## Chapter 243 – Butcher of the Beach
I don’t know how long I slept, but when I woke up, Claudie wasn’t next to me. Winia was sound asleep, breathing deeply. She didn’t even wake up when I fondled her chest, so she must have been really tired.
ㅡRustle.
After groping and sucking on Winia’s chest for a while, I got up and slightly lifted the curtain, and it was dusky outside.
Dawn.
What? I came in during the day, so it seemed like I had slept for at least 12 hours. I was that exhausted, and I had used a corresponding amount of Heavenly Demon power, so I must have been dead asleep.
I felt quite refreshed.
You should always sleep a lot.
“Claudie.”
I called for Claudie, but there was no response at all.
Looking at her missing clothes, it seemed she had gone out for a bit.
Did she go out to buy something to eat?
ㅡBoongzzabooongzza!
I did some simple Siljang Kwonbeop to stretch, then went into the shower.
I moved carefully so as not to wake Winia, washed my body, dried myself, and changed into clean clothes.
It was the day the Holy Knights were returning.
I had to say hello to Elise.
I went straight outside.
It was almost the end of dawn, and the city, which had been shrouded in darkness, was trying to regain its vitality. People with swords were walking around busily, and merchants who came out from the shops lined up on both sides of the street were cleaning their front yards.
ㅡThump-thump.
I walked slowly towards the castle gate.
Had the Holy Knights not arrived yet?
I watched the old women running stalls while waiting for the Holy Knights to come. They should be coming soon. I squatted down and killed time.
Looking up at the sky, it was incredibly blue.
There were no clouds, and it was a clear day.
The temperature felt a little hot.
The leaves were starting to fall, and it felt almost like autumn, but the temperature was unusually high. Looking at the weather, it seemed like winter was still a ways off.
ㅡDrrrrrrr.
As I was spacing out, I heard the sound of a carriage. Judging by the fact that there were more than one, I finally hit the jackpot. It was the return of the Holy Knights.
I stood up and stared at the castle gate.
It wasn’t hard to find my friends from the Radiant Star Crusaders. The first guy who came in was only wearing his underwear.
It was Arkeo.
No matter how I looked at it, he wasn’t right in the head.
“Mr. Arkeo!”
“Oh, Saint Khatt!”
I waved my hand, and he acknowledged me.
“You’ve worked hard!”
“You’ve worked hard too, Mr. Arkeo!”
I decided not to ask about the fertilizer or the flowerpots. As I chatted with him and boasted about our faith and achievements, Elise approached.
“Saint. You’ve worked hard.”
“Oh, you’re here. You too! Hehe, but by us working hard, we can make this world a slightly better place!”
I said with a hearty laugh.
Elise replied happily to my words.
“That is correct. It was a difficult journey, but it was definitely worth it.”
Arkeo returned to the group.
After listening to the story, it seemed that the Radiant Star Crusaders would stay here for another day and then return to Krasheim. Elise would be returning tomorrow as well.
When will I see her again if she goes back?
I had been with her constantly recently, so I felt sad to part ways.
“So, you’re going back tomorrow? That’s too bad.”
“Yes… I am sad as well. But I’m sure I’ll see you again, Saint. Just like we always have.”
Elise said with a faint smile.
“Yeah. I’m sure we will. Whenever I go to Krasheim for work, I’ll be sure to stop by the church.”
“Hehe. I’ll be waiting.”
Since I heard that they were staying here for another day, there was nothing to hold back. I was hungry, so I went into a restaurant with Elise and had a simple meal. I managed to stop her from paying, and fed her.
“Ah, right. Elise. When we caught that heretical giant last time.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I went to the Church of the Bronze Celestial Angel to report it. I think they said they would give me a reward. Let’s go together.”
“Hmm… I understand. Let’s go.”
I reported the existence of the tunnel and the giant’s corpse. The pastor who gave me the holy water last time said he would give me a reward later, so we should go now.
The church was bustling with the return of the Holy Knights.
That’s right. This was their base. Of course, there were also those who were dispatched from Krasheim, but they also came here.
I grabbed a priest and said that I was the one who reported the heretical incident in the slums last time. He went inside the church. As Elise and I waited blankly, the pastor from before rushed out.
“Oh, I’ve been waiting for you. Is that… a nun from the Radiant Star Crusaders?”
Elise made the sign of the cross and bowed.
The pastor also greeted her similarly.
“Ah, yes. You could say that the two of us solved the situation.”
“Oh, is that so? As expected of a follower of the God of Order.”
The pastor led us to the reception room.
He sat across from us and said.
“After receiving the report, we were able to confirm the heretical monster and the basement of the ruins. There were several ominous circumstances. However, due to the mobilization of Ejaatz, many capable Holy Knights have joined the Holy Army, so we have not been able to conduct a detailed investigation. Therefore, I ask for your understanding that we cannot inform you of the progress of the incident.”
I don’t care.
What great secrets do those commies have?
They were probably planning to invade the South through the tunnel.
He fumbled with his sleeves and took out a bottle of holy water.
“This is the promised reward. It is the holy water that our order is proud of. You have received it once before, haven’t you?”
“Ah, I used that to deal with the monsters. It was a great help.”
“I am grateful that you say so. But since I only brought one… Please wait a moment. I’ll bring one more for the nun.”
“I don’t need…”
“Elise, shush.”
He went out for a moment and brought back another bottle of high-grade holy water.
In the end, I was able to receive two bottles of holy water from the pastor. Seeing how well they took care of me, it seemed that the Eternal Life Church was a big deal. I greeted the pastor, who was smiling brightly, and went outside.
“Elise. I got the holy water.”
“Hmm… It’s not something I need very much. I’ll give it to you, Saint. I received your heart last time.”
Elise declined.
“I’ve said it many times, you don’t have to do that. Just take it. You might need it somewhere.”
I said that, but Elise still tried to hand me the holy water.
“It’s my heart. Please accept it.”
“If it’s your heart, I have to accept it.”
I had no choice but to accept it.
I’ll have a use for it someday. Didn’t I use this holy water to fuck up the Corrupted Kobold Queen? It would be an effective means against monsters of a similar level or beings corrupted to a similar degree.
I carefully put the received holy water in my pouch.
We took a walk and chatted for a while.
Various stories.
All of them were jokes about killing heretics in this crusade or praising justice. In the middle, we found a bench in the park and sat down.
Elise laughed at my witty murder jokes.
“Hehe. You seem to have a talent for making your words interesting, Saint.”
“You’re just good at laughing. Always live with a smile like that. Then good fortune will come. That’s how it was where I lived. Good fortune came with a smile, so everyone lived with a smile.”
“Is that so… That sounds like a good place.”
Elise looked at the sky.
I also tilted my head.
South Korea was a good place in its own way.
It was like a distorted Teletubby hill where laughter never stopped.
“…Saint.”
“Why.”
As I was doing that, Elise called me.
I turned my face, and our eyes met.
“…”
I slowly waited for her to speak.
Elise remained silent and kept looking at me, then averted her gaze and opened her mouth.
“…It’s nothing.”
“Hmm? Why. What is it?”
“It’s nothing. I think my brothers and sisters are waiting for me. I think I should go back now.”
“Is it that time already? Let’s go together. I’ll walk you back.”
“There’s no need to… I understand. Let’s go together.”
I don’t know this way well, so let’s guide her.
“But where are you going?”
“I asked for permission from the Salvation Heaven Church, and they said I could stay there tonight.”
“They’re church people after all.”
I walked Elise back to the Salvation Heaven Church. The time was around noon… As I was about to say goodbye, a sense of regret washed over me.
“Saint. Then I’ll see you next time. I pray that you will be healthy until the day we meet again.”
“Okay. Take care of yourself too. You always have to be careful and live longer so you can kill more heretics.”
“That’s right. Goodbye then.”
Elise smiled and waved her hand.
I waved goodbye, exaggeratedly raising both hands and waving them as if rowing.
“Ah.”
I’ll see you again, right?
It’s so sad that I don’t have a phone.
I was a little bored, so I went to the Adventurer’s Guild to see if I could find Kopson. As always, I couldn’t find Kopson. Just crowded people. I just glanced at the bulletin board and went outside.
There was no special news.
Then should I sell some accessories today?
Come to think of it, I still had some money left to receive from Risha.
Let’s go to the accommodation first.
“I’m back.”
I was mistaken for a moment and stopped by the place I used to live in before going up to the 3rd floor again. When I opened the door, Winia and Claudie were eating. Claudie had gone out in the morning to buy food after all.
“Khatt, you went out?”
“I went to say hello to Elise. More importantly, you woke up early? When did you wake up?”
“I was hungry. Did I go out right before sunrise?”
Was there a difference of about thirty minutes between me and her?
I usually wake up when there’s rustling, but Claudie’s movements are basically stealthy.
I was getting hungry too, so I took off my shoes and washed my hands. Claudie had bought some soft-looking bread and bacon. I picked up a piece of bacon and ate it.
“You went out early to see that nun? Blackie, you’re acting suspicious these days?”
“What’s suspicious? Elise is like my little sister, you know.”
Winia glared at me as I sat down on the chair. Why are you doing that to Elise? She’s much younger than you.
“Blackie, don’t try to play with other girls too much. I want to kill you out of jealousy.”
“I’m grateful for your heart. Of course I won’t… More importantly, were you okay yesterday?”
“I don’t know, you idiot.”
“Ah. I’m sorry.”
“…If you’re sorry, do it again next time.”
“Yes.”
A bombshell.
I can do it anytime if it’s for Winia.
The Heavenly Demon Kim Khatt who does a surprise attack does everything.
“Ah, Claudie. Yesterday… I was too much. I’m sorry. You weren’t hurt, were you?”
I apologized to Claudie too.
“Ugh… No. It was good. It was good, but… Was it a little too much? Doing it while being held up… Yeah. It was a little fatal.”
“I should do it a little slower.”
Anyway, we continued eating. As I was eating the bacon between the bread, Winia, who was resting her chin on her hand and watching me, said.
“And Blackie. Just because I’m staying still doesn’t mean you can touch me however you want, okay?”
“What?”
What are you talking about?
“I was staying still because I was curious about how far you would go, but you were really doing all sorts of things to my chest. Who told you to touch me without permission?”
“Ah, no, what are you talking about. Did you have a dream or something?”
“Bullshit. Do you want to get hit?”
“Sorry… I wanted to touch you too much.”
“You can’t just touch me as you please.”
It seemed like she had already found out that I was happily touching her in the morning. So I didn’t say anything and received her forgiveness. Thank you, Winia.
After finishing our meal and relaxing for a bit, the three of us went out to sell accessories.
We went to goldsmiths, jewelry stores, and accessory stores, and we were able to make as much profit as we had expected. Well, it seemed like we were able to get the right price because Winia was the one selling them.
Let’s go to Risha tomorrow.
By the time we went around the city’s stores, it was a little late.
What else would we do when we got back?
We did the same thing as usual again. I was too wild yesterday, so I decided to take it slow. I did it moderately and flopped onto the bed. Then the three of us lay side by side and looked at the ceiling.
“Khatt.”
Then Claudie, who was lying next to me, said while holding my hand.
“Why.”
“I want to go to the sea.”
The sea?
“To the sea?”
“Yeah. To the sea. I’ve wanted to go there for a while.”
Claudie told me about her wandering days and said that she wanted to go to the sea. Just as I was about to say that we should go if Claudie wanted to go.
“Oh my. Oh my.”
Winia, who was on the left, started repeating “Oh my.”
“The sea? My sister said something good for once. Blackie, let’s definitely go. You’ve made a lot of money.”
Then, in a tone that was getting more and more excited, she shook me while talking quickly. What’s wrong? Does she like the sea? Claudie also shook me.
“BlackieBlackieBlackieSeaSeaSeaSea.”
“Khatt. I want to go. Okay?”
I shouted convulsively.
“Sh, shit! I made a lot of money, so I have to spend it! Let’s go! To the sea!”
“Kyaa!”
And just like that, a sea tour was decided on the spot.
But is there a sea nearby? No, more importantly, what is the sea like in this world? Judging by Winia’s reaction, it seems like a place to go play.
Well, isn’t this what I’m earning money for!
Let’s go play!
Surely nothing will happen! It’s the sea!
