IARMDH - chapter 49


It was a so-called 'eat the guy who's trying to eat me' operation.

This was the operation that Smith gave a thumbs up to and readily lent his name to, calling her a talent in the industry.

Erne was watching Judith, who couldn't hide her joy while holding the contract in front of the kneeling Kane.

“She seems like a villain.”

Yeah, she looks like a villain. Even more so when she's laughing in a dark alley with two big men flanking her. He can see why Smith called het a talent in the industry.

After Kane left like a defeated soldier, Judith, who was looking at the contract in disbelief, found Erne and jumped up and down, waving her hand.

The way she jumped around in place reminded him of a rabbit. Even though she was a villain rabbit who stole other people's real estate for cheap.

Erne, who had thought that far, couldn't hold back and burst out laughing. What if she's a villain? As long as she doesn't get eaten by me. 

He raised his arm to wave back but hesitated.

Have you ever waved to someone without them giving you a hand signal? It's just a simple wave, but it feels so awkward, so I guess I've never done it before.

The awkward feeling in his stomach eventually caused him to raise his hand, but it seemed to be enough for Judith, who was intoxicated with joy.

The corners of Erne's mouth went up as Judith smiled brightly. At that moment, Judith bumped fists with Brother Luhmann and then gave him a light hug.

“...?”

The corners of Erne's lips hardened as she went up. Isn't it a bit much to hug another man while her husband is watching? And two of them.

But before Erne could do anything, or even properly acknowledge the sudden surge of discomfort, Judith ran towards him.

“Erne!”

As if it was only natural that Erne should be the one to share the greatest joy, she waved the contract like a flag of victory.

“Let’s eat meat for dinner tonight!”

***

“Hehehe.”

My clown didn't know how to come down as she looked at the shop where the total amount of gold sold, including the Luhmann brothers' gang, was 151 gold.

My own store in my name! Not a monthly rent or a deposit, but my own home!

Honestly, I didn't know I could buy real estate this quickly. Even though it was a small store, where was that?

“I can smile even when I smell this.”

Tan frowned at the unfamiliar stench and looked at me with curiosity. I tapped Tan on the shoulder.

“Our Tab will take care of all this stench, so what can I worry about?”

I, whose eyes met Tan's, winked playfully. As Tan's face grew even more distorted, Erne pulled me away from Tan.

“You just seemed like a really perverted old man.”

“Don’t forget, ma’am, the security forces are here.”

Tsk, Judith pouted and pulled away from Tan. Only then did he wipe away his immature expression and use his usual sales voice.

“As I told you last time, the method to remove the bad smell is not difficult, but it is very cumbersome. Please follow it carefully.”

***

“...must be done, well, that’s all.”

Tan warned that removing the stench was a hassle. Hearing it firsthand made it even more troublesome. It couldn't even be done in a day.

First, the charcoal was burned with sun-dried yew branches to purify the stench and kill any lurking martens.

Afterward, he gathered some ashes from the ash tree while he was ventilating the room and sprinkled them on George's old mother, who had turned into a black, mucusy substance. At the same time, he did not forget to express his condolences.

It took a full six hours just to do this. The ritual began at night when there were few people around so as not to disturb the surroundings, and ended just before dawn.

But this was only the beginning of a long purification ritual.

“There are preparations for the next ceremony.”

“What do I need to prepare?”

“Water that has been boiled three times and cooled three times. I’m going to clean the store with it, so the more I have, the better.”

“Is that okay?”

“Yes, I’ll prepare the rest. Oh, and three of you.”

Tan looked at Judith, Erne, and Henry in turn.

“Please come after cleansing your body. Bathing and purification are required. Be sure to wash thoroughly for at least one hour. Refrain from killing, and do not eat meat or drink alcohol.”

“What? I can’t even drink alcohol?”

“Just bear with it for a day or so, Erne.”

Judith asked Tan, ignoring Erne who was grumbling and complaining.

“Is that all I have to be careful about?”

“That, that place.”

Tan, who had been talking fluently, coughed for no reason.

“You shouldn’t do that.”

“That? What is that?”

“You must not... sleep together.”

Tan picked and chose his words, choosing the most wholesome ones. But his eyes were not wholesome, for they looked back and forth between Erne and Judith.

“...That’s not it.”

Erne, who read the meaning of Tan's gaze, choked up for a moment and let out a hoarse sound. He was unexpectedly flustered, having never even thought that the words "sleeping with Judith" would be intertwined.

"No."

However, Judith was not particularly embarrassed. Tan thought Erne and Judith were a married couple, so it was quite possible for her to misunderstand. Furthermore, she was not particularly embarrassed because she was misunderstood a second time.

“We live together, but we don’t sleep together.”

“That’s weird too?”

“But it’s true.”

“...”

That's true. No, but how can you say that so calmly?

Erne felt embarrassed that he was the only one with a hot flush on the back of his neck.

But if you think about it for a moment, Judith was a person who would have said that she wanted to spend the night with him without blushing at all.

To begin with, she is a person whose moral sense is flexible. If he gets angry at that type of person, he will only lose.

"No?"

While Erne gradually regained his senses, Tan tilted his head. Henry and Judith aren't related, but he heard that Judith and Erne are a married couple, so they don't sleep in the same bed?

“Then perhaps...”

Tan's eyes, which had been pondering for a moment, rolled around and looked at Erne and Henry.

“What was that look in your eyes just now? Why are you looking back and forth between me and that kid?”

Erne's sanity, which he had barely regained, was suddenly cut off. Erne frowned at the discomfort rising from below. His thick eyebrows were about to connect.

“I feel very uncomfortable.”

Henry looked more contemptuous than when he saw a swarm of dozens of raccoons.

“I can make that unwholesome mind as clean as pure water.”

As Erne placed his hand on the sword hilt, Tan muttered as if he was wronged and flinched his shoulders.

“No, I just asked because I thought all three of you need to cleanse yourselves.”

It would have been nice if it had ended there, but Tan muttered one more thing, “They said that a strong denial is an affirmation.”

That morning, Tan had to run several laps around the neighborhood because he believed that a healthy mind resides in a healthy body.

***

The deodorizing ritual went off without a hitch, although it was a lot of work to boil, cool, and transport enough water to clean the store.

Before cleaning the shop with water, Tan moved the body of the old woman who had offered herself as a sacrifice into a box made of paulownia wood. Thanks to the smoke from the yew tree, the mucus covering the bones disappeared, and only the bones with holes here and there were left in the box.

After moving the body, they cleaned the shop thoroughly with water that had been boiled and cooled three times, placed salt jars on all sides, and hung bunches of dried sage from the ceiling.

While the toxic fumes from the van were dissipating throughout the store, they buried the old woman's body in the same grave as her son.

As fellow Shartins, Tan was deeply outraged by the evil deeds of the landlord, Kane. However, with no physical evidence and the victim dead, there was nothing more they could do.

“It must have been some consolation to them that Miss Harrington had snatched the store from that man for a pittance.”

As Tan said, it can only hope that it will be of some comfort.

Anyway, leaving the past behind, [Miss Harrington's Special Candle Shop] has finally opened its doors.

While the smell kept her from doing business, Judith made small scented candles and colored candles to hand out as part of her grand opening event.

If you buy one incense stick, you get a small colored candle for free. If you buy two incense sticks, you get one small colored candle for free. Customers who buy ten colored candles also get a small incense stick as a gift.

As a result, the event was effective.

Crowds of people. Judith's store was literally crowded. And in the middle of the crowd was Henry.

With his light brown hair neatly swept up, his eyebrows neatly trimmed, and his newly shaven face, Henry was the very definition of a gentleman.

Although he entered the Knights Templar through connections, he took good care of his body and didn't have an ounce of fat.

In particular, his square shoulders shone even brighter in his white shirt.

He had a pleasant, low-pitched voice and always had a kind and gentle smile on his face, so women passing by came into the store as if they were possessed.

“This scent really suits you, young lady.”

“Young Lady? How old am I?”

The noble lady waved her hand, but couldn't hide her open mouth as if she didn't like it.

“Haha, oh, sorry. You look so young, I thought you were single.”

“Oh my, oh my.”

The woman wearing a ruby ​​ring the size of a fingernail burst into hearty laughter as if she was delighted by Henry's teasing, then ran her fingers from right to left along the shelf.

“Give me everything from here to there.”


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