Ch.389EP.81 – They Should Have Seen Where They Were Lying (1)

Creeeeak…!

The rusty hinges of the inn’s door made an irritating noise as it swung in the strong wind, repeatedly making that creaking sound, but the people inside the inn didn’t care how annoying the sound was.

“This rotten world! We’re ruined, completely ruined!”

“How am I going to pay my bills this month?”

“I heard rumors they’re recruiting mercenaries and soldiers lately. Should I try becoming a mercenary?”

It was a typical inn with a bar as its main feature.

To those drunkenly chattering away, the creaking hinges were of no concern.

Yet strangely, though they were boisterous, there were no smiles on their faces.

Though alcohol is meant to help forget harsh realities, oddly enough, they didn’t seem to enjoy their drinks at all.

Instead, they only muttered complaints mixed with laments.

But considering the current situation, this was only natural.

…Life was too hard to forget reality even with alcohol.

So there could be no smiles.

“I heard the local lords finally picked a fight with Modred.”

“What ancient history are you talking about? The lords who challenged him had their heads on pikes four days ago.”

“Oh, was that so?”

“Drink in moderation. Your memory’s getting terrible.”

“Haha, perhaps forgetting is happiness.”

“…Did you lose someone you knew in the recent territory war?”

“Not family, but a friend…”

“Sigh, these are such times. Don’t grieve too much.”

“……”

…The two men silently gulped down their beer again.

Such times.

Just half a year ago, this would have been unimaginable.

Who could have predicted indiscriminate territory wars throughout the southern region?

“…These nobles all seem to have less sense than us commoners. No matter how strong they think they are, they’re just deer trying to fight an elephant. Tsk tsk.”

In recent days, with the effective collapse of the Pendragon royal family, the south had entered a period of chaos.

The great noble houses each declared independence, and taking this opportunity, local lords joined forces to declare war against the great nobles.

But as they say, one should know one’s place.

The houses that declared war against the great nobles were often completely destroyed, and stories of numerous noble families collapsing or being exterminated were commonplace.

Through this process, people newly realized two things.

First, that they were living in an era of war. Second, that war was the main culprit destroying countless people’s daily lives.

Indeed, most people here had become unemployed when the war started, and even those who weren’t unemployed often hadn’t received wages recently.

Some were at a crossroads, considering becoming soldiers or mercenaries.

It showed how the common people suffer most as the world becomes harsher.

And if it were just difficult to make a living, they might somehow endure it, but…

“Have you heard that story?”

“What story?”

“…About the neighboring village disappearing overnight.”

“Hmm…”

“Rumor has it the entire village just vanished. When the village elder heard this…”

Swish…

“…He said demons had appeared.”

It was terrifying to think that an already harsh situation could get even worse.

The entire southern region was being engulfed in war, and there were ominous rumors about monsters, demons, and other evil beings running rampant.

But what made it even worse was…

[Kikikik.]

The fact that people’s conflicts, anxieties, and fears were nutrients that fattened these evil beings.

And then…

-Creeak!

“Why is it suddenly raining so hard?”

“I found it refreshing!”

“Aren’t you uncomfortable?”

“It feels nice to me!”

“…What? Am I the only one who feels sticky?”

…The door of the gloomy inn opened forcefully as two figures stepped in.

Like warm sunlight suddenly shining through a window into a damp room on a rainy day.

Though they concealed their faces and body outlines with clothing, the two people—a man and a woman—were armed with an unmistakable vitality as they engaged in lively conversation, naturally drawing everyone’s attention…

Swish.

“Do you have business with me?”

“……”

“A-ahem! W-where were we in our conversation?”

“Weren’t we talking about the baby goat born yesterday?”

“R-right, that’s it! Ah, hahaha…”

…Just before their gazes could meet, people instinctively lowered their eyes.

They had instinctively decided they shouldn’t make eye contact with that man.

Everyone forced awkward laughter and did their best to turn their heads away, wondering why they were acting this way.

No, what…

‘Why are we acting like this?’

Like animals performing tricks before an apex predator, people could only force themselves to laugh and chatter.

To the point of forcibly forgetting the hardships of life…

Seeing them like this.

“What’s going on?”

“Everyone seems to be having fun.”

“They all look awkward though…”

The knight, genuinely confused about why they were laughing like that, tilted his head, while the maid simply maintained a smile full of positivity.

* * *

Unlike his decision to leave Bulkan, the preparation process took quite a long time.

Building the apiary took a while, but there were also many other facilities he had set up for his livelihood that needed to be organized, which took considerable time.

About a month.

Only after that much time had passed could the two leave Bulkan, and after investing another four days…

“There really aren’t any villages near Bulkan. We’ve been running without rest, and only now have we found a village.”

Tap tap.

They had finally arrived at a village.

Ihan dusted off his hooded cloak made of wyvern leather.

Indeed, worthy of a high-grade monster’s hide. It was quite useful.

It was almost completely dry despite the rain, and showed no tears despite racing through the forest.

…If someone had overheard this conversation between the two, they would have told them to stop talking nonsense.

While there was a royal capital near Bulkan, reaching any other village required crossing several mountains or taking winding roads.

Considering it would take over a week on horseback to travel from this village to Bulkan, his statement would seem like a lie.

However.

“I think I had it easy since you carried me, Sir Knight. Was I not too heavy?”

“You were so light it wasn’t a problem at all.”

“Hehe.”

The two didn’t seem to care that they might sound strange, nor did they mind whether anyone overheard their conversation.

“M-may I take your order?”

A cute waitress with distinctive freckles approached Ihan with a tense expression.

Was she nervous about the visit of outsiders?

Ihan spoke in a relatively friendly tone, as if to tell her she didn’t need to be nervous.

“I’d like some warm tea or milk, please. Also, I don’t have cash at the moment, so is there any facility in this village connected to the Guild? I can bill them.”

“W-well, our village is so small that we don’t have anything like a Guild…”

“Is that so? Then please ask the innkeeper if he deals with this.”

Thud.

“……!”

What Ihan produced was honey that emitted a brilliant light.

For those living in the royal capital, honey might be something readily available at trading posts or restaurants, but in a remote village like this, honey was not a common sight.

It was an expensive item, and typically, even if honey was discovered, it was usually either offered as tribute to the lord or sold at a high price through merchants.

The waitress understood this much, so she didn’t find it strange that he was paying with honey, but she was surprised because she had never seen such radiant honey before.

‘I would believe it if someone said it was a jewel.’

It was beautiful honey.

It seemed like the kind that only nobles or royalty would consume, and just as she was about to feel a surge of greed from merely looking at it…

“Oh my, of course we accept it!”

The innkeeper hurriedly approached with a bright smile.

Though he ran an inn in a remote village, he was still a businessman.

He certainly had an eye for goods, and quickly concluded that such precious honey could be sold for a good price.

“I’d like a room for today. Is this enough for one day?”

“Of course! You could even stay for a whole week!”

“One day is sufficient. Then let’s consider the deal complete.”

“Certainly. …Rey, what are you doing? Hurry up and bring the tea.”

“Yes, yes, Dad!”

The waitress finally snapped out of it at her father’s words and hurriedly went to get the tea.

Even so, she couldn’t take her eyes off the honey, which made her look quite naive.

Ihan saw through this completely but didn’t mind since the item had already left his possession.

‘Good thing I brought it.’

Of course, it wasn’t honey from the Horangbong.

Who would openly display such a precious medicinal ingredient? That would only cause trouble.

Still, it was honey harvested from rock honey found in the mountains near Bulkan, so it was quite valuable in its own right.

Some might say it’s wasteful to use it just for one night at an inn, but value is relative.

He didn’t want to waste mental energy haggling when he had no money at the moment.

…Well, he shouldn’t keep taking losses through barter like this, but…

‘I need to find a big city soon, what else can I do?’

The one in need must do the seeking, after all.

“Sir Knight, why did you suddenly decide to stop at this village?”

“?”

“I thought knights like you would sleep outdoors. That’s why you worked so hard preparing food, right? So I was wondering why you suddenly decided to stop at a village.”

“Ah, that’s what you meant.”

“Yes, I was just curious. Not that I’m complaining, hehe.”

It was a reasonable question.

Indeed, after preparing so thoroughly for camping, it might seem strange to suddenly stop at a village.

Ihan apologized for not explaining and answered:

“There wasn’t time to explain because of the sudden rain.”

“I really don’t mind…”

“Still, I should apologize if I’ve acted on my own.”

“…Hehe, I accept your apology.”

“Thank you, my lady. And as for why I stopped at this village…”

BANG!!

“Hey, you! How many rooms do you have here?”

“Damn, why did it suddenly start raining?”

“Where is everyone else!”

Shrug.

“I thought we might be able to gather some information.”

Satisfied that some talkative individuals had appeared, Ihan shrugged his shoulders.

At a glance, they looked like a group wearing worn-out leather armor, but there was something bestial about them, as if they smelled of blood.

– Mercenaries.

They entered the inn, and he secretly hoped:

‘I wonder if they’ll pick a fight?’

He wanted to make some pocket money.