Chapter 168: The Black Horse and the Young Donkey (2)
t4XnThe square jaw is as impressive as the broad shoulders.QTO
01Bpb6oA man of short stature but who couldn’t be called small in stature.36b6Y
V8aajThe look in the man’s eyes did not waver at all despite Peter’s presence filling the room.8NW9
BQ8l“To be honest, I don’t like it.”JoYJmK
tvESigurd looked at Peter with a twisted gaze as crooked as the words he spoke.4SCMCR
2xCKIt was a rude action in some respects, but Sigurd had a good reason for it.jBLW
IsgllVR“Why did you suddenly change the mayor of Soara? No matter how you look at this, it seems like we’re being ignored.”AXrkJO
r4oS“…I never did it with that intention.”juqd9
VZsRKR5The news of Joseph, who had nearly disappeared from his position, caused a great stir among the dwarves.gmh
VZaoeUAnyone would feel confused if someone they worked well with suddenly disappeared.0jh
rtRpVmPPeter thought he could bridge this gap, but the world of dwarves, which he encountered for the first time in his life, did not work as he expected.3Z7d
6A1“There will be no changes in Bayezid’s welcome to Nidavellir. It’s just that the person doing the work has changed, so…”G0vmEEM
5G8kO3S“That’s the problem.”wpm
rlJCreak!jsNu
VuoWith a loud scraping sound on the floor, the chair Sigurd was sitting on was pushed back.lP0O0u
w5TU0zThe way he stood up showed that he didn’t want to hear anymore.xxs
GyX“The problem is that people have changed. Lord of the humans. Peter Bayezid.”XwuFP
rxngwf“…”VhRHc
Wy0KThe man sitting across from him was the lord of Bayezid, but to Sigurd, that really didn’t matter.rT7JV
aROPHnFor him, the most important criterion at the moment is how much a person can be trusted and not the position they hold.KWVf6O
qk7gQu“The reason we came to Shoara was because of Joseph Bayezid and Knight Vlad. If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t even have thought about starting an exchange.”plWI2k
cLrGThe long history of persecution of the dwarves had made them closed-minded, and it remained the same today.wf6A
prOKHSo far, the only thing that could even slightly alleviate the dwarves’ caution was Joseph’s polite letter sent with the young dwarves.KE0
ZqCi“Please bring Joseph Bayezid or Knight Vlad. If you ever want to talk to us again.”eYxe0V
VuDYi3Sigurd begins to cross his arms tightly as if he had nothing more to say.djkO
tdOThe dwarves’ speaking style, as direct as it was straightforward, pointed directly to what they wanted.A8fBiUN
n4H“…Joseph Bayezid or Knight Vlad.”fKQ
KO9fv4kThe request was so straightforward that even Ragmus, the advisor at his side, was surprised, but Peter, the person they made the request to, was silently lost in thought.auMKThZ
bS5dICPeter, who did not feel disconcerted or offended by Sigurd’s request, simply needed a moment to gather his thoughts.5yEQ
K8242sz“Many people are calling him that.”e2eb
4mzSigurd may not have known it, but Peter wasn’t the only one searching for their names these days.HIr
LKmOCZYThe lord of Hainal and the green-haired woman were looking for the two who suddenly disappeared.NE7l
0Gj“That’s why I decided to give it a try.”kmEkK
AxrPeter, who had finally realized Joseph’s intentions, suppressed his truly complicated feelings and silently bowed his head.t5m3ke1
rNThTNW“You worked hard to save it all this time.”dYWTw
zWZNidavellir, with whom there was no interaction.The fallen Ravnoma.1NT
PKYAnd a subdued Hainal.uZCF
rQ8And even the skinny boy from the alley.u9UJqh
Y5nFfPerhaps his second son was silently crouched down, picking up things that had fallen to the ground while his older brother was out enjoying the glory.xmaqcUm
Qm6Cf3Polish them until they shine bright and gleaming.Z6rk
lJk***oyb
QYWhy“Please save me, please save me. I’ll do better.”hJPI
1rRN7HL“We were wrong. Please, forgive my life…”ihTDZo
fZ11XTInside the village’s grain warehouse.Au2C
J6jAfaIn this dark and cool place, men hung upside down silently pleading for help.Fiwz
4durMAmong them, the fake priest hanging from the highest point had already been beaten until his white robe turned bright red.ZAyuH4
lrNtP“Do you want me to spare your life?”ISGr
zTODZaOVlad, hearing the impostor’s pleas, snorted in disbelief and drew a dagger from his chest.stL
y1fxA“Severe injuries, threats, fraud, extortion, and even blasphemy.”Rhd8B
UAAITbPieces of jerky are cut off little by little for each sin committed.Cjr
4RriSUgIt was an insignificant action, but the life felt in that action was real.URa6ML
zu2VzV2“To account for all these sins, do I have to resurrect the dead and kill them again?”NF6YL
81TGSzc“I’m sorry! Sir!”lW1dyDP
9xASEw“Please, save me! Please!”xTS6X1
YzL419Faced with Vlad’s words, which sounded like death threats, the fake priest and his helpers begged for help.IJ9P1i
0jZDBecause the man laughing there really had the authority to do so.oT6NAt
uoNF“Do you want to live?”4nw
bk5dw“Yes! Yes!”H45u5l
h7Ne“Then give it to me.”d3nj
R2qaS“Yes?”SnLUo
AtBxVlad extended his empty hand as if it were obvious.U9J2x8z
wjLBsLThe fake priest, looking at the hand while hanging upside down, was momentarily perplexed.GOfjn
bJ1KfwZ“There must be something you’ve been working on while doing this. Looking at it, it’s not something you’ve done once or twice.”Vgjp
SGMTa“…”NYMso
T8S2iDHe didn’t seem like that kind of person.wLtOanY
3Sz0Clearly, Vlad’s appearance when he unsheathed his sword while the deacon sang a hymn a moment ago was brighter than any other knight’s.AFX4a8H
W2O7EYHowever, his current appearance was nothing more than a dirty one, like that of street thugs.yNpU4qK
U5WUCk“If you don’t like it, tell me. I heard the fire hasn’t been extinguished yet.”oYYiJ1r
mLKbWuV“I’ll give it to you! Everything we have!”Zzv
mqxPerhaps the scammers out there now didn’t know.ATfsBum
V4IQThe young knight now smiling in front of them was someone who had already committed severe injuries, threats, fraud, property extortion, and even blasphemy.G2U
Nc4wGA greater evil that overcomes a lesser evil.9FWB
TfsAaVlad’s eyes looked grim as he smiled in the dark warehouse.4GdVmKa
N75xuH***V7lp
iRitN“I told you I would save your life!”Vev
CYF“That damn cheater! Go to hell!”ZbOO
jcOtThe group of swindlers being dragged away by the villagers was noisy.UfYZQ
Zf9They exploited innocent beliefs, became rich, and nearly burned a healthy person to death, so even if they were to die, they probably wouldn’t have a good death.7HdHkAI
w89“Fraud? What does that mean?”4df
eui“It doesn’t matter. Deacon. People like this keep deceiving till the end.”XHuEAh8
tBdAfter patting his full pockets, Vlad quickly turned Jean’s shoulder and headed towards the village chief’s house.VYKJRf
e9BkPddThe men’s screams could be heard from behind, but there was only a smile on Vlad’s face.btdE
O5XYpn“Anyway, what happened to the man who was hanged? Is he dead?”hM6y
jAU9Ve“Fortunately, he’s alive. God must have protected him.”pUlD3sM
XKi0vWhile Vlad dealt with the swindlers in the warehouse, Jean focused on treating the man who had been burned at the stake in the village chief’s house.vDO
4TgNHmhPriest Andreas was famous for his healing miracles, and Jean, perhaps due to his master’s temperament, was also a child who could handle a bit of divinity.oX9iLDb
8PUcY“Oh, oh… Precious people. Please come in.”kzPOU3Y
9kofThe village chief, who seemed anxious waiting outside the door for Vlad and Jean, bowed so low that he could no longer bend and led them inside.H9lOj
AYJK4b“What would have happened to our village if it weren’t for you two?”Qew
CE5o3The village chief, who knew he had almost been deceived by some swindlers, kept his head bowed to the point of exaggeration.nmJN
cSVQJfLegally, the crazy burning at the stake earlier could have been punishable by the knight who was in charge, but doctrinally, it could have been condemned by the young deacon.tMxL
HlD“I was fooled by the plague spreading in a nearby village. If we didn’t catch that man and burn him immediately, the plague would spread to our village…”3eL
D54UZPHowever, following the swindlers’ words was an inevitable choice for the village chief.b35Mz
GpbIFraud and propaganda arise through human anxiety.5YsWIKS
yQG2LGThe village chief, who was anxious for not being secure because there was no lord to protect him, and anxious because there was an evil being nearby, couldn’t leave the suspicious man who was said to have brought a plague alone.81od
VUeEos“Ugh…”6GWK
unvc“I think you’ve come to your senses!”Ac3
NpK1Inside the house we entered following the village chief’s instructions, there was a man who was beginning to regain consciousness.sF5iu
eicgJSeeing that he couldn’t easily get up due to the harsh experience, Vlad silently began to check the belongings placed beside him while Jean hastily helped him up.GjfhF
RY66wDrawing from his experience as a pickpocket, he looked into his coat and saw it was full of all sorts of things.tBFeYoJ
tZuK“This kid is suspicious too.”1y5GRZA
8ppsXNot because of the soot, but because, for starters, his jacket was completely black.dQu3wvD
NBCJbAKThe small pockets inside the tattered robe were filled with singed grass blades and strange bone fragments.XJ0
5N2OtU“Where am I?”CHX8C6q
EtecRi1“You’ve come to your senses?”iwB
THbJhdmAnd what was most suspicious of all was the strange mask he wore.bKgo
nopsQMAThe impostors hanging upside down spoke to Vlad.pMu1
WhaRThat strange mask was originally worn by a man.yP4Rt
V75The impostors hanging upside down spoke to Vlad.dmqFg8X
t9maM0That strange mask was originally worn by a man.Fvoi0x
2LPsxS“Who are you?”W64a
tZDRp“I am the knight of Bayezid. I am Vlad.”JVv
FX26XVlad lifted the mask he held towards the man lying there.dWmj
txKOGA size and shape that fits perfectly to your face.klyvoc
u60qIn fact, as the scammers said, this mask belonged to an unknown man.LAdmP
a2DX“I told you my name, so now it’s your turn, right?”ZHoKnw
JJZ“…My name is Nibelun.”fuG
JB2L7zNow, a small voice came from the man who stuttered as he opened his mouth.OwDy
3KCkHowever, what Vlad heard from the man who finally spoke were only ominous words.zrM
QUr52lp“I came here chasing death.”fSr9
615anm“…Death?”z0g
my5GThe mask he held nearby had a strange shape, like it had the form of a crow’s beak.YeKcbRz
0dchlwKA strange mask with a bird’s beak on top of a black robe.GFeA5g
OtdWNThe man’s face, seen through the eye holes of the mask, looked like a cat.pIvT
w60dkWThe man who revealed he had been chasing death was a beast-man rarely seen in the North.ovUo
a2eRIX***VsA0
TTduQThe appearance of the mansion under the moonlight was unsettling.qYet
uOD6Once it must have possessed an antique charm, but it had been neglected and now stood there, losing its original color.8eT
wUZWmIn a deep forest where not even a single bird’s chirp could be heard, the mansion stood alone under the moonlight.kE2ZzK
ilbCreak! Creak!Tmad9G4
EfzXI“…I see.”EElX
cQpzxhBA faint sound was heard from inside the crumbling mansion.The sound of water being poured carefully.ZEvT
k3t6yqvA noise emanated from the old mansion, as if someone was bathing.4UE3w
B4NA9E“That’s why you couldn’t go.”AagYh6
A5TA hall in a mansion where even the roof had collapsed and the dark night sky was visible.1FF
OBYL8vHowever, despite everything being old, the bathtub in which the woman reclined boasted an ivory light that blended with the darkness.pxRx3
Q8L“Poor man.”Z5tU0
A5n4b1XA woman with hair that started off as green but ended up dark.VltUps
VPt6N0Now she was carefully drawing water from the tub and washing the man in it.Pp4Z0
MlUXThe woman washing the motionless man seemed skillful, as if she had practiced it a lot.cpzMW
pRhtGw“You must have been worried about what was left. I understand.”WUP
YKEZThe moonlight floating in the sky began to slowly seep into the mansion through the hole in the roof.5Hs
iMSThen, the view inside the bathtub.Instead of water, it was filled with bright red blood.JoS
3fClA man with pure white hair tilting his head.Bmc
d2nGezuThe figure of the man whom the woman held carefully was wrinkled, like a desiccated corpse.aoB
oqr“…You must have been so afraid of the dragons that you would have done something like this.”nNN
7LnPKThe woman, who couldn’t touch the ground, smiled warmly like a mother and withdrew the hand of the bright red corpse from the bathtub.2vt
7Iv9jRiAlthough he was now very thin, the feat he had accomplished with his hands was greater than that of anyone else.4Z05myv
3Rs“So now you have to rise. Your Majesty.”LO3SRr
njWWith the woman’s voice like a spell, the hands of the corpse began to unfold.ba3a9pE
obePjA sinister fingertip slowly beginning to bloom, like a root absorbing water.5ujor
TcnEach time the fingertips stretched out, the blood in the bathtub decreased little by little.eqb
zxMxThe moonlight, which had reached the end of the sky, illuminated the ruined mansion.MIj
OddhIn a place only the moon could see, headless corpses lay in miserable forms.J5UAbtP
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