Chapter 66
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Responsibility Without Pleasure
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“What do you mean?! Requesting support?!”
'Knight Adela is good at what she does, but that pride and fiery temper of hers are a real problem. And she has an inferiority complex on top of it... Come to think of it, she has a lot of problems.'
Baron Pulpuchu clicked his tongue as he watched Knight Adela shout, the veins in her neck bulging.
“I'm merely proposing this as a precaution against future dangers.”
At Nova's calm reply, a stark contrast to Adela’s outburst, Pulpuchu gave a slight nod.
How cultured and pleasant it would be if they could exchange opinions calmly like that, without the need to raise their voices.
“Is this danger real? Is your information accurate?”
The constable, who had bowed his head to Pulpuchu, asked Nova.
“It is certain that the faction that targeted Casedic is on the move.”
“And is it certain that their movement is directed toward Casedic?”
“...That is not certain. Even the information guild finds it too risky to get any closer, so that is the limit of what we know. However, considering they've attacked Casedic before, the possibility is very high.”
“That remains to be seen. They've already failed in three attacks; they must know how foolish it would be to target Casedic again. We cannot ask our neighbors for help based on such uncertain information. There's no such thing as free aid in this world. If their target isn't us, we would only be inviting unnecessary losses.”
Nova fell silent at the constable's firm response.
Baron Pulpuchu thought the constable's opinion had its merits. After all, if they asked for help, their neighbors would surely use it as leverage to demand something.
Nobles were never satisfied with what they had, always craving bigger and better things. They were the sort of bastards who would lend you a knife and take your meat in return.
“I cast my vote in favor of Nova's opinion.”
Just then, Gerel suddenly stood up and raised his hand.
Baron Pulpuchu, who had been observing the meeting at his leisure, was flustered by the unexpected development.
'...Gerel and Nova agree?'
This was a first. It completely ruined his usual strategy of 'do the opposite of what Gerel says and the same as what Nova says.'
Faced with this unforeseen crisis, Pulpuchu grew anxious.
“Gerel. What is the meaning of this?”
Pulpuchu spoke hastily.
“Do we not have the powerful House Penell as our ally? They will gladly lend us a hand.”
“I see. Nova? What are your thoughts?”
Pulpuchu turned his gaze to Nova. Gerel's already hideous face contorted further, but Pulpuchu paid him no mind.
“...House Penell is a good option, but we also have Count Behart. And even if it's not from those two, we must bring in forces if we can.”
'Count Behart is a bit...'
Count Behart was greedy beyond measure. So greedy, in fact, that he would have a table full of meat at every meal, and when he was full, he would vomit it all out just to eat again. His guts and his girth were too large to bring into the fold.
He might just swallow Casedic Castle whole and spit it out later. Pulpuchu had no desire to end up in that pig's stomach.
“Why do you need support when I am here! Did I not protect us during the last incident!”
Knight Adela raised her voice again. Some murmured in agreement, while others groaned.
Pulpuchu was one of the groaners.
'The one who protected us was that man Aron, and he was the one who carried the unconscious Adela back...'
He once again felt a pang of regret for not having recruited him immediately, as Nova had suggested.
The meeting grew more heated, and soon Knight Adela even made the bizarre declaration that she alone would protect Casedic.
If Nova was warning them, there was surely danger, but he couldn't just ignore the words of his only knight. The constable wasn't very supportive either...
Everyone's opinions were sharply divided.
It would have been simple if Gerel and Nova had opposing views, but Gerel uselessly shared a similar opinion to Nova, making the decision difficult. Baron Pulpuchu pressed his temples, a headache coming on.
“I'll write to House Penell at once...”
“My lord! Please trust me...”
“If we ask House Penell, we could postpone the wedding...”
Baron Pulpuchu, who had been listening quietly, raised his hand. However, everyone except Nova kept talking.
'Insolent fools.'
He recalled the saying that a good lord should make it an annual event to cut off a finger from each of them and hire new people.
“Silence!”
Pulpuchu rose from his seat and shouted.
Only then did the noisy bunch shut their mouths.
Pulpuchu scanned the vassals below him. There were useful ones, stupid ones, and mediocre ones, creating a decent balance. A satisfying equilibrium where they would check each other without him having to lift a finger.
Choosing one side in this situation would surely upset that balance. But doing nothing felt like inviting trouble from behind.
When you can't choose any of the existing options, you have to create a new one. Pulpuchu recalled a phrase the clever and gloomy Nova had subtly slipped in.
'Forces with no affiliation... We still have quite a bit of money in the castle, don't we?'
There was one more option that hadn't been brought up yet. It would be a significant expense, but it was better than borrowing from another noble.
“We will hold a tournament. It will be a one-on-one format to extend it for as long as possible, continuing until Vivian's birthday. The prize money will be... twenty gold coins should suffice.”
Pulpuchu clicked his tongue at the dumbfounded faces staring up at him.
All those idiots combined weren't worth one Nova, who was currently suppressing a smile.
'...Dangerous.'
Pulpuchu looked at the top of Nova's bowed head and groaned inwardly.
***
'This one's sulking.'
I muttered, looking at the Inquisitor sitting right next to me.
Her expression was blank as usual, but her subtly tensed eyebrows clearly revealed her displeasure.
I'd even nodded at her five times, and she hadn't acknowledged me once.
'What kind of Inquisitor gets pissy just because she was dragged to a service?'
It was absurd, but I soon nodded to myself.
The frontiers were always where the runaways and rejects ended up.
“We will now begin the service between morning and noon.”
Monk Ains, his face pious, stepped forward and announced each word clearly.
'What the hell is a service between morning and noon?'
I scratched my head at the unexpected brunch service.
After reciting from the scriptures for a moment, Monk Ains stepped back, and the Abbot came forward.
His face was always stern, but now it had gone beyond stern to super-stern. I swallowed nervously just looking at him.
This was clearly going to be a tough battle.
Still, if I wanted to get his support, I had to make a good impression on the Abbot, so I had to endure...
He droned on for what felt like a hundred times longer than the usual sermon, and sleep quickly overtook me.
I grabbed my cape and bowed my head forward, pretending to pray.
“...May the sun shine upon your path.”
Feeling that it was over, I raised my head.
The monks were on their feet, giving a standing ovation. I glanced beside me and saw the Inquisitor with her head bowed just like mine.
I couldn't see her face, but from the sound of her even breathing, it seemed she was so moved by the sermon that she'd gone to meet its author in person.
'What kind of Inquisitor sleeps during a service?'
Finding it ridiculous, I clicked my tongue softly and placed my cape over her head. Now she looked just like a martyr.
The monks went forward to say a word to the Abbot. It was all stuff like, "Today's sermon was wonderful." Seemed like their own form of social nicety.
The Abbot held each monk back and gave them an extra word. The monks who received it wore genuine grimaces. Their expressions were a far cry from inspired.
I watched them for a while before stepping forward as it was ending.
“Ah, Honorary Monk. You didn't run away.”
“I'm the type to do what I have to do.”
“That doesn't sound like something a monk would say after a service, does it?”
“Anyway, we need to talk.”
“Yes, let's. This way.”
The Abbot, a tiny smile playing on his lips, turned and moved his long legs. I followed behind him.
“By the way, where did the Inquisitor go? Wasn't she with you? Did she run off again?”
“No. She was so moved she was praying with tears in her eyes. I couldn't bring myself to disturb her, so I came alone.”
“Inquisitor Joanna...?”
The Abbot narrowed his wrinkled eyes and looked back at me. I briefly wondered if it was okay to lie in the chapel, but I was already too far gone to get on God's good side.
“Yes, she said today's sermon was wonderful.”
“I see. That's a relief. How was it for you?”
“Oh, what's there to say?”
“Really? What did I talk about today?”
“Oh... what's there to say?”
“...”
The Abbot narrowed his eyes and let out a 'Hmph...' He then muttered under his breath, "Well, at least you came to the service," and started walking again.
The Abbot's room was exactly as I remembered it. A single scripture and some shabby belongings. It was so modest you could believe it was the room of the youngest monk.
He was a difficult man in many ways.
I sat down across from the Abbot.
The way the Abbot was looking at me was strangely unsettling, so I scratched my neck vigorously.
“You know those guys who attacked last time?”
“Yes, the heretics.”
“Yes. There are rumors they might come again.”
“I see.”
The Abbot gave a short reply, then placed his right arm on his forehead and closed his eyes.
‘Praying in the middle of a conversation... Is it narcolepsy? Or prayer-colepsy?’
I clicked my tongue and waited for a moment. The Abbot opened his mouth.
“I'll request aid from the main church. Since it's related to demons, they should send support.”
I nodded at the surprisingly quick answer.
An oddly heavy silence followed.
Just as I was thinking, 'I guess I can get up now,' and started to rise awkwardly, the Abbot spoke.
“...I had a son.”
The Abbot wore the same expression from this morning.
The expression of a man whose heart had been stabbed with a knife.
I didn't ask why he used the past tense.
If you have four, two will die.
He just flipped a coin, and it came up tails.
“If he resembled you, Abbot, he must have been very handsome.”
“He was. Tall as you, too. And he hated the scriptures just as much as you.”
“I don't hate them. I just have a scripture allergy...”
“In any case, do not neglect reading the scriptures.”
The Abbot cut me off, his usual stern expression returning as he waved his hand dismissively. I bowed my head and left the room.
As I was about to leave the chapel, a strangely familiar face blocked my path.
“Honorary Monk Aron!!”
His voice, shouting my name out of the blue, was grating and also somehow familiar.
'...Was there a guy who looked like this in the chapel?'
The desperate look in his eyes suggested I knew him, but his face was new to me. Then I noticed his cape; it had two stripes on it.
'Two stripes means... no, a priest? A priest... A priest?'
There was only one priest in Casedic Castle's chapel.
The pig-like praise vending machine who had appointed me an honorary monk.
I squinted, blurring my vision, and his form seemed vaguely similar. It was like looking at him split in half.
“...Priest Blian?”
“That's me! Ah, Honorary Monk Aron! It's been so long!!”
Priest Blian, now 1/2 of his former self thanks to the successful Abbot diet, cried out my name, his voice trembling.
“Yes, Priest Blian. It has been a long time.”
'Just how hard did they work him to make him lose half his weight...?'
Hiding my question, I took Blian's outstretched hand. The last time I shook it, the fleshiness felt disgusting, but now I could feel bone.
“F-First, let's go to the shelter!”
Blian 1/2 looked around as if someone was chasing him and spoke urgently.
'What shelter?'
Well, he did pay me, so I nodded.
Blian pulled me along to a deep, inner part of the monastery. It looked like a storage room. He pushed aside a pile of junk and went deeper inside.
There was a rotten wooden box that looked disgusting to even touch, but Blian lifted it without a second thought.
Underneath was a wooden plank that looked like a door.
After a quick look around, Blian knocked on the wooden plank in a specific rhythm.
I instinctively memorized the rhythm.
Soon, the wooden plank opened with a creak, and a monk with a hollow face appeared below.
“Priest Blian? Who is this?”
“He is the one who will deliver us from evil.”
“Ahh... finally...”
The monk let out a strange sigh and stepped aside. Blian naturally entered the passage. I hesitated for a moment at the gloomy atmosphere before following him down.
Below was a small space with stone walls that gave off a musty smell. Judging by the sleeping bags and bread, it seemed they lived and ate here.
Including the guy who opened the door, a total of three men, looking just as haggard, were huddled together, looking up at me.
“What is this place?”
“Our last shelter to hide from *him*! He's so relentless that all the other spots have been discovered and shut down! I can still hear the screams of the brothers who were dragged away whenever I close my eyes! Oh... God... have you forsaken us!”
Blian's plea was filled with desperation. The other guys repeated his mumblings in unison.
Priests and monks huddled in a dark, damp space.
Their quiet prayers made them look like martyrs resisting the evil that had taken over the world, but...
'Can't you just go outside and attend the service?'
The absurdity of it made me let out a dry laugh. Still, I'd taken their gold, so I didn't let it show.
“Ah... Honorary Monk Aron! How is the plan progressing?”
“Ah, well, considering who we're up against.”
“Right! A very vicious opponent!”
“One wrong move and we could be in danger... We're being careful, extremely careful... careful squared, you could say.”
As I spoke with a serious face and a low voice, Blian and the other reject monks nodded vigorously.
“Right. It's not just about getting rid of him, but about restoring our former glory! My faith in you, Honorary Monk Aron, has never wavered for a moment!!”
I listened to their bizarre complaints, born from doing what clergymen were supposed to do. Then, as if reporting on my progress, I told them about my conversation with the Abbot.
“What? There might be another attack? Damn... I'd better stock up on food.”
From his response, I realized why I hadn't seen Blian during the last two attacks.
'This useless bastard... Should I just bury him here?'
I considered it for a moment, but I held back, thinking even guys like this might be useful someday.
“But for him to request support without a second thought at your request... An Abbot exiled to a frontier like this must be on bad terms with the main church... The fact that he's overextending himself proves you're doing a great job!”
I scratched my cheek at Blian's continued remarks.
'Was that overextending himself?'
It didn't feel particularly good.
After listening to the rejects' whining, I casually slipped in an absurd compliment like, 'To continue your faith in a place like this... it's truly amazing.' Blian then handed me a few tarnished silver coins.
'He gave me gold coins before, though.'
It was a paltry sum, but I didn't refuse it and took it anyway. Then the remaining reject monks pooled their money and handed me more silver coins. I took those as well and climbed the ladder back outside.
'Not bad.'
It wasn't much, but it wasn't bad if I thought of it as a way to pick up some snack money every now and then.
As I was about to leave the chapel, I came face to face with the Inquisitor, her expression back to its usual blankness.
I tensed for a moment, wondering if she was going to smash my head in as payment for my betrayal, but the Inquisitor was holding my cape, not her mace.
After a moment's hesitation, the Inquisitor bit her lip lightly and approached me. Then, she presented the cape to me like a sword.
As I took it from her, the Inquisitor gave a small nod. It seemed her sulking didn't last very long.
I nodded back and told her about the 'shelter' inside.
“They haven't found that place yet, so it should be safe.”
Her expression was the same, but her eyes seemed to have softened slightly. The Inquisitor gave a big nod, and I nodded back.
With another nod, the Inquisitor hurried inside.
The mace hanging from her waist seemed to wag like a tail. I shook my head.
The frontiers were where the runaways and rejects were bound to gather.
And the Inquisitor was definitely the latter.
***
I met Berman, his face strangely flushed, in Sector 6.
“What's with that creepy look on your face?”
“Ah, it's nothing. Did things go well where you went?”
“What do you mean, 'go well'?”
“Hahaha!”
“Why are you laughing? You looking for a fight?”
“Huh? No, I just laughed... Ahem, it's nothing.”
“Don't laugh. I don't like it.”
“Huh? Hmph.”
The slight upward curve of Berman's lips annoyed me, but I forced myself to ignore it and made a round of the castle.
As usual, I was grabbing a few guys who looked like they were about to take a dump in the street, chewing them out, and teaching them basic hygiene, when I saw a group of children running around, laughing.
'Come to think of it, doesn't Air Conditioner need some friends?'
I didn't know much about it, but it seemed like a kid needed friends his own age for his social development.
A child who eats and sleeps in a tavern, surrounded only by rough adults. The simple sentence reeked of something that could get me reported.
So I sat down in a suitable spot and carefully observed the playing children.
'That one? He's a boy. Absolutely not. Then that one? Her personality is too rough. She might be a bad influence. That one? Why is she... peeing while running?'
No matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find a kid with decent manners, a decent personality, and a decent amount of kindness.
'Still, he should have at least one friend...'
I clicked my tongue and looked at the kids again, but the song they were mumbling was getting on my nerves.
“In Casedic Castle, there's a very, very scary mad dog~ A mad dog who chews up demons! A mad dog who beats up all the insolent punks!”
““Mad dog!! Wahahaha!!””
The melody was too precise; someone had clearly put effort into composing this song, but the lyrics were deeply irritating.
'Was this the work of that wannabe wandering minstrel?'
Just then, the children spotted me and ran over excitedly.
“Jojang, they're just kids, so be gentle... Ack!”
“What are you talking about?”
I silenced Berman, who was spouting nonsense, in the medieval fashion.
“Wow! It's the mad dog!”
“What? You're Hansen's son, right? Tell Hansen to report to the Outer Wall Guard tomorrow.” “Wahahaha!”
“Stop laughing. What's that song?”
“This? It's the new hit song!”
“Dropping the honorifics... Anyway, you guys want some of this?”
I dangled the leftover candy I got from town in front of their eyes. The children's eyes instantly lit up, following the candy's movement. It was so entertaining that I waved it a few more times, and the kids started jumping up and down.
Like a game of whack-a-mole, I pressed down on their little heads.
“Alright, you know that song you were just singing? Change 'mad dog' to 'orange.' Then I'll give you this.”
“Orange? Orange!”
“No, change the lyrics in the song. 'Mad dog' to 'orange.'”
“Orange!!”
“No, you stupid little...”
“Jojang. They're kids.”
“Right, you stupid kids. Change 'orange' to 'mad dog'... no, 'mad dog' to 'orange.'”
I forcibly held onto the kids, who kept jumping around like live fish, and changed the song's lyrics. When I threw candy crumbs at the ones who were paying attention, they started to focus.
In the middle of it, Berman went off to do his patrol.
“In Casedic Castle, there's a very, very scary orange...”
By the time the candy ran out, the children were happily singing the orange song without any prompting.
After finishing my music class, I was thirsty and heading to the tavern when Guo Bao Rou suddenly blocked my path.
“Oh, Guo Bao Rou.”
“It's not Guo Bao Rou, it's Swalloitz... No, never mind that. I have something to say.”
“Alright. Say it.”
At my reply, Guo Bao Rou's eyes widened for a moment before he gave a small nod.
“It's a shame for such talent to rot away in this frontier, but if that is your decision, I will respect it. It is not my place as an outsider to interfere. However, to leave a child with such talent as he is, is absurd! His is not a talent meant for making ice for beer!”
Guo Bao Rou suddenly grew heated, his voice passionate.
‘Is he really a genius?’
To my eyes, he was just a grade-schooler who could shoot ice, but hearing a real mage like Guo Bao Rou say it, I started to believe it.
His handling of the flaming rock yesterday was idiotic, but the presence he gave off wasn't bad.
“So?”
“I will teach him. The people of this frontier may not know, but in the capital, a pouch of gold is not enough to learn from me. One must receive permission from the White Magic Tower itself to receive my tutelage! This is a golden opportunity.”
Guo Bao Rou shouted, a confident expression on his face. He was trying to look imposing, but his foolish display from yesterday was still too fresh in my mind for him to look cool.
“If you want to teach him, go ask him. Why are you asking me?”
“Are you not the boy's father?”
Guo Bao Rou asked back, his eyes wide as if asking something obvious.
The sudden weight of responsibility without pleasure gave me a headache.
“I'm not his father... just... Anyway, go ask him. Or ask Hana, the woman next to him.”
Guo Bao Rou's mouth twitched as if to say something, but when I scowled, he nodded and stepped back.
“Hey! Come back here.”
“What is it? Have you changed your...”
“You know cleaning magic, right? Cast some on me. I feel grimy.”
Hearing my words, Guo Bao Rou's eyes widened as if they would tear.
“I am Swalloitz of the White Magic Tower. To perform such a spell, fit only for third-rate mages...”
“You can't do it? Even third-rate mages can do it. If you can't even do that, the White Magic Tower must not be all that...”
“Damn it!”
The next-level freshness and comfort I felt made me acknowledge that he was indeed a great mage from the White Magic Tower.
“This is amazing. It's such a minor spell, but I can feel the difference. You're not a mage of the White Magic Tower for nothing!”
“Ha! Of course. In the capital, people would offer gold to receive my teachings...”
“Yeah, yeah. Swalloitz. What other spells do you know?”
I slung an arm over his shoulder, a sign of friendliness, to keep him from escaping.
'So... there's a magic Daiso here too.'
Watching the guy, who had instantly become arrogant again and was listing off his spells, made my mouth water.
***
Gesher Weind of the Imperial Eastern Management Bureau hesitated for a moment before clearing his throat loudly.
“Ahem...”
Only after he had coughed until his throat hurt did his superior, Ben Hart, open his eyes.
Watching Ben Hart let out a long yawn, Gesher Weind muttered under his breath, "This is why you got demoted from Central to the East."
“What is it.”
Ben Hart's curt words were undisguisedly filled with the irritation of being woken up.
“A report came in, so I've come to report it.”
“Isn't the matter with the East settled? Why are you still reporting on it?”
“Last time, you told me to...”
“Enough. Don't report on that place anymore. It's a closed matter. Kids these days are so stupid. Tsk.”
Gesher Weind fought back the curse that rose to the tip of his tongue.
'He's the one who told me to compile a list of all the big shots around Casedic... And if the Eastern Management Bureau doesn't hear reports about the East, what the hell are we supposed to be hearing?'
Still, he was his superior, so he suppressed his twitching mouth, bowed his head deeply, and stepped back.
The information he had spent time gathering—that 'Kurteun the Lecher' had entered the East, and that 'The Great Darkness' was waiting for the Bureau's permission but was expected to move soon—all of it had become useless.
“What did Hart say?”
As he stepped outside, his colleague Sinan Halina peeked her head out and asked. Gesher Weind gulped at the sight of her sharp eyes.
“What else? He said not to report on the East anymore.”
“What kind of bullshit is that? The Eastern Management Bureau not reporting on the East?”
“How should I know? You think he got demoted from Central to the East for no reason? That's practically falling off a cliff. He acts like that, so of course he got pushed.”
“Ah! Right. I have a connection in Central, you know. I asked around a bit...”
“...And?”
Sinan Halina wiggled her freckled cheeks and then shut her mouth. Gesher Weind handed her a gold coin.
“Thanks for the snack money! Anyway, apparently Ben was involved in the Bijantrho Kingdom project. You know what happened to the Bijantrho Kingdom, that desert kingdom at the western edge, right?”
Gesher Weind briefly watched Sinan Halina flip the gold coin between her fingers before nodding.
“It fell. Utterly.”
It was such a famous incident at the Bureau that everyone knew about it. Of course, they didn't know the full details, just that a major supplier had suddenly been swallowed by the Empire, causing a disruption in supply.
In any case, it had caused a huge uproar at the time, so even Gesher Weind at the Eastern Management Bureau knew the gist of the story.
“The story is that Ben was one of the key figures in that Bijantrho project, and he was demoted here as punishment.”
“Ah, so that's why he's always cursing out those big shots.”
“Yep. The one who ruined the project was that big... ah... what was his name again?”
“Adun?”
“No, that wasn't it. Ah! I can't remember! Anyway, that's why he was demoted.”
Hmm...
Gesher Weind nodded.
If he was involved in an incident of that magnitude and only got demoted here, he was clearly lucky.
It was a big enough incident that normally his entire family would have been used as materials.
“So there's no need to suck up to him. He's a lost cause anyway.”
Sinan Halina made a throat-slitting gesture with her hand, whispered softly, and scurried away.
‘A name starting with A...’
Gesher Weind stood there for a moment, and then suddenly, one of the names of the big shots he had been ordered to gather by Ben Hart came to mind.
He flinched but then shook his head.
The madman who caused that incident had been declared dead by Selena of the Central Management Bureau, and the case was closed.
Gesher Weind shook his head to clear his thoughts and walked away.
Now that he knew Ben Hart was a nobody, he had to hurry and find another line to cling to.
This was the Eastern Management Bureau, after all, known as the Bureau's graveyard.
And Gesher Weind did not want to become a living corpse.
***
My ear suddenly felt itchy for no reason. I scratched it, then let out a deep sigh at the appearance of a black hood.
She tried to hide herself, so much so that I couldn't even see her chin anymore, but there was no way anyone else in Casedic Castle would be wearing a black hood pulled down so low except for the blockheaded young lady.
What's more, her shoulders were shaking so much, she must have thought I couldn't recognize her. It was amazing how she could radiate stupidity through her form alone, without even showing her face.
I tried to walk past, pretending not to notice, but she blocked my path with a swift movement, making it impossible to ignore her.
“...Lady Vivian?”
“!!”
As I said her name softly, the young lady's head shot up.
Her eyes were wide enough to tear, so she must have really thought she wouldn't be recognized.
“What brings you here this time?”
“As I thought... you're no ordinary person.”
The way she recited a line straight out of a novel with an awkward tone made me want to flee the scene immediately.
“I still have work to do, so I don't have time.”
“What? But the sun has set! And your work still isn't done? How on earth does the Outer Wall Guard operate?! I'll tell my father...”
Watching the young lady instantly sympathize and fly into a rage, I could imagine the Captain getting an earful from Baron Pulpuchu, which made my mouth water, but I forced myself to speak again.
“Come to think of it, the sun has set. My work is done.”
“Aha! You were mistaken! It happens! I sometimes get morning and night mixed up too!”
'Isn't that something you're not supposed to get mixed up?'
Her extreme empathy made me feel awkward, so I just nodded.
“Anyway! You can't run away today! We need to have a serious talk!”
I was curious what she wanted to talk about all this time. I nodded, and the young lady slightly lifted her hood and checked her surroundings.
After confirming no one was around, she nodded firmly and opened her mouth.
“These! They're yours, aren't they?! I know everything!”
Her face flushed, the young lady thrust a familiar bunch of handkerchiefs at me.
The handkerchiefs seemed to be screaming at me.
'Responsibility without pleasure.'
A headache was coming on. I pressed my temples.
***
“Hey, you done packing?”
“Not yet. Why can't we use the dead?”
Grig, a black mage from The Society, grumbled as he forcibly shoved a protruding arm into a bag.
Recently, the Master had ordered all harvests to be brought to him, making it difficult for the black mages to procure corpses, their most important resource.
‘I’m not asking for high-quality corpses. But goblin or orc corpses are just too much, aren't they? I should have just switched over when Black Blood contacted me before! I only stayed because I heard The Great Darkness was the Master…’
Grig sighed deeply, regretting a decision that was already too late to change. As it turned out, an organization's management philosophy was more important than the strength of its leader.
“What can you do? The... Master ordered it.”
At his brother Greg's words, Grig gave a small nod.
Kyaaaaak-!
Uwaaaaak-!
From deep within the cave, a place where screams had been echoing nonstop for some time, a profound presence could be felt.
'...Eating all the good stuff himself.'
Grig muttered under his breath, trying to ignore the intense, enormous presence that made his hands tingle even from this distance.
The Master was still eating, as if he really intended to go outside. He had clearly exceeded the quota set by the Empire, yet he didn't stop.
'Is something really bad going to happen?'
Grig swallowed hard as he crammed a protruding finger into the bag.
“Ah, this. Used it well.”
At Greg's voice, Grig turned his head and couldn't contain his rising anger.
His treasure, his attachment corpse 'Le Pondrian de Fonserba,' was walking awkwardly, a complete mess.
“Ah, seriously! I told you not to use him!”
What's more, he hadn't even cleaned up afterward. Grig shouted loudly.
“We're not strangers.”
At Greg's shameless reply, Grig was about to chant a spell when—
Drrrrk.
Thump.
Drrrrk.
Thump.
A colossal footstep echoed from the very depths, and his body instinctively trembled in fear.
Greg, who had been joking just a moment ago, also turned around, his face completely stiff.
Grig forced his stiff neck to turn and look inside.
A place painted with an impenetrable black darkness.
He could instinctively feel that their Master, 'The Great Darkness,' was ascending after finishing his meal.
Grig swallowed hard, clutching the cold hand of his attachment doll, 'Le Pond.'
Then, he happened to glance aside.
“Hey, why are you grabbing him!”
He yelled at Greg, who had grabbed Le Pond's other hand.