episode_0027

I carried Luisi on my back and ran as hard as I could for two days to completely escape Brion territory and its sphere of influence.

“Phew, luckily I didn’t run into anyone.”

Perhaps because we moved around the border of the territory, we didn’t encounter any monsters.

Just as people are reluctant to go to places where monsters are, ordinary monsters are also reluctant to go to people.

I was a little tired from running through the mountains and forests without stopping by cities or villages.

When Luise and I, feeling the need for rest, were looking for a place to rest in the mountains, I noticed a faint gray smoke rising in the distance.

“Are you a slash-and-burn citizen? Or bandits?”

“They could be monsters. Goblins and orcs especially use fire often.”

Whether bandits or slash-and-burn farmers, people hiding in the mountains would have no way of knowing what kind of trouble I was up to in the Brion territory.

If it’s a monster, just kill it.

We decided to stop by there.

This is because there is a world of difference between resting in a cave and resting in a proper house.

At this point, I had to take a shower and research how to combine Qi and Aura.

As I got closer to the place where the smoke was coming from, I saw that the village was a natural fortress with a huge rock blocking the side, with its back against a cliff, and the rest was surrounded by a fence.

With terrain like this, you can live in the mountains without worrying about monsters.

At first glance, it seemed like there were quite a few people, but the population seemed ridiculously over 100 people.

“Who are you!”

While I was looking around the village, I heard a man’s voice behind me.

I looked back and saw a hunter dressed in green, with a bow behind his back and a dagger in his hand.

“We are travelers and my name is Solomon. Can we stay in that village for a day?”

As I finished speaking, I saw the hunter frown.

“I will give you an example.”

When I took out a silver coin from my pocket and showed it to him, I could see his expression change.

‘Relief?’

“I guess you have some silver?”

“There is some silver, but no gold.”

“Okay, I’ll try to talk to the villagers.”

And a hunter man guides me to the entrance of the village.

‘Should I say I’m lucky?’

These slash-and-burn people are isolated and lack many things, so they often trade with merchants, but they are exclusive to outsiders who are not merchants, so even if they have some silver, it is hard to say whether they will be able to enter.

No, to be honest, I thought it was a den of bandits or that they would turn into robbers when they saw the silver, so I planned to sweep it away and rest.

‘It’s better for me if I don’t see blood.’

The hunter guided us close to the fence surrounding the village.

When I looked at the wooden fence up close, I noticed that it was not only dense, but also made of large and thick wood, and it seemed to be 2m high.

The wooden fence showed signs of being quite old, and from the vines climbing the fence to the claw marks and worn-out parts over time, it seemed like the village had existed for several decades.

‘If the size of this village grows several times and the power of the village chief reaches the level of a knight, he could become a manor and lord.’

As you can see from the monsters and unoccupied lands roaming within the territory of this kingdom, it was basically a self-sufficient life.

Therefore, if one’s strength and power exceeded a certain level, one could easily be recognized as a noble.

Of course, magicians are public enemies and are subject to extermination by the Holy Church.

The hunter approached the small, iron-covered, sturdy-looking door located in the middle of the village fence and knocked.

With the sound of footsteps, I could see snow through the crack in the door.

“John? What are those people?”

“He said he was a traveler. I will take responsibility, so open it.”

“Are you saying you’re letting outsiders in at this time?”

“I’ll explain it to the village chief myself, so just open the door, Ian.”

“Damn, I don’t know.”

The door opened and a man with messy hair gave me a wary look.

It was the same inside the gate and in the village.

The residents were surprised or puzzled when they saw me and Luisi.

“John! Are they your acquaintances?”

“Those people…?”

“Sorry, I brought it here because I really needed it. First, get permission from the village chief.”

The hunter looked around and hurried his steps.

“It seems like a village that doesn’t normally accept people.”

“I’ll explain the situation soon. Please wait a moment.”

The hunter answered and led us to the largest house inside the village.

Inside the large house, there was a living room, where a sturdy old man was sitting in a chair.

“John, you probably had an idea in mind when you brought people from outside the village, right?”

The village chief had wrinkles on his face, but overall he was a large man with a sturdy body.

“I brought you here because of Were Beast. This guy has silver. Oh foreigner, what is your name? My name is John.”

“I am Louis and this is Solomon.”

Luisi introduced my name for me.

To be honest, it’s embarrassing to keep calling out Solomon with my mouth.

“I understand the situation. So the reason you brought us here is because of the were beasts?”

“Yes, Solomon. There is actually a were beast hiding in our town. So I need the silver you have.”

“I, the village chief, will talk from here. Three days ago, a Were Beast subspecies was discovered in the village.”

To put it simply, a were beast is a person who can mutate into a specific animal, such as a were wolf. It is divided into an original species and a subspecies. The original species has the power to infect other people with the subspecies and turn them into were beasts.

The infected person’s mind is also deformed, targeting others and being loyal to the original species. Because of this infectiousness and degeneration, it is common in all regions and is feared by people.

“The victim was Harry, a native of this village, who never took a single step outside the village. The original species that infected Harry must be in the village.

“So you need silver. The way to identify were beasts is to feed them silver.”

There is a way to make a wound with silver, but it is not noticeable by pricking it with a needle, so you have to cut the flesh into chunks to distinguish it, but in this medieval world, such a wound is fatal due to bacterial infection.

“That’s it. I will exchange one of your silver coins for 16 large copper coins. How about it?”

The exchange rate between silver coins and large copper coins is usually 1:15, so it wasn’t a bad offer.

“Good. However, the original species of Were Beast is said to be a powerful enemy that requires a knight to fight. Can we eradicate it from this village?”

“The village chief used to serve as a soldier. Although he is not the original species, he has defeated the sub-species several times. The highest level Auror user has silver-plated arrows made by scraping up all the silver coins in the village, so if everything goes according to plan, you can defeat them.”

The highest level of Auror user is between D and C ranks.

Confidence is nice to see, but if you’re dealing with a knight-level opponent, well…

‘It would be rude to ask more, I don’t think I will tell you.’

There might be at least one hidden trick.

I handed 5 silver coins to the village chief and received 80 large copper coins.

“By the way, is there a place to stay in town? I’m tired after traveling for a long time.”

“Good, there just happens to be an empty house. It’s the house where Harry lived, and it’s big enough for two people. Ashuts!”

“Yes!”

Thump thump thump

A black-haired boy came out from inside the house.

“Guide the guests to Harry’s house!”

“Yes, customer! Follow me!”

Ashutz said that and walked out the door to guide Luisi.

After a while, the village chief spoke.

“Good job John, that guy looks pretty skilled. I can use it in case of emergency.”

“Yes, Chief, you suspected that Harry’s neighbors, Jan and Makkle, were a subspecies, right? That man travels alone with a woman, so he should be able to tie the monster’s feet.”

“Okay, I’ve been using up all my silver coins while plating weapons, so I’ve been giving up on it, but now that I have the silver, let’s finish it tonight. If we give it too much time, the number of people infected with the subspecies may increase.”

“Then, after dinner, call the people and immediately…”

The village chief and hunter John discussed with each other how to hunt were beasts.

Me and Luisi were taken to Harry’s house.

It’s a one-story house, but it’s spacious and looks like a family originally lived there, and I’m satisfied with the large bed.

“You have to get your bath water from the well over there!”

I said while handing a large copper coin to Ashutz, who was making a fuss.

“Can I order you some bath water?”

“Wow! Of course!”

Ashuts gets paid to say things like it.

I asked Ashuts a bonus question.

“How much do you know about magicians?”

“A magician? Ugh… I said they were bad people. They say everyone lived well in the past, but magicians ruined it.”

Children are honest.

Thanks to this, I found out roughly the public perception of magicians in this world.

Even in places where there are no nobles and priests, magicians are evaluated poorly.

‘You won’t be able to see magicians or magic until you go to the lawless zone, the land ruled by magicians.’

While I was organizing my thoughts, Ashutz whined and brought water from the well in a small cart with wheels.

“Well done. Take it here as payment for your trouble.”

“Wow! thank you Rich man!”

When I handed him another Daedonghwa, he even clapped and loved it.

A large donghwa itself is like a large amount of money even to an adult, so to Ashutz, a child, it would be like giving a 50,000 won bill.

I took some of the water from the well into the kitchen, poured some into a pot, boiled it over a fire, and poured it into a huge basin along with the well water to make warm water.

” In this day and age, even washing is a hassle. ”

I miss modern Earth.

When I was in the Energy Universe, I had my subordinates order it so I didn’t realize it, but getting ready to wash up was also a hassle.

Anyway, Luise and I enjoyed some rest after taking a shower.