The Mad Dog of the Dukes House - Chapter 112



Only Krnovel

Episode 112 34. Why are your eyes open like that? (3)

5.

It has already been four days since Charon and his party set out from Galad.

It was just as Orion had warned before departure.

The road to the southern part of the Great Forest was never easy.

How difficult was it?

“Sister. Could you give me some salt… … .”

“Ha… … Leo! Didn’t I tell you to save some salt? Get out! There’s only enough left for me to eat!”

“Sister… … Why are you doing this to me… … .”

“Huh? How long do I have to nag you? If there’s no salt, just chew it raw! Look at that! It’s chewing it up and eating it, bone by bone!”

It was enough to make even the always kind Leon lose his temper.

Leo munched on the deer meat he was holding with a sullen expression.

And then he looked at Caron with resentful eyes.

“If it’s going to be like this, why don’t you take the easy way out? Why do you have to buy it and go through all the trouble?”

The last four days of travel have been worse than I expected.

Monsters that attacked regardless of day or night.

And on roads that aren’t even properly paved.

It was by far the worst mission environment Leo had ever experienced.

And worst of all was the food.

Caron, this crazy guy only brought two days’ worth of food.

“Originally, if you’re full, you won’t be able to train well. Huh? While on a mission, you have to procure food locally… … What the heck is the problem, hyung?”

“If only you had taken good care of me from the beginning in Galad!”

“No, you held out well even in a forest occupied by monsters, right?”

“There was nothing to eat back then, you punk.”

“Why are you making it so complicated when you can just think that you have nothing to eat right now? This is all to help you, hyung.”

Endless sophistry.

But the most exciting thing is.

“… … Then why is there always beef jerky sticking out of your pockets?”

Charon, that guy has never procured food.

While everyone else was starving, he was the only one eating beef jerky and bread.

Somehow, I felt like I was leaving Galad with a lot of luggage.

“The elves are good at making jerky. I’ll have to buy some when I return to Cheonghae Castle.”

This crazy guy is out of touch.

Leo wanted to ask more questions, but Leon stepped in and cleared up the situation.

“Caron originally liked jerky, right? Leave it alone.”

“Sister. But still… … .”

“After the mission is over, let’s turn that guy into jerky. Since he likes jerky so much, it wouldn’t be bad to try becoming jerky for once.”

Leon said that and glared at Caron as if he was going to kill him.

Leon, who had been kind when we first met, seemed to have changed a lot since entering the forest.

But Caron nodded with a big smile.

“I am confident that I can endure your hatred at any time. Feel free to hate me. If that is the way for you to become stronger, I will gladly… … .”

“shut up.”

“Don’t be embarrassed.”

Caron smiled happily and took the map out of his bosom.

It wasn’t too difficult to pinpoint our current location, thanks to the map the patrolmen had used.

“We’re about halfway there.”

The current location is adjacent to the ‘forbidden’ area that the elves warned about.

That is, it was not far from where the dragon’s lair was.

Caron slowly turned his gaze and looked around.

“It seems like the vegetation has changed a little.”

The reason why the area around Dragon’s Lair is dangerous is, of course, because of the existence of the ‘Guardian’.

Guardians are basically monsters that protect rares.

Depending on the dragon’s disposition, the ‘Guardians’ also had different dispositions, but Caron already knew who the owner of this rare was.

The progenitor of the clan, a rare evil dragon who also appears in the Chronicles of Lael Reston.

Poison Dragon Etaron.

Because that was the only dragon that had settled in the Southern Great Forest.

“Pluto.”

Srrrrrr!

The darkness flowing from Charon’s hand took the shape of a cat.

Myaaaah-!

The dark blue cat shook its head at Charon.

“Go take a look around here.”

Myaaa.

Pluto shakes his head as if disapproving of Charon’s orders.

Then Charon raised his fist slightly and said,

“Would you like to meet me?”

A blatant threat.

This was also the secret to Charon becoming so close to Pluto in such a short period of time.

Are the memories from the past week coming back to me?

Mya-!

Pluto quickly escaped Charon’s grasp and disappeared into the shadows of the forest.

One of Pluto’s abilities is hiding in shadows.

There’s no need to run around like a puppy and scout out.

All we have to do is send Pluto and share Pluto’s vision.

-I’m glad there are fewer annoying things.

Guillotine said as if he was relieved.

Caron and his party, who had been relying solely on the guillotine’s senses until now, finally gained proper reconnaissance capabilities.

-Etaron. I still vividly remember the moment I cut off that guy’s neck. Shall I tell you about that day? So where should I start? … .

“Wow, this is fun.”

-… … We haven’t even started talking yet?

“That’s why it’s fun.”

Charon ignored Guillotine’s voice and focused his sight on Pluto.

Etaron’s rare.

Although it had already lost its owner over 300 years ago, it was still a place where dragons once lived.

Dangerous magic traps, guardians protecting lairs, and more.

It means that it is full of all kinds of risk factors.

There was a reason why the elves still did not dare to venture there even after 300 years.

-That’s because all the nobles are cowards. Since their master died, the guardians would have scattered as well. That’s how nobles are originally, right? They have no sense of adventure… … .

“Guillotine.”

-why.

“Shut up.”

As Guillotine said, it’s normal for there to be no guardians around the lair.

Even if there were any, their numbers would have to be small because the owner had left the place empty for a long time.

But the inside of the forbidden city, as seen through Pluto’s eyes, was completely different from what was expected.

Cocoons hanging all over the trees.

And the monsters that are born from those cocoons in real time, and the golems that take care of them.

‘It’s not an abandoned place.’

The Rare’s functions are working normally.

However, judging from the small number of Guardians, it seemed that the function had not been revived for very long.

“Hmm.”

Charon’s head became complicated.

It was completely different from what I heard from Orion.

‘There’s no way he could have fooled us.’

Then there is only one possibility left.

The elves are also unaware of this situation.

“Guillotine. Are you sure Etaron is dead?”

-They even made a weapon from Etaron’s corpse. So there’s no way he could have been resurrected as an undead. But why all of a sudden? You said earlier that you didn’t want to hear old stories.

“The rare is in operation.”

-… … What? That can’t be… … .

After a while, Guillotine presented a possibility.

-… … Did the hatchling hatch? But why now, after 300 years… … Master, are you planning on checking that place now?

“Am I crazy?”

There was no need to take this risk now.

The return of the Rare’s functionality was certainly an ominous sign, but this was something the elves would have to deal with.

So Caron made a quick decision.

“Let’s take a detour.”

There was no need to go through the trouble of poking a beehive.

It will take a little longer, but it is better to take a detour to the west.

I’ve deliberately taken a risky path to help my colleagues adapt to the power, but this is something I can’t handle.

“We can take a big detour along the western coastline. It’ll take a day longer than the original route… … Let’s move a little faster.”

At Caron’s instructions, his colleagues nodded and sighed in relief.

‘… … I feel uneasy though.’

It seemed certain that something was happening in the forest.

However, Charon had no choice but to take a step forward, leaving his uneasy feelings behind.

First of all, finding Kerua was the priority.

6.

The rest of the journey was relatively smooth, thanks to our decision to take a detour along some sections.

A place where you can see the South Sea through the gaps in the trees.

Caron’s party, somewhat worn out from the endless fighting, was finally able to enjoy the charm of the Southern Great Forest.

“pretty.”

Leon’s condition, which had been very bad, has also improved somewhat.

She looked at the sea with a faint smile.

“It’s completely different from the North Sea.”

“Oh, Sister, you’ve already been to Bukhae for your coming of age ceremony. How was it?”

Leon shrugged in response to Caron’s question.

“What a shitty place. Demons show up often, and it’s cold and barren.”

“Come to think of it, Brother Leo, you’ll also have to go to a coming of age ceremony after this mission is over?”

The Duke of Reston’s coming of age ceremony takes place the year he turns nineteen.

Actually, it’s not a grand ceremony.

Going to the North Sea and facing the origins of your family.

Once you have your coming of age ceremony in the North Sea, you gain the right to participate in the official affairs of your family.

“Yeah. I’m already worried.”

Leo said with a small sigh.

“You can do it, right?”

“Don’t worry about anything, brother.”

“Leo Reston. Be proud of your accomplishments! You are a warrior recognized by me. If your clan does not recognize you, then my clan will recognize you as a man.”

Utula tapped his chest several times and spoke to Charon.

“How about catching some fish and eating it for dinner tonight? I’ll catch it for you.”

“Don’t you know how to catch fish?”

“Of course. A warrior must be able to obtain food wherever he may be.”

“Good. I was already sick of eating only meat.”

Leo and Leon’s expressions brightened even more at the mere word ‘fish’.

“I want to eat circuit.”

“I think the grilled food would be delicious?”

This is because they too were growing tired of a diet that focused only on meat.

“Where did all the people who were trying to turn me into jerky go just now?”

A word that Caron said as a joke.

At those words, Leon smiled brightly and answered.

“Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll definitely keep that promise.”

“The sea is right next to us, Sister. Let’s dry it with the sea breeze.”

“That’s a very good idea, Leo.”

“I’ll teach you the recipe for giant jerky, my friends.”

They were three very close-knit people.

After all, unity increases when there is a common enemy.

‘Because I’m used to playing villains.’

Charon, smiling happily, walked forward at the head of the group.

How much time has passed like that?

“wait for a sec.”

Caron, who was walking while chewing on jerky, stopped in place for a moment.

Then he quickly bent his knees and looked at the floor.

‘footprint?’

There were several footprints on the dirt floor, and broken branches could be seen between the footprints.

There was evidence that someone had passed by recently.

‘At least 10 people.’

Charon guessed their number from the shape of their footprints.

And then, Leon, who had come up behind Charon, spoke while carefully examining the footprints.

“It’s not an elf. Elves don’t leave footprints. Judging by the shape of the footprints, it’s a leather boot.”

“human?”

“High probability. Judging from the slight moisture it seems to have come from the sea?”

Leon nodded, wiping the dirt off his fingers.

“It hasn’t been that long. Why don’t you check with Pluto?”

Charon slowly nodded at Leon’s suggestion. Then he summoned Pluto again and sent him out to scout.

The reconnaissance didn’t take long.

Because within a minute of sending Pluto, strangers entered Pluto’s sight.

As expected, there were about ten of them, each holding a weapon, and they were running forward.

The only thing that’s unique is that they all have a red armband on their right arms.

“Human, leather boots, sea, red armband.”

Caron muttered words as if he was talking to himself, and Leon quickly put them together.

It wasn’t difficult to deduce the identities of the outsiders.

Because here in the South Sea, there was only one armed group wearing a red armband.

“……pirate.”

Leon said in a low voice.

Caron nodded slowly.

“Are they the Empress’s subordinates?”

“If they’re wearing red armbands, they’re probably No. 6 Guy Beshik and his subordinates. But why are they here… ?”

“It looks like they’re chasing an elf… … There’s no way the pirates would come to help the elves, right?”

Caron spoke briefly and pulled the guillotine out of its scabbard. Then he raised the corners of his lips slightly and said.

“Let’s go and ask in person.”

There’s a mad dog living in the duke’s house