A Stuffed Cheonma in my Head - Chapter 179



Only Noblemtl

Episode 179. Milestone

Milestone is a free city located east of the Kingdom of Maia.

Although it is not as large a city as Schirnberg, it has everything you need.

There’s a wall blocking the devil, the Sherwood mercenary group hideout, a delicious restaurant across from it that I used to frequent, and a mercenary guild.

In the old days, there were no walls or anything, but as the Sherwood Mercenaries settled here and gradually began to make a name for themselves, people began to flock here and it developed into a city.

This place can truly be called the city of the Sherwood Mercenaries.

A city that grew up with Sherwood.

How much has it changed there?

I felt both anticipation and worry at the same time.

Because it was a city where the Sherwood Mercenary Corps had a great influence, it seemed that the city would have suffered a significant blow when the Sherwood Mercenary Corps was disbanded.

“Isn’t this a ghost town?”

With such a somewhat exaggerated thought, I fired the new model while being caught up in the wind.

I did take a carriage to the village of Salos, but that was because the journey was so long.

The distance from here to the milestone is very short compared to the distance from Schirnberg to Salos.

In short distances, carriages are no match for light aircraft.

No matter how fast a horse runs,

Can it be compared to light air?

As my internal energy deepened and my lightness level increased, not only my speed but also my stamina to run for a long time increased.

I didn’t run that long, but I felt like I could probably run all day.

The mountain village of Salos is located at a fairly high altitude, so the road to get there was bound to be winding.

But since the light air conditioner could just run in a straight line, we ignored the road and descended faster than anyone else.

It’s faster to come down a mountain than to go up.

We ran through the forest as if we were running on flat ground.

The forested landscape was being pushed to the left and right like paint spreading out.

At this rate, we’ll probably reach the milestone while the sun is still high in the sky.

I’m thinking of going to my regular restaurant for lunch after a long time.

Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.

I kicked the branches and called Shushuruta.

“Shushuruta.”

“Something.”

“Do you like meat?”

“Of course. I am the wolf’s child. There was a time when I ate raw meat with blood on my lips.”

“That’s great. Lunch is a meat party.”

“oh.”

“There’s a restaurant there that I know well.”

“Churup. My mouth is watering already.”

“You must have taken a lot of money from the captain. Let’s eat until we burst.”

“good night!”

I felt good thinking about returning to my hometown after a long time and eating the food that brought back memories from many years ago.

If Schirnberg is my real hometown, Milestone is my spiritual hometown.

Because I spent most of my time there.

“Yeah. The food there is pretty good.”

When I turned my gaze to the voice coming from beside me, a white fox was running nonchalantly beside me.

“What? When?”

Even Shushuruta looked surprised.

That means that Shushuruta’s footsteps were so secretive that he couldn’t even detect the guy’s presence.

Now we are not running at a slow pace at all.

This guy is running at a speed that only the geniuses of light air who have become friends with the wind can achieve, but he follows along so nonchalantly while avoiding Shushuruta’s hearing, which is strange.

[Oh. A beast moves like this?]

Even the Heavenly Horse could not help but be amazed.

But for me, who knew the guy’s identity, it wasn’t that surprising.

I just wonder.

What kind of wind made this guy follow me?

He was the type of guy who rarely tried to leave his older sister’s side.

“Mom. Why are you following me?”

Miho jumped up on the branch to get to my level and looked at me with a shameless face.

“Why? Are you dissatisfied?”

“I have no complaints.”

“It’s been a constant source of boredom since you fell off the cliff.”

“however?”

“I won’t get bored when I’m by your side. So I’m thinking of following you around and enjoying some fun for a while.”

As the shit puppy fell, a white fox followed.

Is it the law of the world that if you send one, another one will follow?

Well, it wasn’t all bad.

It’s a solid power.

“Hmm. Yoo Hee-ra. Then shall we race to the milestone?”

Miho smiled, showing her teeth at the unexpected suggestion.

“Are you confident that you can follow?”

The tone was laughable.

“Oh my. Are you the one who ignores the thieving cat? The most agile cat in the world, that is Shushuruta.”

“Huh. That’s true.”

Shushuruta raised his nose with a smug expression.

“But before you can defeat Shushuruta, you must first defeat me. Do you know the legend of the bloody flash? You devil.”

“It’s not a demon. It’s a spirit.”

“Then let’s go!”

He suddenly shouted the start of the race and charged forward.

“Ouch! This is fatal!”

Shushuruta’s despairing cry was heard from behind.

As of now, the light-air genius Shushuruta is faster, but he has no intention of losing.

Because if it’s a match, you can’t lose anyway.

I’ll give you first place even if I have to throw some bombs at you.

Miho’s beautiful voice, which seemed to be purring, was heard.

“Haha. As expected, it’s fun.”

So a devil, a cat, and a fox ran towards Milestone, a city steeped in old memories.

* * *

“Ugh… gasp… … .”

I put my hands on my knees and gasped for breath.

These monsters.

Although I was the fastest, I ended up in last place.

Just barely keeping up without missing anything.

First place is a white fox with red fur growing around its eyes.

How can someone so small run so fast?

“It is quite the same. Especially Shushuruta, you are like the wind blowing through the leaves.”

Shushuruta, who arrived in second place, just looked at the winner with a sour look on his face.

Miho looked back at me arrogantly.

“Ashvan. You too have become surprisingly light and nimble. You look nothing like your old self. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it.”

I kicked away the winner’s praise.

“Shut up. I’ll win next time.”

Miho laughed.

“As much as you want.”

Only after I finally caught my breath did I look around the scenery of Milestone, the hometown of my heart.

Buildings featuring red tile roofs on gray stone structures grew harmoniously along the street.

Because it was not a city built according to plan, it had a somewhat chaotic appearance, but even that had its own beauty.

I took a deep breath and then shouted.

“I’m back!”

You little shits!

People looked at me like I was crazy, then quickly started walking away.

Shushuruta looked around with a curious expression, and Miho muttered in a tone of reminiscence.

“… … It’s been a while.”

Cheonmado was also absorbed in the appreciation.

[Hmm. This is it… … .]

“That’s right. This is Milestone. It’s a city that grew together with the Sherwood Mercenaries. It has its own history.”

Miho tilted her head and looked up at me.

“Ashvan. Who are you talking to?”

Shushuruta explained instead.

“It’s like talking to a teacher named Cheonma who is stuffed in my head.”

Miho shook her head.

“Your symptoms have gotten worse. Is it because you fell off the cliff? Well, you can’t fall off that foggy cliff and be fine.”

I’m glad you figured it out.

I left Miho to think as she pleased, and walked slowly down the streets of Milestone for the first time in a long while, showing Cheonma around the city.

Because our heavenly master likes to see the city.

Although he didn’t say it out loud, he seemed to think so.

It seemed like he was interested in a world different from the one he was in.

If I had fallen into the world of the Heavenly Demon, it wouldn’t have been much different.

I also took in the city’s scenery with a new feeling.

It hadn’t even been a year, but it felt like a very long time.

I was walking down the street, lost in my memories… … .

Stopped in front of a building.

“Svenne’s Restaurant”

“It’s still the same here.”

Well, it’s only been half a year, so what could have changed so much?

Half a year is a time of great change for some people, but it is not a long enough time for everyone to experience major changes.

Anyway, seeing that it was still standing strong just as I remembered gave me a sense of security.

I opened the door and went in right away.

Daughter-

A man’s deep voice was heard along with the clear sound of a bell.

“Come on in!”

I wiped my hands on my apron and smiled as I watched the figure emerge from the kitchen.

There was an old connection here too.

He was a middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and a warm impression. He was somewhat short.

I smiled and greeted him.

“Uncle Sven. It’s been a while.”

“hmm?”

He looked at me for a moment, then his eyes widened.

“… … Ashvan? Is that you?”

“Then who would it be?”

Sven came over and took my hand in his own.

“What the heck is going on? I heard you fell off the foggy cliff.”

“It’s nothing. I survived because I’m stronger than the cliff.”

“What is that… … .”

“I’ll explain it to you little by little, so can we eat first? I’m hungry after running for a while.”

Only then did Sven notice Shushuruta standing behind him and lead us to the table.

“Oh, sit somewhere comfortable.”

“And since this guy is here too, please bring him some raw meat.”

Only then did Sven rejoice when he discovered Miho below.

“Oh, Miho is here too!”

Miho, who was sniffing, looked up at Sven.

“Nice to meet you, sir. Please give me some raw liver.”

“Haha, that’s right. We have some welcome guests. Should I give them what we always eat?”

“yes.”

“Just wait a moment.”

Sven smiled brightly and hurried into the kitchen.

Shushuruta sat down and looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“Ashvan. Do you have any standards for manners? You curse at the Black Prince, but you are polite to the shopkeeper.”

“Nothing in particular. It’s just how I feel.”

“I see.”

I sat down and looked around the store.

There was no one in the store.

It was a strange thing, even though it was a slow afternoon past lunchtime.

Originally, it was a place always crowded with customers because the food was delicious.

Even as I walked the streets and explored the city, something didn’t feel right.

The number of people walking around the streets seemed to have decreased, and even those who were visible were moving their feet quickly as if they were afraid of someone chasing them.

The city wasn’t what it used to be.

It seemed gloomy overall.

“Ashvan. I think there’s a problem.”

Shushuruta must have sensed it too and told me.

Miho also sniffed around and gave her opinion.

“It’s not usual. I can smell fear throughout the city.”

It was something you could have asked Sven.

Anyway, I came here to get a meal and ask about the city’s current situation.

A moment later, Sven brought in the finished dish.

“Okay, here comes the pig’s feet.”

“Hey… … .”

I couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

Pig’s feet with steam rising from them.

Normally you would tear off chicken legs, but here you can tear off pork legs.

My stomach was screaming from running nonstop, so I put my curiosity aside and put food in my mouth first.

Sven chuckled as he placed the plate of raw liver in front of Miho.

“Eat slowly. There’s a lot.”

Sven naturally sat down next to us and watched us eat with a pleased smile on his face, as if he was full just from watching us eat.

He then asked questions such as why his eyes were red, who the woman next to him was, and how he managed to survive the fall from the cliff.

I gave him a brief explanation and ripped off the pig’s trotter.

Only after I had filled my stomach to some extent did I find the leisure to ask Sven questions about this and that.

This time it was my turn.

“Uncle Sven. What happened? You seem a bit different than usual.”

Sven began the story with a bitter expression.

“It started to get weird after you guys left.”

Sven looked around even though there were no other guests, then spoke in a very low tone.

“Those Star Scratchers.”

“Star Scratchers?”

As I was trying to remember, an idea suddenly came to me.

“Those guys. I remember the captain swept them away once.”

“That’s right. They were destroyed as soon as Guston came out. But it seems there were remnants left. They started to get on the move after you left this place.”

He tilted his head.

Because I don’t quite understand.

“Those sloppy guys are having a blast? We’re not the only ones here.”

The Star Scratchers weren’t a mercenary group like us, they were just a bunch of thugs.

Very poor quality.

They carried a dagger with a forked end as a sign, and when pricked with it, it left a star-shaped wound, so they were called Star Scratchers.

If you leave a wound like that, it is not easy to treat, and it can become infected with germs, which can even lead to death.

These guys are so vicious that they stick together in groups and when one of them is attacked, they take advantage of the other’s moment of letdown to surprise them, put down their swords, and run away. They are such a vulgar bunch that they are quite a headache.

They were such vile bastards that they would often put poison on the end, so the leader personally came forward and wiped them out once, but they are still doing it.

But if it was just that much, other capable mercenaries would have taken care of it even without the captain stepping forward.

At best, it’s a group of low-level vagrants who used to hang out in the back alleys.

But why are such pathetic guys acting so arrogantly?

“They brought an Auror user! A real Auror user!”

“… … Are you an Auror user?”

“Yes. From what I’ve heard, they’re gold-rank mercenaries. So the other mercenaries can’t do anything about it. Of course, there were other skilled ones besides you. Some of you challenged them, but when they decided to fight one-on-one, they immediately broke their promise and gathered together to stab each other. They’re such vile guys. So who would stand up to them?”

“hmm.”

Sven looked at me with a serious face.

“Ashvan.”

“yes.”

“Do you know what they are doing?”

“I don’t know. Please tell me.”

“You know that the Sherwood Mercenaries have officially disbanded?”

“yes.”

“They ate the Sherwood Mercenaries.”

“……yes?”

“As soon as you guys left, you went to the mercenary guild and quickly registered a mercenary group under the name Sherwood.”

I was dumbfounded by the unexpected news.

“What the… … .”

“That’s not all. You know the building you used?”

I furrowed my brows.

“no way.”

“They took over the place.”

“How dare these fucking vagrants!”

thud!

I jumped up from my seat and slammed the table down.