episode_0031

Teldon.

It was a familiar place, often visited, but today it was unusually crowded.

The bustling market.

An endless procession of carriages.

Even goods of various colors, seemingly from distant regions.

It was so packed there was no room to set foot.

Tia passed through the market and headed for the contact station.

“Teacher-nim!”

“Hm?”

Bin Teacher-nim turned around.

And then his expression became startled at the sudden appearance of ‘the girl from the upper village’.

“Well, look who it is. Isn’t this Tia!”

“It’s been a long time.”

The two embraced warmly.

Teacher and disciple had an emotional reunion, but when they separated from the hug, their faces weren’t bright.

They already knew the news from the upper village.

Bin Teacher-nim asked in a worried voice.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No.”

“What in the world happened?”

“I encountered a bear in the mountains.”

“Good heavens. And then?”

“I barely managed to drive it away…”

The Teacher-nim doubted his own ears.

Was this girl saying she fought and defeated a bear by herself?

If it were true, it would be astonishing enough to record a new achievement for this mercenary group, but that wasn’t what was important.

“Ritsu?”

“He’s safe. Thanks to a good Doctor-nim.”

“Phew. I see. At any rate, I’m relieved that it all worked out. But those clothes… where are you planning to go?”

Her ankle-high boots, the short sword always worn on her belt, and the cloak lightly draped over her shoulders were still there.

But unlike usual, she carried a large bag on her back, and judging by the winter clothing, brass bowls, cups, and various utensils hanging from the bottom of her bag, it seemed she was leaving for somewhere far away.

Tia replied.

“Yes. To Deseo.”

At her short reply, Bin Teacher-nim and the surrounding mercenaries wore bewildered expressions.

“Deseo? By yourself?”

“Yes.”

People scoffed and began to chatter.

But Bin Teacher-nim couldn’t laugh.

He had taught Tia for two years.

Knowing how remarkable the girl in front of him was, he dared not make a hasty judgment.

“I’d prefer to stop you if possible. Is there something urgent?”

“Ritsu is still asleep. They say he needs an antidote to wake up. I heard that’s only available in Deseo…”

Having heard that much, the Teacher-nim fell into thought for a moment.

“Alright. In that case, you have no choice but to go. But you know what kind of preparations are needed to go to Deseo, right?”

“Yes. I need to hire mercenaries and cross the Mesrod.”

“You don’t have the money for that, do you?”

“…No.”

“And you came to me to ask for that.”

“Yes… that’s right.”

Even if she emptied the treasury of Brizdon, there wasn’t enough money to hire five mercenaries.

It was obvious. The ‘Mesrod’ was, after all, a passage used by merchant groups.

It was absolutely not a path one could travel for personal errands.

Nevertheless, Tia swallowed her pride and came to her Teacher-nim first to ask for help, no matter what.

Bin Teacher-nim closed his eyes, stroked his short beard, then nodded his head.

“I understand. You may go.”

“Really?”

“A young girl going to Deseo alone… Even if it’s you, granting that request is difficult, but fortunately, the tribute convoy led by Robert is staying here.”

He pointed to the long line of carriages in the market.

“Once a year. You know that the tribute convoy heading to Deseo passes through this village, right? Today is that day.”

Only then did Tia realize why the village was so bustling.

The tribute convoy.

It was a very long procession that started far to the north to offer tributes to the King of Deseo, passing through major cities one by one as it descended.

Fortunately, Tia had arrived while the tribute convoy was staying in Teldon.

“I heard the tribute convoy departs tomorrow as soon as the sun rises. Join their ranks and go with them. You should reach Deseo in about half a month.”

“Yes! I understand!”

“If you run into any trouble, feel free to use my name.”

At the sudden, enormous privilege, the scoffing mercenaries’ expressions completely froze.

“Huh? …Is that allowed? You told me never to mention Teacher-nim’s name outside.”

“Haha! I should at least give that much insurance to my cherished favorite disciple. Instead, promise me. Promise you’ll return without getting hurt.”

“I promise. Absolutely.”

“Good.”

The mercenaries began to murmur.

Words like ‘Bin Carlos’s favorite disciple?’ and ‘Could it be that girl Priscolla, whom we only heard about in rumors?’ began to circulate.

Rumors like ‘That kid supposedly took down a bear by herself?’ and ‘No way. The hunters from the upper village must have caught it,’ also spread.

Before long, the area around the contact station began to grow noisy.

“Then, go safely and come back.”

“Yes, Teacher-nim!”

Teacher and disciple exchanged farewells and parted ways.

The market was still bustling with people.

Tia pushed through the crowd and bought the necessary supplies for her journey, one by one.

Then she found lodging nearby.

That night.

Tia fell asleep, clutching her necklace tightly and repeating Ritsu’s name.

***

The next day. The sun rose.

Tia also opened her eyes.

She woke up feeling refreshed in bed, but somehow felt a damp sensation between her legs.

When she ran her hand over her pubic bone, bright red blood stained her fingers.

It was her period.

“Haaah…”

Tia sighed.

The bedsheets, as well as the area beneath her buttocks, were entirely stained with blood.

Fortunately, the women’s room used red fabric, so it wasn’t too noticeable.

She wasn’t particularly surprised.

She already knew her period was due soon.

Tia wiped away the blood, then wrapped the clean cloth she had brought with her between her legs.

She would have a lot of walking to do from now on. That was her only slight worry.

She paid a tip to the innkeeper and went out onto the street.

Pwoo-ooh—

Just then, the long procession of the tribute convoy was setting off with a horn blast.

The people following the tribute convoy moved slowly.

Tia naturally blended into the procession and passed beyond the village boundaries.

Leaving Teldon.

She tried hard to stay calm, but she couldn’t hide her pounding heart.

The boundary of Teldon, which she had never crossed before.

Rustle.

And now.

She stepped onto new ground.

“…”

Under the morning sun, Tia’s eyes sparkled.

Everything looked new.

Even the fresh air that filled her lungs.

From birth until now, she had lived within that intangible boundary.

It was nothing.

Something that could be crossed so easily, almost to the point of being absurd.

However, Tia didn’t think of it sadly.

Considering that most people lived and died their entire lives in one village, she was, if anything, blessed.

Inhale— Exhale—

Tia took a deep breath and walked vigorously.

The road was flat.

They simply walked straight along the plains.

Overhearing people’s conversations, it seemed they would continue walking through such plains for a while.

The atmosphere of the tribute convoy was peculiar.

At the head of the procession was a knight on a white horse, followed by pack mules pulling carts.

In the middle, the knight’s subordinates guarded the carts, and servants like cooks and supply overseers managing cargo and livestock were also visible.

Though called a ‘tribute convoy,’ its composition was no different from an expedition.

Finally, at the rear of the tribute convoy, a large crowd of commoners was gathered.

They followed without complaint, even though they were covered in the dust raised by the carts.

All of them were people heading to Deseo for their own various purposes.

Most of them were shabbily dressed.

Some were sick or simply followed along with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

Compared to them, Tia had prepared relatively well for her journey.

The knight’s subordinates contemptuously called them ‘rats,’ seemingly because their manner of trailing the carts resembled a swarm of rats searching for food.

How long did they walk?

Suddenly, a man approached from the ‘rat’ group.

“Hey there, young one. You’re a new face, what brings you here?”

He was an old man, unpleasantly smelly from not washing for a long time, and wearing rags soaked with sweat and dust.

His speech and accent were different, as if he came from a distant land.

Tia usually enjoyed talking to people, but she wanted to keep her distance from these individuals.

Tia replied gruffly.

“…I’m going to Deseo.”

“Ha! Everyone here is going to Deseo, so why would I be curious about that? I’m asking what a young lady like you is doing going to Deseo, aren’t I?”

“It’s a personal matter.”

“Hahaha. It’s a deep secret, indeed. It’ll take a long time to figure this out. Hahahaha!”

The others also snickered.

“…”

No matter how much she looked around, there was no one her age.

Most were older men.

Occasionally, women were visible, but they were in a group near the middle of the procession, not at the rear.

Among these ‘rats,’ Tia was the only woman, and with her unusually striking red hair and a proper sword at her waist, she naturally drew attention.

Moreover, having mentioned a deep, personal reason for her journey,

Before long, men began to flock around her.

“Lady! Want to try this? It tastes amazing.”

“Your baggage is heavy, isn’t it? I’ll carry it for you. Give it here.”

Tia paid them no mind and focused only on the path ahead.

But as night fell, the men became more explicit.

“Lady. If anything’s bothering you, just say. I’ll take care of it all.”

“…”

“Cute and pretty. Hehehe. And a sturdy backside too.”

“…”

“Tsk, that girl’s ignoring what I’m saying. If you’re so prickly, how are you going to travel with us?”

As his hand was about to reach Tia’s shoulder.

Whack!

Tia quickly knocked it away and immediately took a stance to draw her sword.

“Gah!”

“What the hell is this!”

Startled by her sudden aggressive posture, the men recoiled in a hurry, causing those following behind them to stumble and fall.

“Th-that girl just tried to draw her sword, didn’t she? Did you see that?”

“Is she trying to kill someone! Is she crazy!”

A posture that clearly showed the short sword at her waist was not merely for show.

It was the movement of a ‘Swordsman,’ recognizable even to commoners unfamiliar with war.

Tia warned in a resolute voice.

“Don’t touch me.”

“Ha! Seriously… Lady! Alright. I’m sorry I touched you, but you can’t keep acting like that! We’re all trying to get along, isn’t that going too far?”

Amidst the bustling chatter of the ‘rat’ group.

A young man appeared.

“Whoa, whoa. The old geezer did go too far with such a young lady without thinking. Hey, young lady! It seems this is your first time on the tribute road, so let’s not make the atmosphere too hostile. Where are you from? I’m from Norookton.”

“Brizdon.”

“Brizdon? Was there such a place? Anyway, listen up, young lady. We’ve walked for a month to get here. We all met for the first time, but now we’re all friends. We still have half a month to go, so shouldn’t we all get along?”

The man grinned and offered a handshake.

However, Tia unenthusiastically turned her body away.

“I want to be alone.”

“Oh, come on. That’s why I said it’d be a problem if you keep acting like that. We’ll have to set up camp soon when the sun goes down, can you manage by yourself, young lady? In the evening, you’ll have to go to the knights and beg for food, and if you’re sick or tired, you’ll have to share the load and help each other.”

“…So?”

“So— let’s not be so prickly. There’s no need to raise your hackles like an ignorant kitten, you know. It looks like you can handle a sword quite well, so how could we possibly pick a fight with a lady like you?”

Her wariness remained, but.

Upon reflection, what the man said wasn’t wrong.

Regardless, as long as she was part of the tribute convoy, she would have to live with these ‘rats’ for half a month.

Everyone else was traveling in groups, and Tia was the only one alone.

She quietly observed her surroundings.

Then, she heard the cackling laughter of women from around the middle of the procession.

Wouldn’t it be better to travel with those women than with these persistent, dirty men?

“Thank you for the offer, but I’ve decided to travel with that group over there.”

“What. So you were ‘that kind’?”

Suddenly, the men started to snicker.

At the same time, lewd glances and unpleasant laughter poured in from all directions.

A flustered Tia asked back.

“Why are you acting like this?”

“Oh, if that’s the case, you should have said so earlier. We have money too.”

“Excuse me?”

“Hey, young lady. Do you know what kind of women those are before you say such things?”

The man sneered.

“Those women are ‘prostitutes’.”