Are MZ Shamans In Trouble In Romance Novels? - Chapter 34
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
34.
“So to show Northern loyalty, they secretly entered the cemetery in the middle of the night… Haa.”
Ian, who had gone beyond anger to bewilderment, roughly ran his hands through his hair. He could understand Calisia doing this, but he hadn’t expected the knight order to join in as well.
“I told you last time that I was going to look for Thomas’s Notebook. And also…”
Calisia, who had been gauging Ian’s mood, rattled off various face-saving excuses. In short, she claimed she was wronged. Ian’s eyes grew coldly rigid at her excuse-making tone. It was because instead of a proper explanation, she poured out excuses as if she had been waiting for this moment.
-Thomas seems to have been killed quite unfairly. But that old man has some problems with his head. Originally, ghosts who died violently usually can’t remember how they died.
He had heard plenty about her stepping forward to help a ghost named Thomas. But he didn’t know it involved sneaking into a cemetery at midnight to dig up coffins. And without even bringing him along.
“Don’t you know how dangerous it is to wander around such remote places at this hour?”
Places like public cemeteries had a high probability of criminals or vagrants hiding in them. That’s why he was even angrier. What reason could there be to help a ghost named Thomas while taking such risks?
“Dangerous, what danger.”
“…”
It was such a carefree comment, showing no understanding of others’ concerns. Ian unconsciously swept his tongue across the inside of his jaw, feeling frustrated. It was a habit that came out when something displeased him.
“That’s why I brought all of them with me.”
Sensing the dangerous atmosphere, Calisia pointed behind her while carefully reading the mood. Several silhouettes desperately bowing their heads. Ian’s mood twisted mercilessly upon seeing the Northern Knights. They were the biggest problem from the start. No matter how much Calisia had trained alongside the knights through thick and thin, they were still men. They were highly inappropriate companions for spending the night together.
“Are you that thoughtless, Valus? To come out here in the middle of the night with knights? And for grave robbing…!”
Ian, whose anger had exploded, finally raised his voice.
“It’s grave excavation!”
“It’s excavation!”
Calisia and the knights, who had been rolling their eyes to avoid Ian’s gaze, immediately launched into rebuttals. Even when getting scolded, they had to be clear about what needed to be addressed. Wasn’t knightly honor at stake?
“Shut your mouths.”
Ian ground his teeth as he watched them practically forming a chorus. The way they were talking back showed they still hadn’t come to their senses.
“Don’t forget who you’re standing before right now.”
Ian glared at each member of the Northern Knights, grinding his teeth. He knew discipline had become lax since coming to the Western Region, but he hadn’t expected it to be this bad.
“…”
Intimidated by his fierce presence, the knights bit their lips and deeply bowed their heads. It was a silence where even breathing couldn’t be heard.
“I ask you. Are the Northern Knights so foolish as to forget chivalry? Or has grave robbing become an honorable and righteous act without my knowledge?”
The heavy voice, suppressing anger, pierced the knights’ chests like arrows.
“…”
Standing with their hands behind their backs, they hung their heads even lower as if ashamed. They couldn’t bring themselves to speak even though they had mouths.
“Now you won’t even answer your master’s questions.”
Ian’s eyes grew increasingly sharp at the continued silence. It was silent pressure telling them not to provoke his temper any further.
“…We thought helping a lady in distress was a knight’s duty!”
The knights, who had been hesitantly moving only their lips, squeezed their eyes shut and shouted loudly.
“Raise your heads. Who looks like they’re in distress to you right now?”
Ian snorted as if he couldn’t believe it. He urged the knights to look around if they had eyes. Following their master’s words, they slowly raised their heads and carefully surveyed the gravesite. The grave dug deep into the ground and piles of dirt stacked all around. Next to it, a wide-open wooden coffin and pale skeleton revealed under the moonlight.
“What. Why are you looking at me.”
Finally, Miss Calisia twirling her hair and playing innocent.
“…Ah.”
The knights gasped as realization washed over them like waves.
“We’re sorry!”
“We’re sorry!”
After exchanging glances with each other, they conveyed their apologies in booming voices. Banging their heads on the spot was the natural next step. The current situation was unmistakably a gathering of grave robbers to anyone who looked.
“One, the spirit of chivalry. Two, let’s not forget.”
Ian looked at the knights with cold eyes and spoke in a firm voice.
“Yes!”
The knights, who had been bowing their heads in formation, reflexively planted their hands on the ground. It was due to the familiar, almost tiresome signal for punishment drills.
“Begin.”
The heavy voice announced the beginning of hell.
“The spirit of chivalry!”
“Let’s not forget!”
The Northern Knights began bending and extending their arms in rhythm with the chant.
“Your voices are too quiet.”
Ian, looking down at the round heads, lightly flicked his finger.
“…!”
At the sharp sound, the knights involuntarily convulsed and raised their heads in unison. Golden Spark bursting from their master’s fingertips. The knights’ faces turned ashen upon seeing that brilliance. They knew how extremely vicious that damned light was.
“Ah, ugh!”
“Kuh, hup!”
Shortly after, the knights, flattened against the ground like dried squid, writhed while letting out pained groans. A massive pressure like a mountain began crushing their bodies.
“Get up.”
At the frosty voice, the knights tremblingly raised their bodies with shaking limbs. The thought of doing push-ups in this state made their vision go dark.
“The, spirit of chiv-! alry!”
“Let’s not! For, get!”
The knights, pumped up to the max, shouted in voices so loud they were cracking.
“You’ll wake all the deceased. You’ll wake all the deceased.”
Calisia, who had been quietly watching the scene, pretended to cover her ears.
“Kids these days are no good. Tsk, quiet is basic in public places like this.”
At the sound of tongue-clicking, Ian only rolled his eyes sideways to glare at Calisia. A laugh escaped involuntarily at her shameless behavior.
“Calisia Valus.”
Ian, clenching his teeth tightly, called out today’s protagonist and culprit.
“Me? Why, what.”
Calisia made a bewildered expression as if she knew nothing. In truth, there were some aspects where she felt somewhat wronged. She had shared Thomas’s pitiful situation in advance and had given prior notice about looking for the notebook. Though she had omitted quite a lot of the detailed plans.
“Shouldn’t you join them too?”
Of course, Ian’s thoughts were quite different. Having made up his mind about something, he raised his finger to point at the spot next to the knight order. He intended to use this opportunity to fix Calisia’s bad habits. From Tiger Disaster Village until now, she pretended to be practical but didn’t know how to take care of herself. She would grumble but somehow always end up helping others.
Ian let out a short breath. Calisia was the first thread of hope he had found in his pitch-black life. He wanted to protect that uniqueness for as long as possible.
“Me? Why me? I’m not part of the knight order.”
Meanwhile, a sly and slippery voice passed by like rapid fire. It was Calisia, who had quickly extracted herself while leaving the knights behind.
“…Miss.”
The knights looked at her with resentful eyes at such swift and nimble betrayal. Even using Aura to run would be slower than that.
“Didn’t you say you’d show Northern loyalty?”
Ian, lifting his chin, asked with a meaningful expression.
“I said I’d show it, but I never said I’d uphold it myself.”
“Northern loyalty is too precious a virtue for those who don’t know its value. So bury it properly by yourself again, Valus.”
Pulling up one corner of his mouth high, he pressed a shovel into Calisia’s hand.
“…Are you really going to be this petty? How am I supposed to do this all by myself!”
Calisia, who had been staring blankly at the shovel in her hand, burst out shouting.
“If you can’t do it well, show your loyalty first, Westerner.”
The choice is yours. At his inflexible attitude, Calisia threw down the shovel. Contrary to Ian’s words, this was a choice with a predetermined answer.
“Do you think I can’t do it if you tell me to?”
Still, her pride wouldn’t allow her to just give up. Don’t they say even a worm will squirm when stepped on?
“Ngh, ugh!”
Calisia, huffing angrily, made a groaning sound as she vigorously lifted the coffin lid. Even though it wasn’t thick, it was made of solid wood, so it was quite heavy.
“Just closing the coffin lid will take a year.”
Ian, sneering to his heart’s content, openly showed an arrogant expression. Annoyed by his triumphant appearance, Calisia squeezed out every ounce of strength she had to close the coffin.
“…”
The problem was how to lower this coffin back underground and bury it. Her face flushed bright red as she silently looked down at the coffin. There was only one answer.
Impossible.
“Get down.”
Clang-
Clang-
Clang-
Ian’s arrogant voice echoed in her ears like the sound of bells.
“No. Why do you have to go this far….”
“Get down.”
Ian cut off Calisia’s words as she said she couldn’t understand at all.
“Miss! Over here!”
Just then, the exhausted knights who had been waiting for this very moment slowly shifted their positions. They wore bright smiles on their sweat-covered faces, looking pleased about something.
“….”
Calisia let out a hollow laugh at their transparent behavior. My fate is just like that, I suppose.
“We’ve prepared the perfect spot!”
“You can get down right here!”
The knights cleared away the small stones on the ground while grinning broadly. They seemed quite pleased to have someone join them in punishment. How frustrating, really.
“One.”
The area that had become momentarily noisy fell silent as a grave again. It was because of Ian.
“Chivalry spirit, ugh!”
Along with the knights’ groaning sounds, the moonlit punishment drill began again.
“No! Why do I have to be doing this!”
“Let’s not forget, ack!”
“I’m not even a knight!”
Soon after, Calisia’s shrill screams echoed throughout Saintria Public Cemetery.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————