Ch.235Yuyeol’s Hall. Harpoon Bay (3)

“I’d like to pay the bill, please.”

“Haaa….”

I sighed as I looked at the pile of invoices and receipts. The receipts, stretched out almost from one end of the room to the other, revealed the recent history of my party members.

Lucia, Kasia, Berkman, and Haukman had feasted on all sorts of precious liquors and side dishes, bringing the total to 300 gold coins.

With two elves and two dwarves, I had expected them to consume a fair amount of alcohol and food, but I hadn’t anticipated it would be this much.

“Sigh… here you go.”

“Thank you.”

Since I couldn’t avoid paying for what my party members had consumed, I handed over the money to the collectors with trembling hands.

Come to think of it, I’ve heard that men in the city who are too poor to afford women drink alcohol or eat food while shouting, “This is like sex, haha!” Could my party members be doing the same?

Glance.

“…”

I looked at the four dwarves and elves sitting awkwardly to my right without saying a word. Ugh, what should I do with them? It’s too late to get rid of them now.

“Iricom.”

“?”

“Come here. I’m telling you to come.”

When I called my party members, two tall women and two short, stocky men shuffled over and lined up in front of me.

I didn’t want to be harsh with them, but… 300 gold coins isn’t pocket change… their insane spending habits deserved to be scolded and punished.

“Didn’t I give you money?”

“You did…”

“Tell me how much I gave you.”

“20 gold coins…”

“Right. 20 gold coins each for the four of you. That’s 80 coins total. Do you know how much money that is?”

“We know…”

“How is it that you’ve all lived longer than me, yet have less financial sense than I do? Do you think 20 gold coins is a trivial amount? Do you think it’s easy to earn money that disappears after buying a few bottles of alcohol and eating a few meals?”

The four couldn’t answer my questions.

They probably did think that way. For elves raised in wealthy households and dwarves who earned their living with craftsmanship, that was their sense of money.

Their spending habits were incomparably more lavish than mine, who had risen from the bottom.

“The alcohol you bought… shit, how do you even pronounce this? Lemene Cante? This… this is one gold coin per bottle? Do you know how much one gold coin is worth? It’s 1,000 silver coins. One silver coin equals 100 copper coins, so that’s 100,000 copper coins. Do you think this is normal spending? I don’t have a territory where I can mint money, and even the 100,000 gold coins I received isn’t enough after upgrading the Sky Warden and buying tanks and armored vehicles to expand the army!”

“…”

“Do you know how expensive the alcohol and food you consumed here are? Not to mention the opera and performances? Some commoners couldn’t earn that much money even if they worked for generations! A family of ten barely earns three to five silver coins a month, but you didn’t think about that while staying here? I wouldn’t say anything if you were spending your own money on luxuries. But now that your wallets are empty from foolishly indulging yourselves, you come crawling to me asking me to pay for it all!”

BANG!

When I slammed my fist on the armrest of the chair, the four flinched.

Now they must realize I won’t let this slide easily.

“Berkman. Haukman.”

“Y-yes?”

“Didn’t you call me your life savior? Was the oath you swore to me in Amarantin just empty words?”

“N-no! It was sincere!”

“Then how could you do this? You know I’m a knight, yet you act like this? You all know you’re commoners and I’m the only noble, yet you did this?! You knew I’d be the one blamed if we couldn’t pay!”

Even though I tried not to let my emotions show, anger naturally seeped through.

I was never particularly calm to begin with, but since forming this party, things I thought were trivial have kept causing problems, leaving me no choice but to explode.

“Am I the only one who’s serious? Am I the only one genuinely aiming for the pilgrimage, while you’re just clinging to me for the scraps?”

“…That’s not true… We’re also here for the pilgrimage.”

“Yeah… I’m sure. After eating everything, drinking everything, and enjoying everything! What kind of pilgrimage is that? It’s tourism! I bought all your weapons and armor, and provided all your necessities and consumables. You know I’m your sponsor, yet you act like this!”

My head hurts.

Do I have to control even this? Is this really a party? In reality, am I the only adventurer while the rest are just mercenaries employed by me?

Such impudent thoughts began to fill my mind. I want to travel with them at least until Centrum, the last continent, but they keep causing trouble, forcing me to consider cutting ties.

“One month.”

“?”

“One month. If you abstain from alcohol and meat, I’ll forgive this incident. Of course, I’m not forcing you. Who would complain if you earn money to buy alcohol and meat?”

“By forgiveness, you mean…?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. Since you took 300 gold coins so lightly, I’m thinking of expelling you from the party using my authority as the party leader. That is, assuming you don’t receive forgiveness.”

“!”

One month.

Forty days.

1,440 hours.

During this time, they must restrain their desires.

I placed no restrictions on anything other than meat and alcohol.

They have no money anyway, so they can’t do much else.

“This is your last chance. Even if you receive forgiveness, if you involve me in your base desires one more time, I will expel you from the party and personally take your heads.”

“…”

The four couldn’t say anything.

I could faintly smell a mix of humiliation, bewilderment, and fear.

“The reason humans are called humans is because they have the discernment to suppress animal instincts. If you try to do everything you want, you’re no different from beasts. One month is but a fleeting moment for non-humans like you. So endure it. If you’re suffering from such severe addiction that you can’t even last a month, you might as well die.”

A month is both long and short.

Too long for love to bloom, too short to repay debts, and an ambiguous time to shake something off.

So I’ll give them a chance.

I want to share historical knowledge with my party members at famous places and immerse ourselves in sentiment. I don’t want to see the grotesque sight of alcohol-soaked vomit and unnaturally bloated bellies filled with meat.

“I don’t understand why alcohol tastes good. I only know it has a fizzy sensation and a euphoric feeling as it gradually numbs your consciousness. Fine dining? That’s only meaningful when you’re hungry. Whether I fill my stomach with hardtack and jerky or foie gras and white bread, it makes little difference to me.”

“…”

“Perhaps because I grew up poor… I don’t understand the sentiment of sharing pleasantries over a bottle of wine, drinking clear or red alcohol under the moonlight… Perhaps, because I survived on stews made from nearly spoiled ingredients, I don’t know the satisfaction of boldly swallowing meat and chewing vegetables in a bustling restaurant…”

“…”

“But if your behavior is because you know those reasons… I’d rather live without knowing them forever. Look at yourselves now. Can you call this human? Humans admire elves because they respect their wisdom that doesn’t repeat human foolishness, and they respect dwarves because of their innate talents that can’t be matched even if reborn.”

“…”

“And I felt the same way. If you waste life infinitely, where is the meaning of immortality? If greed and desire are the only purposes, how can you remove and purify the corruption that clings to creation and manufacturing?”

My heart feels heavy.

Am I doing something wrong?

Is it because I failed to soothe their hearts, because I failed to earn their trust, that they’re swept away by such sensual and base pleasures?

“Just… just… get out of this room. Don’t forget the chance I’ve given you. This is your last opportunity.”

I’m tired…

Wasn’t this supposed to be the Hall of Pleasure?

Why should I bear the responsibility for others’ pleasures? Because I’m a noble? Because I’m a knight?

I don’t know.

But strangely, I couldn’t sleep, and my consciousness remained clear, as if siphoning my vitality.

“Haaa….”

I thought I could do anything if I had money, that I could do whatever I wanted when I became an adult… but that wasn’t the case.

If you obtain money, you must protect it, and becoming an adult means facing the malice of the world and the injustice of humanity head-on—something I’ve only just realized.

Who could understand me, having grown old before I could enjoy my youth?

Today again, I stretch my wife’s cheeks to calm my mind.