A Stuffed Cheonma in my Head - Chapter 35



Only Noblemtl

Episode 035. The Flute-Playing Wizard

* * *

“Your Majesty, come this way!”

“Please sit here.”

“The food will be served soon.”

“I hope you are feeling comfortable.”

“If you need anything, please let me know.”

It was a treatment that even a king would envy. The man who had just been banished as a beggar had returned as a king.

I couldn’t predict the future. I guess that’s the fun of life.

Before I knew it, I had a cool nickname and enjoyed the dinner the residents prepared.

The residents, as if to atone for their sin of having driven us out, prepared a feast so extravagant that it almost broke our legs.

Of course, it’s not like the meal prepared in a small village the size of a rat’s dung can be fancy, but it was satisfactory enough for me.

As long as the food tastes good, that’s fine.

It seemed as if each person brought out one of their most famous dishes from home.

I especially liked the ones with a lot of meat.

Rain, rain.

I quickly devoured my food, chewing the meat and slurping down the wine.

The townspeople kept exclaiming in admiration as they watched me like that.

That was understandable, because the blind man was naturally picking up and eating food as if he could see.

“Oh… How can you see so naturally, as if you were looking ahead…!”

“Saint. Can you see ahead?”

I swallowed the wine and answered solemnly.

“Just look with your mind’s eye.”

“Oh… … !”

“You are indeed the real saint!”

Cheonma, who had been listening quietly, clicked his tongue.

[… … You’re causing a plague.]

Shushuruta, sitting next to me, was also glancing at me, as if he was not pleased with this situation, but he was also eating his food as quickly as I was, perhaps because he thought that food was not a sin.

It wasn’t that difficult to claim to be the representative of the goddess of the night, Ketel.

The townspeople didn’t know much about the doctrine of the night, and I was proud of being close to Ketel. The memory of sacrificing the wicked Baron Barranquilla came back to me vividly.

Well… … I’m not an expert on the doctrine of the night, but since I’m a man who’s closer to the night than the day, I don’t think there’ll be a big problem.

If you leave everything behind and are confident in anything, you will get half the reward.

“Thank you for coming such a long way. Is there anything else you need?”

I looked at Prescilla limping her way through the crowd.

It seemed like they had given him first aid and returned, but he was still limping.

I thought it was just a simple abrasion, but it looks like the muscle was torn.

Looks like you fell pretty hard.

He gestured with the intention of paying for the meal.

“Take a seat here.”

“yes?”

“Let me look at your wound for a moment.”

“Ah, no, that’s not necessary… … .”

I sat Prescilla down next to me, waving my hand, and examined her legs.

Even if he was a saint, it would not be a good sight to see someone suddenly put his hand on a woman’s leg, so he hung a starlight on his fingertips for show and then placed it on the affected area.

This is the first time I’ve used the techniques I learned from Cheonma.

“Oh… … !”

Fortunately, it seemed to be effective, and not only the residents who were watching, but even Presila was amazed with her eyes wide open.

I put a little air in to check the wound, then secretly felt the acupuncture point and acupunctured it.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a serious injury. It won’t be a complete recovery, but it should be good enough to allow for walking without any major inconvenience.

“Would you like to move your legs?”

“Yes… yes!”

Presila got up from her seat, took a few steps, then looked at me in surprise.

“I’m better!”

I gave a sly smile.

“Thank goodness.”

“Wow!”

“This is a miracle!”

The residents were in an uproar, as if they were shepherds who had witnessed a miracle.

I thought that by tomorrow, word would spread throughout the neighborhood that this was a miracle that had raised the hunchback.

Prescilla looked at me with a moved face.

“This is… the divine power of the goddess of the night, Ketel… …!”

It was black magic, then divine power.

The more I learned about martial arts, the more I felt that it was like an all-purpose tool. If you hang it on your nose, it’s a nose ring, and if you hang it on your ear, it’s an earring.

The response was so good that I thought it would be too much to show the night sky here.

Who would have thought that a dirty little kid rolling around in the back alleys would be called a saint? My parents, who passed away without even seeing my face, probably didn’t know.

“Haha. It’s nothing. I’m glad you’re better.”

I shook off my humility and exclaimed in admiration once more before continuing my meal on the road.

Shushuruta looked at me like that and laughed.

After the mood had calmed down a bit, I asked Prescilla.

“What’s wrong with the village? I didn’t come here to hear the whole story from the goddess.”

“Oh, let me explain. That is… … .”

I heard the whole story from Prescilla while we were eating.

If I had to sum it up in one line, it would be this.

“You said that children were disappearing during the night?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

What happened was that about half of the children disappeared and no one knew where they were.

He says he didn’t even see them leave. Not a single one.

This is truly something that would make a ghost cry.

In fact, this strange incident first occurred in a nearby village, but gradually began to spread to this village.

So, Prescilla hurried to the distant temple of Ketel.

At this time, the villagers also began to shed tears one by one and confessed their difficult circumstances.

It is said that children continued to disappear even after Prescilla left the village.

Even though I kept my eyes wide open and watched over the children at night, when morning came and I looked around, the children were gone.

It’s something that’s truly crazy and makes you jump for joy.

“hmm.”

After hearing the villagers’ desperate stories.

Now I understand why they were so alert and alert at first.

In a world where children are disappearing one by one, a stranger is coming.

Even if it were me, I wouldn’t have kicked you out.

It was the moment when I realized the true nature of the fear they had been harboring.

I gathered my thoughts.

So, what they wanted was two things.

The return of missing children.

And, children will no longer disappear.

‘It’s simple.’

All that was needed was to find the culprit and punish him.

Sometimes things that seem complicated are often simpler than you think, and that was the case today.

“Hmm… … .”

I pretended to be worried and nodded with a serious expression.

Then he spoke as if he were a mercenary taking on a request.

“Okay, I’ll try my best.”

“Oh… … !”

* * *

After dinner, I went from house to house to conduct a survey.

Because investigation is essential for any request.

But it didn’t bring much in return. It just raised more questions.

First of all, no one forcibly took the children away.

Not only was there no sign of resistance, but if there had been, the child would have screamed and woken up the parents.

It was as if I had run out of the house on my own.

Then, you might think, ‘Isn’t this just a simple runaway incident?’, but there was something strange about it that made it seem like that.

There were a lot of them, and the children were disappearing little by little periodically.

Also, not only the parents but also the children were scared. Many children complained that they were afraid of falling asleep and suffered from insomnia, saying that they were afraid of falling asleep and that they would disappear somewhere.

No matter how you looked at it, it didn’t look like the children were running away from home.

Besides, where would the children run away from home in this remote place?

If he were a normal kid, he would probably shiver in the forest, realize the horrors of the world, and come home to get his back kicked. If he was unlucky, he would get eaten by a wandering wild animal or demon.

While the investigation was continuing in such a sluggish manner, unexpected news was received.

“… … You said it was the sound of a flute?”

The man nodded.

“Yes. The sound of a flute.”

“Hmm. Tell me more.”

“Yes, yes. So, the child suddenly woke up in the middle of the night, so I woke up too. I’m a light sleeper.”

“hmm.”

“I was half-asleep when I asked the child what was going on, when I heard the clear sound of a flute outside. Then my vision started to blur… … .”

“You mean when you wake up the child is gone?”

“… … Yes. When I woke up in the morning, the child was gone, as if nothing had happened.”

“Don’t you remember anything right after that?”

“Yes… that’s right.”

The man buried his face in his trembling hands.

“Ah, it still feels like a dream. He was such a gentle child… … Oh my… … .”

“… … I heard you well.”

I left the house and scratched my head.

“… … What the hell is this kid doing?”

Shushuruta, who had been holding my arm the whole time under the pretext of supporting me, asked.

“Do you know what’s going on?”

“More or less.”

The culprit seemed to be some crazy psycho who mesmerized children with the sound of a whistle.

I looked at Shushuruta.

“Does anything come to mind?”

“Um… … there is one, but I’m not sure.”

“I see.”

“What are you planning to do? As you know, we are busy with our own path. Even at this very moment, those aiming for the dagger are getting closer every second.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll kill him tonight and go. Let’s go and see what kind of guy he is.”

If possible, I’d like it to be a strong one.

Shushuruta opened his eyes wide.

“By what means?”

I shrugged.

“What can I do? I’m on undercover duty.”

It seems that I will have to take the elixir that Shushuruta brought me during the day at another opportunity.

* * *

The night was deepening.

I looked out the window and yawned heavily.

Where we are now is Prescilla’s house.

Presila tidy up a room and gave it to us.

I kept yawning and looked at Shushuruta, who was leaning against the wall, lost in thought.

“I have something on my mind. Let me give it a try.”

Shushuruta glanced at me with only his eyes moving, then lowered his gaze back to the floor.

“… … I’m not sure, but when you say the sound of a flute, something comes to mind.”

Shushuruta tilts his head without saying a word.

“But… … that can’t be true.”

“What? Let’s find out together.”

Shushuruta thought for a moment and then brought up the subject.

“A few decades ago, there was a man who was considered the worst criminal. People called him the Piper.”

What a funny name. A wizard who plays the flute.

“His name is Coolsea Everton. He is the worst wizard to have ever broken a taboo.”

“taboo?”

Shushuruta nodded slowly.

“He is accused of kidnapping hundreds of children.”

“… … !”

I looked at Shushuruta with slightly wide eyes in surprise, and then suddenly discovered a flame burning in my mind’s eye.

The flames were so fierce that it made me wonder if this is what hellfire would be like.

[Kidnapping… children?]

In that moment, I felt Cheonma’s boiling anger.

It was a murderous intent so terrifying that it made my heart shiver.

I swallowed without realizing it and quickly calmed Cheonma down.

‘Master, calm down.’

[… … .]

The Heavenly Horse slowly began to calm down, and soon became completely calm.

“… … .”

To be honest, I was more surprised that Cheonma was this angry than that the so-called flute-playing wizard had kidnapped hundreds of children.

Cheonma, who had always been arrogant and somewhat indifferent, was showing such intense emotions.

I felt like I had discovered a side of Cheonma that had never been seen before.

At that moment, a voice that sounded terrified was heard.

“What just now…?”

When I looked up, Shushuruta was leaning against the wall with a pale face.

It seemed like a little bit of the Heavenly Horse’s life force was leaking out.

“Soo, for a moment I couldn’t breathe. What was that just now?”

I waved my hand and answered in a casual tone.

“It’s nothing. I’m just feeling a little uneasy.”

Shushuruta responded with a very surprised look on her face.

“… … What on earth makes you give off such an eerie vibe?”

“Moods are something that fluctuates from one moment to the next, so they don’t need much explanation. Especially for someone as unpredictable as me. However, I think I need some explanation for the worst wizard. What do you think?”

Shushuruta studied my gaze for a moment as I spoke logically, then slowly nodded.

“… … I don’t know what it is, but I know something now.”

Shushuruta took a deep breath, wiped the sweat that had formed on his forehead, and continued his explanation.

“There is a reason I kept saying I was not sure. He is an old wizard from a bygone era who was thought to be dead at night. If he were alive, he would be well over a hundred years old.”

I nodded.

“What a proper old man.”

“It is more likely that his disciple has appeared than that he is still alive. Or that he is an imitator. The method is the same.”

“Method?”

“I’m not sure because I only read the records from a long time ago. They mainly target small villages, and they lure children with the sound of a flute.”

“It’s creepy. Is that an old man playing the flute?”

“It is not known exactly, but it is presumed to be some kind of powerful charm magic.”

“What happens to the children who are taken away like that?”

“I don’t know. But I do know that the children who disappeared never returned.”

“hmm.”

“The bounty once soared to 67 gold, as the crime was so horrific. But now it has been abolished after it was concluded that he is dead.”

A wizard… … .

They were definitely people whose faces were difficult to see.

But I know how to deal with it.

It’s not like I don’t have experience fighting wizards, and there are several excellent wizards in the Sherwood Mercenaries.

“Ashvan.”

Shushuruta looked at me with a serious face.

“If, by any chance, he really is Kulsea himself, you should run away without looking back. Most wizards tend to be more powerful the more experienced they are. Do you understand?”

I answered vaguely.

“hmm.”