Episode 76
âAri.â
Ari was waiting at the promised place with Dylan. It was to give me the luggage that I had left in advance. Ari snorted as she handed over a suitcase that anyone could see was suspicious.
âEonniâ¦â
âWhy are you crying?â
âIâm not crying. Itâs just tears.â
â¦â¦whatâs the difference? Looking to the side, Dylan had a similar look with me.
Ari hurriedly rubbed the tip of her nose with her sleeve.
âNo, I said the wrong thing. I just had a runny nose.â
âYes, yes.â
âEonni.â
âHuh?â
Ari stared at me.
She said she had a runny nose but her brown eyes were wet.
âThis is for the best, isnât it?â
ââ¦â¦.â
âThereâs no other option, right? So, for example, if we work together to defeat a villain, itâs hard to do that, right?â
âItâs not that difficult.â
I just didnât really want to commit suicide with Ari in that way. Moreover, even if I succeed with luck, it wouldnât be best for me.
I reached out and stroked Ariâs head. I donât know what Ariâs real hair would be like, but Agritaâs hair was soft anyway.
âTake care.â
ââ¦.â
âHere or elsewhere.â
Dylanâs presence saved my breath. Ari eventually pushed the grubby tears out of her eyes.
âEonni tooâ¦â
Ari whispered, sniffing.
âYou have to be well.â
Dylan skillfully pulled out her handkerchief, leaving the dripping tears untouched.
I smiled bitterly and caught the sight in my eyes.
âWhy are there so many tears?â
âBecause itâs sad. Arenât you sad?â
âI think Iâm a little less sad because youâre so sad.â
ââ¦â¦write me a letter Once you get anywhere safely, you know? Thereâs a code that only we know. No one will ever recognize you.â
Does she mean Hangul? I nodded my head.
âPromise me. Youâll send me a letter. Just see if you donât write oneâ¦â¦â
âOkay.â
Ari, who had heard the answer, continued to rummage.
I widened my eyes the next moment.
âTake this.â
âThis isâ¦ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âYou told me to burn it, but I didnât burn it and I just kept it. Just in case, I thought.â
The Enchanted cloth, Ari carried a light blue cloth that was familiar to me. I took it by surprise.
âThatâs a treasure anyway. If you take it, it might be useful in times of crisis. And alsoâ¦â
Ari then handed me a small pocket.
And as soon as I got it, I could see what was inside without having to open it.
âAri!â
âI didnât give you everything. To be honest, I donât know whatâs going to happen in the future. Itâs just that itâs just⦠Because eonni blew out a few you had for me in the past. Iâve only transferred that.â
The feel of the hard bead was clearly felt through the palm of my hand. I was embarrassed.
âYou donât have to. You donât have to.â
âIâm giving it to you because I want to.â
âBut this isâ¦â¦.â
âI donât know. I already gave it to you. If you donât pick it up, Iâll break it with the pocket here, so take care of it.â
I blinked my eyes.
Ari, who spoke with threatening remarks, was still in tears.
ââ¦â¦thanks.â
âThis is nothing.â
I finally hugged Ari.
I said I wouldnât say goodbye and hug because it seemed like a final goodbye, but now itâs really the last time.
Dylan and I said goodbye by simply shaking hands.
Dylan didnât seem to know everything, but she didnât ask me anything.
Soon after, I left the two behind.
When I loaded myself back into the carriage, my head suddenly felt numb.
âWhere am I going now?â
First of all, I should go to a nearby inn and change my outfit. The maidâs uniform was helpful when I left the mansion, but it was a striking outfit to get around the streets.
I change into normal clothes in my luggage bag, and I wear a wig.
âAnd then?â
I tried hard to roll my dazed head.
When I first planned to run away, I tried to go south. I was going to go and get on the boat. Thatâs why I searched for a ship.
âBut since Ash has gone to the south.â
Itâs too dangerous to go down south as originally planned, hoping not to bump into each other.
âWest, or North.â
The east was a long way to the border.
When I looked at the map, the capital was tilted west rather than the centre.
ââ¦â¦letâs go west.â
Simply put, it may seem better to go north in the opposite direction from Ash, but if I went to the north, I have to pass through the forest in the middle.
It was quite a vast forest, not as much as it was in the south, but it was a bit cautious to guarantee safety in the process of crossing.
I decided to head to the west, where private houses continued to the border.
âHaah.â
I felt like I used all my heart in the process of deciding which way to go.
I changed my clothes and wore the wig at the inn that arrived a little later.
The maidâs uniform, which I was wearing, was secretly disposed of by the inn employee after giving her money.
Then, before leaving the inn, I suddenly looked in the mirror.
A shaggy brown hair with a slight covering of the neck, plain menâs casual attire that is not noticeable.
I didnât cover his face, but I looked like a different person at first glance.
I made eye contact with a stranger me in the mirror.
ââ¦.â
It suddenly hit me.
That Iâm running away.
I have abandoned everything that has been going on in my life and I am running away without anything.
ââ¦Ah.â
I let go of the doorknob in the inn I was holding.
I couldnât walk among people who were crying for getting attention to advertise or something like that. I couldnât.
I stayed there long before I could get out of the room.
***
Knight Ilada Xst, who was formally admitted two years ago, had one long-cherished wish.
âWait, you Axis of Evil.â
Itâs to give cold-blooded retribution to an evil monster that afflicts human life. Of course, itâs too much to do alone. Monsters are scary anyway.
He already knew that it would be difficult for him to do so in his own power.
âSo he volunteered for this subjugation.â
In fact, it was quite a conflict at first. It could have been dangerous.
Ilada wanted to draw the sword of justice towards the monster, but at the same time, he wanted to be safe.
To be honest, it was really his wish that he would use his last time to draw his sword for the monsters who killed almost everyone else.
âI didnât trust the Count a little bit in that respect. Heâs a man of record, but no skill, and more than that heâs old, and Iâm not sure if heâll be able to take the lead in sweeping the monstersâ¦â¦.â
For that reason, even though the long-awaited opportunity for the monster conquest was just around the corner, he could hardly make up his mind and continued to be torn to the brink.
It was then that he heard the news that the leader of the subjugative force was changing.
Something really happened to Count Ilada. He lay down on his bed because of chronic disease.
So the new leaderâ¦â¦.
Ilada led the pack from the lead, glancing at the moving black horse and its rider.
âThe Duke of Widgreen.â
There was a smile on Iladaâs lips.
âThis was a complete relief.â
As soon as Ilada heard that the person in charge had been changed to a duke, he submitted an application to the subjugative force without any worries.
He bet there were quite a few people like himself.
He said, âThatâs the Duke of Widgreenâ.
No one in the article doesnât know about the Duke of Widgreen.
Sometimes he was treated like a fool.
But The Duke of Widgreen was a monster. Those who saw him using the sword in person said that.
That talent was Godâs gift, or it must have been stolen from the devil.
âThe point was that either way he is not human.â
Surely there were too many human beings who felt sorry for putting that skill into the category of human beings. Including Ilada himself.
Anyway, it was a monster subjugative force led by such a duke.
Is there really a safer and sure guarantee than this?
âIâll just have to follow behind and remember to check and shoot the monster to death.â
Sometimes if thereâs some monster whoâs not out of breath, heâll definitely cut it off.
Perfect. This is it. Ilada was already excited before he even reached the South.
Easy, quick and safe wish fulfilment was finally at hand.
âAh, by the way, the Duke family knights must have been part of the subjugative expedition. I was also curious about their skill, but Iâm sorry.â
It was when Ilada Xst had just thought so.
âPurrung!â
ââ¦.â¦!â
The Black Horse stopped moving. Something blocked the front.
The opponent, who appeared to block the horseâs course, was armed with black clothes. Though suspicious at a glance, Ilada did not rush forward.
As soon as the opponent appeared, he bowed his head to Duke Widgreen.
Ilada did not miss a glimpse of the perfect beauty of the Duke of Widgreen.
âIâm sorry, Master. â No, sir. I know Iâm just showing up like this without permission, but itâs too urgent toâ¦â¦.â
âWhat is it?â
The opponent who raised his head delivered a letter to the Duke. The Duke read the letter with a dry touch.
âWhatâs that about?â
Ilada slipped his head out of curiosity. But even when he widened his eyes, he couldnât see the letters on the paper well.
It was the next moment.
ââ¦?!â
âYour Excellency!â
The Duke of Widgreen turned his head. No one could catch him who was suddenly leaving his seat.