## Chapter 379 – 379. God’S Atlantis
379. God’s Atlantis
Area 3008, the Platinum Lake, is a lake with platinum at its bottom, just as its name suggests. Looking down at the transparent lake, one can see the shimmering platinum that forms the lakebed.
Although the platinum fuels human greed, one cannot simply mine it. This is because anyone who mines platinum without the permission of Duke Elena Valdert, the ruler of this area, will be cursed.
Moreover, it is an act of turning the Duke into an enemy. Anyone with a sane mind would not try to mine the platinum from Platinum Lake, valuing their life.
In any case, this Platinum Lake is very beautiful to look at, so Area 3008 has recently been gaining popularity as a resort.
I arrived at the village right in front of Platinum Lake with Ok-jeong, whom I had met on the road.
“Is this your first time traveling alone?”
“Yes. When I traveled, I always moved with my Legion comrades… but this time, I ended up coming alone.”
“Ended up?”
“Ah, well…”
Ok-jeong hesitated, looking troubled.
“I apologize. I was being rude. Anyone would want to travel alone at least once.”
“No, it’s just that I set out alone, but things didn’t go well… Sigh. How did it come to this…”
“I think you’re amazing, Ok-jeong. Traveling alone is not easy. It takes courage.”
“It makes me feel a little better that you say that, Eugene. I’ve received so much help, I need to repay you…”
She was still speaking hesitantly. She must be a woman with a soft heart.
I put strength into my face to keep my lips from curling up and said,
“You don’t need to worry about it that much… but if you’re really concerned, would you spare me some time?”
“Time?”
“I’d like to have dinner with you. Would that be alright?”
“O-okay. No, I want to treat you since I received help.”
“Haha. Then let’s meet for dinner tonight… Have you decided where you’ll be staying?”
“Not yet.”
“Perfect. I was also looking for a place to stay, so why don’t we look together?”
“If you help me that much, I’ll feel too bad…”
“Haha. Don’t worry about it. It’s a knight’s duty to help a lady, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
“Thank you so much.”
I walked around the village with Ok-jeong and found the best lodging. It was a nice inn with a view of Platinum Lake from the window. It was a bit pricey, but neither Ok-jeong nor I cared. Her Uwangseong Legion seemed to be quite outstanding.
While she was resting at the inn, I began to investigate the truth behind the rumors by walking around the village.
First, I asked the innkeeper.
“Gasp! That insignia…! You are a knight of Duke Valdert!”
“Hmm. You recognize it.”
“How could we not! W-what brings you here?”
The innkeeper looked at me with anxious eyes. He seemed to be watching my reaction because of the inn fees, but I had no intention of being a cheapskate and asking for a discount.
“I’ve heard there are ominous rumors circulating about Platinum Lake. I’ve been tasked by the Duke to investigate these rumors. Tell me everything you know about them.”
“Well…”
“What is it? You don’t want to talk?”
When I frowned, the innkeeper waved his hands in panic.
“No, it’s just that the rumors are so absurd… I was worried it might confuse the knight.”
“That’s for me to decide. Speak.”
“…The rumor is that at night, a woman appears from the lake, kidnaps children, and drowns men in the lake.”
It matched the rumor I knew. But I was indifferent.
“A water ghost.”
In this world, it’s not even a ghost story. Because ghosts actually exist. I had personally killed the Banshee Queen who possessed my body a few days ago.
“Y-yes, but a priest from the Hundred-Fold Balance came and looked around the lake and declared that there were no ghosts.”
“And that priest wasn’t a fraud?”
“Oh my! You can’t say such things!”
The innkeeper jumped in surprise. Since there was a divine seat in Atlantis, people were careful when dealing with priests. They believed that if they treated a priest carelessly, they might be cursed by God.
“He was a real priest from the Hundred-Fold Balance! Not only I, but also the villagers saw him use his divine power to defeat the monster fish that lived in the lake.”
“Hmm. So, the rumor is that they kidnap children and drown men… Are there any actual victims?”
“Yes! Colt, the blacksmith’s child, went missing, and the fisherman, Beodeul, drowned in the lake three days ago.”
There seemed to be actual victims.
But my face was still indifferent.
A child went missing? A beast from the forest could have eaten him, or he could have been caught by slave traders. At least that was more realistic than being kidnapped by a lake ghost.
As for the fisherman, there was a high probability that he simply fell into the lake and died.
“Well, was there anything unusual?”
“Recently, a thick fog has been forming on the lake at night. So these days, we lock our doors and close our windows tightly at night.”
“It’s natural for fog to form on the lake at night.”
“No! Platinum Lake never used to have fog. But recently, it’s been foggy every night. It must be the work of the lake ghost.”
The innkeeper spoke with a fearful expression. After asking a few more questions, I headed to the blacksmith.
The blacksmith, Colt. The father of the boy who went missing by the lake, he was sitting in the corner of the smithy, looking like he was about to die. Empty bottles were scattered on the table.
“…I won’t be doing any smithing for a while, so leave.”
“Who do you think you are, telling me to leave? Do you want to die?”
“……”
Colt glared at me with profane eyes, but when he saw the insignia on my chest, he was startled and got up from his seat, kneeling on the floor and bowing his head. He reeked of alcohol, but his face hardened like a stone in an instant.
“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t recognize you as a knight!”
“I’ve been ordered by the Duke to find out the truth about the rumors circulating about Platinum Lake. I heard your son went missing? Tell me in detail.”
“……”
“I said, tell me.”
I drew my sword. As a knight of Valdert, I had the authority to kill disobedient commoners.
“I will speak!”
Colt shouted in surprise. He said that his son had disappeared while playing by the lake. It was evening when it was starting to get dark.
“Are there any villagers who hold a grudge against you?”
Colt shook his head in surprise.
“No! The villagers would never do such a thing!”
“That’s for me to decide. Just answer.”
“No! I’ve lived with the villagers since I was born! The villagers are all like family to me!”
“Really? Then why are you raising your voice at me?”
When I slightly raised my sword, Colt slammed his head on the floor.
“Anyway, drunk… Hmm?”
The smithy door opened and someone came in. It was a woman who looked to be in her early 30s. A beautiful woman with dark blonde hair. She was wearing baggy clothes, but she couldn’t fool my eyes. Her breasts were bigger than my hands, and although she had some fat on her stomach and waist, her large buttocks made her look voluptuous.
The woman’s face turned pale when she saw the sword in my hand. She bowed her head to the floor and begged for her life.
“K-Knight! My husband was drunk and made a mistake! Please forgive him!”
I looked at her body prostrate at my feet. My focus wavered at her curved back and large buttocks. I licked my lips.
“Come to think of it, I was too hasty. That wasn’t very knightly of me. Now, get up. I have some good liquor, I’ll treat you.”
I said to them with a friendly smile. But they did not let their guard down against me.
“This liquor is…”
“Do you like it? It’s a liquor called soju that I often drink in my hometown.”
“It’s strong. That’s why I like it more.”
Colt, who was sitting at the table, drank the soju continuously. I filled his glass every time it was empty.
“Honey… Aren’t you drinking too much? The knight is here…!”
“Don’t worry about me. He lost his child, so he must want to drink and get drunk. It must be hard to endure with a clear mind.”
“Still…”
“More importantly, I want to know more about the lake ghost. I came to investigate the truth of the rumors by order of Duke Valdert. Maybe I can find your child, so tell me.”
“Knight! The lake ghost! That ghost bitch kidnapped my child, Bolt! That bitch! She must be planning to raise my child and eat him!”
“Honey! I’m sorry! Knight! This man is too drunk…!”
“It’s okay. Didn’t I say I understand? Your glass is empty. Drink more.”
I listened to Colt’s complaints and kept giving him alcohol. He was already heartbroken over the loss of his son, and he didn’t refuse the alcohol at all.
Colt was drunk in less than 30 minutes, and eventually, he buried his face on the table and snored.
“Honey! How rude, with the knight in front of you! Get up! Honey!”
Colt’s wife slapped Colt’s back to wake him up, but he was sound asleep and showed no signs of waking up.
I realized it was time.
“How rude.”
I lowered my voice.
Colt’s wife flinched.
“I-I’m sorry, Knight. Please forgive my husband’s rudeness.”
“I would have, but don’t you think it’s too much to bury your head and snore in front of me? Should I consider this an act of disrespect towards Duke Valdert, who bestowed the title of knight upon me?”
Colt’s wife got up from her chair and prostrated herself on the floor. She knew that their lives were in my hands.
“No! It’s not! My husband just made a mistake because he was drunk! Please forgive us! Have mercy! I can’t lose my husband when I’ve already lost my son!”
“…Hmm. What’s your name?”
“Juka… Knight…”
“Juka. You, as his wife, must apologize for your husband’s rudeness. Right now.”
“I will apologize… I’ll apologize like this. I’m sorry, Knight.”
Juka prostrated herself in front of me again. I clicked my tongue loudly on purpose.
“Tsk! Does an apology in words have any meaning? Words can be erased, and do you think your bowed head is worth even a fraction of my honor?”
“K-Knight. We don’t have much money. Only 700,000 ner we have for emergencies…”
“What do you take me for? I’m not interested in that petty money. Show me your sincerity with your body.”
“If it’s my body…”
“You know what I mean, don’t you?”
“……”
Thump, thump.
I flicked the sword I had placed next to me with my finger. It was a direct threat, and the threat worked. Juka trembled and got up. She couldn’t meet my eyes and looked down at the floor.
“……Could we at least do it in the room?”
“Do it here. Your husband is sound asleep anyway. I can tell he won’t wake up for a while.”
“……I understand.”
Juka began to take off her clothes.
As soon as she took off her baggy clothes, her breasts were revealed. She wasn’t wearing a bra. She was wearing panties, but they were simple and roughly made of cloth. The brown nipples on her luscious breasts. The slightly drooping part was erotic.
As expected, there was some fat on her lower abdomen. It wasn’t ugly, but rather cute.
Juka hesitated for a moment while holding her panties, then pulled them down. A dark golden bush of untamed hair was revealed. It was a mess of curly hair that was not trimmed and grew haphazardly.
“Such a lewd body.”
“It’s an ordinary body.”
“No. It’s a lewd body. If you were a prostitute, dozens of men would try to embrace your body.”
“……”
It was my way of complimenting her figure, but Juka seemed to have taken my words as an insult and closed her mouth tightly.
I got up from my chair, took off my pants, and sat back down. My large penis drooped on the chair.
“Try sucking it once.”
