146 – Taming the Madman (6)
“Ow… It was cut exactly in half.”
The knights who came out of the investigation saw the corpse of the beast scattered inside the cave and touched it with their feet.
“How is this possible?”
Witchbeasts usually have extremely hard muscles, so even if they insert their swords, they won’t budge as if they’re stuck in a rock.
However, the corpse of the demon that Damian cut was flat as if it had been cut with a guillotine.
A female knight next to me said.
“How do we know? Even Liston, who was at the scene, doesn’t know.”
“What are you talking about? Why doesn’t Liston, who saw it right in front of you?”
“That guy said that. The light flashed once and it was over. He said he couldn’t see anything because he was dazzled.”
“Do you know how to handle sword skills?”
“What else could there be besides black magic?”
“At that age?”
“Or magic.”
“It makes no sense to be black. Magic is more plausible.”
“How did you cut it like this with magic? Have you summoned even a cogwheel?”
“Does such magic exist?”
“No?”
“If you knew how to handle sword skills like this at a younger age….”
It was to the point where I couldn’t figure out how much it would become if it grew further. If the skills he saw in the principality were properly demonstrated right away, the ripple effect would spread not only to the principality but also to neighboring countries.
The famous Knights and Academy will also pay attention to Damian, and most importantly.
“This, the Floral Tournament will be overturned sooner or later.”
***
The camp was now organized and it was time to leave again. I no longer shared the line of movement with the ladies-in-waiting. And now, you can spy on her daily routine while being with the princess.
Before the princess left, she said to the village chief who came to see her off.
“You don’t have to worry about the Witchbeast anymore.”
The village chief was in tears.
“Thank you. Thank you so much for taking care of these humble things.”
“Two of my guards will accompany you and help you move to Rigbed.”
“I will never forget grace.”
The village chief gestured to the village wife behind him. Then, he ordered a long wooden cup to the princess.
The glass was filled with an unknown, thick purple liquid.
Ana I must have been very nervous, so her arms trembled.
Bibi expressed her doubts.
“What is this?”
“It is made with our few remaining crops and medicinal herbs and the essence passed down from generation to generation. It will be of great help in maintaining a clear soul and body.”
That old wooden cup is very familiar to me. It’s something that reminds me of my childhood.
It must have been something that was scraped together and served because of the lack of money, but the contents are a bit repulsive. I don’t know what ingredients were used, and foreign substances floating around don’t look very hygienic.
It seems that they don’t know that they shouldn’t give food to their superiors carelessly because they lived away from the world.
How do you know if there’s poison or something strange in it?
Gerald stepped forward and said.
“The princess does not eat any herbs. Do you think this is the bottom of the market? Get rid of it.”
“No. Are you okay.”
Bibi walked forward and took the wooden cup.
“My lady, I sent a lady-in-waiting to look for stains….”
Before Gerald could say anything, the princess gulped down the unpleasant liquid.
The guards and maids who were watching were frightened.
Even I, who came from the bottom, did a one-shot without hesitation rubbing the rotten food that seemed like I would throw it away.
The village headman and his wife, watching the scene, look innocently happy.
How can Bibi trust people so easily?
Is there no fear of death? Or does she think it’s a life that doesn’t matter even if she dies?
As if the taste was terrible, the princess only wrinkled her eyebrows, but luckily she didn’t collapse or vomit blood.
Gerald’s expression distorted as if her insides were burning, and the maid who came late wiped Vivi’s mouth with her handkerchief restlessly.
The appearance of Bibi without front and back is quite impressive.
Is the work in the dream really a treason? Bibi herself is not so wary of her death, so why should she go through all her troubles to get rid of it?
It was something to think about deeply.
***
The principality’s escorts moved toward Barbisia in earnest.
Now I had to move on my own two legs right next to the princess’ carriage instead of the back row carriage.
The princess didn’t say a word to me. I only received instructions from my aide Gerald and 1st Division Captain Fenrir.
After a tedious journey, in the early evening, we set up camp in a village on the outskirts of Midferns, located at the end of the Barbisia region.
Some travel writers describe Barbisia as a terrible environment full of swamps, aquatic beasts, gas-bearing fog, leeches, mosquitoes, and poisonous snakes, but Barbisia that I encountered in person was completely different from what I had imagined.
There was no fog, let alone sinking mud, and the sun was bright. Butterflies were flying around, and red flowers were in full bloom on the village walls, giving off a fresh scent every time you walked. It was a beautiful place full of the fragrance of spring.
I wondered if it was because I was just starting out, or if I misread the map, so I grabbed an old man who was drying herbs at the entrance of the village and asked.
“I heard that half of the month it rains in Barbisia. It is quite sunny and beautiful for such things.”
“During the dry season, it is the most beautiful land in the world. “
According to the story of the settlers, the dry season maintains a sunny and warm environment as it is now, but during the rainy season, rainwater pours down like bombs and transforms into the hellish place described in the book.
There was still a month or so before the rainy season, that terrible time, arrived.
Heck, if you’re sane, you wouldn’t want to pass through Barbisia in the rainy season.
Settlers also treat outsiders kindly, except that exchanges with the outside world are almost cut off.
The old man smiled and added his words.
“Welcome, very welcome. Precious guests have come ahead of the Holy Spirit Festival, which will pour blessings throughout Barbisia.”
“… Is it a divine sacrifice?”
***
The first thing to do for washing the feet was to fetch water.
Just no water. Ordinary streams are not permitted. Even if it looks clean, it had to be clean and pure water pumped up from the underground because there might be dead wild animal bodies submerged upstream.
I couldn’t understand why they were insisting on difficult conditions when they were just washing their feet. Following this, there was one more extravagant extravagance that took it by surprise.
Gerald puts a silver canteen on the table.
“What is this?”
“First, there is something you need to do. It reduces the questions.”
Rather than nuances trying to pin me down, it felt like passing on know-how.
“At least I should know what I have to deal with.”
“It is holy water that has been airlifted directly from Seongdo. Dilute three drops in a bucket of pure water, and wash your feet with that water.”
“….”
The fact that he even uses holy water to wipe his feet is so terribly extravagant that no nobleman I’ve ever seen can match him.
Even at the time of living in the temple, holy water was so precious that at an important event, all I had to do was eat a piece of bread made with a few drops of holy water.
But it’s strange. If you think about it carefully, if the gongnyeo was the kind of person who was intoxicated with luxury and ostentation, it wasn’t to that extent.
“Does holy water have to be used to wipe the princess’s body?”
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“Your job is to wipe the lady’s feet clean. So there is no reason to know any more.”
There may be compelling reasons to use holy water.
Perhaps the reason for asking fewer questions is because this holy water is also related to the gongnyeo’s misfortune.
For example, it is about genetic diseases passed down from generation to generation.
Unless you have a taste for luxury. It could also have something to do with the curse. I feel like I’m getting closer and closer to Vivi’s secret.
“Thanks for the advice.”
“….”
Gerald turned around and left without saying goodbye, as if his work was done.
***
Someone walked in front of the princess’s tent. Then, along with the sound of the water, Damian’s voice was heard.
“I came to attend the royal family service.”
Bibi closed her eyes for a moment. It was not a very pleasant time.
“Come in.”
Damian walked inside the tent carrying a bucket of water.
Then the baboon set the bucket down in front of her chair where she was sitting.
“As requested, I added three drops of holy water and diluted it.”
“….”
“Please give me your foot.”
When I saw him serving in such a natural way, I got angry out of nowhere.
Why did he suddenly decide to serve the family? Did Silverin know that the student’s desires were strangely twisted?
It was almost maddening to see him showing no sign of hesitating or being cautious about the successor to the duchy.
She grabbed the book she was reading and covered her face.
Damien quietly started washing Bibi’s feet. It was very sincere to wash every nook and cranny of her.
Then he asked cautiously.
“May I ask why you use holy water?”
“Using holy water makes me feel special. There is no other reason.”
“Princess is a blessed person. However, those who are blessed do not need holy water. The only people who need it are the damned.”
“I don’t want to listen to presumptuous sermons.”
“… We’ll wipe off the water. Raise her feet.”
Damien pulled out her towel and waited.
Bibi pretends to be distracted while reading her book and puts her feet up and she deliberately stamps the wet soles of her feet in Damian’s face.
“… ….”
Damian’s eyebrows furrowed slightly in displeasure. The man who seldom expressed his emotions showed a faint expression of displeasure.
After being humiliated, I feel a little lighter now. She pretended not to know anything and asked questions.
“Ah, I have a question for you.”
“I will answer you with all my heart, within the line permitted to me.”
“How did you catch the Witchbeast?”
Damian said, thoroughly drying her feet with her towel.
“My life is in danger, so I just cut it off.”
Damien wiped her dry and massaged her with balm on her.
He is a cunning bastard. As if in revenge, she purposely applied plenty of perfume only to the soles of her feet to make them slippery.
“You really mean that’s all?”
“Yes.”
“It’s a talent to thank God for. How does it feel to receive such a blessing?”
Damien got up from his seat after finishing the final process of washing his feet.
She and she uttered strange words.
“…I hate God.”
“….”
I am speechless.
This caused a gentle ripple inside Vivi.
His voice seemed to ring an alarm in my head.
How many times have you heard in your life that you hate God? The Gainax family served the goddess Acates, and the principality also sealed it as the state religion, and even had the saints as part of the country. Because of that, he had never seen anyone say such disrespectful things in his face.
A word that even Bibi would not dare to say.
But he had no suspense.
It’s just a passing word, but for a very brief moment, this man’s true inner self seemed to be reflected.
“I’ll see you in the morning.”
After Damian finished washing his feet, he took a bucket and walked out of the tent.
Bibi blankly stared at the place where Damian had left.
I was curious about the reason why I hated God. What was the story that made him hate God even though he was born with that extraordinary talent?
On the one hand, he felt a strange affinity for him. Although he didn’t want to admit it.
Bibi also hated God.
There are people who love God for no reason, but no one hates God for no reason. Hatred always had a story.