Episode 351
Konzian, the craftsman of [Sandstorm Hill], thought as he ran frantically.
After all, mercenaries are not hired on the cheap… … .
“Shibaaaaal… … !”
I can’t help but curse.
what? The most reputable A-level mercenary group in the city? Yeah, f*uck. In the first place, there’s no way such great guys would accept escort missions for so little money.
I should have realized.
The mercenaries are shameless guys who can tell as many lies as they want to get money for a drink.
‘Stupid bastards… … !’
But he was even more of a jerk.
He hired a mercenary group that looked sloppy at first glance just to save a few pennies.
If it was really an A-class mercenary group, they would have had a hard time, but they would have been able to subdue the sandworms without difficulty… … .
Look at those guys who were only mercenaries in disguise.
As soon as the sandworm appeared, it trembled and was swept away in the blink of an eye. I even saw the back of the head of the guy who stole the camel and ran away.
‘Those bastards… … .’
I memorized all the faces.
Later, when I go to the city, I will personally draw the impressions of those conscienceless bastards and report them to the mercenary guild.
Kuaaaaaaaa!
Of course, if you survive here.
Quang!
With a crackling sound, the entire cart pulled by camels jumped into the sky.
For peoples living in the desert, anything that falls from the sky is generally welcomed. Rainwater is like that, and so are the occasional snowflakes that fall.
However, if it is the weapons that were loaded with care and the materials and materials that were obtained at a high price, then it is impossible to laugh at all.
Konjian watched in a daze as his precious possessions fell from the sky like trash.
A sandworm soon appeared from under the sand.
“… … !”
Is it a mutation?
Or the older one?
As a resident of Sandstorm Dune, Konzian encountered sandworms lurking around quite often, but this was the first time he had seen one this large.
To exaggerate a bit, from the dwarf’s perspective, it looked big enough to reach the sky.
A foul smell emanated from the sandworm’s wide-open mouth, and with sticky saliva dripping down like rain, Konjian could not move even a single step.
‘If you fall backwards on an unlucky day with scabies, your nose is bound to break… … .’
It’s because he was in charge of supplying materials this time, because he hired mercenaries out of nowhere, and because he was attacked by a large sandworm… … .
It must all be guided by fate.
“… “Vulcanus.”
He mumbled it like a will and closed his eyes, but it seems that Konjian’s fate is not yet over.
I heard the sound of clothes fluttering somewhere. It was a sound that could only be heard when a cape hanging on a clothes rack was shaking violently on a strong wind.
What Konjian saw when he opened his eyes was a dark cloud.
Of course, it couldn’t be a real dark cloud.
Today is a sunny day without a single cloud, and above all, the dark clouds do not come down to the ground and attack the sandworms.
“uh… … ?”
This is the moment when Konjian made a blank voice.
What was thought to be a dark cloud became a black storm. It’s a tempest that tears everything it touches to pieces.
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga-!
The death lurking just around the corner was torn apart.
As the sandworm’s flesh fell, Konzian finally realized the identity of the being he had seen as a dark cloud.
It was a lizardman.
“Huh… … .”
Lizardmen were a heterogeneous race commonly encountered in the South, but this individual had an appearance that was new to Konzians.
A frayed cape, tattered bandages, and even old weapons that would be difficult for a blacksmith to overlook.
But more than anything else, what caught Konzian’s attention were the Lizardman’s scales.
Konjian saw the black-scaled Lizardman for the first time. There were even countless scars engraved on the scales, perhaps because they were black in color.
It looked exactly like the waves of time carved into the rock.
“Please move back a little further.”
The moment a heavy voice was heard, the remaining sandworms attacked at the same time.
The Black Lizardman grabbed his weapon once again.
The next moment, the ground flipped over, sand splashed in all directions, and the shape of a black Lizardman soared into the air.
Clutter.
A bluish ray formed on the tattered long sword, and the forearm holding the sword swelled significantly.
Afterwards, the Lizardman’s right arm became blurred.
Paang!
“… … !”
Konjian’s insight as a warrior cannot be said to be of a very high level, but… … .
I could tell that the black lizardman’s skills were unusual.
In that brief moment of soaring into the air, it was capable of completely cutting down five sandworms.
Sabak… … .
The moment the black Lizardman landed again on the sandy desert, the torn pieces of sandworm flesh fell in patter.
“… … .”
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The Black Lizardman brushed off the corpse residue from his sword and slightly raised the collar of his cloak.
“… “What a dirty fireworks display.”
“… … .”
“Are you okay?”
“ah… “Gwae, it’s okay.”
Konjian, who was dazed, nodded.
“But you… … .”
This is the moment when Konjian is about to say something.
“Luzard-!”
A tearing voice was heard from somewhere.
Then, fine cracks spread across the black Lizardman’s blunt face.
Meanwhile, two figures came down from the sand dune, a woman so beautiful that my eyes widened and a handsome boy.
So, even from a dwarf’s point of view.
The woman who approached with graceful steps was even wearing a parasol, and just looking at her outfit, she seemed like a member of a fairly well-to-do family.
‘Are you part of the group?’
While Konjian was staring blankly, a woman approached, folded her parasol, and hit the Lizardman in the face with it.
Wow.
“… … !”
It happened in an instant.
Konjian opened his mouth in surprise, but the woman spoke in a cold voice.
“You’re doing something you weren’t told to do. Am I funny about the topic of mercenaries of different races?”
“… “I will be careful.”
“under. “I understand that this work will be deducted from the compensation.”
“Sure.”
“then… … .”
The woman then turned her gaze to Konjian and smiled brightly.
“hello? My name is Aibel Romance. “He’s a humble businessman belonging to the Romance Company.”
Are they changing masks of some sort?
Her face was so bright that the cold demeanor she just showed was already forgotten.
“uh… Koh, Konjian Stone Hand.”
“aha. “Are you perhaps the craftsman of [Sandstorm Hill]?”
“That’s right… … .”
“ah! That’s a good thing! We have business to do in that town. It looks like you suffered quite a setback from the attack just now… … .”
Aibel didn’t know where she got it from, so she spread out a fan and covered her mouth.
“We will provide you with a little help, but could you please guide us to the village?”
* * *
When Ludwig suddenly hit me in the face with a parasol, I wondered what he was doing… … .
Looking at Konjian’s eyes, I can roughly understand his intention.
It seemed like he was deliberately treating me poorly to gain this dwarf’s sympathy.
“hey! lizard! “Can’t you go faster?!”
“Can’t you lead me a little more gently? “The cart keeps tipping over!”
“ha… … . Anyway, I’m going to die of frustration. “If I had known this would happen, I would have hired a beastman mercenary who listens well and looks pretty.”
“You don’t notice and you don’t listen to orders! “What are you good at?”
Verbal abuse and sometimes even real violence.
I reacted calmly to Ludwig’s violence.
In fact, thanks to the Lizardmen’s unique hard scales, hitting them didn’t hurt, and swearing was okay because I knew they didn’t mean it.
Separately, I was skeptical about whether that operation would be effective… … .
“… Are you okay?”
It seems that there is something unexpected.
When I see the dwarf craftsman, Konzian, looking at me with a concerned expression.
Konzian spoke to me in a voice that Ludwig could not hear.
“I don’t want to argue about the contractual relationship, but… It seems like your employer’s attitude has gone too far. “If you report that behavior to the mercenary guild, you may be punished or receive compensation.”
“It’s okay.”
“why… … ?”
Well, this is all an act… I couldn’t reply, so I thought for a moment and came up with an appropriate excuse.
“There are three reasons.”
“Three things?”
“First of all, I have no enemies in the mercenary guild.”
“Do you mean free mercenaries?”
“It’s similar. And second. Even if they belong to a guild, their labor laws apply to Lizardmen… To be precise, it does not apply to other races.”
“hmm… … .”
This is the truth.
Because of this, these races worked much harder and earned ridiculously less than other imperial citizens.
Konjian looked uncomfortable and asked once more.
“… “What about the last one?”
“It’s the simplest. “Regardless of that human woman’s thoughts and attitude, it is clear that she hired me, and we are already bound by a contract.”
“… … .”
“I guess I should repay your loyalty.”
While Konjian swallowed his breath slightly, I smiled contentedly to myself.
Actually, playing Luzard wasn’t difficult.
Because I already had a perfect motif.
It was Araxad, our trustworthy Lizardman senior.
The white lizardman showed his stubbornness even in a frustrating manner at times. It was amazing to see how people can live so inflexibly.
However, such an attitude to life sometimes makes the viewer feel respect.
Is there a strange sense of trust?
In fact, you cannot regard someone as a trustworthy colleague simply because he or she is powerful. The reason I came to trust Araksad was because I felt trust after seeing his attitude.
Of course, it’s unclear whether this will work for dwarves, but wouldn’t it be easier to win their favor than [Luan Badnicker]?
“Umm… … .”
Konjian narrowed his eyes when he heard what I said.
Clicking his tongue slightly, he seems to feel that my appearance is pitiful.
The dwarf craftsman from [Sandstorm Hill] is said to be particularly picky, sensitive, and arrogant.
If it elicits that much of a response, wouldn’t it be half-successful?
After that, we walked quickly without much conversation… … .
We soon arrived at the dwarf village, [Sandstorm Hill].
As the name suggests, this village was built on a sand hill, and the fence surrounding the village was amazing.
In addition to the overall completeness, it was even engraved with a fairly believable pattern.
There were many more nice buildings inside the village.
Each building had a unique appearance, as if representing the personality of the homeowner or architect, but strangely enough, there was a strange sense of unity instead of a chaotic feeling.
Due to the nature of the topography and geography, high-rise buildings were rare, but the quality of each building was exceptional, as if it had been built with great effort.
Should we really call it a village of dwarves?
“This is Sandstorm Hill.”
“How amazing.”
“What do you mean?”
“This is almost the middle of the desert, right? Moreover, it is a place where sand storms occur frequently. I heard that in severe cases, the entire building could blow up, but it seems like too much effort was put into the building.”
Konjian shook his head with a sigh at Ludvik’s words.
“It didn’t take any effort at all. “If we put our mind to it, we can erect a building like that within three days.”
“yes… … ?”
“Of course, it may take longer since it is difficult to obtain materials. That’s why we don’t call this place a [village] or a [city] in the first place. Calling the place where these hastily constructed structures are built a village is insulting to us. So, you too, be careful not to call this place [Sandstorm Village].”
“… … .”
Ludwig looked devastated for a moment.
It seemed as if he had forgotten about acting as [Aibel] for a moment.
“First, I will guide you to my house. “Follow me.”
We nodded and followed Konjian.
As I set foot on the street, I realized why I felt a sense of unity in this forest of unique buildings.
Perhaps because it is a village of artisans, the buildings all had a workshop-like atmosphere.
The sound of metal striking echoed through the street, and there was also an earthy smell that might have come from iron, wood, or broken stones.
Is it because of that atmosphere?
Even considering that this town is a desert, it feels unusually hot.
‘If I train well, will I be able to make progress in Cheonhwa First Gong?’
This is because the desert itself is a place full of heat.
Although I have recently focused on Amcheonwolhyanggeuk, my essence is still the Cheonhwajeilgong… … . I have absolutely no intention of neglecting training.
Fortunately, the village was not in an atmosphere of ostracizing outsiders. To be more precise, they didn’t seem to care whether anyone would come or not.
“Oh.”
At that time, Konjian gave me a perplexed look.
“I don’t think we can let you in my house.”
“That’s obvious… … . “You can’t sleep under the same roof with people of a different race, right?”
Ludwig responded as if he had been waiting.
Even though I know it’s an act, I’m still a little annoyed.
“That’s not what I mean, it just means that the architecture itself is set to the standards of our race. You two will somehow be able to get in… … .”
“I understand.”
I nodded calmly.
It’s as if they’re used to being treated like this. Konjian looked at me with a complicated expression and added:
“I will clean the barn. “I hope you can put up with it even if it’s a bit uncomfortable.”
“Thank you.”
Because I was exhausted and it seemed like I was about to run out, I decided to just rest that day.
Of course, my resting place is a barn with an open ceiling. It wasn’t that dirty, but the unique stench of a barn was unavoidable.
‘… It’s been a while since I’ve been to the south, and the welcome ceremony is very warm.’
Of course, you will have to get used to it.
Even if you go to a big city and look for lodging, Lizardman mercenaries often stay in barns like this or sleep out on the streets.
The camels that had been cornered because of me looked nervous, but they seemed to have realized that I had no intention of harming them and fell asleep.
Konzian the dwarf brought a blanket along with the lamp, but I didn’t need to use one.
Maybe it’s because I’m a lizardman, but the desert at night didn’t feel that cold. Do you feel like you can survive as long as you have a wall that can block the sandstorm?
Even without the lamp, I could see the surroundings clearly, but I still felt that it would be rude to Konjian, who had prepared as much as he could, if he didn’t use any oil at all.
Hwareuk-.
When the lamp was lit, a soft light dimly illuminated the barn.
I leaned against the wall and quietly looked up at the sky.
I guess it’s because it’s a desert.
The night sky with the Milky Way was so incredibly beautiful.
“… … .”
Suddenly, the moment I looked at this night sky, I felt that I had returned to the desert after a dozen years.
‘… ‘I’m hungry.’
Come to think of it, I didn’t even eat dinner today.
There was a smell of food in the house, but I tolerated it. Lizardman warrior Luzard has to spend the night alone in the desert and suffer from loneliness… … .
Of course, I was too hungry to just chew alone, so I took the beef jerky out of my pocket and chewed it.
As I ate it, I realized that the Lizardman’s oral structure was not suitable for chewing something like beef jerky for a long time, so I had no choice but to swallow it without being able to chew it properly.
It was then.
The dwarf Konzian reappeared in the house. Konjian was holding a rather large plate in her hands, which smelled of fragrant meat.
“… “You should at least eat this.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“That’s it. “Because I roughly grilled the remaining parts.”
“… … .”
The remaining part was a whole roasted bird, and although it was roughly grilled, the meat was juicy and even decorated with vegetables.
“I’ll eat well…” … .”
Before I could even speak, the dwarf craftsman had already disappeared.
I smiled and stretched out my hand toward the bird meat.
