Dark Fantasy Paladin

Dark Fantasy Paladin Chapter 31

Episode 31

There was no more business in the north.

The possibility of becoming King of the Unemployed was a concern, but that didn’t mean I should let myself die in frozen soil.

This is because we could not waste time preparing for the demi-humans who might be integrated at any time.

Aiden had to become much stronger than he is now.

If you take your time, you will regret it later. Even though I moved fiercely every moment, it wasn’t enough.

Therefore, it was planned to leave the phenomenon of the Permanent Snow War to the Empire and the Sword Saint for the time being.

Aiden went straight down to the south.

It took four full days from end to end of the empire.

The destination was the coastal city of Illyas, which was recorded in the letter sent to the saint.

Aiden was slowly driving his horse across a plain of yellow reeds.

On the left, a huge river flowed that led to the sea inside the city.

Sein, who was riding a horse with Daryl, was captivated by the beautiful river.

Finally, I spoke carefully.

“I… Holy Knight. “Can’t we go a little closer to the riverside?”

Before Iden could respond, Daryl chuckled.

“Do you want to be dragged by your hair to a mermaid?”

Sein also burst out laughing along with Daryl.

“You just plan on teasing me whenever you get the chance, right? “I was deceived when I was young, but not anymore.”

“Then how are you an adult now? That’s it. If you don’t believe me, ask me. “My childhood will be completely shattered.”

“Where is your innocence? “I see blood every day.”

Sein’s words without much thought colored Daryl’s expression with bitterness.

The siblings’ lives were stained with blood. Rarely a day went by that I didn’t see something bleeding, regardless of whether it was red or black.

That’s why Daryl felt sorry for his younger brother. Because I was used to death even before emotions were formed.

When Daryl became silent, Sein felt that he had made a mistake.

I patted my brother on the back and changed the topic.

“Holy Knight, is it true what your brother said?”

Iden nodded.

“From the lower reaches of the Kerel River, mermaids from the sea occasionally appear. “It’s dangerous, so don’t get close.”

Sein looked a little embarrassed. I knew that creatures called mermaids existed, but I didn’t know if they were a dangerous species.

“Does this mermaid eat people too?”

“If we have to be honest, they eat each other.”

The most famous delicacies in the coastal city of Iriyasu were definitely foods cooked with mermaids.

Mermaid sashimi, mermaid sushi, mermaid rice bowl, grilled mermaid…etc. There were so many different recipes that it would be impossible to list them.

And mermaids also ate humans. They enjoyed drenching people in water and munching on them alive.

Sein stiffened with a very shocked face. No matter how much experience you have, this kid seems like a sweetheart. I felt like I could hear her innocence being destroyed.

Did I speak too bluntly? I felt sorry for no reason.

“I’m sure there are mermaids who get along well with earthly humans.”

“······yes.”

Aiden cleared his throat and pointed straight ahead.

“We’re almost there.”

Before we knew it, the gates of the coastal city were getting closer.

There was a long line of people waiting for inspection, most of whom were adventurers.

Daryl glanced at the rank badges on their chests and nodded.

“It can be said to be a sacred place for adventurers. Most of them are silver medal or higher. “They are the ones who do one thing.”

As Daryl said, many adventurers flock to Illyasu.

This city, located at the end of the empire, was the only way to sail across the sea to an unexplored continent.

Aiden passed the procession and approached the gate.

Among those waiting for inspection, no one expressed dissatisfaction.

Although adventurers may have conflicts with nobles, they only recognized the privileges of paladins.

As the guild takes skill supremacy as its motto, the greatest value to them is Ilshin’s military power.

The Paladin was a recognized strongman. Regardless of religious reasons, adventurers only respected strength for its own sake.

“Thank you for your hard work!”

I responded to the guard’s greeting and passed through the castle gate.

The horizon changed to a horizontal line. The smell of the sea irritated my nose. 200 years of history permeated the building with a salty scent.

It was a well-organized city center with neatly lined up white buildings.

“It’s a completely different world. “I’ll get better.”

It was a place in complete contrast to the barren north.

Sein also opened his eyes and looked around.

“Let’s eat first.”

The only food I ate on my way here from the north was bread that was as hard as a rock.

It was going to be busy, so I had to fill my stomach.

We sat down at an outdoor restaurant that seemed to have the most customers.

There was a cool breeze blowing and the tent blocked out the sunlight, so it was perfect for a short break.

Daryl turned his attention to the table next to him.

There was a mermaid’s head on the plate. Since the face is a mixture of half human and half fish, people who see it for the first time are bound to feel repulsed.

The same was true for Iden, but not for Daryl.

“I guess that’s the steamed mermaid head I’ve only heard about. “If you come back from Iriyasu without trying that, you’ll be scared.”

It was a dish made by steaming mermaid heads and spices together in a pot, and it was the most popular dish.

Sein turned pale and closed his eyes tightly. Then he sent a desperate look towards Aiden. Please stop my brother.

In the first place, Iden had no intention of letting me eat the mermaid.

“If you eat it, you will regret it. “Mermaids are humans.”

I didn’t say that just because mermaids looked similar to humans.

Although the current people of the empire do not know, mermaids were actually humans. Everyone will know within ten days. If they realize that they were eating their own people, it might cause a big repercussion.

Daryl gave an expression of no understanding. However, he had never once seen Aiden spout nonsense.

“Will I get better?”

“You will find out soon, so don’t regret it later.”

Aiden ordered an ordinary fish dish and filled his stomach. It was time for the food of this world to suit my taste, but it was still not that good.

I missed the taste of home.

Iden, who quickly finished eating, spoke to Daryl, who was still eating.

“I have some business to attend to, so find a place to stay first. “If you go to the center, you will find the largest inn called ‘Mermaid’s Tears.’”

Daryl hastily stuffed the remaining food into his mouth.

“Why don’t you go together? “I ate it all.”

Iden stopped Sein from following Daryl.

“Eat slowly. “I was going to go alone anyway.”

Aiden left those words behind and walked away. There was work to do before the saint arrived.

*

The place I headed straight to was the Adventurer’s Guild in the city center.

A pure white building that occupies a large site all by itself. It was the second largest building in the city after the Princely Palace of Illias and the Southern Diocese of Varanches.

Aiden turned the doorknob. The sweet smell of alcohol and loud noises greeted Iden.

The lobby and bar on the first floor was crowded with many people, but strangely, there was no unity at all.

A nobleman looking pitifully at the sight of an adventurer drenched in alcohol in broad daylight, a client exchanging contracts, a merchant selling artifacts, a priest preaching, and a drunkard causing trouble.

Aiden squeezed through the crowded crowd and headed to the central shelf where alcohol was piled up.

The bartender was surprised when he checked Aiden.

“Will the Holy Knight get better?”

Aiden felt that his sharp eyesight was unusual. This is because they recognized the sacred armor even though it was hidden behind a black cloak.

The bartender’s voice poured cold water into the noisy interior.

If a paladin visited an adventurer’s guild, there were really few reasons.

Adventurers were a group of people who would do anything to become strong, so there were many cases where they worshiped the devil or dabbled in evil witchcraft.

The church discovered such a situation and dispatched a Holy Knight. People had no doubt about it.

Everyone who was talking kept their mouths shut and moved their eyes to follow the bartender’s gaze. There was Iden.

He frowned and approached the bartender.

“You may have a good sense of vision, but you have no clue.”

I didn’t want to be noticed, so I put on a cloak. Unless the bartender was oblivious, it might have been an action intended to alert someone to the appearance of the Holy Knight.

Since I wasn’t there to arrest him, it didn’t really matter. However, the situation itself of being watched was uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry.”

“done. “More than that, I’d like to meet Jonah.”

Yona was named as a platinum adventurer and was a very talented person.

People were buzzing.

Did Jonah make a contract with the devil? Did you get treatment from a demonic cult? If not, it was words like…

The bartender also looked at Aiden with a very embarrassed expression.

“I’ll call you Boo. Please wait a moment.”

“I will go up. “What floor is it?”

“It will be on the third floor. No, it’s the 3rd floor.”

Aiden ignored the loud voices and headed straight to the third floor.

The guild provides private rooms to adventurers with a gold rank or higher, and this was the case with Yona.

As soon as Iden came up to the third floor, she opened her door and was waiting.

Looks like I just received the news. A woman with red hair lowered her head.

“Nice to meet you. “My name is Jonah.”

“I am Paladin Iden.”

She guided Iden with a wave of her hand. I entered the room and sat down at the table.

Jonah handed me a teacup with a relaxed expression and sat across from me. Iden seemed to be expressing his innocence with his whole body.

She got straight to the point.

“If you don’t mind, may I ask why you were looking for me?”

Aiden answered immediately.

“I have a request to make. “Can you take me to the sea?”

She asked back, somewhat puzzled.

“······yes? If you’re talking about sailing, that’s impossible. The mermaids are in heat and attack boats relentlessly, so no one goes out to sea during this time. Therefore, you will not find ships heading to unexplored continents. sorry.”

Iden shook his head.

“I don’t mean to go there. “It’s literally under the sea.”

Jonah stopped bringing the teacup to his mouth.

“What is that…?”

“We must go to the deep sea.”

Yona, who was looking at Iden intently, smiled with an embarrassed expression.

“sorry. “I’m so stupid that I can’t understand the paladin’s jokes.”

Iden sighed deeply.

I already knew Jonah’s true nature, but I was very uncomfortable with the fact that I couldn’t reveal it because of the ban.

I had to choose a method I didn’t really want to take.

“I’ll ask you one last question. Will you take me to the deep sea?”

“Haha… sorry. “I have no idea.”

Iden nodded.

“Let’s eat first before talking about work. “I heard that if you come to Iriyasu, you must try mermaid cuisine. Do you know of any restaurants?”

Jonah’s expression began to cool.

“Why but? “I thought you were enjoying it because you smelled like fish.”