A Stuffed Cheonma in my Head - Chapter 21



Only Noblemtl

Episode 021. Bloody Revenge

* * *

The sun set, and darkness fell upon the forest.

Because of the guys who kept rushing in, we were delayed and the next village was quite far away, so we had no choice but to stay overnight.

I left the path, found a suitable spot, and gathered up some fallen branches to make a campfire.

Knock knock. Knock knock.

He put the jerky he bought in the village on a sharp branch and took it to the fire.

It tastes better when lightly grilled than when eaten raw, and it becomes softer and easier to eat.

While I was grilling and eating jerky, I heard a faint voice coming from above the tree.

“looks delicious…….”

“… … .”

I tried to ignore it and put the beef jerky in my mouth.

Then this time a voice was heard from a little closer.

“looks delicious…….”

“ha…….”

I sighed and closed my eyes tightly.

I could hear the leaves rustling in the wind.

When I opened my eyes again, a black stray cat was sitting across the campfire, staring at me blankly.

“looks delicious…….”

“… … .”

I ran wildly with my sword in full force to shake off this guy.

I ran so fast and for so long that I had used up half of my energy, but this guy was following me well, running at the same speed on the tree.

I wonder if it was really true that I caught him because he let his guard down, because he didn’t seem to be in much trouble.

So in conclusion, I failed to shake off this thieving cat guy.

Shushuruta spoke to me with a shameless face.

“Ashvan. Why don’t you share food with your companions?”

I took a deep breath and threw the bag of jerky at Shushuruta.

“Skewer it and cook it over a fire.”

“I get it.”

Shushuruta licked his lips as he skewered the jerky and brought it to the fire.

I glared at her like that.

“You. How long are you going to chase after me?”

“Chasing after them? What are you talking about with your colleagues?”

“My colleagues are my asshole.”

Shushuruta turned the jerky over and asked naturally.

“Ashvan. Can I eat now?”

I growled at her and spoke to her in a low voice.

“Don’t pretend to be friendly.”

Shushuruta said with a smile.

“Don’t be so rigid. Aren’t you colleagues who share life and death with me?”

“… … .”

Life and death…?

I stared at her smiling face for a moment, then turned my head and muttered.

“Don’t laugh. I’m so touched.”

Knock knock. Knock knock.

For a while, the only sound was the crackling of a campfire, sparks flying.

Shushuruta’s natural, innocent voice broke the silence.

“Hmm? The jerky is now black. Can I eat it now?”

“Idiot. You should have eaten before you rode. Throw that away.”

“How can I throw it away like that? I’ll just eat it. It smells good.”

Shushuruta bit into the blackened beef jerky.

“You idiot. If you put it in your mouth like that—”

“Oh, hot!”

Shushuruta jumped up and threw the skewer he was holding.

“… … It varies.”

I looked at Shushuruta with pitiful eyes, who was sticking out his tongue and making a “Eh, hh.”

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind: if Cheonma saw me, I would have looked like that, too.

[Pathetic guy.]

‘… … .’

Shushuruta tried to pick up the dropped jerky and eat it, but gave up with a sad face.

It was because I threw it towards the bonfire and it got covered in ash.

“… … Take out the jerky and cook it. There’s a lot of it anyway.”

“i get it.”

Fortunately, she seemed to have the ability to learn, and this time she grilled the jerky until it was no longer sticky, then ate it after blowing on it.

“Is it delicious?”

Shushuruta nodded.

“It’s delicious. When you grill and eat jerky, the aroma and taste are both good. I got some good information.”

I leaned my back against the tree and watched Shushuruta grilling and eating jerky on the other side.

I closed my eyes.

Shushuruta asked while chewing on the jerky.

“Ashvan. Are you sleeping?”

“Sleep.”

“I see. You seem tired. I’ll take the night watch first.”

“… … .”

I opened my eyes slightly and watched the guy who was doing the night shift without permission for a moment, then closed my eyes again.

‘How could it be good?’

I don’t know when the thieving cat in front of me will turn into something and kill me and take the dagger.

Considering that he was given such a strange nickname just for his footwork, the stupid and clumsy appearance he has shown so far may have been staged.

Only a thoughtless idiot would sleep soundly here.

I was tired from fighting and running all day… … .

I performed the secret maneuver using superhuman mental powers.

Namely, don’t close your eyes and fall asleep!

[There really is no such thing as a fool.]

‘… … .’

How much time has passed like that?

Even I, with my superhuman mental powers, was so hazy that I had a hard time discerning whether this was reality or a dream.

Rustle.

I heard Shushuruta get up from her seat.

My mind suddenly opened.

I clenched my jaw slightly.

‘That’s right. This thieving cat-like guy.’

I pretended to sleep with my eyes closed, breathing as evenly as possible.

Bigi, pretend to sleep!

While pretending to sleep, I kept a close eye on the guy through my computer.

Shushuruta asked in a small voice.

“Ashvan. Are you sleeping?”

“… … .”

Self-punch. Self-punch.

I heard the guy approaching slowly.

The hand holding the sword hilt gained strength.

“What a vicious guy. Sleeping with a knife in your hand.”

“… … .”

Shushuruta muttered like that and then came stealthily in front of me like a burglar cat.

I gripped the hilt of the knife tightly.

If you show even a little bit of life or try to do anything stupid, I plan to cut you down right away.

On the outside, it may look like it’s sleeping peacefully, but in reality, it’s like a taut bowstring.

“Ashvan. Are you really sleeping?”

Shushuruta waved his hand in front of my eyes.

“… … .”

“You really look like you’re sleeping.”

Shushuruta, who confirmed that I was sleeping, smiled sinisterly.

“Hoo hoo… … hoo hoo hoo hoo… … .”

‘This kid.’

Kwak.

One step before drawing the sword.

Shushuruta took a slight step back.

Then he smiled sinisterly and started stirring the campfire.

“Hoo hoo… … hoo hoo hoo… … .”

The unexpected action caused a question mark to appear above my head.

‘… … ? What are you doing?’

Shushuruta gathered a handful of black ash, put it on his fingertips, and began to draw on my face.

“Hoohoohoo… … This guy. I bet even this shadowy monster would have hit Shushuruta-sama’s head.”

“… … .”

“Do you know how much it hurt? You probably can’t even imagine.”

“… … .”

“Would you be surprised when you wake up and go to the stream to wash your face? If you don’t wash your face, an even more terrible future awaits you. Passersby will see you and hold back a snicker. You will blink like an idiot, not knowing what’s going on. Just thinking about it makes my heart tremble. Oh, what a terrible revenge this is. I’m even afraid of myself.”

“… … .”

It was certain. That was the best of the best.

Shushuruta scribbled some more on my face.

“Well, that’s enough. My bloody revenge ends here.”

He nodded with satisfaction and returned to his seat.

“… … .”

I was so dumbfounded that all the strength left my body.

As my tense muscles relaxed, sleep came over me like a tidal wave.

‘If I sleep… … I can’t… … .’

I was so absorbed in my breathing that I slowly fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

tweet.

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping.

I opened my eyes half-heartedly for a moment and looked around.

The bonfire had already gone out, leaving only a faint smoke.

… … I couldn’t remember when I fell asleep.

“Huh!”

I got up from my seat a little late and looked around.

There was no sense of life.

All I can hear is the sound of rumbling breathing from the other side.

Shushuruta was curled up like a cat and sleeping soundly across the shabby campfire.

Sometimes, he would laugh, “Hoo hoo… hoo hoo…” It felt like he was having a pleasant dream.

“… … .”

Judging by the state of the campfire, which was devoid of any sign of warmth, it seemed like they had fallen asleep a long time ago.

Whereas the bonfire had crackled so brightly the night before, only pale ash remained.

I felt the futility and vainness of life at the same time.

‘… … It felt a bit chilly.’

I woke him up by tapping his leg with the tip of my foot.

“Hey, wake up.”

“… … Hehehe.”

“Get up.”

But when he still didn’t wake up, I pushed my foot under his side and flipped him over.

“Ugh!”

The boy let out a strange scream and then, with amazing reflexes, crouched down like a cat in an instant.

Then he looked around with gloomy eyes and began rubbing his face with the back of his hand.

I scolded a stray cat for washing his face.

“Mom. If you were going to sleep, you should have woken me up. What if you fall asleep right away?”

Shushuruta answered, rubbing his eyes.

“You were sleeping so soundly that I couldn’t wake you up.

“… … .”

“Oh, don’t worry. My ears are very sensitive and I can detect danger from far away.”

“Even when I touched him, he slept without a care in the world.”

Shushuruta responded calmly.

“You are not a danger.”

“… … .”

I was speechless and kept my mouth shut.

He was the kind of guy who left me speechless.

I said, roughly gathering dirt with my feet and covering the campfire.

“Get up. Go.”

“Hmm? You don’t eat breakfast?”

“There’s a long way to go. Let’s eat as we go.”

“Understood, Ashvan.”

The cat who finished washing his face got up from his seat, yawning loudly and saying, “Eugyagyeog!”

The guy looked at my face absentmindedly and burst out laughing, “Pfft!”

I frowned.

“What? Why are you laughing?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Shushuruta covered his mouth and desperately held back his laughter.

“Pfft. Phew… Phew… … .”

“… … .”

I stared blankly at the guy and then took a step forward.

I was going to let Shushuruta enjoy his terrible revenge for a while longer.

“Phew.”

“… … .”

“Phu pu pu.”

… … Should I just not do it?

* * *

The mercenary guild of the Akhenaten branch.

Colin asked, yawning heavily.

“Elina. What’s new?”

Elina was the name of the guild receptionist who often took his seat whenever he was bored.

“Yes. There’s a new wanted poster.”

Elina answered, holding a thick wad of paper.

“There’s something fun about looking at wanted posters. Give them to me.”

“Here it is.”

Colin yawned, wiped away the tears from his eyes, and took the wanted poster.

“Oh, you’re up?”

“Colin. Any good guys?”

“If I get 30 silver coins, it’s mine.”

“The first one to catch it is the owner, you idiot. How can there be such a thing?”

“Shut up, I go first.”

The mercenaries, who had been killing time by drinking alcohol since midday because they had no other worthy requests, surrounded Colin.

Colin frowned and waved his hand.

“Get off me. Get off me you stinking bastards.”

The mercenaries protested.

“Branch manager. Let’s take a look together.”

“Huh? Aren’t you trying to take away the good commission first?”

“Colin, you’re getting paid anyway. Don’t be so mean.”

Colin shouted.

“Get out of the way, kids! Then I can post it on the bulletin board.”

Only then did the mercenaries give way.

Colin began to post wanted posters on the bulletin board one by one, checking the prices.

The bounties on the heads of wanted criminals varied.

From as little as 5 silver to as much as 10 gold.

The bounty also varied depending on the nature and severity of the crime.

The mercenaries chattered noisily as Colin posted each wanted poster.

“32 silver! That rapist’s mine.”

“Ah, fuck, get out of here! I’m out of money!”

“Is it a good idea to not have money?”

“If you twist it, it will come out or you will be chewed.”

“Okay. Follow me.”

Those who argue over who will take on the task first.

“Oh, 3 gold! It’s been a while since I’ve gotten something.”

“After killing 6 soldiers, he escaped… …. He seems to be doing just that?”

“Who wants to catch that guy?”

“You crazy kid. Why would you die like a dog? You can tell just by looking at him that he’s a Mana user.”

“The only one who can catch that guy here is Colin, as far as I can see.”

“That thief hasn’t been caught yet. The prices have gone up a bit.”

Those who are watching.

“Someone who will go catch the 67 Silver kidnapper.”

“Me, me! Of course it’s half and half, right?”

“Are you a captured person or a life and death officer?”

“Captured.”

“Ah, capturing them alive is annoying.”

Guys who gather comrades to catch things together.

“hmm?”

Colin, who was putting up wanted posters one by one, doubted his eyes.

I blinked, wondering if I saw something wrong.

That would be the case, because there was an amount written on it that Colin had never seen before.

“The Red-Eyed Demon”

“100 gold”

“Crime – Murder of the Noble”

“Life and death”

Colin muttered.

“This is crazy… … .”

It was the first time he had ever seen a bounty of this magnitude.

And on top of that, murdering a nobleman?

Who would dare to say that he is crazy and murders a noble in the Blake Kingdom?

I have heard of such cases in the distant past, but they were all captured by the royal knights and brutally torn to pieces in front of everyone.

After that, no one dared to think of killing the nobleman.

That was literally one way to get a ticket to the afterlife.

But then a crazy guy came out and bought a ticket to the afterlife.

As Colin stood there blankly, the mercenaries urged him on.

“Colin! What are you doing without sticking it on?”

“Isn’t that the last one? Hurry up and put it on.”

“You’re not trying to steal it, are you? We’re all watching.”

Colin posted a wanted poster with a bewildered face in response to the mercenaries’ passionate cheers.

The mercenaries who checked the wanted poster glared.

“100 gold?”

“What the fuck!”

“There aren’t many vicious criminals who have been uncaught for years who earn more than 10 gold. 100 gold?”

“Was a 100 gold bounty also possible?”

“What did you do to get 100 gold?”

“Killing a nobleman? Are you crazy? You killed a nobleman?”

“Wow… … This is just unbelievable.”

“What kind of guy is he? Let me see his face.”

The mercenaries, having confirmed the price and the nature of the crime, soon identified the bastard’s face.

For a moment, the bustling mercenary guild became as quiet as a mouse.

The mercenaries’ expressions hardened.

“Black hair… … Blood-red eyes… … A face as ugly as a savage… … .”

“no way…….”

“Oh, right?”

An ominous silence fell.

As they were checking each other’s faces, their gaze soon turned to the man whose face had become unusually pale.

Dogon, who had been hit on both cheeks by Ashvan, was frozen like a statue and staring at the wanted poster.

“This is crazy… … .”

It was a plain sentiment for a man who had been on the brink of death.