Episode 97. little snowball (1)
A woman was running at an astonishing speed.
Tak Tak Tak -.
Truly, this is a tremendous speed that makes you doubt whether it is true that humans run.
There was even a person on her back.
From ordinary roads to tree branches and roofs of buildings.
No obstacle could stop her.
Her sprint stopped when she entered a building.
“Everything has arrived.”
At that, Yuri jumped off Greta’s back.
He took off the black sack he wore on his head and shook his head.
“Puha, I thought I was going to die of frustration.”
Yuri, who was tidying her hair, widened her eyes at the sight that came into her field of vision.
“Oh wow… … ?”
Inside the building, which stretches all the way up to the fifth floor.
There were countless doors on each floor, and Black Swordsmen were busy coming and going here and there in the corridors.
‘Is this the Black Sword Corps supply depot?’
While Yuri was busy looking around, she heard Greta’s voice.
“Don’t look away and follow me.”
Greta left those words and climbed the stairs.
Yuri quickly caught up with her, not wanting to miss her.
They stood in front of a door on the third floor, and Greta knocked on the door with a slightly nervous expression.
smart-.
“Section 17 leader Greta Wigan, I’m here for business.”
“Come in.”
When permission was given from the inside, Greta carefully opened the door and entered.
It was the most cautious attitude Yuri had ever seen of her.
In response, Yuri quietly followed her.
interior like that.
The first thing that greeted Yuri was the smell of dried grass.
It was a scent Yuri was familiar with.
‘… Smell of medicinal herbs?’
Hundreds of small drawers located on one wall of the room caught Yuri’s attention.
An unknown symbol was engraved on the palm-sized drawer.
And right in front of the huge chest of drawers.
An old man with a strict look was sitting at a long table.
pure white hair.
Dressed neatly, reminiscent of a bartender.
And even single-eyed glasses.
Greta approached him and handed out a piece of paper.
It was the permission to use the elixir he had received above.
The old gentleman, who took a quick look at this, crumpled up the papers and threw his hand away at Yuri.
“Me?”
Knock-knock-.
Yu-Ri, who stood blankly and blinked at the old man’s attitude of just wagging his fingers without saying anything.
After hesitating for a moment, he approached the old man.
That Greta was someone who cared about behavior, so Yuri was trying to be careful for now.
Jerk-jerk-.
Two people who met like that.
The old gentleman, who raised his single-eyed glasses, glanced through the glass with deep eyes.
In the short, heavy silence, he threw out a word.
“It’s you.”
Yuri’s head tilted at the old man’s tone as if he knew him.
“Do you know me?”
However, the old man did not answer Yuri’s question.
Instead, he raised his hand and began to rub the glass.
condition of muscles and bones.
An elderly gentleman who not only checks his eyes, nose and ears, but also opens his mouth to check the condition of his teeth.
The touch was so fast that it connected like flowing water, and Yuri gave up her body in an instant.
The old man, who had been rubbing the glass for a long time, got up from his seat.
“Wait here.”
He looked at the back of the old man who had left his seat and left, and Yuri muttered as if it were absurd.
“… Who is that old man?”
“This is the old pharmacist. All the elixirs supplied to the Black Sword Corps are born through his hands.”
“Well, whatever that is… Originally, you get a leap, but do you even get a physical examination like this?”
“Uh, that… I’m not sure about that either.”
Greta narrowed her eyes.
According to what he heard, the other captains said that they just took a rough leap and ended it.
She didn’t even know that such a test existed.
While Yuri and Greta expressed their doubts, the old man returned.
widely-.
A bottle of black liquid was casually placed on a long table.
“Take it over there and eat it.”
The old man pointed with his chin to one side of the door to the apothecary.
From nob le mt l dot com
Meanwhile, Yuri slightly frowned as she looked at the bottle on the table.
“Whoa, what color of medicine… You can really eat this, right?”
Did Yuri’s story touch her pride?
The old man’s eyes twitched.
“Are you saying you don’t believe in my medicine?”
“No, it’s not like that, the color is zero… It’s embarrassing.”
A dark black liquid, like ink.
If you didn’t know it well, you would naturally feel rejected.
At this, the old man snorted.
“If that’s your complaint, ask the upperclassmen, because crazy people obsessed with black asked for it to be made in that color. But to be sure, there is nothing wrong with my medicine.”
“… … .”
Yuri looked at the old man’s face without saying a word.
Contrary to the wrinkles, the eyes felt as hot as those of a young person.
It was the look in his eyes that showed the stubbornness of a craftsman who had been dealing with medicine all his life.
In response, Yuri picked up the vial without much worry.
“I’m coming!”
“Oh, yes. I’ll be waiting for you here, eat and come out.”
“yeah.”
Yuri quickly disappeared with an excited face, and the old man finally loosened his stiff face.
On the other hand, Greta seemed to be thinking about something ever since Yuri disappeared.
A moment of silence follows.
“hmm… … .”
In the end, Greta, who could not solve her problems alone, cautiously opened her mouth.
“I… Are you old?”
“why?”
At her call, the old gentleman raised his head slightly.
In response, Greta hesitantly asked.
“About a while ago… I mean.”
“What is the medicine?”
“Well, from what I hear… I know that the color of the medicine supplied to the captain is blue.”
The old gentleman replied cynically to her hesitant voice.
“So what, do you want to ask if I gave you the wrong medicine?”
“that… I wondered if maybe they misunderstood the color and gave it to me by mistake.”
The old gentleman’s eyes grew cold.
“It is an insult to me to say that I made a mistake in choosing my medicine, if nothing else.”
“I’m sorry.”
As Greta hurriedly bowed her head, the old gentleman, who had slightly tempered his anger, sneered and said,
“It is not a mistake.”
“… Then, what about that medicine?”
“Something better.”
“yes?”
“The one supplied to the leader is grade 3, and that was grade 1 earlier.”
“Yes? No, why would you do that?”
The old man replied indifferently to the look in his eyes, as if asking why he would give such a thing to a rider.
“Because I told you to do that.”
“… up?”
“The direct command of the leader has been issued.”
“… … ?”
Greta, who had been in a daze for a long time, unable to understand the old man’s words, exclaimed in fright.
“Did you mean that the captain ordered a better elixir ex officio?”
“Exactly, out of the 1st grade, there was an order to hand out something suitable for the constitution.”
“big… why?”
The old man muttered softly as he looked at Greta, who blinked his eyes.
“I know.”
Saying that, the old man looked at the glassed-in room.
“Well, I guess that guy is getting some love from the higher up.”
“… … ?!”
Greta’s pupils shook.
‘The high one above… … ?’
The direct command of the Black Swordsman.
This was an order that would not be given easily unless it was a very urgent situation.
‘But an ex officio order was given just to change the elixir?’
And if the matter was handled this quickly, it means that there was an intervention from a higher line than the leader.
And if it’s a higher line than the Black Swords Commander… … .
gulp-.
Greta swallowed dryly and looked at the glassed-in room.
* * *
Light brown tea was poured into a pure white cup.
Squeeze-.
Gordon picks up the teacup.
He asked softly at the person who had poured the tea for him.
“What are you curious about?”
“yes?”
At the captain’s question, the adjutant blinked his eyes in bewilderment.
That would be the case, because he simply poured tea and said nothing.
“Looking at your face, there seems to be something you don’t understand.”
“ah… … .”
“Is it because of an order given by your authority not too long ago?”
“… … .”
“Looks right.”
As if doing mind-reading, the captain read his thoughts clearly, and the adjutant looked embarrassed.
Then, as if it had gone well, I took out what I had kept inside.
“Yes, honestly. For a jockey who barely entered this year, the captain gave the leap by his own authority… It is not well understood.”
To the adjutant’s question, Gordon answered with a sip of tea.
Hureuk-.
“You should have seen it too. The report from Greta Wigan.”
“Yes, it was definitely great.”
Two days ago, there was a report about a quest in progress targeting the current 50 machines.
In it, it was written that only one rider, and that was only a rider in the official 1st dan, defeated a black swordsman in the official 6th dan.
Even though it was a fight with restrictions of 10 go, it was true that it was a surprise.
but… .
“Even so, the fact that you gave the elixir while using your direct authority this time… … .”
“Is it out of balance with other jockeys?”
“… It can’t be.”
“Then is it an abuse of power?”
“Oh no, how! I just wondered if you were paying too much attention to one jockey. Issues such as elixir payment were issues that could be handled sufficiently without the captain’s authority.”
“Tsk, I was joking, but I’m serious. It’s like a hard person.”
“sorry. But how dare I think that what you did is an abuse of authority! But do you say so… … .”
“is it?”
“yes!”
“But what to do with this, it’s an abuse of authority.”
“yes… … ?”
“This is not what the sword lord ordered. It’s just what I asked for.”
“Yeah?!”
“why? Do you think I don’t have that much authority?”
“Oh no!”
Cradle’s second-in-command, Gordon Crowden.
An administrative ruler who takes care of the cradle on behalf of a swordsman who has no interest in practical work would not be able to handle just one leap at will.
If that were the case, no one would say anything if he did whatever he wanted, not just a level 1 elixir.
That’s how strong Gordon’s authority was.
However, Gordon had never taken advantage of his power for personal use.
So, the adjutant thought that the work that was carried out under the authority of the leader this time must have been due to the words of the sword master… … .
‘The captain used his authority for a personal matter?’
The adjutant froze in surprise at a situation he had never experienced since working for Gordon.
‘No way… I’m sure you don’t have one?’
If it was the Gordon he knew, he would certainly not do anything without reason.
Since he was an adjutant with such faith, he couldn’t guess Gordon’s intentions, so he was even more confused.
Seeing this, Gordon picked up the teacup again.
“You don’t have to think too hard. just… … .”
Hureuk-.
“Think of it as a gift from a successful senior to a junior he fell in love with after a long time.”
One of the 12 swords produced by Yoram, Gordon Crowden.
He was the first of the cradle.
‘It’s a gift for a junior… You’re not wrong.’
Dalgrak-.
An unknown, strange smile hung on the lips of the great senior who put down the teacup.
* * *
Talk- talk- talk-.
Crossing her arms, Greta tapped her forearm with her extended index finger.
She stared nervously at the glass door.
‘It’s late.’
Yuri, who disappeared to consume the elixir, hadn’t come out for several hours.
It was already past midnight.
In an hour or two, she too has to leave for her mission.
‘I wish I could come out before it’s too late.’
That way, he could take Yuri to the animal forest and prepare himself.
The moment he waited so earnestly for Yuri to come out soon.
Click-Kki-Ik-.
The door, which had been firmly closed after the glass entered, was finally opened.