episode_0308

“What is this forsaken backwater?”

The Mystic grumbled, stopping mid-stride.

The Mystic and TS Sca were currently in a rural village about 4 hours away from Dale Gard.

Because Aldaine’s appearance was so unique, his whereabouts could be identified immediately.

“What business does a monster dismantling facility director have in a place like this?”

At TS Sca’s question, the Mystic shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t know. Who would?”

“If you don’t know, you should find out. You ugly bastard.”

The two bickered as they walked along a forest path for about 30 minutes and arrived at a small village, where they met the village chief and heard where the one-eyed elf had gone.

“He went deeper into the forest.”

“How deep?”

At the Mystic’s question, the village chief bowed his head.

“I don’t know the details. Only that he followed the north forest path…”

“Okay.”

The Mystic took out a coin from his pocket, handed it to the village chief, and moved on.

Had they walked for about an hour?

A clearing with a strong smell of blood came into view.

The Mystic and TS Sca’s expressions did not change.

The two quietly exchanged glances, then stepped into the clearing.

Under the full-blown spring flowers.

Blood and guts.

Limbs full of yellowish fat were scattered around the clearing.

And in the middle of the clearing.

A decadent-looking one-eyed elf man stood holding a single-edged sword.

The Mystic smiled.

“Found you. Elf Samurai, Aldaine Ashwood.”

The one-eyed elf tilted his head, then shook his sword to remove the blood and looked at the Mystic and TS Sca.

“Do you know me?”

The Mystic fiddled with the back of his neck.

“We’ve met before, haven’t we? Why are you pretending not to know?”

Aldaine’s head tilted crookedly. His one eye gleamed strangely.

“When?”

“The day after we came to see Junior at the inn. You just took a quick look from afar.”

“Ah. Sca’s ‘brothers,’ perhaps. My memory has been a bit erratic lately. So, what brings you here?”

“Junior is in danger.”

“That guy is always in crisis.”

TS Sca stepped forward and pointed to the dismembered corpses.

“But what are all these guys?”

Aldaine shrugged.

“Nothing special. Just magic tool merchants who came out of the labyrinth city this time to set up shop in a place with good air and water.”

“Huh.”

The Mystic let out a hollow laugh and put his hands behind his back.

Aldaine didn’t care and rummaged through the dead merchant’s pockets, taking out a small candle and throwing it.

“Judging by your appearance, you seem to be well-versed in black magic, so take a look at it.”

The Mystic caught the flying candle and looked at it quietly.

“…A candle made from human fat.”

“They carefully minced the belly fat of pure boys or girls, then separated only the fat and made it into a candle.”

Aldaine continued, rummaging through the merchant’s bag.

“They do human sacrifices in the city, cannibalism too… Anyway, they were disgusting guys, so I had been preparing to deal with them.”

“Were they cultists?”

“They’re not even worth calling cultists. They were trash who pursued their own interests and well-being rather than loving God.”

“Just kill them in the city. Why bother coming out here?”

“I thought they might have connections. There’s another reason, but I’m too shy to tell you everything.”

The Mystic shut his mouth and looked at Aldaine.

Aldaine also sat on a rock in the clearing and stared intently at the Mystic.

“…”

A moment of silence passed.

Aldaine opened his mouth.

“Let’s stop the story here. What kind of crisis is our Sca in this time?”

“Yin energy exploded.”

“That can happen. Is that a crisis?”

“In front of the Elf Queen.”

“That’s a crisis of a lifetime. Is he alive?”

“Somehow? Junior was saying you have a way to absorb yin energy.”

“Absorb yin energy?”

Aldaine tilted his head for a moment and looked down at the single-edged sword in his hand.

“Ah.”

He chuckled as if he understood immediately.

“Hehe. Sca is in danger, so of course I have to help. But I need help too.”

The Mystic frowned.

“Help with what?”

“There are a few remaining cultist stragglers. They scattered from the labyrinth city, so it’s really difficult to track them down. They also use black magic I’ve never heard of, so it’s really hard to deal with.”

The Mystic pondered for a moment and nodded.

“I’ll help you. Breast, you’ll have to go back to the labyrinth city.”

“Really? Okay.”

“Aren’t you worried about me?”

“Why would I worry about you? I’d rather worry about Junior. Go quickly.”

“Ugh.”

The Mystic sighed deeply. The ‘Sca’s’ love for Junior was truly terrible.

Aldaine got up and handed the red single-edged sword to TS Sca.

“Take this sword.”

“Give this to Sca?”

“Yes. Sca will figure it out.”

TS Sca grabbed the single-edged sword with a skeptical expression.

The suspicion was fleeting.

TS Sca’s expression cleared.

“Ah. This is the Death Blade engraving, isn’t it?”

Aldaine nodded and took out a small wooden tag from his pocket and handed it to TS Sca.

“You recognized it right away. It’s my brother’s. If it’s a Death Blade that absorbs any kind of energy, this will be handled well. And this wooden tag is a symbol of the Ashwood family. Show it to the guards and you can easily enter the inner castle with my brother.”

“Wait a minute.”

The Mystic took out a ring from his pocket, held it, and muttered something, and magical power surged like a storm and entered the ring.

A moment later.

The Mystic handed the ring to TS Sca.

“Take this ring too.”

“What is this?”

“Sensory Block Dispel Magic. I made it just to function roughly. When you absorb yin energy, you can use magic power to release the sensory block. Physical contact is essential. Explain it well to Junior.”

“Okay. I’ll go first.”

TS Sca immediately turned around and walked along the forest path.

Aldaine watched TS Sca’s back and chuckled.

“Shall we go then? I feel reassured to have a companion.”

“Did you have a bowl of hot soup or something? What’s with the reassured?”

“…”

The two men stood there for a moment, having a staring contest, before heading deep into the forest.

* * *

Another day passed and evening was approaching.

Jeong Yushin racked his brains.

‘It’s not easy.’

The elf guards in their underwear were milling around. The distance had become even closer than before.

Others would have liked it, but Jeong Yushin couldn’t.

Touching the Queen’s guards in a situation where he was suspected of being a yin energy terrorist?

He would surely be branded as a female pig terrorist.

‘Just have sex! Are you impotent? Why can’t you eat even when it’s given to you? You frustrating bastard!’

The darkness of the labyrinth shouted with all its might after a long time, but he ignored it.

Jeong Yushin got up, picked up a wet towel, and headed to the corner.

Because it was a deep hall in the inner castle, there were no windows that could be opened or closed.

He was sweating a little because of the heat emanating from the elves.

Showering was out of the question, so he was thinking of at least wiping his body with a towel.

But the elves’ gazes followed Jeong Yushin.

‘Stop looking at me.’

Jeong Yushin hid his embarrassment and took off his top, and his sweaty upper body shone moistly.

“S, Sca! W, what on earth are you doing?!”

The head guard shouted with wide eyes.

“I’m wiping my body because it’s sticky.”

“…”

The head guard glared at Jeong Yushin with a reddened face.

Jeong Yushin immediately avoided the head guard’s gaze.

Selenis had been acting like an angry cat since their kiss yesterday.

She hadn’t been slapped, but her alertness seemed to have increased, and the way she looked at him had become even more intense.

Of course, she hadn’t taken off her armor either.

Jeong Yushin held the wet towel and slowly wiped his upper body.

The elf guards all stared intently at Jeong Yushin’s body.

A lithe, muscular physique.

A broad chest and a chiseled six-pack were clearly visible.

It was as if he were a statue that perfectly reproduced the beauty of a man?

The elf guards’ expressions began to change subtly.

But Jeong Yushin was looking down at his own body.

‘My muscles have shrunk a bit.’

Strictly speaking, his muscles hadn’t shrunken.

The muscles he had pumped up on purpose during the warrior party had just returned to normal.

It wasn’t a shame.

Because of the constant sparring and leveling up, his muscles were well compressed.

“Sca!”

“Yes?”

“P, put your clothes on quickly!”

As the head guard ordered, Jeong Yushin put on his clothes.

“D, don’t take off your pants!”

“Yes.”

Jeong Yushin realized why the head guard was shouting so urgently.

Because the elf women who had approached him were staring intently at his lower body.

The elf guards retreated with disappointed expressions.

“Ah… Too bad.”

“I, I wanted to see the bottom too.”

“U, um, Mr. Sca, are you hot? I brought you some water.”

One of the elf women came up and held out a glass of water.

“Thank you.”

Jeong Yushin thanked her and drank the water.

The head guard narrowed her eyes and looked at Barbaroi.

More precisely, at the elf guards.

She didn’t like the sight of them wearing revealing underwear and flirting around Barbaroi.

Had they let their guard down because they saw the moronic side of that Barbaroi?

Or was it because of their young blood?

‘Hard to understand.’

Even the young elves were elites who protected the royal family.

That meant they didn’t usually act like that.

Then there was only one conclusion.

That man had.

In addition to the corruption engraving, something that stimulated women’s favor.

Selenis came to a conclusion in her mind after much deliberation.

It was a bizarre situation that made her head spin, but that couldn’t be a reason for the guards’ discipline to be lax.

‘I need to separate that guy and the guards for now.’

Selenis gestured to Jeong Yushin.

“Sca, come here.”

“Yes.”

The black-haired guy approached immediately without showing any displeasure.

Selenis felt her mouth dry as she watched Sca approach.

Gulp.

Because the broad chest and firm abs of Sca that she had seen a little while ago flashed through her mind for a moment.

Selenis put on a stern expression to hide her true feelings.

“Don’t get too close to the guards.”

“I understand.”

The half-blooded Barbaroi obeyed readily.

It was like a well-behaved wolf cub?

It seemed like he would listen to any order.

‘Any order…?’

Something dark and gloomy suddenly rose from within her heart.

Selenis hurriedly shook her head to uproot the sinister thoughts.

At that time.

Sca suddenly put his head close to her ear.

A sudden action.

Selenis, flustered, froze.

“Captain, I’m embarrassed to say this, but I have to say it anyway. Are you really not going to take off your armor? All the guards are worried about you.”

“…!”

Selenis’s eyes widened again.

‘Again?!’

The anger that suddenly rose subsided even faster than before.

It couldn’t be helped.

Because there was a faint concern mixed in Sca’s voice.

Selenis gently pushed Jeong Yushin’s face away and folded her arms.

“Sca, I am the mother of two children and the wife of one husband. I am also a guard who protects the Queen. I have a duty to protect my chastity and honor, so stop it.”

“I understand. I apologize for asking for an unreasonable request.”

“…”

Selenis avoided Sca’s gaze.

How could every word be so polite?

A handsome face.

A body like a sculpture.

He exuded the aura of a beast, but when he opened his mouth, a warm personality was revealed.

Selenis tightened her mouth, which was about to relax.

“It’s okay. I understand your heart enough.”

“I see. Thank you.”

Before Sca could finish his words.

Squeak.

The hall’s front door opened a little.

TS Sca peeked out.

“Junior, are you there?”

The elves hurriedly covered their private parts.

“Ah?!”

“O, oh no? I, I showed my underwear…”

One of the elves tilted her head.

“It’s a woman?”

“Oh. You scared me.”

“But it’s another Barbaroi.”

Jeong Yushin cut through the murmuring elves and approached the door.

TS Sca held out a red single-edged sword and a small ring.

“Junior, I found Aldaine. He said if I give you this red sword, you’ll figure it out?”

“That’s right. Thank you.”

“This ring is a magic tool that releases the sensory block. Wear it and pour magic power into the ring while absorbing yin energy. Ah! You have to touch the possessed person’s body.”

“Check. Is there a way to get rid of the senses that rush in when the sensory block magic is released?”

TS Sca tilted his head.

“I didn’t hear about that.”

“…”

“Ugh. But the smell is terrible. It’s making me dizzy. Second Brother said he’ll be a little late returning because he’s hunting down the cult with Aldaine.”

Is that so.

“What about First Brother?”

“He’s at the labyrinth entrance. I’m going to go now.”

“Thank you.”

“What? We’re not strangers. Finish it well, Junior. I’ll go.”

TS Sca smiled brightly and closed the door.

Thud.

Jeong Yushin grabbed the red single-edged sword and stroked it gently.

‘Mhehe. Long time no see, Sca.’

A husky voice echoed in his mind.

Beatrice.

Jeong Yushin smiled faintly.

“Indeed.”

‘Mhehe. Do you want this body’s power?’

“…”

This is a bit.

Could he have learned some strange ad-libs from TS Sca?

It’s been a long time since they met, and he needs to get help.

He’ll have to go along with Beatrice to some extent.

‘There’s no harm in trying.’

“Yes. I want power.”

“Ah. Wait a minute. More than anything else, I need to absorb the yin energy in your body first. It’s hanging by a thread.”

“…?”

“You’re, full of it.”

“…”

This is a bit…

Jeong Yushin shut his mouth and grabbed his throbbing head.

During the conversation.

Step. Step.

The sound of the elves’ footsteps grew closer.

Jeong Yushin turned around.

He saw the elves holding spears and bows with wary expressions.

He understands.

They waited because there was a solution, but now the Barbaroi was holding a weapon.

‘The solution is the priority for now.’

Jeong Yushin looked at the elves and held up his index and middle fingers.

“There is one piece of good news and one piece of bad news. Which would you like to hear first?”

Selenis shone with cold eyes.

“I don’t know how the weapon was brought in, but I’ll hear the good news first.”

“From now on, I can absorb your yin energy.”

“I’ll hear about the method later. What’s the bad news?”

“There’s no way to mitigate the senses that will be released all at once when the sensory block magic is released. I’m sorry I can’t be of help.”

“…”

With Jeong Yushin’s kind words.

The inner castle hall was plunged into a distant silence.