Chapter 57
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Execution and Ice-Cold Beer
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Execution and Ice-Cold Beer
Srim and Pering of the Outer Wall Guard’s Team 3 watched the checkpoint with sullen faces.
“Ah, everyone else gets to watch the execution, and we’re stuck here.”
“Tell me about it. And it’s Gelm’s head that’s rolling, too…”
At Pering’s complaint, Srim rubbed his stuffy neck and clicked his tongue.
Of all the days for an execution to be held, it had to be on their checkpoint duty…
The sweltering weather only added to his irritation, which had reached a boiling point.
“Hey, Srim. Did that thing work?”
“What!”
“Why the temper? We’re suffering together here.”
“You’re right… The heat’s getting to me. So, what were you saying?”
“That thing you bought from Aron back then. The goblin dick that slapped you in the face.”
“Ah, that.”
At Pering’s question, Srim needlessly scratched his beard.
Despite its hideous appearance and ghastly taste, it had indeed been effective. Since then, the bread his wife gave him had become strangely softer…
Just then, a deep voice sounded from beside them.
“What’s the name of this castle?”
He turned his head to see a large, brown-skinned man looking down at them. Exotic features and a build even larger than Aron’s. His body was roughly covered in a fabric similar to a tunic, and a broadsword hung loosely from his waist, without a scabbard.
The man’s mere presence was intimidating.
Seeing Pering subtly hide behind him, Srim cleared his throat. Ahem…
“Who are you?”
“Hmm… I’m not sure myself.”
Thinking the man was joking, Srim narrowed his eyes. However, he quickly relaxed his expression when he saw the man’s dead-serious face and the numerous scars etched into his forearms.
Unidentified, a thick sword at his waist, scars scattered about, and a murderous gaze. Five black stars tattooed under his left eye.
‘He’s like an Aron born in some distant, foreign land.’
Having made his simple assessment, Srim nodded.
Compared to Aron, this man was so well-behaved he could almost be called a nobleman.
Ever since meeting Aron, Srim had made it a rule not to mess with anyone big and scarred.
“This is Casedic Castle!”
“Ah, the stars have guided me to my destiny.”
The man muttered something incomprehensible, his face a strange mixture of anger, sorrow, and joy. Startled, Srim took a step back.
‘He’s not right in the head. Expected, since he’s similar to Aron.’
From behind, Pering poked Srim in the back.
“The Daejang told you to take it easy.”
Srim nodded at Pering’s words.
“Welcome! Welcome to Casedic Castle! Stranger!”
Srim waved his hands with a wide smile, hoping to improve the man’s mood even slightly.
This was a decent effort for the 20 silver he’d been paid.
“A stranger…”
The man muttered quietly and nodded.
Then, as he was walking away leisurely, he suddenly turned his head and asked.
“Ah, by any chance, do you know where a man named Aron is?”
At the man’s question, Srim nodded.
“Ah, so you’re looking for Aron… Aron is…”
Srim did his best to treat the visitor with the utmost kindness, determined to earn his 20 silver.
***
“What in the world is this…”
Gelm of the thick sideburns couldn’t comprehend the current situation.
“You’re the one who said we should go to the Lord! You convinced me, saying he had a duty to protect us, you bastard! If it was going to be like this, I would have just gone to the walls with everyone else! That pot-bellied Cops was right!”
As the man next to him shrieked in fury, Gelm swallowed hard.
‘The Lord definitely liked my leather vest…’
When Gelm had heard the news of the skeleton attack, he had scoffed at the fools heading for the walls.
He thought he could just leave the defense to the guards and cozy up to the Lord, who would surely let him into the inner castle. But his judgment had been flawed.
The Lord he met in the inner castle was not the same kind nobleman who had always been pleased to receive his leather vests. The Lord had flown into a rage and thrown Gelm in a cell.
‘No, that Nova bitch was the problem.’
Gelm ground his teeth, thinking of Nova, who had been standing beside the Lord. His blood boiled as he remembered how that bitch, rumored to be a real piece of work, had whispered something in the Lord’s ear.
‘If it wasn’t for her…’
Gelm was convinced his choice hadn’t been wrong. It had to be that vicious Nova, standing next to the Lord, who had done something.
Otherwise, there was no way the Lord, who had been so friendly and called his leather vests the best, would have acted so decisively.
“Gelm! It was my fault for trusting a big, dumb oaf like you!”
“Shut up! Did I drag you here by force? You’re the one who followed me willingly!”
Unable to take it anymore, Gelm roared back. The man flinched in surprise, but then, seeing that Gelm’s hands and feet were bound, he yelled even louder.
Because Gelm had thrown a fit earlier demanding to see the Lord, he was the only one with his feet shackled as well.
“Stupid Gelm! Little Gelm down there! You didn’t know, did you? The rumor’s all over the place!”
“Who are you calling little!”
As their argument grew increasingly childish, the cell door creaked open. And through it stepped the last face he ever wanted to see.
“A…ron.”
“Everyone’s full of energy. It’ll be quite a show when your heads roll.”
Aron’s thick, grating voice made it hard to tell if he was joking or serious.
But it was clear that his life was now in Aron’s hands.
“Aron! It’s me, Gelm! Didn’t we have a drink together that one time?”
“Right, Gelok. We did.”
At Aron’s reply, Gelm saw a glimmer of hope. He raised his voice and called out to Aron again.
“Aron! The shield of Casedic Castle! The hope of Casedic Castle! Help me out here. I don’t know what misunderstanding the Lord has, but something is clearly wrong! Didn’t I give you one of my leather vests, too?”
Desperately searching his memory, Gelm’s voice rose as a particular recollection surfaced. He had once run into Aron on the street and, liking the look of his leather vest, had forcibly traded his own shabby one for it.
The man was a complete thug and a scoundrel, but right now, he was Gelm’s only lifeline.
“Yeah. You did. The leather vest.”
Aron nodded and crouched down in front of Gelm. Gelm looked up at him, then averted his gaze from those scarred eyes.
“Anything you want to eat before you die? I can at least do that for you. As payment for the vest.”
But the words that came out of Aron’s mouth completely dashed Gelm’s hopes.
“N-no, Aron! I’m telling you, there must be a misunderstanding! The Lord would never abandon me like this! Right! Nova! That vicious bitch must have whispered lies to the Lord! She’s the witch! A witch! It’s her head that should be on the block, not mine! This whole demon attack must be her doing too!”
Feeling anxious at Aron’s lack of response, Gelm continued to spew words in a torrent.
“I see. An Orange Witch… It does suit her.”
“Right?! I knew it! You’re a wise man, Aron! Others might not get it, but you and I… Aaargh!”
Buoyed by Aron’s response, Gelm was about to speak when a massive impact struck him. His vision momentarily went dark as he toppled backward.
His head slammed against the hard stone, and his consciousness faded before returning.
“But I can’t stand for an orange to be called a witch.”
“What kind of bull— Aaaargh!”
As Gelm retorted at Aron’s playful tone, he could only let out piercing screams at the ensuing punches.
The fists were so heavy and hard, it felt like being hammered. His mind grew hazy, and by the time he opened his eyes again, he couldn’t even form words.
With all his teeth shattered and his jaw broken, Gelm’s pronunciation was completely mangled.
The floor was slick with red blood and littered with white teeth.
“Alright, Durex the Rat-Catcher. You bought me a beer once, too. Anything you want for your last meal?”
“I… I’d like some of Haessun’s potato bread.”
“Sure, I can do that much for you.”
At Durex’s resigned voice, a wave of sorrow washed over Gelm. What had he done so wrong? Was it a crime to struggle to survive?
“Aghh… Ahhgh!”
“What was that?”
Aron approached. Fear gripped him, but his sense of injustice was stronger.
“Ahgggaaa! Agggh!”
“What are you saying? You have to speak clearly.”
‘He’s the one who smashed all my teeth…!’
Aron’s expression of genuine confusion was incredibly infuriating.
“Well, I’m guessing you’re saying it’s unfair.”
“Ahgah!”
“Trying to be cute won’t work. You’re ugly, Gelok.”
“Ahgggh!”
“I told you it’s no use. I like women. And you’re ugly.”
“Ahgggggh!”
The fact that Aron kept calling him ugly sent a surge of rage through Gelm, making him forget the pain of his missing teeth as he screamed relentlessly.
“Well, what can you do? If you get caught running away, you have to die.”
Aron’s nonchalant words made his hands tremble.
“Anyway, people are looking forward to it, so you two better warm up your necks and get the blood flowing.”
“Ahgah!”
“I told you, acting cute won’t work. You’re ugly, Gelu.”
At Aron’s threat to smash his head in if he tried to act cute one more time, Gelm shut his mouth.
This man was beyond reason.
Aron went outside.
*Sob…*
Only the sound of Duren’s weeping echoed in the darkness.
Gelm couldn’t produce any tears.
His hands just trembled with the rage that filled his mind.
‘So I’m really going to die.’
After spending a while in the darkness, the reality slowly sank in.
That his head would soon be severed.
That he would become the object of the cheering crowds he used to watch from below.
Just then, the door opened again, and that man came in.
“Here’s the potato bread. Durex, Haessun threw in a cake as a bonus. Said he was grateful for everything. And told me to tell you to die well.”
Aron tossed the bread in front of Duren.
Letting out another sob, Duren, with his bound and trembling hands, picked up the fallen bread and brought it to his mouth.
He sobbed uncontrollably but chewed desperately.
Aron, clicking his tongue at the sight, placed a bowl in front of Gelm. It was filled with stew.
“They say a well-fed corpse looks better, but you’re so ugly, Gelok, you’d better eat a lot.”
It was unfair to be criticized for his looks by Aron, the ugliest man in Casedic, but Gelm buried his face in the bowl and forced the food down.
Thinking it was his last meal, it was funny how this watery stew with no chunks tasted better than anything he had ever eaten.
*Thump, thump.*
Someone knocked on the door from outside.
“Ah, time to get on stage, my friends.”
By then, Gelm knew there was no escape, so he just let the tears fall.
“Anyway, a lot of people came to watch, so let’s both try our best to spray a good stream of blood. I heard if you bite down hard just before your head rolls, the blood shoots out farther. Try it and let me kn—”
Aron trailed off, looked at the two of them, and nodded.
“Right, you’ll both be dead, so you can’t let me know. Okay then, Gelok, you bite down hard, and Durex, you don’t. After you’re both dead, I’ll compare whose blood went farther…”
For Gelm, Aron’s constant taunting was harder to bear than any will to live or fear of death.
‘Please, let that scoundrel Aron end up on the guillotine too.’
Watching Aron demonstrate how to clench his teeth, showing his own gums, Gelm prayed to a god for the first time.
He prayed fervently that the scoundrel would one day lie on the guillotine himself.
He prayed with all his heart.
***
“Jenta! This way!”
“Yes! Ma’am! Coming!”
Jenta, one of the trio of pushovers, had been swamped since morning.
He had to move all the heavy, frozen beer barrels in preparation for today’s execution.
‘Is this much really okay?’
Jenta tilted his head as he moved the barrels.
But since it was Hana’s meticulously laid plan, he followed without complaint.
After loading the frozen beer onto the cart, he finally straightened his back. Kanna was sitting crookedly on the cart, wiggling her fingers.
Jenta’s hand twitched with the desire to pat her round head, but he forced himself to resist.
While Kanna put on a gentle face in front of the boss and Aron, she was particularly strict with the trio.
Her wide eyes and tightly pressed lips seemed to mimic Aron, but because of her appearance, it just looked cute.
Since Kanna often called him ‘junior,’ it seemed she was enjoying playing the role of a senior, so Jenta played along, feigning fear.
When he bowed his head, the corner of Kanna’s mouth quirked up.
Jenta pulled the cart, now fully loaded with beer barrels, toward the square. Kanna stood up on the cart, showing off her sense of balance.
Arriving at the square, Jenta gulped as he saw the stalls and people filling the area. News of the execution had already spread, so quite a few people had claimed spots and were setting up for business.
Still a stranger here, Jenta broke out in a cold sweat.
Large men in baker’s caps were walking around, managing the crowd with loud shouts. Their demeanor was quite menacing, and Jenta instinctively lowered his gaze.
‘What do I do… The boss just said to mention Aron’s name.’
Still, it was his assigned task, so Jenta forced down his nervousness and approached the nearest man in a baker’s cap.
“Hey, I told you not to sell bread here. Do you want to die? I was sick for days because of the bread you sold last time…”
The man snapped, kicking the stall.
“Hey now—I made it properly this time! Just once…”
“Properly, my ass! It smells like shit! Get lost before I call my boss!”
Jenta stealthily watched the angry man in the baker’s cap. After finally forcing the stall owner to leave, the man’s eyes met his.
Both Jenta and the man flinched.
“What do you want?”
The man in the baker’s cap scowled and gestured to his side. The other men in baker’s caps nearby approached.
Feeling surrounded, Jenta swallowed hard.
The men muttered curses, closing in on him. Jenta’s palms grew sweaty with tension, but he remembered the boss’s words and opened his mouth.
“Um… I’m from the ‘Smiling Aron Rabbit’ Inn… The boss said…”
“Aron?!”
Jenta’s mutter caused a huge commotion among the men.
“Aron owns an inn?”
“The Smiling Rabbit… that’s where Aron hangs out…”
“Shit… Make some space! Quickly!”
The men huddled together, whispering amongst themselves, then scattered as if a fire had broken out. Left alone, Jenta stood there dumbfounded.
A moment later, the men in baker’s caps were dragging Jenta somewhere. It was a prime spot with a direct view of the execution platform.
“You don’t have a stall? Doesn’t matter! It’s for Aron!”
While Jenta was still in a daze, the men brought over a large stall on their own and set the beer barrels from the cart beside it.
Kanna, who had been sitting on the cart, dismounted with a long yawn as if this was all perfectly normal. She pointed with her finger, telling them where to put the beer barrels. The men followed her instructions without a word.
‘…What is this.’
By the time Jenta snapped out of it, everything was already set up.
Kanna was on top of the stall, stretching and warming up.
The men didn’t just help set up; they stayed by the side, glaring and guarding the surroundings.
The square gradually filled with people, and the boss and the other two members of the trio arrived.
“Hana. You changed the name to ‘Smiling Rabbit Aron’? Don’t tell me you and Aron…”
A man in a baker’s cap asked with a wounded expression.
“It’s ‘Smiling Aron Rabbit’! And when a young man and woman are in the same space, things are bound to happen. Hmm…”
Hana replied, covering her face exaggeratedly with her hand.
‘Didn’t nothing happen?’
Jenta barely managed to swallow the words that rose to his lips.
“I… I see. Be happy.”
The crestfallen man stammered his reply, then shoved his fist in his mouth and disappeared somewhere.
“Alright, shall we get started for real? Kanna, you know what you practiced, right? Staff, please start breaking the ice.”
At Hana’s words, Kanna nodded with a confident smile.
Jenta placed an opened barrel on the ground and took out a chisel and hammer.
As a former stonemason, holding the hammer made him feel strangely at ease.
*Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank!*
He chipped the ice in the barrel, filled a mug, then chipped and filled again, repeating the process.
When he looked up, the area around them was packed with people.
Kanna was on top of the stall, spinning and stretching her arms, spraying a fine mist of slightly frozen water. The crowd watched in awe and flocked to them.
People then bought beer as if mesmerized, and Jenta had to swing the hammer even harder.
The beer was selling faster than he could chip the ice.
A large bag placed under the stall was already piling up with silver coins.
‘How much is that?’
By then, Kanna was lying on her side on the stall, simply flicking a finger.
From time to time, men in strange-colored breastplates came by, checked a few things, then yelled at the crowd before leaving. The people who had gathered close backed away slightly.
Waaaaaah—!!
Hearing a cheer, he turned his head and saw people on the execution platform.
There were two convicts. One of them was drooling blood, but he was screaming and crying as if he had been greatly wronged. The other man had his eyes closed in resignation.
Next, a tall, grim-looking man laid him on the guillotine—.
“Kanna, cover your eyes.”
Hana said while scooping ice into a beer mug, and Kanna covered her eyes with her hands. However, he could see her fingers were slightly parted.
The noisy man’s head rolled, and another cheer erupted—.
People rushed forward, trying to dip things in the blood.
The beer sold like mad again, and Jenta chipped ice until his arm felt like it would fall off.
By the time they finished and returned to the inn, his arm was a wreck, barely able to move.
“You all worked so hard! I had no idea it would sell this well! It was a complete—.”
Hana smiled brightly, lifting the sacks from the cart with both hands. The large sacks were filled to the brim with silver coins. Kanna stood guard, her eyes scanning the surroundings sharply.
After arriving at the inn, Hana called Jenta and the others over and pressed 10 silver coins into each of their hands.
It was a small amount compared to what was in the sacks, but 10 silver was still a lot of money, so Jenta beamed.
When Kanna, a smirk on her face, handed each of them a beer filled with ice, the day’s fatigue melted away and streamed from his eyes.
And when the cook who had been guarding the inn brought out a mountain of meat, he had already forgotten all his hardships.
“I’ve prepared a lot, so eat up. We do all this to live, and it’s a sad thing to be stingy with food, isn’t it?”
As Hana patted his back and spoke warm words, Jenta shed a tear.
“Hmm… I did promise Aron a share…”
Hana hummed a tune as she divided the silver coins in the sack in half.
*Thud.*
A dull sound came from the door.
*I thought I locked it—* The moment the thought crossed his mind, the door was torn from its hinges and moved aside.
And an exotic-looking man ducked his head to enter.
‘Aron?’
His strange aura and large build were reminiscent of Aron, but his face was completely different.
“Sorry, but we’re closed for the day.”
Hana stepped forward and said.
Her hands were trembling behind her back, so Jenta put down his meat and stood up from his seat.
He wiped his greasy hands on his pants and pulled out the small hammer from his belt. The handle of the hammer was still cool from the earlier work.
“Is this Aron’s habitat?”
A heavy silence fell at the man’s low voice.
Jenta’s hammer seemed far too small compared to the man’s size.
***
“You’re really in season these days, huh?”
I offered a joking greeting to Dalus, the executioner, who was wiping blood off the guillotine.
“Thanks to you.”
Dalus, dressed in a wide-brimmed black hat and a thick coat despite the hot weather, replied curtly.
“I’m pretty good at chopping off heads myself.”
I licked my lips, recalling the income statement for Dalus I had seen in Nova’s room.
“You wouldn’t be able to.”
“Why not?”
At Dalus’s firm reply, I scratched my cheek with a finger and retorted.
“Aron, you’d probably smile while chopping off a head. It’s crucial for an executioner to maintain a blank expression. You can’t show any emotion.”
Dalus, speaking more than he usually did, let out a small sigh.
“Looks like you were lonely with no one to talk to.”
“I’m just giving you a heads-up, since you might become a client one day. Ah, when your head rolls, I might have a hard time keeping a straight face myself.”
At his follow-up, I chuckled, and he gave a bitter smile.
“Don’t worry, though. I have a special blade I saved from the capital just for you.”
“How very thoughtful of you. But where’s that son of a… I mean, where’s that kid, Ted?”
At my question, Dalus’s already gloomy eyes sank even further.
“He’s had a high fever recently and can’t get out of bed.”
At Dalus’s words, I let out a low hum.
A fever wasn’t a good sign around here. Especially not in a child.
“Take this and give it to him.”
I pulled out a potion I had secretly stashed and handed it to Dalus. He took it with a strange expression.
“…You’re giving this to me?”
Even with money, his profession as an executioner would have made it impossible for him to acquire a potion.
“Ah, you must not have heard. I’m an Honorary Monk and an Honorary Scribe. I can get these anytime, so don’t worry about it.”
“That suits you well.”
It was the first time I’d heard that reaction, and the corner of my mouth lifted.
“An Honorary Monk… It suits you as well as the guillotine.”
Dalus’s lips twitched slightly as he spoke.
“On second thought, that potion…”
As I slowly extended my hand, Dalus quickly stuffed the potion into his coat pocket.
I laughed out loud, and Dalus cleared his throat.
“Anyway, give my regards to that son of a… I mean, to Ted.”
“Thank you. I’ll be sure to repay this debt someday.”
I wasn’t particularly keen on receiving a favor from an executioner, but I nodded.
“Oh, and the one who clenched his teeth did spray more blood.”
“I see. Thank you for letting me know.”
At my words, Dalus blinked for a moment, then nodded.
‘Or was it the other way around?’
I scratched my cheek as I watched Dalus’s retreating back.
It seemed I would have to test it again next time.
After the execution, a simple funeral followed.
The crowd that had gathered in the square as if for a festival had all dispersed. The guards gathered around the rotten corpses and chatted among themselves.
The topic of conversation was about who would be the next Jojang for Team 5. Quite a few of them were openly showing their ambition.
The abbot, looking utterly exhausted, recited a long prayer. A few of the men dozed off and slumped forward.
After the abbot’s heartfelt prayer ended, the bodies were loaded onto a cart and taken toward the assembly hall.
Those who died without committing crimes were buried around the assembly hall unless specified otherwise, which was why the grounds of any castle’s hall were always vast.
There used to be markers for the graves, but the recent rains seemed to have washed them all away, leaving the ground bare.
The men scattered, digging here and there until they found some empty spots and buried the bodies there.
The Daejang was nowhere to be seen, probably having already left. The guys from Team 5 poured liquor over the graves and danced around clumsily. They said it was a tradition from their hometown, and the dance was so ridiculous that everyone laughed out loud.
After that, I gathered the guards.
I described the Sandfucker’s features as I remembered them and told them to let me know if they saw him.
Knowing they’d just ignore me if I only used words, I declared a 5 silver reward for reporting him. Only then did their eyes light up.
Just then, one of the guys shot his hand up.
“Oh! I saw a brown-skinned guy earlier! With five star-shaped drawings under his eye!”
The man, thoroughly excited, told me when and where he had seen him.
‘He’s already here?’
I had expected him in a few days, but this was earlier than I thought. A thought crossed my mind that he might have heard about me and come running in excitement.
The informant’s eyes sparkled, but his information was too vague, so I only gave him 1 silver. The man grumbled but soon started laughing and joking around.
“Find him and bring him to me, and I’ll give you 10 silver.”
Their eyes gleamed.
And without anyone needing to say a word, they scattered in all directions.
I was certain they would search every shithole in Casedic Castle.
***
Jenta bit his lip and glared at the man in front of him.
The man, with an ambiguous expression, downed a large mug of wine in one go.
Next to the man, Hana and Kanna sat like hostages.
Kanna, with a blank face, glanced at the man from the corner of her eye, her fingers twitching. Frost formed between her fingers before dissipating.
“You seem to know Aron, waiting for him like this.”
Hana asked with a forced smile.
Unlike her upturned lips, her eyes were not smiling.
The man didn’t respond to Hana’s words, merely staring at the door.
“May I send the child upstairs? It’s past her bedtime.”
“Mm.”
The man shook his head slightly.
Jenta glanced behind him. His two friends, their faces stiff, nodded.
They had the rear covered. If their opponent drank a little more…
Just then, Hana looked at them and gave a slight shake of her head.
It was a signal to do nothing.
“Aron will be angry if you stay like this, you know?”
At Hana’s near-threat, the man suddenly burst out laughing.
“That bastard getting angry… Yes, that would be more entertaining. You there.”
Startled by the man’s sudden address, Jenta nodded.
“Make this place as messy as possible. I want to see the look on his face when he walks in.”
There was something in the man’s voice that could not be disobeyed.
Jenta frantically looked at Hana.
Hana nodded and whispered, “Do as he says.”
“I’m so looking forward to his crumpled face.”
The man muttered quietly and began to guzzle wine again.
“Ah, I’ll get you some more wine.”
Hana rose from her seat naturally and headed toward the back.
Jenta swallowed hard as he saw Hana pretend to get wine while reaching for a crossbow.
***
‘Where the hell is this bastard hiding?’
Some of the men had come back with brown stains on their hands, having literally searched the shitholes, but there was still no news.
I had even visited the breast-massaging woman, but she seemed to have no idea he had even arrived.
Dylan, upon hearing about the 10 silver, declared he would make another round with the rest of his team and disappeared with renewed vigor.
I didn’t bother stopping him. Instead, I raised the price to 20 silver and headed for the inn.
For 20 silver, they would undoubtedly search the neighboring Bolt Castle as well.
I grabbed the inn’s doorknob, but the door tilted and fell to the side.
For a moment, I wondered if, as Nova had said, I had really forgotten how to open a door.
However, the state of the inn proved my worries were unfounded.
In the center of the hall, which looked as if debt collectors had torn through it, was the man himself.
With his arms around Kanna and Hana, he bared his yellow teeth at me.
He seemed to be trying his best to put on a vile grin to provoke me, but since I knew him well, it had little effect.
I knew with absolute certainty that even if I had killed his king, his parents, or his wife, his anger would be directed solely at me, never at innocent people.
For he was the noblest of the sand beggars.
In any case, I had worked up a sweat searching for him in this heat, only to find he had come to me on his own…
‘What a damn waste of effort.’
The realization that I had been on a fool’s errand made my face twist.
Apparently pleased by my crumpled expression, the man’s grin grew fiercer as he spoke.
“It’s been a while, Aron, Killer of Stars.”
He muttered the most presentable of my nicknames.
I followed suit, smiling back and calling him by the nickname he loved most.
“Yeah, it’s been a while, Sandfucker.”
This time, it was his face that twisted beautifully.
In contrast, my smile deepened as I sized him up.
‘His arms have gotten thinner.’
Unlike me, who had grown thicker since we last met, his arms had become slender. In that moment, I could already foresee the end of this reunion.