123. Question Trap (1)
“Ugh······. Ugh.”
“Tay.”
“Investor······.”
Tay, who was sleeping as if she had died with her knees bent, stirred and got up.
Tay smiled pleasantly, hugged my thigh, and rubbed her eyes for a moment.
Suddenly, she froze with a gasp.
“Did you sleep well?”
“A dream······ No······?”
Rustle.
Tay got up in an instant and knelt down cautiously.
Her face was pale, as if she was embarrassed.
“Hey! You didn’t talk nonsense while you were sleeping, did you?!”
“You were muttering that you like the investor.”
“R, really?!”
“No. I’m kidding.”
“You’re kidding, right? Really? I didn’t say anything like that?”
“I said you didn’t.”
“Haaah······.”
She must have been very tired, so she must have been talking in her sleep.
But her nose was a little cute.
I decided to refrain from talking about it because I thought she would be embarrassed.
“But how did I fall asleep? I remember hearing that the investor had come and taking the elevator down. After that, well······.”
“You ran out and hugged me, and then you fell asleep after laughing and laughing. So I just let you sleep. You must have been very tired?”
“Yes······. Very. I was so tired. I’ve been working so much lately that I haven’t been able to sleep well······. Now that I think about it, I worked so hard that I feel like I was possessed by something. But how many hours did I sleep?”
“10 hours.”
“Whaaat?!”
Tay was startled and patted her body.
It seemed like she had just noticed that her work apron had been taken off.
I took it off because it looked uncomfortable to sleep in.
An apron should be fine, right······?
‘It’s a good thing her memory is hazy.’
It seemed that she had forgotten everything that she had done unconsciously because of the magic.
She wouldn’t remember that I had knocked her out with a flying kick.
“Um, are you okay? Even though you’ve been here for so long? You’re busy.”
“Your health is the most important thing. It seems like you were pushing yourself too hard, but you seem fine now. Does your stomach feel queasy or do you have a headache?”
“Yes······. Thanks to you, I slept soundly for the first time in a long time. I feel so refreshed······.”
I touched Tay’s head and checked her complexion again.
The redness from before was just because she was embarrassed, and it was not a fever because it was going down.
It seemed that Belphegor’s magic had not done anything to Tay’s body.
“I’m sorry to talk about work as soon as you wake up, but I brought some top-grade magic stones.”
“Oh! No! Please tell me! You came to give me a request. It’s my fault that I fell asleep.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t have any black magic stones this time.”
“Heh. Really? I should be really disappointed, but I’m relieved to hear that you don’t have any. Ugh! I feel like I’m going to go crazy every time I process it! It’s exciting and scary at the same time? Do you understand?”
“I think I understand.”
Her strange obsession with black magic stones had also disappeared.
She wanted to get the opportunity to process black magic stones, but she was also a weak-hearted child who felt burdened when she was given the task.
This is Tay.
This is the Tay I know.
“Whew······!”
“I was worried. I thought you wouldn’t wake up.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Right. That’s impossible······. But I couldn’t leave because I was worried. I’m so glad.”
I hugged Tay tightly.
She had grown quite a bit, but she still hadn’t completely lost her feminine side.
The sense of crisis that something big could happen to this little girl had taken a toll on me.
This time, it was even my fault.
Circumstantially, Belphegor approached Tay when the complete barrier was spread over Basel.At that time, Belphegor came after me to Basel, so I must have a stake in this.
If Tei had been wrong, I would have lost several nights of sleep and been filled with great regret.
“I just fell asleep because I was tired. You’re worrying too much.”
“Is that so…”
“You’re the one who entrusted a top-grade magic stone to a novice apprentice craftsman? Why are you being so easygoing? hehehe. Don’t worry. I’m tougher than I look. In fact, the dwarven race is much tougher than the human race. You may be worrying too much by human standards.”
“I guess so. I overreacted. But thanks to you, I was able to get a good night’s sleep for the first time in a long time. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to sit still and do nothing for 10 hours.”
“Really? Then why don’t you have some food while you’re resting?”
“Good. You cook too?”
“No. My employees are very good at cooking. hehehehe. I’ll order now. It’ll be ready soon.”
Tei smiled sheepishly and picked up the phone.
Yes. Let’s take a break while we’re at it.
I need time to go over Belphegor’s settings and think about his weaknesses.
“Eugene. Do you like delicious food?”
“Of course I do. Who doesn’t?”
“Then I want to learn how to cook.”
Mijung, who had been quiet all this time, suddenly said something stupid.
I want to learn how to cook.
This girl seems to get interested in strange things when she’s left alone.
She can’t even eat the food she cooks herself.
“I’ll teach you from time to time. I can cook a little bit.”
“Yes.”
I thought I saw a faint smile on Mijung’s lips just now.
Is it my imagination?
After finishing our meal, Mijung and I left Tei’s workshop.
I sold the top-grade magic stones and allowed Tei to process and sell them as he wished.
I don’t need any more magic stones anyway.
“All employees, thank you! Investor!!!”
“Oh my god. You scared me. I almost rang the bell.”
On the way out, the employees on the first floor rushed out and blocked my way, bowing their heads in thanks.
From Noble mtl dot com
Apparently, Tei has been working himself too hard lately.
He wouldn’t listen to anyone’s advice, and he was pushing himself too hard when I arrived.
Everyone wondered why someone who refused to sleep would sleep in front of me.
If I told them that I didn’t actually sleep, but fainted, they wouldn’t believe me.
So I didn’t say anything.
After hearing that, I went back up in the elevator and got Tei to sign a letter promising not to work more than 16 hours a day.
This made me feel a little more at ease.
No matter how busy a person is, they need about 8 hours of sleep to recharge.
“Let’s go to Cologne first.”
The direction where Belphegor’s main body is located.
Of the cities lined up to the west, the closest one is the former capital of the Holy Kingdom, Cologne.
That’s why I’m going to stop by Cologne first to see Cornelia’s face (and get an additional check) and then visit Hameln and other cities.
“Please make a sword handle. One that fits this scabbard. But don’t make it too tight, so that it can be pulled out easily.”
“What kind of handle is that? You’re asking me to make something very strange.”
“And if you hear any voices from the sword, please ignore them.”
“Voices? What voices are you talking about?”
“…”
Before leaving, I stopped by a woodworking shop to make a cover for the magic sword.
The carpenter tilted his head and questioned me as I held the magic sword.
As I walked around Basel and asked several people, the reaction was the same.
None of them could hear the magic sword’s voice.
“Mijung. I’m not crazy, am I? I’m not a lunatic who talks to swords, am I?”
“Yes. I can hear it too, Eugene. Sometimes, like Torai. But you’re not crazy.”What is the difference between Mi-jeong, me, and other people?
Is it the difference between being a wizard or not?
It’s hard to say for sure yet.
“It’s done.”
“Thank you.”
I sheathed the magic sword.
If I put the finished cover on the protruding handle, it will look like an ordinary sword handle from the outside.
I made this cover because it would be too conspicuous to just carry the handle around.
But when I fight, I’ll blow the cover away and draw the sword by holding the handle.
And most importantly, if there is a cover, I won’t accidentally touch the handle and hear the voice of the magic sword.
What a penalty sword that I have to hear a sh*tty voice when I fight.
It feels strange, like a demon sword.
‘I have to be nervous. I can’t rule out the possibility that Belpegor will jump out right in Cologne.’
I wonder.
Will there be a battle as soon as I get off the train?
I’ll simulate the situation at that time.
First of all, Belpegor has a characteristic that was not in the original work, jumping.
The description window will be as follows, as I recall:
[Characteristic: Jump]
[Moves to a location 5 meters away from a large target. Cannot move if there is an object at that location.]
It’s like teleportation.
I had a lot of trouble with it at first.
But it’s not that scary when you don’t know it, and it’s not that threatening when you know it.
First of all, the 5-meter limit is too big.
Since it is impossible to attack immediately after teleporting, teleporting to me is like coming in to commit suicide.
Still, I can’t be careless.
Only someone like me can overwhelm Belpegor’s main body, so other people won’t be able to fight him.
So if it’s not a 1-on-1 situation, but a situation with a crowd, I’m at a great disadvantage.
It’s like all those people are hostages.
‘But what is that? It’s the same with any villain.’
It’s a pain in the ass to have civilians taken hostage, no matter who you’re dealing with.
The problem is Mi-jeong.
Mi-jeong will be with me wherever I go.
When dealing with Belpegor, I must keep Mi-jeong right next to me.
The moment the distance widens.
Belpegor will teleport behind Mi-jeong and slit her throat.
‘But why has Cornelia been so quiet lately?’
As I get closer to Cologne, I think of Cornelia.
Come to think of it, she used to send me letters almost every day in the beginning.
At some point, the contact became less frequent.
No. It’s not that it’s less frequent, it’s completely cut off.
“What······?”
I just realized it.
There’s no way Cornelia would have cut off contact for no reason.
Something must have happened to Cornelia.
Oh, sh*t, I just noticed!
“I’m going crazy.”
When was it?
When did the contact stop?
I haven’t received any communication from Linda saying she received a letter from Cornelia since we moved our base to the Clockwork City.
So it’s been about ten days.
Oh my god. Cornelia hasn’t written to me in ten days.
I can feel how big the problem is.
Still, it’s fortunate that I’m heading to Cologne now.
I hope it’s not serious.
Please don’t be too late······.
“We’re almost there. Let’s get off.”
“······Yeah.”
The train passes through a vast wheat field and enters the old city walls.
Then the gloomy cityscape unfolds.
We have arrived in Cologne.
I’ll have to go find Cornelia as soon as I get off.
Isn’t it the Cologne mayoral election season around now?
So should I go to Cologne City Hall or Briam Mansion?
“······Checkpoint.”
But such worries are irrelevant.On the platform waiting for us were armed guards.
What the? Did Cologne recently raise its security level?
I asked the young man sitting next to me.
“Did something happen in Cologne? What’s with the checkpoint?”
“No one knows. For the past few days, they’ve been thoroughly checking everyone entering and leaving the city… They haven’t given us a reason.”
“Huh.”
There’s no reason, huh?
Could there be a murder case under investigation?
But we didn’t do anything wrong, so we decided to respond confidently.
It might take a while because of Miso being a vampire…
It doesn’t matter.
Even in the Clockwork City, vampires who have had their fangs removed are recognized as slaves and legal property.
“Next person. Are you a foreigner?”
“I’m a stateless mercenary.”
“Oh, this is a headache. And your companion?”
“This one is a vampire who has had her fangs removed.”
A combination of a stateless mercenary and a vampire.
Of course, the checkpoint is going to take a long time.
Behind us, people were clicking their tongues and moving to the next line.
“For now, there’s no problem with the vampire.”
The guard looked inside Miso’s mouth and quickly gave the okay sign. Miso passed through surprisingly quickly.
It seems like the Clockwork City was being unusually strict.
I thought I would pass through without any problems.
“But sir… Hmm… You said you have no nationality?”
“Yes.”
“How old are you?”
“I’m 22 this year.”
“Do you happen to have any special swordsmanship skills? If so, what school-“
“Why do you think I use a sword?”
“hahahahaha. Just in case. Just in case. If you don’t use a sword, then we can skip this question…”
The guard looked at my face and a piece of paper alternately, and gave an awkward smile. I had disguised my magic sword as an umbrella.
I said I was a mercenary, not a swordsman, so why are you suddenly asking me about swordsmanship?
Less than 30% of mercenaries are swordsmen.
“Have you ever visited Petersburg?”
“Why do you ask?”
“It’s part of the entry procedure.”
The absurd questions continued after that.
Most of them were useless questions.
But I couldn’t shake the feeling that some of them were like sniper questions.
“Hmm. For now, please follow us.”
“Are you arresting me now?”
“No, no. It’s not an arrest. We just need you to wait for a while. It will be quick. Please follow us.”
The guards suddenly led me underground. Now I’m sure.
The paper that the guard kept looking at and comparing to my face.
It’s definitely a montage.
A montage that looks exactly like me.
And there’s only one person who would draw my montage to find me.
‘I’m screwed.’
I fell into a trap.
***
Thud, thud, thud.
Elvengard Underground Fortress.
Footsteps echoed on the cold floor.
“You said it was a monster that was presumed to have come from another world?”
“Yes. It was highly intelligent. Many elves lost their lives to its traps…”
“My goodness. Why didn’t you request support sooner? Surely not because of pride?”
“I am ashamed. I am glad that we have finally made it public and can receive the help of the Tower of Mages.”
“Of course. The Tower of Mages has the world’s best research capabilities. We will definitely uncover the secrets of the monster that came from another world.”
A monster from another world appeared in Elvengard, and they hunted it down.
They are keeping its body, and if the Tower of Mages is interested, they can conduct research on it.
It has been about a month since this letter was sent.After confirming the authenticity of the letter, the Mage Tower finally decided to send an investigation team.
A dozen or so Mage Tower professors arrived.
The elders greeted them warmly and led them to the underground fortress where the body of the spider monster was being kept in cold storage.
“Is this the place? What a thick door.”
“Yes. This is where top-secret items are kept.”
They passed through the corridor and saw a huge iron door.
It was a door with an alarm and a protective barrier.
If anyone tried to break through, the 2,000 soldiers stationed in the underground fortress would surround them in an instant.
It was a door that could never be opened without destroying Elvengarde.
At least that’s what the elders of Elvengarde thought.
“Sentry! Sentry!”
“Oh, oh. Yes.”
“What are you doing, sleeping on the job!”
“I’m sorry. Ah. Why am I so sleepy······.”
“Open the door.”
“I will, elder.”
At the elder’s urging, the soldier guarding the iron door jumped to his feet in surprise.
He was so thin that his bones were almost visible.
The Mage Tower executives were puzzled by his excessively thin appearance, which was unusual for an elf who always maintained a moderate physique.
But soon, as the huge iron door began to open, their eyes were drawn to what was inside.
“Now. Look. This is the body that we好不容易 recovered after excavating the collapsed dungeon. It looks like a spider and a human combined······ Huh, huh?!”
The elder’s eyes widened as he stepped inside naturally.
The faint chill inside dissipated.
There was nothing at the tip of his finger where he was pointing.
There were traces of something having been there.
But the freezer was definitely empty.
The elders all turned pale.
“Lock down the border! The body of the spider monster has been stolen!!!”
That day, an emergency was declared in Elvengarde.