Imperial Guard - Chapter 67



Only Noblemtl

“Haa. Haa··· What’s going on so fast? What kind of guy is that···.”

The man who was chasing after her, panting for breath, eventually lost sight of Rael.

It had been a long time since I had seen a man faster than me.

“The curse of forsaking the god must have taken effect… This is strange.”

But what was more surprising than his speed was his mental state.

He was mentally disturbed by the curse of the suicide, but he didn’t seem to care at all about himself.

“I kept calling out to him as I chased after him, but he didn’t even look back.”

The curse of self-imposed surrender was close to perfection.

If you are human, you will be fascinated by her, and if you try to steal something, the eyes of those around you will be distracted.

This was the first time I had met a human who avoided the curse.

“Is there a problem with the curse?”

Tushin tilted his head and chewed the bread.

Before she knew it, she was holding bread in her hands.

“···Oh, you stole it again. I don’t think there’s a problem with the curse.”

Tushin smacked his lips as he looked at the bread in his hand.

Even her perfect curse had its drawbacks.

It was an unconscious theft.

She had a habit of stealing things around her, even if it was against her will.

Because the curse was so strong that it affected even the body.

Her thievery became even more severe as the price range of the item increased.

Because of this, she was unable to converse with the nobles.

This is because they steal accessories and valuables worn by nobles without their knowledge.

For example, the golden necklace that the lady is wearing…

‘Ugh… This is a big problem.’

Tushin gulped as he looked at the nape of the neck of the lady walking towards him.

A necklace made of pure gold caught my eye.

In fact, her problem with kleptomania wasn’t anything like bread.

She couldn’t stand seeing such expensive-looking things.

Swish-

‘I’m sorry.’

This woman wasn’t my target, but I couldn’t help it.

The priest passed by the lady and offered an apology in his heart.

Thud, thud.

‘···uh?’

However, the bullet that had passed by the lady soon stopped in its tracks.

Her hands did not move even when she saw the expensive gold jewelry.

“This can’t be happening?”

Tushin blinked, looking at his hands.

This was also a phenomenon I had never experienced before in my life.

I met someone who was immune to curses, and the curses had no side effects.

Something I’ve never experienced before happened twice in one day.

Tushin naturally thought of the man he had met a little while ago.

“Rael. Is there something about that man…?”

It needs to be investigated again.

The assassin carefully hid himself in an alley in District 1.

*

“What the hell, what kind of crazy woman is this···.”

Rael, who had run away from the crazy woman, gasped for breath and pushed back his sweat-soaked bangs.

Although Rael was proud of being the ace of the guards, it had been a long time since he had met such a stubborn person.

‘If you look at her physical abilities, she’s not just a crazy woman…’

Rael walked down the street of District 1 with his shoulders shaking.

As I was walking, worried that I might run into that crazy woman again, I saw a familiar face.

“Huh? Rael. What are you doing here?”

“Captain Rain? Captain, what are you doing here?”

Lael approached Lane.

It was my first time seeing him in District 1.

“···What’s going on? Isn’t this the return party of His Highness the Grand Duke?”

“Oh, right. It’s not over yet, is it?”

Lael was Yuri’s exclusive knight, so he left after only one day, but the Empire’s parties usually last a long time.

Most of the nobles will still be enjoying the party, and the atmosphere will probably start to change little by little starting the day after tomorrow.

“Yes. Some nobles left their seats after hearing that they supported His Highness Uriel, but His Highness’s influence remains intact.”

“That’s a relief.”

I was worried that selling the token might be a nuisance to His Highness the Grand Duke, but it was a needless worry.

“His Highness the Grand Duke wants to see you. Why don’t you stop by sometime?”

“It’s too complicated right now. I’ll come and visit you once the party is over. By the way, where is Captain Rain going? Shouldn’t he be wandering around when the party isn’t even over?”

“I’m on my way to the church headquarters.”

“The church? Why don’t you go to Kir and pray for him?”

“So many amazing things are happening. The news of the next saintess’s appearance is surprising, but I heard that a genius swordsman from the Knights of the Silver Cross created a sword with divine power.”

“···.”

Lael unconsciously smiled bitterly at Rain’s words.

Well, I don’t think I would be able to keep quiet if I heard those words.

“As a knight myself, I can’t believe it without seeing it for myself… Huh? Rael, why are you looking like that?”

“I’m coming from the church anyway. It might be hard to believe, but···”

Rael told Lane what happened at the church.

The genius prosecutor was Carlson, and the saint was Cecilia.

“···The genius prosecutor is Carlson? Don’t lie. Rael.”

“It’s true. I will stake my honor as a knight.”

“Where is the honor in you?”

“···This guy is no good.”

From today onwards, I will not join the Knights of Rain even if I lose.

Rael pledged so.

“If what you say is true, then that’s really amazing. Aren’t both Father Cecilia and Carlson from District 4? And they’re both close to you… It seems like geniuses have a keen eye for detail.”

“Haha, isn’t that also a skill of mine?”

Rael smiled and nodded.

If you think about it, the Knights of Rain aren’t a bad place either.

“By the way, where are you going? Your hair is wet, so you must have been running in a hurry. Can I chat with you?”

“···Oh, that’s right. I met a crazy woman in District 1 earlier.”

Rael’s shoulders shook as he recalled the stranger he had met earlier.

“madwoman?”

“Yes. It suddenly came up to me and started laughing and swaying its body. I think it was a flower snake. You know the flower snake? A flower snake.”

“Flower snake…? This is the first time I’ve heard that word.”

“She was a really crazy woman. It was so strange that someone like that could be walking around in District 1. I barely managed to escape.”

“Really? It’s strange that you managed to escape. What kind of woman was she?”

“Well, he had black hair and brown eyes, and he wore clothes that looked like those of a nobleman. That’s why I couldn’t bring myself to hit him and run away. I have bad memories of assaulting a nobleman.”

Even now that I’ve become an honorary knight, I still think about it sometimes.

The day he beat up Count Samuel’s scoundrel, Rael’s life was turned upside down.

On the outside, that kid looked like just another rich commoner.

“Hmm, he has the eyes and brains of a commoner, but he has a lot of money. And he can run as fast as you… huh?”

There are quite a few rich women who are commoners, but not many of them can run as fast as Rael.

Lane thought of a woman who fit those descriptions.

“···Isn’t that Clara?”

“Who is it?”

“I’m talking about the god-forsaken Clara.”

“···I’m sorry, Captain Rain. Why is Clara added to the name ‘Tusin (偸神)’? Doesn’t it seem awkward? Shouldn’t it be called ‘Tusin Baekcheon (偸神 白天)’?”

“Rael. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Anyway, what you met was probably Clara the Fallen Angel.”

Rael swallowed his discontent and nodded.

The god of thievery, Tushin, as heard from Bagus.

The crazy woman I met earlier was the famous suicide bomber.

‘Well, there’s no way an ordinary girl could chase me like that. Even for a daughter of a noble family, she was too fast.’

The imperial nobles were basically too focused on training and the fact that she was a crazy woman to notice anything strange.

“But how can you understand just by listening to my explanation?”

“She’s quite famous in the upper districts. I’ve only met her once… The moment I saw her, I was literally entranced and stared at her.”

“Really? It’s pretty, but not that pretty.”

Rael tilted his head.

It seems like he approached you at first and is very confident about his appearance.

“I’m not talking about her looks. The problem is the curse of the suicide.”

“What curse?”

“It’s the curse of the god of war. They say that the god of war, who can steal everything, can even steal people’s hearts. If I hadn’t been alert, it would have been dangerous.”

“···.”

Although Commander Rain may seem friendly, he is one of the strongest men in the empire.

The fact that he struggled that much means that Clara’s curse was really strong.

‘Curse···.’

Only then did Rael understand her strange behavior.

This must be the first time you’ve encountered a body that curses don’t work on at all.

It was obvious that he was so surprised that he followed me and asked to talk just once.

“She probably targeted you from the beginning. She’s in league with the Night Ravens, the information guild that rules the Imperial Capital.”

“Yes, I suppose so. Hmm, what can I do? I was thinking of showing those night crows a lesson anyway. But they don’t show themselves easily.”

If the Baggers want to expand their territory, the Night Ravens need to make way for them.

Since he happened to be investigating himself, it was an opportunity to strike in self-defense.

But catching their tails was harder than I thought.

“What could be difficult, Lael? Just wander around the streets at night. With your skills, you should be able to catch them.”

“Hey, Captain. It can’t be that easy.”

“Rael. You don’t seem to realize your fame yet, but every intelligence guild in the Empire is watching your every move. You’re one of the most delicious baits in the Empire right now. You can be confident.”

“···I don’t want to be confident about that kind of thing, but I understand.”

Rael nodded at the surprisingly easy method.

If you want to catch a tiger, you have to go into the tiger’s den.

Rael decided to offer himself as bait.

*

Thud, thud.

A man walked down a quiet street in District 1 at night.

He would go into a bar and have a drink, and he would stop by a casino to look around and then move around.

“Are there any special movements?”

“Yes. None.”

“That’s strange. There must be a group that is making contact with the target.”

And two men dressed in black were following his movements.

The largest information guild operating in the Empire is the Night Crow.

However, there are other large and small information guilds active in the capital.

Their recent target is just one person.

This is Rael, the knight of the second princess, Yuriel.

The second princess, who the Grand Duke supports, is also a subject of interest, but surprisingly, the royal family does not hide information.

The official schedule is public, and other than that, most of the time is spent locked up in the palace.

That’s why his knight, Rael, became the target.

He was a brilliant knight who proved his strength by defeating the mature knight Loren at a young age.

“It’s so strange how a common guy who was kicked out of the guard after assaulting a noble suddenly becomes the princess’s knight. And his strength is also ridiculous.”

The man wearing black clothes opened his mouth.

The nobles who had witnessed Rael’s duel were clamoring for information, so something had to be done.

“Of course it has something to do with the Knights of Rain, right?”

“It’s highly probable, but it’s only a possibility. Find whatever it is. Don’t ever let it go.”

“Yes. I understand… Huh, huh?! We’re in trouble. I can’t see the target!”

“What? This idiot! How could you miss a drunk guy!”

The moment the man raised his fist toward his subordinate.

“Hmm. These guys are nothing special.”

“···?!”

I felt a presence behind the men.

“Yes, who are you!”

“The rumors that there was someone guarding the target were true… Ugh, ugh!”

Rael quietly subdued the two men.

These guys were just rascals, not even night owls, so there was no need to use force.

“Deal with these guys.”

“Okay, I understand!”

Beggars from all over the alley dragged men away.

Those guys are going to be dealt with well in Baggers.

It will probably be a great help in expanding the territory.

‘But this time it was a dud again.’

Rael turned around, taking off the mask covering his face.

I tried to find the night owls, but for hours all I could see were bearded men.

‘Shall we go back to the bar again?’

Saloons, gambling dens, and red-light districts.

This is the route that the knight, a medieval fantasy expert Lael, has figured out to kill time.

As I circled around, I kept getting caught up in the information guilds.

Swish-

Rael walked back towards the bar.

As I approached the bar, I felt a presence behind me.

This thing is not half water and half fish, it bites the bait and pounces every time I move.

‘This time it’s just one person.’

Thud. Thud. Swish-

As soon as Rael turned the corner, he put on his mask and hid himself.

The other side didn’t seem to notice, but Rael’s senses clearly caught the approaching person.

“It’s strange. Where did it go…?”

“quietly.”

Lael grabbed the other man from behind as he turned the alley and pushed him against the wall.

He too twisted his body in surprise, but Rael grabbed his wrist while holding the sword to his neck.

He was wearing a black cloak over his head, but he could feel the woman’s thin wrist, which he could not hide.

“Ugh···.”

Clara, who was attacked, did not panic and let out a suicide curse.

Although she was caught because she let her guard down, it wasn’t a crisis for her.

No one afflicted with the curse of suicide can stop her escape.

“Tell me your identity. You’re so quiet. Are you a night crow?”

However, the opponent did not stop threatening even after being touched by the curse.

Clara was certain of its identity as soon as she saw it.

“Lael. I finally found it.”

“···.”

Rael, startled by her name being called out of the blue, took off her cloak while holding her sword.

Clara, the goddess of suicide.

She was staring at Rael.

‘How did this crazy woman recognize me?’

Rael was wearing a mask.

Of course, it was understandable to be suspicious, since she had been attacked while chasing after Rael, but her tone was not one of suspicion, but of conviction.

Besides, when did you last see each other and why are you acting so friendly?

‘Well, I guess I’ll just have to dig them out one by one.’

He is a gender equality activist who can beat up women without hesitation.

Lael dragged Clara, whom he had subdued, into the alley.