Chapter 417
My Villains Episode 417
64. fog(4)
Unlike the castle walls and gatehouse, which were full of flickering flames, the inside of the city was dark and quiet. Of course, the darkness and silence did not mean peace..
The thick fog on a moonless night makes people feel frustrated. There is no space to breathe, as if dark clouds have descended and enveloped the city. The soldiers standing on the castle wall, the swordsmen gathered in the dojo, and the citizens with their windows tightly closed all held their breath..
“This way.”
Deogen, who took the lead, walked forward with great strides, holding a dagger dripping with blood. The murderous gangster roamed the back alleys without any hesitation even in the night fog that filled the area..
I followed him and looked around the quiet alley. Three- and four-story brick buildings faced each other across a road paved with a mixture of cobblestone and lime..
Occasionally, I could see ivy climbing the walls to the rooftop, or buildings that looked as if they had melted, exposing their insides. In addition to the traces of time gone by, the parts that make up water and sewage systems are hidden here and there, so the history of this city may date back to the ancient empire..
I walked for a while, thinking about various things..
“This is the main street.”
Deogen stood leaning against a dye shop building and stuck his head out to look out into the alley. After confirming that there were no people around, he turned to us and continued his explanation..
“There is a square across the street, and the West Gate is beyond that..”
Indeed, through the hazy fog, the blurry outline of the gate tower and figures holding torches can be seen. A lot of pretense of popularity is a bonus..
“There is a military camp for conscripts in the square. I heard the day before yesterday that military commanders and high-ranking military officers were staying there, but I don't know if that's still the case..”
“The market is?”
“Passihos usually stays at the official residence, but since news came that the kingdom's army has occupied Froshaven, he has been staying near the south gate..”
“……Hmm. That person named ‘Leufon’?”
‘city of swordsmen’.
It's one of Icebowald's nicknames..
Fittingly, there are more than 50 talented people in this city, so-called 'sword tigers'. A swordsman is often a title given to someone who has mastered the art of swordsmanship, but in the Mitergeland Empire, its meaning is a bit narrower. Only swordsmen who are qualified to take on disciples are called swordsmen. And the people who grant such qualifications to these swordsmen are the ‘sword masters’, or sword masters..
Sword masters are those who have been recognized for their skills by the emperor of the Mittergerand Empire and have been given the authority to create a school of swordsmanship. They are so rare that there are only 11 of them in the entire empire, and the Hofken Holy Bag that I encountered on the battlefield a while ago was one of them..
The old twin swordsman, Hofken Seongbaek, was a monster among monsters who rose to the pinnacle of humanity solely through physical prowess. And here, in Eisbowald, there are three people who stand shoulder to shoulder with the Holy Baek of Hofken..
“Hey, do you see that cathedral??”
Deogen pointed to a silhouette next to the square..
“……cathedral? Are you talking about that dome building??”
“Yes, Nari. This is the cathedral where Horhiu, a saint from this town, is buried. It is also the place where ‘Jorhiu Ryu’ uses it as his dojo and lodging..”
“They say they use the cathedral as a seal.?”
“It's a cathedral, but more like a ruin. There is no parish established and there are no priests. It's just crowded with knife-wielding bastards. Even though it has been established for less than a hundred years, Seongseman is the best among the schools of Eis Bobaldt..”
It was not much different from the information confirmed before infiltrating the city. As I looked at Horhiu Ryu's seal in silence, Deogen continued to look around and whisper..
“I heard that it is good to use a sword and a shield in addition to using a sword, so you can use them here and there. The ones who mainly snoop around are mercenaries, and even in the city's standing army, once you enlist, you have to live there for about a month to be treated like a human being..”
“Leupon must be there too.?”
He nodded quickly..
“It will happen. Since he doesn't come out for a long time... … . In the nearly 30 years I've lived in this neighborhood, I've only seen that man's face twice. It will probably only be revealed after the royal army has crossed the walls..”
‘‘Monk’ Leupon. He is a sword master recognized by the emperor and a representative of the Horhiu style..
Of course, he is not a real monk, but it is said that the citizens of Eisbowald gave him that nickname because he was confined to a cathedral all his life and only practiced swordsmanship..
While Hofken Seongbaek was taught the 'Sigmil style' and developed his skills, gained fame as an imperial knight and was awarded the title of master of the sword, monk Leupon trained his whole life and took over when the previous representative of the school died. This was a case where it had to be done. Of course, he could not inherit such a position simply because he was a disciple of the school, so I heard that Leupon also demonstrated swordsmanship in front of the emperor and was recognized for his skills..
“The other schools?”
“‘The 'Sel-Sid Ryu' is next to the mayor's residence, and he is probably absent because he is busy acting as a sergeant or officer. 'Covalho' is in the southeast.”
“••••••good.”
I took turns looking at the gatehouse with its flickering torches, the square where the gong soldiers were stationed, and the Horhiu Cathedral, the den of swordsmen, before making a decision..
“You said all your men were conscripted, right? Where is everyone over there??”
“That will happen, Nari. why are you like this?”
“Then you can at least set fire to the military camp with them.?”
“••••••yes?”
Deogen twitched his mouth and spoke carefully..
“But, my job is done by letting them into the city and giving them directions..”
“I know. I'm just asking you to do one more simple thing to cement the goodwill between us..”
“……I don't think setting fire to a military camp is an easy task..”
I smiled and patted his shoulder..
“Hey, you gangster..”
“……Yes, Nari.”
“If we take over this city, won't we have to wipe out criminals like you in order to control the public sentiment?‘?”
“If I'm going to save you and your kids then, I'm going to have to do you a little favor..”
“But I've come to this point,”
“I guess I can't calculate it well because I'm an ignorant gangster. The reason you let us into the city and gave us directions is to kill your leader and the other thugs who are hobbling and arrogant. “We made a deal based on the price, so what good will there be?” Deogen bit his lower lip as if he was swallowing a quarter. I pinched his cheek viciously..
“Relax, my friend..”
I tugged so hard that blood showed on his dry lips, but he didn't even moan..
“Did you think everything would be resolved if you just killed all the gangsters? Even if the city was taken over by us, I thought we would soon be pushed back because we had so few troops. right?" “But you know. If you want to act like a traitor to the city, you have to do it to the end. I thought that if I pretended to stick to this side and only took advantage of it and pretended not to notice, we would just get away with it.?”
“……no.”
“I told you to relax your expression. What should I do if you look like you have a different mind? uh?" Deogen must have realized what I meant, and quickly raised his eyebrows..
“Yeah, I laugh a lot.”
“Heh, heh.”
“Will you do me a small favor??”
“……yes. I will accept it, Nari..”
“How long will it take??”
“I'll do it in an hour.”
“Well, I can't afford that much. I want to do it in thirty minutes?”
Deogen nodded with a stern expression. I tapped his shoulder to encourage him and then gave him a chin..
Master Espo, who was standing silently behind him, handed a scroll of vellum to Deogen, who was about to leave. After hearing the explanation of the spell contained in the scroll, he immediately disappeared into the fog..
“……Anyone who sees it will think you're a gangster, Nicks..”
These were the words of Atalanta, whose cheeks were getting chubby because she had been vomiting for a while. Master Epose also agreed..
“As expected, Sir Phoenix is a cruel person in many ways..”
“How cruel is that? Anyway, pimps and merchants are in the back alleys.
Isn’t he a guy?.”
“The same goes for emperors, kings, and great lords. Not only village chiefs, marums, and landowners, but also ordinary farmers. All ordinary people live by taking advantage of those who are weaker than them..”
“So that means I’m also an ordinary person..”
“That's not it. There is a certain degree of use and consumption..”
I scratched my eyebrows as Master Epoz spoke with a smile on his face..
“……I'm not arguing?”
“Oh no, absolutely not. that
I just realized that the Lord is a cruel and cruel knight..”
He pretended to be scared and waved his hands exaggeratedly..
This one also looks like it has a screw missing somewhere. Somehow, it seems like there isn't a single sane person under Prince Ulkar..
“That thug, you can trust him?”
“I don't know.”
Atalanta narrowed her eyes at my carefree answer..
“What if I betray you??”
“Even if I betray, I'm not the type of person who will run to the mayor or military commander. I guess I'll either hide myself or run away with my subordinates..”
“If we make our presence known?”
“Anyway, it's going to be noisy... … . Well, that's enough.?”
I shrugged my shoulders at her worried eyes. Atalanta sighed deeply and shook her head, muttering, ‘Hey, I don’t know.’.
Contrary to Atalanta's worries, within fifteen minutes, let alone thirty minutes, fire began to rise from the square. It seems that the ‘Scroll of Flame Emission’ that Epoz gave to Deogen did its job well..
“What, what is this! Where did the fire come from?!”
“Captain, here! here!”
“Everyone, wake up! Bring water!”
It didn't take long for the entire square to become buzzing. After parting ways with Atalanta and Epoz and standing in front of the Horhi Cathedral, I took out a few rocks that I had stuffed in my pocket and threw them..
Clink!
The faded colored glass in the windows exploded and scattered. The chaos that was filling the square seemed to be sweeping all the way to the cathedral as the windows, which were two meters wide and twice as tall as I was, were shattered one after another..
Men armed with swords, shields, or spears poured out in front of the cathedral. I hid behind the cathedral and pulled out a long bloody whip from my left hand..
whilick.
6Four blood lines extending over a meter were wrapped around the structure of the cathedral roof..
Since I was infiltrating, I was wearing no helmet, let alone plate armor, and was wearing only a chest armor that I had picked up from somewhere. Thanks to this, I was able to hold on to the blood whip and jump as if I was flying. I kicked the outer wall a couple of times and was quickly on the roof. Perhaps the high agility score compared to the level paid off? I couldn't hear any footsteps..
“What on earth is going on? Did something explode??”
“I'm not sure. Should we send the students to help put out the fire??”
“……You, you. Go figure out the situation. Wait for the rest! Don't act rashly.!”
“yep!”
Leaving behind the conversation between a swordsman and his students, I climbed over the sloping roof of the cathedral. Whether it was the Calandari Church or the El Ganor Church, the appearance of the Gwangmyeong Church was generally similar, so it was not difficult to find the target building..
Behind the main building of the cathedral, I found a square-shaped building surrounding a quiet courtyard. It was a dormitory building..
Unlike the dome-shaped roof of the main building, the roof of the lodging building had purple tiles. As soon as I stepped on it, I felt sharp eyes and looked down into the courtyard..
A man in his early years, just past middle age, was standing in the middle of the courtyard. He was dressed in plain linen clothing, and his only weapons were a plain long sword and a small buckler fastened to his wrist. His grizzled hair, close-cropped beard, middle height, and stocky body were common appearances..
I looked down into his turquoise eyes and opened my mouth..
“Monk Leupon?”
he didn't answer.
Actually, there was no need for that. Because the moment our eyes met, the chicken meat sticking out from the nape of his neck explained who that man was..
I let out a sigh mixed with laughter and threw myself off the roof. Because several flat roof tiles were broken, a loud noise followed the trajectory I was drawing..
It fell from the roof into the courtyard in an instant. Just before my feet stepped onto the well-groomed lawn, a blade of blood shot up nearly 3 meters and swung like a thunderbolt..
kacang!
The man swung the pitch-black buckler as if to break it. The dark red sword slipped and fell to the floor. He raised his left hand before swinging the black ice again..
Kakagagak-
An ordinary long sword flew towards my neck and was caught in the grip of a hand covered in black scales..
“Inhale！”
As soon as the old swordsman caught the blade, he threw himself into my arms and thrust his pummel at me. I quickly twisted my shoulder. As he dodged the pummel, the swordsman twisted his wrist. The tip of the crosshair brushed past the side of the head..
Sigh!
“nice,”
Blood flowed from the long torn wound, soaking my ears and chin. I swallowed a curse and swung the black ice at the unpleasant wetness..
Sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssf!
The blade, which was as long as a long spear, cut in all directions faster than a whip. The elderly man, who was defending himself with a long sword and a buckler, as my sword attack gained momentum, flew backwards without hesitation and rolled on the lawn..
“••••••X arm.”
Strangely, every time I hang out with old people, I get hit hard. This happens every time and my pride gets hurt..
He ran his scaly hand over his left ear. The torn wound was already healing. The blood that flowed down soaked my hands and the scales expanded their area..
“Is it really a red knight??”
The man asked, shaking off the grass on his arm. I smiled bitterly.
“It's late. If you want to make a clear statement, at least give me an arm..”
The elderly swordsman, the monk Leupon, held his hands together and struck a sword strike without saying a word. He aimed the long sword lying horizontally at my eyes, and the buckler covered the back of the hand holding the long sword..
whilick.
I swung my sword around and lunged at him with light steps..
Comments