Hero’s Downfall Report

28 – Devotion with a Sword (3)

“Who are you?”

Cain lowered his voice. But the men just laughed.

“Who are we? We are the people who live here.”

From behind the trees, this time, five women walked out. They ranged from plump-bodied young women to elderly grandmothers. They all held baskets in their hands, filled with mushrooms and berries.

“How did these people find out about this place?”

It was embarrassing. Cain’s mind went blank. He had thought it was a well-maintained forest, but he had never thought that there would be people from the village nearby.

“Where are you all from? You even have such a fancy sword. And your shoulders are so broad. Are you traveling merchants?”

A plump young woman approached closer. The smell of dirt from her apron and the smell of mushrooms from the basket wafted through the air.

“I… That…”

“Heuk…”

Suddenly, Lily buried her face in her hands, shaking her shoulders as she sobbed. The women set down their baskets and rushed towards Lily.

“Oh dear, child. What’s the matter? Why are you like this? What’s wrong?”

Whatever Lily replied wasn’t audible even to the grandmother closest to her.

“What are you saying? Speak up a bit louder. Oh my, the child seems quite startled.”

Lily spoke again, relatively steadily but with a mixture of tears.

“…Our husband…”

Cain’s ears rang. It seemed less noisy than a swarm of a thousand mosquitoes.

Currently on a secret mission, revealing herself as a security agent is out of the question. Nor can she say she came down from the mountain. The Otranto Monastery is a sealed cloister where outsiders, let alone visitors or peddlers, are not allowed.

So Lily spontaneously fabricated a false identity, claiming that she and Cain are a married couple who took a wrong turn and ended up here.

A brilliant improvisation. It aligns with the instructions.

But being a married couple.

“They call me stupid… saying I can’t even find a proper road… cursing at me just because I made a mistake… even though they also misunderstood… even though they don’t know the way either… I’m the only fool…”

The women’s eyes turned fiercely hostile. A plump woman approached Cain directly.

“Hey. Is this for real?”

“Uh… well… um…”

Lily sniffled and crouched down.

“You’re going to abandon something like her and leave…”

“Hey. Why can’t you speak up?”

Even Grandma approached Cain with widened eyes. Cain couldn’t figure out what to say. The loggers, holding their axes like staffs, looked at Cain as if he were the pitiful one in the world.

“Oh, you, son of a… this rotten son of a, why is this sweet baby crying, huh?”

“Ah! Ah, it hurts!”

It truly hurt. It hurt as much as being scolded by his parents. In fact, Cain was about the age of those children of his own. Add to that the anger towards the despicable who made a ‘pretty young bride’ cry, trained muscles from farming and gathering, and regret for having removed the chainmail.

“Hey, upon careful consideration, you’ve done wrong a hundred times. Admit your mistake.”

A lumberjack with a messy beard gave Cain a gentle scolding. The sky seemed to sing to Cain. He regretted taking off the chainmail.

“Oh, baby. Baby. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. You did nothing wrong.”

Lily cried with a whimper, and the women gently laid their hands on Lily’s head and shoulders. The elderly grandmother even hugged her tightly.

“Baby, living with others means dealing with all sorts of things. There are more days with tears than good days, and more days being angry than crying. But after time passes, if you look back, those things become small, colorful beads. When you think about why you got angry, why you liked it… you forget everything.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Just get angry, sad, laugh… that’s all that remains. Give it a day. You won’t even remember why you were angry yesterday. It’s nothing. It all flows away with time. Hold on to what you want to keep, and let go of the rest. Life is not as grand as you think. Just live, laughing and crying like intertwining vines. It’s nothing special.”

“But the baby really likes my husband a lot.”

“Nonsense. Your husband likes her too. Didn’t you see just now? He subtly looked at her apologetically.”

“…Really?”

“Oh, she’s grown quite a bit, completely a baby. A baby. She’s tall, pretty-faced, with slender arms and legs. Oh my. Carrying such a big thing around… Oh my, in this world. Oh, my goodness… This child, thanks to his luck, has…”

It was a long time after Lily and Cain faced each other again. Lily’s eyes were swollen again, but she smiled as she sniffled, and Cain couldn’t regain his composure after being hit. It was even more unsettling when the women looked at him as if he were indifferent, even if he were to be chewed up and killed on the side.

“Hey, listening quietly, you’re a guy who hasn’t done a single good thing and even lost his temper. Apologize.”

Cain, who had become a husband blaming his wife for a topic he didn’t even know, politely apologized.

“I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

“‘I love you, honey.’ Did you eat it up because you were hungry? Didn’t you apologize properly?”

Cain looked at Lily with a plea for help. Lily helped.

“Yes. Apologize properly. Did you do wrong or not?”

Even as he thought, ‘I’ll really have to see you later,’ Cain suppressed his anger.

“Sorry, honey. I really messed up. But it wasn’t intentional, you know?”

Lily was natural. She pretended not to know and quickly avoided eye contact.

“I don’t really know. Is it true that you love me?”

“…I do love you.”

“Then do what you said you wanted to do before. Promise. Right here. Do it.”

Daelyeon. Cain quickly remembered. About not doing daelyeon together in Anna’s carriage. It was such a peculiar thing to say that it was easy to remember.

“…Fine. Let’s do it. Anything else?”

It was a plea to stop, and Lily understood. So Lily decided to stop.

“You didn’t say you love me. Say it.”

Cain thought of the apple trees in his hometown orchard. After this is over, he really will go and plant apple trees. If there are no apple trees to plant, he’ll catch bugs or something.

“I love you.”

Before he could finish speaking, Lily came and kissed him. The apple tree was completely forgotten. This is work. This is work between undercover agents disguised as a married couple. Cain muttered several times. It wasn’t easy, with the women shedding tears and even the woodcutters’ eyes turning red.

* * * * *

Justice was served, and the women and their husbands were satisfied. They readily provided a hay cart for the trip to Marifurt.

“Some of our fellow villagers live in Marifurt too. They run an inn with a stable, and their reputation is excellent. We had to go to deliver more hay as they were running short. Oh my! The child was so surprised, they had no strength left in their body.”

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Apart from being hit once or twice, there were no major issues. Before leaving, the women whispered something to Lily.

“Can that really work?”

“Just try it tonight. You won’t be able to move. Just uproot the whole thing.”

The nymphs patted Lily’s flushed face and buttocks.

“Live well! Have as much fun as you can and have lots of babies while you’re at it!”

People from the neighborhood came out and waved their hands.

Cain was exhausted. He just wanted to sleep deeply. Seeing the familiar shadow lurking in the dark corners of the forest, he wanted to turn his head away.

The shadow of the person who died horribly, the person he loved. And still, the shadow that was alive and breathing, approaching him and speaking to him.

Thunk.

“Ouch.”

Lily poked Cain’s side. Her swollen eyes couldn’t open wide, but it was still quite scary to look at her sideways.

“Aren’t you going to answer?”

Cain didn’t ask, “What’s the question?”

“A match? Let’s do it once your blisters go down and your eyes aren’t swollen anymore.”

“Are you afraid?”

“What’s there to be afraid of? You’re just doing it because you don’t want to hurt me again. And because you don’t want any misunderstandings.”

“Wouldn’t it have been better if you didn’t get mad at me?”

“Do I look like someone who wouldn’t get mad while you keep insisting?”

I wondered if my words were too harsh. But Lily didn’t seem particularly affected. Judging by the slight tilt of her head and the pout on her lips.

“…Are you sulking? No way?”

“It’s a minor misunderstanding.”

“You deserved that.”

Cain touched his forehead with his finger. His shoulders and arms still hurt from the beating he received from the rural woman.

“…Let’s just say we’re cousins next time. Being a couple doesn’t seem right.”

“I prefer being a couple.”

“I don’t like it.”

“I do.”

“Fine. Do as you wish. I’ll call you cousin. Sister.”

Cain buried himself in a pile of straw.

“Well, I’ll say we’re cousins who got married because we love each other. Right, dear?”

Until it was heard in Sare, that’s what it meant.

“…I hope you’re not hurt.”

As the coughing subsided, Cain muttered while looking at the sky.

“Regardless of orders and guidelines. Whether it’s the body or the heart, I hope you’re not hurt. Whether it’s the Security Bureau or anywhere else, getting hurt is the same, but still, our job is a bit… a bit worse.

Sometimes, you have to deliberately deceive people. And you have to use them. Every time your heart gets hurt, it becomes too difficult.

In the end, even tough things get worn out. So just let it go. There may be no sad things, but there’s no interesting things either… well. That’s how it is.”

There was no response. It seemed like he had fallen asleep. Cain didn’t bother to check.

Before falling into a deep sleep, Cain suddenly became curious. Cain had seen a dark shadow from that black knight. So, did Lily see something similar?

The answer to the question could be heard in Magdeburg four days later.

* * * * *

Magdeburg is a massive city.

Simply put, it’s not just in terms of size, but also in symbolic meaning. Before the empire was established, it was the capital of a single nation, and even now, it’s not an exaggeration to call it the second capital of the empire.

Moreover, Magdeburg is a sacred place for the Twin-Headed Eagles. If a pope from the Southern Kingdom is ever to visit the empire, it is usually the first place they go. There was a time when, during a period of extreme hostility between the pope and the emperor, an opposition pope appointed by the emperor stood here.

The significance of being a sacred place for the Twin-Headed Eagles also means that followers of the Twin-Headed Eagle sect from around the world gather here. Due to pilgrimages or religious inspiration, and also because many people visit, there are high expectations among merchants that trade will thrive.

Therefore, Magdeburg is always bustling.

Even in such a lively place, the most impressive spot is undoubtedly the “Sword Devotion Park.” Sword devotion refers to the highest praise that can be bestowed with a sword. To respect someone with a sword means, in essence, to offer them your own sword.

So, in front of the statues of the seven warriors who defeated the demon king, there are numerous swords from the 5th Crusade. It includes not only the standard imperial sword but also rapiers frequently used in the East, staffs, curved swords of the heretics from the North and West, and various other types of swords.

The place where the demon king was defeated is in the desolate northeast, and therefore, the Sword Devotion was originally there, but the pope insisted on moving it to Magdeburg.

The owner of the desolate northeast is uncertain, but Magdeburg is definite. Of course, the Sword Devotion Park itself is managed by the empire, but an endless tourism plan utilizing it was established under the leadership of the pope.

As a result, it’s only natural that the headquarters of the Inquisition is established in Magdeburg. It’s the place where news from various sects can be easily and diversely accessed.

Cain and Lily entered through the main gate of the Inquisition headquarters.