A Stuffed Cheonma in my Head - Chapter 144



Only Noblemtl

Episode 144. A Picture

After a long time, we all left the hospital room together.

I found out later that the place I was staying was a hospital room located inside the palace.

It felt somehow luxurious. The view outside the window was also nice.

On the way to the festival, walking along such a luxurious royal corridor.

“Wow, it’s a festival! It’s a festival! Devil, I’m excited!”

Linda was very excited and jumping around like a dog going for a long walk.

“Just stay still. Don’t get excited like an idiot.”

Shushuruta, who was giving the nagging, also looked more excited than usual.

“Where would you like to go first? Oh, how about going to eat those chicken skewers first?”

Sir Ashley kept asking me for my opinion, his lips licking.

“I will take care of you two, and Sir Max, you take care of the other two.”

“Okay.”

Lord Walpole and Lord Max were walking a little behind, muttering quietly.

I was going to enjoy the festival, but I thought it would be bad if all the black knights followed me around, so I decided to have only one person follow as a representative, and that person would be Sir Max.

Sir Max was one of the two Black Knights of the Black Prince who, along with Sir Smith, brought victory in the decisive battle.

So, it is no exaggeration to say that he is the second strongest among the Black Knights.

He seems to have fully recovered from the injuries he sustained in the final battle and is in good condition.

I called Sir Max.

“Sir Max.”

“Did you call?”

Sir Max looked at me.

“Don’t focus too much on your mission, think of it as a short break and enjoy the day. Isn’t it a festival? You should enjoy a festival.”

Sir Max chuckled.

“I understand. But I cannot neglect my duty.”

“You can rest easy, since these people are not in need of your protection in the first place.”

“I will take note of it.”

I smiled faintly and looked at the road ahead.

There were two guys walking ahead, bickering.

At first glance, it seems like Sir Max is in charge of those two, so escorting them won’t be a problem.

As I was walking, an unexpected person was waiting at the entrance to the palace.

“Oh my, what a coincidence?”

Lord Ruthie, dressed in casual clothes, was looking this way with wide eyes.

Sir Ashley’s face suddenly hardened as he excitedly expressed his opinion, asking if baked potatoes would be better after chicken skewers.

“Are you going to the festival right now? I was just about to go. What a coincidence.”

And the way he smiles with his eyes is just like a fox.

“This is fate, would you like to go together?”

Sir Ashley, his expression hardened, walked over with brisk strides and spoke in a cold tone.

“Lord Ruthie. What are you doing here?”

Ruthie responded with a calm face.

“Didn’t I just tell you? I was going out to enjoy the festival when by chance… … .”

“What’s a coincidence? You don’t even care about festivals.”

“Oh my, what are you talking about? Who loves festivals as much as I do?”

“… … .”

Sir Ashley glared at Sir Ruthie with fierce eyes, and Ruthie simply smiled brightly and did not look away.

Phagejik-

It seems like sparks are flying between the two.

Ruthie walked past Ashley and came towards me.

“It’s fate that we met like this. Won’t you go out with me? Everything is twice as fun when we do it together.”

From behind, Ashley could be seen shaking her head at incredible speed.

I answered with a similar kind of smile to the one Luthier gave.

“If this is fate, then I have to accept it. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes.”

Ashley looked at me as if she had been betrayed, but I pretended not to see her.

Lutie looked around at us and said:

“By the way. Were you planning on leaving like this?”

“What’s the problem?”

Ruthie folded the fan he was holding and shook it from side to side as he spoke.

“Ugh! No, no! Lord Ashvan doesn’t seem to be fully aware of the gravity of the situation. If we continue like this, we’ll be isolated by the crowds before we can even enjoy the festival.”

“then?”

“I have to disguise myself.”

Before Ruthie could say anything, she grabbed Ashley’s wrist and dragged her away.

“Okay, I knew this would happen and prepared it, so follow me.”

“Hey, let go of this!”

I chuckled and followed him.

* * *

A while later, we were walking down a crowded street, each of us simply disguised.

Each hand holds a chicken skewer.

Unlike last time, the crazy nobles who had been pulling carriages around crowded places and harassing people were nowhere to be seen.

It seemed like everything was taken care of by the Black Prince.

It made me feel good to see people walking down the street, chatting and laughing without a care in the world.

“Wow! What is that?”

“Where are you going! Didn’t I tell you not to wander around recklessly?”

Linda is going crazy and Shushuruta goes to stop her.

And Sir Max follows behind them, panting.

It seemed as though Sir Max would not be given any time to rest.

“Yum yum yum.”

“Ashley, you like this kind of thing? Should I buy you another one?”

“… … Don’t talk to me.”

Sir Ashley is eating her third skewer of chicken, and Sir Ruthie is following her, holding a skewer of chicken and trying hard to talk to her.

And then there’s Lord Walpole, who’s leisurely strolling down the street, whistling behind him.

Come to think of it, it was Luthier of the Quick Sword and Ashley of the Golden Flash.

They were not people who needed separate protection.

From the beginning, it seemed that Walpole had followed along for the purpose of guidance rather than protection.

“… … .”

I stopped for a moment and took in the sight.

A lively street bustling with people.

Guys walking along the street, enjoying it in their own way.

It looked like a painting.

This picture would be complete if only I could get out of here.

Suddenly Walpole looked back.

“Your Majesty Ashvan. Aren’t you going?”

I smiled and waved my hand.

“Don’t worry about it. I just want to take my time and look around.”

“All right.”

I walked around with my hat pulled down low, looking around here and there… and then I stopped and watched them walk away.

Things were going just fine without me.

He chuckled and turned around to walk away.

After walking down such an unfamiliar street… I entered a relatively deserted street.

Perhaps because the excitement of the festival hadn’t yet reached them, there weren’t many people.

I went into the building that had a sign that said “Mercenary Guild.”

It’s good that you found out in advance.

Squeak… … .

As I opened the door and went in, the interior was completely empty, as if everyone had gone out to play.

As it was a branch located in the capital, the building was large and looked even more empty.

Since ancient times, mercenaries were the kind of guys who would play when others worked and play when others played, and only when they really had no time to spare would they hurriedly accept requests, so there was nothing particularly strange about that.

As I walked past the empty tables and approached the reception desk, a man who had been nodding off stared at me with bleary eyes.

It seemed like he had been drinking heavily the day before, because the smell of alcohol was strong when I got closer.

Likewise, the reception desk was completely empty except for this man.

“Ah… Are you a guest?”

“That’s what it is.”

The man yawned loudly, scratched his disheveled hair, and said nonchalantly.

“What brings you here? If you came to make a request, as you can see, there is no one to entrust it to. If you came to receive a request, there are no suitable requests, so it would be better to just come next time… … .”

So in short, it meant to tell me to stop bothering you and get lost.

But that’s none of my business.

I took the mercenary badge I had received from Akhenaten out of my bosom and slammed it down on the reception desk.

“Oh my.”

The startled man looked at me with wide eyes.

I said with a grin.

“Have you woken up a bit?”

“……little.”

“I didn’t come here because of a request.”

“Why did you come?”

“I’m planning to go abroad soon. What is it? I heard there’s a way to get a mercenary card from that country in advance.”

“what?”

It seems I’m not good at explaining things.

He scratched his head and gave a vague explanation.

“So… how can I get a mercenary card without a separate test when I go abroad? Isn’t that right? Did I get it issued here in advance?”

“Ah, that… … .”

The man sighed deeply, as if he finally understood.

“Where are you planning to go?”

“I don’t know about that either.”

“You don’t know?”

“Undecided. How can a mere human, tossed about by the storms of life, see through the future that is completely invisible?”

“What is this… … .”

The man looked at me like I was crazy.

“So, I don’t know which country I’ll be going to, but I want to get that country’s mercenary card issued right away, is that what you’re saying?”

I pointed at the man and confirmed it.

“That’s it. Now I can finally understand.”

“What a crazy guy… … .”

The man let out a deep sigh.

“Can’t we just decide which country to go to right now? Otherwise, it’s going to be a huge hassle.”

“Unfortunately, that can’t be done.”

“Do you really have to do it now?”

“I have to do this now.”

“… … Please wait a moment.”

The man looked at the silver-grade mercenary badge I handed him, then frowned and prepared some documents in a hurry and handed them to me.

“Here, here. And here. Write.”

“Good. The most exciting part of a trip is always right before you leave. Can you hear my pounding heart?”

“… … You’ve seen all sorts of crazy people. Keep quiet and fill out the paperwork. I have a lot of work to do.”

“check.”

The man grumbled and took out various documents and waved them around, and I sat on my chair and silently filled out the documents.

Cheonma asked.

[Why are you doing this? You said you were going to return to Maia right away. Don’t you already have the mercenary card?]

“Yes.”

[But?]

“You never know.”

The man at the reception desk, who was busy doing his work, looked at me.

“What?”

“Not you.”

“… … .”

The man stamped his seal and scribbled on the paper, grumbling that a madman had come.

I liked the idea of ​​grumbling while still getting things done.

He was a man who reminded me of Boris.

A guy who does everything meticulously, even though he’s noisy.

Mercenary Guild staff all look the same no matter where you go.

Back to the question.

Of course, if I were to return to Maia just as Cheonma said, then what I was doing now would be completely useless.

But life is something you never know what will happen.

This incident made me realize this clearly.

How could I have known that one day I would fall off a cliff and go on an unexpected journey?

Also, I heard from my older sister… teleportation magic is extremely complex and difficult, and requires a high degree of precision and accuracy.

I’ve heard that all magic that involves space and time is like that.

Therefore, no matter how elaborate the magic circle is, its success rate is not necessarily 100%.

Of course, magical technology has advanced to the point where the possibility of being caught in another world or in a strange place and going to the underworld can be adjusted to converge to 0, but… … .

Minor positional errors are quite possible, although not very likely.

So, I think it’s good in many ways to prepare in advance because there’s a possibility that I might end up in another country instead of Maya.

A man who stumbles over the same stone twice. That’s not me.

A man who reflects on his past mistakes and errors, finds ways to improve from them, and develops himself day by day. That’s me.

“Do you understand?”

“… … Have you finished writing it all?”

“here.”

“Please wait a moment. This procedure is complicated.”

I finished filling out all the paperwork, then folded my arms and watched the man do his work.

Slowly. Slowly.

As I watched quietly, I felt like I could help.

I lowered my voice and took off my hat.

“hey.”

The man looked at me, grumbling.

“What now? I told you to be quiet and wait. This isn’t something that can be done by rushing… .”

The man stopped talking and looked at me with his eyes wide open.

I said with a grin.

“Do you recognize me?”

The man stuttered terribly.

“Me, the devil in that over there?”

I pointed at him with my finger.

“Correct answer.”

“Eek!”

The man raised both hands in terror as if it were a sharp dagger.

“I’m not very patient, you know. Could you hurry up a bit? Oh dear. I almost pulled out my sword without realizing it.”

“Joe, just wait a moment. It’ll be done soon. Soon.”

“Please hurry. I’m not used to waiting.”

As I was waiting around, bored, I took out the sword I had been temporarily holding and examined the blade, and the man moved his hand at a completely different speed than before.

The paper was fluttering and flying, and the hand holding the quill was sliding over it. It was a dancing scene.

When I think about it, it’s strange. When I watch great swordsmen swing their swords, it’s like dancing, and the same goes for paperwork.

Eventually, everything becomes familiar and, when it reaches its peak, it becomes similar. If you think about it that way, then all paths eventually lead to one.

What is that one and where is it ultimately headed?

Where we came from and where we are going.

I haven’t reached the extreme yet, so the question and answer felt far away.

When we reach the end, will we be able to realize the value of life that Tina was talking about?

As I was lost in thought, stroking the sword like that… … time passed quickly.

After a while, the man with a pale complexion handed me a piece of paper.

“Here you go.”

“hmm.”

I received the paper and looked at it.

The four corners were engraved with an antique pattern like a picture frame, and at the very top was written in large letters, ‘Mercenary Rank Certificate – Silver Rank.’

Even though I’ve been a mercenary for a long time, this is the first time I’ve seen such a document. Is there such a thing?

Below that, small letters were lined up like grains of rice, and to finish it off, there was even a stamp with an intricate pattern.

“Is this all I need to submit?”

“Yes, yes. If you submit this to any guild in any foreign country, you will immediately be issued a mercenary badge that can be used in that country.”

“Oh, how convenient.”

“But please keep in mind that if you are a country that has not joined the union, you may not receive it.”

“What? Then you did it for nothing?”

The man explained, sweating profusely.

“You don’t have to worry about that. The only countries like that are the ones adjacent to the Demon Realm to the west.”

“Aha. Why don’t they join the mercenary association that provides such convenient services?”

“Haha… I can do that too… … .”

I rolled up the certificate and put it in my bosom and asked.

“So. How much is it?”

“It’s 10 silver…”

“10 silver? Is it usually this expensive?”

“Yes. As you can see, the process for making it is very complicated. Normally, you have to wait about a week to receive it.”

“It seemed like it would happen quickly.”

“Haha… If someone pointed a knife at me, wouldn’t I do it quickly?”

“… … .”

“ha ha ha…….”

The man kept checking my expression, sweating profusely.

I stared blankly at him and rummaged through my pockets. I think I now know why I didn’t know about it before.

“Let’s see… one, two, three, four… … . Hmm? We’re three silver coins short.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Can I get a discount?”

“That’s… difficult.”

“this…….”

I scratched my head and shouted behind me.

“Hey, just give me 3 silver.”

Then something shiny flew in in an instant.

I grabbed it and held it out to the man.

“Okay, 10 silver. Okay?”

The man nodded, looking back and forth between where the coin suddenly flew and me with a bewildered expression.

“Oh, yes. I received 10 silver. Do you have any other business?”

“No. It looks like the table is empty. Would it be okay if we sat down and chatted for a bit?”

“Of course. Feel free to use it.”

“Thanks. This is a tip.”

“… … Thank you.”

I handed him three more coppers and turned around.

In the spacious first floor space that had been empty until just a moment ago, someone was sitting there waiting for me.

I pulled out a chair and sat down, looking across from him.

“I think you have something to say.”

Cat-like eyes.

The black and white, distinct eyes fixed on it looked at me.