A Stuffed Cheonma in my Head - Chapter 66



Only Noblemtl

Episode 066. It is not the season for frost.

* * *

“Hey!”

Doo doo doo doo doo!

Dozens of horses ran across the land.

Count Hermann Stavanger personally took the reins and led the troops.

The Counts of Starvanger are a prestigious family that has produced many great knights throughout its long history.

A count was a knight before he became the head of a family.

The count rode skillfully and led the knights from the front.

“Hey! Hey!”

The horses ran like the wind according to the riders’ will.

It was a mobile force comprised only of the most agile knights.

The count decided to accept Hans’ request.

The token Hans gave was as heavy as the traces of time that had accumulated on it.

And it wasn’t just for that reason.

‘Loyalty is important, but sometimes you have to think about the interests of your family.’

The nobility has been a political animal since ancient times.

Because that was the only way to survive.

He had to find his balance in the complexly intertwined power relations of the kingdom, like the roots of a tree.

When people think of nobility, they usually think of lions roaring fiercely, but in reality, they were closer to snakes flicking their tongues.

There is a reason why they say the blood of nobles is blue.

Count Hermann Stavanger thought.

The current situation of the Starvanger family, the war of nerves surrounding the next throne, the royal family’s fierce, invisible power struggles, the power situation of each prince, the appearance of the Ophisian dagger in the midst of all that chaos, the subsequent murder of nobles, and the dispatch of royal knights.

Considering all the other circumstances, I decided that it would be beneficial to grant Hans’ request.

After thinking it over and meeting with the ministers of the family, we decided to go on an expedition because it would be beneficial in many ways.

First of all, the Red-Eyed Demon is not as evil as the world thinks.

Second, he has the Dagger of Oposis.

Third, the last disciple of Ophiuchus, Hans, has arrived.

Hans is the only survivor who knows about the Tomb of Oposus. However, he declared that he would provide the information only if the Red-Eyed Demon was saved.

Puzzle pieces that have been scattered for decades are coming together.

This fact alone was enough to warrant anticipation.

But it had to be quick.

The red-eyed demon had to be snatched away quickly before it could encounter the royal knight.

Because if you think about it, it is no different from treason.

You take a criminal and protect him, bypassing the royal knights sent directly by the king?

It was an act of ignoring the order.

If the royal court had not been in turmoil, the count would not have agreed to this decision.

But now is a time of upheaval where everything is changing.

‘It’s worth a try.’

Given Oposis’ legacy, that level of risk was worth taking.

There will soon come a time when you will have to make a choice.

There will be a bloody battle depending on who takes the throne.

This was the choice of a lifetime for Count Stavanger.

It was a gamble with everything at stake.

‘The Black Prince must become king!’

If it was the legacy of Oposis, it would be possible to obtain both the power and the justification to make the Black Prince king.

I could give him wings on his back.

The winner takes all.

If you succeed, you will become the first-class contributor to the battle for the throne of Starvanger and enjoy wealth and honor, but if you fail, you will lose everything.

‘I must find it faster than the royal knights!’

However, we still have no idea which article was dispatched.

Originally, they were not easily discovered because they moved alone and in extreme secrecy by royal command.

‘Is Silent Victor in pursuit? Or is it Luthier the Quicksword? There’s also the possibility that he’s sent out Vandyke the Iron Spear.’

Thinking back to the various royal knights, they were all fearsome men.

The count rode out on his horse, prepared to fight them in the worst case scenario.

At that moment, the sound of horse hooves was heard from the side.

Soon a knight rode alongside the count.

“My lord!”

“Did you find it?”

“There are still traces of the devil!”

“If so?”

“I have discovered the identity of the dispatched royal knight!”

The count asked urgently.

“Who is it? Is it Van Dyke of the Iron Cage?”

The knight shouted.

“It’s bitterly cold!”

“What?!”

The count opened his eyes wide.

I doubted my ears, wondering if I had misheard.

“What did you just say? Did you say it was extremely cold?”

“Yes! The Knight of Cold is chasing the Red-Eyed Demon!”

“The king sent down a severe cold? At this time?”

“I think so!”

“Are you really that senile? What on earth were you thinking!”

“I don’t know that far ahead, but it is certain that the cold is chasing away the devil. I have found traces of frost in the forest!”

“… … !”

It is not the season for frost.

My head is getting complicated.

The count gritted his teeth.

‘This makes a difference… … !’

You can’t fight the cold.

If we rush in with these knights now, we’ll all end up as ice statues.

‘this……!’

The hand holding the reins tightened.

But I’ve already made up my mind and drawn my sword.

It cannot be reversed.

‘If it has come to this, we must find the devil first!’

The count’s hands holding the reins became anxious.

“Find the devil faster than the bitter cold!”

“yes!”

The Count and the knights of House Starvanger ran at an even faster pace.

* * *

Whoosh! Phew! Hoong!

I held the new sword and swung it around to get a feel for its weight.

“Hmm. It’s similar, but a little heavier.”

[Better than before. Where do you get these guys?]

“That’s right.”

I nodded with satisfaction and put the sword back in its scabbard. Adaptation complete.

Knock knock. Knock knock.

A bonfire was burning.

The second night after setting off for the Tomb of Ophiuchus.

I’m a little tired today after running all day, but thanks to Bok-sil giving me a new sword, I’m not that tired.

Every time I see the sword that is as clear as the moon, my fatigue seems to melt away.

I sat down in front of the campfire and picked up the flax that was lying next to it.

Shushuruta was something I dug up while I was having a quick breakfast.

This time, the roots were particularly thick.

There must be that many prayers.

I looked up at Shushuruta, who was grinning and sitting on a nearby tree branch, eating red berries.

“Well done, thief cat.”

“I am not a thieving cat.”

“You thief. Good job.”

“… …Call me a cat burglar.”

I asked, shaking off the dirt from the roots of the three trees.

“Hey, cat thief. How far are you to the grave?”

Shushuruta answered, kicking his feet on the branch.

The bright red berries went into her mouth one by one.

“I can’t tell you exactly because I don’t know the exact location.”

“Roughly.”

“Hmm… … At this rate, it should take about two or three days. When we get close, we’ll have to use the dagger again to find out the exact location.”

“Okay. So you’re saying there’s some leeway.”

I chewed and ate the three pieces.

Perhaps because the roots are thicker, the taste is also more bitter.

It’s made me cry again after a long time.

“eww.”

Shushuruta was disgusted when he saw me eating the three.

I stuffed all the ginseng into my stomach without missing a single root, then spit out the dragon’s trim.

“Ugh.”

“Ouch, really!”

Shushuruta frowned.

I said proudly.

“This is the great miracle of Mother Nature.”

“What the hell is Mother Nature’s great miracle. I’m dying from filth. It must be Mother Nature’s fart.”

“Oh my. This thieving cat is this guy. He’s getting more and more talkative as time goes on.”

“Huh. What did I say that I couldn’t do? It’s not Yongtrim, it’s Yongbanggu, Yongbanggu. Farting with your mouth. You’re really something.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“Is that a compliment?”

I said, wiping my eyes.

“I’m going to have some breakfast. Please take care of the dharma for me.”

“… … That farting bastard.”

I straightened my back and sat cross-legged.

And then he let out a long breath.

“Hoooo… … .”

“Ugh. This time it’s a silent fart without a sound.”

“stop.”

I began the task of sorting out the qi that had filled my stomach.

As always, I exhaled the tak-gi through my breath and accumulated pure qi in my dan-jeon.

Although the percentage of discarded tables was always so high that it was a shame, I let them go with an empty mind.

According to Cheonma, if you accumulate turbid energy in your danjeon, your internal energy will increase immediately, but it will quickly become turbid.

Like dirty water mixing into a clean well.

That was called the internal energy training method of the evil sect… … .

To explain specifically, the more vicious the nature becomes, and the more one practices, the more likely it is that one will fall into the devil’s trap, making it impossible for one to advance to a higher level.

As soon as I heard those words, I shook off all my regret.

I am in a position where I have to knock down the captain.

It was not something that could be stopped in a place like this.

I happily contemplated my danjeon, where only pure internal energy had gathered, and then went deep into my mind and faced the wall.

A wall made of ice and steel and a large X-shaped scar greeted me.

Whenever I have free time, I knock on the wall while eating breakfast.

It just kept shaking and dropping stones, but it didn’t show any other signs.

I almost thought they were making fun of me on the wall topic.

But I laughed and tapped the wall.

“Well, do you think you won’t break down and give up in the end?”

Since I had a lot of luck punching into the wall earlier, I opened my eyes after punching the wall a few times.

The crackling sound of a campfire brought me back to reality.

“Hoooo… … .”

I took a deep breath, raised my head, and looked at the night sky.

It was a moonless night.

Only the stars were shining brightly.

I lowered my head and looked at the campfire.

Shushuruta, who would normally be curled up and sleeping next to him, was awake.

He was sitting slightly askew, as if he had just woken up from his sleep.

“Hey, cat burglar. Aren’t you sleeping?”

“fizzle.”

Shushuruta brought her finger to my lips.

Her ears perked up.

Shushuruta stared into the darkness without saying a word.

Her expression was frighteningly serious.

I quickly covered the bonfire with dirt.

The flickering lights went out and darkness fell in an instant.

“… … .”

A silence arose.

I put my hand on the hilt of the knife and slowly got up from my seat.

Shushuruta was still staring intently into the darkness.

I followed her and stared into the pitch-black darkness, but it was as if I was looking into an abyss, leaving me feeling despondent.

At this moment, Shushuruta suddenly jumped up from his seat.

“It’s bitterly cold!”

“what?”

“Run!”

Shushuruta grabbed my arm without giving me a chance to say anything and ran to the other side.

I quickly raised my internal energy and performed lightness techniques to match her pace.

“Bitter cold? Bitter cold?”

“That’s right!”

I was dumbfounded by the sudden situation.

What the heck is this sudden bolt from the blue?

“Why all of a sudden! You said you wouldn’t have to worry for a week!”

“I thought so too!”

The wind blowing from behind felt cool.

Ss …

The forest shook eerily.

Shushuruta increased his speed.

“You’re going too fast! I’m going to catch up!”

“What the hell.”

I gritted my teeth and ran.

The cries of ghosts rang in my ears.

But no matter how much I increased my speed, the cold air blowing from behind grew stronger.

Shh …

The forest behind us shook its body eerily.

Now, I could vaguely perceive the presence chasing me.

Should we call this a sixth sense?

That being… … did not seem human. It looked like a white devil floating in the air.

A distant presence was felt beyond the pitch-black darkness.

I felt him looking at me.

It gave me goosebumps.

“More! Faster!”

“This is full speed!”

My heart was pounding.

A cold wind blew from behind.

The cold air scratched at my airway.

Every time I breathed, a cloud of smoke escaped.

The trees shivered in the cold.

Frost has already begun to appear on the ground.

I stopped walking.

… … The cold had already overtaken us.

At some point, the sound of insects croaking or owls hooting could no longer be heard.

The forest was enveloped in silence.

The silence was ominously cold.

Running away no longer made sense.

Shushuruta, who had been running ahead, noticed my departure and came back to me, grabbing my arm and pulling me.

“What are you doing! Why don’t you run!”

Shushuruta’s rough breath flowed out white.

“He’s right behind me! If we keep going like this, he’ll catch up to me!”

“It’s already too late.”

Shushuruta’s mouth, which was about to say something, stopped.

“You know it’s no use.”

Shushuruta bit her lip.

“still…….”

“It’s more dangerous to just turn your back and run away like this. If you keep doing this, you’ll definitely die.”

Even as I said this, the cold was growing stronger.

I threw out a famous quote I had heard somewhere.

“If you want to live, you will die, and if you want to die, you will live.”

Shushuruta refuted.

“What the hell are you talking about! How can you live when you want to die!”

I smiled briefly and turned around.

He said, looking into the pitch-black darkness.

“It means you have to be prepared to die.”

I faced the cold, approaching death.

I felt his presence getting closer with each passing moment.

The cold air was growing stronger.

Every time he breathed, a puff of white breath came out of his mouth like smoke.

I stared into the darkness and twisted the corners of my mouth.

“Natural disasters when you’re the same person? Nonsense. He’s just a person, no different from you and me. If he gets stabbed, he’ll die.”

Shushuruta retorted in an urgent tone.

“It’s not about that level.”

“The battle is simple. It’s a fight to see who can stab the opponent in the neck first.”

“but…….”

“Hey, Shushuruta.”

I cut her off as she was about to continue.

“A fight is all about momentum. If you’re going to whine, get out.”

Growl―

A dog ready to die is fierce.

It’s bitten and torn in one place.

Come here, I’ll tear your balls off.