Genius Corpse-Collecting Warrior - Chapter 61

Infighting (1)

“Wow.”

The boy cautiously stretched out his hand.

Softness –

a foreign texture felt at the fingertips.

The first touch is as soft as the skin of a young animal, but when you apply a little more force, it is buried up to half a finger.

However, the inside was elastic, so the moment I took my hand off, it bounced and immediately regained its shape.

“Oh oh. Interesting.”

The boy’s eyes gradually became more interested as he rubbed his hands over the demon’s skin.

The boy imagined what it would feel like to take a piece of the cloud from the sky.

Of course, it is not a white cloud floating in the blue sky, but a dark cloud in the night sky.

“Is it fun?”

“Uh um…yes. lol.”

The boy smiled brightly and patted the devil’s head. Dallen laughed lowly as he looked at that.

The only one who felt uncomfortable was the devil himself.

Well, he’s a devil in name, but it’s strange that his pride isn’t hurt since he became a teenage boy’s toy.

However, as Dallan was watching, he couldn’t say anything and could only let out an uncomfortable sigh.

“Except for his eyes being a little scary, he seems like a good friend.”

“hmm. “It means I don’t like the eyes.”

Dallen nodded. He jerked the rope and lifted the demon up.

“Keeek—!”

A demon the size of a watermelon roared before my eyes. Dallen scratched his chin and stared intently into the guy’s eyes.

Although it had shrunk to the size of a watermelon, its appearance itself was similar to when it was a multi-meter-long giant.

A body that looks like a dark lump of clay.

Limbs that are short but stretch like rubber bands.

And a mouth that looks like a crack in the middle of the body and two dark red eyes.

Among them, the eyes were the part that could be said to be the most demonic.

If you look deep into the dark red eyes with no whites, they sparkle like some kind of flame, which is enough to give you goosebumps.

“hey.”

“Oh yeah. “Master…”

The demon, who had been avoiding his gaze repeatedly, became restless and made eye contact with him.

Dallen grinned. He said.

“Can you change your eye color?”

“…It is possible.”

“Change it. “With eyes that are worth looking at.”

The devil looked slightly dissatisfied. Of course it didn’t last long.

He brought his two small hands to his eyes and rubbed them several times.

And soon, the dark red eyes became ordinary eyes with black pupils on the whites.

“Well, it’s much better.”

Dallen lowered the rope and released the demon next to the boy.

Parn looked at the transformed devil’s eyes and stretched out his hand and started patting the devil’s head.

“Hehe, you’re so cute.”

“…Dallen, how on earth did you come up with that idea?”

Lucia muttered, still looking at the scene with an expression of disbelief.

Dallen shrugged. If you can’t kill it, beat it into submission. Is there any other way?

“This is a method that not even the Holy Knights could have thought of. So in the end, they sealed it in a remote cave.”

“You must have thought about it.”

Dallon said. Lucia gave a questioning look.

“Wasn’t the time when the Knights sealed the immortal demons back in the heyday of the Knights’ era, 300 years ago, when they were subjugating demons? Halman’s chain was lost in the Blood Demon War more than a hundred years ago. The Knights must have thought about it too. “I just didn’t have the holy relics to practice.”

“Dallen is sometimes strangely knowledgeable. “It’s completely different from usual.”

Lucia muttered as if she was curious. Dallen stopped scratching his chin.

…So what is my usual image?

The paladin, who had no idea what he was thinking, hummed as he twisted the horse’s reins.

“Anyway, the schedule is later than expected. “I think we’ll have to wait a few more days on the Templar side.”

“I didn’t realize that you couldn’t ride a horse within the empire’s territory.”

“Me too. “It’s a culture that you can’t adapt to anyway.”

It’s been two days since I left Langleton Village.

The group was moving on foot along the Imperial Road.

The empire that alone ruled one-third of the continent was famous for its well-paved roads as well as its size.

An imperial road with smooth flagstones laid evenly and drains dug on both sides to be maintained regularly.

However, what was surprisingly inconvenient was the fact that no one could ride a horse on the Imperial Road.

“Only members of noble families, knights, or messengers can ride horses. “What kind of law is this?”

“That doesn’t mean that the aristocratic class is the central axis of the empire.”

“All human beings are equal before God. “Whether you are an emperor of an empire or a serf bound to a fiefdom, you are all just mortals in the eyes of God.”

Dallen scratched his head. If a passing imperial soldier heard that, he would immediately tie him up with a rope.

“Meanwhile, they said it was okay to ride animals other than horses or carriages. “It’s something I don’t understand.”

Lucia grunted.

Dallan also agreed to some extent. This was because there were more laws like this in the empire than expected.

They say that if a noble approaches from the other side of the road, you have to leave the road for a while.

When a noble stays at an inn, the rooms on both sides must be empty, etc.

This happened because the empire was a noble-centered culture and because the number of nobles and knights was too large.

The barons alone number in the hundreds and hundreds, including the nobles above them.

Moreover, if you include the members of that family, the number was well over several thousand.

If you include knights who are no better than semi-nobles, the number would rise to over 100,000.

What was even more surprising was that this was also a result of a tremendous decrease compared to before.

The previous emperor was a person who was eager to achieve centralization, so he eliminated useless government positions and cut off many noble bloodlines.

There was even a rumor going around that only the nobles who were purged by his hands were of great spirit.

‘As a result, the emperor’s power became several times stronger. And nearly half of the disasters in the mid to late period were due to the enlarged imperial authority and the impulsive actions of the warmongering emperor.’

Fortunately, there have been no rumors of war yet.

But it is also true that the end is coming much faster than expected.

Dallen slowly walked down the Imperial Road, thinking that perhaps it would not be long before he could set foot on this land in peace.

***

The three men and a demon continued to move southwest.

In the process, the party encountered groups of knights and soldiers several times a day.

The reason was obvious.

As the end approaches, monsters are rampaging across the continent.

The situation was no different in the Empire, so the Imperial army would be busy subduing monsters, orcs, and bandits who were pushed out by them.

Judging from the fact that there are often injured soldiers with injuries big and small, it seems that subjugation is not as easy for an empire that boasts a strong military power.

However, perhaps thanks to their efforts, the area near the highway was calm for several days.

Other than meeting a merchant along the way and buying some clothes and groceries, Dallan and the group continued on without much trouble.

It’s been five days since we left the village of Wrankleton.

The three men and a demon finally arrived near the border.

“I can see it over there.”

Dallen said, looking at the checkpoint where people were lined up in the distance.

The checkpoint was in front of the bridge across the river.

The Estra River flows from north to south, meets a crack, and falls as a waterfall.

The western border of the empire, which passed into the Kingdom of Noria, was naturally formed along the river.

“Wow, there are so many people.”

Farn said.

The child with good eyesight seemed to be able to see the checkpoint on a small bridge in the distance clearly.

Of course, it was the same for Dallon, so he nodded calmly.

“I heard that inspections have been strengthened, and that is true. “It looks like they even do baggage inspection.”

“You mean the bearded merchant from whom we bought meat and vegetables?”

“okay. “That bearded merchant.”

Dallon answered with a smile. He moved his shoulder and gently shook his backpack.

A heavy weight felt with a clanking sound.

Since I had nothing to spend it on, the amount of gold coins in my bag amounted to over 200.

‘If I do this wrong, I think the toll tax will be deducted in gold coins.’

Dallon stroked his chin and looked down at the demon. He said.

“hey.”

“…Yes, master.”

The devil, who had already become accustomed to being called master, raised his head with a half-fazed expression.

Dallen continued, pulling on the rope.

“Aren’t you in subspace?”

“…Yes, but.”

“I need to borrow some. How do I open it?”

The devil hesitated at Dallan’s words.

The guy said, scratching the corners of his eyes with his stocky arms.

“Because I lost all my magical energy while being beaten by my master… I cannot open any additional passages other than the designated ones.”

“Where is the designated passage?”

The devil raised his hand. What he was pointing at was his own mouth.

“Here…”

“That’s it. “Open your mouth.”

“Ugh…!”

Dallen immediately took off his bag and stuffed it into the devil’s mouth. There was nothing to worry about.

Immortal demons are originally irregular beings. They did not eat like humans and therefore had no internal organs.

In other words, its mouth was just the entrance to a subspace pocket.

“Ugh… Wow! Cough! “Cough!”

The devil who swallowed the bag continued to cough.

The guy’s body stretched like a rubber band as he swallowed a backpack that was several times larger than his own body.

“…….”

“…….”

And Parn and Lucia looked at it with wide eyes from the side.

Parn was amazed that such a small body could fit such a large backpack.

Lucia was disgusted by Dallen’s attitude of treating the devil as if he were a real slave.

Of course, Dallen didn’t care about those looks.

He put the gold coins in his chest into the devil’s subspace and ordered the devil’s body to hide in subspace.

Unfortunately, the holy sword could not be placed in subspace.

This is because it was an item that once possessed powerful divine power, so it was impossible to predict what would happen if it were placed in the devil’s subspace.

‘Can you hear me? If you lose even a single gold coin, the circus will have to pay it back.’

[……Yes.]

While internally scolding the devil in subspace, Dallon naturally took on Farn’s burden.

The sun was just about to set when we arrived at the checkpoint visible in the distance.

A security guard who was waiting for a late guest blocked their path with a tired face.

“stop. “There will be a brief inspection.”

A bushy-bearded security guard yawns and spreads his palms. The armor had an eagle symbol embossed on it. It was an article.

“Are you the representative?”

“exactly.”

“Is there anything that can prove your identity?”

Dallen took out a mercenary card. The knight looked a little surprised when he saw the gold plate.

The knight looked Dallen up and down and asked in a low voice. The change in speaking tone was a bonus.

“There are three people in your group?”

“exactly.”

Dallen nodded.

Actually, there is one more, but that doesn’t count as a person, so it wouldn’t be a lie to say there are three.

“Where are you coming from?”

“Lvivach. “I’m heading to the headquarters of the Holy Knights.”

“You see it?”

The knight tilted his head. Dallen said, extending his hand and bringing Parn forward.

“This is my half-brother. The paladin said he had the talent to be a paladin. That’s why I’m taking you there.”

The knight opened his sleepy eyes wide.

He was surprised once more by the fact that the young boy and the larger Dallon were brothers, and by the fact that the beautiful woman wearing robes next to him was a paladin.

Lucia slightly lifted her robe to reveal armor with the symbol of the Holy Knights engraved on it.

The driver cleared his throat and bowed his head.

“Excuse me. “These days, rumors about necromancers are rampant, so we are conducting thorough checks.”

“it’s okay. Everyone must cooperate in punishing evil. Thank you for your hard work.”

The driver scratched the back of his head as if embarrassed. He couldn’t find a place to focus his eyes, so he poured out compliments towards Parn.

“Hehe, it looks like the little customer went through some rough times at a young age. “It must be a great fortune to have caught the eye of a Holy Knight.”

“He is a child blessed by God. In the Order, that grace will be refined with a single sword.”

“Hehehe, may Powell look down on you.”

“May the God of War be with you.”

The paladin and knight exchanged formal greetings. Meanwhile, Dallon felt the small shoulders he had covered with his hands shrug.

The driver only collected the basic toll from the party. There was no separate baggage inspection.

It was impossible to be rude to the Holy Knight who protected the continent.

It was just as the group was about to pass the inspection without any trouble.

Shut up! Shut up!

A murmur arose from across the bridge. Soon the sound of horses’ hooves continued over the bridge.

Dallen turned his head. A man was crossing the bridge on a horse in a hurry.

“stop! From here on, it is the territory of the empire! “Get off your horse…”

“A messenger! messenger!”

The man shouted.

He stopped his horse right in front of the guard and held out a large card and a document.

The driver narrowed his eyes and snatched it up and looked at it.

At that time, Lucia saw the man and shouted.

“Oclan?”

“Lord Lu Lucia!”

The man was surprised and shouted. He immediately jumped off his horse and came over.

‘Crusader?’

Dallen quickly glanced at the man’s attire.

Dark-colored robe. The symbol of the Holy Knights engraved on leather armor. A few blood stains splattered on it. Minor wounds on hands and neck.

He was a crusader.

A crusader who hasn’t been in battle for a long time.

Something was ominous. I had a premonition that something unusual was happening.

Meanwhile, the man who approached Lucia without delay whispered in her ear in an urgent voice.

“Lord Lucia. “The leader ordered Sir and his party to avoid it.”

Lucia frowned. What did you mean?

The crusader took a moment to catch his breath and opened his mouth with a more serious expression.

“The Holy Knights were split into two. A civil war broke out.”