◈ 280. [Side Story] Fall Festival
Beastization is largely divided into three stages.
Level 1. The power of the beast begins to dwell in the human body. As a human, it is a relatively normal step to use the power of the beast as a tool.
Step 2. The beast begins to devour the accident. He loses his ability to speak, and acts like a half-animal.
Still, the ego as a human remains, but the boundaries are blurring.
Step 3. It completely becomes a beast. He loses his sense as a human being and normal thinking, and becomes a monster who longs for violence.
If you enter the third stage, you will never be able to return to being human again.
And Lucas reached the end of the second stage this time.
If he had taken half a step further, he would have become no different from the werewolf legion we killed this time.
If so… … .
Maybe I should have killed Lucas with my own hands.
“Do you know how many days Karma Eater absorbed your bestial tendencies before you stabilized this time?”
Her face, flushed from being hit by me, bowed down, still clinging to the chains.
Lucas is lashing out at me with his downtrodden dog attitude.
“It’s a week, a week! Do you see how far you’ve gone?”
“… … I’m sorry, lord.”
“sorry? If I’m sorry, will everything be resolved, you bastard?”
I growled as I rolled up my sleeves.
“What was the order I gave you this time? say it.”
“… … .”
“Tell me!”
“The defense of the southern wall… … You have entrusted it. You handed over command to me.”
“But what did you do?”
“… … We went out of the wall and charged into the enemy camp.”
“and.”
“I wrote a beast painting.”
“and!”
“… … I lost my sanity. At the end of the battle, no memory remains.”
Jab-!
I slapped Lucas on the other cheek. Lucas gritted his teeth and endured the pain.
“There are three reasons why you are beating me right now. First, you didn’t even listen to my order not to wear beast shoes.”
“I’m sorry, lord.”
“Second, even though he was in command, he threw away his command and fought in the middle of enemy lines like a mad dog. And do you know what the last third is?”
“… … I do not know.”
“You don’t take yourself seriously, you bastard!”
Jab-!
He slapped the same cheek once more. Lucas this time even burst into his nose, bleeding down his back.
“Being a beast! Even charging into the enemy camp alone! It’s all suicidal! It’s all about eating your flesh and using your life for firewood! Why are you doing this?!”
“… … .”
“And what, do you have a heroic spirit? Do you feel some kind of catharsis every time you win a battle by scraping and sacrificing your life? uh?”
“… … .”
“If only you knew how important your part on this front is! That’s why it shouldn’t be! Why don’t you listen to people and eat them, you bastard!”
Lucas, who had been silently listening to me with his head down, slowly opened his mouth.
“But your lord too.”
“what?”
“Even though he is the supreme commander… … Are you on the front lines?”
“… … .”
“Your lord… … Are you fighting for your life every time? every time, every time. always… … .”
After being speechless for a moment, I sighed in bewilderment.
“Hey, I… … !”
I am… … .
… … .
I am… … Even so, how?
I opened my mouth, but the words didn’t come out. I stuttered and then shut my mouth.
Suddenly, I remembered what Evangeline had said to me before.
– Seniors don’t take care of themselves too much.
– I’ve felt it before, but if you’re a human, you don’t have too much desire for the body you need to have. It’s a completely special situation from the frontline commander fighting on the front line.
– You are so willing to throw yourself into the battlefield. like… … .
– like… … It’s like it’s not your life.
“… … .”
Certainly, it may be.
I might still be standing here on the battlefield with the sense of the game. Maybe that’s why I’m using my life as a chess piece while rolling wildly.
Lucas just… … Maybe it’s just that I’ve learned faithfully by watching me like this. I do not know.
‘ah.’
Only then did I realize
The words I said to Lucas were all applied to myself as well.
It’s like looking in the mirror and blaming yourself.
“… … haaa… … .”
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He covered his forehead and let out a long sigh.
I roughly brushed back my disheveled hair and tidied it up, and coldly let out.
“… … Beasts are permanently sealed. Never use it again.”
He raised his index finger and thrust it in front of Lucas’ nose, warning him.
“If I see you write one more time, then I will kill you as a real disobedience. okay?”
“Yes, lord.”
“… … .”
When I saw Lucas, whose nose and lips were covered in blood from being hit by me, feeling downcast, I felt guilty.
However, if I didn’t go this far, I wouldn’t be able to stop using beast shoes, so I made up my mind and went out hard.
‘A dog with dung on it is the same as scolding a dog with chaff on it.’
Laughter leaked out at his own contradiction. I sighed, turned around and beckoned.
The guards who came inside loosened the chains that bound Lucas one by one.
I chinned out to Lucas, who stumbled and was released.
“Good job. Go to the temple, get healed, and rest.”
“Yes, lord… … .”
Lucas bowed to me, bowed his head, and limped out of the prison first.
“… … Whoa.”
I looked at the drops of Lucas’ blood scattered on the floor, and then I came out of the prison. At the entrance, Ader was waiting.
Ader handed me a towel. I roughly wiped my bloody hands.
“… … I hope everyone doesn’t risk their lives.”
I muttered as I watched the back of the wagon carrying Lucas on its way to the temple. Ader smiled.
“But they were battles that could not be won unless you risked your life, right?”
“know. I still wish I hadn’t walked. If you’re doing it moderately and endangering your own life, I’d like you to take it out.”
Blood stains were left on the towel. I looked down at it and murmured.
“I hope my colleagues aren’t hurt. I hope no one dies.”
“… … .”
“know. That this is the same as the whining of a child. That is nonsensical nonsense. but.”
I thought of my living party members in turn, as well as the party members who had already died and entered the grave.
Stage 10.
How many people have thrown their lives like stubble on the way here?
“I don’t want to lose any more… … .”
“… … .”
“It hurts whenever someone dies. I thought that if I continued to suffer, I would become numb, but no. Still, every time, I feel like I am being pierced with a hot skewer.”
“Don’t forget the pain, lord.”
Ader quietly whispered to me as I clutched at my throbbing stomach.
“The moment when that sense wears out and becomes dull one day. The moment when a person’s death becomes a number, not pain… … Because the lord will become a different being.”
“… … .”
Yet, this pain is vivid.
Maybe that’s why I reacted more violently.
Because Lucas, the main character of this game and his precious companion, keeps fighting as if he were throwing his life away without taking care of himself. I want to dry it.
but… … .
Maybe my colleagues, from a very long time ago, were feeling the same way when they saw me.
I kept my mouth shut and continued to wipe the blood off my hands. But it didn’t wipe clean.
‘… … From now on, I’ll never do corporal punishment.’
I feel so bad.
Except when I hit him with the staff [Maestro] and applied a buff, I won’t have to punish him again… … .
***
A few more days passed.
Autumn is fully ripe, the trees of the mountains are clearly changing their colors, and the wheat fields of the neighboring towns in the distance are golden.
The sky is high, blue and cloudless. cool autumn weather
Crossroads, which had been submerged since the last defense battle, began to gain vitality. Colorful fabrics covered the buildings and stalls were set up on every street.
Somehow, the atmosphere is excited, so it’s just autumn? I wanted to
“A fall festival?”
Turns out, it was a festival soon.
“yes! It’s a fall festival. It’s time to harvest this year’s crops, right? It’s the day when the whole country plays together. Well, our city is a bit far from farming, but… … Still, you worked hard for a year, so everyone should eat and play!”
Yeongju’s office.
Evangeline, who came to play, explained in a clear voice. I made a sound like oh-ho.
So, like Chuseok or Thanksgiving? After all, festivals during the harvest season seem to be a common culture in any world.
‘Come to think of it, there is an annual fall festival event in the game.’
It was only mentioned briefly, and the mercenaries only gave morale +5 and passed by, so there was not much presence. I feel like a big event is coming because I smell the air myself.
“How does the Fall Festival in Crossroads feel?”
“What’s so special about festivals in rural villages like this? Grill and sell skewers at street stalls, take out sake from door to door and share it… … .”
Evangeline shrugged.
“It’s like holding a simple martial arts competition.”
“… … What’s open?”
Martial contest?
“And about a dance festival?”
“… … What festival?”
Daeans?
Evangeline then waved her hand away.
“Ai, it’s far from the flashy things you think. It unfolds on a small scale worthy of a real country town.”
“Hmm… … .”
Still, the moment I heard those words, something flashed through my mind as a city lord.
‘festival… … Martial contest… … dance festival… … .’
… … Isn’t this a tourist product?
If you put proper tags such as ‘festival’ and ‘event’ and advertise well, tourists will flock like hyenas.
It reminded me of the ‘Crossroad Tourism City Plan’ that had been put on hold in the past.
I was eager to build a luxury hotel with a casino.
‘Come to think of it, no architects have come from the ecliptic yet.’
An architect who will design the hotel. And the circulation of magic stones piled up on the crossroads.
I decided to take care of both of them at the Wintersilver guild. No news yet.
Well, since the distance is so far, you have to understand that it will take some time. When are you going to arrive… … .
… … That was when I thought
“Yeong-joo niii!”
Ader jumped out in a hurry. why? let’s look at it,
“A guest has arrived from the ecliptic!”
“… … !”
I heard that even a tiger will come when I say it!
I quickly grabbed my coat and went outside. Ader and Evangeline also followed me.
When we arrived at the North Gate by carriage, the streets were already full of citizens who had come out to watch.
And, through the wide open north gate.
As if some kind of parade had been held, colorful and sophisticated style wagons were coming in endlessly.
These are the wagons of the upper ranks of Wintersilver.
“Wow… … What’s this. What the hell is going on?”
Evangeline watched the procession with her mouth wide open. I also whistled. It’s serious, Winter Silver!
“majesty!”
Then a familiar voice came from the head of the parade.
Looking over there, I saw a woman in an elegant suit with bright aqua-colored hair blowing in the wind.
The silvery gaze is clear under the beating autumn sunlight.
She waved her arms at me eagerly. Her thin, white arms swayed like a painting against the blue sky.
I smiled brightly and said her name.
“… … serenade.”
The owner of the Winter Silver Merchant.
A business & dance partner who overcame the hardships in the ecliptic with me.
Serenade Wintersilver came to the Crossroads.
