Chapter 44
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Preparation
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“...Why do you look like that?”
When I entered the room to give my report, the Daejang’s fleshy eyes widened as he asked.
“Ah, some monsters showed up. Over by the—the fields.”
“The fields? And?”
“We went out and took care of them.”
At my answer, the Daejang’s wide eyes narrowed.
The flesh around them sagged, making him look just like an old caterpillar.
“...You went out and took care of them?”
“Yes.”
I was already tired, and I couldn't understand why he kept asking. I clicked my tongue and nodded.
“They weren't just some wolves, they were monsters, and you went and fought them?! Just you guys?! Without reporting it? Without permission?!”
Growing more agitated as he spoke, the Daejang shot up from his seat.
That’s when I noticed his hideous fashion sense.
‘The bastard’s only wearing the top half of his armor.’
He had on his steel armor top, but below the waist, he wore a pair of baggy pants that looked like he’d just thrown them on at home.
“You bastards?! Without even asking me?!”
The Daejang stomped over to me.
He reached to put a hand on my shoulder, so I bent my knees to match his height.
“Excellent—job! That's Jojang Aron for you. The Jojang I trust the most, I tell you! Taking care of business on his own! A proactive leader! If all my Jojangs were like Aron, I'd have nothing more to wish for! Nothing!”
The Daejang beamed like a pig that had found honey, spitting as he spoke.
The sight was so ridiculous I couldn't help but laugh along, and the squad members behind me snickered.
The Daejang, looking a bit sheepish, cleared his throat with a ‘khm, khm’ and composed his expression.
“Anyway! Squad 4! You cause the most trouble, but you also get the most done! The magnificent Squad 4!”
The Daejang, thoroughly excited, walked around patting the guys on the shoulder.
Finally, he patted Dylan on the shoulder, and Dylan bellowed, ‘My life for Casedic Castle! I pledge my loyalty!’
The Daejang’s expression soured. ‘No need for all that. Just do your job. Moderately.’
“If it were up to me, I'd give you all leave right now! But I don't have that authority, so applause will have to do. Squad 4! I commend you! Now—everyone, a round of applause!”
A moment of silence followed his words. I started clapping first, and the guys behind me joined in.
“Yes, yes. You all worked hard. Go get some rest—”
the Daejang said excitedly as he brought over the bottom half of his armor and put it on.
I wanted to kick his wiggling ass, but I managed to restrain myself and left the room.
***
“Isn't that too much? He could have at least bought us a drink. That bastard Daejang.”
“Quiet, Kel. We're still inside headquarters.”
“What are you talking about, Berman? You're just another guard. Acting all high and mighty when you've never even touched a woman.”
“…I have.”
“When?”
“Khm.”
“Both of you, shut up. I'm buying, so everyone wash up and meet me at Hana's.”
Kel and Berman, who had been growling at each other just a moment ago, shouted in unison, "Yes, sir—!"
“Ah, Jojang. I, uh...”
Brick, his face flushed, scratched the back of his head and trailed off.
“Jojang, I saw him earlier. Brick secretly ate some goblin powder.”
Snake-eyed Pul said, pointing at Brick with his chin.
“I didn't eat it secretly... I was just curious what it tasted like...”
“Oh, Brother Brick, are you going to go *do it*?”
“What... does that mean?”
“This. I mean this.”
In response to Brick's question, Dylan vigorously slapped his left fist into his right palm, making a smacking sound.
“It's not that. There's a group reservation at the diner today, so I'm going to help out.”
‘A group reservation at that cursed place?’
It would have been more believable if he’d said he was going to meet Charlotte. This was even more suspicious.
“Alright. Do what you want. Anyone who's drinking, go to Hana's and put it on my tab.”
“Where are you going, Jojang?”
“Out.”
I scratched my head irritably at Kel's question.
“I'm going to see a certain admirable bastard.”
I didn't want to go, but it wasn't something I could just ignore.
***
The abbey was as busy as ever.
The monks still wore expressions like they were about to die, and the white abbey building was as clean as if it had just been built.
As I stood in front, mentally preparing myself, a dense tree next to the abbey rustled slightly.
‘…The Inquisitor?’
I looked up and saw the Inquisitor squatting on a branch.
She was holding that cake of hers and glaring down with a wary look in her eyes.
When our eyes met, she frowned. Then, she held out her hand, pointed at my forehead, and nodded.
It seemed she was forgoing the blessing to suit the situation.
I had no idea why she was up there, but I had no desire to get involved, so I subtly backed away.
*Rustle-.*
The tree trembled, and a few green leaves fluttered down.
‘The people here are really something else….’
An inscrutable Inquisitor, a priest who commissions the murder of the Abbot, and a needlessly righteous Abbot.
It was a combination that made me shake my head.
I walked through the wide-open doors of the abbey, when a furious shout suddenly erupted from inside.
“...How could you not know!”
The voice was clearly Brighton's, and my head started to spin a little.
Still, I was curious what could have made the usually composed man so angry, so I peeked inside.
The shouting was coming from the room where I had bought the potion before.
I stuck my head in and saw that obnoxious guy from before bowing his head repeatedly to Brighton.
I'd been planning to rough him up if I ever saw him outside, but seeing him get thoroughly chewed out was quite satisfying.
“W-Well, the inventory moves in and out so frequently...”
“Is that a valid excuse! And why are the ledgers so sloppily kept! To think the person in charge of the potion known as God's Blood could be so incompetent!”
‘Wow, he’s got some lungs on him.’
The stress that had built up today seemed to melt away in an instant, and a smile crept onto my face.
Watching someone else get reamed out was always the best entertainment.
And when the target was someone you planned to beat up eventually, the fun was doubled.
“Get out! Get out right now! From today on, I will handle the potion inventory myself! Go out and sweep the courtyard!”
“B-But... Abbot...”
“Did you not hear me say get out!”
“Y-Yes!”
As the annoying bastard scurried out of the room, our eyes met.
I met his gaze and grinned, baring my teeth. He scowled and brushed past me.
As if trying to vent his anger, he bumped my shoulder, but he was no match for me in the first place.
“Ugh!”
He sprawled spectacularly on the ground. I looked down at him, the corner of my mouth twitching up again.
His face red as if it were about to burst, he scrambled to his feet and practically ran outside.
‘When I see him outside, I’ll limit myself to just two punches.’
“Ah, you're here.”
Brighton, who had already crossed the room and sat down, greeted me, seemingly serious about his declaration to manage the potions.
‘So are all the guys sweeping the courtyard the ones who got kicked out?’
A dry laugh escaped me at the sudden thought.
“Yes, I came because I have something to tell you.”
“More importantly, have you read the scriptures?”
I had momentarily forgotten.
This bastard was an admirable man who didn't distinguish between friend or foe.
“Ah, I've been busy, so I haven't had the chance. It was a long day...”
“As I said before, being busy is just an excuse. From what I saw when entering the castle, it seems you would have time to read the scriptures even while on gate duty...”
“Ah, I have something urgent to discuss.”
If I let him continue, my ears would start bleeding, so I quickly cut him off.
Abbot Brighton didn't seem to mind being interrupted and simply nodded.
“The tenant farmers were attacked by monsters today, and there were traces of a black magician on them.”
“You found evidence of an unholy one?”
Brighton asked calmly, but his eyes were darker and more sunken than before.
“Yes. I was able to recognize it because I faced a black magician during the young lady's kidnapping incident.”
“Ah, I read about that in a report. I see. The unholy ones... So, what happened to the farmers?”
“Four were killed by orcs.”
“I'd heard rumors of monsters roaming around Casedic Castle recently. Were there no measures taken for the farmers?”
Brighton's sharp eyes narrowed slightly.
“No.”
“I see. Thank you for telling me.”
Brighton shot up from his seat and strode past me. The length of his stride told me he was furious.
“Watch this place for a moment. I'll send Monk Ains as I leave.”
I didn't know where he was going, but I nodded.
“Ah, and have you by any chance seen the Inquisitor? I've been looking for her, but she's nowhere to be found.”
Brighton, who was about to leave the room, turned back and asked.
The image of the Inquisitor squatting in the tree came to mind.
‘Was she hiding from him?’
I briefly considered telling him her location, then shook my head.
I couldn't betray a fellow sufferer.
“I see. I wonder where she went. Tsk.”
Brighton nodded and left the room.
Left alone, I casually walked over to the other side of the room.
Shelves were lined with those precious potions.
‘That annoying bastard was in charge of this, right?’
Suddenly, the memory of him getting chewed out just now and his previous snarky attitude towards me overlapped in my mind.
I uncorked a nearby potion.
Inhaling the potion's distinct medicinal scent, I quickly brought it to my lips.
‘I was feeling a bit tired today. Perfect.’
I downed the potion in one go.
The potion warmed my stomach and sent a pleasant heat through my entire body. I patted my belly in satisfaction.
I could feel my energy being restored.
And since my mouth felt empty just standing there, I opened another potion.
‘The taste gets old fast. Do they have strawberry flavor?’
After two, I was past just restoring my energy; my eyes were wide awake.
“Ah! Honorary Monk Aron!”
Just as I was starting to feel the need to piss after about three bottles, Monk Ains arrived.
I secretly pocketed one more bottle and headed out.
***
[You… How could you! You ungrateful…!]
*Knock, knock, knock.*
The first thing I did upon waking was reach for my sword.
Only after recognizing the familiar room did I put the sword down and rub my dry face.
‘…That admirable son of a bitch.’
It was painfully obvious who was at the door.
I grabbed my sword and armor and went outside.
I gave a brief greeting to the man reading the scriptures with a solemn face.
I ran laps around the clearing while he recited his prayers.
Even as I swung my sword, he continued to recite his prayers.
‘Since I’ve got a medic right behind me, maybe I can push myself a little harder?’
Deciding to make use of the situation since I couldn't avoid it, I pushed my body harder than usual. I reached my limit but didn't stop.
And then I collapsed forward.
Brighton came over and healed me, and my body was good as new.
After finishing, Brighton left without a second thought, and the mini-fridge waddled over to hand me a beer.
‘Not bad.’
Drinking the cool beer, I felt my thoughts clear up a bit.
With someone there to heal me, I could push my training to the absolute limit, instead of holding back for my next shift.
Even the slightly annoying prayers were tolerable if I thought of them as gym music.
Of course, any gym that played that kind of music would have gone out of business long ago.
Just then, the mini-fridge exclaimed, "Ta-da!" and opened its palm.
A frozen die floated above its small palm.
The sight gave me an instant headache.
‘Why did you combine those two things?’
However, I hid my true thoughts and clapped, praising it.
The little guy's mouth twitched in a smile.
It seemed to have developed a taste for praise.
I went inside, washed up, and came out to find Hana sitting at the table with a meat pie on it.
“Oh! Aron.”
“Yeah.”
I gave a rough reply to the beaming Hana as I sat down and picked up the meat pie.
Her skills seemed to be improving; it tasted pretty good.
“When do you think the coachmen will be back to their normal routes? Cops and the other regulars keep asking.”
“Probably soon. They're clearing the area. Should be within a week.”
The grease from the meat soaked into the bread, making the otherwise dry pastry much more palatable.
“A week... But this isn't so bad either! Getting to be all cozy with you like this, Aron—”
Hana smiled brightly, waving her hands around awkwardly. I had no idea who taught her that gesture.
“Are you okay not getting any business?”
I quickly changed the subject.
“Well, I made a hefty sum during the last execution, so I'm doing okay. No! Actually, money's a bit tight. Could you use this?”
Hana made that awkward gesture again and grinned.
“Take this, at least.”
“Huh? It's a gold coin, a gold coin?! W-With one time being 43 coppers... one gold would mean... Aron! T-That much?! No way! My arm will break!”
Muttering to herself, Hana's face went pale. She shook her head frantically and offered the gold coin back to me. Still, the corners of her mouth were turned up; she seemed to be thoroughly enjoying her little act.
“It's an advance. For the rest of the lodging fees and other things, including Kanna's.”
“Aww, what's this? With one gold coin, I could live here forever! Oh my—forever?”
Hana deliberately tucked the gold coin into her cleavage, feigning playful shock.
‘She wouldn’t be able to wear a chest protector.’
I wiped the grease from my hands on a cloth on the table and stood up.
“Have a great day today, too! Aron!”
“You have a productive day.”
Receiving Kanna's greeting, which somehow reeked of Dylan, I headed outside.
The damp smell of dawn mixed with a faint, foul odor to create the perfect medieval morning.
***
A simple funeral was held for Prane.
The Abbot himself presided over it, a duty normally reserved for a priest.
Because the Abbot was in charge, the Lord's side had no choice but to participate, resulting in a grand funeral unfitting for a tenant farmer.
‘He’s already dead, so what does a funeral matter anyway.’
In front of the cloth-wrapped body stood two small children, their eyes wide as they looked around.
They were the children I had seen when I visited Prane.
I clicked my tongue and headed for the castle gate.
The Lord had forbidden the farmers from going outside until the cleanup was finished, so there was less to do than usual.
I intuited that the Abbot must have visited the Lord late last night.
For an Abbot to visit the Lord so late without notice was, in a way, quite remarkable.
Thanks to that, perhaps, the cleanup was moved up to tomorrow.
“Look at this. I took some of this yesterday! And whoa—this stuff is just—it’s just! *Springs up!* It doesn't die! It keeps springing up! Spriiiinging up!”
Dylan stood on a stall, waving his hands animatedly as he preached the gospel of goblin powder.
His explanation and gestures were so perfectly in sync that the men who had been skeptical now stared up at him with mesmerized eyes.
“Come on, come on—you won't regret it! This is rare stuff, there's not much left! I'm sharing this good stuff with you, not trying to make money, I tell you! Hey! No cutting in line! I'm only selling one spoonful per person anyway.”
Even though no one was in line yet, Dylan nonchalantly waved his hand.
I'd felt it before, but there was something about Dylan's words that drew you in.
“There's not much left! If you're late, it's over! Over!”
As Dylan shouted decisively, the men scrambled to form a line. Dylan then used a spoon-like wooden stick to pour the powder into their mouths.
The powder sold out in no time. I gave Dylan a small cut of the profits. Seeing him grin, I could tell he was satisfied too.
‘Monsters really are profitable.’
I patted my now-heavier purse and nodded.
“By the way, Father... no, Boss, does this stuff really work?”
It was funny that the guy who had been shouting about it earlier was now asking if it worked.
“It'll give you confidence.”
“...Is that so? I think you're right, Boss. After all, isn't confidence the most important thing for a man?”
After that, while I was continuing the tedious gate inspection with Dylan, Nova showed up.
“Aron.”
Nova's hair was tied back tightly, and her eyes were filled with irritation.
“The walking orange.”
“Cut the crap. Over here.”
Nova called me over with a deliberately serious expression.
“Sister-in-law... no, since he's Father—Mother?”
Dylan, who had been muttering, quickly shut his mouth under Nova's glare and pretended to be diligently watching the gate.
His absurd words were so ridiculous that I couldn't help but clear my throat.
“What's with that one?”
“Dylan.”
“What? Whatever. That thing you mentioned before. About there being traces of a black magician on the monsters. Are you sure about that?”
“No, not sure.”
“...I'm being serious, so stop joking.”
“So am I.”
“Hoo... Anyway, so there's a high chance that black magician is targeting the young lady?”
“Probably.”
Nova narrowed her eyes and glared at me.
“I don't know for sure either.”
I shrugged in response.
“Right. The young lady won't be joining the cleanup. The Lord decided before I could even suggest it.”
‘The Flying Baron used his head for once.’
It was a cleanup of the area around Casedic Castle, which could have meant assigning both knights to the Penell family's eldest son.
By leaving the young lady behind, he had cleverly arranged for Sir Ben to remain at Casedic Castle.
“Of course, I was going to suggest the same thing. In a way, it's just common sense, isn't it? What kind of madman would bring a beautiful young lady to a fight with monsters?”
Nova emphasized the word 'beautiful' while shooting me a sharp glare.
“I suppose so.”
“Hmph... I won't even bother. Anyway, if, as you say, a black magician is behind the monsters and is targeting the young lady, do you think the other side wouldn't know that?”
Nova asked, dusting off her clean hands.
“They might attack the castle in the meantime.”
“Exactly. Or maybe the black magician just released some monsters they were experimenting on. I looked it up, and it's not unheard of.”
Nova continued, listing various scenarios and answering her own questions. Some of them were quite plausible.
She had a point.
Black magicians were all a bunch of crazies, so it was hard to figure out their exact intentions.
“If there is an attack, the outer wall is the most vulnerable. The inner wall will at least have one knight, but the outer wall only has the guards.”
Nova said, tapping her cheek with her finger.
“I see.”
“Not 'I see.' I've already spoken to the people from the church, so reinforcements will be sent to the outer wall. The new Abbot is surprisingly reasonable. Support, including the Inquisitor, will be added to the outer wall's defense.”
Nova explained it was a precaution for one of the possibilities, but she had already set a lot of things in motion.
“It's better to be prepared and risk it being for nothing than to be caught off guard and regret it. Then again, if we get caught, we might not live to regret it.”
As if reading my expression, Nova replied in an annoyed tone, then smirked.
“Anyway, the inner wall has its own defenses, so just focus on the outer wall. And try not to go running around breaking walls again!”
I felt a bit wronged, but I nodded under her sharp gaze.
Watching Nova nod in satisfaction, I felt an itch to say something.
“Did you come all this way to warn me because you were worried? You thoughtful, walking orange.”
“...Asshole.”
Nova cursed under her breath and quickly turned to leave.
She walked away twice as fast as she had arrived.
‘An attack, huh... I wonder what this next one will drop.’
I licked my lips without realizing it.
‘I’ve got the fire-breathing stick… and the sharp sword. This time…’
“Boss... no, Father. If things get dangerous, don't abandon this son of yours...”
I smacked the back of Dylan's head to shut him up.
***
*Bwoooo-.*
With the sound of a horn, soldiers clad in heavy iron armor moved forward slowly.
Mounted on horseback, they cut an impressive figure.
At the very front was the eldest son of the Penell family.
He had a sword at his waist and a long spear in his hand.
The annoyingly handsome bastard shouted something, and the rest of the soldiers responded in kind.
Behind him, Sir Adela also held a long spear.
“Isn't that just bullshit? The Jojang took care of everything, but he's the one acting all high and mighty.”
Berman muttered from beside me.
“Who knows.”
“Jojang, the orc parts aren't drying as well as I thought. Maybe because they're so big.”
“Brother Pul, back in my hometown...”
“Brick, did you give her a taste of the goblin yesterday?”
“Ah, Kel. I brought the leftover fish bread from yesterday...”
“It's a devil! A devil!”
“Everyone, be quiet.”
And so the eldest son, the knight, soldiers from the Penell and Pulpuchu families, and a few inner wall guards left the castle.
Their numbers exceeded thirty, a considerable force for a border castle to send out for a simple area cleanup.
‘They might actually come to raid the empty castle.’
Above all, with the young lady remaining in the castle, if she was their target, they would surely come to raid the now-vulnerable fortress.
‘Looks like I won't be able to drink for a few days.’
With that in mind, I sat down with Berman in front of a tavern and ordered some wine to drink in advance.
Perhaps as a reward for catching the monsters, the Daejang had put us on standby.
"Standby" in this case meant "go hang out at a decent tavern and just report back at the end of your shift."
As we were in the middle of drinking, a familiar face appeared.
“Ah, Aron! There you are.”
“Hm. Ben?”
It was the young lady's escort, Sir Ben.
He was once again wearing his black armor.
“It's been a while.”
“I haven't had the time. Hasn't it been one thing after another? The young lady couldn't go out because of it, so neither could I. Oh—”
“Want a drink?”
Ben, licking his lips, readily accepted the wine and downed it in one go.
“You can sit.”
Ben gestured to Berman, who was standing awkwardly.
Berman glanced at me nervously before moving behind me.
Ben talked about this and that.
Mostly, it was about swordsmanship. I listened and added my own thoughts where I could.
I'd always thought a sword was simply about stabbing and cutting faster than your opponent, but talking about it was surprisingly fun.
It was absurd for a mere guard Jojang like me to be discussing swordsmanship with a knight like Ben, but he listened to my words seriously and nodded.
He was a knight who wasn't very knightly, yet was.
“By the way, where did you leave the young lady?”
“Haha! 'Leave the young lady'! You have a funny way of putting things. The young lady is with the Inquisitor. The Inquisitor recently offered to help her with her scripture studies.”
‘Did she get caught hiding in the tree?’
But scripture studies with the Inquisitor...
It sounded terrifying just thinking about it, but I wondered if it was okay since she was a noble lady.
“Have you heard? There might be an attack on the castle.”
Ben whispered quietly, leaning in as if sharing a precious secret.
I feigned surprise, and Ben nodded with a satisfied smile.
“You be careful too. Don't worry, I won't be caught off guard like before. It's a bit much to say it myself, but I'm one of the stronger knights.”
Ben flashed a confident smile, but I couldn't bring myself to trust him. Of course, just from his presence and the look in his eyes, he was clearly a fine knight, but...
‘He wasn't very useful either of the last two times.’
When I first met the Tenant, and when I fought the black magician's brother, he was on the ground, bleeding.
Sure, he did *something* both times, but it wasn't very impressive.
“I'm counting on you, Sir Ben.”
Still, he was a good guy, so I nodded.
“Just trust me, friend.”
Ben pointed to himself with his thumb and gave a rather dashing smile, but I still found him unreliable.
***
At night, the main duty was not to open the gate but to watch for anyone approaching, so we closed the gate and kept watch from the top of the wall.
“Now, just because the sun has set does not mean He is gone. Even in the dark of night, His warmth remains in the world...”
‘The clueless, admirable bastard.’
The constant muttering beside me made me want to gouge my own ears out.
“Mmm...”
The Inquisitor next to me had also gone pale and was letting out a low groan.
I saw her hand resting on the handle of her mace and cheered for her internally.
Please, let the Inquisitor draw that mace and smash that admirable saint's head in.
However, it seemed she still had some reason left, as she managed to restrain herself.
“Honorary Monk Aron. Since you haven't read the scriptures again, I shall read them to you myself. In the beginning, the sun...”
This time, I was the one fiddling with my sword hilt, and the Inquisitor looked at me with a strange heat in her eyes.
I barely managed to hold back, and this time, the Inquisitor wore a look of disappointment.
And so, the Inquisitor and I took turns testing the limits of our patience.
‘Ah, won't some damn devil show up already?’
I desperately wished for a devil, a devil's minion, or a black magician to appear.
Whatever it was, please, just show up...
Just then, I saw things approaching the castle in the distance.
Their bodies were twisted and hideous, without a shred of life in them...
“Whoa!! Devils!”
I shouted without thinking and broke into a wide grin.
“...Whoa!”
The Inquisitor beside me echoed in a small voice.
The usually expressionless woman was smiling, a rare sight indeed.