episode_0039

“Ah, it’s the lady’s birthday… When does the festival start?”

“Huh? Oh, I thought you weren’t from here. Let’s see… Today is October 17th… exactly one week later.”

“Not much time left.”

It’s a festival…

‘It would be perfect for a change of mood.’

I asked Belita a few things about the festival and left the guild.

* * *

“The festival will be held in a week.”

I said during dinner. The eyes of two people focused on me.

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s the Marquis’s birthday. I guess that’s why the festival is held.”

“Wow, it’s a festival!”

Kara’s eyes lit up. Seeing them happy made me feel proud.

“For some reason, the lady seemed busy these days, so I guess it was because she was preparing for the festival.”

Cerise said, looking at the counter. The innkeeper was busy moving around. Along with the family members and prisoner slaves next to him.

“Have you ever played at a festival?”

“Yes, we held several festivals in the village.”

‘It was good that day because there was a lot of work to do.’ Cerise muttered.

I never thought I would have been able to enjoy a festival properly at that age. It felt salty.

“The festival here will be very different. It’s as big as a city. There is so much to enjoy.”

The city’s festivals are large and colorful.

In the morning, a trumpet sounds to announce the beginning of the festival.

During the festival, people walk the streets wearing colorful clothes unlike usual. Whether you want to watch a performance by a traveling troupe or buy a snack from a street vendor, you are free to enjoy it however you choose.

“They say that every year, a top tier from across the empire comes to the Lady’s birthday festival. So they say they do things like fireworks.”

“Fireworks?!”

‘

Kara exclaimed, putting down her spoon. Seris, who was next to me, asked in surprise.

“Kara, what are fireworks that you’re so excited about?”

“Sister, don’t you know what fireworks are? It’s in Sieghart’s song! On the night Sieghart defeated the Beast King and took over ‘Tallinn’, while looking at the fireworks burning in the sky, he said to Esica…!”

Suddenly Kara’s eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hand. As if he was saying something and saying it wouldn’t happen.

“Kara? So what did Sieghart do to Esika?”

“Sure. What did you do?”

“No, I don’t know!”

Kara began to quickly scoop up the soup. No matter how much I and Seris asked, there was no answer.

* * *

“Today too?”

“Sorry…”

Kara lowered her head and wiggled her fingers.

“It’s not like I’m sorry… Why can’t I go with you?”

“I’ll tell you about that later.”

Kara said that and walked away quickly. I looked at the back and approached Seris.

“Is it still the same these days?”

“Yes. Still asking about the festival.”

“Okay…”

It started the day after they said the festival would be held.

Kara walked around the city asking about the festival.

Most questions are about what stores are there, which ones are fun, and which places have a good view of the fireworks.

I’m happy that they’re looking forward to the festival, but…

“Why can’t I go together?”

At first Kara tried to wander around alone. I objected, saying absolutely nothing, but they said it was okay up to Seris. But no matter what happens, I say no.

“I was curious about that too, so I asked, but he didn’t tell me.”

Seris said with a shy smile. I crossed my arms and sighed.

“Okay. Seris, please take good care of yourself. So that there are no accidents for no reason.

“Don’t worry.”

I left the matter of Kara to Seris and left the inn. While walking down the street, I used ‘Wolf’s Pact’.

The world turns black and white. The smell of blood tickled my nose, cutting through the pungent smells coming from all over. The voices of passers-by talking from near and far are clear.

‘This is Werther’s sense.’

That’s part of it too. The moment I felt this sensation, I realized it. That it is impossible to escape from Werther.

‘I had no intention of running away in the first place.’

I roughly counted one minute using my heartbeat and then turned off ‘Wolf’s Pact.’ I opened the status window and checked the ‘help received’.

Helps received by Han Yu-seong: 0.3

So far, I have used ‘Wolf’s Pact’ twice for 1 minute each. So, it is an increase of 0.1 per minute. At this level, you can use it without much burden.

‘I don’t know what Werther’s request is, but it won’t be just 0.3.’

There’s no way I could swear an oath for a favor like that. That would be a bigger request. I wasn’t worried or anything about the request. Didn’t Werther say it himself? He said he would come visit him in person when the time was right. What I am saying is that I will ask for it when I can handle it.

I put all thoughts related to Werther aside and entered the adventurer’s guild. I looked around the bulletin board and looked for a good request.

‘This is my first time working alone.’

I always received requests together with Sister Seris. Going to the abandoned castle alone is not a request, so it does not matter.

‘Shall we try something that looks a little risky?’

‘Dangga’s dagger technique’. I am confident that things will be better than before since the ‘Wolf’s Pact’ was created. I think it would be a good idea to try it out while the Seris sisters are away.

I looked for a quest that didn’t involve goblins or kobolds. Someone approached me. He tried to grab my shoulder, but I swerved to avoid it.

“What is it?”

“…He’s more sensitive than I thought.”

The man who tried to grab his shoulder was a man with brown hair pulled up. Looking at the scars on his face, it seemed like he had suffered some hardships.

“What brings you here to me?”

“The reason why the guild is talking to you is obvious. If you are looking for a worthy request, would you like to work with me? There is one good thing.”

I crossed my arms and looked at the man.

“Work… That’s good, but why did you choose me? I don’t know you.”

“My name is Robert. And the reason I chose you, of course, was to work with a famous human butcher these days.”

Robert said, chuckling. My frown darkened.

“Human butcher? What kind of bullshit is this?”

“Huh? Wasn’t it you who killed all the bandits captured during the bandit suppression?”

“…That’s right.”

“Then I’m right. You are a human butcher.”

Robert laughed and pointed at me. I got a headache. I was worried that something like this would happen. But I never thought it would happen so quickly.

“I heard you killed 20 bandits with a smile? The adventurers I worked with told me. He said it was very creepy. Wow, I get goosebumps coming from the mouth of an adventurer who is no different from a human butcher! I missed a good sight.”

“…Shut up and tell me what you want to do.”

“Oh? It seems you don’t really like the nickname. It’s a cool nickname.”

“Who on earth likes a nickname like that?”

“Most adventurers will like it. Because the nickname is the first impression of the adventurer. Human Butcher… I think I might get a contract from you someday. Haha!”

Robert started laughing maniacally again. In the end, this bastard was making fun of me. It was only when I fiddled with the handle of the dagger that I stopped laughing.

“Keuhum..! It’s a bit awkward to talk about things here, but since I have company, I’ll talk there.”

Robert led me to a table in the corner of the guild. There were already three men sitting at the table.

A man full of freckles, holding a sword and shield.

A boy with short orange hair, with a greatsword strapped to his back.

He is a dark middle-aged man with a bow and a short curved sword.

As I sat down, the attention of three people focused on me. Among them, the orange-haired boy spoke.

“Are you a human butcher?”

The voice was a little arrogant. I asked Robert, pointing to the orange-haired boy.

“What is he?”

“Don’t point fingers! My name is…”

“That friend’s name is Carl, and he just came to Seoul from the countryside. Since I just became an adventurer, they say I’m a rock grade.”

“Oh, is that right?”

He was a guy who didn’t look like anything special. Robert also introduced other people while he was there.

The freckled man’s name was Edgar and he had an iron rank. The swarthy middle-aged man is Duncan. Likewise, it is of iron grade.

Next it was my turn to introduce. I spoke with appropriate politeness.

“My name is Han Yu-seong. It’s iron grade.”

“Okay, nice to meet you.”

Duncan, a swarthy middle-aged man, held out his hand to shake it. I held my hands together and shook them lightly.

“Okay, now that the introduction is over, let’s get to the point. What on earth does it mean to be okay?”

Duncan said.

“You guys don’t know either?”

“Because we were taken in like you.”

Edgar, the freckled man, shrugged his shoulders.

“I was planning to say it anyway. Come on, everyone gather here. Because it’s difficult if other people see it.”

Robert took the map out of his pocket and spread it out in the center of the table. There was a place marked with an

“This?”

I asked out of courtesy.

“Treasure Map.”

Robert answered as if he had been waiting. Four pairs of eyes focused on him. He put his index finger to his mouth.

“Shh, you know why I told you so late, right? It’ll be a pain if other people find out. From now on, speak quietly.”

The three of us looked at each other and nodded. Robert’s explanation began.

“First of all, it’s a secret how I got this map. If I tell you, I could be in danger.”

“Hmm… If the source is not clear, it becomes difficult to believe…”

Duncan said in a doubtful voice.

“If you don’t want to believe it, don’t believe it. Because there are many people to work with other than you.”

“…Let’s listen first.”

When Robert glared, Duncan backed away. Robert continued.

“After I got this map, I headed straight to the place marked with an X. It took some time, but we arrived safely. I was happy that I was now rich, but there was one problem.”

Robert talked about it.

“Dungeon? Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. Because I went in carelessly and almost got hit by an arrow.”

Edgar and Duncan’s faces frowned slightly. Duncan said.

“So are you saying we should go into the dungeon by ourselves? Are you out of your mind?”

His voice sounded a little angry, as if he thought he wasted time.

Well, a dungeon is full of all kinds of traps and monsters. There is no choice for the five of us.

But Robert answered without hesitation.

“I understand that you are angry. But first, listen to me until the end.”

His gaze was serious. Duncan sat back down, saying he would listen to the end.

“A dungeon is a dungeon, but it is not the dungeon you think. It’s very small. It’s barely big enough for five people. Unlike other dungeons, there won’t be any strong monsters.”

His words made the atmosphere better than before. However, not everyone seemed convinced yet.

“But a dungeon is a dungeon. If you look at it funny, you’ll get seriously hurt.”

“What if your big nose gets hurt?”

“What?”

Robert spoke of Edgar’s words as if they were nothing special.

“When did we do this without getting seriously hurt? Everyone is risking their lives, right? Why are you risking your life to do this? Aren’t you doing this to make a lot of money and retire?”

Carl, sitting next to me, tried to open his mouth. Looking at the shape of his mouth, it looked like he was going to say something like ‘I’m not.’ I hit the guy on the back of the head. Now is not the time to intervene.

“Now is your chance. A chance to save money and save money. But now what? danger? Big nose? What if I get hurt? What if two or three out of five die? Those who remain are rich. the rich. Do you think an opportunity like this will come again next time?”

Edgar and Duncan looked worried at those words. I expected two answers. I’m sure you’ll nod your head. As Robert said, most adventurers’ dream is to make a fortune.

I had my own worries.

‘Dungeon… I think it would be a good place to test the wolf’s oath…’

According to what Robert said, it doesn’t seem like a very small dungeon. It’s a risk worth taking. Unlike his story, if it’s a big dungeon, you can just skip it.

After a short period of time, we all nodded. Robert looked satisfied.

“Okay, then let’s talk about conquering the dungeon.”

* * *

“Two days each?”

“Yes, the request location was further away than I thought. If you do it wrong, it could take longer.”

I talked to Cerise while packing my bags. I hid the fact that the place I was going was a dungeon. It was unlikely that she would know about the dungeon, but if she did, she would be ignorantly worried.

‘I waited all night crying because I was late the other day.’

I remembered the time when I visited an abandoned castle alone. I shook my head.

“Do you have to go?”

“I tried to get out of it too, but it was because they were the people I had gathered. It wasn’t easy to fall out.”

“Then… let’s go together. It’s okay if you say you don’t get your share.”

“Seris…”

I tried to hold Cerise’s hand but stopped. I have been avoiding touching her since what happened in the cave last time. I looked her in the eyes and persuaded her.

“It’s only two days. It’s not like I’m leaving without saying something, what if it goes on like this?”

“But… I’m worried…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll come back safely. When have you seen me lie?”

“…I understand. sorry. I was so annoying…”

“I’m worried about you, but why bother? Rather, I am grateful.”

I stroked Cerise’s head. The moment his hand touched her head, she startedle, but it was already too late. I had no choice but to keep stroking and Seris closed her eyes and felt my touch.

At that time, my door was slightly opened.

“Oppa, unni, you’re not eating..?”

Kara saw me petting Cerys and came inside. He stuck his head out towards me. I also stroked Kara’s head.

“Hehe.”