Imperial Guard - Chapter 41



Only Noblemtl

Episode 41

Warlock

“··· Oh my. I’m going to die.”

Rael sat up, yawned, and stretched.

Last night, Lael picked up Carlson, who had passed out from drunkenness, from the bar and threw him into the guest room of the orphanage, then fell asleep next to him.

“Crrr …

“··· I had trouble sleeping, and it was because of this kid.”

Rael sighed as he looked at Carlson sleeping in the corner of the room.

I had a strange dream all night about a crazy elf making loud noises, and it turned out that Carlson’s snoring was the culprit.

Lael went outside, leaving Carlson in a deep sleep.

The children who sleep in a lot were still asleep, but for the adults it was already morning.

Lael came out into the nursery yard in the warm morning sunlight and greeted the friendly faces he happened to see.

“Oh, Captain. Good morning. Haha.”

Rael smiled brightly as he looked at the new golden rope that had appeared last night.

They say that even a rat hole gets its day, and a new lifeline has been added to Rael’s life, which was as twisted as a dog.

It was Rain of the Rain Knights.

‘I thought it was strange. There’s no way a bunch of stupid elves and giants could make Yuri the emperor. He must have had help from others.’

Those two idiots are in charge of the military, and the Knights of Rain and the Grand Duke were the ones who recognized the true value of the Second Princess.

Rael has finally met the next Emperor’s greatest supporter.

The knights who helped the next emperor from the time he was at the bottom of the hierarchy…

Rael was determined not to let go of his new golden rope.

“··· Yes. Good morning. Lael.”

Golden Rope, Rain looked at Rael with a trembling face.

The young man who was clearly a sharp thorn in my side suddenly became friendly.

“Good morning to all the Knights of the Rain. Should we take this opportunity to introduce ourselves? We may see each other often in the future. Ahaha.”

Lael greeted Lane and approached the knight behind him.

He approached with a smiling face, but the knights simply blinked.

“······?”

The knights turned their heads and looked at Captain Rain with expressions like, ‘What on earth is this guy?’

I didn’t like the fact that the commoner I saw for the first time yesterday was being friendly to the captain, but since Rain was just sitting there, they couldn’t say anything.

‘Rael, why is that guy acting like that all of a sudden…?’

But Rain also couldn’t understand Rael’s actions.

Rael suddenly started to treat Rain more friendly since their conversation last night.

‘Your attitude clearly changed right after I said I would support the Second Princess···.’

Rain wasn’t stupid.

Immediately after telling the story of the Second Princess, Rael’s attitude changed 180 degrees.

‘Could it be that there is some kind of connection between you and the Second Princess? … No, that can’t be true.’

Rael is a commoner who grew up in District 4, and there is also a record of him joining the guards.

There is no way that a guard who was an orphan would have a connection to the princess.

‘Besides… cursing the Emperor is like cursing the Second Princess’ father.’

Rain thought back to Rael’s words and actions last night.

The fearsome hatred that even went so far as to insult the Emperor’s parents was so terrifying.

‘Damn. I just can’t figure out why.’

In fact, Rael had already forgotten that he had cursed the Emperor the night before, but Rain didn’t really know how much of a fool he was.

It was the limit of imagination of the medieval fantasy fallen nobility.

‘Tsk. The Archduke likes it too, and it’s a good thing that such a talented person is becoming close to the Knights of Rain… Is there really no need to worry about it?’

Rain had a very high opinion of Rael’s talent.

I haven’t fought him directly so I can’t gauge his exact strength, but he will definitely become a Sword Master.

The conclusion reached by the Sword Master after comparing swords to swords.

This was a certainty, not an expectation.

“··· You guys. Be friendly with Rael.”

Rain whispered quietly to the knights looking at him.

“Huh? Who is that guy that makes you say that?”

“Just be honest, you little brat.”

It was fortunate that we discovered such a monster before the other knights.

Once you get them used to the Knights, you can gently encourage them to join the Knights again later.

‘Can’t I just put my name on it without doing any Knight activities? No, maybe I can just tell Yuri that I’m close with the Knights of Rain?’

Rael smiled happily as he imagined the future.

Just because I’m friendly with the Knights of Rain doesn’t mean I’m ready to jump into the fight to become the next emperor.

I just meant to put the name up.

Clearly, Yuri’s path to becoming emperor will be difficult and arduous.

If the Knights of Rain were to take the lead and do their best, Rael would only take a spoonful.

‘Just one spoonful, no more, no less!’

For Rael, the first priority is always the orphanage.

But, if you can live an easy life in the process, it would be better to take the opportunity.

“Hehehe.”

Knowing this would happen, Rael created an image of himself by always speaking politely to Yuri.

Yuri, who doesn’t know anything, probably thinks of himself as a polite man.

A pleased smile spread across Rael’s lips.

“··· Oh, my head. What happened last night after I fell asleep? I feel like you two have become strangely close.”

At that moment, Carlson, who had been cured of his drunkenness by divine power, walked out with a frown.

My back hurt from the morning because I slept in the corner of the guest room that Rael had carelessly thrown away.

“Inma. Don’t you know the Knights of Rain? They are the largest knightly order in the Empire, and you should pay your respects.”

“No, of course I know. But Brother Rael, I am also a Knight of the Silver Cross. If power is good, shouldn’t it be good for me?”

“You’re just a lowly person.”

“ah···.”

Carlson nodded at the irrefutable fact.

As expected, Rael was a brother from whom I had a lot to learn.

‘That guy Carlson… is also very talented.’

Lane looked at Carlson with a blank expression, but he was secretly surprised.

Although he can’t be compared to Rael, the truth is that the man also had great talent that was not suitable for his age.

But he wasn’t interested, since he was already a Knight of the Silver Cross.

‘What is this orphanage?’

Suddenly, Rain began to doubt the orphanage itself.

I wonder if other kids are talented too?

Rain looked around the daycare center with his eyes wide open as he saw children walking out yawning.

Of course… I stared at it so hard that my eyes hurt, but I couldn’t see anything.

*

The time when the sun is at its zenith.

Rael walked to work as a special guard.

There’s nothing special to do in the special guard unit, but you still have to report to work once a day so that you don’t get unnecessary suspicion from the outer guard unit.

‘I heard you were complaining that your impression got better recently.’

From the perspective of the outer guards guarding the special guards, it might seem surprising that Rael was not crazy, but from Rael’s perspective, each and every one of those attentions was a real burden.

My life was already so messed up, it couldn’t get any more messed up.

“No matter what sins you have committed, Gaia will forgive you! There is also a soul purification department here that purifies dirty souls!”

As I was walking, I saw a priest selling soul purification products on the street.

Priests receive donations by selling soul-purifying tablets, and the more donations they receive, the higher their status in the religious order.

Perhaps that subordinate priest is also aiming to become a bishop.

‘I’m confident that if I sell that, I’ll sell really well…’

Medieval fantasy people were so ignorant, they were ridiculously ignorant.

If Rael had been a priest of the church, he would have been confident that he would have risen to the rank of bishop in no time.

‘Soul. Soul… Now that I think about it, they say the Pope can truly purify the soul. What happens if the Pope blesses me?’

Can the Pope purify the soul of a soulless person?

Rael walked along, worrying about useless things.

“There are common people who struggle to survive day to day, and there are people who are willing to sell themselves to help their families! We are reaching out to them!”

Zone 4 was really noisy.

Not far from the Soul Purification Department store.

People wearing black cloaks were screaming.

To some, it might seem like a line from a suicide counseling center, but what he said next was quite something.

“Our warlocks are always accepting applicants, and we even buy recently deceased corpses! I promise we’ll pay you a better price than slavery!”

Rael is also a guy who wears a mask and I’ve met him a few times.

Warlock.

Those who love human experimentation, which is taboo among wizards.

Those dorai were soliciting human trafficking from commoners.

“Over here! The warlocks!”

“Damn it, the perimeter guards are here! Get out!”

The Empire and the Magic Tower oppress the black magicians who break the taboo, but they survive like cockroaches.

He breaks taboos to avoid the eyes of the law, and by showing off the great power he has gained from breaking taboos, he gathers black magicians again.

The upcoming rebellion of the warlocks was also part of this.

‘Human trafficking next to a priest who sells soul purification. What a load of crap. What a load of crap.’

Rael shook his head as he watched the warlocks running away in panic.

Even though there are no human rights in this world, those guys were bad.

‘You shouldn’t fall for such talk… Wouldn’t people who believe in chain letters believe that?’

What’s even more fucked up is that it means that some of the common people might fall for that.

It would be helpful to the world if we get rid of the warlocks as soon as possible.

Rael clicked his tongue and headed towards the special guard.

*

“Good work.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Captain Rael.”

Rael, who received the salute of the outer guard, waved and entered the special guard unit.

As I walked inside, feeling the spirit and magic, I felt a familiar energy.

It was the refreshing magic of nature.

“Ugh···.”

It was obvious that Reina was in the special guard unit.

Instead of lying in her usual hammock, she was lying in the shade of a tree, hugging a branch of the World Tree.

It was like that yesterday, and it looked the same today.

“Raina. Are you in a lot of pain?”

“It’s okay… ugh.”

Rael sat next to Reina and observed her condition.

There were beads of sweat on Reina’s forehead and her face was pale.

It looked like he was having a hard time breathing, so he wasn’t in a condition to go to work.

“Yuri is working outside, and Gent is on surveillance duty? Why don’t you just stay home and rest instead of being here alone?”

“I couldn’t go home because I was sick···.”

“You’ve been lying there like that since yesterday?”

“Ugh… And I’m alone when I go home. If it’s not Ghent, I don’t have any friends who will pack me food.”

“···.”

Rael felt complicated emotions as he looked at Reina.

What the heck, there’s this poor elf?

Reina had a talent for making people feel sorry for her.

Rael sighed and looked around.

Nearby was a yin and yang harmony porridge made by Ghent.

“Should I feed you some food?”

“Yeah. I’m hungry···.”

Rael started feeding the porridge to Reina, who had her mouth wide open like a baby bird, using a spoon to scoop up some porridge.

It was a skill of feeding a young child that was honed at the daycare center.

If rice got on my child’s lips or clothes, I would get really annoyed and have to move the spoon delicately.

“Stop eating… Rael. You’ve fed me much better than Gent.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Rael put down the dead body and examined Reina’s body again.

He was neither a doctor nor a priest, so he couldn’t really tell anything by looking at her body.

“Rael. You were human too. You lost your mind when you saw an elf. Hehe. Hehe···.”

Even in the midst of all this, Reina was smiling and talking nonsense, but for some reason, the atmosphere was different from usual.

It felt like she was forcing herself into her personality, rather than just saying stupid things that came out without thinking.

‘If you poke children in the stomach, they will all die.’

Unable to expose Reyna’s lies by stabbing her in the stomach, Rael tugged on her pointy elven ears.

This is a part known as the elf’s weakness.

“Rael. What are you doing?”

However, Reina had no reaction when she touched her ear.

Rael asked with a sense of doubt.

“Doesn’t it hurt? Elves have weak ears.”

“What kind of stupid thing are you talking about, Rael? What race would show their weaknesses so openly?”

“···.”

Are there such baseless bastards?

If the elves don’t have weak ears, they can just leave them alone.

‘It’s a really realistic world.’

Lael began to caress her ears in regret.

The experience of touching the ears of an elf was a new experience even for Rael, who had been through a lot.

“Don’t do it… Huh?”

Reina shook her heavy head from side to side, trying to get Rael away from her ear.

During that process, I suddenly felt that my headache had gotten better.

‘My head… doesn’t hurt anymore.’

Reina looked inside her body.

She recently forcibly opened the spirit world and offered the spirit to Basolod.

Simply put, it acts as a gate connecting the spirit world and the real world.

That is why the magic power of Basolod, the natural enemy of elves, remained in her body.

The magic of ‘death’ is disappearing from my body.’

You can tell from Reinagi how many times she has suffered this pain.

It was the first time that magic power disappeared so noticeably like this.

Reina did nothing.

The only thing that has changed is…

“··· hand?”

Reina looked up at Rael, who was touching his ear.

Rael’s hand.

That was easing Reina’s pain.

“··· Oh, I’m sorry, Reina. I touched it like it was a rabbit’s ear.”

Rael felt Reina’s gaze and took his hand away from his ear.

I touched it without thinking much because it felt like it was my first time, but when I thought about it, thinking that it wasn’t Reina’s ear but another human’s ear, I couldn’t have been more rude.

“Give me your hand, Rael.”

“Why the hand?”

Lael held out his hand to Reina without saying anything.

And Reina carefully held his hand with both of hers.

“ah···.”

I definitely felt it.

Pain is reduced.

The magic of death within his body was disappearing.

“What are you doing?”

Reina’s mind became blank as she felt the magic power that had been tormenting her gradually disappear.

Reina held Rael’s hand tightly and slowly brought it to her chest.

It was to get rid of the magic of death that had dug deep into his body.

“Hey, hey. Let go of my hand. This crazy elf…”

Rael was surprised to see Reina suddenly grabbing his hand and leading it to her chest.

Even though he tried to pull his hand away, it was difficult because Reina was holding his hand so tightly.

‘I can’t use my power on the patient… Why are you suddenly doing this?’

The moment when the patient had no choice but to forcibly pull out his arm.

“Rael. Wait a minute. Just stay like this for a moment···.”

Reina hugged Rael’s hand tightly and closed her eyes.

The fatigue from the past two days, when I couldn’t even sleep properly because I was so sick, came rushing back to me all at once.

She closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

“···.”

Rael frowned and looked at Reina.

Instead of a pained expression on her face, she had a calm expression.

“No, what kind of elf is this?”

Lael looked at Reina, who was sleeping while holding his hand, with bewildered eyes.

He had been in so much pain just now, but he fell into such a comfortable sleep that it was hard to even wake him up.

‘I should have taken my hand out a long time ago…’

Rael was angry at himself for not being able to stop Reyna properly.

If someone like Gent or Carlson had grabbed my hand, I would have immediately shouted, “Scold me, Gal!” and pulled my hand away, but when a pretty elf pulled my hand, I hesitated for a moment.

“Ghent. When is this kid coming?”

Rael sat down, leaning against the tree next to her, one hand taken away.

Although my posture was quite uncomfortable, I was still able to sit down somehow.

‘I’m already a bit tired because I couldn’t sleep. Tsk.’

I was sleep deprived because of Carlson’s snoring, and I was so tired because I couldn’t move and was held still by Reina.

Rael eventually leaned against the tree and closed his eyes.

At times like this, I thought it would be good to get some sleep.

“hmm···.”

About an hour passed like that.

Rael felt presence and opened his eyes.

“Rael. I never thought you’d be that kind of guy···.”

“··· Ghent. Just listen to me for now.”

Lael, who woke up, had to convince Ghent, who was about to hit his head with a trowel.