My Villains, Chapter 527
, 67. Lord of Icebobalt (20)
“That sounds interesting.”
The road around the village I was walking through was through a small church, so Princess Theodora was accompanying me on this short journey.
“What do you mean fun?”
“Sir.”
She smiled lightly at me as I was examining the landscape of Gedenmundz. There was something in his eyes that slanted well that he did not know whether it was pleasure or humor.
“Kyung is a warrior who enjoys fighting swords with the enemy. He who loves battle and the victory that follows more than any warrior I have ever seen is a wonder.”
“…does it look like that?”
“Why do you say that what is inside is different from what it looks like?”
Theodora smiled in response to his humorous question, and she added, brushing her hair blowing in the evening wind over her ears.
“Yes, even unmanned people who enjoy watching blood draw peace and rest in their hearts. The image you see now must also be in the same context… If you think about it, the general appearance of the red knight is quite different from the real one.”
“of course. All rumors going around are bullshit.”
“…The expression ‘all over’ doesn’t seem to make sense. Make it half.”
As I silently rolled my eyes, Theodora covered her mouth and burst into laughter.
“I’m sorry to confess now.”
The gongnyeo cleared her throat for a while and kept her expression, and continued to speak in a deliberately serious tone.
“Even when we were swept up in the vortex of war, I and the Cult of Calandari were deeply concerned about the… state of the Lord.”
“What is my condition? which.”
“Um well. Should I call it latent mentality or excessive aggression that I often see on the battlefield? You may be familiar with it yourself, but the way you see the scenery is far from normal.”
I can’t possibly refute it.
If I listed only the nicknames I acquired after I fell into this world, I would have understood what the princess was talking about. The reputation of an enemy knight covered in blood was to clearly reveal the path I had walked and the acts I had committed in the meantime.
“You mean you think differently now?”
“Of course it is.” Climbing up the low hill between the residential area of Gedenmundz and the brewery, I caught the view of the setting sun. Standing side by side, Theodora took a deep breath and enjoyed the cool air. And, as usual, he looked back at me with warm eyes.
“All human beings have both good and bad sides. It is up to each person to choose what to boost and what to suppress. Therefore, it is rightly said that Kyung is an example for warriors at a crossroads.”
“Exemplary… is that so. I don’t think it’s to the point where you can paint it this far.” “Isn’t it? These days, even knights with deep faith often focus only on honing their bodies and skills.”
Yo O”
“On the other hand, Sir, he learned the mage’s meditation from Miss Ellen, and is cultivating his character by taking care of his mind and governing. Trying to keep the inner evil from flourishing is what knights of this era should emulate.”
Feeling embarrassed and running out of words to say, the princess closed her mouth and burst into laughter again. And it was a playful addition.
“If I had to pick one regret, it would be that I seldom show myself praying.”
“I do a lot of prayer.”
“Wouldn’t you just stop at the graveyard and pray for the blessings of the dead? Whether in an empire or a kingdom, knights are the guardians of the church, so you, a knight among knights and a great lord, are obliged to spend more time in prayer than all the Cultists of Light in the Territory.”
Ah yes.”
“Oh, that expression again!”
Theodora, who read my annoyance, smiled wryly as if she couldn’t stop it.
“Very lord. Please listen to the princess. How could you be so careless when you received a letter of excommunication from the church?”
Gidon, who was walking behind me, helped me with a word for no reason, and I sighed as I pressed my temples.
“It’s starting again… Shut up. Didn’t you tell me not to open your mouth at all until I gave you permission?”
Gidon, who had not changed his expression even at my growls, was about to open his mouth, but this time Princess Theodora rebuked him.
“Sir. Excessive words for a loyal vassal. To be so harsh on advice out of concern for you.”
M 99
Ah, this is why you shouldn’t have religious people around you.
My peaceful walk came to an end when I took Theodora, who was excitedly preaching the importance of prayer, to the small church.
Maybe it’s because I’m a little tired?
When the official, who had been paying attention, showed signs of trying to explain the products of Gedenmunz again, I calmed down and gave advice.
Even though he didn’t say it so ferociously, the official’s face turned pale. Thanks to this, I was able to realize once again that living as a lord was never easy.
The small and simple fortress, which was once converted to the size of a certain landlord’s stronghold, was now occupied by officials dispatched by me and functioned as a minister.
However, the stone building, which was only aimed at defending against shouting, was far from a comfortable shelter. Since the roof was not drilled through, there was no fireplace, and the windows through which the smoke escaped were small, making it difficult to even use a coal stove. Few would want to spend the night in a place like this.
In the end, the party unpacked their luggage evenly in the houses given by the influential people of Gedenmunz and the inn near the center. Among them, six people, including myself, were invited to the most spacious and splendid residence in the village.
After sending the geisha of Gedenmunz back as a cold and stuffy minister, entering the inn, the owner of the house, an old brewer, bent down as if he were about to kiss the floor.
“I’m sorry to make you look shabby. There must be many deficiencies, but I will treat you with all my heart and soul.” While accepting the greeting with a smile, I took a handful of gold and silver coins from my pocket and handed them to him.
“Oh, this.”
“It’s not enough to cause an unexpected inconvenience in the middle of winter, and you even eat food. I would like to express my gratitude, so please take a few pennies.”
It would have been quite a lot of money for him to manage the brewery and pick up a lot of rice cakes and water. It would be too generous a price to pay for a night of hospitality.
The brewer, who had been crouching, swallowed in vain. The eyelids, which had been trembling with tension, jumped wildly at the unexpected luck.
I don’t know if it was because of a handful of sincerity or if it was originally prepared like this, but the brewer’s hospitality was much better than expected.
There were hardly any cheap vegetables or greens on the prepared dinner table. Grilled beef sirloin dripping with oil occupied the center of the table, and a dish of steamed large carp with celery chives and onions attracted attention next to it. A bottle of beer and fruit wine, said to have been brewed by the owner himself, was laid out for each seat, and the apricots and lemons that were said to be buried in the wine cellar for the VIPs were as fresh as if they had been harvested a few days ago. The soup, made with bread, potatoes, and fermented sheep’s milk, had a very unique smell, but was also appetizing.
“As you said, it is still winter, so there is nothing to produce. Please forgive me.”
“What is forgiveness?”
I roughly stirred the hand holding the spoon to defeat the humility and immediately raised my beer glass. The start of the meal was a toast to thank the main god, the emperor, and the brewer.
Whether it was because she had been accustomed to eating in this world, or because the hostess’ cooking skills were unexpectedly excellent, the dinner was very palatable.
Looking back, around the year before last, there was a time when I suddenly missed the taste of the earth and made all sorts of fuss.
The chicken coated in flour batter and fried was very edible, and the ice crystals made by Ellen were topped with beans and red beans and sprinkled with sweet syrup. They said that the sauce they used had never been edible. In addition to that, he had been harassing Hicks, the butler, and Rowen, the maid of her fiancée’s mansion, day and night, in order to cook all sorts of nostalgic dishes.
The result was half success.
Apart from the failed ones such as gochujang and kimchi, even the successful dishes could not completely replace the stimulating taste of the earth.
Fortunately, by the time I realized this fact, even my mad longing for the cuisine of the earth was tempered.
I was eating sheep’s milk soup, thinking about this and that, but I swallowed a wad of flesh that had just been removed from a carp’s spine and pushed out toward me.
“ o O”
……Huh!
When I sent a questioning look, he glanced sideways at the others—especially the brewer and his family who served the meal—and pointed at my wrist.
Unknowingly, I lowered my gaze with my wrist to see that a plain snake the size of my finger was wide open, aiming for the apricot on the table.
Yu O”
I quickly snatched the head of the little snake
and stuffed it into my sleeve. The reaction and subsequent movements were swift enough that the brewmaster and his family did not notice the bizarre-shaped thread snake.
