Raising Paladins

Episode 52. If you really want to drink punishment (5)

“How do you know about cave trolls? huh?”

“I’ve caught a few of them.”

“What nonsense!”

Dave is excited! and snorted.

“Even skilled hunters are cave trolls who die in droves! The wooden bat he wields… … .”

“It’s a bone bat.”

“ok?”

“Cave trolls are hideous and ferocious, but they do not harm nature. I love things like caves and trees and grass and moss. It’s like a disaster for people.”

“That, so?”

“That’s why we don’t cut trees or burn branches to make a fire. Instead, when a male or female with whom they live dies, they wait for the corpse to rot and make a weapon out of the strongest bones. Usually thigh bones are used, but particularly strong ones make weapons from their mate’s spine. In that case, it is very difficult to deal with.”

“her… … .”

He stopped drinking Dave’s favorite beer and stared blankly at Carl.

“What are you doing?”

***

an hour later.

Carl was sitting opposite Dave drinking beer.

Dave, who was listening to Carl’s story, burst into laughter.

“Ha ha ha! That’s how it happened! It did!”

That he is a priest and has come to get leather armor to wear to his servants.

And when he realized that everything that had recently happened to Mayrium was the work of Carl, Dave readily gave up his seat.

The characteristics of artisans who are immersed in one field are that they do not trust others well and do not treat them well.

However, Carl is given a seat and a beer.

It was a great favor.

“You mean that Hanson fell on his knees to you? hahahahaha!”

Dave laughs so loudly that the studio vibrates.

Although she was a woman, her laughter and actions were unstoppable, perhaps thanks to her dwarf blood.

“Hanson also decided to live a life of service in the temple.”

“hahahaha! Hard to believe, really! That thug Hanson was acting like an obedient sheep! Besides, you have a lot of knowledge about leather!”

Dave jumped up and held up a cave troll hide torn in the middle.

“You guessed right away that this hide was that of a cave troll. Besides, I know a lot about the ecology of cave trolls. Especially few people know that this cave troll’s hide glows at night!”

The skin of a cave troll.

As Dave said, it lights up at night.

Especially the darker the darker.

It was a characteristic of cave trolls that they lived in deep caves without lighting fires.

So, cave troll hides were mainly used to make expensive jewelry or armor, and the items made were traded at prices unimaginable to ordinary people.

However, the precious thing was torn all the way down the middle.

“What happened? Drinking and working like that?”

“no! No matter how bad I am, I am a member of the Craftsman Guild! I don’t even drink alcohol before I go to work!”

“then… … ?”

“This is what Malone’s son did!”

Marlon?

Carl’s ears pricked up as he listened.

“If it’s Marlon, is it Marlon the butler at the City Hall?”

“okay! That black, big guy! He asked me to make some kind of strange device, but when I refused, he went on like this! You look like a rotten bastard!”

“A machine?”

“okay.”

dump.

Bump, boom!

Dave sat down and sipped his beer.

As before, he exhaled heavily.

“I’m a person who makes things for money, but I still have feelings. Even tools you don’t know what they’re used for are ok if you give them money, but sometimes there are guys who bring bad design drawings. That’s exactly what Marlon brought!”

“What kind of instrument did it look like?”

Marlon is a cruel man who tried to kill Devaldo in broad daylight.

Besides, the head of the city hall did such a thing.

Clearly there’s something not good about him.

It was necessary to find out that such a Malone requested the production of an uncomfortable balloon.

“It was like a crimping device. Something like putting a lot of stuff in a big barrel, squeezing it, and then injecting it into the next barrel on the other side… … . But as soon as I saw it, I got goosebumps and felt bad. That’s why I told him to stop, and he acted like a rogue.”

“Compress and then inject… … no way!”

“why? Do you know anything?”

Something flashed through Carl’s head.

It was a tool he had seen in his previous life when hunting down brutal black magicians.

The lunatic black magician who hid in a hideout in the north of the empire, kidnapped people, put them in the balloon, and infused them with bad energy!

The people he suffered became monsters, regardless of gender.

A terrible thing that causes changes in the body by forcibly injecting a drug made with a special recipe into a person’s body.

‘I wonder if that’s still going on.’

Apparently, he traveled all over the empire with his subordinates and rooted out the warlocks.

But that’s still there… … .

This needed more precise confirmation.

“Excuse me, could you please redraw the blueprint?”

“Eh? I’m so embarrassed… … I don’t even want to.”

Dave’s face was not good.

Artisans like Kaldo Dave know that they absolutely rely on their intuition.

However, this was something that had to be checked out.

If City Hall is using such a scary device to do something, it’s directly related to the safety of all citizens of Mayrium.

“Let me ask you a favor. I’ll give you any amount of crones.”

chuck!

Carl brought out a thick money bag.

But Dave shook his head.

“No, no. It’s not about money. If I keep coming across such unlucky things, the bad vibes will go crazy on me too!”

“Then what example would you like me to give you?”

“Hmm… … .”

Dave’s gaze turned to the leather on the workbench.

“Hey, it looks like you’re fighting a little to have Hanson subdued.”

“I can’t.”

In fact, I’m probably the strongest in this empire.

I’d like to say that, but for now, I held back.

“So, have you ever been from Meirium to Tournoble?”

“Is that so?”

“oh! Then you must have seen the big oak tree on the way?”

“yes.”

large oak tree.

It’s like a sign symbolizing the entrance to the lawless zone where scavengers used to sneak.

It was Carl who punished Turner, the leader of the scavengers, under that tree.

I couldn’t know

“Oh oh! Then we’ll talk faster. If you look carefully into the woods behind the oak tree, there is a secluded trail. It was once used by smugglers. If you follow the path, you’ll find a cave. And in it… … .”

“Are there trolls?”

“That’s it! But it’s just rumors I’ve heard. Above all, it was not easy to get near that oak tree because of the scavengers. But I heard you beat all the scavengers? Then we can go.”

“To sum it up, find that cave and see if there are any cave trolls inside, and if you can, catch them and get their hides.”

“This fellow, you are very clever! That’s what I mean! hahahahaha!”

puck! puck!

Dave slapped Carl on the shoulder as if he liked Carl’s ability to understand words.

‘Dwarves say all women are like men, so their descendants are like that too… … .’

Carl nodded.

“It’s not difficult, so listen. Instead, if you bring me leather, you will need to decorate the blueprints and make leather armor for the temple attendants.”

“cancer! That’s not difficult! It’s leather armor, I make several pieces a month!”

“great.”

“Okay, take this first.”

chuck!

Dave held out a leather pouch.

The knife took it and unwrapped it to find two small jewels inside.

“Think of this as a down payment. If you return safely with the leather, I’ll give you five times as much!”

“I see.”

The sword that came to entrust the armor request with money.

It was the moment when Carl, who suddenly came to this place, received a request in reverse.

***

“Hey, priest.”

Someone called Carl as he was leaving the guild building after finishing his business.

I turned around and saw Marlon leaning on the corner of the building.

“Are you going around in broad daylight after being caught trying to commit murder? He’s a big guy.”

Quick!

Carl’s unstoppable tone made Marlon immediately establish blood.

But I couldn’t rush in like I used to.

Because I saw the sword’s ability with my own two eyes.

Even though I had subordinates at that time, I lost, so if I had a fight now when I was alone, I would definitely lose.

Marlon said, barely letting go of his anger.

“You’d better be careful, this is Mayrium, and the person I serve is the owner of this place!”

“Tell the owner, maybe we will meet soon.”

“… … ?”

“I heard that they commissioned the production of something that doesn’t look good.”

“… … !”

Marlon, who had been leaning over, straightened up.

“Who did you hear that from?”

“Who is the person you commissioned? But what was that thing for?”

“I don’t know.”

“As expected, it seems that the back is dirty. It doesn’t matter, I can find out for myself.”

Malone, the person who entrusted the design drawing.

I met him in person, but I didn’t think he would confess because he was questioning me.

Besides, it was daytime, so there were a lot of people around, so it was a bit difficult to beat Marlon out of the blue.

“But why did you come here? That doesn’t sound like a good business.”

“I came to warn you.”

“warning?”

“I have to keep my mouth shut about what I saw in the woods. If you go around bragging about it to the citizens, you won’t be safe with just one life.”

“I will take care of my own life. Is that all you have to say?”

“… … .”

“Then do your best.”

I want to arrest Marlon right now, but the evidence is lacking.

It is not too late to expose his behavior after finding evidence that all citizens can understand.

Carl thought so and headed for City Hall.

After quickly registering as a citizen, I planned to search the oak grove in the morning light.

“hey! Clearly warned! be careful!”

As Carl snorted and didn’t look back, a vein formed again on Marlon’s forehead.

‘After all, you’re going to drink punishment wine, come on!’

Fast!

Marlon grinding his teeth.

he said to the man behind the corner.

“Follow me. Find out what he’s up to.”

“Yes, butler.”

He was one of Marlon’s old assassins.

After seeing him disappear onto the roof of the Craftsman Guild, Marlon also left.

***

the next morning.

Carl packed his things as soon as the day was bright.

It was simple food, a wooden sword, and a steel sword obtained by killing the scavenger captain Turner the other day.

In the meantime, the sword had been sharpened whenever it was available, so the steel sword was now like a new one.

Swoop-.

A knife that has been wiped once with an oiled cloth.

I packed all my stuff and put it on my back, but someone appeared at the door.

It was Maysa.

“Good morning, Priest Carl.”

“okay. May the sun god bless you.”

“Yes, I hope Carl has a day blessed by the sun god. By the way, where are you going early?”

“I had to catch a troll.”

“yes? If it’s a troll… … ?”

Maysa was taken aback.

A troll is a powerful monster that can be captured even by one knight’s force.

Not only was it suspicious that such a thing was around here, but even if there was, it was absolutely impossible to catch the knife alone.

Occasionally, there are hunters who take on the challenge because they are blinded by precious things such as troll blood, teeth, and leather, but there are many cases where they cannot return home either.

But Carl was talking as easily as going for a morning walk.

“Now, wait a minute! Are you sure? You mean you’re going to catch trolls?”

“It is.”

“Then I will go with you!”

“It’s okay.”

“I want to gain experience too! please!”

“… … .”

Meisa bowed her head.

A thought popped into Carl’s head as he looked at her.

It was the large crossbow she had brought to the temple.

“Take your crossbow and follow me.”

“yes!”