episode_0099

“Why did the author look around the village a couple of times and just sit there without doing anything?”

“Mmm… I don’t know… Huh…? Look at that! The author’s head is nodding off…! Is that person sleeping right now! Daring to give up on the trial bestowed by the Emperor! How absurd!”

“That person! Unless their face is swollen, how can they…!”

Rustle, rustle.

The sages who seemed diligent at first suddenly entered any house and sat blankly on the veranda, starting to take a nap comfortably before anyone knew it.

Unable to suppress their laughter at the sight, the hunters ran around wildly, scolding the sages.

This was a heavy and solemn trial directly decreed by the Emperor.

Even though the ignorant mortals were not hoping to express gratitude for the Emperor’s participation in the trial, they should at least show diligence!

Already giving up as it seemed impossible, seeing such an attitude after failure was absurd. With such storytelling skills, one must be imprisoned for life and kept from seeing the light…

Assuming the sages had already given up on the trial, they began discussing the future punishment to be imposed on the sages.

“Hahaha..!”

But isn’t there always an exception?

One of the sages, who was beside a beautiful fairy, found amusement in the sight of the napping sage and jokingly spoke to the fairy.

“Hey, Heeseon. We all knew your husband was out of the ordinary, but we didn’t realize he was this lazy. Taking a nap during the Emperor’s test… Not being able to record this moment is regrettable. Perhaps he truly was a bit tired…? However, that behavior does not mean he is ignoring the trial. Your husband is such a dedicated person. Maybe he is waiting for nightfall…?”

Responding with eyes full of trust to the sage’s question, the fairy looked at her husband. She had never seen him disregard or underestimate anything.

“Waiting for nightfall… Haha, that makes much more sense than giving up on the trial! Thank goodness. Still, I can’t help but worry about that friend, Heeseon. Without knowing the answer, even I don’t have confidence in passing the trial… You’ve exhausted all advice, haven’t you? How on earth do you expect him to pass this trial without your husband saying anything?”

“I… I was going to ask, but then Abamama unexpectedly visited my abode… If Songhak hadn’t urged me, I would have been in big trouble. I felt so embarrassed showing a stiff face to Abamama in my confusion…”

“What, what? You almost got caught? Then it would have been a bigger problem for me than for you! It could have been a real disaster! Oh… I’m getting goosebumps…! Even though you’re my daughter, I am still a servant!”

“Oh, come on, if you weren’t caught, it would have been fine! You’re always singing about wanting to retire from the youngest life anyway! If you were caught, you could retire and live comfortably with us. Especially with me and your husband. Hehe.”

“I retire voluntarily! That’s just a dishonorable retirement! This busybody has nothing to do with me!”

Jumping up and down, the sage lamented to the fairy,

The fairy’s gaze is only on my husband, who is sitting over there on the porch and dozing off.

“By the way, sir. Our master… Will he be able to resolve this trial well? It was so different from what I heard; Abamama’s appearance changed, the location changed, how bewildering it was… If I had rashly advised our master, it would have been a big problem.”

“Hmm…. It might be difficult. It seems that His Majesty has made up his mind. He turned the story around himself. Perhaps His Majesty will also have to endure significant hardships…”

“Oh, Abamama? Endure hardships?”

“Don’t worry too much, Heesun. Isn’t your husband someone who creates new stories? Other fairies may not see it, but I saw it clearly with my own eyes. It was truly a warm and joyful story… I believe he will write a warm story this time as well.”

“Yes… Thank you, sir… You’re right, sir. Who is my husband! Our master will surely receive a benevolent story from Abamama. For no reason at all, he reached out to save me when I had nothing?”

…

“Woof woof…”

Scratch scratch…!

“Kuuu… Oh.. Oh..! Is it already night?”

Thanks to Sari scratching my body with her front paws in my arms, I was able to wake up on time.

Seems like I was a bit tired.

I was more mentally exhausted than physically.

That’s probably why I slept restlessly, ignoring my discomfort and just sleeping.

I was fortunate to have Sari.

I could sleep peacefully knowing she would wake me up when needed.

“Hey, fairy elder! What time is it now?”

“…It’s the hour of the Rooster.”

“Ah, yes, thank you.”

Hurrying back to the village entrance to ask the fairy guarding it for the time, the fairy gave me the time with a distracted expression.

Hmm… Did I offend him somehow?

Well, His Majesty must have spread his trials, causing unrest…

‘Can’t help it…’

Once praised for beauty.

About six hours left until the Rooster hour passes.

Glancing around, the village isn’t that big, so time should be sufficient.

I didn’t plan to sleep so comfortably.

Initially tired, I searched the village thoroughly with eyes wide open!

From the conversation with Heesun the previous day, His Majesty’s hiding methods narrowed down to physical means and disguise using alchemy, with the latter seeming more likely, but I couldn’t overlook the possibility of him hiding through some physical means, so I searched diligently.

Starting from the first house at the village entrance, I opened doors, checked for hidden spaces by tapping walls, even inspected alleyways for potential hiding spots.

Even though I meticulously combed through every nook and cranny of the small village, after about an hour, I had circled the entire village.

Then, I circled back in reverse just in case I missed something.

“Woof!”

“Yeah, Sari. It seems like he did use disguise, right? In such a small village, there’s not a single trace.”

“Woof woof!”

“Did we overlook something by mistake? Absolutely not! I remember, Sari, I am a hunter. A hunter’s job is impossible without keen eyesight.”

After searching for two rounds and finding nothing, is there a way out?

I had to wait until night to move on to the next part of the plan.

Facing a trial, it’s natural to feel tense for the first one or two hours. Until the moment of execution arrives, isn’t it normal to feel a bit drowsy if you’re not doing anything in a situation where there’s still a long way to go?

With warmth inside my arms, it must have been cozy. Even in heaven, there might be no winter and the weather would have been sunny… How can one not fall asleep in this situation?

Forcing yourself to endure tiredness will inevitably lead to decreased focus when it’s time to work for real.

It was all part of an efficient strategy.

Ah… Anyway, the fatigue seems to have dissipated well.

Time is passing unnecessarily, so I should start soon.

“The moon could be a bit brighter….”

Well, this level of darkness is sufficient.

In reality, the situation is not so despairing.

Not finding His Majesty during the day didn’t mean obtaining no information at all.

The color of the soil in the first house’s yard was distinctly different from elsewhere.

I realized right away.

There was no need to explore the first house.

And Heesun successfully granted my request from the previous day to ensure that His Majesty could step on pig’s blood.

His Majesty undoubtedly tried to hide in the first house.

Heesun must have known that, so she probably scattered the pig’s blood I handed her all over here.

After His Majesty stepped on the blood, he would have suspected some trickery, but since there were no magical devices, ultimately, he wouldn’t have discovered anything.

A leaked information situation, a sense of unease for failing to grasp the opponent’s trickery.

Fortunately, they could still change the location, so I assume they quickly rectified the first house and moved their hiding place.

There’s a high probability that His Majesty stepped on the blood.

There could have been several variables, but my five pieces of information are telling me.

First, His Majesty did not physically die.

Second, deciding on a hiding place had to be done immediately upon entering the village, even if the actual location was determined later.

Third, once disguised, it couldn’t change into another form until the trial ended, and the chosen location couldn’t be altered.

Fourth, the transformation called “disguise” could only be done with a living organism.

Fifth, just in case, when I asked Sibi, he said that unless it was a special case, touching His Majesty’s jade body without permission was prohibited.

Therefore, the possibility of a servant moving the disguised His Majesty is low, and since he couldn’t change into another form after getting blood on him, it means His Majesty is likely hiding with just the blood wiped off.

This should give me a good chance in the fight!

I take out one of the perfume sample bottles filled with liquid from the bag and sprinkle the liquid on the ground a few times.

Sizzle! Sizzle!

“Hmm.. It smells a bit strange…. Like metal?”

Where did I get the perfume bottle? Of course, I asked our Doldoli to pick it up!

I wanted to pick a large sprayer instead of these small sample bottles, but Doldoli’s hole was too small, so I had no choice but to pick many small bottles.

Yesterday, our Doldoli worked hard after a long time.

I did consider taking the millstone, but… hmm.. it’s a dangerous item, so I should leave it behind.

“Mrraaww..?”

“Oh..! No, Sari. This isn’t iron! Just bear with it a bit, I’ll pick out the iron separately later.”

Since the liquid in the perfume bottle contained hydrogen peroxide instead of perfume, Sari must have mistaken the distinct metallic smell for something edible.

Despite being continuously tapped by Sari’s front paws from the inside, I had no choice as I was busy looking for His Majesty.

Skipping the first house…

Entering the second house, I spray the liquid on the dog’s paw tied in the yard. Sizzle! Sizzle!

“Oh.. Not this one….”

The third house had nothing….

The cat in the fourth house….

“Aaargh! Meeooww!”

How fast he is, as soon as we try to catch him, he snaps at us once and then runs far away.

He’s definitely not in that location….

Like that, for the fifth time, sixth time, mice, goats, cattle… whenever animals appear, he sprays perfume and sprinkles liquid.

“Wow… only one house left now.. Could he be in the first house? That would be a complete twist..? No, it’s better that way. It’s a bit tiring and annoying. But if he doesn’t step on blood at all and can’t find it.. um.. that’s the problem….”

Even though I’ve almost circled the village, I felt a little anxious because the animals weren’t giving me the reaction I wanted.

“Well, I still have to look around here.”

So I enter the last house.

What I see in front of me… is a large rooster walking around the yard.

“Cock-a-doodle-doo!”

Flap! Flap!

Did the rooster notice that I was approaching slowly and ran away, crying loudly?

I had a feeling that it would be a bit tiring to catch that guy.

Oh.. I can’t ask Sari for help..!

“Chicken! I won’t kill you, so don’t run away! Just let me check something quickly!”

I’m a hunter, I can’t possibly not catch a chicken, right?

“There!”

Cock-a-doodle-doo!!

Flap flap!

“I said I won’t kill you! Just leave if you want! Why aren’t you leaving!”

Cock-a-doodle-doo!

Flap flap!

“You keep avoiding me, hurting the hunter’s pride! You rascal!”

“Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock-cock-cock-cock! Squawk!”

“I finally caught this rascal!”

After a long struggle, I finally caught the rooster!

Wait, could this guy really be a master? Did I catch him too roughly? I feel uneasy for no reason…?

Although I managed to catch the rooster.. suddenly, a creepy thought about the unexpected outcome crossed my mind.

This is just a trial.. yeah. Everyone will understand..

Trying to calm my trembling heart, I sprinkle the liquid on the rooster’s feet…!

“Oh….”

No change in the rooster’s feet….

“I’m sorry, Mr. Rooster..”

Quickly wiping off the liquid from the rooster’s feet with a cloth, I let it go.

Because the liquid is toxic….

Is this really the first house? There didn’t seem to be any animals there…

Suddenly, my heart became restless and troubled.

The rooster I let go seems puzzled, as if it doesn’t understand why I released it, squawking once and then flapping its wings back into the coop.

To calm my uneasy heart, I casually talk to Sari.

“Sari.. it seems like this isn’t the place. Let’s go back to the first house. Ugh.. I just want to go home with Heeseon.. even that chicken wants to go home…”

Oh? Wait a minute! There was a chicken coop over there! Then, maybe there’s more than one chicken?

Hurriedly approaching the chicken coop where the rooster fled, I see two hens.

I quickly reach in and grab one, spraying the liquid.

Ah, not this one.

I grab another one and spray the liquid again.

Not this one either?

“Oh.. are there no more chickens here? Really none left?”

The fleeting hope that came and went felt too disappointing.

At that moment..

Cheep cheep!

The sound of chicks..?

The rooster! The runaway rooster is hiding the chicks!

“Rooster, come out for a moment!”

Ignoring the rooster that pecks at my arm to protect the chicks, I quickly grab the chicks by lifting my arm.

Three chicks….

Peck..!

Not this one..

Peck..!

Not this one…

Found it.

The foot of the second chick I grabbed was shining blue in the darkness.

“I found it. Your Majesty, the hide-and-seek game is over.”

Bang!

With a sound, the chick in my hand transforms into a middle-aged man.