. Chapter 116: Special summer

-S-sir, please send the count back when you return… we have work to do… please.-

-We need him. Please.-

Joonbum thought about what happened back in Khaloda Village. When he returned, Secretary Hernan and Tax Collector Baril were waiting for him. They wanted to meet with Joonbum so they could ask him to send the Lord Brant Khalodian back home.

‘Ugh, unbelievable.’

It seemed that the count did not return from the village. It looked like he was preparing to stay until fall.

‘Is my mom really getting married?’

He was told that the messenger asking for the count to come back returned with a refusal.

‘But this is too fast!’

Joonbum thought for a moment, then shook his head.

‘It’s not my decision.’

It was entirely up to his mother. Joonbum shook the thoughts away and returned to camp.

‘Summer is already over.’

There was no more extreme heat and it was very chilly at night on the mountain. The area was already covered in darkness.

‘Hmm?’

Joonbum froze in place. He began looking in a certain direction.

‘Meat!’

Joonbum quickly reached for his handaxe and threw it. It penetrated the lizard’s head at once. The lizard that seemed to be about five feet long writhed frantically before it died. Joonbum picked it up by the tail and came back.

“Oh! Sir!”

“WOW! A lizard!”

Daryl and Louise began butchering the lizard to prepare it for dinner. They also prepared leftovers on the side to smoke it. The meat was cooked with salt and pepper while the other vegetables were cooked over the fire.

“Sir.”

Daryl took out a meat skewer and handed it over to Joonbum.

‘He did learn.’

Joonbum was satisfied. It was worth the money to teach these two at the capital. They also acquired cooking experience throughout the camping, so that helped too. Daryl and Louise also worked well now. They also did not hold back on using the salt and pepper which the natives considered as expensive, and Joonbum liked that.

-Ugh! This is expensive!-

-Why are we using so much?-

He thought about these two at the beginning when they hesitated to use even a little salt or pepper. But they had perfectly gotten accustomed to it now.

‘They’re good now.’

It looked like all those camps had paid off.

“Good.”

“It’s so good!”

“I think it’s the best lizard meat I’ve ever tasted.”

Joonbum grinned at the sight.

“People need meat! It’s just like Sir Joonbum says!”

“I know. One fistful of meat is enough to make your hunger go away!”

“Oh? Then I’ll take everything else.”

“NO WAY! You pig!”

“I thought you weren’t hungry anymore?”

“But I can still eat!”

“Haha. There you go.”

They laughed and joked with each other as they ate. Joonbum also ate while he drank beer. It was good a dinner.

‘I wonder if that girl is doing well? I hope Ress returned her home safely.’

Joonbum grinned at the thought of Catherine Ferric. Her innocence and friendliness were lovely and she also had very pretty features that added to her loveliness.

-Joonbum! I’m gonna tell my papa if you leave me! He’s very scary, you know?-

-Is that candy? Huh? N-no. I don’t like candy. I’ll take it if you want to give it to me though.-

-Joonbum! Can I sleep with you? Please?-

-NOO! AHHH!-

She was very cute even when she threatened Joonbum. There were times when she woke up from her nightmares, screaming endlessly. Even Eina, her servant and guardian, could not calm her down, so Joonbum had to calm her himself. It seemed like her imprisonment left her traumatized. Joonbum was a knight in shining armor to her, so he was the only man who could calm her. Joonbum had to leave her at night in the end.

‘I guess she’ll cry for a day…’

There was no other way. The girl had gotten too close to Joonbum. Ress and the other merchants also did not stop her from getting too close to Joonbum.

-Well, she’s young now, but in few years…-

-Yes, they grow fast. In three years, she’ll be different…-

-You should give her a good impression now so you can…-

Merchants suggested absurd ideas, but Joonbum could not object as they were older men. It wasn’t weird for the men of this world to marry a young wife.

‘Hmm.’

Joonbum grinned at the thought, then froze. He moved back quickly as an arrow was fired upon him. Multiple arrows were fired at him as he rolled away to dodge the arrows. Daryl and Louise opened their eyes in shock. They couldn’t even scream and they stood up quickly.

More arrows were fired at Joonbum, but he pulled his shield up to block them. The arrows stopped when Joonbum covered his entire body with a shield and took out his Gladius sword.

“UGH! AMBUSH!”

“SIR!”

Daryl and Louise put on their helmets, grabbed their shields, and looked around frantically. They were disoriented by the attack.

‘So this was why.’

Joonbum realized how the Black Talon fell to the attacks at the sight of Daryl and Louise. Joonbum grinned.

‘It’s not to kill.’

The attack was fierce, but it wasn’t pointed directly at Joonbum. It was shot at him, but it was fired near him. It was easy to mistake it as an attack, but Joonbum knew exactly who had done this as he had seen it multiple times.

‘It’s the Ainos.’

“Who is it!” Joonbum shouted, and a man came out from the shadows. Joonbum smiled at the sight.

“DORAL!”

“Welcome back!”

Other men began coming out from the shadows.

“Haha, that scared me.”

Joonbum laughed it off as he checked every face that appeared.

“Looks like you did your homework on human land!”

“You need more training.”

“Joonbum! Weren’t you too slow in noticing us?”

“Welcome back!”

They were all familiar faces. Daryl and Louise were confused.

“A-AINOS!”

“IT’S THE Ainos!”

Soon, the bonfire was surrounded by a group of people talking amongst themselves and enjoying the meat.

*

A cool breeze swept through as the leaves began to turn yellow. Summer was coming to an end. A lot of things happened in the town. The count bid farewell to Sunsook and left reluctantly. The Donians were no longer a threat as they were busy handling Meletoba’s death and finding a successor.

“You like it?”

Joonbum sprayed water over Galfus and continued to rub her with shampoo. Galfus growled in satisfaction as Joonbum continued, “Your belly is quite big now!”

Joonbum carefully caressed Galfus’s belly. There were new cubs growing in her body.

‘Pretty soon.’

Joonbum rinsed her off with warm water and began drying her by using towels and a fan. Galfus seemed to enjoy it.

“Huh?”

At that moment, Galfus suddenly moved, jumped to her nest, and sat down. She howled loudly and the cubs around moved away. Galfus began moaning.

“She’s going to give birth. Cover the area.”

The male suddenly appeared and sat down in front of Galfus. The villagers began covering the nest. Time passed slowly as the moaning continued.

“This is taking a long time.”

“Yeah…”

The Ainos grew concerned at the prolonged birth.

“Joonbum.”

Sunsook and Mayze approached Joonbum. Both of them and the other women had warm water and a clean cloth in their hands.

“Can we take a look inside?” Sunsook asked. Everyone shook their heads.

“No way. The male is blocking the way. We can’t get close.”

The moaning increased and everyone became more concerned.

“She must be having a hard time.”

Giving birth was a painful process for all living beings.

“Let me get closer.”

Joonbum walked up. The male stood up and began growling, threatening Joonbum to go away. But he flinched at the moaning from behind. Joonbum opened his mouth at the male.

“Galfus is in pain. Move away! We need to help her!”

Joonbum walked closer as the male glared at Joonbum. When Joonbum walked close enough, the male walked away and Joonbum walked in with a bucket of warm water and a towel.

He turned on the light and was shocked at the sight.