episode_0055

Upon waking up, I didn’t feel particularly refreshed.

Spect and Kona were still asleep, and outside, dawn had not yet broken.

“…”

Feeling somewhat undecided about going back to sleep, I stepped outside with my sword and helmet turned upside down.

Standing in a suitable open space outside the inn, I lightly stretched my body.

The cool morning air jolted my senses.

“Phew…”

I then warmed up my body with jumping jacks, push-ups, squats.

Finally, after taking a few deep breaths, I raised my sword.

The sword.

It descends slightly diagonally from top to bottom.

Followed by a diagonal upward strike, and then a horizontal one.

Consciously performing each move as slowly as possible.

In battle, one cannot consciously think of each individual movement while wielding a weapon.

“If your mind is too cold, hesitation arises, slowing down your movements. Conversely, if it’s too hot, accuracy suffers…” Misty had taught me.

The key is naturalness.

Repeatedly practicing until precise movements come naturally without conscious effort.

The weapon I used during the demon war that lasted for a century was not a sword but a spear.

The spear techniques I learned from the trainers in this world focused more on coordinating attacks on the battlefield rather than one-on-one combat skills.

And ultimately, the crucial thing was to effectively utilize the cheat abilities bestowed by the goddess, making my specialty closer to sniping.

But now, that ability is gone.

Since then, I’ve lived feeling almost powerless for a long time, relearning from Misty, and through nearly a century of training, I have become who I am today.

“…”

Back in the day, it wasn’t me swinging the weapon around like this during the demon war; it was Steria.

She stood at the forefront wielding that blunt hammer, crushing enemies, while I fought from a relatively safer position in the rear.

Initially, she had her own grievances about my fighting style, and I couldn’t say anything due to my pride in fighting from a safe place.

Yet, over a century of fighting side by side, we eventually came to respect each other.

No, everyone, including myself, acknowledged her.

It took a hundred years for her to acknowledge me.

Pathetic.

It took too long to be recognized as an equal comrade on the same battlefield.

“Ah…”

My distractions grew too deep.

The angle of my sword swing faltered slightly, causing strain on my shoulder and flank.

This training has become so ingrained that it keeps leading me to stray thoughts.

If that’s proof of how well my body has adapted, then it’s fortunate.

“…”

…We’ve lived for far too long.

Sometimes I think that.

Me, Steria, Sangcheol, our entire Evoni tribe.

We were just ordinary humans.

We might have lived for about a hundred years at most before dying.

Being ‘unaccustomed’ to living this long.

“Phew!”

I lightly wipe away the sweat and put on my clothes.

Dawn is breaking.

As I enter the inn, the innkeeper auntie was already up, putting firewood into the stove.

“Oh, you’re up early. Were you training outside?”

“That’s right.”

“You should take off that helmet when you train.”

“I tend to be cautious.”

“I see… My husband should learn from you.”

She brought a small wooden container and opened the lid.

Carefully transferring the remaining embers to the stove, she cupped her hands around her mouth and gently blew, gradually spreading the flames.

“…Is your husband working at the gatehouse?”

“That’s right. All the women and children living in this village are the same.”

“Where is your hometown?”

“I’m from Mongpuro Yeongji. I used to live there, but my husband volunteered for gatekeeping duty, so we’ve been living outside like this.”

Mongpuro Yeongji.

Not well-known.

Probably a small town somewhere in this country.

Border areas are politically sensitive.

Unless there’s something special, even soldiers don’t approach recklessly.

So, if they say it’s border duty, they recruit ordinary folks.

Sometimes a nobleman with reasons comes, but mostly it’s commoners without stable jobs or urgent need of money.

If you have a proper family like here, then it’s likely the latter.

“Uh… So, Mercenary. How would you like your breakfast? Shall I bring it to your room? Or would you prefer to wait here and eat?”

She asked, placing a large pot on the stove.

“Bring it to my room later.”

“Okay.”

Just before heading back to his room, Jebon, the stable hand, opened the door from the adjacent room and came out.

“Oh… You’re up early.”

He yawned and scratched his belly.

“Just had trouble sleeping.”

“The bed here isn’t that bad. Are you used to fancier beds? Somehow, I feel like you might be.”

“I don’t mind even if it’s the ground.”

“Is that so… Anyway, we’ll have breakfast and leave right away. Please inform the others. If we leave this morning, it will probably take about three days. Oh, just in case, if anything comes up on the way, I trust you’ll handle it well.”

“Understood.”

“Heh heh, quite reliable. Have you been in many fights?”

“…”

“Oh, I’m prying too deep, old man. Forgive me. It’s just that… you seem a bit different. I feel like there might be a face under that helmet that I shouldn’t see.”

“Curious, are you?”

“Well, naturally curious about people. But haven’t they said something like curiosity killed the cat?”

“…Where did you hear that?”

It’s an Earth proverb.

Has it spread to this country through someone from my kin?

Or is it just because he’s a stable hand and has met people from various countries?

“Well… I usually don’t talk much about the passengers I carry… ”

I flicked a leftover coin from yesterday at him from my pocket.

Jebon skillfully caught it and put it in his pocket.

“You may not believe it, but I don’t usually speak about guests just because I give them money. But I’m telling you because it’s you. Somehow, my gut feeling allows it.”

“Get to the point.”

About three years ago, there was a certain brave lady knight from Loreldia.

“She looked quite anxious. When I asked where she was going, she said she was visiting a friend in the Labyrinth City.”

“…The reason?”

“I don’t know that part. But one thing is certain, she probably didn’t meet and just turned back. On her way back, when I asked why, she said curiosity kills the cat, better off not knowing. It was such a peculiar metaphor that I remembered it.”

“…”

Steria…

“By any chance… did that lady knight get hurt or something?”

“I don’t think so. She was probably physically fine…”

“…”

“Oh, let me say it again, I have no intention of getting deeply involved with you guys. In this business, maintaining boundaries is important. It’s just that you… somehow crossed that line and piqued my curiosity. Just ignore it. Consider it the useless ramblings of an old man with a good intuition.”

“Got it.”

Jebon is a veteran among veterans who have been crossing the border alone in a carriage for nearly decades.

It’s impossible for an ordinary stable hand.

Let’s return to the room; Kona and Spect were already up.

After a short wait, the innkeeper ajumma brought hot soup and freshly baked bread.

Though the bread wasn’t soft due to yeast but rather crispy like a cookie from being baked over a fire, it was decent when eaten with the soup.

Having finished breakfast, we left the inn, boarded Jeron’s carriage waiting for us, and paid the fare.

“Well then, take care until the border.”

I said as I reclined in the carriage.

Jeron’s carriage looked quite shabby on the outside, but unlike Huxon’s from the Labyrinth City, the interior was quite comfortable.

It was equipped for staying overnight in the carriage, with fixed seats, blankets woven from chilled leather, and even hay suitable for horses to eat.

The setup was designed with the idea of staying in the carriage from the beginning.

“Alright, leave it to me. We’ve deviated a bit from the usual route, but we’ll be back soon.”

We rode in Jeron’s carriage for three days straight.

Without visiting any towns in between, we let the horses rest outdoors.

Of course, while Spect and I took turns driving, considering we were crossing an entire country at a very fast pace, it was quite bearable.

And on the third day, Jeron, his voice hoarse, called out to us.

“We’re nearing the border.”

“We’ve come really fast…”

If not for Jeron, a coachman, this speed would have been impossible.

Honestly, if he asked for double the money we had paid right now, I would have been willing to give it.

“Sigh… I might have pushed it a bit too much.”

Jeron said, rubbing his eyes.

In reality, the one who suffered the most during the three days was him, the coachman.

Except for brief breaks, he drove the carriage continuously.

“Well… I think I should pay you more.”

“No, there’s no need for that. I’m planning to stop this business anyway.”

“A reason?”

“It’s a hunch. Seems like you were my last passengers. If I got more greedy, it felt ominous.”

“…”

It’s not an entirely implausible story.

By now, the knight who disguised himself as a bandit and was dispatched from Brigal must be furious just hearing my name.

Having been deceived by a fish they almost caught, and having lost important military funds…

“Anyway, I need to live cautiously now. I’ve earned enough… So just in case, remember, come back on your own.”

“Sure. Thank you for the hard work these three days.”

With those words, we got off the carriage.

“Well, then, safe travels.”

Coachman Jeron turned the carriage and disappeared into the distance.

We walked along the main road towards the border checkpoint, and before long, we arrived there.

Fortunately, Kona’s adventurer identification was sufficient once again.

Of course, we would have to pay later.

“Now, after passing through this country, it’s Brigal.”

Kona said.

“Yes.”

Brigal, and the reunion with Steria, was not far off.