episode_0067

The man did not chase after Rogi left, but stood there, looking at the place he had left, and muttered.

“…Interesting as always.”

“Still a peculiar hobby.”

There was someone who spoke to him like that.

“You were awake? Dvalinn.”

“I just woke up. Judging by the looks of it, did you kick out another guest?”

The figure walking out into the alley, which was a little brighter than the inside of the bookstore, was much smaller than the man. He was the green dwarf who had been asleep when Rogi came.

“You probably expected that business wouldn’t be good anyway and opened a bookstore dealing with magic books, right?”

“Ugh, I know. I know. But don’t kick out decent customers.”

“I couldn’t help it. That guy was holding the book I wanted to buy.”

Then, what he took out of his arms was the book that Rogi was trying to read. He coaxed him well, saying that he would tell him about the witch instead.

“I told him everything he wanted to know, so there’s no problem.”

Then the man handed the book to Dvalinn.

“Ah, a book about witches. It’s quite difficult to obtain because it contains detailed information about witches. Donghwa 91 Jeon.”

“I’ll give you 7 Jeon.”

“In Cheoljeon?”

“Because there are few things as accurate as what someone who has kept a witch by their side and observed her wrote.”

The name Aeolus was written on the cover of the book and in the space where the author was written on the spine. Where else would there be a book as useful as the memoirs of a man who succeeded in mixing blood with a witch? The man recalled the letters he had found at the very back of the book and snorted. ‘I dedicate this book to my wife.’

“By the way, that little boy from earlier seems to be a boy from the merchant group that came in this time.”

“A merchant group came in? That’s unusual.”

Dvalinn didn’t seem to know that a merchant group had come in at all.

“That’s right. I thought, ‘How did they manage to call it a merchant group with that scale and pass through the castle walls?’”

The man thought of the appearance of the merchant group he had seen on the way. No matter how he looked at it, it was not something that could simply be called a merchant group. Each of the knights had an extraordinary aura, and there were dozens of them. It was close to being a knight order. And merchant carriages are made to be sturdy, but if people who knew what they were looking at saw the carriages they were riding in, they couldn’t help but know that they were closer to chariots.

“I don’t know for what reason the lord allowed them to pass, but it seems like they have a lot of rare items, so I should go there at least once.”

It is said that the first guest who comes in the summer brings good news. He was not from this place, so he didn’t believe in such superstitions passed down from Lantua, but this time it seemed like it might be quite true. After seeing Rogi’s reaction, the man couldn’t help but have subtle expectations.

“Wow, I didn’t know it would sell like wildfire like this on just the first day.”

Donar admired the items being sold in an instant. He thought that it would be helpful in selling the goods because it is difficult to exchange with other countries due to various reasons such as cloud zones, wastelands, and monsters, so the items from other countries would stimulate the curiosity of the people here, but he did not expect them to sell so quickly. Despite it being the first day, some of the carriages where items were assigned were already closed and appeared to be guarded.

Before coming here, he had received help from Paryar in the mining city to find out the market price here. Most of them were brought from afar, and some were hard to obtain, so most of them would be expensive here as well, but people’s footsteps do not cease. A large amount of Cheoljeon has already been put into sacks. That’s when Donar was watching the items sell smoothly.

“Why aren’t you accepting Donghwa!?”

That’s the sound that came from somewhere. Donar sighed at the voice of a man who seemed very angry. Yes, even when things are going well, things like that happen sometimes. His job was to deal with those rogues, so he went to where the sound was coming from and frowned. Because the person the man was yelling at was Shiff. Still, just in case, he listened to the conversation a little more, but it seemed that the man was simply angry because he couldn’t pay with Donghwa.

“Hey.”

“Ah! What do you want again!”

“Get lost if you’re going to disturb business.”

“Cough?!”

Donar threw the man away without saying anything. The man wasn’t particularly weak. Judging by his burly physique, he seemed to be quite trained, but he didn’t seem used to fighting. Judging by the faint smell of dirt and the farming tools at his waist, he looked like a farmer. In the first place, from his point of view, who had fought dragons, he was a very cute opponent. Even a dragon would be cuter than he looks.

“What are you doing! Call the guards?!”

Whether he wanted to act tough and be stubborn, or whether he thought the people here would take his side. The man who had been thrown by him raised his voice loudly. Not even knowing how people around him were looking at him.

“If you want to be dragged away yourself, go ahead. And we don’t want to treat someone like you as a guest. And let’s get a grasp of the situation. Do you live without even caring how other people see you?”

“…You son of a!”

The man knew that everyone around him was looking at him and retreated, muttering curses until the end.

“Are you okay? Shiff?”

“Yes, I wasn’t exactly touched.”

“Anyway, there are always guys like that sometimes.”

You might think it’s rare, but if you listen to a colleague who has experience in business, there are more of those kinds of troublemakers than you think. Especially if it’s a woman with no strength like Shiff, she gets bothered even more.

“Haa, there are quite a lot of people like that. How many times is this?”

“Wasn’t this the first time?”

There were quite a few places to help, so I couldn’t pay attention, but this wasn’t the first time this has happened?

“Yes, other people came and helped, but because they keep doing this for that reason, I’m thinking of accepting Donghwa as well.”

“That’s because those guys are ignorant, so don’t worry too much about it.”

The reason they are picking a fight is probably because Cheoljeon is usually a currency that people save up. While the value of other currencies often decreases or increases depending on the situation in the country or region, the market price of Cheoljeon is mostly constant. This is because Cheoljeon is literally made of iron. Iron has many uses wherever you go, and if necessary, the country can use or recover it easily, so people tend to save Cheoljeon.

But even if they are ignorant, it is common sense and etiquette to trade with Cheoljeon when a merchant group from another country comes in. Donghwa, Eunhwa, and Geumhwa are not very suitable for trade because the amount of metal they contain varies depending on the situation or policy of the country. On the other hand, Cheoljeon is made purely of iron, so you can simply weigh it and reassess its value, so it is often used in transactions with people from other countries.

“So just think of them as ignorant people and that you stepped on poop, and deal with them roughly.”

“But doesn’t that interfere with selling the goods?”

“Don’t worry. It’s not like other people don’t think that’s ignorant. And those kinds of people have twisted minds and will pick a fight if there is even a small fault.”

It may be because Shiff is a relatively easy woman to pick on, but it was right to see it as just those people’s personalities. They think that if they act strong and tough, the other person will be intimidated and will do whatever they want. Well, it’s an action they wouldn’t even dare to do in his hometown, but Shiff has a particularly gentle personality, but the women in his home country…

“Ugh, it’s terrible just thinking about it.”

So it seemed that Shiff was being bothered a lot.

“Yes?”

“It’s nothing. I just remembered something bad.”

It’s so bad that it could be a trauma. So he stayed by Shiff’s side as much as possible until the day’s business was over, and after that, no one bothered her. When evening came and it got dark, the business was over. And it was time to settle the amount earned for the day.

“More items were sold than I thought?”

“I know, right?”

“It took all my time to calculate.”

Donar examined the records to report to the merchant owner Ermis and additionally recorded the items that were sold much faster than initially expected. The hail obtained from the cloud zone also became an unexpected additional income, and many people flocked and bought things in a rush, perhaps because the rumors spread. As it is such a difficult environment to trade with other countries for various reasons, it was enough to buy people’s curiosity.

“At this rate, it wouldn’t be a problem to start the auction right away tomorrow.”

“Already?”

“At this rate, it would be a problem if we don’t have an auction tomorrow.”

I thought we would have to gather people for at least 3 days, but it seems that the attraction of items from other countries was bigger than I thought. Then Donar glanced at the huge cloud barrier far away. That cloud barrier plays a very thankful role in providing an environment where people and creatures can live nearby, but conversely, it is also a ruthless existence that blocks the path for people and creatures to pass. That’s why trade between countries is particularly difficult.

The wasteland that must be passed through after a long time is not impossible to bypass or cross, but passing under the cloud zone was literally a gamble. There was no way to say that their case was anything but lucky. Then Donar waved his hand at the sight of the welcome children in his sight.

“Hey kids! Are you coming now?”

Usher was seen carrying Belka on his back and coming this way.

After returning to the merchant group, Rogi kept sighing out of frustration. He thought that Belka would not be an ordinary girl from the first time he met her, but he never expected her to be a witch. Listening to that man, it was not difficult to think that the girl was a special being among them. Otherwise, she would not have been able to subdue the wizard Pan so surely. He had never seen a wizard use attack magic, but instead, he knew how strong and dangerous magic was.

At least the people of Pasipenia can’t not know. They had to always be careful of the attacks of dragons, who were called the kings of monsters, until just ten years ago. Every time the dragons attacked, they rushed in droves and tormented people with the magic they were good at. There were rumors that the liquid that melts even iron and people when it touches, the breath that freezes to the bone, and the fire that burns more fiercely instead of going out even when water is sprinkled on it, were hellfires.

Although the methods and processes were different, the common point of those magics was that they took away people’s homes, property, and lives equally. It was Belka who could neutralize such magic. She was the girl he had only hurt.

“…Is she a witch.”

He was trying to stop thinking about her now, but he was only trying to find out more about her in order to let go of his lingering feelings, but Rogi couldn’t understand why his lingering feelings only seemed to grow instead of decrease. Perhaps it was because his parents died from magic, or rather, from dragons. It was a childhood thing for Rogi, but he remembered the scene clearly. His house, which was blown open and collapsed as the dragon rampaged, and the memories that were being destroyed.

Underneath it, his parents were melting, smelling sour and rancid. But more than anything, what he couldn’t forget was the eyes of the reptile that just watched without being able to trample his parents to death. He didn’t have any special skills to know the emotions of animals. Nevertheless, he could know. He had no choice but to know. The dragon was clearly enjoying the sight of his parents suffering and dying, and that was the scariest thing of all.

He ran away with his parents and the dragon in front of him. He couldn’t think of anything. He only had the desire to live. Thanks to that, he was able to survive. Instead, what remained was the guilt of abandoning his parents and the words and bullying of the children who called him a coward. He was alone. So he trained several times more than other children and worked hard to become a knight. He wanted to become a great knight so that no one could call him a coward again.

He tried not to experience such a thing again. It seemed to be somewhat successful. He had become stronger than anyone his age. But what is he doing now?

“Ha, please!”

Rogi made a moaning sound and washed his face dry as he kept thinking of the girl. He hurt the girl he could dare to say he liked, the girl he wanted to protect, with his own hands. He really wanted to forget. Because that was the only way he could wish for the girl’s happiness now. Then, when he turned around at the sound of Donar welcoming someone, he saw Usher carrying Belka on his back. The girl on his back looks very comfortable.

His heart felt like it was tearing apart at the sight of her rubbing her face against Usher’s back, so he turned his head away. He had to forget. He had to forget. He kept repeating it, but he couldn’t stop thinking about the story he heard from the suspicious man he met at the bookstore earlier. If he had really known that method in advance, and if he had known that the girl was such a witch, what would have happened?

That fleeting moment of being consumed by desire was so ecstatic and sweet that Rogi couldn’t let go of his lingering feelings. He wanted to go crazy because that moment and the method the man told him reminded him of the possibility. That night, he couldn’t sleep at all because he was crazy about that thought.

“Please stop.”

He asked without knowing who he was talking to. He came out for a night walk to calm his complicated mind, but he couldn’t calm down at all. Then, when he heard a rattling sound from a little farther away, Rogi was surprised and hid in the carriage right next to him.

“Is there anything unusual here too?”

“Still, we have to keep patrolling tonight while taking turns with the other guys.”

Then, after a while, the voices heard beyond the door were those of Shalby and Odur.

“There’s no guarantee that the people here will do that, but there might be someone who has bad intentions.”

“Well, I guess so.”

And at their passing voices, Rogi unknowingly exhaled the breath he had been holding and sighed. It seemed that the reason they told him to lock the door and sleep was for that reason. Then he wondered why this carriage wasn’t locked. And when he realized that there was a familiar scent, he thought he knew where this was. The appearance of the broken lock was also familiar. He turned his head and checked the place where the breathing sounds were coming from. As expected? Belka was asleep there with Usher.

He couldn’t help but suppress his aching heart at the sight of only the two of them sleeping quietly in this empty space. Belka was wrapping her arms around Usher’s head and hugging him in her arms, and Usher was also resting comfortably in her arms as if he were used to it. How could his heart not boil at that sight? He tried to separate the girl from Usher, grabbed her shoulder, and laid her down straight.

“Huh!”

Belka was forced to lie down straight by him and showed uncomfortable signs in her sleep, but what caught his eye was the girl’s chest visible through her disheveled dress. The pink fruit that was faintly visible was so beautiful. It seemed like he could even recall that very soft touch, so he couldn’t stand it anymore. He thought that since he had already gone this far, it wouldn’t be strange to do it again, so he tried to touch her body, but he remembered the look in the girl’s eyes looking at him.

Her inorganic eyes looked at him after even the smallest resentment that remained disappeared. Can he do this again and handle the girl’s eyes like that? Rogi gritted his teeth and instead of touching Belka’s body, he straightened her clothes. There was no way he could handle that. In the end, he sat down on the bed right next to her, unable to do anything, and stared at the sleeping girl. He just kept staring.

“Could it be Rogi?”

Then, at the sound he heard, Rogi flinched. He hadn’t done anything wrong now, but he was scared for no reason, and when he turned around, Donar was standing there as if he didn’t know why he was here. He looked at him, Usher, and Belka without saying anything, and then gestured to him.

“If you can’t sleep, let’s go on patrol together.”

Rogi nodded. He thought it would be strange if he refused. Donar handed him what he was holding when he came out. The bumpy iron rod with a handle was a Cheolpyeon that was usually used for suppression.

“You know how to handle it, right?”

There was no way he wouldn’t know. Knights sometimes suppress riots or criminals, so one of the first things you have to learn if you want to become a knight is how to handle Cheolpyeon. It wouldn’t even be a toy for something like a dragon, but it’s a fairly threatening weapon for the same person. But if he hands this over, what will happen to his weapon?

“What about you, sir?”

“Don’t worry. At least I’m less likely to get hurt than you.”

Well, a knight has more than one or two weapons. There may be a weapon that he specializes in, but basically, he must be able to handle at least three or more to become a formal knight, and even if he is empty-handed, there is no way he can be easily defeated in his full body armor. So the two of them walked between the carriages on the pretext of patrolling. Until the next shift time came, no words were exchanged between them. Donar, who thought he had cleared his head enough and sent Rogi back to the carriage he was originally in, sighed.

“There’s nothing I can say.”

In life, there were things that had to be kept in the heart, no matter how heartbreaking and painful they were. There are times when it hurts more if you touch it. In that case, all you can do is pray that time will solve it. If you think that even time cannot solve it, then you just live with it as a painful lesson. So that you don’t make such a mistake again.

If you have committed an unforgivable act, you have to choose one of the two. Throw away your tattered conscience and put on a new one that only looks plausible, or still live with your tattered conscience. Still, he remembered the boy who cried and confessed his sins and confessed the real culprit.