed at the Daejang and shrieked, and everyone burst out laughing.
The Daejang’s eyes went wide as he started sniffing himself.
I narrowed my eyes, and the brat scurried over to the Daejang’s side. The Daejang chuckled and tried to pat his head, but the brat slapped his hand away.
“Alright, let’s get this grind over with.”
The other Jojangs nodded.
***
‘Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!’
Levi gasped for breath, his back pressed against a wall.
The cool touch of the wall and the cold rain soaking his body made him realize this was not a nightmare, but reality.
‘Why me, too.’
Levi had no intention of escaping.
He had been huddled in a corner of the strange space, trying to make himself as invisible as possible, but those vicious-looking men had found him and practically dragged him along.
‘That… that man named Jake.’
The memory from a few moments ago made Levi’s body tremble.
The man who was their leader, Jake.
Despite the blood pouring from his mouth, Jake had relentlessly chewed through his wooden shackles, then taken down the armed soldier who came to check on them with his bare hands in an instant.
His skill was so remarkable that Levi was certain if Jake hadn't been knocked out first during the inspection, the outcome would have been different.
“So, what brought you all to this remote place? You all seem like you’ve been around.”
A man with thick eyebrows started the conversation.
Levi was squatting in a dark alley with three men whose names he didn’t know.
“If you’re so curious, why don’t you start?”
“Well, what’s to hide at this point. I took a job that offered big money to pass on information about the young lady of Casedic.”
“You too? The lady? Mine was an anonymous request, but the handwriting looked fancy, like a noble’s.”
“Oh, you can read?”
“Nah, of course not.”
Perhaps feeling a sense of camaraderie, the three men began to chat amongst themselves.
The more he listened, the more resentful Levi felt for being lumped in with such scum.
“In our line of work, if you take a hit to the head and do nothing, you’re not treated like a man, you know? But those bastards just smacked me upside the head.”
“Right, these guys know our world inside and out. To think of a method like that.”
‘So that’s what it was.’
Levi shivered, realizing that the seemingly crude inspection was not as simple as it appeared.
“So what do we do now?”
“What do you mean? We just lay low for a few days, find some clothes, and blend in with the crowd. It’ll be over.”
“Really? You seem to have a lot of experience with this.”
“Tsk, I got involved with a nobleman’s daughter once.”
“A noble?! You’re more impressive than you look. Or maybe just stupid.”
“Aren’t you curious? They say they’re born different, but that flesh underneath…”
As the lewd jokes continued, Levi wanted to cover his ears, but he forced himself to laugh and play along.
Urine trickled out in fear.
Fortunately, he was so soaked from the rain that it didn't show.
*Tweeeet—.*
Just then, the sound of a whistle came from a distance.
The men shot to their feet and started running.
From then on, they ran continuously, heading away from the sound of the whistles.
Levi slipped and fell, scraping his knee, but he didn’t feel any pain.
He just kept running, following the backs of the men in front of him.
He had already escaped. If he got caught now, it was over.
A wave of resentment washed over him. He had worked so hard his whole life, only to die without getting to spend any of it.
“These bastards… they’re herding us. Like a hunt. Goddamn bastards.”
The thick-eyebrowed man running at the front shouted, grinding his teeth.
Even knowing the truth, there was nothing they could do.
Their only choice was to run away from the whistles.
‘A drive hunt.’
Levi gasped, his breath catching in his throat, and remembered a festival from long ago.
A hunt where they made loud noises from all sides to drive the prey into a trap and catch them all at once.
Back then, he had watched the deer running into the intended spot and scoffed at their stupidity, but now that he was in their position, he realized there was no other choice.
How long had they been running?
An alleyway where no whistle could be heard.
Something was there.
‘That must be the trap.’
A palpable sense of foreboding made everyone stop.
Just then, three figures appeared from behind them.
The men cursed and tensed up, but a closer look revealed they were the guys who had run in a different direction during the escape.
Though they had just met today, they greeted each other as warmly as if they were old friends from their hometown.
“…Six, seven. We’re missing some.”
*CRACK!* Just then, lightning flashed, and a blue light filled the alley. It revealed the true identity of the trap blocking their path.
A massive frame and multicolored armor.
Eyes that glittered fiercely.
He was holding a fancy umbrella decorated with a rose, but comically, the umbrella was so small that the edges of his shoulders were still getting wet.
The combination of grotesqueness and absurdity created an indescribably dreadful atmosphere.
But his face was familiar.
“…Aron?”
Levi hastily clapped a hand over his mouth.
The moment he saw that demonic, scar-covered face, his last memory of the man flashed in his mind.
‘You—you damn dog of a brute! You’re so disgusting, I’m never coming back! Ptui—spit!!’
The memory of losing ten silver in a dice game to Aron, and then, after a sleepless night, shouting at him in a fit of anger before running away.
‘He… he must have forgotten, right? It was six months ago.’
Looking at the man’s massive build, which seemed capable of easily forgetting such trivial matters, Levi gave a small nod.
He must have forgotten.
*Tweet— Tweet—*
The whistles surrounding them grew closer, pressing in.
The men hesitated.
They were weighing their options between the whistles and the bizarre presence of Aron.
*Tweeeeeet—*
An especially long whistle blast sounded, and one of the men, driven by desperation, screamed.
“There’s only one of him! Break through! There are seven of us!”
That was the signal. The tense men burst forward like a dam breaking.
*Patter-patter—.*
Through the falling raindrops, the backs of the men running with desperate fury, and the colossal Aron facing them.
‘Fools.’
Levi clicked his tongue at the sight.
Uwaaaaaah!!
The men let out a roar to bolster their courage and charged.
Aron grabbed the man running at the front by the scruff of his neck and slammed him into the wall. With a *CRASH!*, the man disappeared into the wall.
A contorted face amidst crumbling stone and scattering rainwater.
The man next to him swung a hook in his hand, but it was blocked by the red breastplate.
Aron grabbed the man with the hook by the head and slammed him into the opposite wall.
More flying debris and rainwater.
In an instant, two men were embedded in the walls like grotesque decorations, and the others faltered.
“Hurry up. I’m going to catch a cold.”
Looking at the deer laid out before it, the trap smiled brightly.
‘…He wouldn’t remember, right?’
Levi slowly knelt on the rain-soaked ground.