Chapter 115

The inside of the iron mine was damp and very wet. Maybe it wasn’t like that originally. But now, I wasn’t given the chance to know what the original humidity of the iron mine was like.

“Water bullets, pierce their hearts.”

The monsters charging at us, the union members of the miners’ guild, and even the lackeys of the Black Round Table… all met their end by Lorcha’s Water Attribute Magic. And there were two new things I learned.

First, even after seeing Lorcha’s figure, there are beasts that easily get aroused.

[Hey, capture the woman. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a woman like this, damn, we’re lucky.]

[Her figure’s a bit disappointing, but she’s still a woman, right? If we sell the guy next to her too, we’ll get a good price.]

[Honestly, I’m fine with the guy too…]

[Hey, tie them up first!]

Of course, I responded with the Hoyeongryu Nacheoljang and Gwaewanryu Jeonggwon 6-Strike Combo. The shallow attacks of these lustful monkeys didn’t even touch Werner Altan. The attacks of frivolous people are always shallow and insignificant.

“Sleep in my love.”

With the mindset of a ninja cutting down a rampaging yakuza in the underworld, I ended their lives. According to Count Holstead, they had a hard time at first. Poor working conditions, low wages, yeah, they must’ve had it tough. I sympathize. But since you joined hands with the Black Round Table, you’re trash. Once you walk the path of trash, you’re nothing but bugs.

“Just die, you bastards!”

Unlike me, armed with mercy and love, Lorcha responded to them with a smile.

“You like women that much? Didn’t get enough love from your mom when you were young? Want me to take you to meet her, you bastards?”

Lorcha focused her blue magical energy at her fingertips. Honestly, when it comes to Water Attribute Magic, even Werner can’t keep up with her.

“Water blades, cut down and purify my enemies.”

As she swung her finger, the heads of the enemies in its trajectory began to roll on the ground. The floor was soaked with blood and the water Lorcha created. Ah… I should’ve worn boots… My feet are already wet.

“Go to hell and hug your moms all you want, you bastards.”

Lorcha seemed to be in a particularly bad mood today. Well, coming to this damn iron mine full of lustful monkeys, it’s no wonder she’s pissed. I could understand that. Until she kicked the head of a Black Round Table soldier rolling on the ground.

I wanted to point out her disrespectful behavior, but her expression was so bad that I decided to let it go. After all, those bastards are trash who don’t respect life, so even if their deaths are insulted, they can’t really complain.

But… at least I wanted to bury them in the ground. That’s the least courtesy.

“Earth’s mouth, swallow their bodies.”

At least sleep in the dirt, you bugs.

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“Ugh, how much further do we have to go?”

“The deeper we go, the dustier the air gets, and it’s strangely humid.”

My shirt was soaked with sweat and sticky. However, Lorcha didn’t show a single drop of sweat.

“Lorcha… aren’t you hot? I feel like I’m in a steamer.”

“Ah… didn’t I tell you? My family is blessed by the Spirit King of Water. Thanks to that, most of the heat or cold created by nature is blocked. I don’t get hot in summer, and even if I’m naked in winter, I don’t feel cold.”

“Ah… so you have a hobby of being naked outside in winter…”

I tried to respect it. Everyone has different hobbies. Even if Lorcha’s hobby was outdoor exposure, I was willing to respect her. That’s the manner of a British gentleman treating a lady.

But to my British gentlemanly manners, Lorcha responded with violence akin to British imperialism. I barely managed to block Lorcha’s dropkick, but my posture crumbled, and I fell backward. Lorcha didn’t miss the chance and mounted me. If Lorcha had gone into martial arts instead of magic, she might’ve become a genius of the century.

“Hey! I don’t have that kind of hobby! It’s just an example! Just that I’m cool in winter and warm in winter!”

Wow, her punches are really spicy…

“It’s just that I won’t freeze to death…”

“Yeah, you won’t freeze to death, but I’m about to get beaten to death…”

There was no physical damage, but it just hurt like hell. After my surrender ended the UFC match, we headed back into the depths of the iron mine.

“By the way, being immune to heat and cold is kind of enviable.”

“It’s not complete immunity. There’s a limit to how much I can mitigate the cold or heat created by nature. If I go to the snow-capped mountains in the far north, I’ll feel the cold, and if I go to the volcano in the far south, I’ll feel the heat.”

“Most people would die before feeling the heat or cold there…”

The torch-freezing snow mountains and the torch-melting volcanoes… There are rumors that Spirit Kings live there, but no one has been able to confirm the truth of those rumors. Whether it’s true or not, you have to survive to testify, right? Everyone who went there either froze to death or dried up from the heat. How are you supposed to prove it?

The existence of the Spirit Kings living there is like Schrödinger’s cat. They might exist, or they might not, but no one knows.

“So, is that all the blessing does? Kind of underwhelming.”

“Ah, when making soups or drinks that use a lot of water, they always turn out delicious. Even if I mess up the ingredients or seasoning, it always tastes good.”

“…That’s amazing. No, that seems like the most amazing effect.”

“Right? I think so too. That effect is the most convenient. Even when I’m working alone until dawn, I still have to prepare meals, and it’s really handy then.”

The chains of guilt began to tighten around my heart. Werner was me, and I was Werner.

After Werner quit and deserted, the fact that Lorcha only had 11 days off in 12 years is partly my fault. It’s weird not to feel intimidated when someone talks about their hardships.

“Hey, Lorcha, about that time…”

“Shh!”

Lorcha put her finger to her lips and covered my mouth with her other hand. I could feel the warmth and saltiness of her hand.

She quietly sent a message through magical energy.

[Someone’s coming.]

Only then could I feel the footsteps. Three men… one woman… all of them were quite skilled. To the point where I doubted if the two of us could handle them.

As I kept listening, I could faintly hear their conversation. It wasn’t like a broken radio where I could hear everything, but I could roughly understand parts of it.

[Ran… Lot… one thing… solve…? Looks like… deep…]

[Shut up… you… no… first… the Spirit King of Iron… seal…]

[By the way… Sir Wayne… the members of the de family… perfect… no mistakes allowed…]

[Don’t worry… just kill them all… outside… there’s a collaborator scheduled…]

What the hell is wrong with these guys’ heads? Why is everything they say cut off and messed up? I quietly tried to get closer to eavesdrop more, but I accidentally stepped on a small pebble and crushed it, getting caught.

A frivolous voice stimulated Lorcha’s and my ears.

“You’re not caught this time, so come out. We already knew you were hiding.”

These guys were being considerate, huh? The Round Table there was…

“It’s you. I’ve been seeing your face a lot lately, and it’s not very pleasant.”

“I didn’t want to run into someone like you either.”

And the blond man.

“Hmm… the Imperial Sorcerer and the Tower Lord of Water… Before I play sticky with the other Tower Lords, this will be a decent warm-up.”

This guy, Gawain, was looking down on us completely.

“….”

And a woman and a young-looking man just silently put on masks and melted into the darkness of the iron mine. Like shadows of death taking them away.

Gawain looked me up and down and said in an interested voice.

“You… are interesting. That damn goddess… no, never mind. That’s not important. Join our Black Round Table.”

“Go to hell.”

I had no intention of joining a group with a stupid name like the Black Round Table. If it were something like ‘Red Moon’ or ‘Night Crow,’ maybe… but the Black Round Table? The naming sense is just too bad.

“Then there’s no choice. We’ll just have to brainwash you and make you one of us…”

What a load of crap. But the one who officially protested this nonsense wasn’t me.

“Stop talking nonsense, you crazy bastard.”

Lorcha pulled my cheek.

“This guy owes me 12 years. And you think you can take him? Until he pays back the 12 years he owes me, plus 70 years of interest, he’s not going anywhere.”

12 years turned into 82 years. What the hell, is this some kind of alternate world’s Usijima?

“Sigh… such a bold little girl.”

“Yeah, you’re old, so what? Is your mom old too? Does your mom produce powdered milk when she breastfeeds?”

Lorcha seemed to have come from the streets.