Became a tyrant of defense games - Episode 707
◈ 707. [Side Story] A goal that cannot be filled (2)
Crossroads. Inside the collapsed city.
“Wow…….”
Junior groaned in front of the remains of the inn building ‘Etty’s Honey’..
“I completely fell apart, oh my god…….”
During the Night Bringer's first breath, the inn 'Eti's Honey', which was swept away by the range of the breath, completely collapsed..
Fortunately, there were no casualties, but Junior lost the lodging he had been using for over two years. Naturally, all the luggage inside was lost..
“Ah, my book!”
Junior, who found his luggage in the rubble, let out a strange snorting sound that was half cheering and half screaming, and then rushed over to remove the rubble..
“How much does one copy of this cost? … It would be so unfair if I lost everything…….”
Junior's collapsed bookshelf lay face down between the collapsed bricks and sand. Junior quickly retrieved his books..
It wasn't a mess, with cuts and tears, but we did our best to salvage what we could. As I dug into it, other things started to come out..
Even the magic items I cherished. The diary I wrote non-stop every day after coming here. And I saved it but couldn't bear to eat it and kept it in the cupboard and forgot about it.…….
“Keck, Baeknyeonsam?!”
A gift from my mom.
It was Baeknyeonsam, the root of the herb that he had found in Jupiter's belongings and had tried to send to himself in a letter..
All the dishes and cups in the cupboard were smashed, but the only thing left in a paper bag was strangely intact..
Junior laughed as he held up this old herb root..
“Wow, you're safe. I cherished it so much that I almost threw it away. I need to eat it quickly.”
Junior remembered the dosage and efficacy of Baeknyeonsam..
“Can I boil it, add honey and drink it like tea? The effects are nutritional tonic, rejuvenation, and mental and physical stability.…….”
Junior eventually made the sound ah..
It would be nice to eat it for myself, but I thought of someone who needs the benefits of this herb more immediately..
“Does my mom want me to eat alone?……?”
I thought about it for a while,
“……Okay, no! Mom will also be happy to see more friends for her daughter.!”
Believing that his decision would be supported either way, Junior snorted and grabbed the Baeknyeonsam..
***
barracks.
Junior carefully headed to the front room with a carefully brewed ginseng teapot, a bottle of honey, and cookies..
“hmm…….”
I hesitated for a moment, but,
“Eight!”
I gathered up my courage and knocked on the door..
smart!
“Lord Hecate? stay inside?”
Junior tensed up and waited for an answer, but there was silence inside the door. Junior is loud again! I cleared my voice and knocked..
“Lord Hecate, this is Junior. Take a moment to change your mind with me..”
“…….”
“I made some tea that is good for your body. I also brought snacks. Please hang out. yes?”
There was no answer, but I felt a sign of presence beyond the door..
Junior waited calmly. OK,
It's good-
The door opened slightly.
Hecate's dry, dry eyes could be seen through the crack in the door of the dark room..
All the red curse had gone out of her eyes and they had turned deep brown..
“……Junior.”
“Hello, Lord Hecate..”
Junior shook the kettle in his hand..
“The tea is getting cold. may I come in?”
“…….”
Hecate, who hesitated, slowly leaned back and opened the door. Junior carefully entered the room..
There was no sense of life in the room with the curtains drawn. It's like I've been lying in bed for the past few days..
First, Junior drew the curtains and opened the window to ventilate. Hecate, wearing only her thin clothes, grabbed her shoulders and shivered as the cold air penetrated her room..
“Oh, sorry.……!”
However, because he couldn't stop ventilating, Junior, who was in a hurry, wrapped the outer robe he had worn on Hecate's shoulders..
Hecate did not refuse and remained silent..
Junior suddenly thought. Didn’t it happen like this last time too??
“…….”
Under the sunlight that came through the open curtains, Hecate was speechless..
Her beige hair was matted, and her eyes were puffy. Her lips were dry and her complexion was pale..
Junior also briefly listened to the story. Dusk Bringer has retrieved all of the Glory Knights' curses..
Along with the curse, he lost all of his magic power and could never fight like before again..
‘After that, Lord Lucas came to me a few times to console me, but I kept avoiding him..’
I understand that you don't want to be seen like this by the guy you like, but…….
Hecate stood blankly in her seat with empty eyes. Junior, who was hesitant as he didn't know what to do, grabbed Hecate and led her to her table..
“Come on, let’s drink some warm tea and talk! This is a herb called Baeknyeonsam, and it is said to be very good for the body.!”
I roughly wiped away the dust that had accumulated on the table and set out the teaware and snacks..
Hecate, who was sitting on the chair across from him, just watched Junior do this..
Junior got sick of the awkwardness and set up the tea cup he brought with him, and poured tea into Hecate's cup and his own cup..
‘I don’t know anything about tea ceremony or anything like that.!’
The good news was that Hecate couldn't care less about that..
Warm, steaming tea filled each person's cup. Junior poured some of her honey into my teacup and even put cookies on my plate..
“now! Then let’s drink it.?”
“…….”
Hecate quietly looked down at the teacup with narrow eyes. Junior, who was breaking out in a cold sweat, carefully held the teacup himself and put it to his mouth..
‘Nutritional tonic! refreshment! Peace of mind and body! Mind and body! stability!’
Right after I swallowed a sip, hoping it would work.,
“Pooh whoop-!”
squirted.
‘Hehe, cough! what! Why does this taste like this?!’
It had an incredibly bitter and complex scent. I don't know if it's good for your health, but the taste wasn't bad.…….
‘mom?! This is 100 years old, right?! It’s good for your body, right?! Didn't you get scammed somewhere??!’
It was an item that Jupiter purchased from an unknown person under the Lake Kingdom, so it was certain to be genuine..
However, because the concentration of magic power in the Lake Kingdom is too high, the efficacy and taste are much more compressed than those of Baeknyeonsam on earth.…….
Junior, who was sticking out his tongue and gurgling, made a gasping sound and looked forward to see Hecate looking at him with wide eyes..
Junior muttered desperately..
“……Dog, it’s a gag. Gag.”
Following the hemoptysis from before, this time it was Gakcha (咯茶). Even when he thought about it, he was doing a lot of different things..
Then Hecate looked at the teacup in front of her with blank eyes, and carefully picked it up... … took it into her mouth.
“oh! Ah! Wait a minute, let me give you some more honey! It's very bitter!”
Junior hurriedly opened the honey bottle, but Hecate was already holding the tea cup in her mouth..
And I swallowed it all in one gulp. Junior blinked her eyes in surprise..
‘Oh, come to think of it.’
Did this guy say he couldn't taste after being cursed?.
“…….”
Hecate slowly lifted the teacup from her lips..
And then he slowly tilted his haggard face to the side.,
“Poop whoop-!”
squirted.
Junior had a blank look on his face as he watched the tea splashing onto the floor next to him. Hecate wiped her mouth with a napkin and gestured with a pale face..
“……It's incredibly useful. Please give me a jar of honey there..”
“yes? Can you taste it??”
“I feel like it's because the curse has been lifted..”
Junior was about to say he was glad, but stopped. Because it seemed that Hecate was not at all happy that the curse had been lifted..
Anyway, the Baeknyeonsam tea was bitter and tasteless, and the two women barely managed to drink it, pouring honey into their respective tea cups and serving sweet snacks..
If it didn't taste this good, there wouldn't be a need to drink it, but we both swallowed down to the last drop, probably because we were both possessed by some kind of demonic energy..
The teapot is empty, the honey bottle is empty, and all the cookies are gone..
“…….”
“…….”
The two women were enveloped in silence in an awkward atmosphere..
Junior broke into a cold sweat. She came to me out of concern, but when we met face to face, I didn't know what to say.……!
‘No, I guess I'm not one of the people here with the worst communication skills?! Why are you acting like this?!’
I'm just here to make friends! Let’s talk more comfortably! You can do it, Jupiter Junior! Let's go!
When Junior, who had made up his mind, looked at Hecate with clenched fists, Hecate suddenly spoke..
“……Junior, you don’t hate me.?”
“Well, I don't hate it at all.?!”
Junior, who had reacted violently without realizing it, lowered his voice to a loud sound..
“Well, I have no reason to hate Lord Hecate.……?”
“…….”
Hecate turned her gaze away from Junior, who was hesitantly watching, and looked outside the door that was opened for ventilation. Junior's room was right in front..
Following the inn 'Etty's Honey', the two were assigned to rooms across from each other in the barracks..
“I’ll be honest with you, Junior. Why did I get a seat in Junior's front room??”
“yes?”
Junior blinked at the unexpected question..
Is there meaning in room arrangement? Didn’t it just happen that way??
And Hecate coldly revealed the truth.
“As the commander of His Majesty's personal guard knights, the most dangerous element while His Majesty was here... … Because I thought it was Junior..”
“……?!”
“So, to be on guard, I was assigned a lodging as close to Junior as possible..”
Junior's mouth opened slightly..
“Are you saying I'm in danger? Uh, why??”
“……He came from the Kingdom of Camilla and achieved the level of an archmage at a young age. He can't help but be wary.”
The empire was fully aware of Junior's origins from the Kingdom of Camilla and the magical achievements she had achieved..
Before coming from the ecliptic to the Crossroads, Hecate received all the information..
Hecate added apologetically..
“The war between the Camilla Kingdom and the Everblack Empire was led directly by His Majesty. It was also the last war of conquest fought by the Everblack Empire..”
“…….”
“Maybe that’s why… … I have the deepest resentment. Are terrorist attacks still occurring? There were several attempts to assassinate His Majesty. Because of this, Glory Knights has no choice but to be wary of Junior..”
Even after the war ended, the guerrillas of the Kingdom of Camilla continued to resist tenaciously, and it took several more years for them to be completely suppressed..
Jupiter's accusation revealed the civilian massacres committed in this war, and the Empire was criticized by the entire world. Even within your own country.
In many ways, it was a war that did more harm than good..
Therefore, instead of direct wars of conquest, the empire expanded its power through political warfare and religious warfare through the propagation of the goddess religion..
The Kingdom of Camilla became the name of the last country swallowed up by the Empire..
Nearly 20 years have already passed since the war ended. However, it could also be said that only 20 years have passed..
Junior was a person from the Kingdom of Camilla and a powerful wizard. In a way, it was natural for the Glory Knights, the knights guarding the emperor's guard, to be on guard..
“Of course, I know. Junior, you personally helped His Majesty the Emperor in the Imperial Capital. He shut down. I heard he did a great job in dismantling the protocol. You are greatly trusted by His Highness Prince Ash. You did an outstanding job in this battle..”
“…….”
“I just... … Since it was a knighthood order, I did what I had to do professionally. That's why I was wary of you…….”
Hecate spoke incoherently and covered her face with both hands. And he confessed in a suppressed voice.
“……no. I'll admit it. I hate Camilla Kingdom people.”
“yes?”
Junior opened his mouth..
A completely unexpected conversation continued..
“My parents were soldiers, but they were involved in an accident and died. I told you before.”
“yes…….”
“Actually, both of you. In a surprise attack by Camilla Kingdom guerrillas... … You lost your life..”
Junior’s fingertips stiffened..
Still covering her face with both hands, Hecate spoke incoherently..
“i know. From the perspective of the Kingdom of Camilla, any imperial soldier has no choice but to be regarded as an invading force. Supply officers and nursing officers who were dispatched to stabilize public order after the war could also be targets of hatred..”
“…….”
“I know, but as someone who lost my parents at a young age, Camilla’s kingdom… … I couldn't help but hate the people of that country... … That's why I was more wary of you…….”
Junior felt as he looked at Hecate's trembling shoulders..
‘ah…….’
The feeling of a valley hidden by a very thin cloth being revealed between two people who are so close that if you stretch out your hand, you can almost touch them..
A feeling as if the valley is constantly deepening and widening, widening the gap between the two people..
“I told you that after becoming an orphan, I was raised in an orphanage run by the imperial family that raised the children of war veterans..”
“……yes.”
“The name of the facility is White Blossom..”
Hecate's extravagant last name was actually the name of the orphanage..
“All children raised there are trained to sacrifice their lives like straw for His Majesty the Emperor. Die worthily for your country, and let white artificial flowers bloom in front of your tombstone... … With that in mind, I am given a new last name..”
“……!”
“I too was raised to fight and die like that..”
Hecate's harsh voice gradually became more intense..
“Enemies of the empire, and if possible terrorists who threaten the safety of the empire... … I became a soldier to exterminate all the vicious rebels in the Kingdom of Camilla who even kill innocent people.!”
“…….”
“But now the empire is at peace and has joined hands with all the countries in the world that were enemies. Yeah, that's okay. Because I am the one who is behind the times. After all, a knight can only do so if he follows the monarch's orders..”
Hecate looked at Junior with trembling eyes..
“But now I'm not even a knight?”
“…….”
“When you lose your curse, lose your strength, and can no longer go to battle. So what does that leave me? My life has no use or value anymore, so what am I? What on earth have I been living for??”
She inherited hatred from the war between humans and tried to die fighting as a knight..
In this era of peace where humans unite as one, I lost everything as a knight..
I lost both purpose and means..
“Now the only thing the world hasn't taken from me is hate. Hatred of the kingdom of Camilla who killed my parents..”
“…….”
“Junior. I don't want to hate you. But, the fact that you come close to me like this... … it bothers me.”
Hecate staggered out of the chair, took off her outer robe, and handed it back to Junior..
She shivered in the cold air wearing only thin clothing, but gritted her teeth and held out her outer clothing..
“I enjoyed my tea. Thank you so much for your concern. But please don't come again in the future.”
“…….”
“Do not worry. To avoid any inconvenience, it will quietly disappear within a few days. Anyway, here on the front line... … 'Cause I don't need it anymore.”
I wanted to say something, but I couldn't think of the right language..
In the end, Junior quietly took his outer clothes, organized the teacups and tea utensils, and left Hecate's room with her in his arms..
thud…….
the door is closed.
Junior, who was staggering, leaned his back against the closed door and took a deep breath..
“……It's written.”
The taste of the tea left in my mouth was bitter..
Junior lowered his head and muttered softly..
“It's too bitter, Mom.…….”
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