Chapter 36
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: The Full Story of the Silver Spoon Incident
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The Full Story of the Silver Spoon Incident
‘Overtime. No, maybe a side hustle.’
I sized up the men surrounding me.
They were soldiers of the Penell family.
First, I checked their weapons.
The identical scabbards suggested they were using standard-issue swords.
If that was the case, they couldn't pierce my iron-like body unless they used Aura.
My body was feeling a bit stiff anyway, so this seemed like a decent warm-up.
“Let’s go over there.”
I pointed to a secluded alleyway to my side.
It was just wide enough for two people to walk shoulder-to-shoulder, but not three—perfect for a many-on-one fight.
I figured they’d be reluctant to cause a scene in front of so many eyes, so I made the suggestion nonchalantly.
“...What? Ha! Look at this guy. Guess he doesn’t want to get beaten up in public!”
“Still acting tough. Must be confident in his size, eh?”
Their reactions puzzled me.
Most people tensed up when they faced me, but these guys were prodding me as if I were no match for them.
“Fine! You’re a dead man walking anyway. We’ll grant you one last wish.”
The one with a particularly thick jaw nodded.
As if worried I’d run, they moved in a formation that encircled me.
As we entered the narrow alley, that formation naturally split into a line, with men in front and behind me.
I discreetly flexed my hands, measuring the distance to the men in front and back.
Close enough to touch with an outstretched hand—plenty of room.
“Why’d you want to come into an alley? To beg?”
“Even a piece of trash like him is a guard, so he must’ve been too embarrassed to beg outside.”
*Kekeke*—they laughed like goblins. I faced the laughing man and smiled back.
Truly idiotic bastards.
*CRACK—!*
Controlling my strength as much as possible, I spun halfway around, grabbed the faces of the men in front and behind me, and slammed them into the walls.
A simple punch to the face would have been enough, but this was more satisfying…
‘Have I really developed a taste for this?’
Looking at the slightly crumbled wall, I thought I heard Nova's voice and gave my head a small shake.
As the man in front of me was embedded in the wall, the eyes of the one who had just been jeering widened to the size of fists.
He hastily threw a punch, but I dodged it with a slight turn of my head and followed up with a kick.
My foot buried into his stomach, and he collapsed to the ground, spewing a yellow liquid.
“Y-You…”
The last man standing, now suddenly alone, couldn't finish his sentence, his stuttering hand reaching for the hilt of his sword.
He hesitated a moment too long.
As his arms lowered to draw his sword, I grabbed his face and slammed it into the wall.
It was a decent warm-up.
Looking at the four men writhing on the ground, I nodded.
Just then, my eyes met with a man who was hesitating at the end of the alley, not having entered.
I recognized his face. He was the one who had rushed me several times during inspections, being a general nuisance.
“Over here.”
“Uhm…”
I beckoned with my finger. The man averted his gaze and approached, trying to make it look like he was just passing through, not coming because I called.
“Was it Gelluru?”
“...It’s Gelheim.”
“Right, Gelharu. You’re friends with these guys?”
I asked, gesturing to the men on the ground. Gelharu seemed to ponder for a moment, pursing his lips before nodding.
“Hmm…”
I said nothing and held out my hand.
Gelharu bit his lip hard, then placed two silver coins in my palm.
Not a bad haul for a quick warm-up.
Just as I was about to be satisfied with that, Gelharu started searching his fallen comrades.
“Just a… just a moment! Wait a second!”
He muttered urgently as he rummaged through his companion’s pockets, as if I were holding him at knifepoint. It looked surprisingly natural.
I leaned against the wall and watched Gelharu’s antics.
Then, I remembered what I had forgotten.
‘Ah, the silver spoon! I forgot because of that crazy horse-fucker.’
The shock of dealing with that goblin horse-fucker had been so great I’d completely forgotten.
‘I should go back.’
I couldn't leave a case that tarnished my honor unsolved.
After pulling about ten silver coins from his comrades' pockets, Gelharu sidled up and handed me five of them.
‘What a guy.’
Five was plenty, so I patted his shoulder in a gesture of approval.
A corner of his mouth twitched up slightly before his face fell into a grimace.
He looked like he had a lot on his mind.
‘Well then, shall I go wrap up the case of the stolen silver spoon?’
I stroked my sideburns and left the scene.
***
Gelheim looked at his fallen comrades, feeling a wave of relief that he hadn't shared their fate, followed by a sudden pang of self-loathing. He scratched his head vigorously.
Back in Bolt Castle, it was their world as long as there were no knights around. How had things come to this…?
‘Why is a guy like that just a squad leader for the Outer Wall Guard?’
He just couldn't understand it.
Judging by how he extorted them, it wasn't like he had no desire for money. To have that kind of power and be a mere squad leader for the Outer Wall Guard…
“Ugh… What happened…”
His unconscious comrades slowly began to stir.
Taken down in a single move, they seemed to have no idea what had transpired.
“Ah! That cowardly bastard ambushed us…!”
“Dammit. To think he’d strike when our guard was down!”
Once they were fully conscious and realized the situation, they burst out in frustration.
‘Isn’t a many-on-one fight cowardly in the first place?’
He didn't voice the thought.
“Everyone up? Let’s go grab a beer. It’s on me today.”
Having discreetly pocketed a little extra while searching his comrades, Gelheim had money to spare even after buying a round of beers.
“Beer…? You’re talking about beer in a situation like this?! We were struck down by a dishonorable blow from a coward! That man is a demon with no concept of honor!”
“If it wasn’t a surprise attack, we wouldn’t have lost like this! Dammit! To think that quick-witted bastard would strike first…”
One after another, they vented their anger, eventually coming to the consensus that they should find the man again and give him a proper beating this time.
‘Such thick-skinned bastards.’
Gelheim muttered quietly, then coughed awkwardly as he recalled his own recent behavior, his face flushing with heat.
“No, it’s useless to go at him again. You didn’t see it, but I did. He’s not on our level.”
The man who had been at the very back and witnessed the scene mumbled, his body trembling.
A heavy silence fell over the group.
The truth they had tried so hard to ignore resurfaced.
They had been utterly defeated.
“S-So you’re saying we just let this go?! Starting tomorrow, rumors that we got our asses kicked by him will be all over the place! How are we supposed to show our faces?!”
The man who had first shouted raised his voice again.
Just as he said, if the rumor spread, they would undoubtedly become laughingstocks.
Four soldiers brutally beaten by a single guard squad leader… If word reached Bolt Castle, they could even lose their jobs.
At that, everyone swallowed hard.
“We can’t just let this go. Our futures are on the line! Five of us losing to one man! We have to stop the rumors before they spread!”
The others nodded with grim faces at his words.
Since his own story was part of it, Gelheim couldn't simply laugh at them either.
“...So what do we do?”
“Let’s go see Sir Ben. Ask him to shut that bastard up before he can talk. Sir Ben might be strict, but we’re from the same castle, aren’t we? Some of us were even trained by him. This is tied to the Penell family's honor, so he’ll surely help us.”
The man's suggestion made even the indifferent Gelheim’s eyes light up.
No matter how skilled that bastard was, if his opponent was a knight, he would be nothing more than a strong child.
The others chimed in with their agreement, adding more suggestions. They listed things Sir Ben liked, such as certain items or foods, to increase the plan's chances of success.
‘But… what if that bastard and Sir Ben know each other? No way. How could a mere guard squad leader and a knight possibly…’
Gelheim shook his head, dismissing it as a useless worry, but an unshakable anxiety remained, and he scratched at his neck.
***
[Huh? Oh, the silver spoon! I found it at home! It was mixed in with a pile of straw. Gosh, how embarrassing!]
I shook my head, trying to scatter the words I had heard.
‘The culprit was the buck-toothed woman with the silver mirror. The clue was the different texture in a corner of the mirror. The woman, who valued the mirror as her own life, saw its imperfection as a void in her soul. To fill it, she stole her neighbor’s silver spoon and secretly melted it down to…’
A satisfying deduction.
Thus, my honor would not be tarnished.
“Here.”
The mini refrigerator carefully handed me a mug of beer.
But her expression was subtly different from usual.
It was the kind of face one might make when presenting a meticulously crafted homework assignment to a teacher.
I examined the beer mug she offered and soon noticed that the shape of the ice was different.
Instead of the usual rough, haphazard chunks, the ice was shaped like a flower.
A rather detailed flower-shaped piece of ice, as if someone had painstakingly carved it.
‘...Why would she do such a useless thing?’
However, seeing her purple eyes sparkle in anticipation of my reaction, I let out a loud, impressed “Ooooh…”
A corner of her mouth quirked up slightly as she pulled something out with a serious expression. It was the die she had used for the rigged gambling game.
‘*Hoo…*’ She took a small breath and placed the die on her palm.
She furrowed her brow in concentration, and a moment later, the die slowly began to levitate.
Soon, the die started to rotate slowly, as if being juggled.
‘What is she doing?’
The mini refrigerator’s expression was dead serious.
I wracked my brain, trying to deduce the meaning of this situation.
After spinning the die about three centimeters above her palm, she slowly set it back down.
“I… tried.”
She murmured, looking up at me with sparkling eyes, like a puppy that had brought back a bone.
Only after hearing her words did I understand the situation.
‘So you should try, too.’
A casual conversation we’d had before.
It seemed I had unknowingly left a splash of color on her blank canvas.
‘But I think her efforts are misguided, aren’t they?’
The delicacy of the ice and the levitating die were clear proof that she had tried, but… her efforts were severely, completely misguided.
Ice was fine as long as it was cold, and it wasn't like I was going to parade her around like a monkey to make money, so the levitating die was also pretty useless.
However, I couldn't say that to a child who was so full of expectation.
Besides, she, who was usually expressionless, was twitching the corners of her lips in anticipation of praise, which was quite—cute. So I gently stroked her head and praised her.
“You did… well. You tried. Very hard.”
Even with my clumsy praise, she seemed pleased, one corner of her mouth twitching upwards.
Her expressions seemed to have become more varied since we first met. A good sign.
Still, I had to correct her misguided direction quickly.
If I left her like this, who knew what kind of effort she would make next…
‘I need to hurry Jackson along and get that magic book.’
Just then, her gaze became fixed on something.
Following her line of sight, I saw the white bracelet I had taken as a souvenir earlier.
‘Does she like this?’
It was a really shabby, old bracelet, something I had accepted without a second thought, much like the cake the buck-toothed woman had given me…
I nonchalantly waved my left arm.
Like a cat watching a toy, her head followed my every move.
‘Looks like she likes it.’
I took off the bracelet and handed it to her.
“...!”
Her eyes went wide. After a moment of hesitation, she quickly and carefully cradled the bracelet in her arms.
‘Was there something special about that bracelet? He’s a nicer guy than he looks.’
Seeing her cautious attitude, as if she were handling a treasure, I scratched my head.
I made a mental note to give that pale-faced fellow who gave me such a souvenir something next time.
‘I wonder if he likes fish bread.’
Watching her holding the bracelet, looking as happy as a child, I couldn't help but smile.
‘...But is that how magic is supposed to work?’
I tilted my head at her self-developed skills, then couldn't help but smile again as I watched her spin the die once more.
***
The Lord, having decided that feeding the escaped prisoners was a waste of bread, ordered a mass execution.
When I went to fetch Dalus, he showed a rare sign of excitement.
Eleven people, he claimed, was surely a record for the eastern part of the Empire. He chattered in an uncharacteristically high tone about the “execution that will go down in legend,” and I spent a long time wondering how to respond.
Eventually, I said, ‘You’ll have a front-row seat when you go to hell,’ to which Dalus retorted, ‘When you come as a customer later, I’ll be sure to treat you right.’
Then the little bastard next to him raised his hand and shouted, “Aron will be *my* customer! Father!” and I was so moved by the heartwarming father-son moment that I couldn't hold back my curses.
Just as Dalus had said, a huge crowd gathered for the “execution that will go down in legend,” but perhaps because of the flying baron incident last time, the Lord's party was nowhere to be seen.
Since Pul was still hospitalized, I decided to team up with Hana this time.
I once again proposed the red wine and red seasoning strategy to Hana, and she followed my instructions, though she was horrified.
I secured a prime spot and set up Hana’s stall.
With many new faces in the castle, quite a few men tried to hit on the woman and child running the stall, so I had to use my hands a few times, which brought in a nice bit of side income.
I did my best to ignore Hana shouting, “42 coppers!”
The strategy worked this time, and we made a good amount of money. Even after splitting it with Hana, my pockets were heavy.
The festival-like event passed, but the problem was that its aftermath was on display at the castle gate, and I was on duty right below it.
Cathordic Castle’s twelve new mascots greeted visitors from above the gate, their tongues lolling out.
These mascots also served the function of preventing newcomers from causing even minor trouble.
“Ah, this is fucking disgusting.”
I pinched my nose at the unrelenting stench of decay and swore.
“Come on, it’s not that bad, is it?”
Brick asked, tilting his head.
There were twelve human heads hanging right above the gate, and he was saying the stench wasn't that bad…
‘Well, he’s been eating fish bread since he was a kid.’
It was possible Brick didn't have much of a sense of smell or taste left.
“Why are you looking at me like that, Jojang?”
“What.”
“You were just looking at me with such a pitiful expression.”
Too lazy to answer, I just waved my hand.
“By the way, Jojang, haven’t those soldiers changed a bit?”
“Changed how.”
I brushed it off, but just as Brick said, the soldiers were standing at a considerable distance from us.
As expected, they hadn't tattled on me.
No, to be more precise, they *couldn't* tattle.
Who would they tell that four soldiers got beaten up by one man?
If they did, they’d surely lose their jobs immediately. Who in their right mind would hire four men who got their asses handed to them by one guy?
Two of the soldiers stood far off, and it was quite amusing to see them flinch every time I made a slight move.
So, whenever I got bored, I would subtly shift in their direction while carrying on with my usual inspections.
“By the way, Jojang, are you not doing that anymore?”
When I returned from inspecting a wagoner, Brick asked, tilting his head.
“Doing what?”
“You know, smacking people on the back of the head. The thing you liked to do.”
“I didn't like it. I just did it because it was the most efficient method.”
“Why not now? Even the magistrate ordered it, didn’t he?”
At Brick’s question, I clicked my tongue with a *tsk*.
“The rumor’s already spread far and wide. Doing it now would just waste energy and hurt feelings.”
There were already twelve heads hanging on the gate.
Unless the person had been living under a rock, they would have heard the rumors on their way here.
That at Cathordic Castle, they smack you on the back of the head during inspections. And if you get angry and pull out a weapon, you get captured and put on display at the gate.
The raw, useful reactions came when they were caught off guard by the slap. Hitting someone who already knew it was coming wouldn't produce any useful response.
“Hmm… Did you really think that deeply about it, Jojang?”
“What’s with that look?”
When I pointed it out, Brick, who had been giving me a strangely irritating look, laughed awkwardly and shook his head.
Just then, a large carriage approached from the distance.
The prominently displayed crest of the Penell family and the armed, mounted soldiers.
I could guess who was inside.
‘The eldest son of the Penell family that Kelup mentioned.’
I quickly nudged Brick in the ribs and bowed my head.
Looking to the side, I saw the Penell soldiers who were on duty with us had their heads pressed to the ground.
‘He’s not an emperor.’
There was no need to go that far.
Slightly shifting my gaze, I saw the man in the carriage.
He was a smug-looking bastard who fit the description of a noble perfectly.
The carriage didn't slow down, heading straight into the castle. Judging by the screams from inside, it seemed they didn't slow down in there either.
‘So the talk about cleaning up the area was true.’
He had brought proper soldiers, not just riffraff. It looked like they would be starting their cleanup soon.
“So, how are things with Charlotte?”
“Haha… well…”
His shy demeanor annoyed me, so I smacked him on the head, but Brick just grinned even wider.
That only soured my mood further.
“I guess if she’s even helping you make fish bread…”
“Charlotte loves fish bread. She said she never knew something so delicious existed.”
Brick’s face was filled with undisguised pride as he launched into a long story about Charlotte, as if he had been waiting for someone to ask.
He enthusiastically described how pretty she was and how well she ate fish bread.
He looked so happy that I was about to say something, but he seemed genuinely joyful, so I just clicked my tongue with a *tsk* and listened.
They were a well-matched pair.
I didn't believe in fate, but I thought those two might just be destined for each other.
The son of a fish bread restaurateur and a woman who claimed that awful fish bread was delicious from the very first bite. It was hard to explain if not by fate.
“...Excuse me?”
“I said, make sure you wash up properly after you do it.”
“Wha-?!”
Brick’s round eyes more than doubled in size.
“No, how do I say this… That… shit. The in-and-out…”
This impromptu sex education lesson had my words stumbling, but I did my best to tell him what he needed to know.
The people here knew how to have fun, but they were incredibly ignorant about the details, so there was more than one thing I had to teach him.
At first, Brick was skeptical, but he gradually focused on my words and later even asked a few questions.
As I was conducting this unexpected lesson, another large carriage approached from the distance. It bore a large crest I had never seen before.
I asked Brick, but he didn't seem to recognize it either.
I raised my hand to stop the carriage, and it slowly came to a halt in front of us.
“Good day to you.”
The coachman, dressed in a swallow-tailed coat, bowed his head and gave a stylish greeting.
“Where are you from?”
I returned the bow and asked.
“We have come from the city of Karzan to collect the heads of wanted criminals.”
‘Ah, so that’s the crest of Karzan.’
No wonder it had such a sophisticated air about it. It seemed they were city folk.
“And the person inside?”
I nodded and gestured toward the carriage.
“Ah, that would be Mr. Shone, the 3rd Grade Administrator assigned to this task.”
The coachman replied, maintaining his polite demeanor.
‘A 3rd Grade Administrator. A pretty high-ranking guy came.’
As I was pondering his surprisingly high, yet somewhat ambiguous rank, the door opened.
“Greetings. I am Shone, 3rd Grade Administrator.”
The man who stepped out of the carriage was a young man with a boyish face who looked somewhat frail.
‘Younger than I thought.’
I was surprised by his humble attitude and appearance, which didn't seem to match his rank.
“Aron, Squad Leader of the 4th Squad, Outer Wall Guard.”
I bowed my head in return.
“Yes, Aron. Are there any further procedures?”
His tone was polite but firm. I shook my head.
“Very well. Then.”
The young man gave a small bow and got back into the carriage, which soon passed by us.
“Seems like a lot of big carriages are coming in today.”
Brick muttered, looking somewhat uneasy.
As if Brick’s words were a signal, another large carriage approached.
Simple white, embroidered with gold.
It was a carriage of the Order.
I quickly adjusted the cape on my shoulders, neatening my uniform.
There was no need to stop a carriage from the Order, but it stopped on its own.
The coachman, dressed in a monk’s habit, carefully opened the carriage door, and a tall man stepped out.
Four black stripes were drawn on his cape. It seemed he was the Abbot the monk had mentioned.
But the man’s impression…
‘He looks incredibly strict.’
He had the kind of face that would yell at you for misplacing a single syllable in a prayer.
I worried for the future of Priest Blian, the compliment vending machine.
“May the sun shine upon you.”
The man spoke clearly in a low voice. I quickly brought my right hand to my forehead.
The man’s eyes showed a flicker of interest as he saw the cape on my shoulders.
“You must be Honorary Monk Aron.”
“Yes.”
“You need to raise your right elbow a bit higher.”
The man looked me over and then demonstrated with his own right arm. It was a minuscule difference, but I nodded and adjusted my angle.
“Just as the report said, your faith seems strong. Let us have a deeper conversation next time.”
The man nodded and got back into his carriage. The carriage moved smoothly and entered the castle.
‘A deeper conversation next time…’
I habitually stroked my chin.
“Jojang, I feel like things are about to get busy.”
Brick said, needlessly rubbing his neck.
I nodded in agreement.
All sorts of important figures were gathering in this small castle as if for a party.
When this happened, trouble was bound to follow.
After that, only wagoners passed by.
As I was collecting some small change, Nova and that young man from before came out from inside.
It was the first time I had seen Nova outdoors, so it felt different.
Like an indoor NPC walking around outside.
Nova's face was deeply scrunched up, as if she were annoyed to be outside her territory.
“Aron.”
“Yeah, Nova.”
She looked like she would burst and spray juice if I poked her, so I answered meekly.
“That one, and that one. And take that one down.”
Nova pointed out a few of the mascots as if she were picking out dried fish at a market.
‘She only picked the ripest ones.’
I swallowed the joke and went around to the side to climb up onto the wall. As I got closer, the stench of decay grew much worse.
‘They should at least salt them before hanging them up…’
Grumbling, I approached the heads Nova had pointed out.
“This one?”
“Yeah! And the one next to it.”
I untied the heads Nova indicated one by one and held them by their ropes. She had pointed out three in total.
One was a fixer, and the other two were vicious-looking bastards.
‘This is… not exactly like picking fruit.’
When I brought them down, the administrator, Shone, approached with a terrified look on his face.
‘Has he never seen just a head before?’
I casually offered him the bundle of heads, and the man let out a small scream, “Ugh… Aaaack!” and fell backward.
“Hey, don't mess around. I’m busy.”
Nova frowned at him. Shone, his face now red, got up and checked the bundle of heads.
“Ble- bleaargh—Th-that’s right. The ones with bounties… bleaaargh—!”
He caught a whiff of the rotting smell, turned his head, and spoke while constantly dry-heaving.
Beside him, Nova clicked her tongue with a *tsk*, watching him with a look of disapproval.
“So the contract is finalized, right?”
“Yes, that’s… bleaargh— right.”
It was quite a feat to speak while retching, but it wasn't a pleasant sight.
“Aron, put these in that man’s carriage for me.”
“Got it, orange that has left the orchard.”
“...What?”
I shrugged at Nova’s sharp glare.
A corner of Nova’s mouth twitched slightly before she turned and left.
“Where should I put them?”
“In… my carriage, there’s a box… bleaaargh—.”
“Man, you’ve got a weak stomach.”
I patted his back. He flinched violently and then retched even harder.
“You’re… too rough… bleaaargh—!! Stop… bleaaargh!”
The way he vomited instantly every time I patted him was strangely amusing, so I kept doing it.
After patting him for a while, he made a strange sound like ‘*gurgle*’ and stopped throwing up.
“*Phew*… Thank you. This way.”
Having returned to his initial state, he turned and started walking.
‘I should ask him about Kanna's people.’
I thought, holding the bundle of heads and following him.
His direction was strange, but that little kid had made an effort, so as promised, I had to make an effort too.
‘Hmm, a business trip to the city…’
I muttered quietly.
It didn't have a bad ring to it.