Episode
31 .
There was no longer business in the north.
Although the possibility of becoming the King of the Beasts was bothering me, I shouldn’t be living in the frozen land.
It was because I couldn’t waste time in preparation for the subhumans who might be integrated at any time.
Iden had to become much stronger than he is now.
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If you take your time, you will regret it later. Even if he moved fiercely every moment, it was not enough.
Therefore, I thought to leave the strange phenomena of the ice cap to the Empire and the Sword Saint for the time being.
Aiden went straight south.
From end to end of the empire, it took four full days.
The destination was the coastal city of Iriyasu, the place recorded in the letter sent to the saintess.
Aiden was slowly driving his horse across a plain of yellowish reeds.
On the left side, a huge river flowed that led to the inner city sea.
Sain, who was riding a horse with Daryl, had his gaze stolen by the beautiful river.
Finally, he spoke carefully.
“I… Holy Knight. Can’t we stick to the riverside for a bit?”
Daryl grinned before Iden could answer.
“Do you want to be dragged by the hair by the mermaid?”
Sae-in also burst out laughing along with Daryl.
“Are you just thinking of making fun of me whenever you have a chance? I was fooled when I was younger, but not anymore.”
“Then, what are you now as an adult? done If you don’t believe me, ask me. Your innocence will collapse.”
“Where is your sympathy? I see blood every day.”
Sain’s thoughtless words turned Daryl’s expression bitter.
The brother and sister’s life was stained with blood. Whether it was red or black, there was rarely a day when I didn’t see something bleed.
That’s why Daryl felt sorry for his younger brother. It’s because I was used to it from death, even before emotions were formed.
When Daryl was silent, Sain felt he had made a mistake.
I patted my brother on the back and changed the subject.
“Paladin-nim, are your words true?”
Aiden nodded.
“From the lower reaches of the Kerel River, mermaids from the sea sometimes appear. It’s dangerous, don’t go near it.”
Sein had a slightly perplexed expression. I knew that a creature called a mermaid existed, but I didn’t know that it was a dangerous species.
“This, mermaids can also eat people…?”
“If you insist, each other eats each other.”
The most famous delicacies in the coastal city of Iriyasu were, without a doubt, mermaid-cooked food.
Mermaid sashimi, mermaid sushi, mermaid rice bowl, grilled mermaid…etc. The recipes were so varied that I couldn’t even list them.
And mermaids ate humans too. They enjoyed the way they doused people and munched them alive and swallowed them.
Sein hardened with a very shocked face. No matter how experienced you are, a child is like a lover. I felt like I could hear the sound of her innocence being destroyed.
Did I say it too directly? I was sorry for nothing.
“Sein, there must be mermaids who are good friends with humans.”
“······yes.”
Aiden cleared his throat and pointed straight ahead.
“Almost there.”
Soon the gates of the coastal city were approaching.
There was a long line of people waiting to be checked, and most of them were adventurers.
Daryl glanced at the grade plaques on their chests and nodded.
“It deserves to be called a sacred place for adventurers. Most of them are more than silver. They are one-stranded guys.”
As Daryl said, countless adventurers flock to Iriyasu.
This city, located at the end of the empire, was the only way to sail across the sea to the unexplored continent.
Aiden passed the procession and approached the gates.
Among those waiting for inspection, no personnel expressed dissatisfaction.
Although the adventurers might have friction with the nobility, they only recognized the privilege of being a paladin.
As much as the guild’s motto is skill supremacy, the greatest value to them was the strength of one’s body.
The Paladin was a certified strongman. Regardless of religious reasons, adventurers only respected strength itself.
“You are working hard!”
Responding to the guard’s greeting, he passed through the gate.
The horizon turned into a horizon. The smell of the sea tickled his nostrils. 200 years of time permeated the building with a salty scent.
It was a well-organized city center with neatly lined white buildings.
“It’s a whole different world. be well.”
It was a place in complete contrast to the barren North.
Sein also opened his eyes wide and looked around.
“Let’s start with eating.”
Coming from the north to this place, the only food they ate was bread as hard as a stone.
I was busy, so I had to fill my stomach.
We were seated at an outdoor restaurant that seemed to have the most customers.
A cool breeze blew and the tent blocked the sunlight, so it was perfect for a short break.
Daryl turned his eyes to the table next to him.
A mermaid’s head was piled up on the plate. It is a face that is a mixture of half human and half fish, so people seeing it for the first time will feel a sense of rejection.
It was the same with Iden, but it didn’t seem to be Daryl.
“Sir, I think that’s the steamed mermaid’s head you’ve only heard about. If you haven’t tried that in Iriyasu and come back, it’s scary.”
It was a deep-steamed dish with mermaid hair and spices in a pot, which was the most popular.
Sein turned white and closed his eyes tightly. Then he sent a desperate look at Iden. please stop my brother
In the first place, Iden had no intention of making him eat a mermaid.
“If you eat it, you will regret it. Mermaids are human.”
It wasn’t just because a mermaid had a human-like appearance.
The people of the empire at this point don’t know, but the mermaid was actually a human. In ten days, everyone will know. Realizing that they were eating their own people might have a big repercussion.
Daryl put on an expression that he didn’t know. However, he had never seen Aiden spit out nonsense.
“Am I better?”
“You’ll find out soon, so don’t regret it later.”
Aiden ordered a plain fish dish to fill his stomach. It was time to taste the food of this world, but it was still not good.
I missed the taste of home.
Iden, who quickly finished his meal, said to Daryl, who was still eating.
“I have something else to do, so find a place to stay first. If you go to the center, there will be the largest inn called ‘Mermaid’s Tears’.”
Daryl hurriedly stuffed the leftovers into his mouth.
“I will tell you not to go with me. I ate them all.”
Sein, who tried to imitate Daryl, was stopped by Iden.
“Eat slowly. I was going to go alone anyway.”
Aiden left only those words and turned around. There was work to be done before the saintess arrived.
*
The place they headed straight for was the adventurer’s guild in the center of the city.
A white building occupying a large site alone. Within the city, it was the second largest building after the lord’s castle of Iriyasu and the southern parish office of the Baranches Church.
Aiden turned the doorknob. A sweet smell of alcohol and chatter greeted Iden.
The first floor, the lobby and bar, was crowded with many people, but unusually, there was no unity at all.
A drunken adventurer in the middle of the day, aristocrats looking at them pathetically, clients exchanging contracts, merchants selling artifacts, priests preaching, and drunkards rioting.
Aiden squeezed through the crowded crowd and headed to the center shelf where the liquor was piled up.
The bartender was surprised when he checked Iden.
“Sir, would a paladin be better?”
Aiden felt that his attention was not normal. It was because he noticed even though he hid the Holy Glove with a black cloak.
The bartender’s voice poured cold water into the noisy interior.
If a paladin visited the adventurer’s guild, there were really few reasons.
Adventurers are a race that will do anything to become strong, so there are some cases of worshiping the devil or engaging in evil spells.
The church discovered such a situation and dispatched a paladin. People didn’t doubt it.
Everyone who was talking kept their mouths shut and moved their eyes to follow the bartender’s gaze. Iden was there.
He frowned and approached the bartender.
“I don’t know if you have good eyesight, but you don’t have a clue.”
I don’t want to stand out, so I put on a cloak. If the bartender wasn’t ignorant, it might have been an action aimed at informing someone of the paladin’s appearance.
I didn’t come to arrest you, so it didn’t matter. However, the situation itself was inconvenient.
“······I’m sorry.”
“done. Rather, I want to meet Jonah.”
Yona was an adventurer in the white gold field, a name and a very talented person.
People groaned.
Could it be that Jonah made a pact with the devil? Have you been operated on by the Demonic Church? If that wasn’t the case, these were words like that.
The bartender also looked at Iden with a very puzzled expression.
“Boo, I’ll call you. Please wait a moment.”
“I will go up. What floor is it on?”
“It will be on the third floor. No, the third floor is correct.”
Aiden ignored the buzzing voices and headed straight for the third floor.
The guild gives individual rooms to adventurers with a gold medal or higher, and this was the case with Yona.
As soon as Aiden went up to the third floor, she opened her door and was waiting.
Looks like you just got the news. A woman with red hair bowed her head.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Jonah.”
“Paladin, this is Iden.”
She guided Aiden with a gesture. I went into the room and sat down at the table.
Jonah handed over the teacup with a relaxed expression and sat down. Iden seemed to express his innocence with his whole body.
She got right to the point.
“If you’ll excuse me, may I ask why you were looking for me?”
Aiden responded immediately.
“I have an order for you. Could you take me to the sea?”
she asked, somewhat puzzled.
“······yes? If you’re talking about sailing, it’s impossible. Because mermaids are in heat, they attack the boat relentlessly, so no one goes out to sea during this time. So, you won’t find any ships heading to unexplored continents. sorry.”
Aiden shook his head.
“I am not going there. It is literally under the sea.”
Jonah stopped the teacup he was bringing to his mouth.
“What is that…?”
“We must go to the deep sea.”
Yona, who was staring at Aiden, smiled shyly.
“sorry. My head is bad, so I can’t understand the paladin’s jokes at all.”
Aiden let out a deep sigh.
I already knew the true nature of Jonah, but the fact that I couldn’t reveal it because of the ban was very uncomfortable.
I had to choose a method that I was not very comfortable with.
“I ask you one last time. Will you take me to the deep sea?”
“hahahaha… I’m sorry. I have no idea.”
Aiden nodded.
“Before we talk about work, let’s have a meal. I heard that if you come to Iriyasu, you must try mermaid cuisine. Do you know of any restaurants?”
Jonah’s expression began to cool.
“Why but? I thought you were enjoying it because you smelled like fish.”