Chapter 67
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: The Gong
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Gong
“It’s yours, right?”
The young lady said, shaking the handkerchief with a confident look on her face.
“I’ve never seen it before.”
I answered, my eyes as wide as I could make them.
At that, the young lady flinched slightly, then let out a sharp laugh. “Ha!”
“Lies! I saw you throw it away in front of the inner castle the other day!”
The corners of the young lady’s mouth curled up.
‘So someone was watching.’
Tsk, I clicked my tongue.
The young lady’s eyes sparkled as she held out the handkerchief again. With a witness, there was no point in denying it any longer.
“Yeah, whatever. It’s mine.”
“I knew it! It wasn’t a dream!”
With a bright smile, the young lady clutched the handkerchief to her chest and let out a small sigh.
Watching her bounce with excitement, I tried to sort out my thoughts. Just what did she remember…?
‘Her face is red. Does she remember showing me her breasts?’
Our eyes met, and the young lady grinned slyly again. Her smile seemed to say, ‘Gotcha!’ and I swallowed hard.
She wouldn’t have come all this way just to confirm her memory was correct. The reason she was here was probably…
‘Because she showed her breasts to a strange man.’
If her exhibitionism and the fact that I had witnessed it became known, both she and I would find ourselves in an awkward situation.
With that in mind, I collected my thoughts while watching the young lady, who was still cheerfully waving the handkerchief.
In times like this, it was better to seize the upper hand by using blunt words to throw her off, rather than being subservient. And since my opponent was a woman so pure she was practically foolish, I anticipated an easy victory.
“Ah, you don’t have to worry. I won’t tell anyone I saw Lady Vivian’s breasts.”
I said with a shameless expression, placing special emphasis on the word ‘breasts’. I expected her to look flustered, but…
“Oh! That’s fine! They’re not a weird shape, are they? My maids said they were pretty! They are pretty, right?!”
‘Hmm…’
Her response was so far from what I’d expected that I was the one left speechless.
“Why? Were they weird? They should be pretty! They said they were pretty!”
When I didn’t answer, the young lady tilted her head with a worried expression.
‘I underestimated the exhibitionist.’
I tried to think of what to say, but I had a feeling that whatever came out of my mouth would land me as the new castle gate mascot, so I just shook my head.
“They’re pretty, right? My maids said so! They said they were the best!”
The young lady discreetly lifted the collar of her dress to check inside, so I looked away.
“Anyway! I came to thank you! And I also wanted to confirm that my dream wasn’t a delusion! But why did you keep running away? Was it a game?”
I scratched my head at her question.
‘To think she came all this way just to say thank you.’
I paused for a moment, wondering if she had some other motive, but her transparent eyes were filled with such a foolish degree of purity that I couldn't see any other intention.
“Anyway! Thank you! For saving me!”
I was taken aback when the young lady suddenly bowed her head, showing me the crown of her head.
She was less like a noble than any noble I had ever seen.
After sneaking a peek at me, the young lady raised her head, smiled brightly again, and began to speak.
“I’m so relieved! That it wasn’t a dream! When I told my nanny about it, she said it was nothing to be ashamed of and that all girls my age have dreams like that. Sometimes my nanny says the strangest things!”
Suddenly veering off topic, the young lady chattered on about useless things. As a result, I was forced to learn that Baron Pulpuchu hated vegetables and that a steward named Gerel kept bringing up the topic of marriage.
Seeing no end in sight to her ramblings, I furrowed my brow to signal her to shut up, but she just furrowed her own brow in imitation and giggled.
“Anyway! That’s why I came to thank you! And also for this!”
The young lady pursed her lips in concentration as she reached into her hood and pulled something out.
What she produced was a golden candlestick that looked expensive at a glance. It even had melted wax still stuck to it, as if it had just been used.
“I wanted to express my gratitude, and I read in a book that just saying it with words is rude! It said a gift of gold is the best! What do you think?!”
The young lady shook the candlestick, looking like a puppy that had brought back a bone.
‘The lord must have his hands full.’
Of course, I didn’t refuse and quickly took it.
At that, the young lady smiled brightly and nodded.
Looking at her, it felt like a waste to just let her go.
‘If I shake her down, I bet more will fall out.’
The young lady was clearly the most beautiful pushover on the continent.
“But I do believe I saved you three times.”
“…What?”
“Three times.”
I’d already received a reward from Nova, but I figured I could get a duplicate payment, so I casually brought it up.
“…But I only have one candlestick! And I snuck this one out of my father’s room! I’ll bring the rest next time! My father’s room has quite a few things made of gold!”
The young lady’s eyes widened in genuine panic, and she nodded her head firmly as if she’d made a decision.
I nodded in return and told her to bring something small and shiny next time.
The young lady muttered, “small and shiny,” with her small lips.
Just then, the sound of a whistle from nearby made her gasp, “Ah! I’ve been caught!” She gave me a quick bow and disappeared.
‘Even nobles can’t help being little shits.’
I tucked the candlestick into my coat and shook my head slightly. Even though the young lady had given it to me, it felt more like stolen goods than a gift.
I headed back to the inn cautiously.
As I entered the inn, I saw someone I recognized lying spread-eagled on the floor.
Looking closer, it was Gguobaro.
‘Why is this bastard lying here?’
“Bermunt!! I told you not to just hit people on sight! He’s a teacher!”
I heard Hana’s furious voice.
“He has an unpleasant face.”
Looking inside, I saw Choco getting scolded by Hana.
‘He does have an unpleasant face.’
I nodded, looking at the unconscious Gguobaro with his tongue lolling out.
Like a typical magician, Gguobaro looked gloomy. Though, unlike his appearance, his personality seemed decent.
“Ah! Aron! Bermunt beat up a guest again!”
Hana spotted me and shouted, pointing at Choco as if she were tattling.
‘Again? So this wasn’t the first time.’
I’d tasked him with guarding the house, and it seemed he was carrying out his duties faithfully, so I nodded.
At that, Bermunt looked at me and thumped his chest with his right fist.
“It’s fine. He’s a guard.”
“But you can’t just beat up a guest because you don’t like their face!”
“It’s not a big deal. At least he didn’t kill him.”
“…What?”
Hana’s eyes widened at my muttering, and Choco nodded along. The guy would have swung his sword first if we were in the desert, so for him to stop at just his fists meant he was being considerate in his own way.
“And he does have an unpleasant face.”
“That may be true, but to judge a person by their appearance…”
Choco nodded again.
Hana, eyes wide, looked back and forth between me and Choco before letting out a deep sigh.
Just then, Aircon approached and handed me a mug of beer.
I hesitated for a moment, looking at the ice that looked like cereal filling the mug, before downing it.
Spotting the unconscious Gguobaro, Aircon narrowed her eyes and wiggled her fingers. I hastily stopped her.
“He wasn’t trying to take her. He said he’d teach her magic himself.”
“…For free? Why?”
Hana pulled Aircon into her arms and stared suspiciously at Gguobaro.
‘I don’t think he said it was for free.’
I scratched my head for a moment before speaking.
“He said Kanna was a genius and he had to teach her. Something about how leaving her be would be a loss for the empire, a loss for magic…”
The moment I finished speaking, Kanna lifted her chin proudly.
Hana slipped her hands under Kanna’s armpits and lifted her high into the air. Kanna, held by Hana, expertly sprinkled her hands, and ice sculptures that looked just like me scattered around. A thunderous applause erupted from the onlookers.
The seamless flow, like a well-rehearsed play, made me click my tongue.
“First, let’s wake him…”
I pointed at the unconscious Gguobaro, only to lock eyes with the weasel, who was currently going through the man’s pockets.
“Hehe… Boss, should I wake this guy up?”
The weasel, grinning awkwardly, pulled a dagger from his coat and pointed it at the man’s thigh.
I remembered the mercenaries from our first meeting, blood dripping from their thighs, and my head throbbed.
I stopped Kanna from bashing Gguobaro with an ice club that looked like me and woke the man up by pouring cold water on him.
Gguobaro, a bruise already forming on his eye, gave a long, serious explanation about Kanna’s value and talent, as well as his own fame and abilities.
And so, it was decided that Kanna would learn from him, with Hana chaperoning.
‘Learning from a real magician should make a difference.’
I let out a small groan as I looked at the face on the ice club I’d confiscated from Kanna.
She’d become some kind of master ice sculptor; the face carved into the ice was now as identical as looking in a mirror.
I traced the scars carved into the ice, then grimaced at the large gash running across the nose.
[Don’t forget me.]
The scar, now just a faint trace, began to burn.
***
[Run.]
- How sweet.
Knock, knock, knock.
I grabbed my sword the moment I woke up and steadied my breathing.
‘Fucking hell.’
I must have slept deeper than usual; my hands were trembling.
I scowled and clenched my fists, and the shaking stopped.
I pointlessly drew my sword, staring down at the cold, blue blade for a moment before touching my face.
Tracing the countless red and purple marks reminded me that it was all over. I sheathed my sword and got up.
“It is a fine… dawn for prayer.”
When I opened the door, the abbot trailed off for a moment before nodding.
My head felt unusually dizzy today, and I didn't think I could control my strength, so I headed to the backyard without waking Bermunt.
I ran and swung my sword until I was out of breath. It was just wild, formless swinging, but the heavier my body became, the clearer my mind grew.
As I lay collapsed on the ground, the abbot approached. He looked down at me, reciting a prayer, and I could see my reflection in his eyes.
‘I look like a man who’s been stabbed in the heart.’
I let out a laugh that sounded like a dry cough and pushed myself up.
“Looks like you had a nightmare.”
“Yeah, something like that.”
“Reading the holy scriptures before bed would help.”
I had no intention of doing so, but I gave a simple nod.
After a short prayer, the abbot stepped back.
Washing Machine skillfully cast a cleaning spell, and Aircon handed me a mug of beer.
Aircon stared up at me, then brought a basin of water from inside and threw it on the ground. She muttered to herself as she made an ice sculpture of Gguobaro.
Then, Aircon handed me the ice club that looked like me.
‘…Is she telling me to swing it?’
I looked at it for a moment, then took the ice club and swung it with all my might.
Clang!
The ice shattered with a crisp sound, and I felt a little better.
Satisfied, Aircon nodded, made a tiny ice sculpture, and mimicked my swing.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
By the time the ground was littered with shattered ice, the fog in my head had cleared.
The sun was rising. It was time for work.
I ruffled Aircon’s hair for no reason and headed to the headquarters, my mind feeling much lighter.
As I was squatting at headquarters, changing into my boots, the weasel presented me with a pair of shiny leather boots.
“Boss! Please accept these!”
“What’s this?”
“Ahem… A token of your subordinate’s devotion, boss.”
The twitch at the corner of his mouth was suspicious, but I didn’t bother refusing.
I tried them on. They were a little big, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed by my feet getting a little fatter. I stomped my feet a few times, and they felt about right.
That’s when I noticed the weasel’s new shoes.
They were pointed shoes, the tips as sharp as a goblin’s nose, and their glossy shine suggested they were high-quality.
‘The bastard bought me cheap ones because he was afraid I’d take his new shoes.’
It was absurd. I wasn’t crazy enough to steal those pointed shoes.
Not only were they hideous, but the narrow toe box made them unsuitable for moving around comfortably.
In any case, I had a new pair of work boots, so I nodded in satisfaction and walked back and forth to get a feel for them.
I casually tossed my worn-out boots aside. I was sure some guy would pick them up later with a big grin on his face.
“My most trusted Jojang Aron! Punctual as always!”
The captain beamed, his eyes shining as if he were expecting something. I handed him the ice I’d brought in my armor.
“That’s Jojang Aron for you! The other guys are all useless. All they know is how to fight and extort people… They have no sense of duty as guards, none at all. Ah! Not you, Jojang Aron. You can do whatever you want! I’ve got your back!”
The captain stuffed the ice into his clothes and shivered.
“And what’s with those boots? Are you a goblin? You even look like one.”
Next, the captain saw the weasel’s pointed shoes, clicked his tongue, and waved his hand dismissively.
As we left the captain’s room, the goblin… no, the weasel, drew a dagger from his thigh with a serious expression.
“Should we take him out? Just give the order, and for you, boss…”
I ignored him, sent him on his way, and headed for Nova.
“State your identity and purpose.”
A guy I’d never seen before stopped me at the inner castle gate.
The man next to him jumped in surprise and smacked him on the back of the head.
“That’s Aron the Madman! Didn’t you look at the list of key figures I told you to memorize?”
“Huh? But, sir, you said Aron the Madman had horns on his head.”
“That was a joke! Where did they find a reject like you…”
‘Horns, my ass…’
I ignored the conversation behind me and went inside.
People were bustling about, seemingly preparing for something. Bastard Squared was among them. He was carrying luggage on both shoulders, sweating profusely.
“Wow, what a fucking grind.”
He didn’t react, so I repeated it three times until his face turned red enough to burst. I figured I should stop before he actually exploded and headed to Nova’s room.
Knock-knock-knock.
“Come in.”
I went inside and saw the indoor NPC, in her usual spot, in her usual posture.
“Orange, when was the last time you went outside?”
“What kind of nonsense is that, the moment you walk in…”
“Oranges need sunlight to grow.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You need a lot more sun, Orange.”
“Where are you looking while you’re talking?”
Nova’s face turned red as she narrowed her eyes and glared at me.
“I was checking to see if you were wearing the heart protector I bought you. You are. Good.”
“Hah! I told you this is too small. It’s so tight! You have no idea how uncomfortable it is!”
With a confident smile, Nova thumped her chest, but it made a hollow, metallic sound. It was a sharp, clanging sound, as if there was nothing behind it.
“Huh? That can’t be right. This morning, it was…”
“Could use that as a gong. Orange Gong.”
“…What’s a gong?”
Nova bit her lip and stared at me. A quill pen was held in her hand like a weapon, so I had to answer carefully.
“It exists. Something very big and nice.”
“Big and nice?”
“Mm…”
“Hah! I have to admit it.”
Her eyes quickly curved into crescents, and Nova twitched her lips as she fumbled to pop a walnut into her mouth.
Crunch.
She grimaced as if it were bitter but swallowed it down anyway. Nova immediately took out another walnut and put it in her mouth.
“Orange Gong.”
“Hmph…”
Seeing Nova, of all people, grinning foolishly at the sound of ‘gong’ made me struggle to hold back my laughter.
I cleared my throat and said ‘gong’ a few more times, and with each one, the corners of Nova’s mouth twitched uncontrollably.
Finally, she thumped her chest like a performance, making a ‘thump-thump’ sound, and I couldn’t hold back my laughter any longer.
“Why are you laughing?”
“It was just so… gong-like.”
“…Whatever. So, what happened?”
Nova, having composed herself, returned to her usual bitchy expression and spoke. I cleared my throat a few times and answered.
“He said he’d request support.”
“That’s a relief. An honorary monk, indeed.”
“Well… I’m embarrassed.”
“That wasn’t a compliment. And it’s your right hand, not your left.”
I quickly switched hands. Nova’s lips twitched, and she let out a small laugh before continuing.
“The lord has decided to hold a tournament.”
“A tournament?”
I scratched my head at the word, which reeked of sweat.
A tournament. One of the nobles’ refined hobbies. It was a competition where a bored noble with too much money would put up a prize to entertain the masses and win their favor.
“Yeah. Asking for help from neighboring lords is risky since Casedic’s own military strength has weakened, and we could be taken over. He decided it’s better to spend a lot of money than to give them a pretext to interfere.”
Nova explained it slowly, as if she were talking to a child.
‘A tournament, huh…’
Since knights were incredibly expensive to maintain, a fair number of people usually participated whenever a tournament was held. I’d heard there were even knights who went around just competing in tournaments.
“The prize is 40 gold coins. One-on-one, no talking. No questions about family or origin.”
‘He’s spending a lot.’
Tournaments were held in various formats.
There were battle royales where more than ten people were thrown in together and the last one standing won, team battles, and even jousting on horseback.
Those were more entertaining to watch, so one-on-one matches weren’t very popular. However, for the simple purpose of keeping participants around for a long time, one-on-one was the most suitable format.
Even if they came just for the tournament, they would surely serve as reinforcements in an emergency. Imperial law stated that knights could not ignore a demon sighting.
It wasn’t a bad choice.
“But if they don’t check family or origin, all sorts of riffraff will show up.”
If they didn’t have to reveal their family or origin, non-knights would surely pretend to be knights and participate.
“Yeah, it’ll probably be knights from nearby castles, retired knights, or mercenaries blinded by money.”
Crunch.
Nova furrowed her fine brow and popped another walnut into her mouth.
Due to the nature of a tournament, where swords were crossed, no one was held accountable for casualties that occurred during a duel. This was for the very barbaric reason that if they worried about such things, they couldn’t fight with their full strength, which would make it less of a spectacle.
However, deaths were rare. Of course, this was less out of respect for life and more for the practical reason that if you left your opponent alive, you could receive additional money from them, called a ‘loser’s fee’.
Additionally, Aura was forbidden in tournaments.
The first reason was that battles using Aura ended in a single clash and were boring. The second reason was that if Aura were allowed, no one but knights would apply.
There were quite a few guys who thought they had a chance if Aura wasn’t used, so tournaments were always lively.
Of course, even without Aura, the winner was almost always a knight.
“When does it start?”
“The preliminaries start in four days. It’s undecided how long they’ll accept applications.”
The timeline blatantly showed their intention to gather forces as quickly as possible and hold onto them for as long as they could.
‘40 gold coins.’
It was an amount that made me feel hungry even though I’d just eaten meat bread. I wondered what I would do if I had 40 gold coins.
“No.”
Nova suddenly shouted with a serious face, pointing a finger at me.
“What?”
“No to whatever it is. You have a weird look in your eyes. No. Don’t do it.”
The quick-witted Nova seemed to have sensed something and kept muttering, “No, don’t do it,” while scowling.
Being told not to do it only made me want to do it more.
“Well…”
I let my words trail off.
“No! Real knights will be there! It’s dangerous! Don’t do it! Don’t get any strange ideas!”
Thump-thump!
The Orange Gong began its performance, probably to get my attention, but the 40 gold coins already ringing in my ears acted as noise-cancellation.
I slowly backed away, and the gong, being an indoor NPC tied to her desk, couldn’t follow.
“No!! Don’t do it!!”
Nova’s sharp voice and the sound of the gong being beaten echoed through the hallway.
In a tournament that didn’t care about origin or family, all sorts of people were bound to compete. Among them were quite a few who wore thick helmets to hide their faces and used false names.
A tournament was a very clear and gentlemanly sport where status didn’t matter, and the strongest was the best.
‘40 gold.’
It was a sum large enough to buy a helmet and still have plenty left over.
A very thick helmet that would make it impossible for anyone to recognize me…
***
“Boss, how about this? This blunt thing is only 10 silver.”
The weasel asked me, wearing a huge chunk of metal on his head that looked like a bucket.
With just a few holes punched out where the eyes should be, it looked less like a helmet and more like a punishment.
It must have been made from leftover scraps of metal, as the color was different in places. He had clearly bought the lowest of the low-grade items.
‘That’s a very thick helmet.’
It seemed I wouldn’t have to spend my own money, so I nodded.
Two days had passed since I’d heard about the tournament from Nova. Since then, the number of people coming to Casedic Castle had doubled. Among them, rough-looking men carrying swords had also begun to gather one by one.
“Aren’t you hot?”
“Yes?! Fucking hot!”
The metal was so thick that his voice echoed. I clicked my tongue at his stupidity and looked ahead.
A longer line than usual stretched before the castle gate.
Among them were not just cart drivers, but also travelers, immigrants like the ones from before, and men with swords.
It seemed like it was going to be a pretty interesting day.
“What?!!”
The weasel suddenly yelled.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Yes! But why are you saying everything twice?!”
The weasel, wearing the stupid helmet, kept saying stupid things. I lightly tapped the helmet with my fist, and he screamed and ducked.
“The… the world is collapsing! Boss! Take cover!”
I clicked my tongue and turned away.
“Good day.”
“Yeah, where are you from?”
The first customers were a family with a cart loaded with belongings.
We needed to fill the empty houses anyway, so I just did a rough background check. They didn’t have any weapons, and from their thin frames, they didn’t seem like they would cause any trouble. I finished the questions and let them in.
Next was a young man clumsily clad in metal.
His posture was decent enough that he seemed to have been a squire somewhere rather than a mercenary.
“I have come to participate in the tournament.”
The man said in an unfittingly solemn tone.
At that, I was certain he was a former squire.
‘All sorts of people…’
Well, 40 gold was enough to tempt even a squire’s grandfather.
“Is that so? Where are you from?”
I mimicked him, stroking my chin and speaking solemnly.
“From a place where the cold winds blow… Ugh!!”
“Where are you from?”
“…I’m from Sarhan Castle in the south.”
A single punch made him speak properly.
“Watch yourself when you get inside, and don’t cause any trouble. And be careful, you’ll be in for it if you’re caught taking a shit on the street.”
“Then where am I supposed to shit?”
I scowled at his question.
The man jumped in surprise and nodded.
“I will try my best to hold it in!”
I was about to punch him again and let him in, but the weasel suddenly grabbed him.
“What is it!”
“That looks nice.”
The weasel tapped the man’s dark brown belt.
“Th-this? But this is…”
The flustered man stammered and backed away, but the weasel quickly caught him.
“I’ll give it back after I use it. I said I’ll give it back.”
In the end, the man, having lost his belt, clutched his pants and entered the castle.
‘Savage.’
I clicked my tongue as I watched the weasel, chuckling as he fastened the ill-fitting belt.
Next was a cart driver.
We discussed the sacred tradition between the guards and the cart drivers and came to a mutually satisfactory sum.
It was a little awkward, but he was smiling too, so he must have been satisfied.
The next cart driver was a familiar face.
A guy who hadn’t been coming to Casedic lately.
He smiled awkwardly and discreetly held out a copper.
“Hmm… Kises, you must not know since you haven’t been here in a while. The prices have gone up quite a bit.”
“My name’s not Kises, it’s Siris… Wait, the price went up?”
“It went up unavoidably, following the inflation rate.”
“…The inflation rate? What does that mean?”
Using a difficult word made Kises’s face fall. Guys like him usually waved the white flag if you just pushed them with difficult words.
These dumb medieval folks were no match for a modern man.
“You haven’t heard? The imperial family raised the interest rates, so naturally, the inflation rate went up, and we had no choice but to raise our fee. You think we wanted to do this? Besides, Kises, you and I have even had a beer together.”
“First of all, my name is Siris, and we’ve never had a beer together.”
“Really? I must have mistaken your face. Then I’ll have to charge a bit more. It seems…”
“That’s right! Don’t you recognize me? Kissex or Kases, whatever! That’s me! Here! Take it!”
Kises quickly handed over the rest of his coppers, and I slipped them into my inner pocket. I clapped him on the shoulder and laughed heartily, and he laughed along.
It was an excellent transaction that satisfied both parties. I pretended not to hear him mutter, “Damn imperial bastards… raising whatever the hell they call it…”
“Next!!”
Thanks to the news of the tournament, business was booming. The unexpected windfall made me smile without even trying as I waved my hand energetically.
I had been careless and let someone in before who ended up sending the baron flying, so I was being relatively strict.
I gave special instruction to the men with swords, collecting a small training fee and lining my pockets.
The sun was just past its peak, but my pockets were already full. The sweat from my rewarding work felt cool.
As I continued the inspections, I heard a scream from the distance.
Aaaah!!
The people waiting in line scattered in all directions.
Through the chaos, a single carriage came rushing forward at a furious speed. I narrowed my eyes and looked for its crest.
‘…Imperial? No, that’s the Imperial Knights.’
At the appearance of such an unexpected big shot, I immediately knelt and bowed my head.
I turned to warn the weasel, but he wasn’t just kneeling; he was completely prostrated on the ground.
Those who had jumped aside to avoid the carriage or had been injured were about to curse, but upon seeing the crest on the carriage, they all shut their mouths and flattened themselves.
The furiously charging carriage slowly began to reduce its speed as it approached the castle gate.
I cautiously lifted my head just enough to observe the newcomer.
‘A female driver?’
The driver, seen up close, was a woman, and her attire was so revealing that she might as well have been a prostitute on the side. The men who had been prostrated peeked their heads up at the sight of her outfit, which barely covered the important parts.
The weasel, who hadn’t taken off his helmet until now, lifted it slightly, let out a small gasp of admiration, and then tossed it aside completely.
“Is this Casedic Castle?”
The woman, her face tense and red enough to burst, muttered as if spitting out the words. Judging by her reaction, the outfit was not to her taste.
“Yes, this is Casedic.”
“I… see.”
The woman bit her lip and carefully climbed down from the driver’s seat. At that, the men on the side let out gasps of awe.
The woman’s face crumpled even further, and she bit her lip as if suppressing her anger and headed for the door.
‘So flashy.’
The woman grabbed the carriage door handle, her hand so tight that veins stood out.
“…We have arrived.”
The woman opened the door, her voice low, and prostrated herself.
Then, an armored figure stepped out of the carriage, using the woman’s back as a stepping stone. It looked like he weighed quite a bit, but the woman, though trembling, did not fall.
‘An Imperial Knight?’
The man who emerged was incredibly flamboyant.
His lips were red as if he were wearing makeup, and his face was so pale that I immediately wanted to punch it.
However, despite being clad in iron as thick as my own, the man’s steps were light. He wore two swords at his sides: one was a pointed sword, and the other was thick and short.
‘The pointed one for offense, the short one for defense.’
Out of habit, I observed the man’s stride, arm length, and swords. His reach was about half a fist longer than mine.
I couldn’t gauge him accurately, but he was not an easy opponent.
“Thank you again today, Lady Casher.”
“Don’t… mention it.”
Her voice was so filled with rage that I could feel her gritting her teeth from here, but the man just tapped her back with the top of his foot.
From his appearance to his actions, everything about him was grating.
“Quite a crowd.”
The man looked around and muttered with a hint of amusement, and the others immediately bowed their heads again.
I focused on the crest engraved near the heart of the man’s armor.
‘…That’s not the Imperial Knights’ crest.’
It was similar, but subtly different from the Imperial Knights’ crest.
“Oh, hello there.”
The man approached me and gave a light greeting.
In response, I bowed my head and looked at his feet.
His feet were not in iron boots, but in shoes.
Pointed shoes, similar to the weasel’s.
And his left stride was slightly longer.
“Jojang Aron of the Casedic Castle Outer Wall Guard.”
I introduced myself without raising my head.
“Is that so? Is being ugly a requirement for the guards here?”
The man’s sudden provocation made my fists clench, but I managed to hold back. There were too many eyes watching to beat up a knight bearing the imperial seal.
Besides, if you call an ugly person ugly, they get angry, but if you call a handsome person ugly, they just laugh it off.
So, I laughed out loud.
The weasel laughing along beside me was extremely annoying.
“A good-natured fellow, unlike your impression. You’re built like a brute, and your eyes are alive… Hmm, you might be useful.”
The man smiled in a strangely unsettling way. I saw his hand move toward the hilt of his pointed sword and subtly lowered my own.
I tapped my fingers, my eyes fixed on his wrist.
The time it took for him to draw his sword was an instant.
His wrist twitched for a moment, and before I knew it, his sword was lunging at me. It was a speed that didn’t match his nonchalant attitude.
Since I had been watching his wrist, I was able to react without being slow.
However, I didn’t block it completely; I drew my sword as if my reaction was slightly delayed.
His sword grazed my shoulder, but since his target had been my left side, not my right, it was blocked by my pauldron.
“Oh, you are useful.”
The man let out a small sound of admiration and poked my left pauldron with his sword.
I deliberately put on a surprised expression and replayed the recent exchange in my head.
‘Fast. But not so fast that I can’t react.’
He would have been a difficult opponent before I met the walking sword-style encyclopedia, but if I were to fight him now…
‘I could take him.’
I came to a dry conclusion.
“Surprised? My apologies. My hand gets itchy when I meet someone who looks like they can handle a sword.”
“It’s fine.”
It wasn’t a bad exchange for me either, as I was able to gauge his skill.
If he had aimed for my right side, which had no pauldron, instead of my left, I would have unhesitatingly taken his head.
Me with a skewer in my shoulder, and him with his head lopped off. It was obvious who would have gotten the worse end of that deal.
“This fellow is as big-hearted as he is big-bodied! I like you! Stand up!”
When I stood up, the man looked up at me and curled one side of his lip.
“I have a question. Is the thing down there as big as the rest of you?”
“It’s quite troublesome.”
At my answer, the man let out a small “Oh…” of admiration.
“To think even the guards are this entertaining. I thought this was just the boonies, but it seems it’ll be much more fun than I expected!”
The man laughed heartily and said to me, “I’m also quite troubled,” before walking back to the carriage. The woman crouched down again, and the man nonchalantly stepped on her back to get into the carriage.
The carriage door closed. The woman, a clear footprint on her back, climbed into the driver’s seat. By then, her face had gone pale.
As the carriage passed by, I could see inside. It was filled with scantily clad women. It looked like a carriage made of flesh tones.
Among them were some who, like the woman in the driver’s seat, seemed to be enduring humiliation, but there was also a woman with her mouth agape and her eyes rolled back.
As I was observing this, my eyes met the man’s. He pulled a woman next to him closer and winked.
‘Not good.’
I drummed my fingers, continuously replaying the recent exchange in my mind.
“Boss, is that guy really a knight?”
The weasel asked with an unusually serious tone. I nodded, and the weasel spoke with a determined expression.
“From today on, my dream is to be a knight.”
The weasel declared with an utterly serious face.
‘That’s probably impossible.’
There was no chance for the weakest of the weak to become a knight. But it would be more amusing to let him be, so I nodded and clapped him on the shoulder.
“Yeah, you can definitely do it.”
“B-Boss! No, Father!!”
The look on his deeply moved face was not a pretty sight, but I forced myself to nod. It was better to dream when you still could.
“Alright, next.”
At my shout, a somewhat disheveled man slowly approached, pulling his cart.
I’d seen him a few times before. A guy who had just become an adult but looked like he was in his thirties. They called him Bungbung.
“Excuse me, Jojang Aron.”
Bungbung, who had been handing me a silver coin, suddenly hesitated and spoke up.
“No discount. You made quite a bit of money last time. I heard all about it from Pul.”
“No, it’s not that… How much does a sword cost?”
“Depends on the quality. Why?”
“Well… I was thinking of settling down and starting to train…”
“Why? You want to be a knight too?”
“Huh?! How did you know?! Can you sense the aura of a knight within me?!”
At Bungbung’s dumbfounded shout, the weasel next to him glared.
“Wake up, you! You have no talent! You have to be at least at my level to even talk about being a knight. A guy who knows nothing.”
The weasel suddenly raised his voice, drew the sword from his hip, and swung it around.
He tried to strike a pose, but it was blatantly sloppy.
However, his speed was decent enough, which showed he had been practicing quite diligently.
Bungbung, who had been watching him for a moment, spoke up.
“I think I could do that much.”
At Bungbung’s mutter, the weasel’s movements came to a halt.
“Alright! Let’s see if you can do it!!”
The weasel, scowling for a moment, roared and charged at Bungbung. The two of them got tangled up and rolled on the ground, but Bungbung, having pulled a cart for a living, was no pushover.
Bungbung grabbed the weasel’s ill-fitting belt and instantly reversed their positions.
I watched them for a moment, then picked up the stupid chunk of iron helmet lying next to me.
The helmet that had been loose on the weasel fit me perfectly. As if it had been mine from the start, not his.
Through the eyeholes, I could see the distorted face of the weasel as he wrestled with Bungbung. The weasel’s expression was that of a man who’d had his lover stolen, and his lips twitched.
“I’ll give it back after I use it.”
When I gave him a thumbs-up, the weasel hesitated for a moment before giving a thumbs-up in return. However, his finger was trembling.
Just then, Bungbung’s fist connected squarely with the weasel’s face.
“He’s crying! I won! I wo—Aaaah!”
“You bastard! You fucking bastard!! You thieving bastard!!”
The weasel exploded in anger and grabbed Bungbung by the hair.
I watched the amusing scene, swallowing the saliva that kept pooling in my mouth.
‘…40 gold.’
I tapped the thick helmet on my head.
The helmet was thick enough.