I Became a Porter for a Women-Only Party. 93

Chapter 93 – 93 – You’re Done, Right…?

“···Am I dreaming?”

It is a clear reality that is approaching you now. Come to your senses.

If possible, I would have felt sad inside even if I had imagined saying that. However, the beast’s massive body approaching at a mind-boggling speed was so daunting that even I didn’t want to believe it was real.

It’s bigger than any dragon I’ve seen in the dragon’s nest. Just the vibration of a low crying sound is enough to shake your feet like an aftershock.

So when the shadow of the dragon against the setting sun suddenly disappeared, I felt like a child waking up from a nightmare.

If a heart that was shriveled by fear opens up, anyone in the world can’t help but be happy. Archduke Lindborg, who had been staring blankly at the sky where the dragon had disappeared, immediately glared at us with a bright red face.

“As expected. It couldn’t have been like that. No matter how much I think about it, a party of promiscuous people and such a great connection like Lord-“

“It would be very strange to make your daughter’s friends kneel.”

Someone’s arm was draped around Archduke Lindborg’s shoulder.

The regular army soldiers guarding the duke cast puzzled glances at the guest, who had not noticed their approach. The Archduke looked blankly to his side.

The uninvited guest was a mature woman. She was a woman wearing simple gardener’s gloves and an apron, as if she had just been trimming a tree.

“Didn’t you say that a little while ago? ‘Are you saying that a power so great that the Duke has to kneel and wait is coming? Then why are you grinning so peacefully?'”

However, the sense of intimidation emanating from that expression does not belong to an ordinary person.

The scariest eyes in the world I know slowly narrowed and smiled.

“I’ll answer for you: ‘Because I gave permission.'”

“Who are you?”

“The question is wrong.”

“···Who is it?”

“Who do you think it is, Barbo Lindborg?”

Aside from those of us who had met the Lord before, the Archduke’s adjutant seemed to be the first to know the answer to that question.

The contemplative adjutant fell flat on the ground. Linden’s men immediately followed suit. Lorenzo Salamanca, who looked like he didn’t understand what was going on, quickly followed suit and bowed down, gesturing urgently to the young men of the militia. I don’t think people gave him the position of village chief for nothing. Some of the Tigris that had been squirming innocently looked glad that they had knelt beforehand.

At this moment, when even Christiansen and Archduke Lindborg were lost in thought, only Waldenhardt showed no signs of agitation. He was just glaring at the ground with a dull expression.

“Ro, lo, lo, lo-“

“Yes. It’s Rod.”

“Uh, uh, uh, uh-“

“Yes, um. Of course, I know about credit deeds. The stamp I entrusted to my daughter has a magic that allows me to know its contents the moment it is stamped, no matter where in the world it is.”

Nidrogar wiggled his fingers strangely at his mother. Lord responded by waving his wrist like an octopus towards Nidroga without changing his expression.

It’s an easy situation to understand if you have the background knowledge of a cheerful daughter and mother, but it’s unlikely that anyone has ever seen Rod and his blood relatives playing pranks on each other.

It was even our first time seeing it. Everyone’s expressions turned strange at their unique way of greeting, but Rod’s voice still contained a cold smile.

“Of course you will have to cough up the credit, but there is one thing more important than that.”

“What, what, what is it?”

“When I decorate my garden, I try not to use scissors as much as possible. I don’t like the intervention of trimming the surrounding area according to my own opinion.”

“I-I see.”

Lindborg, who was shaking as if he had seen the color spirit for the first time, was as sick as a corpse when Rod’s hand touched his cheek.

“But your governing philosophy seems closer to neglect than non-intervention. It’s hard for me to understand why you turn a blind eye when someone sets fire to your garden. What good does it do you to leave the handling of such a huge devil’s tunnel to the people?”

“W-W, I don’t have enough time-“

“I don’t know how long you plan on stuttering, but everyone knows that you have an abundance of troops and gold. What do you gain by giving up the farmland that is the foundation of all that?”

Even though it is mountainous in origin and has no crown, this is clearly the territory of the Grand Duke recognized by the surrounding kingdoms. When an external authority suddenly appears and scolds you to do things properly, it is in fact an absurd interference in some ways.

However, sometimes absurdity becomes order the moment it is acted upon by a greater absurdity. The Lord is a person who can turn the Archduke’s territory into nothingness within a few days.

It seems that the Archduke wasn’t stupid enough to not know that. He belatedly tried to bow down like the adjutant and Mr. Lorenzo.

“Didn’t you ask?”

However, Rod did not even allow him to lie down. The hand grabbed the back of the Archduke’s collar and lifted it up.

“He’s so fucking charismatic.”

“Shh.”

As Eshen muttered a little as if she was impressed, the sister quickly noticed.

Meanwhile, I was also admiring it in a slightly different context. So that means I played around with someone like that. What on earth is Tan Bantai doing?

“You tell me.”

I thought my heart sank. Lord asked me a question while smiling softly as if reading my mind.

“···Are you saying that?”

“It must be difficult to listen to the Archduke’s words properly because you are stammering so much. Barbo Lindborg has lost the opportunity to argue. What about you, ‘Lan Bantai’? What do you think is the reason?”

If I hit him, wouldn’t he vomit on his own?

Of course, you can’t answer that way. I don’t feel sorry for Barbo, who is shaking with tears in his eyes. Is it because he is a displaced person who lost his hometown to monsters? Or is it because he tried to maintain a strong work ethic? It’s quite upsetting that the author, who is supposed to protect people from monsters, has let go.

…It probably wasn’t intentional. I want to believe so. If they had an ulterior motive and allowed their own citizens to die, it would be too terrible. If it were said that a passing party of warriors solved the mistakes of the foolish countrymen, that could be taken as a humorous story…

However, the moment a voice whimpering in fear reached my ears, I reflexively moved my gaze to the face of Archduke Barbo Lindborg.

And I also saw the shaking toes of Paladin Christensen, who seemed to not know whether to run away or not.

The blood becomes cold. Even if you ask a porter like me, the humble answer that I don’t know has suddenly turned into cold words and spilled out of my mouth.

“I don’t know if I can express my foolish opinion to those who dare to rule over mere porters. However.”

“I like the word ‘but’ more than humility. Say it without hesitation.”

Permission was received.

“I think there might have been a reason.”

“Reason?”

“···When I was young, I lost my hometown due to a monster attack. It’s something that can happen anywhere in the world.”

“Yes.”

“But when the monsters came and bit the people, the lord’s army, which had been collecting taxes every month, suddenly disappeared. There was no news of hiring a hero party, or even the minimum amount of manpower to evacuate the people. In order to survive, “We thought we had to run away, so we abandoned our house and property and ran to the city.”

“I guess that can’t be said to be a common occurrence. So?”

“It’s really funny, but in the end, the lord hired several hero parties. After our village became a den of monsters. Rather than hearing that my lost hometown was safe from monsters, the lord’s new brewing business was opened in that place. “I first heard an absurd story. It was an amazing experience.”

Even Garam looked at me with an expression as if he had such a child. Then he glared at the Archduke as if asking if he was such a bastard.

The Archduke, who was so thoughtful that he couldn’t even speak, began to argue, desperately shaking his head. But no matter how much you try to signal that that’s not the case, it’s useless.

“After that, as I was thrown into the harsh world and gained a little knowledge, I learned that there are many ways for politicians to benefit from monsters. They push them into enemy territory, and bury corpses in farmland to save the power needed to clear large areas of land. They also say that it was often used to teach fear to the people.”

“No no!”

“Of course, as mute monsters, they cannot explain how they were used. I think only the person who used the tool knows how they used the tool, which is completely silent.”

Bitter and buried memories come back and I raise my head. A young warrior and porter who lost his hometown many years ago had his immature head thrust into the world of adventure because of the tricks of such pitch-black adults. To prevent anyone from losing their hometown like they did.

Now, it’s been a long time since I changed my goal to just become an adult who does my part well, but it’s still the same that I see bastards as useless. I spat at the Duke in my heart.

“I don’t know whether the duke was trying to solidify his rule by holding back tears and letting Magul go for a while, or whether the duke was trying to make the farmers’ land his private property.”

“No!”

Although Rod looked pitiful at my story, he also smiled in satisfaction.

I don’t know which part of what I said you liked, but I think I got a passing grade. I finished with a shrug.

“I think it’s probably one of two things?”

————

“Still, hanging it upside down…”

“Do you think it’s bad?”

“That’s not true. To be honest, I feel relieved. However, I feel like they will send me away before I can properly hear the truth.”

Our party members snickered as they watched the shabby Grand Duke being pelted with food scraps and stones from angry local youth.

Since it was none other than Rod who wrapped the archduke with a rope and hung him on a flagpole, Linden’s regular soldiers did not even dare to think of wrapping their lord. The loyal adjutant seemed to have given up trying to stop him, so he put down his shield a little while ago and hid somewhere.

In such a situation, Chief Lorenzo Salamanca, the only person who could stop the people’s anger, boasted of correcting the situation by lifting a rock the size of a child’s torso while others were throwing chicken bones or pebbles. The young people were shocked and tried to stop him.

Isilun and Leni, who were watching from outside, giggled, saying that it was truly a magnificent sight.

“I asked you not to kill me, so it’s okay. If I really think he’s about to die, I’ll run out. To me, 10 meters or 100 meters is equally close.”

Rod shook his head and closed the tent entrance.

The space that was Mr. Lorenzo’s barracks a little while ago has become a lounge for the Lord and party members. When Rod asked to lend him a place because he had something to share, Lorenzo said he would lend whatever the village could provide, whether it was a building or food. In an attitude closer to shyness or fear rather than willingly.

However, as a gardener who hates coercion, Rod did not immediately accept that kindness. Rod smiled softly while sipping the milk he had paid a generous price for.

“First of all, I want to ask you something. ‘Tan’ Bantai.”

“···I think I know what it is.”

“This will make the story go faster. So, can you tell me why you took it off?”

“After considering what I had to lose and what I had to gain, I decided it was best. On one side of the scale was my shame, on the other was the honor and future of my colleagues, and the safety of those I loved. I think I made the most of it and gained a lot from it.”

“Well, I wouldn’t have been angry even if I had leaked the word that Lord had guaranteed it. What would it have been like? ‘Rod’s new national letter.'”

Eshen and Morgan, who were toasting and gurgling milk, spewed out juice and gurgled at the same time. The sister’s glass froze in midair.

And she smiled faintly, as if she hadn’t expected it. It’s sad that she somehow seems to be giving up on something.

“If Guk-seo was a burden, it would have been okay to be a lover. I was worried about my daughter, so I sent a man I trusted as an advisor. Since he is Rod’s husband, he wouldn’t have dared to have an affair. I just didn’t reveal the story until now because I was uncomfortable with the scandal.” “If so, the party’s honor will be preserved without Tan Bantai having to face the stigma of being a transgender. Tan’s younger sister, who is studying in a distant empire, won’t have to be embarrassed either.”

···I’m a bit sorry about that, little brother.

She wrote an explanation, but she can’t even send the letter because she’s afraid someone might find out.

“Pretending to be a lover is too much. I don’t have the personality to boast that I won someone’s favor with just a one-night stand. It’s not because the Lord is a famous person. It just felt like an overly arrogant thing to do as a person.”

“If it seemed arrogant, you didn’t think about it. Couldn’t you have at least asked Nidroga to visit her nest to ask for my permission?”

Nidrogar opened her mouth as if in admiration.

“Mother. Are you sure you want to get involved in her daughter’s affections? Do you really like it that much? I’m a little nervous.”

“If you want to protect your only daughter and her friends, you can always use the companion’s seat that has been vacant for a long time. The same goes for you. How dare you allow a man with whom you shared good memories to feel such humiliation. “Rather, I would have felt more comfortable if I had allowed my name to be sold.”

“However, even a dog that stays inside the fence because of the pet’s favor may one day die from a wildcat bite. The moment the owner looks away, things can happen in an instant.”

Rod’s arm stopped. And his eyes curved into laughter.

“I had to show that I could defend myself.”

“To whom?”

“For anyone who wants to check it out.”

And the target is not only wildcats. The scariest man in the world put down his glass of milk and chuckled as if it wasn’t normal.

Of course, I thought that impersonating Rode’s husband or her lover would also likely cause problems. If it were a scoop, several reporters would have been more obsessed with it every month. Waldenhardt, that crazy guy might have thought that was really exciting news and went back to the dragon’s nest with a knife to my neck.

“···I’m not saying you should quit your job as a porter, but even if you quit, there are probably many positions that would welcome you.”

“That’s too much praise.”

“But one is right and one is wrong.”

Rod took out a golden necklace from his arms and placed it on the table.

A large Mithraic sun symbol fell from the chain that the dragon lord had personally taken from the duke.

Sister Monica frowned and tilted her head forward. And she bit her lip gently.

“···A fist in the sun…”

“A necklace with a fist inside a circle of the sun. It is a symbol of ‘solar fundamentalism’, which has been on the rise since about 50 years ago. A religious denomination with a lot of power is very strange. After being covered in a lot of blood, it seems like they are making amends for their mistakes, but before you know it, And they become maniacs whose bodies are heated by the cutting of a knife.”

Rod touched Sister Monica’s shoulder.

“Do you want to know?”

“···Yes.”

“Let’s say you were right in your judgment of behavior, Tan. It appears he had his own logic. But the Duke’s motive was probably not just to harass the people of the territory with monsters. According to my personal sources, Archduke Lindborg “It was said that he was deeply fascinated by a certain distorted form of faith.”

“Then···?”

“This may be an attempted massacre that was planned from the beginning, caused by the conspiracy of fundamentalists. Just like it was in Vyserk.”

Nya quivered her lips. Morgan opened the tent as if suddenly an ominous thought had struck him.

Fortunately, the bald bastard was still kneeling calmly with his limbs restrained. Christensen, trapped, is also shaking next to him.

It seems that it was a serious miscalculation to think that the work was over just by conquering the Magul.

“I have a lot to ask Gunther Waldenhardt.”