episode_0041

What the hell is going on right now?

“Hmm. This is really great food.”

“…..”

“But why? Do you have no appetite?”

“No..that’s not it..”

“Then come on, come on. You’re so skinny. How can you even lift a sword!”

“…….”

The table was laden with mouth-watering dishes, but I didn’t notice them at all.

Because of this man in front of me.

You may not believe it, but I’m having breakfast with Kensei right now.

No. How did I end up eating with this guy?

Apparently, on the way to the restaurant, he happened to run into me in the hallway and asked me about Athena’s whereabouts.

I answered absentmindedly that I was sleeping in my room.

– I guess I’ll have to wait. Now that I think about it, where are you going?

– Are you going out for breakfast? I’m hungry right now. Let’s go together.

– You don’t have to refuse, haha! Eating alone is lonely. Be my conversation partner.

I was swept away by his bold atmosphere and before I knew it, it was now.

‘Have you been starving for a few days?’

Just like a beggar.

Geumseong was greedily devouring the food on the table.

“…Over there..”

As I called out carefully, his black eyes turned to me.

“Why are you doing that?”

“Black…is that right?”

“Everyone calls me that.”

Black.

A mysterious character who appears only a few times in the novel.

But despite the low number of appearances.

I remember that he was quite popular because he was a romantic character with a hearty personality who only trained with swords.

“Did you say…what did you say..?”

It was too early for guests to arrive.

Moreover, considering the servants who were terrified by his appearance, it was hard to believe that he had given advance notice.

I remembered the chef who had seen the sword a while ago and collapsed foaming at the mouth.

“No way. It’s fun when things come unexpectedly, haha.”

wow.

Shameless….

“It’s been a while since I’ve eaten. The food here is always delicious.”

He had finished his meal. He put down his utensils and wiped the food off his lips with his sleeve.

‘No. There’s tissue paper right next to me, so why bother…’

Although I frowned at his slightly unsanitary behavior.

He smiled at me and started a conversation naturally, as if he didn’t care at all.

“Since I’m waiting for her anyway, why don’t you tell me a little story about the young lady?”

“My story..?”

“Yeah. I see you’re not a servant. Are you the daughter of a nobleman or something?”

“I..I..”

I’m a slave…

But for some reason, I felt like I shouldn’t tell him straight up.

Because the word slave did not have a good connotation.

It might be better to just say maid.

While I was thinking about what to say to him-

bang-

“Carlos!!!”

Athena appeared.

Her expression was distorted into a grim expression, as if she was quite annoyed.

“Oh. You’re here?”

However, Geumseong seemed familiar with her appearance and greeted her calmly.

Athena strode towards him and looked at him as if she was going to kill him.

“I told you not to come here without permission.”

“Haha. If I don’t come here, there’s no way I can see you. I came here because I have news to tell you.”

“….If it’s something unimportant, you’d better be prepared to die.”

Athena, with a rotten expression on her face at the words of the swordsman, approached me and patted my head.

“Athena..”

“Good morning, Hera. Could you wait in the room for a moment? I think that old man has something to say to me.”

“I’m not that old yet.”

Athena simply ignored his words.

“I’ll be there soon, so please wait a moment.”

“Uh..yeah..okay..”

After hearing my answer, she immediately headed towards Geomseong.

“Follow me.”

“Hmm! It was nice meeting you, my lady. I hope we can connect again.”

“Stop talking nonsense and come out quickly.”

So the two of them disappeared.

As if a typhoon had swept through.

The atmosphere in the restaurant, which had been chaotic until just a moment ago, suddenly became quiet.

“What the hell is going on..?”

* * *

“Tell me. Why did you come?”

As soon as Athena reached her office, she got straight to the point.

“That’s really disappointing. Aren’t you even going to give me a ride?”

Let Carlos speak calmly.

Athena raised one eyebrow, as if annoyed.

“You came here without permission and expect to be treated well?”

“Haha.. When you say it like that, I have nothing to say.”

Carlos took something out of his pocket and placed it on the desk.

“A magic tool for records?”

“I’ll get to the point, since you want it.”

When the magic tool was activated, a bright light appeared in the air and several pictures appeared.

“..monster?”

What appears in the photo are numerous monsters.

It was enough to reduce a village to rubble in an instant.

But it wasn’t just that.

Monsters with no ego and a ferocity that only eats the life in front of them.

They were gathered in one place and formed a legion, as if they were following someone’s command.

“Yeah. The monsters have been acting strangely recently. It’s quite unusual for them to form groups and act like this.”

As he said, monsters have never lived in groups before.

Far from being a herd, they were creatures that even ate each other.

There was only one force willing to deal with such vicious beings.

“Is this the work of the demons?”

“Maybe so.”

Demon.

The only race dissatisfied with the peace that came after the Great War.

They possessed physical abilities superior to those of other races, and were also very capable of manipulating mana.

However, due to their vicious nature that enjoys blood and murder, they have become hostile towards most races.

“That’s not all. Disaster-level monsters are slowly revealing themselves.”

As he touched the magic tool, the pictures began to turn to the side, one by one.

Giant footprints, scorched villages, forests engulfed in flames, and cracked earth.

Every single one of them was a horrific sight.

“This is only a sign. It is a glimpse of a great disaster that is about to come.”

“…..So what are you trying to say?”

“The Emperor does not know the gravity of this situation. He is only concerned with the safety of the Empire.”

Carlos said, the smile disappearing from his face.

“Friend, how about you come out with me and hunt the demons? I have a feeling that if we leave them alone like this, something irreversible will happen.”

He had a very serious face, different from his previous playful appearance.

“Are you saying we should kill the Demon King?”

“If possible. That wouldn’t be bad either.”

Athena thought for a moment.

If the Demons have found a way to tame monsters of this caliber, this is not a matter to be taken lightly.

A major war could break out in just a few years.

If that happens, even if it’s a powerful empire, most of the people living outside of it will lose their lives.

If the worst comes to the worst, the demons’ grasp could spread to the empire.

But Athena just smiled wryly.

“Carlos. You still don’t know me. Do I look like the kind of person who would be interested in that kind of thing?”

Athena’s taunt flew at him, but he paid no attention and continued to speak.

“Yeah. I guess it was like that in the past. But I think it’s different now.”

“What?”

Black Sword looked at Athena with calm eyes that seemed to see through everything.

“You. Don’t you have something precious that you want to protect?”

“…….You..”

Athena looked at him with a cold expression and said.

“Did you know about it?”

“No way. I was just coming to tell you. But I happened to see that kid.”

Carlos stroked his beard for a moment, then continued speaking.

“You have your mana. A lot of it.”

“…..”

“You, who never paid attention to others, gave away a part of your power. This is also unusual.”

Athena, who had been staring at Carlos in silence for a while, soon clicked her tongue loudly and burst into laughter.

“..As expected of a quick-witted old man. He’s unnecessarily quick-witted.”

“Hehehe. That’s because I’m not that old yet.”

Blacksmith offered Athena his thick hand and offered again.

“I will protect humanity. You protect the child. What do you think?”

“….”

Athena quietly closed her eyes and began to think for a long time.

The silence continued in her office for a while.

She opened her eyes again, sighed deeply, and grabbed his hand.

“It’s annoying. I hate annoying things.”

“It seems like I’ve gained a very strong supporter.”

“Well. Killing demons is something I’ve been doing all along, so killing a little more won’t be too hard.”

“Haha! That’s a good idea. I’m sure that kid will like it too.”

Blacksmith laughed loudly and waved his hands up and down vigorously.

“Do you have any plans?”

Carlos looks confident at her words.

“Of course! Find the demons and kill them. What a simple and clear plan.”

“There isn’t any.”

Well then, that’s right.

Athena muttered, a rotten expression on her face.

The demons had quite sophisticated brains.

There was no way I could find it if I just went out.

Athena suggested, letting out a short breath.

“I’ve received reports of a sudden appearance of monsters in the forests to the east and north. Take charge of one area each. ”

“Oh! Then let me go north. If I’m lucky, I might run into some northern warriors.”

“Or so.”

Athena, who had said that, waved her hand and motioned for him to leave, as if she did not want to talk any more.

But Carlos remains in his seat without moving an inch.

“What else do you have to say?”

“My friend.”

His face was even more serious than before.

“Is that what you did?”

“What?”

“There was one thing I found out while talking to that kid earlier.”

As his eyes sank deeply, the atmosphere around him began to grow colder.

“That child’s imagination was shattered.”

“…..”

“I hope it wasn’t you who did it.”

“If that’s right?”

Carlos looked at Athena for a moment at her cold words and sighed deeply.

“…Great people like you and me who have reached a certain level cannot help but live lonely lives.”

With a sad expression, he continued speaking before even hearing Athena’s answer.

“So I understand that you want to have someone by your side. In fact, I recently started raising a disciple myself.”

“You?”

“Yes. We happened to meet in the empire. I still vividly remember the look in the eyes of the disciple who held me back.”

“Ugh..”

Carlos seemed to recall that memory, and a small smile appeared on his face.

“How can a little girl have such a poisonous gaze? Even I got chills for a moment. Her talent is so great that she will probably surpass this body someday.”

“Phew. That’s a bit too much of a leap. Isn’t your love for your disciple too much?”

“Haha. I’ll let you meet up sometime later. You’re cute, so I’m sure you won’t hate me.”

He smiled warmly as he thought of his disciple. Then, he quickly changed his expression and spoke in a calm voice.

“My friend. No matter how lonely you are, you shouldn’t trample on someone’s heart like that.”

“…..”

“Even if you can have that person for a moment, it’s just a fake relationship.”

Athena’s expression distorted, as if his words had grated her nerves.

“What do you know..”

“When you reach the realm of the present, there are things you can see even if you don’t want to.”

Carlos soon said his last words to Athena.

“If. You were the one who destroyed that child so miserably.”

“The sins you committed against her will all come back to you as karma.”