Chapter 226 – Highwayman
By interrogating the pigs, who had become extremely helpless and obedient, they managed to locate the abducted families, but rather than being thoroughly hidden as half expected, they were right next to where they normally hide.
If I let the hostages die of starvation, I wouldn’t have been able to avoid the backlash from my subordinates that would happen someday, so it would be convenient to keep them close at least to make it easier to bring them food.
Anyway, I was glad that it was a short walk from here. After explaining the general situation to Jia, he and Wolfchum took the kidnapped people and left.
It was about 30 minutes later that we arrived at the cave where the hostages were kept in cages large and small.
Of course, I stopped by the sanchae in advance and took all the money and food that were stolen by them.
“Jiheon-ah! Lee Ji-heon! Dad is here…! Where are you, Jiheon-ah!”
“Dad! Dad!”
“Honey! Honey…!”
“Oh my God… Everyone can only see the bones. Have you not eaten anything? It’s okay now. It’s okay…”
The cave, which was not very large, quickly became noisy with voices crying out for families who had been forcibly separated and cries of relief from those in despair.
Even if it was only a week or two, it would have been a hellish time like years for them.
Everyone is running to the iron bars where my acquaintances are locked up and weeping while holding hands tightly.
A small slave camp was created by attaching a large padlock to a crude iron cage that resembled a pigsty.
I learned very well while being a slave.
I clicked my tongue.
“Looking at the skin and bones, it looks like they’ve been starving for a while.”
The Wolf Dancer began to break the thick locks in a simple but effective way: a zero-range pistol shot.
Bang! Bang! Each time the sound echoes through the narrow cave, the iron bars are opened one by one.
The Wolf Dancer, who freed all the captives while wandering around, muttered in displeasure and kicked the gourd that had been rolling around in the cave.
I think I put food in this gourd like dog food.
“They gave me enough food so I wouldn’t die of starvation. It’s to make me so weak that I can’t even think of resisting. Showing this to my subordinates will only increase their backlash, so even saying that I’ll let them see my family must have been a lie. I’m just going to shoot them. It was.”
“You’ll be more miserable than that. Trust me.”
It’s true. Contrary to how they have lived their whole lives, this time they are destined to end their lives miserably after being used and given away.
Their luck was already over at the point they fearlessly tried to rob us. Who is riding in that car?
I threw consolation instead of consolation, but the expression of the wolf dance didn’t change at all.
“You scum. I should have stepped in instead of leaving it up to you.”
“Stop talking like that and get some rest. There’s no need to get your hands dirty with those guys.”
“Then it’s okay to get your hands dirty!?”
The Wolf Dancer screamed sharply.
The Wolf Dancer raised his voice to me.
Although they often quarrel, it’s the first time I’ve ever seen a wolf dancer who is more obedient to me than Jia.
I opened my eyes wide in surprise.
“Oh, no… I’m sorry. I said something presumptuous…”
The wolf dancer, who immediately closed his mouth, was confused. It seems that the words were uttered unconsciously.
“Wolf dance.”
“I didn’t mean that. My, why did I say that…”
A wolf dance that doesn’t know what to do and apologizes for being sorry. It seemed that he wanted to pick up what he had said somehow.
“Why do you care about that? There’s no such thing as honor for me.”
“No! You… You…”
“What the hell do you think of me? A flawless hero? Are you still saying that?”
“Because that’s true…!”
I know that the wolf dance yearns for me. Because the first meeting was dramatic and the reunion was also fateful. It was a situation worthy of misunderstanding.
But that’s just the past. It’s just that the good deeds I did unintentionally coincided with the pure and kind Lia, who was dyed by her and didn’t know the world.
I am different now than I was then.
He has accumulated many experiences, got used to rough work, learned various magics, and became stronger, but he is neither good nor altruistic, much less a hero.
No, honestly, I don’t care if it’s like that or not.
No matter what you think of me or what you call me, it’s the wolf dance’s freedom.
It doesn’t matter, but the problem is that she overestimates herself by comparing herself to her imaginary princess. It wasn’t like this before, but it seems to have gotten worse lately.
I can’t leave it alone when I’m hurting myself with it.
‘The princess cleared the land of the dead with a single gesture and solved all the problems with the nobles.’
‘I ended up killing the gang while rolling around like that to protect the people of my hometown.’
‘I haven’t accomplished anything.’
There must be quite a bit of self-reproach like that at the base of the heart that worships me. I don’t know if there is such awareness or not.
“Put a normal person high in the sky and don’t feel ashamed.”
“It’s not like that.”
“You’ve been with me for quite some time. You still don’t know me? I’m just a fucking hypnotist.”
“No! No…!”
The denial was too strong to be anything but.
It wasn’t like a wolf dance that doesn’t show emotions well. The vehement denial rather proved her agitation.
“No… No… Don’t say that.”
Wolf Dancer gasped for her breath and shook her head. It was a pitiful look combined with the bluish complexion.
But I didn’t stop and kept talking.
“You are a much better person than I am.”
“I told you not to.”
“If it wasn’t for you this time…”
“Stop…!”
“Hey… I’m sorry…”
Me, who tells the truth without hesitation, and the wolf dance who desperately denies it.
The voices of the two of us were about to rise, when suddenly someone interrupted.
When she turned her head, a woman who had been locked in a cage was approaching.
She looks similar in age to Wolf Dance, but she is hugging a child who looks to be about four years old. It seemed that she had just reunited with her husband by her side.
The flow was suddenly cut off by the sudden intervention, so both Wolf Dance and I shut up.
When I looked around, I saw that the family members were safe, and the people who were relieved were looking at us wondering what was going on. It feels like being a spectator.
“Is there a problem?”
“Oh, no. I just wanted to say thank you so much for helping me…”
“Ah. Say hello to that person.”
It was the wolf dance that brought out the words to help until the end. As she pointed her hand at her, her woman tilted her head.
“Huh? Maybe…”
“…?”
A woman covering her mouth in surprise.
Suddenly, strength returned to her eyes, which had been weak and weak. He seemed to be overjoyed at his unexpected good fortune.
“It’s a glass… It’s a glass! Maybe we can meet in a place like this?”
“Glass?”
The woman approached Wolf Dancer and took her hand.
What a cup what cup?
The wolf dance that suddenly grabbed her hand was also an absurd reaction, but it was only for a moment.
“…Anna?”
“That’s right! I’m sure you’ve got a glass. I almost didn’t recognize it. It’s been a few years since I’ve changed so much…?!”
The Wolf Dancer, who had been examining the woman’s face carefully, muttered, and the woman rushed over and hugged the Wolf Dancer.
“Did you really know each other?”
It’s a coincidence once in a while. When you look at it like this, the world is really small.
The wolf dance was also quite surprising, so he looked dumbfounded.
No more than that
It seems that a shocking fact was revealed in the flow of the conversation.
Cup is the real name of Wolf Dance… ?
“What is it? You don’t want to say it like that, so it’s just a normal name.”
Jan is one of the most representative female names. Also known as Jane, Joanna, etc., It is a common but often used name.
When I asked her old name, she jumped up and down, so I wondered if there was something she couldn’t say or if it was a stupid name she didn’t want others to know.
It was only then that Wolf Dance seemed to realize that her hidden secret had come out smoothly.
“Ahhhhh!
“Did you say Anna? How are you with the wolf dance?”
Invasion of privacy is bullshit.
Neatly ignoring her gibberish and rampaging wolf dance, I asked her woman, and she tilted her head again.
“He’s a friend. But, by any chance, does Jan still use that pseudonym? I heard there’s really no one who can follow that concept…”
“…Concept quality?”
She said the concept was to use a pseudonym?
Then what about always sticking to western costumes? It’s not like inherent magic restrictions or anything like that, it’s just a concept?
“You…”
“…”
She quickly turned her head away, and Wolf Dancer averted her gaze.
Most of the people who use rare and unique unique magic are geeks, but I don’t think it’s to this extent.
“I’ve known Zan and her since our escape from Rome. She was being driven in the same carriage.”
“Then you’ve known each other for a long time. Were you close?”
“Thanks to the glass, it’s no different than who I am today.”
At that time, most of the slaves who escaped from slave cities did not get a new status. Because it was a jailbreak, not a pardon.
Wolfchum spent several years hiding with a few of them in the lawless area south of Daejeon. She later became the forerunner of the gang she formed.
This woman named Anna must have been indebted to her at that time.
From the looks of it, he doesn’t appear to be a combatant, and he doesn’t appear to be adapting well to outlaw life. Did Wolfchum and her party break away from the group around the time they became outlaws in earnest?
If they were escorted in the same wagon as Wolf Dance, the slave’s stamp would not have been engraved.
Can we just welcome the reunion?
I nodded her head, and Anna bowed her waist to me.
It was a reverent posture like a monk joining hands to a Buddha statue.
“And then I was really grateful.”
“No, because it’s not me.”
“No, of course, it’s the same today. This greeting is different from that. The past few days have been really scary and difficult, but I guess it was the price to meet today’s luck.”
“What do you mean?”
I don’t know if it’s a wolf dance, but isn’t it a first meeting with me? Why do you talk like you wanted to meet me?
No.
No. If this woman really was in the same wagon as Wolf Dancer, she would have run into me at least once.
That’s when I broke down the carriage door and freed them.
“…You saved me twice. The knight in the black mask. I really wanted to meet you once and thank you.”
Anna left her child with her husband and came to me, she whispered in a very small voice.
I barely endured the shriveling of my limbs.
“Please give me that name…”
“Oh, I’m sorry. You’re hiding your identity. Was my voice too loud?”
“No, more than that, it’s just embarrassing. Wolf Dance already knows.”
“Oh my. It’s a cool nickname that appears in a fairy tale…”
That’s embarrassing…
Come to think of it, it was the wolf dance that made that nickname and spread it.
I kept thinking of her as she kept avoiding my gaze.
I wondered if I was thinking too deeply about the symptoms of the depressed wolf dance.
“I’m just changing my name because of the concept quality, but my emotional ups and downs may come and go. Actually, you’re still not healed from your second grade in middle school, right?”
“Oh, you can’t talk like that. You’re in the very early stages of your pregnancy right now. The man needs to understand this too. They were fighting just a moment ago.”
I was talking to Wolf Dancer, but Anna scolded me.
“Yes?”
“Of course, it is common that there are no signs at the very early stage of 1 to 4 weeks after pregnancy, but it also depends on the constitution, and there are many cases where emotions fluctuate easily due to psychological factors. I am so shocked that my husband does not know that. It was rough. Please take care.”
Ah. It could be. Well, there’s such a thing as phantom pregnancy, so there could be a psychological effect. It was my first time making a child so I didn’t know.
Anna was so relaxed, like an obstetrician, that she inadvertently nodded her head.
But I am It wasn’t just because of that question that I asked.
“Anna. How did you know that?”
The wolf dance is pregnant. It is not a fact that can be noticed at a glance that it is in the very early stages, which is not obvious at all.
And that’s not all. Anna recognized my true identity a moment ago.
Black hair and black eyes are not very common in the empire, but they are not very rare. That doesn’t mean I didn’t recognize them by their looks. Anna must have watched me break down her carriage door for a few minutes at most.
At that time, I hid my identity quite meticulously with a mask that covered my entire face, and in fact, even Wolf Dance did not recognize me.
But how did this woman pretend to know such facts?
I hope it’s not an enemy, but I’m curious.
“When Anna sees a person at close range, she can diagnose the physical information. When she was homeless in the desert, someone was always sick, and everyone was very helpful to Anna.”
“That’s right. Thanks to that, I don’t forget people who have seen it once. The driver is one of the strongest and healthiest people I’ve ever seen, so I recognized him as soon as I saw him.”
“Oh…”
It is a simple but useful magic. The so-called magic to get a good job.
After getting out of slavery and settling down somewhere, he could have studied at a medical school with a scholarship.
By the way, please stop talking about that bastard knight… Calling me that way is enough for Rudy.
“In fact, even without magic, I might have recognized it right away.”
“?”
“No one would have thought that the cup fell for a man and even became pregnant. But if the opponent is a knight, it’s understandable. The cup really, really sucked the knight in black mask… I was a fan.”
“Anna… Please stop.”
First of all, I knew very well that Anna was Wolf Dance’s best friend.
Wolf Dancer was in great agony as his past was exposed, but Anna didn’t care at all.
Anna who bullied the wolf like that.
Is it because they are close friends? Anna seems to be quite difficult to talk about, and she brings up the next topic.
“Jean. I’ve been really worried. I heard about it in the newspaper a while ago.”
“Ah…”
“There’s no way to send a letter… I thought I’d never see you again. I thought you might be out of this world already.”
What’s the news That, of course, would be the news that the wolf dance gang, which was notorious in the south of Daejeon, was completely wiped out.
I could have told Viscount Barrier to stop the article, but there was no reason to do so.
It’s true, and I just left it alone to get rid of the chase of the wolf. If it is known that Wolf Dancer is dead, the bounty and criminal record will disappear.
All Deadman gang members are dead. It was not a solemn or tearful end. After a long struggle, they fell into the abyss through betrayal and division.
The wolf’s red eyes filled with water again, probably thinking about what happened then. She tries to sink into remorse again.
“That’s right. All of my comrades died. Even the non-combatants… I almost died. In the end, everyone died miserably, abandoning even loyalty and fellowship. Even if they died, they did cheap things… But… Still.”
“But it’s because of you that I’m alive.”
Anna cut it off. She hugged the crying wolf.
“I would have died if you hadn’t taken me outside when I couldn’t adjust to life in the outdoors and provided the funds for a fresh start. I would never have met my husband, never studied medicine, never married and had a daughter like this. “
“Anna. I…”
“My daughter’s name. It’s Jane. It’s from your name… Do you want to hold your hand?”
Anna’s husband, emaciated from starvation, held out a pretty cute girl.
The Wolf Dancer put out her finger and stroked the hand of the child who was sleeping in her father’s arms, and the little girl squeezed the Wolf Dancer’s fingers in her sleep.
“Yes.”
“Zahn. It’s thanks to you that this child was born and lives. She really wanted to say this.”
“No… No. Black. I’m really grateful… Thank you for being happily… Alive…”
“…I thought you might have lost your colleagues and fallen into despair because of your personality, but I’m really glad I met a good person.”
The Wolf Dancer sat on her knees with her child holding her fingers. Uncontrollable tears flowed from her eyes.
Unable to free her fingers from her tiny little boy, the wolf dancer hugged Anna, whose eyes were red, and cried silently for a long time.
@@@@
There was quite a bit of money that the pigs had saved from buying wild vegetables.
Not only did they get their stolen property back, but it was enough to travel to a nearby village to recover and rest.
Money is enough anyway. Wolf Dance and I handed them out and sent away those who bowed their heads several times.
Anna, who said goodbye with tears in her eyes, blessed our future and left. She gave me an address and told me to stop by anytime if I needed help. I will do my best to help.
But we have already received enough help. It was clear that her wolf dance had brightened up with her meeting with Anna.
“Princess, let’s go back.”
“Have you cried enough now?”
“Yes. You won’t be unnecessarily depressed anymore. You won’t hesitate or beat yourself up. I’ll be by your side. That’s enough.”
I nodded.
This time, the problem was solved by an unexpected encounter before I could do anything.
But I don’t think this is just a coincidence.
Apart from the relationship between Wolf Dance and Anna.
“I mean this time.”
“Huh.”
“If you hadn’t dragged me all the way here, I wouldn’t have met Anna.”
So, this meeting was created by Wolf Dance’s choice.
My thoughts would have been conveyed without having to speak.
The wolf dance quietly laughed.
“You said you didn’t change your mind because of me?”
“That’s just what I said out of embarrassment.”
“I am. By the way, you are right.”
The wolf dance looks at me. Her eyes were shining brightly.
I felt something odd. What else to say
“I never mean to deny your achievements, but you may not be a hero.”
“Now? Suddenly, it’s strange again. So?”
“What a coincidence to meet Anna again in a place like this. I was just standing by your side and following your lead, and this luck followed. You might be loved by the world.”
“What nonsense are you talking about again?”
“That’s why, aren’t you, in fact, a god who descended to this world? You yourself don’t know your previous life, but you’re a being who saves a world that’s in distress and leads humans like animals. No, that’s clear. I’m sure that’s the case now. I heard you clearly!”
“Is your hair okay?”
I asked seriously, but Wolf Dance only smiled brightly.
What are you talking about when you mumble something about religion?
This is a sign of nonsense. I gave up persuasion.
It was because the Wolf Dancer walking side by side with me looked very happy.
I just wish the problem was solved.
Now, if I just talk to Rudy and Eunseo, will the marriage story be over?
I walked towards the car with Wolf Dancer and his arms crossed.
