A Stuffed Cheonma in my Head - Chapter 93



Only Noblemtl

Episode 093. Blake’s Outlaw

* * *

I returned to the room, putting the coffin lid back on Ophiuchus, who had fallen asleep with a calm face.

I suddenly became curious and asked.

“Sir, have you been waiting like this for decades?”

Oposis, who followed behind, answered.

{No. That’s not something I can do. I woke up when you opened the door and came in. That’s how I set it up.}

“Then what if I go out?”

{I’ll fall asleep again.}

“okay.”

Now it was time to leave.

I put the scabbard on my waist and put Vlad in it.

With this, I ended up with two swords on my waist.

… … It’s so cumbersome.

He also took out the dagger that had been stuck in the keyhole under the altar and put it back in his bosom.

Oposus watched me prepare to leave one by one and said.

{Excuse me. Can I ask you a favor?}

“Listen.”

{If you ever meet all the eight sword masters and unleash your swords, can you stop by here again?}

“Well… … It’s not that difficult to come back again.”

The previous steps were just incredibly difficult.

Oposus smiled brightly.

{Thank you.}

“Don’t say thank you. You might never come back.”

{Thank you.}

“… … .”

I stared at Oposus for a moment, then sighed.

Because I couldn’t beat this stubborn old man who always had a kind smile on his face.

“I’ll try, so please open the door.”

{Okay.}

The door opened smoothly without any noise, just as it had when I came in.

A dazzling light mercilessly assaults the eyes through the open door.

Just then, a shout of “It’s open!” and the sound of urgent footsteps were heard from outside.

I blinked to adjust to the light and asked Oposis.

“Inspiration.”

{Something.}

“Can I take some of the treasure? I can’t touch it because I feel like it’s been enchanted or cursed.”

{There’s nothing like that, so take as much as you want. What would the dead use such treasures for?}

“Okay. I’ll make sure to write well, as a living, breathing person.”

Oposus laughed heartily.

{By the way, your name is… … .}

“It’s Ashvan.”

{Yes. It was Ashvan.}

Now I see that the shape of Oposus is gradually becoming blurry.

Is it because I pulled out the dagger, or is it because of the bright lights outside the door?

Oposus said with a cool smile.

{Goodbye, Ashvan. It was nice meeting you.}

“me too.”

{I hope you can tame that wild guy.}

I smiled faintly and walked towards the door where light was pouring in.

Suddenly, I felt like I was walking on the border between life and death.

That moment when you step onto the threshold between two worlds.

At the crossroads of light and darkness, the call of the dead was heard.

{Ashvan.}

Looking back, Ophiuchus, now as faint as smoke, was smiling forlornly.

{Tell Hans I’m sorry.}

What should I say in response?

I couldn’t find the right words, so I just nodded and came out into the light.

Slurp―

The door closed behind him.

* * *

“You devil! You devil!”

Linda ran over to me and hugged me tightly.

“I thought you were dead, you devil!”

“… … ?”

I looked at the green-haired girl hugging my chest with puzzled eyes, then pushed her head away.

“Why are you making such a fuss? How long have you been inside?”

“How much was in there?”

Shushuruta, who had appeared next to me at some point, opened his eyes wide and glared at me.

“You’ve been here for 7 whole days and you’re saying something like that!”

For a moment, I lost my mind.

“… … What? 7 days?”

“That’s right!”

I looked at Sir Curtis, who followed me.

Sir Curtis nodded, reading my gaze.

“That’s right. It’s been seven days since you entered the room.”

“… … !”

Does this make sense?

I thought only a few hours had passed at most.

I hurriedly looked at the tightly closed door.

I looked hard for the phrase, ‘Caution: The flow of time may become somewhat strange,’ but I couldn’t find it anywhere.

Shouldn’t there have been at least a warning, even in small print?

‘No, this old man.’

When I think about it, the space where the living and the dead can communicate is not ordinary.

Who would have thought that time could be twisted so viciously?

I came out in a hurry because I remembered the warning from Cheonma.

If he had gone any further, the worst-case scenario could have been that the battle for the throne would have ended before he could even get the sword.

Cheonma muttered as if he found it interesting.

[Hmm. I don’t know what the principle is. Is this also some kind of magic?]

While Sir Curtis left to fetch Walpole and Schneider, I spoke to Cheonma for a while.

“Master. Didn’t you see the guy who came into your mind?”

[There was an uninvited guest. He was ill-mannered, so I gave him a little slap.]

“Oh, really?”

[That was really sloppy. Even if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have been eaten.]

That’s right. As I guessed, it seems that the reason this guy is so quiet is because of the devil’s hand.

I thought that good things were good. I guess that’s just how it was. As long as the results were good, that was all that mattered.

While I was talking to Cheonma, the cat and the dog were also chatting.

“Huh? You devil! Who are you talking to like that?”

“Sometimes it happens like that, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

Linda heard that and twirled her finger against her temple.

“Oh, Bing Bing?”

“That’s right. Bing bing.”

Shushuruta nodded, following her lead and twirling his fingers around his temples.

‘These kids… … .’

A moment later, Walpole and Schneider appeared, their armor removed and holding harpoons with fish in them.

It seemed like he had changed from a reporter to a civilian while I was not looking.

Walpole greeted me with a bright expression.

“Your Majesty Ashvan! You’re back! I was counting on you!”

Schneider just nodded silently, without any particular expression on his face.

I stared blankly at the fish impaled on the harpoons they were holding.

“What fish?”

“Oh, we ran out of food. We caught some fish from the lake and were grilling them to eat.”

He said that he was forced to hunt for seven days while I was away.

Come to think of it, the guys’ attire was even more shabby than before.

No matter what, in the end, they believed that I would come out and waited for 7 days, right?

I looked around at them, who had become so irritated that I had never seen them before, and spoke calmly.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

As I said that, my face started tickling and I realized I said it for nothing.

Walpole answered jokingly.

“Actually, I was thinking of going back, but they said I couldn’t get out of the lake without the dagger. Hahaha.”

“… … .”

“haha…….”

As the atmosphere grew slightly chilly, Walpole added with a cough.

“Of course I’m joking.”

“Are you sure?”

“yes.”

“check.”

Sir Schneider, who had been quiet until then, looked at my waist.

“Lord Ashvan. The sword on your waist?”

Only then did they notice that there was another sword attached to my waist, and their eyes focused on me.

In particular, the gaze of the three knights was amazing.

“Could it be… … that… … ?”

I nodded in agreement at their sparkling gaze.

“The ninth sword of Ophiuchus. He is called Vlad the Red Sword.”

“… … !”

“Vlad the Red Sword… …!”

While I was at it, I pulled it out and showed it to you.

Sling-

After all, a famous sword is different.

Vlad slipped his sword out of its scabbard without a moment’s hesitation, as smoothly as a drunkard gliding on ice.

Vlad looked different when seen in a bright place.

The bright red sword blade, which seemed to have been created by pounding flowing lava, was elegant and very cool.

The sharpness that seemed to cut through even the light sent chills down my spine.

“and…….”

“This is the ninth sword… … .”

The knights gazed at the sword in amazement.

For a moment, Walpole flinched and stepped back slightly, then examined my expression.

“Are you… okay?”

It’s probably asking if he’s possessed by the demon sword or if he’s still sane.

I shrugged.

“They say it’s a demon sword, but it’s quieter than I thought. It seems the rumors are exaggerated.”

“……okay.”

Curtis nodded and said.

“After seven days of fierce fighting, you finally subdued the guy. Thank you for your hard work.”

Sir Schneider also congratulated me with a serious face.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Lord Walpole also looked at me with admiration.

“Congratulations, really. It must have been an incredibly tough fight for me.”

“No, I said it was nothing.”

“Of course. I guess so.”

“… … .”

I guess he thinks I’m being humble.

Seriously. It really wasn’t anything special.

Shushuruta nodded in agreement.

“I knew it. A person with a spirit like yours would not be controlled by something like a magic sword.”

“What’s wrong with my mind?”

“Do you really have to say that to know?”

“… … .”

Linda kept jumping up and down beside me, wondering what was so good about it.

“Hehehe! Bing bing! Bing bing!”

“… … .”

I didn’t think anyone would believe me when I told them about my conversation with the legendary blacksmith Ophiuchus, who died a long time ago, or about obtaining a bracelet that looked like a living, breathing black snake, so I decided to keep those stories to myself.

“It’s taking longer than I thought. Let’s hurry up and get going.”

“yes!”

The knights answered bravely.

“Oh, before that.”

“… … ?”

“Take as much treasure as you want. I told you there’s no magic or anything.”

* * *

We left the Tomb of Ophiuchus and climbed the stairs.

The large door at the entrance to the tomb slammed shut on its own as we all came out.

As we climbed the stairs and stepped outside, a smoky fog and the smell of damp water greeted us.

The Sphinx was still nowhere to be found.

The guys also said that they had never seen him in all the time they had been going back and forth to procure food.

We set out into the fog in a small boat that had been pulled up onto land.

Strangely enough, the dagger was now emitting light towards the outside of the lake rather than the center of the island.

We rowed slowly outward from the lake, following the rays of light.

“Devil, look at this! Isn’t it pretty?”

“Oh. It’s pretty.”

“Want to take it?”

“Okay. You take it.”

“Hehehe.”

Linda took a handful of the glittering jewels she had been coveting, like pebbles, and Sir Curtis, after refusing them all along, finally took a single gold coin, saying that was enough for him.

Walpole stuffed everything into his bag, but after getting scolded by Curtis, he packed it away properly.

I couldn’t stop Curtis because I felt like he would collapse if I just put him in there and took him.

Sir Schneider took one necklace, and Shushuruta… … .

“What is that?”

“Can’t you tell when you see it? It’s a treasure.”

“… … That’s a treasure?”

“Yes.”

It just looked like an ordinary old compass to me, but it was the treasure he had been longing for.

Shushuruta treasured the old compass in his arms.

“What… … Do whatever you want.”

What can I do if that’s what I’m saying?

“I’ll give you a dagger later, so if you want more, take more.”

“i get it.”

There was nothing to regret since she had promised to give me half in advance. If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have been able to get here in the first place.

I’ll take care of it later with the Thieves Guild.

I packed only a few expensive-looking pieces of jewelry in my pocket to use as travel expenses.

If you need it, you can just ask Shushuruta to bring you more later.

Anyway, I felt good because I had successfully completed the mission.

The fog on the lake, so eerie that it looks like a ghost might jump out, looks romantic.

I enjoyed the boat ride while reciting a poem.

“The fog won’t clear. The fog is in full bloom. It’s full of fog.”

“… … .”

After a while, we finally reached the lakeside.

Whoosh whoosh!

As Curtis whistled, a “hihihi!” sound came from somewhere, and horses came running.

Even though we had been apart for a whole week, it seemed like he hadn’t gone anywhere and was waiting nearby.

They seem like special guys.

I stroked the neck of the roaring thunderbird and then jumped on top of it.

“Devil! Lift me up!”

Linda tried to climb up behind me, but Shushuruta took her place.

Shushuruta glared at Linda.

“This is my seat. You go somewhere else.”

“What! This is my seat!”

I don’t know why, but the two of them were fighting over the seat behind me.

I solved the problem simply.

“Both of you get out. I’ll ride alone.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

We rode peacefully back to the Starvanger estate.

* * *

“… … What is it? Why isn’t anyone attacking?”

The second day after leaving Lake of Fog and returning to Starvanger Estate.

I was in deep thought as I munched on the jerky.

Fortunately, there was still food left in the saddlebag, so there was no need to hunt separately or stop by a village.

That’s good, but… … .

“Why doesn’t anyone come forward?”

None of the guys who had been swarming around like bees were visible.

Walpole, who was also eating jerky nearby, answered.

“Why? Isn’t it a good thing?”

“It’s good, but for some reason it feels refreshing yet bittersweet.”

Curtis, who had been listening, gave his opinion.

“The ones chasing us all this time were the Second Prince’s soldiers. Could it be that there was a problem on the Second Prince’s side?”

“… … What does that mean?”

“If the Black Prince had destroyed the Second Prince’s forces while we were at the Tomb of Oposis, there would be no reason for them to pursue us any longer.”

“hmm.”

Before I left, I made a promise with the Black Prince.

I will bring the magic sword, and you take care of the second prince.

If the Black Prince had kept his promise, this situation would be somewhat understandable.

But that doesn’t mean I understand everything.

“That’s okay for the 2nd prince. Why can’t we even see the tip of the 1st prince’s nose?”

“I’m also good at that… … .”

“Yes, that’s good too. The Prince is busy, that’s all. There were so many guys coming for the dagger during that time. Does it make sense that they all disappeared in the meantime?”

Walpole gave his opinion cautiously.

“That’s… Could it be because rumors have spread?”

I asked.

“What rumor?”

“There is a rumor that Lord Ashvan defeated the Knight of the Cold.”

“Did that rumor spread?”

“Yes. It was a big incident, so it spread quickly. They say that the cold weather came back covered in wounds. I think there are fewer people who don’t know about it now.”

I blinked and asked.

“Wait. Didn’t you say that Hakhan was the strongest among the royal knights?”

“Yes.”

“So what happens in the royal family now?”

Curtis stroked his chin at my words.

“Hmm… … I don’t know about that either. The fact that Hakhan was defeated was an unprecedented situation that no one could have predicted.”

Walpole also gave his opinion.

“It seems that the royal family has no means of sanctioning him anymore. How can we catch the one who defeated the Knight of the Cold?”

Sir Schneider, who had been listening quietly, said:

“I think that Lord Ashvan is now practically an outlaw in the Kingdom of Blake.”

“… … An outlaw?”

Walpole smiled and clapped his hands.

“Congratulations on becoming an outlaw.”

People started clapping one by one after him, and soon the applause poured down.

The guys congratulated me one by one.

“Congratulations.”

“Congratulations, devil!”

“… … I don’t know why I’m celebrating this. Anyway, congratulations.”

Clap clap clap.

I was lost in thought while receiving applause.

“Is this something I should like… … .”