38. After Exile (1)
“Judas!”
After leaving the mansion, the SS including Richard rushed in.
“What happened? Are you a soldier? To Bethany too?”
“Did you misunderstand something?”
“Well, that must be it. Did you come out with a good talk?”
I couldn’t say anything back to those who comforted me so hard.
I just laughed weakly.
That was a sufficient answer.
“Really… ?”
“Why….”
“Wait. I’ll go and talk….”
I grabbed Richard’s arm to stop him from climbing up.
I shook my head at him who saw me.
“You don’t have to.”
“You…. Huh? What are those black marks on your neck?”
“… Ah.”
I’ve been covering it up, but I forgot today.
I was hiding it in case Elijah would see and worry.
“No big deal. Anyway…. If the owner tells you to do it, you have to do it.”
“However, this is not the case.”
“Yes! Hey, it’s been a while since I became an escort knight, but you’ve been by my lady’s side for years!”
After Richard, Dylan and Lindell.
The other kids also felt unfair on my behalf.
If anyone sees it, they’ll think they’re kicked out.
I laughed and waved my hand.
“That’s why it’s a bit complicated to explain. To put it simply… He said that being around me was rather a hindrance.”
“… ….”
“Anyway, so it happened. I ask you to take good care of my lady.”
I was about to say hello and leave when Richard grabbed my shoulder.
“Judas. Are you going to fall in the middle?”
“Are you going to break the order?”
“You really…. Under….”
He wiped his face with one hand and spoke in a heavy voice.
“Don’t die.”
“I have to try.”
“Judas…. Is there really no way we can help?”
Dylan asked, looking dejected.
“Please take good care of me. That’s it.”
“… ….”
I was greeted word by word.
To be honest, I don’t even know what I’m talking about.
There was no sense of reality.
When I was greeted by all 11 people, Hermis was in front of me.
“Mr. Judas….”
A depressed expression.
As if you already knew everything.
“Sir Hermis.”
“In the middle, perhaps….”
“No. I will go to Bethany.”
“… ….”
“Can I ask you a favor instead?”
“How about a request?”
“To be precise, this is a request, not a request. As a customer of the Information Guild.”
Hermis took out his note and nodded straight away.
After I confirmed that there were no hearing ears around her, she delivered a request to her.
“… All right. We will cooperate as much as possible.”
“Thank you.”
“But it will take some time.”
“That’s all I have to endure. It’s okay.”
I felt a gaze from somewhere.
I looked in that direction, but there was no one in sight.
Only the window of Elijah’s office, covered by a curtain, is visible.
I was far away, so I looked up and made up my mind.
‘I have to go. Now.’
Before we go, let’s take a look at UL.
*
“Is it delicious?”
I asked while stroking Yuel.
He came to the stable and is feeding yellow umbrella mushrooms.
Today might be the last time I see you, so I’ll feed you as much as I can.
“Eat a lot.”
It’s been a while since I brushed my hair.
Stable Keeper Bradley noticed and then sneaked up on him.
“That…. I heard something Hmmm. Really?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but you’re probably right.”
“Huh….”
He hesitated as to what he wanted to comfort him, but in the end he didn’t say anything.
Then he disappeared somewhere in a hurry.
‘What is it? Is it the bathroom?’
I just stroked Yuel.
Never stop. A little slow
‘… I don’t want to go.’
Unfortunately, my heart was like that.
I didn’t want to leave this place.
There’s UL, and now there’s the bodyguards in Room 13, who are like family.
And….
“Whoa….”
As I sigh, Yuel raises her head and looks at me.
“No. It’s nothing. Eat more quickly.”
If you scratch its neck, it makes a pleasant sound and eats mushrooms.
By then, Bradley was back.
“That, Judas. Take this.”
He handed me a leather bag.
“What is this?”
“No big deal. Just potatoes, jerky and corn. What did you pack?”
The contents inside were simple travel rations.
The quantity was not simple.
The bag is not too small, but it is full.
Under the food, there were also simple first aid kits including bandages.
“The medical tools were provided by that man over there, Gale.”
Gail.
This is the name of the old man who always scolds me.
“Whether you search or not,” He said, “I packed a lot of things. Well, if you can’t be honest….”
I laughed out loud.
“I’m sorry I didn’t have time to say hello. I would appreciate it if you could say thank you instead.”
“Yes, yes….”
Bradley looked at me pitifully, then sighed as his shoulders drooped.
“Ehh. This is all I can do.”
He gave me help, but rather sighed as if he was sorry.
I was going to stop by the city on the way to buy it, but thanks to that, I saved money and time.
“Don’t say that. Thank you.”
“Oh, don’t worry too much. Maybe not? The lady will ask you to come back later.”
I just smiled faintly at the comforting words.
I said hello to Yuel before leaving.
“I’ll go. Do not follow me.”
Smart creatures.
Anxiety stained his innocent eyes as if he had noticed something.
It clings to itself with a whimper.
As it was the last time, I was pampered and petted.
“Hey. Listen carefully to Mr. Bradley.”
The moon deer I met five years ago.
Nana and I were young then.
As much as I grew up, this guy grew up too, and he became a strong adult before he knew it.
I even got a name. Yuel.
I’ve been attached to it for a while.
But UL does not belong to me.
The only thing I often borrowed from Elijah was to use it.
‘… It’s my property.’
One day five years ago.
When I stroke Yuel, I remember what Elijah said.
‘It’s mine,’ he said….’
I’m also very frustrated because I can’t shake off my lingering feelings until the end.
“I really have to go now. Hi.”
I said goodbye by touching my forehead to Yuel’s.
The longer it is, the harder it is.
I had to ignore the grunts and cries behind me.
I struggled to leave the stable.
I stood with my back to the closed door for a moment.
The sound of Yuel crying.
A soothing voice is heard from beyond the door.
I looked up at the sky for a while.
5 Years.
Short.
By the way, it was the longest time of my life.
I managed to get my back off and lifted my heavy feet.
*
“Sir Shylock?”
I was really about to leave, but there was Shylock at the entrance.
Originally on Balak’s side, he turned against me because of me.
And in the end, I decided to stick to Elijah’s side.
He looked at me and sighed.
“… What kind of conversation has been going on since then, so it ended like this?”
“It’s a bit complicated to say.”
“Ugh…. You make the love fight bloody.”
“… ….”
“I want Sir Gawain to deliver it.”
Gawain.
The man who was once my teacher.
He is a person who follows Balak, not Elijah.
He returned to his hometown.
As war clouds rolled between Elijah, the Empire, and the Bebel family, the order for repatriation was issued.
I couldn’t say hello properly because I was leaving so suddenly.
“Don’t hesitate.”
Don’t hesitate.
This is the advice Gawain often gave me.
Hesitation in battle is defeat.
“Please tell me that you will keep that in mind when we meet again. Thank you for saying hello.”
“If I meet Gawain again under this circumstance, I don’t think I would be in a position to say hello like that.”
“Well, that’s it too.”
“… Be well.”
“Sir Shylock is well.”
So I left Elijah.
*
I thought I had avoided the first tragedy.
I couldn’t.
Fate came to me by necessity.
And it’s not over yet.
Tragedy and comedy remain one by one.
‘Elijah who used fire magic on me. And, me who was seriously injured and lay there like I was about to die.’
Two scenes.
Connect.
‘Does this mean that someday Elijah will come and kill me again?’
Elijah said.
I found stability while absorbing my lunar magic.
I knew why he was so calm even with mad fire, but he couldn’t be relieved.
‘Maybe he’ll come back to absorb it again.’
And then, I will surely die.
As the second tragedy points.
‘… I can’t help it.’
Destiny. Necessity. Tragedy.
It seems inevitable.
Just as the first tragedy finally came.
However, it is not.
There is one sure way.
A method I hadn’t even considered because it was pointless to use.
All it takes is for the target of tragedy to disappear.
***
From noble mtl dot com
Bethany.
The Knight’s Tomb.
If an order to dispatch troops is given, it is virtually the same as being deported.
Most of the characters run away on the way.
Nevertheless, there are people who arrive at Bethany.
When you commit a serious crime, and the master vows to punish you.
Or, when you lost the will to live and just flowed in.
The vast majority of knights staying in Bethany belong to the former.
There is a constant struggle there.
Violence and theft are commonplace.
Robbery, murder, and s*x crimes do not stop.
Since it is the most dangerous frontline, monsters flock to it day and night.
Even monsters are added to fights between humans.
The only person left in such a dangerous place is human waste that cannot survive otherwise.
Even his skills are good.
The nickname “Knight’s Tomb” Is truly grandiose.
It even gives the impression of beautifying the place.
In practice, it is more often referred to by the nickname “Garbage can.”
A place where the evils of society, equivalent to warlocks in the general eye, gather.
Two men were drinking and smoking drugs.
Drunk to the fullest and speaks in a stretched voice.
“Did you hear that? I heard Bebel’s illegitimate son made a statement. What was that….”
“Is the fact that the monster appeared in Giudecca was a play by the imperial family?”
“Oh, yes! That! Damn it, the world.”
“Clack…. Because there is no such thing as a cub. I wish I could go to war and search everything.”
“Why not? I heard that the atmosphere there is unusual. No matter what happens right now….”
The two of them naturally kept their mouths shut.
A simple entrance in Bethany made of sharpened logs inserted diagonally.
Someone walked from that direction.
I couldn’t see much because of the robe that covered her from head to toe.
The two looked at each other blankly and then grinned.
“Are you new?”
“I guess so.”
“This is the first time I am a rookie who has not been dragged.”
“Looks like he must have given up on his life. I wish it was a woman, but….”
“A woman of that size…. That’s new again.”
The subject, who appeared to be a newcomer, entered without fear.
“As a senior, I guess I need to tell you what kind of place this place is.”
The two of them secretly took out daggers from their arms.
It’s very thin and slender, more like an awl than a dagger.
“I wish I had more.”
Approaching newcomers with a bottle of alcohol.
The dagger was hidden under the opposite sleeve.
“Hey there. Is this your first time here?”
I pretended to be a friendly person.
“I don’t know what the story is, but I must have had a hard time. That’s the story of all the guys who come here. Would you like to soothe yourself with a drink? I’ll give it to you especially for free.”
Alcohol is a very good thing to break people’s boundaries.
“Besides, it’s very dangerous to wander around here alone, newcomer.”
The opponent didn’t say anything.
Under the hood, only shadows are visible.
You can’t see the expression.
The two involuntarily swallowed their saliva and tensed their bodies.
The appearance was much more imposing than it looked from afar.
If you look at it, if you drill a hole in the side, you’ll fall down and start flinching.
“From the looks of it, you don’t seem to know much, but first with us….”
The remaining distance is ten steps.
Even if they were drunk and drugged, it was a distance they could narrow at once.
They survived Bethany for several years.
Throwing away the bottle, pulling out the dagger, and charging were all done at the same time.
The moment when he approached in an instant and stretched out his dagger.
The darkness shuddered.
Suddenly! And a cheerful sound was heard.
“… Uh?”
Four arms flew through the sky in cool arcs.
Spinning around without knowing which arm belonged to which.
But what is certain is that it is not a rookie’s arm.
After coming to my senses, it was too late.
My upper body was on the floor because my back was already broken.
Looking from below, the newcomer’s eyes shone cold gold.
Newbie.
Judah thought as he brushed off the pupils of the moon that did not shine.
‘You can’t even put magic into a sword with only 1 mana. Anyway, is it a report ceremony as soon as it arrives? It doesn’t change here.’
This is actually the first time I’ve come here.
However, this is not the first place.
Because I’ve been here many times in my previous life.
I expected a surprise attack, and the pupil of the moon itself was such a great weapon that I was able to defeat it easily.
I can’t guarantee that this will happen in the future.
‘I will have to stay for a while…. I expected it, but it’s already annoying. I can’t be careless for a moment.’
There was no need to clean up the body.
There is a cleaner.
A wild dog suitable for harsh environments.
Or exiles who eat human flesh.
Judah went deeper into Bethany.
There is no such thing as a proper building.
Everyone sleeps on the bare floor, or lives in crude tents.
‘A pit where there is no real ruler, where only those who are not normal in personality or skills gather.’
Judah sat down in a corner seat, leaning back.
He was tired from the long journey, but could not lie down.
‘A survival expert will wake you up, but I can’t trust you too much.’
Close your eyes.
Hold the sword in your arms so that you can respond at any time.
‘War…. Elijah….’
Since the situation outside is so noisy, you can hear it even if you don’t want to hear it.
I want to ignore it, but I can’t.
I keep thinking of Elijah’s face.
It’s always like this when I have time to think.
Especially when trying to fall asleep.
A cold expression as he looked up at himself. Dry eyes.
The sharp words he spat out with small red lips.
I want you to die.
She just took advantage of it.
I also remember the founding festival.
A shy smile.
The hands we held together as if we would never let go.
Close body temperature.
Even the delicate moment when they stared at each other in a maze-like garden.
… I brushed it off and tried to fall asleep.
It was the first night in Bethany, arriving about two weeks after leaving the mansion.
*
The man arrived at Bethany.
The line of movement was somewhat twisted because the target was dispatched at this point.
However, she couldn’t neglect her commission.
That is the pride of the guild.
The man checked his orders again.
The nature of the goal.
Black hair. Golden eyes. Conspicuous giant.
He possesses a sword black as night.
Notes.
Because he is quite skilled, he must be killed with a single knife.
The client…. D Bevel.
The order was last checked and burned.
Go into the depths of Bethany.
The assassin’s unique gait did not make a sound.
Find a target without drawing attention.
‘… There he is.’
A man fell asleep leaning against the wall of a half-collapsed building.
I can’t see the eyes, but all other features match.
Especially the black sword.
There is only one sword in the world.
A coveted item even in the Assassin’s Guild.
‘Don’t give them a chance.’
Takes out a dagger and applies poison.
The Assassin’s Guild’s special deadly poison.
Death is certain even if it is touched.
Pull your shoulders and aim.
The destination is the exposed neck.
If you touch the armor you wear underneath, the poison might not be able to seep through.
Poof! And the dagger cut through the air.
Just before reaching it, the target fell forward.
I fell asleep.
‘… Lucky for you.’
The moment you put your hand in your pocket to apply the poison again.
“Who are you?”
Someone asked in a low voice.
The man stopped breathing and stood still.
A cold, hard object touched my throat.
As I slowly raised my eyes, the target was right in front of me.
Aim, Judas asked, thrusting the sword menacingly into his throat.
Golden eyes gave off a dark light.
“Who sent it?”
In his mind, a name he wanted to avoid came to mind.
