A Stuffed Cheonma in my Head - Chapter 46



Only Noblemtl

Episode 046. The Talkative Guys

* * *

As I could faintly hear Cheonma’s low laughter, I spoke to lighten the tense atmosphere.

“Let’s make a statement before we fight.”

And then he set an example.

“I am Ashvan. I am the new dagger owner. What about us ugly thieves?”

The two thieves looked at each other and laughed, baring their teeth.

“Can you tell me, Death Penalty?”

“That’s right. I’ll be going to the afterlife before the sun rises anyway.”

I’ve heard that some assassins reveal their names before killing their targets.

Of course, they are the ones who give orders.

The reason I reveal my name is because there is a tremendous threat and determination hidden inside that I will never let you go alive.

It also means that you are confident in your own abilities.

A man with long hair introduced himself.

“It’s James.”

The guy with his underwear over his head was introduced next.

“jack.”

I was a little disappointed because the name was more boring than I thought.

“Why are your names like that? Take after Shushuruta. What a funny name.”

Long-haired executioner, James replied with a displeased face.

“Shut up.”

As I listened to the guys talking, I noticed that they had a unique way of speaking.

The long-haired executioner kept repeating the word ‘right’, and the priest with the underpants on his head habitually added ‘Isn’t that so? Isn’t that so?’ to his sentences.

match!

I clapped my hands to get their attention and explained my discovery in a confident tone.

“That’s right. I’ve succeeded in finding out everything about you. I’ve pierced your innermost thoughts like an arrow.”

“……what?”

“Do you think I was just babbling to you guys because I was bored? It was all part of a psychological warfare. You guys are screwed now.”

The guys laughed.

“It’s ridiculous.”

“Tell me something.”

I nodded willingly.

“Okay. First of all, our long-haired brother, James. You often say ‘right’, so it seems you often think that you are not right.

So, in order to shake off that feeling, I go around reciting the word ‘right’ like a spell.”

Before he could say anything in return, I pointed at Jack.

“And you. The guy with the panties on his head.”

“I told you, it’s not panties.”

“Anyway, you’re a guy who lacks confidence in anything. That’s why you keep adding things like ‘Isn’t that so? Isn’t that so?’ to the end of every sentence you say. Since you’re not confident in your own words or actions, you habitually seek the approval of others.”

The guys who had been caught off guard laughed loudly once again.

“That’s not right.”

“You’re talking nonsense. You must be scared. Isn’t that right?”

The expressions on the faces of those who said that wavered slightly.

Good. We succeeded in taking the initiative. We really shook up the psychology.

If you go into a fight like this, you won’t be guaranteed victory, but you will start to hesitate a little bit when attacking or defending.

[That must be true.]

Look at this. Even Cheonma agrees.

At this moment, the guys started muttering something like rats and looked at me with a smug expression.

Jack said.

“Ashvan. If you stop bragging, you’ll get sick. How about being a little more honest?”

James intervened.

“Stop stretching and hand over the dagger. To be honest, your skills are not even close to ours. If each of you is that skilled, how can you possibly deal with these two?”

Jack added, as if he was dying.

“Not all Auror users are the same. Our conclusion is that you are only a Jeong (丁) level, below that.”

I tilted my head.

“What are you?”

Jack answered.

“Me and Sa-hyeong are level B. You don’t dare to look down on me. Isn’t that right?”

James nodded.

“be right.”

I’m not sure what it is, but it seems like they have some sort of criteria for dividing users among themselves.

“They divide the ranks mercilessly between users of the same aura. How harsh.”

James answered my question.

“I read the report Shushuruta submitted. He was boasting about killing a few worthless guys.”

Perhaps the brothers who died and the flute-playing wizard had not yet updated their information.

I think I made contact with the guild when I went to Scarab, so that would be up-to-date information for them.

Or maybe Shushuruta intentionally hid the information.

James muttered, playing with my hair.

“Now that I look at it, I doubt if it’s the right Aura user. I don’t feel any mana.”

“That’s right. It seems Shushuruta filed a false report. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s right. It looks like this guy lied and said that I did it.”

They were beating drums and janggu among themselves and trying to convince themselves, but then they looked at me askance as if they had something left to say.

“Is that right, Ashvan from the Sherwood Mercenary Corps of the Kingdom of Maia?”

I nodded.

“right.”

There was no particular reason to hide it.

It seems like you already knew everything, and it’s not like I committed any great crime.

“I heard you carry a mercenary badge proving your membership in the Sherwood Mercenary Corps. Silver rank. Is that correct?”

“right.”

Then the guys started laughing openly.

I frowned.

“Are you laughing? Are you finding the Sherwood Mercenaries funny?”

“I searched your back before I came.”

Jack said.

“There are several informants in the guild who are well-versed in the news of the Kingdom of Maia. I asked them about your name. Do you know what they said?”

“I don’t know. How would I know?”

“They say there is no one named Ashvan in the Sherwood Mercenaries.”

“… … .”

When I kept my mouth shut, they became even more excited and started babbling.

“Just in case, I gave him a description of my appearance, and he looked bewildered and said he had never heard of anyone like that.”

“It was the same when I asked others. None of them knew Ashvan of the Sherwood Mercenaries.”

“You’re pretending to be a member of the Sherwood Mercenaries.”

“I can understand that. You probably did that to survive, too.”

“That’s what all incompetent people are like.”

Their laughter seeped into my ears like snakes.

‘… … These kids.’

The Sherwood Mercenaries are famous, but I am not.

Because I was so weak.

All the Sherwood Mercenaries except me are monsters, so they don’t even see someone like me.

Even if you do see them, you tend to ignore them, thinking, ‘Hey, there’s no way such a weakling is a member of the Sherwood Mercenaries.’

This is something I’ve suffered countless times in the past whenever I’ve shown my mercenary skills, but it’s just so frustrating to see it happen to these guys.

“And that silver rank? Can’t you even use mana, let alone aura?”

“That’s right. Should I handle the death penalty?”

“Well. Let’s give him a choice. Choose. Either way, there’s no way to avoid death.”

I pointed my finger at the long-haired executioner who was sulking in a polite tone.

“Death penalty. You are sentenced to death.”

The guy became serious.

I wiggled my hand.

“You talkative bastards. Stop talking and come at me. It’s time to wake up from this dream.”

The men pulled their hoods back over their heads and disappeared into the darkness.

Pick.

Suddenly the campfire went out, and darkness soon fell.

* * *

I opened my eyes wide and stared into the darkness, holding the sword hilt.

The sound of a ghost’s cry was already ringing in my ears.

-Hehehe.

-ha ha ha.

Their sinister laughter echoed throughout the forest.

It was the method Shushuruta used when they first met.

I just sat there silently waiting for them to come at me.

At that moment, something flashed before my eyes.

I immediately tilted my head back and dodged.

A small knife passed before my eyes, its black face glinting in the faint moonlight.

“That’s right. You have to avoid that much to make the fight worthwhile.”

James’ voice was heard in the darkness.

As soon as he finished speaking, blades flashed on both sides, reflecting the moonlight.

It seemed like it was pouring rain.

I ran to avoid the pouring rain of knives.

Pavababak!

A rain of rays of light reflected off the blade followed my footsteps.

At that moment, a blade with no visible shape suddenly appeared before my eyes.

It looked like sharp, razor-sharp darkness itself.

Even though it was invisible to the eyes, the talent of the Heavenly Demon that resided in my body did not allow it to approach.

Even without having to activate the skill separately, each close-range attack feels like it is touching your skin.

I immediately tilted my head to the side to dodge, then looked closely at its identity.

It was a dagger, and from the handle to the blade, it was pitch black as night.

It appeared to be made of a special iron or coated with a special pigment that absorbed rather than reflected moonlight.

“Hey… … .”

I was slightly impressed.

After making the blades reflect light and familiar to the eye, he finally slashes out with a black dagger hidden in the darkness.

They weren’t usually that clever.

I think I understand why Shushuruta said that fighting assassins is different from normal fighting.

Actually, this wasn’t the first time I’d been attacked by assassins, so I wondered what was so special about it, because I’d only ever met taciturn guys.

These talkative and lively guys were scary guys who didn’t hesitate to do such vulgar things.

As I dodged their conversion attacks, they let out a gasp.

“Oh. Avoid that?”

“… … It’s quite something.”

Indeed, even though my eyes had adapted to the darkness, it was difficult to capture their figures.

So, I decided to just close my eyes.

I closed my eyes, opened my eyes, and waited quietly.

After a while, small daggers flew in.

I didn’t need to know if it was shiny or if the blade was painted black.

I drew my sword.

Chaechaechaechae!

I knocked away all the daggers that were coming at me.

Then this time, daggers poured from all directions into all parts of the body.

A variety of daggers with different directions and attack points poured out.

The daggers flew without regard to body parts such as the head, chest, arms, legs, joints, and vital points.

Some of them were more powerful than others, perhaps because they had been injected with aura.

These were attacks that were more detailed and elaborate than when they were surrounded and attacked by other guys.

It felt very real that he wasn’t just throwing it around randomly, but was throwing it after clearly deciding on the area he wanted to hit.

I felt like I was a fish.

Fishing nets with sharp needles were coming in from all directions.

“Hehehe.”

A smile appeared on my lips.

‘This… is fun?’

A tingling sensation ran through my skin and down my back.

“Phew… … .”

I exhaled slightly and sharpened my senses even further.

The daggers pouring down on me felt stinging even though they didn’t touch my skin.

And then he swung his sword.

Chaechaechaechae!

I danced a sword dance under the moonlight.

The sound of various weapons bouncing off the sword created a melody, and the vibration felt with each strike felt like striking a drum.

They were hiding in the darkness, throwing darkness at various secret weapons, but to me, who was looking at the world through the energy with my eyes closed, they were clearly visible.

This was a fight that could not be lost from the start.

The types of weapons they threw were also varied.

He avoided the scattered poison, struck down needles that could not be seen with the naked eye, and even struck down spears.

It was as if a protective shield had been placed over me, like a wizard playing a flute.

The difference was that my defenses were never broken.

Unlike those ungrateful people who curse their teachers, I suddenly felt a surge of gratitude towards Cheonma from the bottom of my heart and shouted out.

“Honor and praise to the respected master!”

[No need, you little punk.]

Oh, why?