Chapter 80
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: An Outing
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80
An Outing
“They’re more cunning than they appear.”
Anderson, the leader of the Chilling Daggers, spoke in a voice as thin as a woman’s.
Everyone gathered in the room nodded.
Contrary to the rumors, their enemies were cunning and meticulous.
They didn’t just foolishly expand their numbers; they systematically infiltrated and severed connections.
“That’s right. I’m trying to handle it on my end, but quite a few people are uncooperative. I think a good number of administrators have already gone over to their side.”
Shoneh, a 2nd-class administrator, said in a gloomy voice.
“Can’t we deploy the knights?”
“It’s possible since we have Sir Sarshan. But we don’t know where their base is, or who the vampires are…”
Shoneh’s voice trailed off.
That was the biggest problem.
There was no way to tell them apart on the surface.
There was no way to gauge how deep the rot went.
A few days ago, several innocent citizens had died due to false information.
“What is Abbot Benghart’s opinion?”
Dante broke the silence, looking at Abbot Benghart, who was simply stroking his beard.
“You are all so worried. Darkness is bound to recede before the sun. It is important to have a little more faith.”
‘Old man! Do you have any idea how much money went to you? You think I gave you all that money to listen to this bullshit?!’
Dante wanted to curse at Abbot Benghart’s nonchalant reply, but he suppressed his anger and spoke again.
“Then does the monastery have a countermeasure?”
“Ahem…”
Abbot Benghart nodded with a detestable smile. From the look of it, he wanted something in return.
‘After all you’ve taken, you want more? This crazy son of a bitch abbot!’
The reactions of the other organization leaders were similar.
If faith was measured by the size of one’s donations to the church, the leaders gathered here were surely saints.
As Dante exchanged glances with the other leaders, Shoneh spoke up.
“I believe you’re referring to the three inquisitors who recently arrived in Karzan.”
At Shoneh’s words, Benghart’s eyes widened.
‘So that’s it. Putting on airs over just three inquisitors…’
Thanks to Shoneh, they had saved some gold.
“Ahem… I was planning to share the good news slowly…”
“We are all aware that inquisitors are the hammer of the church, but Karzan’s current situation isn’t something that can be resolved by just three inquisitors.”
Grun of the Cute Rabbits chided in a phlegmy voice. Dante nodded in agreement.
Karzan already had one inquisitor, after all.
They had placed their hopes on him once, but the inquisitor’s method of identifying demons was simply to tie them to a chair and throw them into the water.
If they floated, they were a vampire; if they sank, they were innocent.
It was a barbaric method that anyone could employ, not just an inquisitor.
“Ho ho, from your reactions, it seems you all know only one side of the story. For you pitiful souls who do not know God, let me add one more thing. The inquisitors who arrived this time are from Cassedic.”
Abbot Benghart said in a voice thick with arrogance.
‘Cassedic! That man!’
Dante’s body trembled with a primal fear.
“Ah, Cassedic, isn’t that the place that recently captured some vampires? To think they were there… Then do they perhaps know a way to identify vampires…”
“Ahem.”
Abbot Benghart stroked his beard with that same expression, the one that said, *If you want to hear more, show me some sincerity.*
The word “Cassedic” made Dante shudder, and he glanced at Shoneh.
He had told Shoneh time and time again.
That man must never be brought back to Karzan.
Just then, his eyes met Shoneh’s.
Shoneh subtly scratched behind her ear.
‘Isn’t that a habit she has when she’s anxious? Why?’
Seeing Shoneh cough and avoid his gaze sent a chill down Dante’s spine.
***
I let out a groan at the scene unfolding before me.
The repairs on Cassedic’s walls were indeed urgent. On top of that, a rumor that vampires might enter through the breached wall had spread, causing residents to flock to the site, offering to help in any way they could.
‘We paved a road with vampire heads. You think they’d be crazy enough to come back?’
It was absurd, but there was no reasoning with medieval folk gripped by fear.
In that situation, Kanna was showing off her talents to the fullest.
She seemed to be doing it for fun, finding it amusing to carve a picture of ‘Deokgu’ into the stones, but the speed at which she carved was incomparable to any other stonemason.
As a result, Kanna’s value skyrocketed. A strange man named Adolgu had even appointed himself her bodyguard and stuck to her side.
There were people clapping for her, people creating shade for her.
It was enough to make one suspect a dedicated Kanna fan club had been formed.
It was a good sight, seeing the kid happy and receiving applause, but since the location was a construction site, it was hard to feel entirely good about it.
“…Didn’t you say she was low on mana?”
I asked Gguabaro, who had stepped aside, claiming he disliked crowds.
“That’s why she’s only using wind magic.”
“She’s carving stone nonstop like that, and you say she’s low on mana?”
“Ah, right, you said you don’t know about magic. Hmm… how should I explain magic to an ignorant brute…”
I considered punching Gguabaro, this medieval man who didn’t know his place, for calling me ignorant to my face, but I held back, showing the magnanimity of a modern man.
Mages had a somewhat sinister image, the type to put dead insects in my stew, so it was best to be careful.
“Mana is… sort of like a beer barrel. If the barrel is large, it holds a lot, but the tap is also large.”
After his brief explanation, Gguabaro looked at me as if he’d just explained something to a dog in human language.
‘Maybe just one punch.’
I took a long breath to suppress my anger.
Gguabaro seemed to misinterpret my sigh and continued his explanation.
“For example, when summoning a fire orb of the same type, someone with a large beer barrel will release a large amount at once, so the orb will be big. But someone with a small beer barrel will release a small amount, so the orb will be small.”
“If the amount released is small, can’t they just wait a bit and then use it?”
“Ah, a mage can only use the amount that comes out at once for a given spell.”
Gguabaro gave me that look again. When I nodded, he let out a small sound of admiration.
That admiration made me feel strangely pleased, a realization that then made me frown.
“The area where Kanna possesses outstanding talent is her ability to freely control the size of that beer barrel tap. Of course, she can’t make it bigger, but being able to change its shape at will is a great talent for a mage. For instance, when shooting a single shard of ice, Kanna can make the tap smaller to create a sharp, spear-like shape… though, of course, it’s usually in your likeness.”
Gguabaro was surprisingly good at explaining.
And since I seemed to understand, he grew more enthusiastic, explaining this and that.
I pretended to listen while checking on Kanna.
The life story of ‘Hero Deokgu’ was being steadily carved into the newly built wall. From the middle onward, a small child wearing a similar mask also appeared next to Deokgu.
‘Why did the Lord even approve this in the first place?’
To allow someone else’s picture to be drawn on his domain’s wall… It occurred to me that the Young Lady’s dumbassery might be hereditary.
“To reach a high level, one needs mana capacity and…”
‘A high level…’
I muttered softly to the voice that served as background music.
Was it really necessary to reach a high level?
She was already going around carving stones like this; if she reached a high level, she might become unmanageable…
‘As long as she can make ice when I need it, that’s enough.’
I gently swirled the beer mug, which was about half-filled with ice.
Cold droplets on the mug’s surface trickled through my fingers and fell to the ground.
Besides, Gguabaro had attached himself to her, saying he would teach her; I hadn’t sought him out.
‘What’s so great about becoming a high-ranking mage anyway.’
The ends I had seen for high-ranking mages were never good.
A moderate amount of power was always best. Power that was strong enough to deviate from the average only made life tiresome.
No matter how strong one was, there was always someone stronger.
A level of strength that allowed one to swagger around in a backwater place like this was most suitable for a peaceful and happy life.
Waaaah-!!
Just then, a cheer erupted from the front.
I looked up to see Kanna carving two stones at once. The stones were being carved with a picture of a demon being torn in half. For a child’s carving, it was rather brutal.
In the picture, Deokgu was tearing a demon apart with one hand and holding a beer mug with the other, while the small child next to him was filling the mug with ice.
From a child art psychology perspective, it was the kind of picture that would get the guardian immediately arrested.
At the surrounding cheers, Kanna lifted her chin and looked at me.
I quickly relaxed my expression and clapped, and Kanna’s lips twitched into a smile.
‘She’s definitely swaggering.’
Her smile was so bright it was hard to believe she was the same little girl who had trembled at the dice table.
Having a late taste of attention seemed to make her act more like a child, but it suited her better than the occasional adult-like expressions she wore.
I had no intention of stopping her, but I had no intention of pushing her either.
I casually held out my now ice-less beer mug to Gguabaro. He frowned.
“Are you telling me, Swalloidz of the White Magic Tower, to fill your beer mug with ice?”
“Ah, you can’t? My apologies. I just assumed everyone could since Kanna can…”
…do it.
I swallowed the rest of my words as I watched the ice that had sprouted jaggedly from the mug.
‘It’s definitely different from Kanna’s.’
I bit into the ice growing out of the mug and nodded.
“Anyway, if we can just solve the mana capacity problem, she can become the greatest mage on the continent. To solve the mana capacity issue…”
“No money. Not buying.”
“It’s not a matter of money… well, money is necessary, of course, but before that, research is needed…”
“I said I don’t have money. And she’s using magic just fine.”
I pointed a finger at Kanna, who was striking a victory pose on a stone. Seeing my gesture, Kanna jumped down from the stone and ran toward me.
“This is essential for the advancement of the magical world.”
Kanna, who had reached me, saw the misshapen ice in my mug and her expression soured slightly.
She glared at Gguabaro, then shot a small flame from her hand, melting all the ice in the mug.
She then froze the lukewarm mixture of water and beer with an ice cube shaped like Deokgu and smiled with satisfaction.
‘My beer…’
I forced my inner thoughts down and offered some mechanical praise.
Kanna grinned and headed back to the stonemasons.
I drank the diluted beer and let out a deep sigh.
Kanna carved about five more stones before declaring she was done. I took her to Hana’s place and then took a walk around the castle.
‘Right, there’s her too.’
The Dumbass, her clothes covered in stains, was blocking my path with a bright smile.
“Hello!”
“Yeah, whatever.”
“It’s a lovely evening, isn’t it?! The weather’s been getting cooler lately!”
It was a casual greeting, as if we’d just run into each other on a walk.
The problem was, District 7 was not a suitable place for a young lady to be taking a stroll.
‘Then again, she’s at a knight’s physical level.’
She had the specs to beat someone up, not get beaten up.
“Ah! I still have one gift left! My father hasn’t been letting his guard down lately!”
The Dumbass Young Lady said, smiling brightly again.
“That… the gift was a joke. Besides, this thing…”
I quickly took out the seal I had tucked away in my clothes.
“No! It was a gift!”
The Young Lady frowned, trying to look stern. Of course, her lips were still turned up, so she just looked like she was playing around.
“No, but do you even know what this is…”
“Of course I do! It’s a seal! A seal! Do you think I’m an idiot?”
The Young Lady shot her hand up and shouted confidently, as if answering a question correctly. The slight smile on her face suggested she was quite proud of herself for getting it right.
‘You are an idiot, though.’
I swallowed the words that had reached my lips.
“Anyway! You have to keep it safe! It’s super! Important! Super important!”
‘So why are you giving something super important and precious to me?’
A headache bloomed with every word the Dumbass Young Lady spoke.
“What happened to your clothes?”
I asked, pointing at her colorful attire to change the subject.
“Oh! I heard the residents were having a hard time, so I got these stains smuggling some food out! My nanny is going to scold me!”
The Young Lady rubbed at the stains on her clothes as if she’d just noticed them.
I could guess what had happened. The young lady, hearing that the residents were short on food, had secretly left with her arms full of it.
The nobles here were typically of the ‘If they have no bread, let them eat cake!’ variety. A young lady secretly bringing food to the residents was something out of a fairy tale.
‘She’s a good kid… The problem is that she’s a dumbass.’
If only she wasn’t so nice…
I clenched and unclenched my aching fist and muttered under my breath.
“It’s okay, though! I have lots of clothes! The residents were so happy! I’m going to bring even more tomorrow!”
The Young Lady nodded, smiling brightly again.
“I see. Let’s go. I’ll escort you.”
I suppressed my desire to escape, muttering ‘she’s a good kid’ to myself, and started walking.
The Dumbass tilted her head for a moment, then fell into step beside me.
“By the way, they said my marriage might be postponed! I didn’t really like my fiancé, so it’s such a relief, you know? He was a gloomy sort of man! And my birthday is coming up soon, I hope they don’t throw a weird party like last year. People come up and give greasy compliments, it’s so uncomfortable… And making so much food for no reason! If they just shared it with the residents, everyone could be happy…”
Her chattering was so incessant I thought my ears would bleed. I casually slipped behind her. She seemed too absorbed in her own story to notice.
Once I had put some distance between us, I quickly blew my whistle.
“Ah! I fell for it again!!”
I heard the Young Lady’s scream from afar.
***
Knock, knock, knock.
The first thing I did upon waking was reach for my sword.
After gripping the sword and taking several deep breaths, my mind cleared.
‘Fucking medieval times.’
I shook my head, trying to shake off the distinct sensation that lingered on my hands.
But the blood that had already stained them couldn't be shaken off or wiped away.
“It is time to pray.”
When I opened the door, the abbot, his eyes troubled, greeted me with words different from his usual.
“Isn’t it a fine dawn for prayer?”
“…I wouldn’t know.”
The abbot’s reply was ambiguous.
It reminded me of how I’d seen him staring blankly at the row of vampire heads impaled on pikes.
‘A clergyman mourning the deaths of those who became demons.’
It was a laughable sentence. A medieval clergyman’s essential virtue should be to smash the heads of demons and rejoice.
“…Are you alright?”
“Is there any reason I shouldn’t be?”
“They were merely starving… No, never mind.”
The abbot, about to say something more, stepped aside.
I looked down for a moment at his hollow eyes, which seemed to be seeking a reason from me, then opened my mouth.
“It was the best we could do.”
I muttered the strangely pointed sentence again.
A demon advising a clergyman suffering from guilt over demons… The thought was suddenly so absurd that I smiled bitterly.
At my answer, the abbot stared at me. His gaze felt like it was piercing through me, so I walked past him as if to escape, heading for Bermunt’s room.
I woke Bermunt up with a solid smack to the forehead. Seeing him jolt awake with a start made me feel a bit better.
In this barbaric place, thinking too much would only get you bogged down.
“Today will be different.”
“Sure.”
I smiled faintly at Bermunt’s cliché line and readjusted my grip on my sword.
“…Ugh.”
Bermunt, thoroughly beaten and sprawled on the ground, let out a groan.
‘He’s gotten decent.’
I offered a brief assessment as I watched Bermunt, who had his eyes closed as if reviewing the fight.
If it weren't for the power I’d gained from the demon, I might have struggled a bit. Of course, I still would have won.
I looked up at the brightening sky.
The sun was rising, so it was time for work.
After a washing spell, a slap in the face with an ice cube shaped like me, and a meat pie, I left the tavern.
Right outside, I ran into someone I’d never seen before.
A leather bag and hat, a sharp-featured face.
‘A messenger.’
“Aron… is that you?”
“It is.”
“A letter from Shoneh, a 2nd-class administrator of the city of Karzan.”
‘This bastard sent another one.’
The man who handed me the brown envelope bowed his head and then hurried off somewhere.
The letter from Shoneh was filled with things I didn’t want to know.
I briefly considered throwing it away, but sighed and read it quickly. I skimmed through, just reading a few words here and there, when a bothersome line at the end caught my eye.
‘Vampires in Karzan?’
I read the last sentence again.
Being a city, Karzan had a much larger population than Cassedic, which would make dealing with vampires trickier.
Of course, I didn’t think Karzan would fall to mere vampires, but an unfortunate incident could cause a drop in the branch’s sales.
‘That Dan… Dan… Danso?’
I’d told Danso to handle things himself, and it seemed he had tried to resolve the issue within the branch instead of asking the main office for help.
‘Fool. The main office receives a fee for times just like this.’
Still, his proactive attitude in trying to solve the problem himself was admirable. The mark of a good branch.
The main office couldn’t just ignore a branch facing difficulties while receiving a fee. The main office had to fulfill its duties.
And considering the number of gold coins I’d received from him, I could go back and forth to Karzan ten times and it would still be worth it.
Cassedic, having just finished its vampire extermination, was unlikely to be in danger within a few days. Even if something happened, it would take at least a week to develop.
There was almost no chance of a problem arising while I was taking a carriage to and from Karzan. Besides, we now had three knights, so we were in a relatively stable position.
‘Is it time to bring out the legendary vampire hunter, Takku…’
An expert on vampires who had smashed the heads of countless vampires and perfectly understood their habits.
Takku was an expert among experts, with at least ten certifications related to vampires. He could identify a vampire with a single glance…
‘What should I take with me?’
I looked up at the sky for a moment, making a list of things to pack.
‘A coachman and someone to handle the grunt work… and I need to get some intel.’
Just then, the door opened and the Weasel came out.
“Boss! You’ve arisen!!”
Spotting me, the Weasel immediately bowed his head and shouted.
‘A coachman and someone to handle the grunt work… he’ll do for both.’
Besides, even if there was danger, the Weasel would sooner betray me than die. That was good enough.
The only question was whether he knew how to drive a carriage…
‘If he wants to live, he’ll drive well.’
People tended to get good at things when their lives were on the line.
I nodded and beckoned to him.
The Weasel scurried over.
“Get a carriage and have it waiting at the main gate. We’re going to Karzan. Oh, and tell Hana to pack plenty of meat pies and water.”
“…Yes, sir!!”
The Weasel nodded without a moment’s hesitation or a single question.
Watching the Weasel’s back as he scurried away, I thought about what to get next.
‘Let’s take the Scrap too.’
He was a scrap, but his combat ability against demons was the real deal. He would definitely be useful to have along.
I went to Haessun’s Bakery, bought a whole cake with the strongest scent, and wandered around the castle.
I found the Scrap on his usual rooftop.
Spotting me, the Scrap leaped down.
Thud-.
He quickly composed his face to look nonchalant, but his eyebrows twitched for a brief moment.
‘Looks like his legs are asleep.’
I sighed inwardly and opened my mouth.
“The Abbot has called everyone to gather for worship…”
At my words, the Scrap looked around frantically, like a cat doused with water. I casually continued.
“Worship is important, but practice is paramount. I hear vampires are running rampant in the next town over… As a neighbor, we can’t just stand by and watch, can we? There’s also the saying, ‘Love thy neighbor’…”
‘Was that from here?’
I was momentarily confused, but the Scrap’s eyes were already fixed on the cake. He nodded vigorously.
“But where are the other inquisitors?”
“…Went ahead.”
The Scrap answered curtly.
It seemed they were already in Karzan.
‘How did they know we were going to Karzan…’
They were more competent than I thought.
I handed the Scrap the cake and told him to go to the carriage first.
The Scrap’s back as he walked away, his eyes glued to the cake, looked somewhat precarious.
‘Next… a leave of absence slip.’
I retraced my plan and set off.
***
“What… did you just say?”
The captain of the Outer Wall Guard asked, dumbfounded.
“Achoo! I’ve caught a cold, so I think I need to rest for a few days.”
A man built like a mountain was giving a clumsy imitation of a sneeze… no, it wasn’t even an imitation. The man was just making the sound without any effort.
Lying about having a cold on a sweltering day, yet his expression was utterly shameless.
He was truly shameless to the core, but…
“Ri-right, if you’re sick, you should rest. You should have taken better care of yourself! You’re the treasure of our Outer Wall Guard, you know! What will we do if you get sick! Tsk, tsk…”
He had no choice but to nod.
The Lord’s castle had told him to grant Aron’s requests whenever possible, and even if they hadn’t, it was too hot to have the energy to argue with the brute.
Still, he was grateful that the man at least made a show of asking for his permission. It meant that somewhere, in a tiny, dust-sized corner of his mind, he thought of him as the captain.
“Yes. Thank you. Achoo! Oh, and Dylan has also caught a cold.”
“Hmm… Dylan? I’m sure… right, he could catch one. Then tell Dylan to rest too.”
“Yes, achoo.”
Aron, having made the perfunctory sound, left the room.
“Still, he thinks of me as the captain… I’m touched. Truly touched.”
…That shameless brute.
The captain leaned back in his chair and smiled bitterly.
***
Razvet was sorting through information.
A string of incidents had occurred in the east recently, and there was just too much work.
‘Deokgu…’
The scribe, Nova, had bought all the information on Deokgu.
They did sell raw information… unprocessed intel. It was called a gag fee and was extremely expensive, so there were few buyers, but the woman named Nova had purchased it without a moment’s hesitation.
Of course, the price had been reduced in exchange for re-establishing the position of the ‘White Leaf Cassedic Branch,’ but it was still a considerable sum.
‘What’s the connection?’
Razvet hadn’t given up on getting information on Aron yet. She was having trouble since there had been no progress from Berman’s side, but…
‘Ugh- it’s so hot.’
Razvet grumbled, peeling off her sweat-soaked clothes.
The hole in the wall was the problem. Feeling that she was being led around too much by the man, Razvet hadn’t filled the hole that had been made last time.
Since then, the man hadn’t visited, and she was just suffering in the heat. But to fill it now felt like a waste of her endurance.
It was then.
Knock, knock, knock.
A sense of dread washed over her.
‘No… it can’t be.’
Razvet got up and went to the door.
When she opened it, there he was, the same man with the凶惡-looking face.
Today, that brutish face looked exceptionally and inexplicably detestable.
‘I left the damn hole open, so why are you coming through the door?’
The memory of all her suffering in the heat flashed through her mind.
“…What?”
The word slipped out, born of injustice.
“Hey Google. Give me info on Black Blood.”
The man didn’t answer Razvet’s question, instead muttering some incomprehensible words playfully.
The scar etched by his lips made it look like he was sneering. No, his lips were clearly turned up. It was a sneer.
‘Calm down. Stay calm.’
Razvet forced her crumpling face to remain neutral. She went inside and brought back the information.
“…Five gold.”
Razvet gritted her teeth and named a high price for the information.
Information on an organization like ‘Black Blood’ was generally not very useful, so three gold was the appropriate price, but she inflated it.
The man handed over the gold without a second thought and left.
His indifferent attitude was even more infuriating.
Razvet looked at the gold coins in her hand and muttered a small curse.
Then, she suddenly realized she had been drawn into the man’s pace and shook her head.
‘What is this childish behavior. Get a grip, Razvet. You even got more money.’
Hooo- Taking a long breath to compose herself, Razvet brought over the plaster and square stone she had prepared and crouched in front of the hole.
‘Get a grip. Don’t get swept up.’
Razvet kept muttering as she patched the wall.
Just as she finished patching the wall and was taking a moment to breathe-.
Kuuung-.
With a strange sound, the wall collapsed.
“Ah, by any chance, have you received any information on childcare?”
The man was looking down at Razvet.
It wasn’t because of the scar by his mouth.
The man was definitely laughing his ass off.
Uh…
For the first time, Razvet realized that when a person gets too angry, words fail them.
“Hmm? Guess not.”
The man tilted his head and disappeared again.
“…Son of a bitch.”
Razvet muttered under her breath as a warm breeze blew in from the collapsed wall.
That day, Gillian, having had a productive day, bought two loaves of bread and was returning to the branch, eating one in each hand, when he was beaten up by Razvet for no reason and forced to patch up the gaping hole in the wall.
‘She’s a really mean woman. I’m glad I rejected her confession.’
Gillian grumbled as he diligently patched the wall.
***
‘Got the intel… Am I done?’
I reviewed my plan for a moment and nodded.
I had told Hana, but considering the ice-slap I got last time, it was probably best to get back as quickly as possible.
I headed toward the main gate where I had told the Weasel to wait.
At the main gate stood a large, magnificent carriage he had somehow procured.
It bore the insignia of the Mozak Merchant Guild.
‘Mozak… is that the carriage from back then?’
It seemed to be the carriage that the black mage Au had brought when he first snuck in.
‘So that’s where it went…’
It seemed the Weasel had a secret stash.
The Weasel, sitting in the driver’s seat, was holding the reins and spewing vulgarities at the horses.
And in front of it.
‘…Why is he out here?’
The Scrap, with cream smeared on his mouth, was standing in front of the carriage with an expression like he desperately needed to take a shit.
His appearance was deeply unsettling.
Soon, the Scrap noticed me and avoided my gaze.
The reaction of someone who had done something wrong.
‘What kind of wrong could the Scrap have done?’
My mind raced.
Just then, the result of his wrongdoing opened the carriage door and stepped out.
“The honorary monk has arrived. I was about to attend worship when Inquisitor Joanna mentioned she had somewhere to be urgently. I shall accompany you. As it happens, I have an acquaintance at the Karzan monastery.”
The abbot, his hair slicked back without a single strand out of place, said as he looked at me.
‘…You goddamn traitor.’
I glared at the Scrap, my eyes wide.
The Scrap flinched and quickly turned his head further away.
His reaction was so similar to how he acted when I used to drag him to worship that a groan escaped me automatically.