Chapter 41
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Digging for Sweet Potatoes
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Digging for Sweet Potatoes
*Ahem.*
The first thing I did upon opening my eyes was search for my sword.
Realizing my hand was already gripping the hilt, I felt a sense of relief.
*Scratch, scratch—*
Across from me, Nova was diligently moving a feather pen over a spread of papers.
“You should’ve woken me up when you came. My body feels stiff.”
“...Hah.”
As I spoke while rolling my shoulders, Nova let out a small, incredulous sound and glared at me.
“A needlessly considerate orange.”
My mouth felt itchy, so I just said it.
“It’s… not like that. You must have misunderstood. I still have work to take care of…”
I’d said it as a joke, but it must have hit the mark, because Nova, uncharacteristically, stammered.
“Oh, a considerate peach.”
“Shut your mouth.”
“I’ll shut it, so why don’t you put that down.”
Nova, who had turned into a peach with her blushing cheeks, was pointing the meat-carving knife at me.
“Don’t call me a peach.”
“Alright, just put that thing down…”
“I just wasn’t hungry and had a lot to do, so I was planning on taking my time and finishing my work first…”
*Growl—.*
Just then, as if in a well-timed play, Nova’s stomach rumbled. Her already red face turned crimson, as if she were bleeding.
“Um…”
I wanted to make a joke, but seeing Nova trembling with the knife, biting her lip so hard it looked like she might burst if I so much as poked her, I held back.
“Uh… bring some meat over here.”
Nova, frozen in her knife-wielding pose, buried her face.
But seeing that even the crown of her head was red, my mouth moved on its own.
“We have an orange on the verge of starvation here… Aack! You crazy oran…”
“Shut up! I said shut up!”
The untimely rampage of the orange only ceased after a waiter brought over a massive pig’s foreleg.
“If you need anything else, please call for me anytime!”
The strangely energetic waiter bowed deeply before backing away.
“...Hmph.”
Nova straightened her disheveled hair and put on a demure expression.
“It’s a real foreleg.”
Just as Shaune had said, a truly honest-to-goodness pig’s foreleg had appeared.
It was clearly well-roasted, and its color was appetizing, as if something had been sprinkled on top, but…
‘Even the hooves… Damn, these ignorant medieval folks.’
I clicked my tongue as I looked at the hooves, which clearly showed how diligently this pig had lived its life.
Nova began to dismantle the foreleg with the knife as if she were butchering it.
Her skill was quite impressive; she seemed like she’d be pretty good at swordsmanship if she learned it.
After quickly finishing, Nova offered me the knife, but I was already tearing into the meat with my hands.
Nova awkwardly lowered the knife she had been holding out and started eating again.
“Mmm—.”
As she put the meat in her mouth, Nova couldn’t hold back a small hum, her shoulders twitching slightly.
I laughed out loud at the sight, only to get hit squarely in the face with a foreleg bone she threw.
‘So violent.’
The taste was like a 40% lacking version of pig’s trotters.
But for the medieval era, this was a top-tier dish, so the two of us ate ravenously without another word.
A waiter brought us some warm beer.
I switched mine to wine, and Nova refused, saying she didn’t drink.
“Wine isn’t alcohol, though?”
“…It is alcohol. You ignorant fool.”
“Well, that’s a surprising fact.”
Nova chuckled softly at my reply, then lightly slapped her own cheeks and returned to her usual cold expression.
“It’s delicious.”
Nova, one cheek still slightly flushed, muttered as if it were nothing.
“Crazy orange.”
“Ah, right. The city was in an uproar. You didn’t cause any trouble, did you?”
Nova asked, her sharp eyes fixed on me.
“…I didn’t break any walls.”
I answered, scratching my cheek with a finger.
“You didn’t… break any walls? The walls?”
“Yeah, I didn’t break them. Directly, that is.”
“…Directly?”
Nova’s eyes narrowed.
“Yeah. In fact, indirectly…”
“No, don’t tell me. I don’t want to be an accomplice, so just be quiet.”
Nova abruptly cut me off.
“Fine, whatever. If you don’t want to know.”
“Don’t act like you’re somebody. What else would you have done but get into a fight? You probably beat someone up again.”
Nova waved her hand as if it was all too obvious, then put another piece of meat in her mouth.
I was about to retort, but after thinking about it, she was right, so I just nodded.
“You’re done eating, right? Let’s get up.”
After we finished our meal, Nova took out a few silver coins.
“I’ll get it.”
My purse was thick enough to burst, thanks to last night’s overtime pay.
“It’s fine. What money does a guard Jojang have?”
Nova smirked, her lips curling as she waved her hand dismissively.
“Alright, then. Well, thanks for the meal. Orange.”
It didn’t really matter to me, so I nodded.
At that, Nova, who had placed the silver coins on the table, glared at me.
***
By the time we left the restaurant, the sun had already set.
Unlike Casedic Castle, the city, studded with magic lanterns, was still bustling with activity even after dark.
My pockets were too heavy, so I needed to lighten the load. I suggested to Nova that we go buy some souvenirs.
Nova didn’t seem to have anything else to do, so she nodded, and we headed toward the inner city.
I had memorized a rough map of the city while running around last night, so finding our way was easy.
“Didn’t you say you were buying souvenirs? That’s the blacksmith district.”
“Yeah, we’re going to the blacksmiths.”
Nova’s eyes widened at my response.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
The sound of hammering steel and a sweltering heat filled the air.
Children who hadn’t yet grown up ran through the area, laughing and giggling.
I nudged a man who was lying down, warming himself by the heat of a forge. He got up with a frown, but for 50 coppers, he started calling me ‘big brother’ and followed me, pulling a cart.
I looked for breastplates that were fairly thick, made a heavy sound when struck, and were reasonably priced.
Nova, who had been following without a word, stepped forward just as I was about to pay.
She picked up a breastplate and examined it from all angles, then pointed out a flaw even the blacksmith didn’t know about. With her unique way of speaking that could scramble a person’s mind, she poked and prodded her opponent.
The blacksmith, whose hand trembled around the hammer he was holding, eventually nodded, and we were able to buy it at a much cheaper price.
Honestly, my pockets were full, so there was no need for it, but the sight of those guys getting flustered by Nova was quite amusing, so I didn’t stop her.
Nova demanded 10% of the discounted amount as her share, and having already seen the flustered faces of the blacksmiths, I quickly nodded.
Even after giving Nova her silver, I managed to get five breastplates for a much lower price than I had expected. Still, they were made of iron, so my pockets felt considerably lighter. This was a manageable weight to carry.
I wasn’t sure if they would fit the guys, but if they were too big, they could just gain weight, and if they were too small, they could lose some, so it didn’t matter.
“But you said you were buying souvenirs?”
Nova asked from behind me, tilting her head.
“Yeah, souvenirs.”
I nodded, pointing to the breastplates stacked on the cart.
In the medieval era, the only thing that truly held its value was iron, so these were excellent souvenirs.
“Breastplates as souvenirs…?”
Nova, her eyes wide, soon nodded and muttered, “Well, it’s Aron, after all,” which was strangely irritating.
“But the color and design are all…”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. Armor is meant to be thick and sturdy.”
I cut Nova off and stroked the breastplates I had collected.
They were all proper breastplates, half a finger thick, that made a heavy sound when struck.
Of course, they would be a bit heavy, but they’d build muscle just by wearing them, so it didn’t matter.
“Team 4 is going to get even more famous now. As the Rainbow Team.”
Nova giggled, which didn’t suit her.
“Ah, you should pick one out too. I’ll buy it for you as a souvenir.”
“…You want me to choose from here? From this place with nothing but lumps of iron?”
“Yeah.”
Nova glared at me with sharp eyes, but then her lips twitched, and she nodded.
“Fine, why not.”
We made another round with the cart.
Since there was no such thing as women’s armor, I offered Nova the thinnest and lightest heart guard I could find.
“Don’t you think it’ll be too small?”
Nova tilted her head as she took the heart guard.
“I think it’ll be plenty big enough.”
I replied, looking back and forth between the heart guard and Nova.
“…What?”
Nova’s eyes narrowed again.
She looked just like she had in the restaurant when she was holding the knife.
“Orange. You have a tendency to overestimate your…”
“Did you see them? Hah, you clearly don’t know. This is way too small! Way too small!”
Nova, who had turned an even deeper red, becoming a strawberry, put on the heart guard, and it fit her perfectly.
“It’s… so tight I can’t breathe.”
After her awkward performance, Nova suddenly shouted, “It’s because I didn’t eat breakfast or lunch today!” and then fell silent.
‘Is that everything? Ah, I should get one for Mini-fridge and Hana too.’
When it came to souvenirs, you had to be thorough, because leaving someone out would make them very upset.
“What are you looking for?”
Nova asked, her voice now much quieter.
“Ah, something for Hana and Kanna.”
“Hana? That waitress? And who’s Kanna?”
“Yeah, Kanna’s the little kid who keeps the beer cold.”
Nova frowned and muttered something under her breath, then slapped my hand as I rummaged through the guards.
“I’m sure a woman would just love to receive a lump of iron. Just buy some accessories on the way.”
“Rather than such useless things, something that can save their life when they need it is…”
I was about to argue but swallowed the rest of my words at Nova’s fierce glare.
So, on our way out, I picked up a few things Nova pointed out and tossed them into the cart.
I didn’t particularly like them, but Nova looked ready to stab me, so I endured it.
“But why only buy breastplates? If you’re going to buy them armor, you might as well get the whole set.”
“If I buy them everything, they’ll get spoiled.”
Nova let out a small sound of admiration at my answer.
Soon, we arrived at the inn where Nova was staying.
A male attendant enticed me by saying they had a room as magnificent as the royal palace, so I chose the most expensive one.
“Anyway, thanks for this!”
Nova, who was heading up first, turned around and shouted awkwardly but cheerfully before disappearing.
I scratched my neck, which was starting to feel itchy.
It seemed I desperately needed a bath.
‘Royal palace, my ass.’
I was certain that attendant had never been to the royal palace.
Still, the room had a bathtub, so I was reasonably satisfied.
***
The next morning, we left early for Casedic Castle.
We loaded the souvenirs onto a carriage bearing the Karzan seal, but there was so much that I had to crouch in a corner.
Annoyed, Nova frowned but didn’t curse. Her chest area seemed a bit more prominent than usual, perhaps because she was wearing the heart guard.
I was in the middle of making a joke about an under-watered, under-grown orange when…
“Guhk!!”
A groan of pain, followed by the sound of someone choking, came from the driver’s direction.
Without hesitation, I pulled Nova toward me, hiding her inside, just as an arrow pierced through the carriage wall.
It was a piece of trash, an arrow with a sharp stone tied to the end.
An arrow of such low quality that even mercenaries wouldn’t use it.
Seeing it, my mind raced.
The most likely culprit was…
‘Goblins?’
I had heard stories about orcs and goblins appearing in the area, so there was a high probability it was goblins.
“Wh-what was that?”
“An ambush. Probably goblins.”
I covered Nova, who was breathing heavily in shock, with a breastplate from the floor and stood up.
I broke off one of the arrows stuck in the carriage wall, pulled it out, and peered through the hole.
Hideously shaped goblins of a small stature were approaching, excitedly shaking their behinds.
There were about twenty of them.
Considering they usually moved in packs of about five, their numbers were unusually large.
‘Did a goblin village pop up or something?’
I clicked my tongue and drew my sword.
Goblins, classified as the lowest-grade monsters, weren't particularly difficult opponents.
Their crude weapons couldn't even penetrate leather armor, let alone iron, and they had a habit of turning tail and running after you killed a few of them. Even a group of adult men could fend them off.
Still, I was about to tell Nova to stay put, in case she tried to help clumsily and caused problems, but…
“Got it. Be careful.”
Nova, who had pulled the breastplates closer to form a bunker, gave a small wave.
Finding that gesture rather irksome, I clicked my tongue with a *tsk* and opened the carriage door.
As I stepped outside, the goblins let out bizarre screeches, ‘Kieek! Kieek!’, and jumped up and down on the spot.
‘Are they welcoming me?’
“Kieek!”
I mimicked their sound.
The goblins, who had been noisy just a moment ago, shut their mouths and tilted their heads.
A few of them pointed at me and ‘Kieek?’-ed at their companions.
I laughed heartily and charged into their midst.
***
*Hoo…*
I let out a long breath, steadying my ragged breathing.
Scattered around me were the dismembered corpses of twenty goblins.
‘Strange.’
Normal goblins, no matter how gutsy, should have fled the moment I cut down five of them, but these ones charged in to the very last, not a single one running away.
They clung to me tenaciously, as if I had killed their parents.
Because of that, I had to engage in an unexpected dogfight, and my entire body was drenched in sweat and blood.
It felt similar to fighting twenty large, bipedal chihuahuas.
It was a good thing I was covered head to toe in iron; otherwise, I would have been left with scratches and bite marks all over.
‘A scar from a goblin bite…’
Just the thought of it was embarrassing.
I swung my sword to flick off the blood, then took out the silk I had packed last night and wiped the blade.
*Creeak—.*
Just then, the carriage door opened, and Nova, ridiculously clad in a breastplate, stumbled out.
“Are you okay?”
“More or less. But this is a little strange.”
“What is?”
I explained the strange things I had noticed to Nova.
“There have been reports of an increase in goblin attacks recently, but twenty of them, and they didn’t even run…”
Nova’s expression turned serious, and she tapped her temple with a finger as if in thought.
I crouched in front of a goblin corpse and rummaged through its insides with my hand.
If you dig around long enough, you’re bound to find something.
Muttering curses at the damp, warm sensation, I rummaged for a while until a familiar black fluid oozed out from the goblin’s stomach. It was the same as what my little brother had sprayed from his hand.
‘Black magic on a goblin.’
Goblins may have low intelligence, but controlling a creature with any intelligence was on a different level from controlling a corpse. This was no ordinary foe.
‘Someone like that in this remote region? Is it because of the Young Lady again?’
Just like with the last black magician, there was a high probability it was the same this time.
“Here.”
“Ah, thanks.”
I took the plain white handkerchief Nova offered and wiped the fluid and blood from my hands.
“Does the Young Lady have anything to do with the Cleansing?”
I asked Nova.
“Are you saying the goblins might have been targeting the Young Lady?”
“Yeah, probably.”
“There’s zero chance of conquering the castle with goblins or orcs, so there’s only one possibility: when the eldest son of House Pener takes the Young Lady out during the Cleansing.”
Nova’s answer seemed plausible, so I nodded.
“According to the plan, there’s still quite a bit of time before the Cleansing.”
Nova muttered softly.
“We’ll find out when we get to the castle.”
After my short reply, I crouched in front of a goblin corpse and took out a skinning dagger.
I took a deep breath, reached down, grabbed the goblin’s… area, and cut it off with the dagger.
“Wh-what are you doing?!”
Nova’s flustered voice came from my side.
“This thing is 60 coppers a piece.”
A monster’s private parts were popular due to rumors that they were good for virility.
My pockets were already full, but the more money, the better.
Besides, old habits die hard, and it felt like a waste not to collect these after killing a monster.
“…People really buy this crap?”
Nova, her face full of annoyance, clicked her tongue, then took out her own dagger and squatted down in front of another goblin corpse.
Then, without a moment’s hesitation, she moved the dagger.
I let out a small sound of admiration. Even female mercenaries would usually curse and grimace at this, but Nova, while muttering curses, did it quite well.
I brought over a breastplate and set it beside us, piling the severed items on top.
We worked diligently, as if we were digging for sweet potatoes.
Very mini sweet potatoes.
“Aron, how do you cut the female ones…”
“Stop, that’s enough.”
“You said the male ones are good for a man’s virility, so wouldn’t the female ones be good for a woman’s…”
I frantically waved my hands at Nova, who was tilting her head in front of a goblin, dagger in hand.
Nova smacked her lips with a *tch* and nodded.
“You’re really something else.”
I was genuinely impressed.
“I’m no help in a fight, so I have to do what I can.”
Nova replied, casually wiping the blood from her hands on her dress.
I nodded at that and checked on the carriage.
I had checked earlier, but the driver was dead, an arrow lodged in his neck.
I clicked my tongue and closed the driver’s wide-open eyes.
One of the horses tied to the carriage was already dead, its guts spilling out from numerous goblin bites. The other one was in decent shape.
Since we couldn’t take the carriage, I calmed the spooked horse and tied our souvenirs to it.
“I can’t ride a horse.”
Nova shook her head, an uncharacteristically scared look on her face.
“Why not?”
“It’s scary.”
That wasn’t something to say while covered in green blood and bits of flesh.
“Bullshit.”
“I-It’s truuuue!”
I grabbed Nova by the waist, lifted her onto the horse, then mounted behind her and pulled the reins.
As the horse started moving, Nova panicked and tried to grab its neck.
I clicked my tongue and smacked her on the back of the head, and she lost consciousness and went quiet.
The rest of the ride was much more peaceful.
***
“Hasn’t the castle been quiet lately?”
“I heard Aron went to Karzan.”
“Ah, is that so? No wonder it’s been so quiet.”
Srim and Pering of the Outer Wall Guard’s Team 3, who were on gate duty today, were passing the time with idle chatter.
It made sense; with the recent increase in monster attacks in the surrounding area, the number of visiting merchants had dropped sharply, leaving them with little to do at the gate.
While it was normal for the monster population to increase periodically, the timing and numbers this time were unusual.
He’d heard that the inner castle was busy preparing for the Cleansing because of it.
“*Yawn*—Gate duty is the best gig these days. Nothing to do. The Daejang told us to be on high alert, but what monster would be crazy enough to come all the way to the castle?”
Seeing Pering so relaxed, Srim clicked his tongue.
Srim was worried about the upcoming Cleansing.
Seeing as the merchants had all but disappeared, it seemed likely they would take all the troops, leaving only a minimum force to defend. If that happened, the Outer Wall Guard would be no exception.
Srim felt an imaginary ache in his right knee, which he had scraped after falling during the last patrol.
Oblivious to Srim’s worries, Pering was talking about the ‘secret social party’ he had been attending recently.
Pering bragged about how mysterious and secretive the mandatory-mask party was, and how hot the woman he met there was.
Srim clicked his tongue, wondering who would hold a ‘secret social party’ in a tiny, backwater castle like this.
“You’re saying you don’t even know the face of the woman you met?”
“No. But the line of her jaw visible beneath the mask was so beautiful, she must be a beauty.”
“If she were truly beautiful, she wouldn’t have gone to a masked party, you idiot.”
Srim snickered, and Pering retorted hotly.
But Srim wasn’t listening, instead teasing him by calling him ‘Pering who slept with a pumpkin.’
As they were passing the time like this, something approached from the distance.
“Huh? What’s that?”
“Anyway, that woman’s breasts were… huh? I can’t see clearly.”
The two squinted, staring at the edge of the horizon.
The thing that appeared over the horizon was green and…
“I-Isn’t that an orc? Not just an orc, but an Orc King or something…”
Pering muttered, swallowing hard.
Srim, wondering if he should ring the bell immediately, observed the approaching figure.
By the time its face became visible, he realized it wasn’t an orc, but a large man covered from head to toe in green blood.
“A…ron?”
At Pering’s words, Srim swallowed hard and nodded.
Aron was the only one who looked that menacing.
*Scraape—Thump.*
‘What’s that behind him?’
Srim narrowed his eyes, trying to make out what was being dragged behind Aron.
Looking closer, it was a pile of breastplates.
A goblin was crushed underneath, preventing the breastplates from scraping against the ground.
Something was piled high on top of the breastplates. As Srim looked closer, he barely managed to suppress the urge to vomit.
“Good heavens. Oh, God.”
At the horrifying sight that must have come from hell, Srim placed his right hand on his forehead and called out to God.
*Scraape—Thump.*
Aron approached right up to the gate, making a steady noise.
“Aron.”
Srim straightened his posture for no reason and bowed his head.
“Yeah, you guys are working hard.”
Aron waved his hand casually in greeting.
“D-Did something happen?”
Srim forced his stiff lips to form the question.
“Ah, there were a lot of monsters on the way. We’ll have to go out and clean them up soon.”
At Aron’s mutter, Srim swallowed hard.
Just by the number of gruesome things piled on the breastplates, it was clearly more than just ‘a lot,’ but Aron’s casual demeanor made Srim tremble slightly.
“Aren’t you going to open the gate?”
Just then, a sharp female voice came from behind Aron.
“N-Nova?”
“Hurry up and open it, I want to wash up. Fucking monsters, fucking…”
Srim couldn’t understand what she was saying, but he scrambled toward the castle gate.
Aron was one thing, but Nova was also quite famous in Casedic Castle.
If people saw those two together like this, they would surely lament, ‘The day of judgment has finally come to Casedic Castle!’
“Ah, do you guys need any of these?”
Aron, who was about to pass, asked, pointing to the gruesome things.
Srim quickly shook his head, but Pering, next to him, nodded.
“Actually, I’ve been feeling a little lacking lately…”
“Yeah? Then have a few…”
“70 coppers each.”
Nova shouted, raising her hand high.
It was common knowledge that goblin parts usually sold for 60 coppers a piece. How shameless.
“These were just picked today, so they’re exceptionally fresh. Freshness is key with these things…”
However, listening to Nova’s explanation, it was strangely persuasive.
By the time Nova said, ‘Touch it, I’m telling you it’s still warm,’ Srim had bought three and Pering had bought five.
*Scraape—Thump.*
“It’s not heavy, is it?”
“I’ve told you several times it’s incredibly heavy. You overweight orange.”
“It’s not heavy, is it?”
“Ow! Don’t pinch… Fine, it’s not heavy.”
“See? I told you it wasn’t heavy.”
Srim, holding the grotesque objects in his hand, stared blankly at the backs of the two as they entered the castle.
Behind them, a long trail of green blood from the goblin crushed beneath the breastplates stretched out.
Feeling that the green line was incredibly ominous, Srim unconsciously brought his right hand to his forehead, but the grotesque thing in his hand smacked him right in the nose.
“Agh… crazy… fucking piece of shit…”
“Pfft… Srim, that’s not a dog, it’s a goblin…”
Srim cursed for a long time.