Episode 282: Tell me (12)
“Where should I start?…”
After kicking the soldier out, Günther brought a chair and sat down. The wizard was startled and tried to move, but roughly rejected it with his hand. I had no intention of serving someone who was so sick that he was vomiting blood and collapsing.
“Münmund has a tradition of bestowing the name of a jewel to its chief knight. Ana?”
“…No, I didn’t know.”
“Right.”
It has been thought that magicians have a common characteristic of being proud when they know something and pretending to know something even when they don’t. But I guess that was only limited to those belonging to the Magic Tower.
Günter scratched his head with green eyes that resembled curiosity.
“We have a tradition of bestowing the name of a jewel only on the chief knight, considering his or her characteristics. “Aquamarine knight, sapphire knight, emerald knight, ruby knight, etc.”
Of course, the chief engineer mentioned here does not refer to the (apprentice) engineer who earned the top honors in school. Among those who serve Münmund as official knights, I am referring to those who have risen in rank by gaining command or by proving their overwhelming skills.
“There are not many people who can enjoy this honor, which is given only to senior knights. “At the time, there were at most 2 people out of 5.”
“I see…”
“And Atya was a promising knight who was expected to occupy one of those positions within five years.”
“….”
“Actually, it’s worth it. “Throughout my time at knight school, I never once missed being the top student, and after graduating, I even killed a Dullahan single-handedly.”
Dullahan is a demon whose attack difficulty varies depending on what kind of knight the underlying body was during life.
However, it is said that even among the lower quality Dullahan, even if you do not have three active knights, two must stick together to be able to deal with them. This is because during the process of physical corruption, the skin becomes hard like a rock and the strength increases three to four times.
“The reason I didn’t receive a name at that time was simply because of lack of experience, something that can’t be avoided by a newly graduated engineer, and not because of any other reasons for disqualification.”
Nevertheless, a knight who had just graduated killed the Dullahan. It is not that important that it was a Dullahan, which was created based on apprentice knights and was very weak. Even if a Dullahan is weak, he is still a Dullahan, and Atya at the time was also an inexperienced rookie.
“Yes, he deserves to be a gem. The only question was whether it would be gilded or olivine.”
Chrysoberyl Peridot. Considering Atya’s green-brown eyes and the colors of the two gems, it’s not surprising what happens. So Günther had no doubts that the boy would receive the name of the jewel.
“…I didn’t know that I would die before I received it.”
It was like that until he died.
“So…”
Gunther closed his eyes for a moment in front of the person who was choosing his words with his lips licking. Memories briefly passed through him.
“…For reference, Atya’s family was a knight family. His father is already a chief knight named Pak-bak, and as mentioned before, he is the next chief knight, Ga-in. “We were a family with a second child who had just graduated from school and became a knight, and a third child who was going to school to become a knight.”
In the case of the second child, Alya, she has never shown as much performance as Atya. This is because the demons were quiet in the year she took up her post after graduating and there was no need to go to battle.
However, he was the same as Atya in that he did not miss the top honors throughout his time in school. Maybe she too might have been the next Chief Engineer.
The third pasha also passed the entrance exam with the highest score – although it was not the highest ever – and proved that he was of the same blood.
“In the case of the youngest, he was too young, so talent and other things were a priority for him to grow up, but… Anyway, their family boasted outstanding talent to the point where they were favored by the lord of the castle.”
Even if the third child fails to graduate and the youngest child does not pursue the path of becoming a knight, there are three knights in just one family. How could you not cherish a family like that?
“And that is why… because they were favored, they died. “I went to the villa rented by the Lord of Seong to celebrate my youngest daughter’s birthday and then disappeared.”
Sir Amber was a person who truly cared for her youngest child, and her older children also tended to adore their youngest sibling.
So they asked for a vacation to celebrate their youngest child’s seventh birthday… and Seongju responded by lending him his villa. It was a villa that could be reached in two days from Munmund.
“The cause of disappearance is still unknown. “The entire villa had disappeared, so there was absolutely no clue.”
“….”
“But it won’t be the devil’s work. “There… that villa is not in a place where it can be attacked by demons.”
In Münmund, a large plain was reclaimed as farmland. Create a village of people who will farm there. To protect the farmland, wizards were stationed to communicate with the castle walls and border posts.
Afterwards, the scenery was so good that I built a cabin on a hill on the outskirts of the village and used it as a vacation home. Since it was originally intended to be used by Seongju himself, its safety was quite excellent.
It was a location where it would be quicker for Munmund to recognize the presence of the devil and respond to it than for the devil to attack it.
“If there was an attack, it would have been just one or two demons that got lost and escaped… Is it really possible that one chief knight, a reserve chief knight, a formal knight, and an apprentice knight wouldn’t be able to catch it? So… So it probably wasn’t the devil. “It couldn’t have been the devil.”
But what if it’s not the devil? If the devil isn’t the culprit, then who is?
Could it be that they destroyed the cabin themselves and disappeared?
“…It wouldn’t have been the devil.”
The cabin disappeared without leaving a trace and the villagers were not even harmed. An eyewitness report that they heard a loud noise but did not see a single special shadow.
Günther was once again tormented by the past that he impulsively confessed to. The contradictions that appeared no matter what I assumed seemed like a dagger stabbing my heart.
I don’t want to forget it, but every time I think about it, it makes me sad. Just like I always did, chasing a passerby at the sight of a vague profile, only to lose it and despair.
“…were you very close to him?”
“…were you close?”
And even at these moments, I am hungry. I’m so hungry, like I’m screaming that I’m still alive.
“They were my family. “They were like my family.”
“….”
“Atya, Alya, Pasha, Linya… Sir Amber and his wife. They were all my family…”
Günter buried his face with his clasped hands as if praying. The wizard’s vaguely visible face was slightly distorted, perhaps due to the pain rising from his body.
“…Has your curiosity been satisfied now?”
However, he was the one who had trouble worrying about others. Günther did not ask the wizard if he was okay. No one was okay here.
“If it’s resolved, don’t go around asking people who Atya is. Most people will answer like the soldier before… but someone will suffer like me.”
Oh, I was hungry.
* * *
Günther returned to the castle, clutching his hungry stomach.
“Didn’t I ask you not to go first?”
The guard who followed him scolded him, but he only glanced at him and did not open his mouth. I didn’t even have the energy to apologize. I was thirsty and just hungry.
“…Lord Xiaoseong.”
“What else has happened that brings you all the way here? “Please come in first.”
Günter instead gestured to the waiting soldiers. The legs that move without strength are entering the reception room and office.
“During the distribution process, a soldier did not follow instructions and tried to steal food…”
“Some of the village residents rioted…”
It would be a waste of time to go in and receive a report. He took turns making those who came to report stand next to him. The stories pouring out of Ususoo were already expected.
“Even though there is an effect of the curse, we cannot continue to use people who do not have this much patience as soldiers. They are subject to strict punishment according to regulations. Also, in the case of the residents, we need to find the person who led the riot…”
He stopped talking and licked his lips with his tongue. I felt like I couldn’t tell if I was so thirsty that my saliva was dry, or if my mouth was dry because I talked a lot today.
“How much water did I drink today?”
“You ate less than your ration. Should I tell you to bring it?”
“…No, it’s okay.”
Günther thought for a moment and eventually refused. It wasn’t that I was thirsty enough to bear it, it was simply that I couldn’t trust the messenger.
“Even the soldiers are trying to steal food and water, but there is no way even the employees can do that. “Rather than considering the possibility of them stealing it midway, I think it would be better to have a soldier later or bring it myself.”
In addition, it would be difficult if people who were already hungry and powerless ordered food for no reason and then went crazy and started a riot.
Günther calculated the number of manpower that must be left behind in the castle and pledged to grant leave to others. Even if you are equally hungry, it will be easier to get through it if you just rest at home.
“Hmm… Then I can ask too…”
“Are you crazy? “Just do your work.”
“Don’t you need to eat too?”
“You can do it later. “Pay attention.”
You can’t use a chief engineer for something that would be too much to ask of a soldier. Günther immediately refused.
“It would be better to reduce security within the castle as well. “If people are crowded into a small area, the manpower used for security will be reduced.”
Instead, he issued a new command based on the idea he had just had. The driver who was listening next to me let out an exclamation of ‘Ah’.
“The Lord of the castle has already ordered that.”
“Oh, really? “Do working people take vacations?”
“yes.”
“For some reason, there are fewer people in the castle…”
“The castle lord has excellent insight, isn’t he?”
“…yes.”
That old man is good at his job. It would be both him and Seongju’s first time going up against Eric Sikton, but the speed with which they prepared accordingly was truly extraordinary.
“…He has such a broad perspective that I don’t have the confidence to follow him.”
People like this are fortunate in their sexual cycle. I’m so glad….
Gunter pounded his heart while listening to what the old man had done. It’s definitely a good thing for the city, but I felt strangely stuffy and lost my appetite.
“It’s not bad.”
“yes?”
If you lose your appetite, you will eat less. Günter received reports and processed a few more tasks while ignoring his stomach, which had begun to make a gurgling sound. The clock’s hand quickly passed 12 o’clock.
“hungry.”
However, even though I lost my appetite, I was still hungry. Günter eventually succumbed to human limitations.
“Should I have a soldier bring us something to eat?”
“No, I will go myself.”
The soldiers’ dinner ration time is 7 o’clock. And now, even if it’s not 12 o’clock, it’s time to feel hungry.
But at such a time, they ask us to bring food that is not meant to be distributed? There are few things as vicious as this. Günther chose to go himself instead of the poor soldier.
“You stay here too. “Moving also consumes energy.”
“But safety…”
“If anyone breaks through this border, they will kill the lord of the castle. Will they kill me? Just stay. “Isn’t this a situation where you need to conserve your stamina?”
“…Please come quickly.”
It wasn’t far anyway, so it wasn’t a problem.
“What is this?”
“…Lord Seong.”
“I asked what this was.”
That would probably have been the case if it weren’t for the variables.
The moment he encountered Seongju, who was patrolling at night, Gunther’s expression became as hard as a cloudy sky.
“Are you thinking or not? In a situation where setting an example isn’t enough, are you trying to secretly steal food? Do you think that’s why I put you in that position?”
“…I didn’t mean to steal—”
“There’s no need for excuses. Shut up and go back to your room right away. “Before you take off the title in front of your name and use it as an example of one punishing another.”
Gunther clenched his fists reflexively as the words poured out like a waterfall.
“It’s not that you don’t want to hear excuses, it’s that you just don’t want to hear what I have to say because you are an incompetent successor. “Because you’re such a fool that you can’t even do half of what you do.”
The emotions that well up are refined into clear language and become a blade.
“…you!”
“But you were the one who put that idiot here. “No matter how many times I told you to pass it on to someone else, you were the one who didn’t listen.”
However, no matter how many times I fired the blade, it didn’t make me feel better. 『I would have told you not to be swayed by your emotions! So how can you become the lord of the castle…!』 He placed his hand on his face as the memories and emotions swirled in his brain. 『So you said you wouldn’t do it! I’m just going to be a knight—!』 I felt like my cheek was tingling after being hit one day.
“This bastard said let’s see…!”
“That’s Okay. “What can you say to someone who won’t listen?”
“You you…”
“So just.”
My fists opened with a feeling of exhaustion. My stomach hurts as if it was shriveled, as I haven’t had any food or water since lunch.
“Just use it as an example of one punishment and one punishment.”
I was hungry.
I was really hungry.
“If you say that, do you think I can’t do it?”
“no.”
Because I’m so hungry.
“I just feel like you’ll abandon your mother at this point.”
My heart was empty.
Günther’s head dropped.
“…You only disappoint me until the end.”
well. Isn’t that what we should say here? Günter put his left hand on his neck and the back of his head, ignoring the words of a person who would not even listen to his excuses.
That it was too much for someone who hadn’t eaten since lunch, that I knew so much about the city, but how could I not know what my son was doing… Those words were scattered somewhere in my mind. He was the one who found it tiresome to talk to people who wouldn’t listen anyway.
“Let’s go to jail.”
Instead, he avoided the angry face of the castle lord and hit the soldier next to him.
The soldier’s complexion turned blue, but Günter did not withdraw. According to Münmund’s military law, anyone who tried to steal food was immediately imprisoned when discovered and had to await a trial that could carry a maximum penalty of death, and in most cases, the death penalty.
“Lord Seong….”
“Take him to prison.”
“But he is the lord of Soseong….”
“Before he was the lord of Soseong, he was a soldier who violated military law. Or do you want to protest too?”
And because of that, he will go to jail. Günther voluntarily was imprisoned in a cold prison under the castle.
Oh, I should have asked the wizard if he wanted to hire me or not.
It was later that I remembered what I didn’t do. Even though it was already too late.