Chapter 388 – Guarding From the Side, Not From Above

‘Look at this guy?’

Roman watched the beastman climbing the wooden wall of the inn.

The beast’s blood is so thick that you don’t know why it has a long snout and thick gray hair and is wearing clothes.

Her sharp claws and natural physical ability stand out, but other than that, there are no other elements that can be considered dangerous.

However, if there is a problem, the direction in which the beast is climbing is directly at Roman.

The direction of the gaze pointed by the prisoner, the only remaining window and destination after passing the first and second floors.

To put it simply, this is the room where the saint is staying.

“Atra.”

– ···.

The mass of light that had lost its fluttering motion clearly signaled that Atra had recognized the beastman.

“Even if the situation is unreasonable, I know that it is better not to cause a fuss in the Federal Bureau. I will handle it as quietly as possible.”

As he has the position of a saint and is assigned the role of her guardian, Roman also has such a spiritual head.

If I had been alone, I would have caught the prisoner who first laughed and extracted the molars first.

– ···I will leave it to the judgment of Brother Roman, who is escorting me.

She also doesn’t put on gentle conditions such as asking Tyler to send her away with kind words or asking him not to kill him.

Even though Atra is a saint of the Order, she understands the ecosystem of this continent and when something needs to be done, she does it without hesitation.

“Please wait in your room for a moment. I recommend you not look any further than this.”

Roman jumped up from the roof, stood at the edge, and took a look around him.

Farsten’s late-night hours, watched from high above, were quiet.

Except for night guests and those with jobs similar to that, everyone else seemed to be confined to the house.

‘If you look at it this way, the security of the imperial capital is a noble person.’

Tuk.

Roman jumped down lightly, grabbed the beastman’s back, and landed on the floor without a sound.

“Uh, huh?!”

The feeling of the fingernails that had been sunk into the wooden board floating in the air and cutting through the thin air.

Recognizing that her body was being held by someone, Suyin tried to turn her head to look behind him.

Boom!

“Ugh…!”

I couldn’t even confirm who the other person was.

The moment she tried to move her gaze, her eyes spun around and a harsh shock spread across her face.

The back of my head was crushed so that I couldn’t move.

Before his eyes, only the bottom of Farsten, which he had been accustomed to walking on, was visible.

“Quietly.”

“You damn empire…!”

The moment when Su-in, who heard the unique intonation difference in a short sentence, opened his eyes fiercely and was about to swear.

“Stay still.”

“!”

The cold object being pushed into his snout brought a sharp pain to his tongue and the taste of blood.

You can guess what this cool metal is.

“If you move, I’ll cut your tongue out first.”

Roman began checking Suin’s belongings with one hand.

All that came out of my pockets were a few coins and a dagger that was starting to rust.

This behavior is suitable for being called a petty thief.

“It’s too pathetic to even ask what this guy is doing.”

“That that···!”

Every time the beastman moved his snout with the dagger in his mouth, bright red blood dripped onto the floor.

“Who told you there was a damn Empire here?”

“···.”

The appearance of a prisoner keeping his mouth shut and remaining silent. Several thoughts came to mind in her mind.

Did he come to insult the enemy people of the empire with his passionate patriotism for the federal state?

There are people everywhere who only look ahead and don’t think deeply.

Whether in this life or the last, it was common for people to take actions that were difficult to understand through common sense.

“It’s okay. Listening to excuses doesn’t seem to have any nutritional value.”

With a voice of resignation, strength goes into Roman’s hands.

The beastman was startled by the sensation of digging into his flesh, twitching his snout and making a voice.

“Woah, an elk inn looking for water!!”

“Okay, okay.”

Roman, who lightly nodded his head at the prisoner’s confession, bent his dagger and drew it.

Deep -!

The corpse of a prisoner with a dagger pierced through his head and sticking out like horns.

Before his blood poured out in large quantities in a limp state.

Roman, who caught the prisoner’s tail, threw his body in a corner where trash was piled up.

“Ugh. The smell is killer.”

I pushed the body between the mountains of trash with my feet. Inside, a white-skeleton that someone has already paid for is sleeping as a passenger.

There is no need to be surprised.

Ignoring the familiar picture, Roman turned around, got out some water, washed his boots, and got lost in thought.

‘Elk Inn?’

This was the inn that the two people headed to first when they reached Farsten.

I remember the name of the inn at which the prisoner sitting at the entrance laughed.

‘Did they tell me to rob them because the imperial people came? Or the innkeeper here?’

I remember the unfavorable looks in my eyes.

We also know that robbing outsiders is a very common way to influence the continent, regardless of country.

“Hmm.”

If I had been alone, I would have rushed over immediately to check the truth and set the inn on fire.

Roman, who was a guard in his role, first headed to the saint’s room to report.

··
··

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Atra. This is Roman.”

As I lightly knock on the door and raise my voice, I feel some bustle inside.

After hanging the hook and seeing Roman’s face through the gap, Atra opened the door wide.

“Brother… Are you okay? Where are you hurt?”

“It wasn’t a big deal.”

Light blue eyes busily looked up and down, checking Roman’s physical condition.

“What happened?”

“As I said before, it’s not a big deal, but let me explain.”

Roman paused for a moment when he heard a murmur coming from down the stairs.

A group passes by and Roman tries to open his mouth again.

This time, an elf opened the door in the room on the other side, glanced at me for a moment, and then went downstairs.

The atmosphere is somewhat chaotic.

Atra, who was still in conflict, slightly turned her body and showed Roman a simple inn room.

“You can come in. I will report and listen inside.”

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Roman, who stepped in from the entrance and closed the door, stood there, took care of his soundproofing, and made a voice.

“Considering the level of prisoners who attempted to infiltrate, it is difficult to say that they were hired by someone to check the entry of Saint Nema Natas or the Virgin.”

“Umm… I see.”

Atra tilted her head, tracing her complex emotions across her face.

Roman kept his eyes straight ahead as much as possible and was conscious of not looking around her.

However, there are things that are forced upon our sensitive senses.

The room had a damp and watery smell, as if it had been washed with hot water.

Atra’s body, dressed in comfortable clothes for her bed, gave off a faint soapy scent that tickled Roman’s nose.

“He confessed that he heard the news at an elk inn looking for water, but the truth is not clear. It is believed to be a simple crime committed by one of the prisoners who hates the people of the empire after hearing a rumor.”

“Disgust toward the Empire… This is something I didn’t really feel at the time when I was moving with support from the federal government. The emotional rift created by the war is so deep…”

Roman hastily added a word of her own to save the saintess from delving deeper into a problem that she cannot immediately solve.

“Lord Atra, this hatred might be somewhat offset if we show and focus on the common enemy, Nema Natas.”

“For sure…! I’ll have to cheer up.”

As for the prisoner, if you don’t come looking for me again, I won’t take revenge.

But just because I don’t visit today doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten this.

‘Next time I’ll come and roast it over a fire.’

If I get a chance to visit the Federal Bureau alone in the future, I plan to come all the way to Farsten and stop by the inn.

Roman, who added one line to the blacklist, opened his mouth as he looked at Atra, who looked worried.

“It is considered advantageous to leave as soon as the sun rises.”

“I will. There is nothing else worth taking up time other than sending letters.”

Roman was also satisfied with Atra’s expression, which was easy to understand and at the same time became a little lighter.

“As well as the doors, make sure to lock the windows. Even if you feel uncomfortable, don’t open them until I come to you in the morning.”

“Yes! I will keep that in mind!”

At Roman’s attention, Atra nodded, her light blue hair flowing.

“I will be watching from the same position as before. If you need anything or have a problem, you can call me from my room and I will be able to hear you.”

“Do you really want to sleep there? There is no campfire and the night breeze is cold…”

“I’ve told you this many times, but I don’t have the constitution to suffer from minor illnesses.”

Roman left the last greeting and was about to open the door and leave.

Atra unconsciously reached out her hand and grabbed Roman’s collar.

With that, Roman’s feet stopped and his head turned.

“Do you need anything?”

“···!”

Atra, startled by her unconscious actions, let go of her sleeve.

The saint moved her mouth with her mouth.

“About that brother saying he doesn’t take care of minor illnesses…”

“Yes?”

“This is a line that busy people always say the day before they visit the church due to body aches or high fever.”

“···.”

As if what I just heard was a cliché.

Atra had that kind of look in her eyes.

While Roman was wondering whether to mention the unicorn blood or not. She went on to add her words.

“My body is weak, but I can protect it with holy objects.”

“···.”

“I am speaking simply because I do not doubt you, brother. I am confident that I have the strength to deal with anything if I am exposed to a crisis against my will or feel threatened.”

Artra continued his explanation by adding that he would do it if Roman was not in a bad mood.

Roman also sensed that these words were truly filled with worry, but Atra was unable to finish his sentence easily.

The bottom line is that you should trust its durability and stay in your room instead of sleeping in a cold place.

The sight of him blushing and rambling and not being able to reach the destination of the conversation was reminiscent of the time he apologized to Rike, so Roman opened his mouth and suppressed laughter.

“I understand what Atra said. You disclosed this information in the hope that I can take it lightly, so rather than feeling bad, I am grateful.”

“··· Thank you for your understanding.”

“Then, I will take care of you at the entrance to avoid the night wind. From the perspective of a guard, it would be appropriate for you to stay close.”

Roman sat down in his seat without leaving the room.

Atra bowed to her in greeting and returned to the table where she had been writing the letter.