Chapter 48
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: The Wandering Poet
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The Wandering Poet
Knock, knock.
The first thing I did upon waking was reach for my sword.
Relieved by its cool touch, I wiped the cold sweat from my brow.
“A fine morning for prayer.”
I barely restrained my fist at the sight of the abbot’s needlessly virtuous face as he opened the door.
Ignoring his prattling, I headed to the backyard, pushed my body past its limits, and collapsed.
“The sun shall always shine upon you, wherever you may be.”
I received treatment from the noisy medics.
“Here.”
I drank a beer that my upper body was practically bobbing in.
And went to work.
‘That crazy… excellent abbot. He’s managed to subtly infiltrate my daily life.’
The realization hit me at headquarters, and I seethed as I changed into my boots.
“Jojang, you’re here.”
Brick, who was usually all smiles, greeted me with a somber face.
“Why the long face?”
“Well…”
Brick hesitated, his words trailing off.
I didn’t press him and pulled on my other boot. Feeling an unpleasant dampness, I kicked the wall a few times to knock the dirt off. A small pile of soil had already accumulated at the base of the wall.
“Um… Jojang. Do you have any more of that?”
“Of what?”
“Yes. That. You know.”
“What is ‘that’?”
“The… powder.”
“Ah, the goblin chili powder.”
“…Excuse me?”
“The goblin chili powder, right?”
“That’s it, but the name…”
Brick’s eyes went wide like his face as his voice faded.
“I sold it all, though.”
“Ah… is that so.”
Brick, who was terrible at hiding his emotions, let out a sigh that was almost comical.
“But I do have orc chili powder.”
“O-orc, you say?!”
Brick, who had looked like he’d lost the world, raised his voice and shot back the question.
“Yeah. Orcs are better than goblins anyway. They’re a different size, after all.”
“…Is it possible for me to purchase some? No, I’ll buy it all!”
‘This guy is desperate. Did it actually work?’
I thought about teasing him a little, but his expression was so serious that I held back. As a fellow man, it was a subject I couldn't bring myself to tease him about.
“Alright. I’ll give it to you when Pul brings it.”
“Ah! You’re the best, Jojang! Thank you, truly. Thank you, Jojang!”
The guy suddenly tried to hug me, and my fist shot out in surprise.
He took a fist to the face and collapsed with a cry of, “Ack!”
“Stop being so dramatic.”
“That really hurt, Jojang.”
The man with the round, watery eyes grumbled as he got to his feet.
“Then don’t do things that’ll get you hit.”
“…You have a point.”
Brick nodded as if he understood my words.
If we were mercenaries, Brick would have had no room to complain even if I’d just stuck a knife in his gut.
“So, why the chili powder?”
“Well… it’s a little embarrassing, but…”
Brick began to speak slowly, hesitantly.
He said that on the day he met with Sharot after eating the powder, her reaction had been particularly good. It had put a swagger in his step and deepened his voice, but the problem was when he met Sharot again the next day…
It wasn’t the same as before, he said.
‘It really works.’
I listened to Brick’s story with quiet admiration.
I thought it was just a confidence booster, but I was surprised to find it was more effective than I’d imagined.
“So if I could get a little more…”
“Sure, I’ll tell Pul.”
“…Thank you so much, Jojang.”
Brick thanked me again, the face of a wounded man. It held something that, as a fellow man, I couldn't ignore.
I clapped him on the shoulder and stood up. Brick’s slumped shoulders straightened, if only a little.
I went in to report to the Daejang.
The Daejang, dressed in casual clothes without his armor, greeted us.
“Jojang Aron! My trusted Jojang Aron…”
The Daejang clapped my shoulder with a greasy hand and rambled on for a while about how much he trusted me and how high his expectations were.
Just as I decided I would turn him into pulled pork if he said one more word, the Daejang stopped talking.
His intuition was uncanny.
“Oh, and Aron. Nova from the inner wall was looking for you. Why don’t you head there first?”
‘Orange was?’
At the Daejang’s words, I seriously wondered if I had broken any walls recently. Nothing came to mind, so I nodded.
I told Brick to start the patrol without me and headed for the inner wall.
Unlike the outer wall, which was the same as always, the inner wall was bustling with activity. It seemed the damage was greater here, as it was where the devil had infiltrated.
Two men with strangely heavy expressions were standing guard at the inner wall gate.
Among them was Jace, the Bastard Squared. His expression was heavy, unlike his usual arrogant demeanor.
“…Commoner.”
Jace bit his lip slightly as he looked at me.
“Bastard Squared.”
“…”
Jace hesitated for a moment before looking away without a retort.
I wondered if he remembered me hitting him, but it didn’t really matter if he did, so I walked past.
‘This place is starting to feel familiar too.’
I made my way with unnecessarily heavy steps to Nova’s office.
Knock. Knock-knock.
This time, I tried knocking with a different rhythm.
“Come in.”
Her voice was strangely gentle, unlike her usual tone. I tried to memorize the rhythm of my knock as I opened the door.
Nova was sitting at her desk as usual.
However, unlike its usual pristine state, the desk was littered with nutshells.
“Ahem…”
Spotting me, Nova straightened her posture and pushed her shoulders back. She struck a pose like she was having her portrait taken and stared at me with a peculiar gaze.
That look was vaguely similar to the refrigerator that made ice sculptures and stared at me.
“Posture-corrected Orange?”
“…”
I thought it was a good guess, but Nova narrowed her eyes and glared at me.
‘Was it chest-day Orange?’
I’d picked one of the two, but it seemed the other option was the right one. A pity.
“The reason I called for… Aron… is that Sir Ben has decided to transfer the reward he is receiving to… you, and I wished to discuss it.”
Nova’s demeanor was different from usual. The sharp, articulate Nova was stumbling over her words as if a part of her was broken.
“Devil-possessed Orange?”
“What kind of bullsh— Ahem. So, we will now discuss the reward…s.”
Her true self peeked out for a moment, but she quickly relaxed her eyes and spoke demurely again, giving me goosebumps.
It really did seem like she was possessed by a devil, and I found myself subconsciously muttering a prayer.
“May the sun shine upon you, wherever you may be…”
Then it suddenly hit me that I knew the prayer, which soured my mood even further. As I scowled, Nova scowled back, and a strange silence fell between us.
It was Nova who spoke first.
“Hmph. I’m giving you a reward.”
Nova’s face returned to its usual irritated expression—no, she actually looked even angrier as she spoke.
An annoyed look suited Orange much better.
“What reward?”
“You used potions on Sir Ben, didn’t you? Five of them, at that.”
“…Five bottles?”
I wasn’t crazy. There was no way I’d use five bottles of that precious potion on a guy who wasn’t even fully human.
“No? That’s what an outer wall guard named Dylan said.”
Nova tilted her head at my question.
‘That clever little weasel.’
The situation became clear in an instant, and I quickly nodded my head.
“It was six bottles. He must not have seen clearly in the dark.”
“…Anyway, Sir Ben heard about it and said he’d give you the entire reward he received from the Lord for dealing with the devil.”
Nova replied, eyeing me with suspicion.
‘So it’s been recorded that Ben handled it.’
That was a good outcome for me. Bragging about catching a devil would only bring trouble.
Just then, my eyes met Nova’s, and her expression was strange. It was a bizarre mix of an unnerving gaze and some odd emotion.
After a moment of silence, Nova let out a small scoff.
“Gold coins are the best reward, right?”
“A clever, beautiful, and thoughtful Orange.”
“Pfft.”
My answer made Orange chuckle, which seemed to startle her. She quickly changed her expression, but the corners of her mouth were still turned up.
The sight sent a shiver down my spine. Something she ate must have been off; her reactions were particularly strange today.
“Check it.”
Nova handed me a pouch that was visibly large and heavy.
I took the pouch and glanced inside.
It contained ten gold coins.
“The situation in Cathadic isn’t great either, so that’s the most we could do.”
Nova popped a walnut from her desk into her mouth and crunched down on it.
She immediately made a face, the bitter taste making her mutter a small, “Ugh.”
Then she chewed again, and again made a bitter face with an “Ugh.”
She looked like a character in a childish skit.
“A thoughtful but foolish Orange.”
“…What!”
She could have just not eaten it if it tasted bad, but she chewed and swallowed it all, then picked up another walnut and put it in her mouth.
“Ugh…”
She made another bitter face, and I couldn't help but laugh at the foolish sight.
“What are you laughing at? I happen to love nuts.”
Despite her words, Nova’s brow was deeply furrowed, and her lips were pressed into a thin line.
She looked like she was fighting the urge to spit it out.
“Walnut-topped Orange.”
“…Get out.”
At the sight of Nova’s narrowing eyes, I hastily left the room.
Crunch.
Ugh…
As I left, I heard the silly sounds from behind me and smiled to myself.
I was about to head back to the outer wall when the Bastard Squared stopped me.
“Aron.”
Jace called my name, which was out of character for him.
“I’m broke.”
“…What?”
“No cut for you.”
“Aron.”
Jace, who would normally have muttered something like ‘filthy commoner,’ bit his lip and called my name again. A sense of unease crept over me.
“What is it?”
“Leyam is dead.”
Jace’s words left my mind blank for a moment.
But it didn’t last long.
“I see.”
This was a place where it wouldn't be strange for anyone to die at any moment.
Jace always stood guard with Leyam, so it had been strange seeing him with someone else today.
“When I faced the devil, I was so terrified my strength gave out. But Leyam told me to stay put, that he would go report it…”
Jace rambled on for a while about how pathetic and cowardly he had been. He looked like someone giving confession to a priest.
“It’s not your fault.”
I said what he most wanted to hear, patted his shoulder, and walked away.
[Let’s grab a drink when you get back!]
I found myself scratching my chin as I headed for Sector 5.
Leyam’s house was in a secluded corner of Sector 5.
I’d been there a few times before, so I found it easily. Leyam never locked his door, so it was open.
As I entered, I was greeted by the smell of a house inhabited by a single man. There was a simple reason I had always avoided drinking with Leyam.
Whenever he drank, he would cry and talk about his dead wife and child, which didn't make for good company.
I looked around the house for a moment, and, not liking the mess, I started tidying up, moving things around.
In the process, a worn-out desk broke. Annoyed, I folded it in half. Then I folded it again and threw it outside.
After calming myself, I gathered the ownerless belongings in one place. From them, I picked out things that would be good to share with the neighbors.
Leyam had always liked to share, so I thought he would have wanted this.
Then I saw a glass bottle in a corner.
For an inner wall guard, even a commoner, to have a glass bottle of liquor…
He must have spent a good deal of money on it.
The cork stopper was worn from being handled so often, with bits chipped off here and there, but there was no sign it had ever been pulled.
[I got my hands on some good liquor.]
It did look like good liquor.
‘So this was it.’
I stared at it for a moment, then pulled the cork.
A sharp, woody scent wafted out.
‘If I had moved a little more diligently. If I had been a little faster…’
I shook off the spreading thoughts and brought the bottle to my lips. The woody aroma and sour taste burned a hot trail down my throat.
After finishing it in a few gulps, my head spun slightly. I gave my head a light shake, and it quickly cleared.
‘Good stuff.’
I set down the empty bottle and thought for a moment about what to say.
Funnily enough, the abbot’s prayer came to mind again, but I felt too self-conscious to say it out loud.
[Your eyes look like those of a dead man. When you feel like that, doing a little work can give you some energy. As it happens, I have a job that’s perfect for you. Have you ever thought about being an outer wall guard…?]
Leyam’s unusually meddlesome voice seemed to echo in the room.
“Thank you. Rest easy.”
I muttered quietly and stood up.
It wasn't my intention, but I had gotten revenge, so that should be enough to cover the cost of the drink.
Leyam would be happy to finally meet the family he cried for every time he drank.
‘Fucking medieval times.’
I muttered the phrase that had become a habit and left the ownerless house.
***
The eldest son of the Fener family and his soldiers, who had gone out to clear the surroundings, returned.
Their armor was spattered with green blood, and they carried themselves with the swagger of men who had won a war.
“Don’t those guys just rub you the wrong way?”
The Weasel whispered in a tiny voice.
“What’s it to you? We’re all slogging through the same shit.”
“Still, look at those stiff necks. And bringing back nothing but heads is pointless. If you’re going to bring something back, cut off their dicks. Why bother picking up something you can’t even sell!”
The Weasel continued to grumble under his breath, muttering that we had killed far more than them when we went out.
“I killed them. Did you?”
I asked, dumbfounded.
“I risked my life back then! I ran around like crazy gathering the monsters for you, boss! To make it easier for you…”
The moment he had snuck off to slack off, only to get caught by orcs and run for his life towards me, had somehow transformed into a life-risking mission.
He looked embarrassed even as he said it, scratching the back of his head and glancing at me. I clicked my tongue. Still, it was true that thanks to him, harvesting the chilis had been easier, so I gave him a nod.
At that, the Weasel grinned obnoxiously.
“Jojang, the wagoners will be coming in now.”
“I suppose so.”
I nodded at Berman’s question.
I don’t know how they knew, but merchants were always the first to move the day after something happened. They could start arriving as early as tomorrow.
“Jojang, I’ve ground this up.”
Just then, snake-eyed Pul showed me a wooden container about the size of four men’s fists.
It was filled to the brim with orc chili powder.
“Hey, Brick, come and get it.”
“Yes! Thank you so much, Jojang!”
Beaming, Brick took out a small leather pouch and started scooping the powder into it with his hands.
After two scoops, Brick hesitated for a moment, then added another pinch with his fingers.
“1 silver, 10 copper.”
“…Excuse me?”
“1 silver, 20 copper.”
“Ah, here you go, Jojang.”
Brick didn’t ask twice, pulling out a silver and some copper coins and handing them to me. I should have charged him over 3 silver, but I gave him the guard discount.
“You can share the rest with the guys later.”
I gave half of it to Pul.
“Yes, I understand.”
Pul took it and nodded.
“It didn’t really do anything for me,”
Kel said, scratching his forehead.
“It worked wonders for me. Ah, and the hand technique Kel taught me also…”
After that, Kel and Brick started whispering to each other, sharing secrets.
Around that time, the eldest son and the others who had entered the wall stood before the Lord.
The Lord wore a solemn expression, but the young lady’s face was grim.
The Lord said a few words, and the eldest son gave a small bow. The knight Adela struck the ground with her spear and knelt, and the Lord spoke again.
‘Nobles sure do talk a lot.’
I let out a huge yawn of boredom. Berman and Kel, standing next to me, flinched and quickly moved to block me from view.
The Lord raised his hand high and shouted, and the residents watching from the side erupted in fervent applause and cheers.
“Therefore, eat and enjoy yourselves to your heart’s content today!”
The Lord shouted with a hearty laugh that seemed forced and out of place for him. The cheers grew louder.
‘Ah, for fuck’s sake.’
My face crumpled instantly.
The expressions on the faces of the guys next to me were similar.
This was clearly the Lord’s scheme to quell the resentment that had been building up from him forcibly taking the residents’ food supplies.
‘It has been a while since the last festival.’
In a place where the only entertainment was making babies, he did throw festivals from time to time, but with the recent string of incidents, there hadn't been any.
In any case, a wild drinking party of ignorant medieval folks was sure to take place tonight.
And for us guards, it was sure to be a long night of overtime.
“Jojang, the guys must be pent up… This is going to be exhausting.”
Everyone nodded at Kel’s low murmur.
***
“Hee-yaaaah!!”
I clicked my tongue at the sight of a man running around neighing like a horse.
The Lord had thrown a festival, handing out the things he had taken from the residents as if they were his own. The ignorant medieval folks smiled brightly and shouted, “Our Baron is the greatest!”
Some of them even made up a chant, yelling, “Our Baron soars through the sky!”
Long tables for the festival were set up in the plaza, with an unlimited supply of bread and wine.
The medieval folks would do anything for free stuff, and they’d come running barefoot for free booze, so controlling them was a tough job.
The only saving grace was that I was a medieval guard Jojang.
“Aaargh!!”
The guy who had been neighing and bumping into people just a moment ago was now rolling on the ground from my kick.
“I told you not to run in the plaza.”
The fact that we could beat people up whenever we wanted was the biggest perk of being an outer wall guard.
The horse-impersonator rolled in the filth-ridden mud and was quickly painted brown. He looked like he was at a mud festival.
Though the smell was entirely different.
“…Aron! I get it! I get it!”
The man threw his hands up and nodded vigorously.
I gestured with my hand. After glancing at me for a moment, the man cautiously stood up and started walking around, making small “Hee-hee… hee-hee…” horse noises. It seemed he couldn't give up on the horse impression.
When it came to managing medieval folks, violence was indeed the best tool.
The other guards were no different.
They’d sneak some wine and bread when no one was looking, and if someone got too rowdy, they’d kick them to calm them down.
In my hand was my fifth glass filled with wine.
Still, the medieval folks really knew how to party hard, so it was quite a sight to behold.
“Woooah! A sacred duel! A sacred duel!”
A circle formed on one side, and two men faced off. I didn’t know why they were fighting, but the crowd was urging them on, repeatedly chanting, “Sacred duel!”
The “sacred duel” was a plausible name they had come up with so the guards wouldn’t interfere with their fight-watching.
Most of these ended in simple fistfights, so there was no reason to stop them. Everyone was watching the fight and placing bets.
“Who are you betting on, boss?”
The Weasel, who had somehow acquired a wide-brimmed hat full of copper coins, looked at me and asked.
I had seen the Weasel moving between the two fighters earlier, doing something, but I didn't bother to point it out.
It probably wasn't intentional, but it was a good way to diffuse the tension just as the atmosphere was getting a bit too heated and hard to control.
“I’ll bet on the one with the bulbous nose. 2 silver.”
“Ooh, as expected of the Jojang. Then I’ll follow your lead! 3 silver on bulbous nose!”
The Weasel shouted for everyone to hear as he dropped two silver coins into his hat.
I put in 50 copper, and the Weasel’s eyes widened as he looked up at me.
“Jojang Aron! I’ve received 2 silver!”
Of course, the Weasel quickly lowered his gaze and nodded.
“How dare you insult my wife?!”
“You ignorant fool! What do you know about my skills in bed?!”
The two men shouted angrily and shoved each other’s shoulders, but they didn’t immediately exchange blows.
Even with their faces contorted in anger, their noses twitched strangely, as if they too were flustered by the situation.
Waaaaah!
But the crowd had already formed an arena, and as the gladiators of the night, they had nowhere to retreat.
The excitement grew, and the Weasel scurried around, collecting money in his hat.
The two men exchanged clumsy punches and then both tumbled into the mud. Brown mud splattered, creating quite a dramatic scene.
Both men got up at the same time, their expressions a sight to behold. Despite their pathetic skills, they looked as serious as if they had met their mortal enemies.
They exchanged blows again, but their momentum had weakened slightly. The crowd cheered and jeered, egging them on. As the gladiators of the night, they had to fight until one of them was knocked out.
The loser would be branded unmanly, and the winner would be treated as a hero greater than any knight for the night.
They knew this, so they fought desperately.
Mud splattered again, and both of them fell at the same time.
The surrounding spectators forced them back to their feet, and after a moment’s hesitation, the two grappled again.
As I watched, sipping my wine, I heard the clumsy sound of a guitar from the side.
Twang, twang.
“The… the great knight Beeen! Sliced the neck of the fire-breathing devil! Ooooh, the great knight Beeen!!”
A young man with a tense face was holding a guitar, showing off his hard-to-listen-to singing skills.
“Benhar!”
“Ah, the great… huh?”
The man, who had been getting into the song, his voice trembling like a goat’s, was startled by my call and hurried over.
“Didn’t you learn your lesson after getting beaten up by that guy at the tavern?”
“Ah! Aron. But don’t you think I’ve gotten a bit better since then? I’ve practiced a lot! I can use three whole fingers now!”
“Better, my ass. I told you to just learn how to knead dough from your old man.”
“I’m learning that diligently too! This is just my…”
Haeson’s son, Benhar, trailed off, glancing at me nervously.
This kid had a brilliant baker for a father, yet he kept trying to stray onto a different path.
Our first meeting was when I saved him from a mercenary who was beating him up after he’d been running around claiming he was going to be a knight.
Even bruised and battered, he had declared, “Behold! This was the first battle of Knight Benhar!” The image was still vivid in my mind.
Then, for some reason, he decided he wanted to be a monster hunter and followed us on a cleanup, only to promptly give up on his dream, exclaiming, “Monsters are a bit too rough for my taste!”
Next up was the wandering poet.
He was as quick to give up on his dreams as he was to make them.
“It is a calling from my heart.”
“Bullshit.”
“…Excuse me?”
The kid suddenly straightened his posture and spouted nonsense with a serious face, making me curse instinctively.
“I’m telling you, you can’t sing.”
“No! That’s not it. It’s just that I haven’t witnessed an event that stirs my soul! Even the wandering poet who came here before said he used to get beaten up while singing until he saw a knight’s duel!”
‘So that guy put these ideas in his head.’
About half a year ago, a man had slunk into town.
He was a decent singer and a skilled guitarist, so the residents welcomed him, but I got a bad feeling from him.
I looked into him separately and found out he was wanted for having an affair with a nobleman’s wife.
The connection to a noble meant the bounty was quite handsome, so I caught him and turned him in without delay.
The guitar that man dropped as he was being dragged away ended up with this kid.
‘I should have smashed the guitar…’
I clicked my tongue at the boy’s needlessly bright eyes.
“Just as my teacher said, if I can just witness one event that sparks my inspiration, my skills will improve in an instant!”
It was his dream, so it wasn't my place to interfere.
He was Haeson’s son, not mine, after all.
‘Then again… there’s the refrigerator.’
Just this morning, I had seen an ice sculpture of my entire body. I wasn't in a position to worry about someone else’s kid.
At this rate, the continent’s greatest sculptor was about to be born.
Just then, Berman approached with an urgent look on his face.
“Jojang! A brawl broke out in Sector 6! It’s Ska’s group and those guys from before!”
‘Those guys from before?’
Ah, the tattooed, shirtless ones.
I downed the remaining wine in my glass.
My body was getting stiff from standing in one place for so long. This was welcome news. The thought of some appropriate exercise to relieve stress instantly lifted my spirits.
“Let’s go.”
“There are quite a few of them. Should I call for backup?”
“No need. Everyone’s having a hard time.”
“Jojang, you’re smiling.”
“Ah, it’s the wine. Are there a lot of them?”
“Yes, more than ten.”
“Oh, nice.”
“Yes, but please control your strength…”
“What’s the big deal? It’s a festival. A festival.”
Berman nodded as if he had no choice and led the way.
A festival.
My lips curled into a smile at the premonition that this boring night was about to get lively.
***
The self-proclaimed wandering poet, Benhar, watched the conversation in front of him with wide eyes.
‘A brawl broke out, so why does Guard Jojang Aron look so happy?’
Benhar stared blankly for a moment at the two of them walking and laughing as if they were heading to a tavern, then quickly grabbed his guitar and followed them.
‘Teacher said to follow even a devil if it seems like something is about to happen! That’s the foundation of being a wandering poet!’
He was scared of getting yelled at by Aron again, but Benhar remembered his teacher’s advice and stealthily followed.
‘Are you watching, Teacher! I’m currently following Aron, a brute worse than any devil! I have become a fine wandering poet!’
Remembering his teacher who had suddenly disappeared one day, Benhar swallowed hard.
As a respectable wandering poet, he couldn't just see an event and walk away.
Benhar clutched his guitar dearly to his chest and scurried after them.