episode_0053

‘pontiff?’

It is not known what rank the priest holds among the Sisters of Agnes. However, even if you just listen to it, you can tell that it is a fairly high status. Thanks to this, cold sweat soaked my back, but I worked hard to control my facial expressions.

“I see.”

“Yes! I’m out of my mind. No matter how you touch the priest…”

Orr clicked his tongue, saying they were idiots. I kept feeling thirsty, so I drank coffee. Well, bitter.

“Anyway, that’s the way it is. Would you like to accept this request?”

I didn’t answer right away, but thought about it.

‘How did they find the body?’

The old man’s body was thrown deep into the sewer, and Agnes’ sisters do not know his whereabouts. You said earlier that you had been stealing information from gangsters for two weeks, so they say you found it in two weeks…

‘It’s impossible with normal methods. Then, it means that you found it through a dot.’

But when that happens, another question arises.

‘Wasn’t the dot blocked by the status window?’

I naturally believed that the status window would have taken care of it. However, seeing that Agnes’ sisters found the old man’s body, it is clear that fortune telling was used.

I crossed my arms and rolled my head, then quickly shook my head.

This is the status window where he defeated Werther, the wolf king, and even killed an old man called a priest. Even considering cancer, there was no reason why moles could not be prevented.

Then there are two things that come to mind.

Either the point was twisted, or there was no need to stop it.

In the former case, the point would have been literally twisted. What Sang Tae-chang did was changed into what the slums did.

The latter case is when the point is not omnipotent. If you think about it, it’s strange that even a little bit of fortune-telling can help you find the person who killed you.

Anyway, the important thing is that Agnes’ sisters misunderstand the reason why the old man died.

‘If you had known properly, you would have come to my house instead of making this request.’

To put down the knife.

After thinking about it, I asked Or.

“How much is the request fee?”

“We will pay you a base fee of 1 silver plus 10 coppers per neck separately.”

“Do you give that much? It’s similar to the time of the Raynald family.”

“The situation is different from back then. I told you, right? Agnes’ sisters are gnashing their teeth.”

“…”

“How about it? Would you like to receive it?”

“It must be difficult to hear the detailed contents of the request, right?”

“Yes. I guess this is like a secret operation that happens all at once.”

“Do I have to do it alone?”

“No, you can also join us. Taking that into consideration, I brought up the story to Yoosung.”

“I understand. Then let’s take it.”

Orr smiled brightly.

“Choose wisely. Then, let’s start talking about the request.”

Orr began to explain the request.

“Yuseong will probably be placed in the sewer along with the others.”

“In the sewer?”

“Yes. It’s to catch those who run away.”

“What if I run away to a place other than the sewer?”

“We will surround every place you can escape to, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

“I see… But if you make too much noise, won’t the guards come to stop you?

Orr leaned back in his chair and made a slightly arrogant look.

“Is everything already discussed with you?”

“Oh, I see…”

Are you saying you had a conversation with the guard captain or his superiors? It seems that grinding one’s teeth is not something that just came out.

The explanation continued after that. It mainly focused on the group I would be assigned to, the location of the sewers, and the criminal organization in Kalita.

After she finished her explanation, she handed me a wooden plaque to signify carrying out the request.

“Then, I’ll see you at the guild early the next morning. You can’t be late!”

“Okay, I’ll see you then.”

I packed the wooden plaque in my arms and left the guild. Before returning home, I had one thing to worry about.

‘Take care of the relics? Roll it up?’

One thing is certain: Agnes’ sisters did not notice us. In that case, wouldn’t it be okay to take the relics now?

‘No, it’s not too late to take care of it later after Agnes’ sisters leave.’

I headed home.

* * *

Boiling water.

Potatoes and cabbage were added there. Kara and I looked at the pot with anxious eyes. Seris pouted her mouth.

“Why are you both looking at me like that? I am no longer the same person I used to be!”

“Yes. I know.”

“That’s right, you’re not the old sister.”

“And why are your eyes the same?!”

“Uh-huh, keep doing what you’re doing quickly.”

As I waved my hand, Cerise gave me a quick look and started putting the ingredients into the pot again. Looking at that, Kara whispered softly to me.

“Oppa, is this really something you’re good at..?”

“There’s nothing you can do. He says he will definitely do it today. I’m anxious too.”

“It’s been a while since my sister made the soup…”

Kara’s expression became subtle. She poked my waist.

“Oppa, if I fail, you will eat everything, right?”

“What? Where is that? Let’s eat together.”

“I’m a patient.”

Kara pointed to her ankle with her eyes. The bandage I put on two days ago hasn’t come off yet.

“What does that have to do with this?”

“It’s very relevant! My brother told me that the patient needs to rest.”

“Eating well and resting well is the key to stability. Eat until you’re full today.”

“Where is that… Uh, sister..?”

Kara’s complexion turned pale. I stiffened and slowly turned my head. Seris was randomly throwing ingredients into the pot.

“Seris, what are you doing now?!”

I approached Seris with a cold face. Either way, Cerise’s hand didn’t stop. I grabbed her wrist in a hurry, but she used her strength to release it.

“Haha, I guess you don’t want to eat my food that much? Then, let’s just make some mixed porridge and eat it. I think this will taste better. why? Surely you don’t like this too?”

“Uh, calm down, sister. I was wrong!”

Kara limped over and grabbed Seris’ arm. Cerise turned her head towards Kara.

“Oh, Kara, you didn’t do anything wrong. It was wrong for me to be stubborn when I didn’t deserve it. Are you sorry about your sister?”

“Hiik…”

Kara, who saw Cerise’s face, thought and took a step back.

What kind of expression did he have…

“Seris?”

“Yes, Yoosung?”

Cerys smiled and turned to me. It wasn’t enough to make her take a step back like Kara, but her smile was colder than usual.

‘You look angry…’

It was rare for Cerise to get angry, so I was a little nervous. I gathered the words in my head and spit them out.

“Wouldn’t it be difficult to cook alone?

“No, I usually cook alone. Besides, it’s a mixed porridge, so what’s difficult about it?”

His voice was as cold as his expression. Although I was embarrassed, I continued speaking calmly.

“You’re very tired these days because you’ve been doing requests one after another. It will be difficult alone. So let’s join me.”

Cerise widened her eyes.

“…Yes? Together?”

“Yes. It’s easier to do everything together, right?”

“Together…”

The corners of her mouth rose as she muttered softly. The cold voice and expression have long since disappeared.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Before that, can you give me a ladle for a moment?”

I received a ladle from Seris. I took out the ingredients that went into the pot one by one.

“…Seris. Isn’t this a bit too much?”

What I rescued was a raw tomato with a stem attached.

“Yes…”

Seris looked embarrassed.

* * *

After dinner, Seris, Yoosung, and Kara had a conversation. This time with a cup of warm tea was one of the happiest times for Seris.

“Are you starting early tomorrow morning?”

“Yes. It’s difficult because it’s so dark at night. They say they attack me in the morning when I’m not fully awake.”

“I see.”

“How about getting the equipment cleaned yesterday? There’s no problem, right?”

“Yes, it was as clean as new.”

“Because Uncle Marlton is good at one thing.”

As the chat continued, Kara, who had been dozing off, fell down on the desk. Yooseong helped her up.

“Kara, talk when you’re sleepy.”

“Umm…”

“You seem very sleepy. Seris, shall we go to sleep soon?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Yoosung laid Kara on the bed. He turned to Cerise and said.

“Do you want to sleep in bed today? I’ll sleep outside.”

“No, I’m already comfortable on the floor.”

“Really? okay. Then sleep well, Seris.”

“Yuseong too.”

Cerise came out of the room and closed the door. I looked at the door for a moment and thought.

‘I’m not going to have sex today…’

That was a little disappointing. After masturbating while listening to the sounds of two people having sex for a whole month, I got used to it. Now, rather than feeling heartbroken, my sexual desire has risen.

Is this resignation?

Seris smiled bitterly and took out a book. I opened the page from last night and started studying. But soon after, I closed the book again.

‘So when will…’

Even with the books my grandmother gave me, studying writing wasn’t easy. No matter how much I do, it feels like something new is always happening. Cerys sighed at the despair.

She looked at the cover of the book blankly and thought deeply. Then I finally took out the letter from the drawer. It was a letter sent out after a month. This is because when I started studying writing, I promised myself that I would take out the letters when I could read them.

I tried to keep that promise as much as possible, but I was distraught about what would happen tomorrow.

‘Something that requires killing someone…’

The request is to kill gangsters in the slums. Even though she is a criminal, she kills people and it is her first murder.

‘I expected something like this to happen someday, but…’

As I got closer, I felt uneasy.

‘Kara said she did a good job. ‘I have to do it too.’

As adventurers, I had to do that if I wanted to continue to be with the two of them. That was the reason I took out the letter. To make up my mind.

I opened the letter. There were a lot of letters I didn’t know, but the number of letters I knew also increased considerably. Seris felt happy.

‘What kind of letters is this?’

I found the unknown letters in the letter in the book. When I pointed with my finger and asked for information, the pronunciation of the letters resonated in my head.

‘Ah, this is the pronunciation.’

She nodded, having learned something new. Then his eyes widened as if he realized something.

‘uh..?’

Cerise found an unfamiliar letter in the letter and pointed to the book. The pronunciation of the letters comes into my head.

‘What have I done so far…?’

All I had to do was learn letters I didn’t know from the beginning through books. I wasted a month just to study writing. She slumped down in her chair as she felt a sense of desperation.

Seris stared blankly at the ceiling and then stood up vigorously.

‘No matter what, it’s not a pointless act.’

There is nothing bad about learning to write. On the contrary, there were many good things I learned.

Even when I lived in the village, I was in trouble because the adults couldn’t read the official documents brought by the officials.

Also, if you know how to read, can’t you use the library? It may be difficult right now because I don’t have citizenship, but I don’t know what it will be like later.

That’s how she rationalized her foolish behavior. He picked up the letter and marked an unfamiliar letter. I looked at the letter and the book alternately.

‘…There are more letters I don’t know than I thought.’

As the content of the letter was not short, there were many letters I did not know. There were quite a few letters I knew, though.

Nevertheless, Seris smiled brightly.

‘It’s okay, where can I read it?’

She began interpreting the unknown letters by transferring them to the book.

“Respected…Singla…Baron…?”

Something was strange from the beginning. Seris, her name should appear here, right? Seris continued reading the letter.

The more the fingers moved, the more Seris’ face hardened. Still, she didn’t stop. The fingers stopped only when they reached the end of the letter.

“…”

Cerise began reading the letter again from the beginning. Hoping that maybe he read it wrong.

I read it all. It was the same.

I read it again. as it is.

again. as it is

again. as it is.

again…

…

Time passes.

The candle wax continued to fall.

…

Kkokkiyek!!!

A healthy rooster heralds the morning. Bright sunlight came through the window and illuminated the house. Cerise was still reading the letter and more than half of the candle had melted. Her fingers stopped at the end of the letter. Pop. I fell helplessly.

“Ha, haha…”

Cerise laughed.

There was no life to be found in the sunken eyes.