Episode 47
I had almost exhausted all my stamina, so I collapsed on the spot.
It was also evidence that the tension had eased, but then I saw that the two guys surrounding me were very tense.
‘It’s sesame salt, these.’
Those who didn’t even blink when their comrades were attacked froze at the appearance of the Iron Blood Ball.
I understand.
Even I was slightly intimidated by the spirit that this man exuded.
“shit… … !”
It was the monster who took action first.
He must have decided that he had no chance of winning if he was caught, so he turned his back and ran away without a moment’s hesitation.
Slurp-.
And before I could take three steps, I collapsed.
Jurruk… … .
Blood flowed from the fallen monster.
I blinked both eyes.
I pride myself on having pretty good night vision, but I had no idea what had just happened.
The Iron Blood Ball spoke to me without even looking at the fallen monster.
“I wanted to let you choose.”
I wondered what he meant, but it seemed like he was responding to my pretentious words.
So, that nonsense that they shouted that only one of the three would be saved.
I burst out laughing without even having time to reply, but I thought from the beginning that if I was going to capture just one person alive, it would be better to be a monster than a woman.
“Kaaaat!”
At that time, the woman took an unexpected action.
Cold sweat is still pouring down like rain, but it is definitely a great thing to be free from the pressure of Iron Blood Ball.
The moment the woman’s robe fluttered wildly, I felt a powerful wave of power there.
Immediately after, green tentacles appear from under the hem.
‘curse?’
How have they been hiding this all this time?
It’s not just about size.
The energy contained in the tentacles is unusual.
Even a country in perfect condition had no confidence in facing the power contained therein head-on.
in other words… … .
Those tentacles contain the power of the [Demon King].
‘As expected, the secret trick was hidden.’
Even so, I wasn’t particularly worried.
Confirming my thoughts, there was no change in Sanghyeolgong’s indifferent expression.
Sanghyeolgong looked up at the woman and pulled out his sword. No sound was heard even as the dreary blade emerged from the hilt of the sword.
Although it was only a moment, the forest seemed to have become a world devoid of sound.
Clap-.
However, the sound when it was struck again by the blade was clear.
Sanghyeolgong put his sword into the hilt as if he had finished the attack.
‘It’s amazing that even if you do something like that, it doesn’t look like you’re bragging.’
I burst out laughing again.
Even I wasn’t fully aware of the attack just now, and it’s probably the same for the woman.
“Huh… … .”
Blood spurts out of the woman’s body, and she collapses like a doll whose strings have been cut.
‘… … .’
All the people who were giving me trouble were gone, but I didn’t relax my body.
It’s not because I still think there’s an enemy around, it’s simply because of the man in front of me.
“There is nothing to be nervous about. “There are no more enemies.”
“… “How do you know?”
“Because I can feel it.”
It was an ambiguous answer.
There were also some sticking points.
I was thinking about holding back the question, but I said that if I didn’t ask here, I wouldn’t have a second chance.
“Were you always aware of their presence?”
“okay.”
“Then why didn’t you come forward from the beginning?”
Iron Blood Ball still looked at me with incomprehensible eyes.
At this moment, I realized why I could hardly feel Sanghyeolgong’s emotions.
It’s not that it’s hidden, it’s that it’s not there in the first place.
‘That’s strange.’
At first glance, obsession with blood ties is an element that appears to be very emotional.
Just as the proverb that there is no blood or tears does not exist for nothing.
So the contradictions that Sanghyeolgong harbors are strange.
“What about mosquitoes?”
“… yes?”
“There are times when I feel there is a mosquito in my room, in the middle of the night, but it is difficult to catch it. It’s similar to that. You could feel it, but it was difficult to catch it. “Until it clearly crawls out like this.”
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“… … .”
Is this really the right analogy?
It felt somewhat confusing, but I couldn’t think of anything to retort right away.
Even if you say things like, ‘People aren’t mosquitoes,’ I don’t think Sanghyeolgong will be persuaded.
In the end, I changed my mind.
“Can you take off the chains…” ah. thanks.”
Sigh.
Iron Blood Lord released the chain before I could finish speaking.
I just stretched out my hand, and the chain unraveled on its own, as if there was will.
I escaped the stuffiness and took a cool breath.
“Did you kill them all?”
“Why do you ask that?”
“You know that guy?”
I pointed at the monster.
“It seems like you know me, but it would be a shame if you died.”
“… … .”
“Do you happen to know who that guy is?”
“It’s someone you don’t need to know about.”
It means you know.
at the same time.
“Do you mean you won’t show it?”
“Not really. However, it may cause unnecessary distractions while you are growing.”
“hmm. “Excuse me, but I’m worried for no reason.”
At my words, Sanghyeolgong nods his head calmly without stopping any further.
“See for yourself.”
I approached the monster’s body and lowered the hood.
“──.”
And I couldn’t help it, my expression hardened.
It wasn’t a familiar face, but it was a face I knew.
Ludwig Badniker.
The face of the child of the Iron Blood Prince who had gone missing was under the hood.
* * *
“… “You’re alive.”
I spoke after seeing Ludwig’s condition.
Surprisingly, this monster who fell down in an instant still maintained his life.
There is no way Sanghyeolgong would have made such a mistake.
It would be correct to say that it was his intention to save this guy.
“I’m not that surprised.”
Sanghyeolgong said in a calm voice.
For some reason, it occurred to me that this man had been analyzing my face one by one until the moment I checked Ludwig’s face.
Why?
‘Because you are doubting me.’
I got goosebumps when I realized it too late.
And I felt it again.
Iron Blood Ball.
A man with a heart of iron.
The man in front of me trusts no one and doubts everything.
Even if it is a child,
Even if you are an incompetent person like me who is known to the public as a fool.
“… “I expected it to some extent.”
“You mean Ludwig?”
“no. “He might be related to the family.”
“On what basis?”
“I knew about Badniker well. “Also about the head of the family.”
Sanghyeolgong looked at me.
At first glance, a light of interest seemed to pass through his indifferent eyes.
“What did you say?”
“… “It is said that the Iron Blood Prince has no hesitation in throwing out someone he has once come across, even if it is a blood relative.”
“hmm.”
Sanghyeolgong neither confirmed nor denied these words.
He just spoke in a calm voice.
“Cover your face again. “There’s nothing good about being noticed by others for no reason.”
“Didn’t you say there was no one here?”
“It did.”
Sanghyeolgong gave a strange response, but I lowered my hood and covered my face without saying anything.
It felt like it was covering a coffin, but for now, this guy is alive.
“Were you close with Ludwig?”
“Not really. It wasn’t as bad as the other brothers… … .”
Ludwig disappeared before my blessing ceremony.
This means that if they saw me not receiving any blessings, it wouldn’t be strange if they started fighting like other brothers.
“Why did Ludwig attack our family?”
“I guess you want to know.”
“I think I have the qualifications. “For now, I risked my life.”
“It’s a valid argument.”
Sanghyeolgong stretched out his hand.
You have no intention of attacking me. Suuuuu… … . Dry branches and fallen leaves buried on the ground came together and after a while.
Hwareuk-.
A faint flame rose.
Sanghyeolgong sat down in a suitable place and then looked at me.
It somehow seemed like he was telling me to sit down, so I put my butt across from him.
“How much do you know about Ludwig?”
“uh… I barely know. “The only thing is that he disappeared from his home two years ago.”
“That’s how it was known externally.”
Externally?
“Ludwig left the family on his own feet. And he joined the Dark Church and became the devil’s servant.”
“… … .”
I looked slightly shocked.
Ludwig looked at me and said.
“Do you understand why I hid the truth?”
“Because it is dishonorable for Badniker’s bloodline to become the devil’s servant… … .”
I intentionally trailed off, watched Sangvis’s expression, and then changed my tone.
“… “Probably not.”
“… … .”
“Aren’t there some other circumstances?”
“The basis is.”
“Otherwise, there is no reason for the head of the family to keep Ludvik alive.”
“There is a reason to keep it alive. “I can get information from you.”
“In that case, Ludwig’s colleague should have also been saved just now.”
“why.”
Are you asking because you really don’t know?
That can’t be possible.
Sanghyeolgong was testing me again.
There is a fever.
This is because it is not always pleasant to be tested one-sidedly by someone.
At the same time, it is also something that cannot be helped.
Because this is also one of the rights of the powerful.
“Cross-verification is essential to obtain reliable information against these guys. There is only so much one person can know. And if you were the head of the family, it wouldn’t have been that difficult to capture one or two alive.”
Of course, my guess ends here.
What the reason for keeping Ludwig alive, other than interrogation, is beyond me right now.
Because they are children, because of blood ties?
This is a possibility not worth considering.
At this time, laughter was suddenly heard.
It wasn’t Iron Blood Ball.
I looked at Ludwig with surprised eyes.
This crazy guy was giggling and laughing. Then she suddenly got up from her seat.
“Matriarch, this guy is fun.”
Sanghyeolgong did not reply.
There is no intention to attack.
And naturally, Ludwig took the seat next to Sanghyeolgong.
“… … .”
As I looked back and forth between the two men, a possibility occurred to me.
“No way Ludwig… … .”
“This is the spy I planted.”
I knew it.
“… “Is this an order from the head of the family?”
Then Ludwig chuckled and answered.
“no. It was my decision. “I was curious about what kind of place the church was.”
It’s a similar attitude to what I remember.
Is this what this man really is?
“But then you become a spy for the church… … .”
“I just thought I needed to know more clearly because it is a scary place. “As you said, it was a disgrace, so after consulting with the head of the family, I decided to have her disappear.”
In fact, after seeing someone for the first time in a long time, I felt like I was out of my mind.
So this guy destroyed his identity simply for the sake of interest.
“Who knows about this?”
“Me and the matriarch, now you. And perhaps Mr. Assad?”
“ah.”
Then just now.
The reason why Iron Blood Prince told Ludwig to cover his face was not because of other enemies, but because he was conscious of Badniker.
“Ludvik, what happened to the priest?”
Ludwig erased his laughter at Sangvis-Blooded Ball’s words and responded with a serious expression.
“I think he left right after the protection ceremony was over. sorry. The material was hidden until the end… … .”
“If they were so easy to catch, they would have died by my hands a long time ago.”
Sanghyeolgong answered in a grumpy voice and then looked at me.
“Luan Badnicker.”
“yes.”
“Why do you think I taught you about Ludwig?”
There is absolutely nothing to point out.
“I accepted it. “I think in order to share secrets, we need to be honest first.”
“What is that… … .”
“Kian says you invented martial arts. It’s not wrong at all. But if what I saw is accurate, you may have had someone help you along the way.”
I closed my mouth.
Sanghyeolgong looked at me carefully and said.
“Who did you learn martial arts from?”
“… … .”
There is no time to think for long.
At this point, hesitation is an obvious handshake.
Sanghyeolgong is now suspicious of me.
‘The crisis was not overcome.’
But should we say we are fortunate?
Now I have the perfect excuse.
“He is a forgotten god.”
“Forgotten God?”
“yes. Actually, there was more happening in the Jewel Mountains that I mentioned before.”
I brought up the topic of the altar.
About the martial god I met there.
“Ohh. A forgotten god… … .”
Ludwig said with an interesting face.
“If that is true, then this guy has achieved great results. “Securing forgotten gods is one of the church’s most important goals, but that plan has been overturned.”
I know lying is bad, but I have no choice now.
“It is true that I met a forgotten god.”
Sanghyeolgong looked at me and said.
Somehow, those eyes seem to shine dimmer than usual.
“But, no.”
“yes?”
“It wasn’t from the Forgotten God that I learned that martial art.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Determining authenticity.”
“… … .”
“Many people believe that it is [the trial room’s] unique ability, but in reality, this is a misinterpreted fact. “It’s a rumor that arose because I was often in charge of trials and judgments in that room.”
“yes?”
“[The Divine Protection of the True God] It is one of the divine protections I have.”
“… … !”
I closed my mouth.
Are you bluffing? no.
I am not the type of person to use such clumsy moves.
‘… ‘This isn’t good.’
It is an unexpected crisis.
In the middle of the night forest, I suppressed my sleep.
fantasy,
