Chapter 90
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Opening Ceremony
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“May I enter?”
Ben asked, glancing back.
I nodded in response.
With the noble's seal, he didn't even need to ask. The fact that he checked separately made him a rather peculiar fellow.
“Well then, I'll see you later.”
With those brief words, Ben passed confidently through the castle gate.
He was the type to spout clichés like, “Next time will be different,” so I hadn't expected much, but it seemed he'd been swinging his sword quite diligently.
I lifted my head slightly to inspect the passing carriage.
Inside was the eldest son of House Pener, whom I'd seen before.
His complexion was worse than before, looking as if he'd pulled several all-nighters.
‘That decent-looking guy with that dumbass... hmm...’
As the eldest son, he'd inherit the title, and with his handsome looks, his future should be bright...
A small pang of pity rose within me.
Six soldiers followed the carriage, and one of their faces was familiar.
“Geluru?”
The man must have heard my voice, but he never turned his head, following the carriage into the castle.
“Jojang, you speaking casually with a knight, sir?”
I usually spoke formally to Ben when others were around, but having dealt with knights so often lately, the words came out naturally.
‘It's not like we're in some land of excessive politeness... It should be fine.’
I touched my neck lightly and nodded.
“But what's with the 'casually, sir'?”
“You are speaking comfortably, sir?”
“Forget it.”
As I waved my hand, the coachmen and visitors who had stepped aside formed a line again.
The young lady's birthday was always a peak season.
Since she was called the ‘Flower of the East,’ many people came to Karzan just to see her beautiful face.
For the guards, who worked on an incentive system, her birthday was worthy of being called a peak season.
It wasn't for nothing that the young lady was popular among the residents. Of course, her friendly demeanor, regardless of a person's status, also played a big part.
‘The kid is nice. She's nice, but...’
The problem was her intelligence, which made you want to flick her on the forehead after just a brief conversation, but she was definitely a nice kid.
With the vampire situation calming down and the young lady's birthday approaching, the quarantine rules were lifted. Besides, no vampire in their right mind would dare enter a place where nobles and knights gathered.
I left the inspections to Kel and glared at the coachmen from behind. My scar was extremely effective for the ‘tradition between coachmen and guards.’
Of course, the silver coins were chump change to me, but this had its own kind of fun.
“So make sure you look for Rosa. I'm telling you, she's on another level these days.”
Watching Kel grab a visitor and recommend his own lover was a complicated feeling.
To put it simply, he was an excellent boyfriend helping his lover, but her profession was a bit...
‘If they're both happy, that's all that matters.’
I didn't bother trying to understand the primitive medieval fellow. Of course, I didn't respect him either.
With many distinguished guests expected, the carriage inspections were stricter than usual.
I didn't tear out the floorboards like a threat, but we checked the contents one by one. Of course, Kel was the one doing it, so it didn't really matter to me.
“You stink.”
“Aish, that guy had a carriage full of goat carcasses...”
“Goats?!”
At Kel's grumbling, I frantically grabbed the coachman and re-examined the contents.
“Wh-what's the matter?”
Fortunately, unlike with my brother, it was cleanly butchered goat meat. Relieved, I let him pass.
“Was something wrong?”
“Nothing. Next customer's here. Go, Kel!”
“Treating me like some kind of animal... Jojang, you go this time. Haven't I been doing all of them?”
“If you don't like it, you can be Jojang.”
“Agh!”
Kel grumbled as he headed to the next coachman.
I crossed my arms and glared again, and the coachman who saw me flinched and took out a silver coin.
It was a truly efficient division of labor.
Just then, a carriage approached from the distance at a very high speed.
It was a black carriage with a red drawing, looking anything but ordinary at a glance.
In the corner was the seal of House Charlotte.
‘Charlotte?’
It was surprising, as they were a family that had had no dealings with Karzan until now.
As I was debating whether to stop them for inspection, the carriage stopped on its own.
‘Seeing as they stopped first, it seems they weren't expected.’
“We are from Byzantium Castle.”
A large knight clad in blunt steel looked down from his horse and spoke. I casually ignored his arrogant tone and quickly assessed him.
‘A greatsword. His arms are quite short for his size. Tyranno style, perhaps.’
The Tyranno-knight's swagger was a bit annoying, but since they had identified themselves as nobility, I couldn't stop them. So I bowed my head and stepped aside.
‘Two knights with them. Seeing as they brought all the knights from Byzantium Castle, Viscountess Bonita must have come in person.’
I checked the carriage procession out of the corner of my eye.
Viscountess Bonita of House Charlotte.
Her strange story was famous.
The second daughter of the Garot Merchant Guild married the son of Viscount Charlotte. Rumor had it that a vast sum of gold changed hands, but the details were unknown.
The problem arose after the marriage.
From Viscount Charlotte to his eldest and second sons.
They all contracted some kind of illness and died within two years.
If it had been any other time, the sole surviving woman would have been immediately condemned as a witch and burned at the stake.
‘...She had a lot of money. A whole lot.’
She had spread so much money among the domain's people and the Abbey that they couldn't hang her. In fact, songs filled with pity for her even began to spread. The amount was impossible to even guess.
Usually, a relative would inherit, but House Charlotte's bloodline was vague, so I heard Bonita received the title after various trials.
That was five years ago.
‘Looking at recent news, they're probably regretting not hanging her back then.’
Byzantium Castle was constantly groaning under the suddenly raised, high tax rates. Moreover, she didn't lower the rates even with the recent vampire commotion.
Just then, the carriage passed right in front of me. I glanced up and made eye contact with the woman inside.
‘A black widow.’
A chilling sensation made me hastily lower my gaze.
After the carriage passed, I looked up to see Kel staring at the gate with a strange expression.
“Jojang, you know I have a really good eye for women, right?”
“I do.”
Kel was quite good at guessing a woman's personality or backstory just by looking at her face. Berman said it was probably a skill he acquired from frequenting brothels so much.
“That woman is a bit different from the rumors. She looks pitiful.”
“Isn't that just because she's pretty?”
“...Hmm.”
At my question, Kel trailed off and furrowed his brow.
He tended to give generous scores to beautiful women.
“Still, Rosa is prettier. Her chest is bigger, too.”
“Right. Go get the next coachman.”
At Kel's follow-up, I waved my hand dismissively.
***
After the inspections were over, I came out of the headquarters to find Ben waiting.
A face full of pride and a twitching arm. It looked like he wanted to duel right away to show off his improved skills.
To lose to a non-knight and think of a rematch instead of getting angry. He was a truly un-knight-like fellow.
‘Still, it's not like he's human.’
The image of him spread-eagled on the ground was still vivid in my mind.
“Shall we go to the tavern?”
“Sounds good. We have much to talk about.”
Ben smiled broadly at my question and nodded.
Ben and I headed for Hana's tavern.
Since I'd ended the safe deposit business after the young lady incident, the tavern was less crowded than before.
With the branch opening soon, only the Washer was in the tavern. Seeing all the things piled up in the hall, it seemed they weren't open for business at all.
I ordered some simple food and beer from the Washer and sat down. As I unfastened my sword and placed it beside me, Ben also set his sword next to him.
Ben rambled on about what had happened at Bolt Castle while drinking beer. He said that after returning to his domain, he had dueled with a different knight every day.
“At first, the knights wouldn't accept my challenges. How can you call yourself a knight if you don't swing a sword even once a day? That's when I thought of you.”
“...Me?”
It wasn't exactly a flattering thing to hear from another man, so I clenched my fist and waited for his answer.
“Yes! Your drive and ignorance! I immediately punched another knight in the head! And what do you know, he jumped right up and drew his sword!”
Ben said, even clapping his hands.
‘Punching someone in the head to ask for a duel? How is that my style?’
It was so absurd I let out a dry cough.
“Anyway, that's how I was able to duel every day. Later, everyone got so fired up that they'd challenge me first without me having to hit them. After all, knights were all once men who were passionate about the sword.”
“Really? The knights I've seen aren't like that.”
“Without that fire, how could they have endured the Empire's... anyway, they wouldn't have been able to. The moment they fail to become an Imperial Knight, they all let go. It's like being branded a failure.”
Ben gave a bitter smile and tapped his beer mug with his finger.
“That's certainly true.”
When I nodded, Ben's eyes widened before he let out a small laugh.
“You haven't changed.”
“They say a person who changes is a person who's dying. Ah, thanks, Delmont.”
The Washer brought over some stir-fried meat.
At the fragrant smell, I quickly picked up a piece and ate it.
“...Dying?! Is that true?”
Ben asked, utterly aghast.
‘Ah, I forgot he's a primitive medieval man.’
“It's a joke.”
At my short reply, Ben took a deep breath and nodded.
“Anyway, after our duel, the embers that had died down flared up again. I mean, we clashed swords every day until we threw up.”
Ben smiled, full of confidence.
And rightfully so. It would have taken immense effort to build up his forearms that much in such a short time.
‘Hmm...’
I nodded, recalling the man's habits.
‘He steps forward with his left foot before thrusting... His reach should be shorter than mine now, too.’
I played out the fight in my head. There was no chance I would lose. No matter how thick his forearms got, he was no match for me.
“By the way, the eldest son didn't look too well.”
“Ah, you mean Rivilian. He hasn't been coming out of his room much lately. Before he went to the capital, he used to request duels quite often. Ah, but don't call him that in front of others. He hasn't inherited the title yet, so it could get a little awkward.”
“Got it. But is it true that Bolt Castle suffered little damage from the vampires?”
“Almost none. I only recently learned about the whole vampire uproar. I was so engrossed in dueling that I never left the inner castle.”
‘Strange.’
All the surrounding castles were plagued by vampires, yet Bolt Castle was perfectly fine. Unless the residents of Bolt Castle enjoyed eating garlic like Koreans...
‘There might be a connection. Though, it doesn't seem to be this guy.’
I observed Ben while organizing my thoughts.
‘In the first place, as a knight, he can't be involved with demons.’
Due to their duty, knights were beings who could not coexist with demons.
“Well then, since we've talked enough...”
Ben put down his empty beer mug and grabbed the sword beside him.
He tried to look serious, but no matter how you spun it, he just looked excited to show off how much he'd worked out.
“Let's.”
I downed the rest of my beer and grabbed Twenty Gols.
The way it fit perfectly in my hand was truly satisfying.
***
‘Hoo...’
Ben calmed his breathing and stared straight ahead.
There stood a giant clad head to toe in iron.
‘He seems to have gotten bigger.’
An instinctive pressure made him feel unnecessarily intimidated.
‘How can a non-knight have such a presence...’
If he flinched before they even started, he clearly wouldn't be able to show his full strength. Ben shook his head, clearing his thoughts.
“Let's make one thing clear before we start.”
Aron spoke in his deep voice.
“What is it?”
“No responsibility if something gets broken or cut during the duel.”
‘What does that mean...’
Ben thought for a moment about Aron's words, then nodded.
It was common for a sword's edge to be chipped or armor to be cracked during a rough duel, after all.
That was the individual's responsibility, not something the opponent had to compensate for.
Even if one lost their life, the opponent could not be held responsible.
It might be different if they used Aura, but in terms of pure swordsmanship, he was definitely below Aron.
He had to admit what needed admitting to move forward.
Right now, he was the weaker one.
“Then I'll go first.”
Ben said with a forced smile.
“Go ahead.”
Aron replied, drawing a long sword from his back.
The scar that shadowed his face made it impossible to discern his expression.
‘It's very long.’
The long, black-painted sword captured Ben's gaze.
It was a strange sword that drew him in. Ben thought he wanted to hold it just once, then hastily shook his head.
Coveting a friend's possession was something a demon would do.
Calming his roiling heart and looking again, he saw that the long, black sword suited Aron quite well.
However, because it was black, his overall appearance was a bit colorful...
Having experienced it before, Ben did not let his guard down at the ridiculousness.
Aron swayed, lightly swinging the sword.
It was a crude posture, like a thug's, but Ben was quietly impressed, realizing the movements made it impossible to gauge the exact distance.
‘As expected.’
Unlike knights who would boast and brag about anything they had, Aron hid his assets by any means necessary.
And he was a clever man who used them as weapons at the decisive moment.
‘I have to end this in one blow.’
Ben tapped the ground with his feet and bounced lightly.
He deliberately bent his arm slightly to disrupt his opponent's sense of distance and then lunged forward.
The sword seemed to lengthen in an instant, striking a single point.
After his defeat to Aron, Ben had a shocking realization.
That humans could be strong even without Aura.
It was a fact he had forgotten ever since he acquired Aura.
After losing to Aron, Ben keenly realized that he had been relying solely on his Aura.
Aron had presented Ben with a new possibility.
The possibility of strength as a human being itself.
Ben imitated the brutish training he had once seen Aron do.
He practiced his thrusts against a thick sheet of iron every day.
He kept thrusting, just as Aron swung his sword.
He had recently reached the point where he could pierce thin iron, but...
‘Is it possible to pierce that thick iron? No... I can do it.’
Ben shook off his thoughts and focused.
The thrust he had practiced countless times unfolded like flowing water.
As he thrust his sword, Aron's usually emotionless eyes widened slightly.
‘It worked!’
At Aron's reaction, Ben cheered inwardly.
It was the thrust he had trained every single day.
It would be difficult to block unless anticipated from the very beginning.
*Shnk.*
A chilling sound was heard.
Ben froze in his thrusting stance.
“You definitely agreed before we started.”
Aron hid his sword behind his back.
‘...How?’
Ben looked at his rapier, its tip cleanly cut off, and replayed the situation.
That last thrust was the best he could possibly execute.
He had even surprised himself with it.
But Aron had reacted as if he'd known it was coming.
The severed tip of the rapier rolled on the ground.
‘...He knows my habits.’
Ben nodded at the conclusion he'd reached.
Otherwise, there was no explaining such a swift reaction.
‘But to cut through a sword without Aura...’
Ben looked at the blunted end of his rapier and smiled bitterly.
It seemed this was why he had talked about ‘responsibility’ before they started.
Aron's face was still hidden by the scar, but Ben felt that he seemed sorry.
“That's a very fine sword. What's its name?”
Ben asked, smiling instead.
“Um... Twenty Gols.”
“Twenty Gols? ...A fine name.”
It wasn't a particularly good name, but Ben nodded.
“Right? I think so too.”
‘He's smiling this time.’
Seeing that smile made his stomach twist for some reason, but Ben nodded and picked up the broken piece of his rapier.
‘Next time will be different.’
Ben actually felt relieved.
There was still a long way to go.
***
Brown, firm skin.
Shapherus looked down at itself and trembled finely.
‘I hate this...’
Shapherus had only ever consumed emotions; it never thought it would express them itself.
And it had never imagined that emotion would be ‘fear.’
As a being that showed its opponent what they most desired, Shapherus had always held the upper hand, no matter the master.
This situation was unfamiliar.
“There you are.”
A low voice.
A face full of scars.
Dragged out by a rough hand, Shapherus tumbled to the ground.
There was no pain, but having its neck snapped and body exploded every day was not a pleasant experience.
No, perhaps it was painful after all.
The man who pushed back his hair with a blood-soaked hand and advanced toward the darkness.
[Eat this.]
A piece of foul-smelling trash rolled in front of the fragmented Shapherus.
It was the dregs of nightmares, remnants, but...
Shapherus had no choice but to eat it.
***
‘I've been feeling refreshed lately.’
I rotated my arm in a circle.
The quality of my sleep had improved ever since I got the demon sword.
Of course, I still felt like crap when I woke up, but it felt a little less so.
‘Primitive medieval bastards. Going on about demon swords... dying in bed... about a sword this good.’
Tsk. I clicked my tongue and gently stroked the sword.
*Vrrr-*
The sword seemed to tremble slightly.
It wasn't called Twenty Gols for nothing.
A sword that improves your sleep quality.
This was a five-star demon sword.
“Jojang, thanks to Brick running his mouth all over town, the fangs are selling better than expected. We still have some left, but...”
Just then, Pul updated me on the progress of the fangs I'd entrusted to him.
Among the guys I knew, Pul was the sharpest with numbers, so I'd put him in charge of selling the fangs, just like last time.
“Is that so?”
“But are they really effective? According to Brick, they're incredible...”
“Do you know what the greatest of these is: faith, hope, or murder?”
“......Pardon?”
At my question, Pul's eyes went wide as he asked back.
“Faith. You have to believe to get the Flamingo effect.”
“The Fla...mingo, you say?”
“Flamingo. Anyway, there's such a thing. Tell them to believe. It's useless if they don't.”
Pul kept muttering ‘Flamingo’ as he nodded.
I gave my precious Twenty Gols a wipe and slung it back over my shoulder.
“Flamingo... Ah, Jojang. I heard it's the opening day today.”
“Yeah, the opening ceremony is tonight. You come too, with the guys.”
Today was the opening day of ‘The Wonderful Aron Rabbit’ tavern.
People here usually didn't make a big deal of opening ceremonies, but for things like this, the first day was always important.
In any case, my name was on it and I had a stake in it, so the better the tavern did, the better it was for me. It felt similar to auto-farming.
I planned to do the opening ceremony properly.
Of course, it was my first time actually holding one, but I had seen one in a drama a long, long time ago.
‘What you need for an opening ceremony... a pig, a shaman, a corrupt official, and a headcount... I guess.’
I mentally organized the things needed for the ceremony.
“Go on patrol first.”
“Yes, sir.”
I patted Pul's shoulder and started walking.
The closest place was the Abbey, so I headed there first.
Around the Abbey, monks with their usual poor complexions were squatting and pulling weeds.
I watched them for a moment before entering the Abbey.
“Ah, Honorary Monk Aron.”
“Monk Eins.”
Eins, who looked much healthier than the others, greeted me. I invited Eins to the opening ceremony in District 4 later that evening.
“...A tavern opening ceremony, you say?”
When I nodded at his question, Eins thought for a moment before agreeing.
After that, I headed deeper into the Abbey to find the Abbot, when I heard the sound of something being beaten.
The sound was coming from behind a door in a secluded corner.
When I opened the door, the Worthless One had someone cornered and was diligently throwing punches. Looking closer, it was Inquisitor Parsi.
The Worthless One saw me and gave a stern, sharp nod.
After a moment's thought, I nodded back.
“W-wait... I was wrong! I was wro—”
Parsi screamed as if having a seizure, and the Worthless One swung her fist again.
‘Training a junior. The Guard and the Inquisitors are all the same.’
I nodded and headed for the Abbot's room.
The Abbot was in the hallway, cleaning a window.
“What brings you here... Have you finally found the will to attend worship? It has been quite serious, you know. The foundation of a clergyman is worship and prayer, yet you, an honorary monk, do neither, do you? You'll get into big trouble like that.”
The nagging that burst out the moment he saw me made me consider just turning back, but a shaman was essential for the opening ceremony.
“It's not that. I came to invite you to a tavern's opening ceremony today.”
“So you're saying you want to invite me, the Abbot, to a tavern's opening ceremony?”
“Yes, wouldn't it be nice if you came and performed a celebratory ritual... I mean, a celebratory prayer or a blessing?”
“Do you have any awareness that the Abbot is a clergyman?”
“Yes, and doesn't the Abbey produce alcohol? You can think of it as after-sales service for your product.”
“...Alright, I understand for now. But in return, you must attend worship.”
“On second thought, is the Abbot really necessary? I'm an honorary monk too, I'll do it myself.”
“I may be an Abbot now, but I have blessed Imperial facilities before. People used to line up to receive my blessing.”
“On second thought, how can a monk hate worship? I'll attend worship with gusto. In fact, I've been feeling an itch lately from my lack of worship.”
“I have no idea what you're talking about. Anyway, you said District 4? I will go when the sun sets.”
“Ah, but worship is best done together, so it would be good if Inquisitor Joanna participated too, right?”
“Indeed. The more people at worship, the better. It means more people receiving blessings. And I haven't seen Inquisitor Joanna around much these days.”
Having finished my little deal with the Abbot, I backed away.
Before leaving the Abbey, I stopped by where the Worthless One was training her junior and told her I'd have a cake ready at the opening ceremony, so she should come. Then I left.
‘Next... the corrupt official, I guess.’
I didn't know if the indoor NPC would come to an opening ceremony, but as someone who became a corrupt official at such a young age, her attendance would surely be a great help.
***
‘Viscountess Charlotte is here. What is she planning?’
Nova chewed on the tip of her quill while looking at the papers spread out before her.
A family she hadn't sent an invitation to had shown up unannounced.
‘I heard the situation in Byzantium Castle is a mess...’
I'd heard it was a place that had taken a direct hit from the vampires on top of the high tax rates. She hadn't said anything yet, so I didn't know for sure, but there was a high probability she had come seeking help.
‘House Charlotte... They were the Garot Merchant Guild.’
House Charlotte was a poisoned apple... no, a gold ingot smeared with poison.
*Tap, tap.* Nova tapped her chest with her fingers as she pondered. Listening to the sound calmed her heart, a habit she had recently developed.
‘...It's gotten bigger than I thought.’
For Vivian's birthday, even distant nobles from beyond the immediate vicinity had expressed their intent to attend. Even Count Behardt himself wished to attend, so discussions about the political situation in the East were sure to take place.
Vivian's birthday was now just a convenient pretext for them to gather.
*Knock-knock-knock.*
Nova jumped in surprise, shooting to her feet before hastily sitting back down.
‘He knocks so weirdly!’
Nova tensed her face into a stiff expression and cleared her throat.
“Come in.”
She flinched slightly as the door opened before she had even finished speaking, but Nova forced herself to remain calm and pretended to look at her papers.
“Well-read Orange.”
“...What.”
At the strange thing he said the moment he saw her, Nova bit her lip slightly. She didn't want to laugh because it felt like losing.
“Orange, you got some time later this evening?”
‘...?’
Nova tilted her head, unable to comprehend what she had just heard.
The brilliant mind that had helped her, a commoner, rise to this position, creaked as if clouded over.
‘Later. Evening. Time.’
Hmm... It was a truly interesting combination of words.
Separately, the words were unremarkable, but when mixed together, they formed a socially accepted phrase whose meaning changed.
‘Later. Evening. Time.’
‘Later’ meant after work, a personal time.
‘Evening’ meant after the sun had set, a very impure time of day.
‘Got time’ meant could she give it to him.
The three combined clearly meant, ‘Could you give me your personal and impure time after work?’
Nova marveled quietly at her brilliant deduction and lowered her head. For some reason, her face felt heavy, and she couldn't lift her head.
“You seem busy. Anyway, if you have time later, come to District 4...”
‘Later, evening, time.’
Nova kept muttering long after Aron had left.
*Smack.* Her thoughts refused to return to normal, so she slapped her cheek, which calmed her down a little.
Nova believed she had a set line with everyone.
It was a little complicated and blurry, but that line definitely existed with Aron, too.
But Aron had suddenly stepped over that line without a second thought.
It was deeply flustering.
She couldn't figure out how to react.
‘......But I do have time.’
Nova struggled to control the corners of her mouth and let out a long breath.
As she mulled it over a few more times, a strange sense of victory welled up. She was always being dragged around by Aron, always cleaning up his messes.
This time, the odds had clearly turned in her favor.
She could see the sun had passed its zenith.
There wasn't much time left.
“Blasoeeem—!!”
Nova urgently called for the handmaiden she knew who had the most experience with men.
***
‘Shaman and corrupt official are invited. That leaves the pig and the headcount, right?’
I compared the list in my head and recalled what was left.
For an opening ceremony, there was quite a lot to prepare.