Imperial Guard - Chapter 7



Only Noblemtl

Episode 7

Harmony of yin and yang

I passed through the slums of District 5 and came to District 4, where the common people lived.

From the 4th district, which was under the protection of the outer guard, people began to be active.

Although there are patrols by the outer guards in District 5, the level of patrols in District 4 was different because it was where the outer guards resided.

However, the degree of deterioration of the buildings was different compared to areas 2 and 3.

Several of the buildings looked old and outwardly, and it would not have been surprising if they had collapsed at any moment.

“If you grow up in a place like this, your ego will become distorted.”

I was a living witness.

At least the daycare center in front of me won’t collapse thanks to my hard work in maintaining it.

I opened the creaking door and entered the daycare.

“Brother-!”

“Oppa.”

Even though it was a bit late because we had met the beggars, the children were still awake.

It’s waiting for me.

“Okay, okay. Come one by one.”

I put the snacks and cookies I bought on the way here into the children’s mouths one by one.

Today was the day to pack snacks for the kids.

“Rael. Are you here?”

“Yes, Sister. I’m sorry I’m late. It’s time for the children to go to bed.”

“It’s okay. When you’re young, you should sleep late for a day or so.”

The woman who spoke to me with a smile was a nun named Rayzel who lived at the orphanage.

Although nuns belong to the order, they are of a lower status than lower priests and cannot properly use blessings.

Still, along with Teacher Sarah, they are like my parents.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to come here every day from now on. The route has gotten too long since the guard post was moved, and the work has changed.”

“It’s okay. The kids are all grown up now. I’m worried because they don’t listen to me.”

“Just tell me. I’ll take good care of it. Oh, and tomorrow is payday, so I’ll bring some money with me.”

“Ugh. Thanks. Rael. But are you okay? It’s probably a lot of money for you to handle on your own…”

“It’s okay. Who am I? I’m the captain of the Imperial Guard. Captain of the Guard.”

I pretend to be strong, but in reality, I feel quite burdened.

I cover most of the costs of daycare.

In this era, orphanages are managed by the religious order, and the religious order’s power is so strong that it can be compared to the imperial family.

That is why daycare centers are in an ambiguous position to receive direct support.

Because it could be perceived that money intended for support to the church is being used to fund daycare centers.

‘The kids who pursue doctrine have their minds screwed up.’

It’s actually a ridiculous logic, but if there was logic in this world, there wouldn’t be so many beggars.

Anyway, the daycare survives by receiving only the minimum amount of money from the school each month.

Since that money was not enough for the children to survive, it was usually nuns or volunteers who loved the children who helped provide the money.

It was for similar reasons for me too.

“Brother. Look at this. Beh.”

The girl who approached with a bright expression made a funny face.

I stroked her head and gave her the desired response.

“Swoop. I told you, a lady doesn’t make such stupid faces.”

“Hehe. Hehehe.”

Seeing Bert sticking his tongue out and laughing makes it seem like everything that happened today was a dream.

I turned my head slightly and saw beggars sitting behind the wall.

The surveillance seemed to be working properly.

‘It’s a world where it’s hard to even protect my own home.’

This is the only place in this world where I can find some peace of mind.

That’s why I will never let it be broken.

It was my only goal in this fucking world.

*

Going to work as a special guard has become a familiar experience now.

It’s now easy to even say hello to the outer guard.

“Have a nice day.”

“Yes. Over there… Captain Rael.”

“huh?”

I waved and tried to go inside, but a security guard spoke to me.

He was looking at me with a curious expression.

“Are you feeling well? You look the healthiest person I’ve ever seen.”

“Thank you for your concern. It’s a nice place to live.”

I chuckled, tapped the guard on the shoulder, and went inside.

It was just a trivial greeting, but it’s true that I was unnecessarily concerned.

“Now, being healthy is also something that people are interested in.”

The Special Guard is a symbol of fear within the Guard.

Perhaps, as time passes and I continue to live, there will certainly be more stories to tell.

‘I don’t like being bothered… but I can’t pretend to be dead either.’

It’s not something you can worry about from now on.

Contrary to your worries, it might pass without any problems.

I entered the special guard building, watching Reina searching for something in the distance.

“Good morning, Mr. Rael.”

“Nice to meet you, Yuri!”

I smiled happily and greeted Yuri.

It’s a truly extraordinary feeling to greet the next emperor in the morning.

Of course, the Special Guard is a bit unstable, but still, the next emperor is the next emperor.

If we become friends, it will definitely help me.

“What is this? Chess?”

“Yes. Mr. Rael, can you do it?”

She was sitting in front of something like a chessboard.

It seems that he was moving both the white and black pieces alone.

“Were you doing it alone?”

“Yes… The others don’t like to use their heads. Would you like to join us, Mr. Rael?”

Seeing him avoid eye contact in embarrassment made me want to help, but I’m bad at chess.

It’s not that I didn’t know anything at all, I just knew the rules.

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to learn a trick.”

But when it comes to strategy games, you can’t leave me out.

Because I am a veteran who has played Starcraft, a game that embodies the soul of our people, for over 10 years.

I sat confidently across from her.

And 10 minutes later.

“It’s checkmate.”

“···.”

I stared blankly at the chessboard and blinked.

Only the glass pieces survived on the chessboard.

It was literally annihilation.

“You’re weak. You’re like Miss Reina, who has never played chess before.”

“shit···.”

Starcraft doesn’t help you with chess.

I learned something new today too.

‘No, aren’t all the main characters in novels good at chess?’

Why did the sky give birth to me! and Yuri!

If Starcraft had existed in the Middle Ages instead of chess, I would have been the best in the empire.

“Don’t be too upset. I’ve been learning chess since I was little. Oh, by the way, today is the day I pay Mr. Rael his salary. I’ll give it to you right now.”

“Thank you.”

I took the pouch Yuri offered me with a bitter face.

“huh?”

But something was strange.

Today, my pockets felt thin and light.

I opened the pocket and checked the contents.

“Ms. Yuri.”

“yes?”

“Why is my salary like this? I clearly know it’s 20 imperial gold coins···.”

“Hmm. I’m not the one paying your salary. I understand that Mr. Rael was demoted from captain to regular guard when he was transferred to the special guard unit. Did you check the official document?”

“ah.”

What the fuck.

I just cut off the money supply with those beggars yesterday.

*

Slap- slap slap-

I’m depressed because my salary has dropped, but I still have to work.

I entered the Demon King’s prison again today.

The King’s Watch usually comes around once every four days, but today, Ghent said he had some business, so I came in his place.

By the way, Reina followed me all the way as if she was suspicious, and then went back after confirming that I was going inside.

As expected, he is definitely a crazy elf.

‘Imperial bastards, are you going to hire a talented person like me for this kind of money?’

I sighed and shook off my regret.

I had forgotten, but I was demoted to the special guard for assaulting a nobleman.

In some ways, it’s natural for salaries to fall.

Well, if you need money, you can just go and meet the beggars later on.

This isn’t a martial arts studio, and these beggars have no pride.

If you ask for work, you get work.

Slap- slap-

Clank- Clank-

The sound of something being eaten and an unpleasant metallic noise broke my thoughts.

The gloomy atmosphere of the underground was still there, but it was much better than before.

I looked at the demon king in the prison.

“It doesn’t taste bad.”

“··· I’m glad you like it.”

She was relishing the sweet tomatoes I had brought her, while I was looking at the devil chewing on the tomatoes with disgust.

Under the dim light, the tomato juice was seeping out of her mouth, and it felt strange because it reminded me of blood.

“This is the first time I’ve seen someone actually bring something sweet when I told them to.”

“It’s not that difficult.”

Anyway, Ghent manages the garden.

I just secretly picked a few tomatoes.

The ghost king looked at me with interest.

“Human. Aren’t you afraid of talking to me?”

“I’m just… a little nervous.”

To be honest, every time we talk, the aura surrounding me weakens.

The reason I was able to adapt so quickly was thanks to conversation.

Maybe the Ghost King also needed to talk to people.

Slap- slap slap-

While I was doing some serious thinking, the devil was focused on the tomatoes.

He looked to be around the same age as the children in the orphanage, except for the horns that stood out on his head.

Still, I’m glad you like tomatoes.

“But they don’t even give you food here?”

“Have you ever heard of ghosts eating?”

“In my hometown, we used to do that sometimes. We would prepare food for the dead.”

“Hmm. Really?”

“Yes. Sometimes I would open the windows to let the dead people into the house.”

The ghost king listened to my story with interest.

It doesn’t seem like a particularly interesting story, but since you listened to it so intently, I ended up talking intently.

The ghost king, who was concentrating on the story about the sacrifice, suddenly slapped his palm and opened his mouth.

“Come to think of it, I was going to ask this. Human, what is your name?”

“This is Rael.”

“Rael… Yes. Rael. I hate hearing polite speech from humans.”

“···?”

I kept my mouth shut at the ghost king’s unexpected words.

Anyone who looked at her looked like a young girl.

But it was clear that there was a monster inside that body.

Isn’t it a bit weird to suddenly start talking informally to someone like that?

Aren’t you going to suddenly kill me after speaking informally to me?

“By the way, what I hate the most is when people say the same thing twice.”

“I see.”

I instinctively blurted out the words and opened my eyes wide.

The instincts that had been building up in the orphanage spoke out.

But the ghost king continued speaking as if he didn’t care.

“Next time, buy something like chocolate. Fruit doesn’t taste like a human.”

“Uh, ··· okay. I will do that.”

*

“You had a conversation with the Demon King?”

“huh.”

After finishing my watch over the Demon King, I sat down in the garden when Gent, who had taken care of some urgent business, approached me.

He even brought me a gift as a thank you.

Vegan sandwiches are said to be food for nature lovers.

It didn’t look very tasty, so I saved it to give to the elf, Reina, later.

“That’s ridiculous. Not only did you approach the Demon King, but you even talked to him?”

“Really. You told me not to use formal language with you, right? That’s why I decided to let you know. You’ll be in next time, so I won’t be able to see you for a week, but next time I’ll buy you some chocolate.”

“······.”

Gent, who heard what I said, stared at me intently.

He tilted his head to himself and suddenly squinted his eyes.

And he grabbed my wrist and checked my pulse.

“It’s definitely normal···.”

Ghent, who had been muttering to himself, soon began to dig up the garden behind him.

“Okay, Rael. Eat this.”

“Oh. What is this?”

What Ghent offered was a carrot.

But it’s not orange, it’s a red carrot, like lava.

It was my first time seeing carrots like this, so I was quite curious.

“This is the red carrot of the North. It cools your head. It seems like you’re having a mental breakdown. I thought you’d be okay, but it seems my calculations were wrong. Fortunately, it doesn’t look too bad…”

“Stop being a jerk, Gent. I’m normal.”

As I said that, I took the carrot Gent had given me and put it in my mouth.

Because I remember my time as a beggar, I don’t refuse anything that’s free, and I take anything that’s given to me.

They say it’s a carrot from the north, but it was refreshing and delicious, unlike its appearance.

“Red carrots are useless… Then why don’t you just make some porridge with carrots from the north and potatoes from the south?”

“No. I said I’m fine.”

“It is a porridge that has both cold and warm tastes. It will be absorbed quickly by the body due to the harmony of yin and yang.”

“hey!”

Gent ran out without even listening to my answer.

It sounds like the harmony of yin and yang.

I’m telling you, I’m perfectly normal.

That little bastard doesn’t listen to people.

“Isn’t it too baseless for a giant to seek harmony between yin and yang?”

Of course, even if I think like this alone, no one will sympathize with me.

If we’re going to be that picky, we should start by pointing out the name Ghost King.

Does a ghost king make sense in a medieval fantasy setting? If you go by that, then the beggars should be free too.

“There is no place to express my anger towards the world.”

I turned around and looked at the garden alone.

Today I was going to ask Gent about the Thousand-Year Sword and the Dragon, but I got caught up in some stupid conversation and forgot about it.

‘I’d like to at least get to know those two.’

If, as I expected, the Thousand-Sale Sword Master and the dragon are the ones who can stop the Demon King’s rampage, then they may also have information about the Demon King.

Or maybe it has some great information that isn’t in the novel.

“Tsk. I’ll ask next time.”

My strength is that I don’t think any further about problems that don’t have answers.

I stretched and yawned.

Now that I’m done with work and have nothing to do, I’ll just lie in the hammock like Reina again.

Dalgrak- Dalgrak-

At that moment, the sword hanging on my waist suddenly came into view.

Come to think of it, I’ve never been transferred to the special guard unit and never trained in swordsmanship.

“I guess I should start training again soon.”

As humans, there are things we must do even if we don’t want to do them.

To survive in this dirty and deadly world, you must take care of yourself.

‘Still, sometimes you have to move your body to maintain the status quo.’

I don’t want to get stronger, but I also don’t want to get weaker.

I overcame my annoyance and got out of the hammock.

Suddenly-

He slowly brought his hand to the scabbard.

Magical power spread from the tips of my fingers to my entire body.

At the same time, my senses were sharply aroused.