Chapter 128 – SHALL WE DANCE(4)
The capital’s castle was shining gracefully in the sunlight. Moss gathered on the sharp corners, and swallows roofed the eaves at the ends of the watchtower. A mother bird was flying from the edge of the horizon flapping her wings, biting an insect. Looking down along the swallow’s line of sight, he saw a huge road crossing the plains.
People were lined up on the road. One of them pointed to the sky and gave a command, and the man standing next to him attached an arrow to the string of his bow and fired it into the sky. The arrow pierced the swallow’s head and flew high into the sky. The mother bird, which was biting the bug, fell into the grass and died without even screaming.
“Terrible.”
We stopped in front of the long line to pass through the capital and relaxed for a while. The hunting I had just seen became a rather interesting entertainment for the people in line. The hunter who shot the bow nodded and bowed in response to the applause pouring from all directions.
The wagons all stopped, but the reason was not to watch the hunter’s prowess. It was because the road leading to the capital was stuffy with carriages. Nobles participating in the ball, merchants who enter and leave the capital every day, and peasants were intertwined and traffic was paralyzed. They watched everything going on around them for amusement.
A short distance from where I was standing, a quarrel broke out between a young nobleman who was about to cut the line and an older nobleman standing behind him. When the young noble pointed at the old man and cursed at him, the old noble drew his sword and challenged him to a duel. The duel started with each of the escort knights on behalf of each other, and people flocked to watch.
That time. The little kids who ran into a certain nobleman’s carriage took out a high-quality leather wallet from inside the carriage and ran away. The owner of the wallet, a nobleman, was immersed in the fight of his knights without even knowing his own fate.
Further ahead, the guards were scrambling with the wagons. It is said that all places where people live have the same scenery. When the guards said they would start an inspection, nobles always popped out asking, ‘Do you know who I am?’ Then, the captain of the guard held out an order with the king’s name written on it and made him respond to the inspection.
The order with the king’s name was a presence that gave the captain of the guard absolute power. He was acting as if he were a god or an emperor within these gates. The tip of his arrogantly stretched chin blatantly demanded bribes from merchants, and the arrogance of disrespecting the local nameless nobles hung beneath his eyes.
“Quaaaaagh!”
In the blink of an eye, the winner of the duel was decided. The old nobleman’s escort was rolling on the floor, holding onto his amputated arm. The young aristocrat tossed a silver coin to the fallen loser and said,
“Have a drink with this. Wouldn’t it be possible to drink even if you don’t have an arm?”
People started laughing. The old nobleman kicked the fallen escort knight with his foot, and when he was sure he was dead, rolled him off the road with his foot. The grass growing beside the road covered the body.
I couldn’t imagine how many corpses would be buried like this under that grass. Behind him, a nobleman screamed and started searching his wagon. In the distance, I could see little boys running with their wallets in their hands. He went around the carriage from place to place and asked if he hadn’t seen his wallet.
Then he found a purse identical to his own in a noblewoman’s carriage, and he began to swarm to check it out. The moment I was about to get up before the situation escalated, the knight escorting the carriage pulled out his sword and cut the nobleman down in an instant.
The aristocrat died without taking a dime to go to the underworld. The noblewoman, who was riding in a brilliant golden carriage, ordered the knight to cover her face with a fan.
“Take it away.”
The knight rolled the dead corpse under his feet once again. The nobleman’s corpse was pushed off the road again and disappeared into the grass. A huge, chubby mouse pokes its head out of the grass and drags the corpse’s feet away. I was able to follow his footsteps through the swaying grass, but this, too, disappeared shortly after.
I looked at Sieri. She was asleep, leaning against her carriage. I brushed Sieri’s hair and started observing her surroundings again. Robin dismounted and sat on the ground. Incidents occurred periodically, as it took a very long time for each check to be over.
It was like playing a board game. A board game in which only 1 dice are rolled on each roll. A board game where annoying events take place every time I take a step forward.
Again the people moved forward one square. The inspection ended quickly, probably because there was a powerful nobleman in front of him. But even then, he was an awkward merchant and if a farmer blocked his way, an annoying and lengthy inspection followed.
And one more space. Another column. As if it were part of an automatic process, we slowly moved forward one square at a time. Before we knew it, we were stepping on the bloodstains where the dueling knight died. The old noble was looking around here and there to find someone to vent his anger on.
What caught his eye was, of course, the smiling farmer behind him. He carried no load except a cart loaded with straw. The nobleman exclaimed.
“Are you laughing at me too?”
“Yes?”
“What is it that makes you smile so brightly?”
“Oh no! Nothing.”
“No? What’s not? You don’t know what I’m talking about?”
“Sorry!”
The peasant fell to the ground and began to pray. I looked ahead. The captain of the guard was leisurely checking the goods of the merchant. Robin carefully picked up his knife. I took out my mace and stopped Robin.
“What are you sorry about? Did you have a heart to apologize?”
“Oh, no, it’s better. How can I…”
“Then you lied to me? You’re a goon! You’re not even laughing at me, you’re even despising me? Tell me in detail who you live in! I’m going to punish you and build my prestige! “
The nobleman raised his hand to make a stab. While looking there, I got off the carriage. The noble lowered his hand to strike and asked me.
“Who are you?”
“This is Peta Lucius, the Southern Priest of the Archangel Church.
“…It’s okay.”
He sighed and stepped back, as if he had no intention of killing more nobles or really determined to defeat them. The priestly position was very useful in this respect. I tried to go back to my seat thinking that it was fortunate that I didn’t have to use a mace. The farmer bowed his head and thanked me.
“Thank you thank you!”
“Thank you in cash. Daecheonsingyo Southern Branch.”
I had to send it there so I didn’t pay taxes.
“Okay! I’ll believe in Daecheonsingyo from now on!”
The farmer thanked me over and over again with the face of an ardent follower of the Great Heavenly Religion. I put the mace back in and got on the carriage. The reason he saved me wasn’t good intentions. It was because there was no human to clean the cart if the owner of the cart in front of me was searched for or destroyed.
Aristocrats tended not to think about the future. I fiddled with the mace. We continued to move forward, one square at a time.
The procession got smaller and smaller and we finally reached the front of the guard. He took out an order with the king’s name on it and said:
“That, you’re having a hard time. I’d appreciate it if you responded to the interrogation. If you don’t respond to the interrogation, it’s by order of the king…”
“Start quickly.”
Since it was a checkpoint the last time I came, I cut off the captain of the guard. He recognized me and started talking to me like a friend.
“Oh, aren’t you the priest of the Archangelic Church? What about this time?”
“I’m here for personal reasons.”
Technically speaking, it was Peta Lucius, the priest, but he tended to omit such an explanation because it was annoying. It was because the priest, chief priest, and guards seemed to feel that it was there.
“Do you have a wife next to you? You are very beautiful.”
Sierra was still asleep. She slightly pouted her lips or smiled, showing off her own talent, her cuteness her. I urged the captain of the guard.
“Yes. Let’s start the inspection quickly. Guard captain. I’m a bit busy, so I want to finish it quickly and go home.”
“Oh, priest. We’re working tirelessly on this inspection, so if you give us a small amount of consolation… “
This bitch has finally crossed the line. It seemed like they thought it was an ATM that would give out money if the Archangel priest touched it.
“You want money?”
“Oh, I just want to pay you a consolation money…”
“So you’re asking for money.”
“Ah, this is the custom.”
“Call your superiors. I don’t have money right now, so I’ll petition you for money.”
“Yes Yes?”
The guard’s complexion turned white. He looked around and asked me again.
“Sah, you mean your boss?”
“I’m asking you to bring them. I’m suggesting that you double your salary. Or why don’t I go and bring them now? I know the guards belong to the Knights, but where do you belong? I know a few members of the Knights. Shall we see?”
“Ah, so… That… Dad, I’ll start the inspection quickly.”
The captain of the guard hurriedly began to give orders. The soldiers moved in perfect order and inspected my luggage.
“Look for a place to lie down and stretch out. Got it?”
“Yes! Yes! I see!”
I scratched my head annoyed. How is this bastard still alive and serving as the captain of the guard? The head of the guard, who finished my inspection with lightning speed, even saluted.
“Nothing wrong.”
“Yes. Good job.”
As I started the carriage, I began to wonder if the captain of the guard was still alive. At a glance, it seems to have been a few months, but how did you survive that long? Carriages were passing behind me again. Then, a dazzling luxury carriage came in, and the captain of the guard rubbed both his hands like flies and spoke to them through the window.
I don’t know what he meant, but the expression of flattery was clear. After a few words were exchanged, the knight escorting the carriage drew his sword.
“Now, wait…! I’m sorry! Please…!”
“Die!”
“…Kuck!”
Apparently, the captain of the guards changed every time that wife came in.
