episode_0004

“Barbarian, wake up.”

“Huh!”

Jeong Yushin jumped up from his spot. It was morning, judging by the bright daylight.

“Was I sleeping?”

“Yes. You slept soundly.”

“Oh my.”

Jeong Yushin scratched his head once and took out jerky from his bag.

Simus also took an apple out of his pocket, showed it to Jeong Yushin once, and crunched on it.

“We were in the forest.”

“Yes.”

He chewed on the jerky, thinking the old priest was more talkative than usual today.

Simus opened his mouth again.

“Ms. Karin has gone to the Great Labyrinth.”

“I know. The squad leader told me.”

“Where do you plan to go after going to the Great Labyrinth? Where were you originally planning to go?”

Jeong Yushin tilted his head.

It was as if he was trying to reassure himself that he wasn’t in league with the slave hunters.

“I’m not going anywhere. The Great Labyrinth is my original destination anyway.”

“Is that so.”

Simus smiled subtly.

The two packed their things and left the abandoned ruins.

On the last day of the journey, on the afternoon of the 7th day, Jeong Yushin arrived at his destination.

“Wow.”

The city seen from the high hill was very large.

The words Simus mentioned last night, that it was the second capital of the Eastern Federation, were no exaggeration.

Countless roads heading to the city and countless crowds looking like swarms of ants.

Walls built high like modern buildings.

The river flowing proudly from the north wrapped around the massive walls and flowed south.

It was on a different level from the cities he had seen from afar while passing through the roads.

“It’s a really big city.”

Simus smiled at Jeong Yushin’s admiration.

“Don’t you often hear that you’re not good with words?”

“I hear it sometimes.”

“You really resemble him.”

“Pardon?”

“Never mind. Let’s go.”

Simus took the lead. He had even thought that he would be stuck at the city gates for half a day due to the huge crowd, but it was unnecessary worry.

“Oh, Simus!”

The city gate guard captain shouted as he saw Simus. The guard captain was a bear beastman with a large sword scar across his eye, making him look fierce.

The bear beastman ran over and bowed to Simus at a right angle.

“Welcome to Labyrinth City. I will report to the committee right away.”

“There’s no need for that. I only plan to see Ms. Karin briefly and leave.”

“Oh!”

The bear beastman looked upset and twisted his body as if he was disappointed. Jeong Yushin thought he looked like a bear acting cute in front of honey.

“But who is this person?”

The bear beastman pointed at Jeong Yushin.

“There is one thing I need to confirm with Ms. Karin regarding this Barbarian.”

“Is it related to those slave hunter bastards?”

“That’s right.”

“Please leave such troublesome matters to me.”

The bear beastman thumped his chest.

“You shady human! What are you hiding? Tell me right now!”

The huge bear beastman glared at Jeong Yushin and growled, attracting people’s attention. Whispers spread, and several guards ran over with spears.

Simus waved his hand.

“There’s no need for that. I’m doing this because I want to.”

“Understood. Please come in.”

The bear beastman immediately changed his attitude. The inspection at the city gate proceeded smoothly. The inspection was managed by an elf wearing glasses, who looked very tired with dark circles under her eyes.

“Barbarian.”

The elf opened her mouth.

“Yes.”

“Keep one thing in mind.”

Jeong Yushin tensed up at the elf’s serious words.

“Bride kidnapping is forbidden in this city.”

“Pardon?”

What did I just hear?

Jeong Yushin recomposed himself and asked again.

“Don’t make that face like the sky is falling. We respect the culture of the Barbarians, but it’s an act that causes chaos in this city. Frankly, it’s not a commendable virtue either.”

The elf looked intently into Jeong Yushin’s eyes as if seeking agreement.

“Yes… yes, that’s right.”

The elf sighed deeply.

“For example. Don’t kidnap another’s wife, rape her for three days and nights, make her into pickled semen, and then go to the husband and say, ‘Hmm. Your wife lost her mind during intercourse, so she is not worthy of being my wife, so I will return her to you.’ Don’t say things like that.”

Jeong Yushin grabbed his dizzy head.

Barbarians. What kind of crazy people are these?

He barely opened his mouth.

“Yes. Bride kidnapping. I will not do it.”

“Also.”

There’s more?

“You must not have sexual relations without the explicit consent of the woman.”

“Yes.”

Why is this elf saying something so obvious?

“Don’t grab a passing woman and shove your dick in her and say, ‘Oh, that bitch was wiggling her ass and tempting me, so I couldn’t help it.’ Don’t say such bullshit.”

“Yes. But is that bride kidnapping? It just sounds like rape.”

The elf frowned.

“If we translate the word the Barbarians use directly, it’s ‘female hunt.’ But how do people who learn such vulgar words use them? They use euphemisms.”

“Yes. Female hunt. I will not do it.”

“Call it bride kidnapping. It seems to have more purpose than mindless female hunting. You may leave.”

Jeong Yushin came out of the checkpoint in a daze. Simus was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

“Would you like to rest for a day today?”

“No. Let’s go quickly.”

“Ms. Karin might not recognize you.”

Jeong Yushin felt goosebumps at Simus’s nonchalant tone.

Jeong Yushin shook his head.

“That Ms. Karin has my artifact.”

“Artifact?”

“Yes. It’s like a flint.”

“Did you give it to her?”

“No. She just took it.”

“Hmm, that’s a shame.”

Simus stroked his chin. Even this monstrous priest is interested in artifacts, huh. Jeong Yushin smiled inwardly, having discovered a human side to Simus.

“Well, it’s not a very impressive magic tool, so I’m not that disappointed.”

“No, not the magic tool.”

Huh?

“Then what are you disappointed about… ah!”

He realized.

Simus smiled.

“If Ms. Karin didn’t recognize you, I was going to dispose of you.”

“Dispose of me?”

Cold sweat ran down his spine.

“Even evil people like slave hunters have room for rehabilitation. I had planned a leisurely journey of rehabilitation, atonement, and obedience together, but it’s a shame.”

“…”

He wanted to meet Karin quickly and clear up the misunderstanding.

* * *

“Hmm, I don’t really know.”

Jeong Yushin’s mouth dropped open at Karin’s indifferent words.

“No, wait a minute!”

He somehow made it past the outer city checkpoint to the front of the inner city gate, where only high-ranking people stayed. As if Simus’s words had been conveyed in advance, Karin was standing outside the inner city gate.

“You saw me back then! With three elves!”

Jeong Yushin continued urgently.

“Hmm.”

A smile full of confidence and sharp eyes.

He couldn’t see it clearly when they first met, but he could now.

Her thick chest, befitting her tall height, was wrapped in a thin linen shirt and protruded out, and her leather pants clung tightly, revealing the shape of her lower body, probably due to her sturdy thighs.

A fluffy, reddish tail wagged.

It was like a flame.

Not just the tail, but overall.

“You took my artifact. The one that makes fire.”

Jeong Yushin said confidently, trying to suppress his trance-like state.

“I don’t remember at all?”

She doesn’t remember this? Did she suddenly get dementia or something?

“And is that how someone asks for a favor? You should at least kneel. Then I might remember?”

Karin’s tail wagged leisurely. It was as if a wolf was playing with its captured prey.

Jeong Yushin bit his lip tightly.

Pride?

I’ll throw it away. Rather than go on a journey of rehabilitation, atonement, and obedience with a middle-aged man, I’ll bang my head here.

He immediately knelt and bowed his head.

“Should I lick your feet too?”

He felt a cold gaze from above.

“Enough. I thought you were hiding your background because you had something great, but that’s not it. It’s not fun. Simus, this person is not a slave hunter.”

Simus clicked his tongue.

“That’s unfortunate. He could have been a good companion on my journey. Anyway, can we talk separately?”

Karin tilted her head.

“What are you talking about?”

“I would like to talk in a place where there are no people.”

“Okay. You Barbarian, get up and go.”

Jeong Yushin got up and bowed his head.

“Yes. Have a good time, you two.”

“As if.”

‘Damn it.’

He felt bad at Karin’s sarcasm, but he didn’t show it.

“Simus. Have a good trip.”

“Farewell. I hope we can meet again.”

Jeong Yushin left the inner city gate, leaving the two behind. He was thinking of going to the inn he had seen while passing through the outer district earlier.

“Damn it.”

He walked around for a long time, but he couldn’t find the inn he had seen a while ago. He had no choice but to go to another inn nearby.

“We don’t accept Barbarians.”

Jeong Yushin asked back at the innkeeper’s cold rejection.

“Why?”

“Why? Goodness!”

The innkeeper seemed to have a lot to say, so she unfolded her arms and put her hands on her hips.

“The only crazy bastards who break into women’s rooms in the middle of the night, rape them, and make them into pickled semen are you guys. Ten out of ten black-haired barbarians who come to this inn have done that. And then what? ‘If we’re both happy, isn’t that enough?’ Get out before I call the guards!”

Jeong Yushin became dizzy at the innkeeper’s outburst.

‘These crazy Barbarians.’

Looking at the innkeeper’s expression, it seemed like nothing he said would work.

A rat beastman sipping alcohol next to him chuckled.

“Oh, the innkeeper is full of spirit? Is this a young Barbarian?”

“No. I just believe in the law and justice of this city.”

People who were drinking alcohol around the innkeeper burst out laughing at her words.

Jeong Yushin ignored the laughter and went outside the inn.

The city was big and there were many inns, but there was not a single place that welcomed Barbarians.

After being rejected by the twentieth inn and coming out onto the street, it was already dark around him. Streetlights were turned on, and people who had finished exploring the labyrinth were seen entering pubs, talking loudly. A bad feeling suddenly came over him.

‘Am I screwed?’

He had expected that it would not be easy to adapt to a completely unknown world with shallow knowledge, but the reality was beyond his imagination.

You have to rub yourself in to adapt, but he couldn’t even get a chance to rub in because of his appearance. The notoriety built up by the crazy Barbarians had become a high wall blocking him.

“No, it doesn’t make sense that there isn’t one place out of all these inns that will accept me.”

He roamed the streets with hope. However, after the thirtieth rejection, Jeong Yushin collapsed against the wall.

It was already late at night and people were going home.

‘This is the last one.’

He walked, bracing himself for sleeping outside. After a while, he saw a shabby inn in the corner at the end of the street.

Something was written on the sign, but he couldn’t read it.

Come to think of it, it was strange.

How could he, who didn’t know how to read, naturally speak the language of this world?

‘This is not the time to worry about that. I’m about to be kicked out onto the street.’

Jeong Yushin opened the wooden door and went inside the inn.