My Demons - Chapter 195



Only Krnovel

My Villains Episode 195

44. Dream (5)

The autumn rain that came without warning pounded on the roof. The sound of beans frying in oil continued monotonously.

In late autumn, when the cold wind blew, the sound of strong rain made those under the roof feel cozy.

Thanks to this, a tavern in a deserted forest somewhere in the Gistol region was very peaceful. Most of the few customers were lying down in the corner of the bar and trying to sleep, while the remaining couple were sipping beer while listening to the sound of rain.

Meanwhile, the owner of the tavern was moving around busily.

“Plague.”

An old man with a bushy beard grumbled quietly as he placed an old wooden bucket where the rainwater was leaking.

“It’s only been four days since the new roof was installed, but it’s raining. “This is going to be crazy.”

“Can you tell? “I put it up anyway to block out wind and rain.”

Jang Han appeared, rolling an oak barrel filled with beer, and said:

“And, as I looked at them, I realized they weren’t the tough guys you usually are. “It’ll be okay.”

“No matter how tough the silver grass is, if it gets heavily wet from rain before it dries properly, it will quickly deteriorate.”

The old man clicked his tongue as he caught the rainwater leaking into another wooden bucket.

“If you want to survive the year, soak it in dew

“It should have been dried in the sun for 15 days.”

“It seemed like passing rain. Won’t it stop soon? And if you feel uncomfortable, go up the ridge and cut some more silver grass.”

“I went up the mountain for no reason and wanted to meet some monster. “It’s getting colder, so guys like hippo griffs and bear people might come down.”

“Wow, my father is worried too much.”

Jang Han chuckled softly as he lifted the large oak barrel onto the bar in one go.

“It would be useful if a man who runs a business in a remote forest gets scared by that bear man, right?”

“Shut up and see what your younger brothers are doing. “I asked them to gather some leather and blankets, but there was still no news.”

As soon as those words were finished, the door to the tavern opened. What appeared like that were three men, all of whom were large and resembled each other, making them look like brothers.

As the old man looked at his three sons and was about to stop talking, one of the men opened his mouth, placing a pile of blankets on an empty table.

“I heard mercenaries are coming.”

“Mercenaries?”

“About twenty.”

As the second son said that and disappeared into a small room, the eldest son, who was standing at the bar, narrowed his eyes and asked his younger brothers.

“Twenty. “What kind of guys?”

“It’s not serious. “The armed forces are good, and there seems to be a magician mixed in.”

The third son threw the slightly wet skins in a corner and picked up an ax with a long handle.

The eldest son was scratching the back of his head and yelling at the people lying in the corner.

“Hey, guests! “I think you should wake up for a moment.”

“… … “Oh, what is it?”

“Some mercenaries are coming. “Please stay up for a moment just in case.”

The group that came to the tavern first were merchants from the west. As they were people traveling between the mountain ranges and the plateau, the merchants were all armed.

By the time the second son, wearing a sword belt at his waist, came out of the room holding a crossbow, his brothers were standing behind the bar. Weapons such as axes and maces were well hidden.

The older man, the brothers’ father and the owner of the tavern, pulled out a chair in front of the bar and sat down, gesturing to his youngest son.

“Kigon, give me a beer.”

“Yes, father.”

A young man called Kigon used a small wooden mallet to hammer a brass stem into an oak barrel. When the strong beer filled the tin cup, he skimmed off some of the foam with a wide wooden stick and handed it to the old man.

“nice.”

The old man took a sip of beer and emptied half of the glass in one go.

The monotonous sound of rain changed into complex variations. This is because of the heavy steps mixed in.

Let’s do that for a while.

The wooden door opened wide with a rattling sound. The group that appeared like that crossed the threshold and then stopped abruptly.

“Welcome.”

The old man spoke, wiping the beer from his beard.

“What brings you here?”

There was silence for a moment.

Entering the tavern were several dozen mercenaries. They were all large and well-armed.

The mercenaries who stopped due to the strange tension in the bar were momentarily unable to respond to the old man’s polite greeting.

Then, a man with ponytail hair carrying an iron flail on his shoulder stepped forward.

“… … “Huh, that’s a stupid question.”

He laughed ferociously and sarcastically.

“I came to the tavern to drink and rest. What brings you here, old man?”

“Oh, is that so? “They were guests.”

Although grim-looking mercenaries swarmed before his eyes, the old man still remained calm and calm.

“Then where do these guests come from?”

“Should I even say that?”

“It’s the rules of the Oressa Tavern. “It’s also my pastime.”

“Shut up and bring me some warm food and beer. “I have no intention of joining in with the old man’s pastimes.”

At the ponytail mercenary’s growl, a short-haired woman among the group of mercenaries made an annoyed expression.

“Shut up, Fritz.”

“what?”

“If you want to fight like a cockfight, go back to the empire and play as a gladiator.”

“… … under. “Have you said everything?”

The woman, who was taller than most men, rolled her eyes and twisted her mouth.

“I’ve said it all, you bastard. What should I do?”

“This orc bitch.”

As the other mercenaries were trying to stop the two, a voice came from behind the group.

“What are you doing when you’re not going in?”

Along with that voice, someone entered the bar.

The tall young man, who was a head taller than the other mercenaries, was handsome at first glance, but his cool eyes gave him a somewhat cold aura.

“Oh, get out of the way.”

The mercenaries gathered at the entrance suddenly moved out of the way at the tone of annoyance. The young man stepped forward and took off his black half-cloak, shaking off the moisture.

“Isn’t there a stablekeeper here? “Why is no one coming out?”

The young man who grumbled like that was wearing a polished breastplate, a luxurious belt, a long sword, and long-necked boots. The old man spoke with a cautious expression despite his unusual appearance and appearance.

“Please understand. “Our tavern won’t serve customers until they reveal their name and origin.”

At those words, the young man who was shaking off his cloak asked with a shocked expression.

“… … “Is the old man the boss here?”

“CEO?”

“So, are you the owner?”

“exactly.”

“ O ” ◎ •

The young man wiped away the rainwater from his head and shoulders and opened his mouth.

“I am Phoenix, a knight from the Razil region of Eyland Island. “These guys are mercenaries I hired.”

“… … “A knight has arrived.”

When the old man tried to get up from the chair, the young man waved his hand.

“Okay, don’t call me that. “When I hear something like that from an older person, I feel like he’s a bad person for no reason.”

Poynix, a young man who said something that was difficult for an old man to understand, shrugged his shoulders and said.

“Anyway, that’s enough now, right? As you can see, it rained quite a bit on the way, so I’d like to rest for a while.”

“Oh, of course. but.” The old man continued, moistening his dry lips.

“The space is a little tight for everyone in the group to fit in.”

“… … It doesn’t look very narrow. “I think it’s probably more than 30.”

“It is the rule of the Oressa Tavern not to accept more than 30 customers at a time.”

“That’s a strange rule.”

“If you use too little space, arguments will arise. “If a fight breaks out in a remote place like this, it’s likely to result in a stabbing.”

«U n ■司三

“Besides, it seems like there are a lot of people in Nari’s group who have short tempers.”

At those words, Phoenix looked back at the mercenaries. The grim faces turned their heads here and there to avoid their gaze. It was a very funny scene.

“Fritz, is that you?”

“… … No, sir. I am-”

Just as Fritz, the pony-haired man holding the flail, was about to make an excuse, someone else walked out from behind the group.

Silky black hair, black pearl-like eyes, red lips contrasting with pure white skin… … .

It was a woman who came in with her hood pulled back. She is a very beautiful woman.

The old man, his sons, and the merchants from the west looked dazed when they saw the peerless beauty who suddenly appeared.

“It’s ‘Oakdeli’, right?”

“••••••yes?”

“I mean cheese.”

The woman pointed to a shelf behind the bar. To be exact, it was a large block of cheese located in the middle of the shelf.

“… … you’re right. “It’s cheese from Oak Deli.”

“What kind of dish is it used for?”

“We do roll pies.”

“Roll pie?”

“yes.”

As the woman blinked her eyes quietly, the old man opened his mouth without realizing it.

“… … It is made by baking flour dough, adding cheese to it, melting it, and sprinkling roasted sesame seeds and honey.” Heyla, the woman who had passed the old man and stood in front of the bar, took out one of her silver coins and spoke.

“It sounds delicious. “Please give me one.”

“… … Well, lady. As I already told you, our tavern is,”

“no.”

Hayla took out a handful of gold coins and placed them on the bar.

“Twenty-two people, please match the number.”

After exchanging glances with his four sons for a moment, the old man sighed and nodded.

Hayla sat down at the biggest table in the tavern and looked at Phoenix. She blinked her eyes as if asking what she was doing.

“Poi, sit here.”

Phoenix smiled bitterly and scratched his eyebrows.

As the new group took their seats, the once spacious Oressa tavern somehow felt cramped.

Fritz, the ponytail-haired mercenary, munched on his roll pie with an uncomfortable look on his face.

Oressa Tavern’s special roll pie had a savory yet sweet taste.

But Fritz could not enjoy the taste comfortably. This is because Phoenics was sitting on the left and Utequai was sitting on the right.

‘I’ll pretend, X-arm.’

Fritz couldn’t help but feel aggrieved. At some point, it was because of his situation that he was treated as if he were the troublemaker of the group.

‘Honestly, there are people worse than me, right? Umberta and Dervish, as well as those two, Gidon is a formidable idiot.’

As he was grumbling to himself, a middle-aged man approached the table. He was the head of the merchants who came to the tavern first.

“Can you excuse me for a moment, sir?”

Wwoo«

Poynix, who was muttering his mouth, took a sip of beer and then asked back.

“What’s going on?”

“I am a merchant from the west, and I have news you might want to hear.”

“•••••♦Sit down.”

“thank you.”

The middle-aged merchant who took his place between the bundle and Moses opened his mouth with a smile.

“I have heard your story well.”

“my story?”

“Ah, because the places we mainly visit are the ports in the southern western region. Places like ‘Vitian’ in ‘Alvivten’ or ‘Auduenne’ in ‘Abyden’. Thanks to that, I often heard news from South Harbor.”

As if to prove his words, he gave nicknames such as Blood Beacon, Beheader, Red Bear, and Fire Witch. As the merchant’s words seemed to get longer, Phoenics frowned.

“What do you want to say?”

“Ah, that. “I made a deal with a mercenary group on my way through the highlands.”

“Mercenaries?”

“yes. “I heard that the mercenary leader has a connection with the Lord.”

Phoenix asked back with a puzzled expression.

“What is the captain’s name?”

“This is a person named Grania. “Do you really know?”

Phoenix’s eyes widened at the merchant’s words.

“Grania? Grania from the North, good at using shields and swords?”

“Oh, you know?”

“of course. “We did a few things together.”

Poynix did not hide his joy and asked questions.

“Yeah, I heard you were going west. How is Grania? What about Arnal, Farrell, and Sister Olga?”

“Well, I’m not sure about the other three. “The only people I know are Aville, the mercenary’s supply manager, and Grania, the leader.”

“Oh yeah? “With a supply officer in charge, it seems like the size of the mercenary force has grown considerably?”

“Sure. In terms of size, it is comparable to one of the mercenary units under Prince Ulkar. “The number of members will be approximately one hundred and fifty.”

“One hundred and fifty? “That much?”

Phoenix tilted his head.

“for a moment. “Then how many mercenaries does Prince Ulkar have in total?”

“I don’t know exactly, but I heard it’s roughly around 1,000 people.”

“••••••what?”

Seeing the other person’s surprised expression, the merchant spoke as if he was happy.

“You’re surprised by only 1,000 mercenaries. Prince Ulkar has absorbed the armies of Margrave Landry and other nobles, and the number of regular troops under his command is over 2,000.”

Ellen, who had been quietly listening to the story, opened her mouth slightly.

“So, if you add them all together, the army is 3,000?”

“Yes, that’s right. “They said that’s about it.”

“under. “You’ve gathered such a large army when you already have an evil eye on the king?”

“I guess it couldn’t be helped. “It’s such an urgent situation, right?”

“Urgent situation?”

“Oh, haven’t you heard the news?”

The merchant raised his eyebrows in surprise and nodded.

“Well, I guess word hasn’t reached here yet. “It’s obvious.” “What on earth does that mean? “You mean it’s news?”

The merchant’s face hardened as Poynix picked him up.

“The ‘King of Death’. In the end, it only crossed the blade of a knife.”

“… … “The king of death.”

Phoenix muttered as if moaning.

“You know the King of Death, right? A fearsome necromancer with countless undead.”

“… … Yeah, I know. I even heard that it was sweeping the empire. “He just crossed the edge of a blade?”

“yes. Last I heard, they were occupying Abidden province and putting pressure on Gowon. Prince Ulkar and his army are isolated on the plateau, waiting for outside support.”

The merchant clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“It was so urgent that he even asked for help from the Red Cloth Bishops of the ‘Calandari Order.’”

“Is the Prince of Milanol asking for help from the Calandari Church?” Fritz, the ponytail mercenary, burst into laughter.

“Milanol treats the Calandari Church as a heresy, right?”

“Well, strictly speaking, the Kingdom of Milanol is not like that. “It was the Patriarch of the Church of El Ganor who declared Calandari to be this cult, not His Majesty the King of Milanol.”

“Doesn’t everyone know that the King of Silence licks the soles of the Patriarch’s feet?”

The merchant made an awkward expression at Fritz’s verbal abuse.

“… … Uh, uh, you’re a brave person.”

“Are you brave? what?”

“I never knew someone in the kingdom would say something like that. Moreover, the territory ruled by the king’s bannermen is just a stone’s throw away… …

Fritz closed his mouth at the absurd warning and took a quick look at his surroundings. Fortunately, there seemed to be no loyalists of the Geunwang faction in this tavern.

“Then did a monster, like a priest of the deep sea or something, come over with the King of Death?”

“A priest of the deep sea?”

The merchant tilted his head in response to Phoenix’s question.

“That’s my first time hearing that name. “The one that brought the fishman monsters was called by a different name.”

“Another name?”

“Yes, that-”

The merchant rolled his eyes for a moment and then added.

“Ah, ‘Witch of Praise’ or something like that.”

“Hymn of praise, witch?”

“yes. With its angelic singing voice, it captivates people and makes them stick out their necks in front of the undead and fishmen. very scary

“Let’s do it.”

Moss, the magic swordsman who had just swallowed a roll pie, opened his eyes wide.

“If it’s a song that captivates people, is it Siren?”

“Probably not a siren.”

The merchant shook his head.

“I heard it doesn’t have wings or feathers. “On the outside, she looks like a normal person, and a very beautiful woman.”

“Beautiful beauty?”

The merchant lowered his upper body and lowered his voice.

“yes. “Everyone goes crazy when they see her red hair and her green eyes.”

Suddenly, there was a clang and the sound of metal falling.

When Phoenix turned around, he saw Ellen, who had lost her fork, with a pale face.