24 Hearts

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Chapter 3. Flag Competition.

Capital Aslan, In Front of the Outer Wall.

“That was a rough ride.”

As Arhil got out of the wagon and huffed, Judah, who had followed after her, simply nodded. Just like she said, the way back to Aslan was really difficult. They thought they would arrive at a comfortable pace of a week, but it took them a whopping two weeks.

It would’ve been okay if monsters appeared and interfered with the journey. At least they could feel something like annoyance, but all they felt was boredom. It was far from what they wished would happen. Instead, the road was blocked by crowds.

People gathered from nearby kingdoms and empires to watch or participate in the upcoming Flagstaff competition, so they had to wait in line to rent a wagon.

The number of wagons going to and fro the capital and the castle was much larger than usual, and compared to demand, the supply was quite short, so it was not easy to rent a wagon.

When they sat around about a few days ago, Arhil healed a noble son who fell down the road, and in return, she was able to borrow a carriage and ride it.

Arriving wasn’t that easy. Compared to so many wagons going back and forth, the road was narrow, so the horses couldn’t go at a proper pace. They would’ve had a better time if only the horses could run instead of walking.

Judah gave his thanks to their coachman and saw him off. Judah found himself laughing at Arhil, who panicked the moment the carriage went away. And just like when Judah and Jeanne found themselves in awe when they first saw Aslan, Arhil had the same gaze at the capital’s breathtaking structure, a mountain carved into an unyielding fortress.

“Wow…”

“Isn’t it awesome? It’s really incredible how humans were able to make this.”

“You’re right. It’s my first time in Aslan, but I didn’t even think it’s such a wonderful place. I heard stories about it, and now that I’ve seen it for myself… I am very impressed. It’s so wonderful and magnificent.”

Arhil was awed. Definitely. If you are a human, or even if you are not human, if you had intellect, you won’t be able to hide your admiration when you see Aslan. At least that was what Judah thought.

“Now, don’t just look around, get in line.”

Many people were lining up at the checkpoint to enter Aslan. In preparation for any incident, heavily armed knights were running around and ushered the crowd. He didn’t know if that was the case, but the order was well maintained, and the number of lines quickly shrunk because of the three checkpoints in front of the gate.

“Judah, I believe you will remember your promise.”

“Promise?”

As they waited in line, Judah turned his head after hearing Jeanne’s words, a puzzled look on his face. What did he promise? He didn’t remember making any special promises. With his confused expression, she seemed disappointed.

“Did you not promise to watch the Flagstaff competition?”

“…That’s not it. I can’t participate this time, so I said I’d participate in December, right?”

Oh, was that it?

Jeanne’s eyes widened. When she heard it, she began to remember how the conversation went. But Jeanne seemed disappointed that she couldn’t see the Flagstaff than to feel shame that she was wrong for what she remembered.

“Huh? So you’re not going to see the Flagstaff competition? Then why are you here?”

“We went here to buy a weapon and complete a quest. We won’t go to watch the Flagstaff competition. I don’t know why we even came here if you think about it now. What should we do? Only our leader can tell.”

“Okay, so whatever the leader says… we’re just supposed to follow helplessly?”

Talking in such a sorrowful voice, they secretly put pressure on Judah to see the Flagstaff. He wasn’t interested in seeing much. Even when he was in the real world, when there were university festivals or concerts held nearby for free, he hated the crowds, only visiting as an experience and didn’t even enjoy it. He couldn’t even sit in the front seat nor watch it on a large screen, so he couldn’t figure out why people were enthusiastic. He thought it would be the same for the Flagstaff competition, so he didn’t relate to why they felt that way about it.

‘There’s nothing to see.’

Judah glanced up at the wall. Green and red flagpoles waved in the air. The poles hanging on the wall told the kind of competition to be held at the time. It was natural to see the green flagpole, held every four months, but the red flagpole was unexpected.

It was a competition held once a year, and it will not be easy to see it on the next date… So maybe it wouldn’t be bad to experience what it was like.

‘Kain will participate in this competition anyway, so I need to see how much his skills have improved.’

Judah thought of it for a moment before looking at Jeanne and Arhil from behind as they continued to patronize him.

“Okay. Hopefully, there are Wielders of the Sword in the crowd. Let’s take a look.”

“Is that true?”

“Wow! This is great!”

Jeanne was really happy. It had brought her a great deal of joy that a message popped up, indicating that her favorability had risen. Judah immediately turned off the obstructing message. She waited for the checkpoint with a smile, rejoicing like a child. It wasn’t difficult to get through, and they were processed very quickly.

As soon as they entered Aslan, the first thing they did was to book for lodging. Judah, who thought it was difficult to find a place because there were so many people, wandered searching for the most expensive accommodation. When he looked for a luxury lodge close to where the Flagstaff competition was held, he certainly had a seat.

It was an expensive place that no ordinary adventurer or mercenary could rent, but Judah had a fair amount of gold coins obtained from dealing with Count Jinmu, so he had no worries about payment at all. His companions felt like getting two rooms would be too expensive, so they told him to rent a room with three beds.

Those who stayed in the lodge were high profile and obscured. Although the manager at the counter did not originally accept adventurers or mercenaries, she felt that Judah and Jeanne looked dignified and would accept them. In the meantime, she said they should avoid causing a racket, and if they did, they would be shown the way out.

Judah nodded and paid, promising that he had no intention of causing any chaos. He wore clothes made of black wolf skin and a coat made from Requiem’s leather, so he looks quite luxurious.

Judah told Jeanne and Arhil to wait in their quarters, taking their luggage out of the -Bag- and putting it in their respective rooms. If they wanted to look outside, they could visit as many places as much as they wanted, but he told them to let him know where they planned to go. Then, Judah took Edron’s items and headed to the blacksmith and his weapon shop in Aslan’s Alley.

It was a small and shabby store in a small pathway, but as so many people flocked to Aslan to watch the Flagstaff competition, several people were inside. Looking through the window, Judah sat on a bench outside, waiting for all the shoppers to come out.

He waited, though it was unlikely that the store would be empty, with one person leaving but two coming in. And if they heard the news of the death of their child, they would not be able to do business normally, so he stayed away for now in consideration. Finally, seeing that everyone in the store had gone, Judah entered the store.

“Excuse me.”

“Welcome!”

The lady, who was sitting at the counter, stood up and greeted when the doorbell rang. Despite the look of exhaustion, she greeted Judah with a hurried smile, but the moment she saw his face, her eyes widened. She remembered him.

“Honey!”

She rushed to the back of the store. The shopkeeper ran so quick as if she had seen a robber. After watching her disappear inside, Judah flipped the card that said OPEN and faced the CLOSED part outside. Soon, a muscular man came running to the store.

“It’s been a while, Edsen. How are you?”

“…Why did you come alone? Have you found my son?”

He asked Judah with furrowed eyebrows, his anticipation and anxiety adamant in his gaze, as the news about his son was his priority rather than exchanging greetings. Judah handed over his son’s sword that was in his grasp. They took the sword silently, looking down at it in disbelief. He sputtered a sigh. His wife, who was next to him, plunged to the ground.

“Uh, can you tell me what happened?”

At Edsen’s request, Judah told him all about what had happened in the village of Cherryu. Hearing the story, the parents cried, and Judah had no choice but to sympathize with their loss.

“I’m sorry for your loss. But… I’ve been looking for a medicine to treat your daughter. First of all, can you guide me to her?”

With tears rolling down his face, Edsen nodded his head, hesitantly glanced at his fallen wife, and took Judah with him. At the back of the store, there was a separate house connected to a forge. Inside a room, there was a girl on the bed, wheezing and gasping for air. Judah pulled out a -magical orb containing numerous souls- he got from the altar and put it in the girl’s mouth.

This orb, made by mixing countless blood and souls with powerful magic, had the same effect as an elixir, called a panacea. In a way, this can also be seen as a sage stone that was the main ingredient of an elixir. The small pieces turned into liquid the moment they touched the child’s lips and flowed in.

There were no flashy effects, but its medicinal effect circulated quickly. As if the child’s body healed at a tremendous rate, her breathing calmed down in a heartbeat, and the girl opened her eyes.

“Dad?”

The girl raised her fragile small hand. Edsen, still grieving his son, forced himself to laugh and respond, slowly raising his child’s body.

“Why are you crying? And who is this boy?”

“Is there anything that hurts?”

Judah asked the girl to confirm. The girl frowned and opened her mouth like a reflex.

“A lot. It’s hard to breathe… Huh? Why doesn’t it hurt?”

The girl looked down on her own body, panicking. And gradually, she realized the state of her body. Her breathing was stable, and she had no power to move her body, but she moved naturally.

“Huh… Dad? This isn’t a dream, is it? Is it?”

The girl gasped at Edsen, and he hugged his daughter in tears at the sight of her. Realizing it was reality, the girl soon burst into tears, and their house was filled with the sound of their weeping. Judah was forced to watch them as they cried silently.