Ch.11Chapter 11 – Eve Lavencha (2)

After loading all the robbers’ equipment onto the cart pulled by Eve’s furry beast, she gave the creature a gentle nudge.

“Moo, shall we go?”

“Moo-.”

So she named it after the sound it makes.

The large creature with fluffy fur and only its big eyes and horns slightly visible began to move, pulling the connected carts behind it.

It was pulling four fairly large carts all by itself without difficulty.

It moved smoothly even with two of Haven’s party members riding on the carts.

One was injured, and the other had collapsed from exhaustion.

“First time seeing one of these, brother?”

“Hmm? Ah, yes.”

The adventurer called Haven spoke to me.

He appeared to be in his late twenties to early thirties, with slightly graying hair that gave him a somewhat experienced look.

“That creature is a famous livestock from the Kingdom of Mikea. They say it was created long ago when the kingdom commissioned the Magic Tower.”

“I see.”

Watching the large fluffy creature with only its eyes and horns visible making those “moo” sounds, I found it somewhat cute.

“It pulls carts well, has great endurance, and its fur is warm and soft.”

“And it’s cute. But expensive.”

The female adventurer called Ravi chimed in.

She was the one who had been slightly startled when she saw my face earlier—a woman with red hair and brown skin who seemed a bit younger than Haven.

“Well, you’re from around here, right? Makes sense you haven’t seen one.”

“They’re not common even in our country.”

I nodded appropriately at the two adventurers who spoke with pride.

I’m actually from a completely different world, not just from this country of fanatics, but there was no reason to tell them that.

Whether aware of our conversation or not, the beast silently continued pulling the carts forward.

While chatting about this strong beast and other fascinating livestock, we arrived at Glasston.

I unconsciously tensed up as we returned to the place I had briefly fled from earlier.

…Though “fled” isn’t quite the right word.

I hadn’t even gone near the entrance.

We joined the long line waiting at the front, and I passed the time by answering Haven’s party members’ questions about my travels with made-up stories.

After an awkward wait, it was finally our turn.

“Welcome to Glasston. Please state your affiliation, name, and purpose.”

A well-equipped guard approached and addressed us, and Eve stepped forward as our representative.

“I am Eve Ravencha. I belong to the Ravencha Merchant Group of the Mikea Kingdom Merchants’ Association, and there are five of us. We’ve finished our trade and are returning home.”

As she spoke, Eve showed the necklace she was wearing.

Looking at it, I could see letters engraved on a metal plate.

That must serve as an ID here.

However, the guard shook his head after seeing it.

“I apologize, but everyone in your party must identify themselves, not just the representative.”

“Has something happened?”

Eve asked lightly, and the guard nodded.

“Yes. A criminal in custody of the Order has escaped. Please understand that those with uncertain identities may be denied entry or even detained.”

A criminal who escaped from the Order—I had a good idea who that might be.

Who else? It’s me.

I was internally debating what to do.

“Haven, from the Mikea Kingdom Adventurers’ Guild.”

“Ravi, same, Mikea Kingdom Adventurers’ Guild.”

“Ian. The friend lying down is Ratchet. Also from the Adventurers’ Guild.”

The others, including the injured one, all identified themselves.

For proof, they all showed something like necklaces they were wearing or pulled them out from inside their clothes.

‘What should I do?’

Naturally, a problem arose.

I don’t have anything like that.

Come to think of it, that holy knight also asked me to show a rosary, which must have been some kind of ID.

If I had known, I should have taken one from the priests when I escaped.

If I could go back in time, I’d tell myself to grab a rosary from those priests.

While I was escaping reality and wondering what to do, the guard began to look at me suspiciously.

“This is Mr. Kay. He’s from the New Kingdom but works with our merchant group.”

Eve stepped forward as she spoke, and the guard’s attention turned to her.

“He’s someone I hired, but he lost his ID badge. We were attacked by bandits, and he lost it then.”

“Then, I’m afraid I can’t permit him to enter. Don’t you have anything else?”

“Unfortunately not… What should we do?”

Eve said this while moving her face closer to the guard.

The guard turned his head away.

“I can personally vouch for his identity. Is that acceptable?”

“Hmm…”

“I can promise you on my honor.”

As she said this, she moved away from the guard.

Somehow, something had been placed in the guard’s hand.

Several silver coins were now resting on the guard’s palm.

‘A bribe, huh.’

The guard seemed to be thinking it over, then finally nodded.

“…Very well. The word of a member of the Merchants’ Association is trustworthy enough.”

With that, the guard let us through.

As expected, money was king.

Shortly after passing through, Eve looked at me.

“It’s fine this time since you told me in advance, but next time you should keep your identification documents safe, Mr. Kay.”

Eve spoke casually, but to me it was absurd.

Of course, I had never told her anything in advance.

‘…She must have known from the beginning.’

She was a strange woman, as I’d noticed when we first met.

I also felt like she was just teasing me now. Her face was full of amusement.

“Well, travelers should keep such things safe.”

“I understand being too embarrassed to tell others about it.”

But the other adventurers were misinterpreting the situation, thinking I had hidden it because I didn’t want to be seen as someone who couldn’t take care of his belongings.

I wasn’t sure if that was kind or not.

“Wow…”

I couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

Partly because I had rarely entered towns before, but also because Glasston was the most bustling city I had seen here.

Since this was right before the border, many carriages passed by and numerous merchants were calling out to attract customers.

Perhaps because there were so many people, Eve had somehow mounted the beast she called Moo, sitting sideways on it, and the creature was moving on its own.

I wondered how she directed it.

She seemed to have decided on a lodging in advance, as we headed straight to a fairly large inn and quickly secured three rooms.

Two single rooms for the women and one four-person room for the men.

Inside, it appeared to be quite a luxurious inn with comfortable-looking beds.

Since there was an injured person, Haven and another adventurer headed to the temple.

I politely declined their invitation to join them.

This being a religious country, the temple would surely be dedicated to that Emirison or whatever, and going there would be like walking to my own death.

The female adventurer Ravi went with them, leaving me alone.

I was about to lie down on the bed for a rest when I heard a knock.

“Yes?”

I opened the door to find Eve.

“Have you unpacked your things?”

“Well, yes.”

“Then shall we go?”

That was all she said.

Without another word, this woman simply pulled me out of the room.

As I was trying to lock the door, she pulled me away, saying there wouldn’t be any thieves.

Actually, she tried to pull me away. She paused briefly and pointed at something.

“Oh, bring that with you.”

“What?”

“That. The helmet. The one you had in your backpack.”

“And bring your weapons too,” Eve added casually.

So the two of us went out into the street.

It was still daylight, but the sun would set soon.

“Where are we going?”

“To the blacksmith’s. We need to fix that helmet and other things.”

“How did you know the helmet was broken? Where did you see it?”

“You weren’t wearing it and just had it tied to your backpack, so I figured it must be damaged. I didn’t actually see that much.”

“That would be too detailed,” she added.

“……”

I felt somewhat defeated.

After walking a short distance, we quickly reached the blacksmith’s shop.

Inside, a young person who appeared to be an apprentice came out.

“This helmet, this person’s weapons, and my weapons need maintenance. And…”

Eve laid out the helmet I was carrying, the mace, the sword, and her three swords, then pointed at me.

“Armor that fits this person.”

“What’s your budget? And is this a new order? Custom made?”

“Budget isn’t an issue for now. Custom work won’t work with our schedule. Could we see what you have available right now?”

The apprentice led me to where the armor was displayed.

There weren’t as many varieties as I had expected.

“You came right after we sold a lot.”

What made it more problematic was that some of the armor pieces were smaller than I had anticipated.

This made choosing difficult.

After trying on various pieces, I ended up with leather gauntlets with metal guards, similar leather boots with metal shin guards, and a metal chest protector.

I also changed into thicker, more durable leather upper and lower garments.

It looked somewhat makeshift but decent enough.

“This is the best we can do for him right now.”

“I see. Can you repair the helmet?”

“That won’t take long. Should I do it along with the maintenance, all at once?”

“Yes. How much for everything?”

“Wait.”

I stopped her slightly, concerned about the cost, and she looked at me.

“What’s wrong?”

“Why are you paying for everything?”

“Because you don’t have money?”

Eve said with a smile.

“You can’t afford all this?”

Something about that comment sparked my pride.

After all, I had money from the bandits and what I’d received earlier.

It hurt my pride a bit to be treated like a beggar when I wasn’t completely broke.

I looked at the clerk.

“How much is it?”

“Well, just for your items, it would be about 50 silver coins.”

I had 5 silver coins in my wallet.

“……”

Feeling defeated, I looked to the side.

There I saw her with what appeared to be a very pleased expression.

‘Is this what it feels like to be slapped with a wad of cash?’

I turned my head to the side again.

I couldn’t bear to look at her.

Eve’s voice reached me.

“Think of this as an investment.”

“Investment?”

“Were you planning to protect me in that outfit?”

Fair point. If asked who looks better between someone properly equipped for battle and someone fighting in everyday leather clothes with just a weapon, most would choose the properly equipped person.

There are cases of masters fighting in just their underwear… but speaking within common sense.

“Still, it’s too much to just accept…”

I squeezed out my voice, feeling a bit hurt in my pride.

She might think I’m being stubborn, but it was also about the debt. To be honest, I didn’t like owing people.

Eve chuckled at my words.

“It’s natural for a merchant to invest, and since it’s my lifeline, I’m happy to invest, so don’t worry.”

“…I understand.”

I bowed my head in gratitude.

Eve nodded at the gesture.

It seems I’ll have to work hard.

“If you feel bad about being in debt.”

Eve said with a smile.

“Pay me back later when you succeed. Big time.”

“…I will.”

I sensed something dark behind that bright smile.

How should I put it—I had a feeling that staying in debt to her for too long would be dangerous for me.

‘…I should pay her back quickly.’

Although I had no decision-making power or right of refusal, I strongly felt that being in debt to her for long would not be good.

A short while later, the mace, sword, and helmet returned from being repaired.

I put on the helmet and fastened the clasp to secure it to my face.

It fit perfectly.

“Hmm, not bad.”

Eve nodded, saying it looked better than she had expected.

“Is there anything else you need while we’re here?”

“Well…”

I looked at the weapons and other items hanging on display.

Unfortunately, nothing particularly good caught my eye.

We left the blacksmith’s shop and went outside.

The view through the helmet’s visor was a bit unfamiliar.

Still, I’d get used to it. I thought it would be hard to see, but visibility was better than expected.

We walked through the crowd.

Should I ask what I’ve been wanting to ask but couldn’t?

“Hey, employer?”

Haven’s voice called out.

…Did this woman calculate everything?

Or had she seen it?

It seemed I wouldn’t be able to ask now either.

“Well then, shall we have a welcome party for Mr. Kay tonight?”

“And discuss tomorrow’s schedule while we’re at it,” Eve added lightly.

“Do you like alcohol?”

I looked at her smiling face.

“I’m not sure.”

That wasn’t a lie.

I probably had drunk alcohol before.

I seemed to have memories of getting drunk.

But I couldn’t remember drinking and getting intoxicated.

“I really don’t know.”

I muttered in a gloomy voice.

I turned away from Eve, who was looking at me as if she didn’t understand what I meant.