Chapter 270: Chapter 270
The flavors of the pork bone soup fried rice made with seaweed pieces, vegetables, and a special sauce was beyond anything he had ever tried.
It was much better than he expected.
The fried rice was cooked to be crispy, and every time he took a bite, he was overtaken by its sweet flavors.
He was surprised by the perfect harmony between the rice and the sweet flavor.
Min Sung devoured the crispy and sweet fried rice with Marie.
***
Krok, who had returned to his castle, took off his bloody armor and sat down in his fancy throne.
“I’ve prepared a bath,” said his underling, but Krok grabbed his head and fell deeply into thought.
His underling quietly waited without a word.
Meanwhile, Krok looked at his underling as soon as he finished thinking.
His underling bowed down his head.
“Go ahead,” Krok said with a low gaze.
“The outsiders haven’t shown much movement, but we predict they’ll come to the castle soon. And as for the little witch, Marie, the villagers decided to take her back instead of killing her.”
“Marie…? Oh, you’re talking about the little magician.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Krok slowly got up.
“I’m going to wash up. I’m going to go out after my shower, so prepare a horse.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
The underling bowed his head.
***
Upon returning from his bath, Krok changed into his clothes and smiled at the item that was placed on his bed.
Just the sight of it made him happy.
On top of the bed was his gold-plated gauntlet, which was his most prized weapon, and beside it was the spoils of war obtained from the war.
The gauntlet was a weapon that he often used, and the chain beside it was obtained after he killed Eichmann in the war.
This chain was no ordinary chain.
It was a treasure that Eichmann possessed, and it contained a crazy amount of magic energy.
“That fool.”
Krok thought Eichmann was foolish.
Eichmann used this chain, not as his own weapon, but for his territory instead.
But in Krok’s case, he wasn’t going to use it that way.
On top of increasing his attack strength, this chain was capable of a lot more.
It was capable of even making the more infertile land prosper, so it was a valuable treasure.
On top of just power alone, it was able to bring life onto land.
“If he had used his chain earlier, he would have lasted longer. Eichmann had too much pride.”
Krok clicked his tongue and laughed bitterly.
Lord Eichmann was a difficult opponent to go up against, and he was a player of a very high rank.
But Eichmann lived for the good of the people who lived in his territory, and on the other hand, Krok only cared about him getting stronger.
And that difference was what led to the result.
Eichmann, who didn’t use the power of the chain named Kielle, was all too easy to kill.
And since Eichmann hadn’t improved his power using the chain, even if he had used the chain last minute, he still wouldn’t have been able to fight him off.
That was because this item was the most effective when used on the long term.
But if he used this item for himself, things would be different.
He had grown, and he dreamt of growing even more in the future.
Eichmann’s chain named Kielle was going to be his first step in his future.
“I’ll swallow the 12 signs whole.”
Krok smirked and equipped his hand with the gauntlet on his bed.
And then…
As soon as he stretched out his hand.
Swish!
The chain moved like a snake and wrapped around the gauntlet on Krok’s right hand.
Zappp!
The gauntlet, which had the chain wrapped around it, gave off a powerful wave of magic energy.
When Krok clenched his fist…
Flash!
A powerful blue light flashed from Krok’s gauntlet.
***
As soon as the meal was finished, Ho Sung Lee served fruit.
It was a white peach.
Min Sung stabbed his fork into a piece of peach and put it into his mouth.
Om nom!
It was delicious.
The fresh scent of the white peach teased his nose.
The peach was so soft in between his teeth, and it was juicy.
Marie was also eating the peach, and it was so delicious that she ate it while swinging her legs off of her high chair.
But they had eaten so much of the pork bone soup and the fried rice that Min Sung put down his fork after two pieces.
But Marie looked at him, not being able to understand how he could stop, but didn’t ask him why.
It was possible that was because she thought she could eat more peach for herself.
As Marie grabbed another piece of peach, Min Sung ordered Ho Sung Lee to make him a cup of coffee.
Ho Sung Lee made him a luxurious coffee that wasn’t fitting of the shabby house.
“The scent is incredible.”
Min Sung took a sip and said in surprise.
“Does it suit your taste?”
“Of course.”
In response, Ho Sung Lee smiled.
“It’s Lua coffee. It’s very high quality.”
Min Sung nodded.
Since it was high quality, the scent smelled luxurious.
Despite being a heavy scent, it didn’t smell displeasing or heavy in any way.
He was shocked by how sweet the coffee scent was.
After enjoying another sip of his Lua coffee, Min Sung put down his cup and looked at Marie.
Marie, who was looking over at Min Sung’s coffee, immediately turned back to her peach.
Marie was still minding Min Sung to some extent.
“I have a question,” said Min Sung.
In response, Marie opened her eyes wide with nervousness and looked at Min Sung.
“How did you know about the Golden Code?” Min Sung asked Marie.
Marie looked at Min Sung in the eyes and replied, “I heard about it,” said Marie.
“How?’
“The territory looked for me once saying they had things to check. So when I went to the castle, I overheard it. But I don’t know the details. I’m sorry,” said Marie with a dejected look on her face.
“If you’re finished, get going,” said Min Sung while sipping his coffee.
Marie minded Min Sung and met eyes with Ho Sung Lee.
Ho Sung Lee smiled in a friendly manner, and that gave Marie courage.
“Um… Can I come back tomorrow for a meal?” Marie asked Min Sung with anticipating eyes.
“We won’t have time to eat by tomorrow,” Min Sung said while looking into the distance.
“Maybe it’ll be tonight.”
Marie looked confused, unable to understand Min Sung’s words.
At that moment…
Someone pounded on the door.
Everyone glanced over at the entrance where the noise was coming from.
Ho Sung Lee opened the door to 2 people from the village.
Their faces looked bright, unlike last time.
“Is Marie here?” One man asked.
“What is this about?” Ho Sung Lee asked back.
“All the people who were sick are better now. They all want to throw a party for Marie to thank her. We caught a pig recently, so we’re going to make a feast. Would you like to join us?” The man asked with a bright face.
He was the village chief.
Ho Sung Lee looked at Min Sung.
“I’m going to rest here. You can go.”
Ho Sung Lee approached Min Sung.
“If we want to find the secret document, we have to go to the castle and meet with Krok. Is it okay if I…”
“We killed one of Krok’s players. It’s possible Krok would come here while we go to the castle. We’ll wait until we secure Krok’s location.”
Ho Sung Lee nodded in understanding.
“Yes, Sir. Then I’ll be back soon.”
Ho Sung Lee took Marie and left the house.
***
The villagers had a completely different attitude toward Marie, who they once called a witch.
At first, many people were against accepting Marie into the village.
But once Marie treated the sick and allowed rain to fall on their land, the villagers began to change their minds.
When Marie proved that she could make the village’s atmosphere better, the ones who hated Marie turned around.
And the villagers began to see her in a different light.
The villagers of Krok’s territory decided to eat roasted pig, drink refreshing beer, and have a party to celebrate.COMMENT
The name of the festival was “Marie Day”, which would also be her new birthday.
“This is all thanks to you,” the young village chief said.
Ho Sung Lee smiled and drank his beer.
“It’s not thanks to me. It’s thanks to the master I serve.”
“Without your help, the village would have tried to kill that little girl.”
The village chief smiled at the sight of Marie dancing in the middle of countless villagers.
“But now, only good things will happen.”
Ho Sung Lee drank his beer without a word.
Things couldn’t have been any better.
But Krok’s existence wasn’t light by any means.
“Krok’s players tried to take Marie away. Why is that? Is it because the villagers thought she was dangerous so they tried to resolve it?”
The village chief smiled and shook his head.
“No. At first, Krok thought highly of Marie’s magic ability, and he planned to make her grow. But after inviting her and looking her over, he must have been dissatisfied with her ability because he kicked her out of the castle.”
“Then when did that little girl start being hated?”
The village chief showed a sad look on his face.
“Her family life isn’t great. Her father habitually abused her mother.”
“Oh, so that’s when it started.”
The village chief nodded.
“Marie ended up killing her own father without meaning to. She couldn’t control her own strength. Since then, the villagers feared her.”