episode_0068

“How many people must live here, really.”

The next day, Usher could see the crowds bustling from morning, as news of the merchant guild’s arrival had spread far and wide. Yesterday, there seemed to be at least some room to set foot, but today, if one were to get caught in that crowd, it seemed impossible to escape. Still, today was the day to pick up the shoes he had paid a deposit for yesterday, so Usher was careful not to lose Belka’s hand as he navigated through the crowd, and he managed to reach the shop where he had ordered the shoes.

“Grandfather, we’re here!”

The old man was sitting in the same spot he had been when they visited yesterday. The unique smell of tanned leather, the faint smell of oil, and the scent of the small, single-room shop, which felt like the passage of time, depicted an old past. Did he hear his voice? The old man stopped wiping something with the rag he was holding, and looked up at them. The old man seemed to look at them with dim eyes, and then he moved the rag he was holding with his old hand to the side.

What appeared was a pair of black leather shoes with a faint, whitish sheen. Usher was amazed at the sight of the new shoes, which were hard to believe were made in an old, single-room shop. The surface had little gloss and looked plain, but the shoes, which looked as small as a girl’s feet, seemed to suit her better. The somewhat bland feeling was resolved by the small ribbon decoration placed on top.

“Try them on.”

While he was admiring them, Usher urged the girl at the old man’s words. It was clearly her who was trying on the shoes, but he was more excited.

“Belka! Hurry!”

“I know. Don’t push me so much.”

Eventually, Belka was pushed by his urging and approached, took off the wooden shoes she was wearing, and put on the shoes the old man handed her. Unlike the wooden shoes, where her feet were visible, her feet were trapped in the structure, so Usher asked with some concern.

“Are they uncomfortable?”

“They’re fluffy.”

The girl seemed a little surprised, and she took small steps in the shoes, looking down at her feet in the shoes as if they were amazing. Usher was pleased that the shoes seemed to please her, and he handed the old man the remaining six iron coins.

“Here you go.”

“Six iron coins…, the weight is certain too.”

Watching the old man weigh one of the iron coins with the scale he had taken out yesterday, confirming that the weight was the same, he thought that if he ever needed to buy shoes again, he would buy them here. It was his first time buying leather shoes, so he didn’t know if this place was good at making them, but he liked this small, single-room shop, the old man who guarded it, and the shoes he made.

“Then goodbye.”

The old man nodded without saying a word. And on the way back to the merchant guild, Belka was still looking down at the newly worn leather shoes as if they were amazing, as she walked. It was better to look ahead when walking, but Usher wanted to watch the girl even more, so he didn’t stop her. If she was about to fall or bump into something, he would catch her. How long had he been looking at the girl like that? Belka shuddered as if she had belatedly noticed his gaze.

“Um, Usher?”

“Why?”

When he looked at her as if he knew nothing, the girl bowed her head deeply. For some reason, even without seeing her face under the mask directly, he felt like he knew what state she was in, and a smile escaped his lips.

“…Thank you.”

It was a very small, mumbling voice, but somehow he could hear it even in the midst of the many people. Usher just smiled and started walking back to the merchant guild. He wouldn’t have minded exploring this neighborhood more, which he hadn’t been able to visit yesterday, but Donar had told him to only do what he needed to do because today, when the auction was being held, it was even more crowded and something could happen. Usher thought it was unnecessary meddling, but he didn’t feel bad when he heard those words.

That’s because his voice was full of concern for them. Except for Belka, he had never heard such words before. If it wasn’t for the girl, there was no one who cared about Usher that much. It was around the time he arrived at the place where the merchant guild was with light steps.

“Sasha?”

Someone grabbed Belka’s hand as if to snatch it away. It was loud enough for Usher to be surprised, and when he looked, someone wearing a robe was holding her other hand. At that, Belka said coldly.

“I’m not Sasha.”

“…That’s right, that’s right. But…”

The man who had pressed down his robe didn’t let go of Belka’s hand easily even at Belka’s words, and people’s attention began to gather here, wondering what was going on.

“Ugh.”

Then the girl shrank back as if she was burdened. Usher was about to step in because he could no longer overlook his actions, but someone else stepped in first.

“Do you have any business with the children of our merchant guild?”

It was none other than Donar. Usher was relieved at the sight of the reliable adult who had appeared just in time, and pulled the girl’s hand out of the man’s hand. At that, the man’s gaze briefly shifted to him and turned to Donar.

“I’m sorry. I mistook someone for another.”

Unexpectedly, the man apologized obediently.

“Ah, yes, then we’ll be on our way.”

He had been waiting for Donar to say something, but he quickly accepted the man’s apology and led Usher and Belka away. While being led away by Donar in embarrassment, Usher glanced back. The man in the robe wasn’t walking anywhere, but was looking at them, or rather, at the girl, as they walked away. That figure soon disappeared into the crowd, though. Donar didn’t say a word until he led them back to the merchant guild.

“Hoo, I guess he’s not chasing us.”

Donar let them go with a sigh of relief only after arriving at the merchant guild.

“Ouch! Why did you hit me?!”

Then he shouted out of his unfairness at the action of Donar lightly hitting Usher’s head. It didn’t hurt because he didn’t put any strength into it, but he reflexively shouted.

“Hey, you idiot. You should be more careful. If you’re careless, it’s not just you who gets hurt, but Belka too, and it’s even more dangerous.”

“What do you mean by that?”

When Usher asked, unable to understand his words, Donar touched his forehead as if he had a headache.

“We almost had a big problem because the other person was polite. What if he wasn’t?”

How was it polite to grab the hand of someone who was passing by on the street and say strange things? When Usher looked like he didn’t understand, Donar sighed.

“Ugh, it’s hard to say right now, but if you see someone wearing a robe on the street, try to avoid them and don’t engage with them.”

“Why is that?”

“Anyway, they’re people you don’t want to get involved with. If I tell you to avoid them, just avoid them.”

He looked very displeased, so Usher couldn’t say anything.

“Tsk, I thought so, but I didn’t expect someone to come in person. I need to warn the others too. You guys should go back to the carriage quickly before the auction starts.”

“Yes? But.”

“Sief is already waiting for you in your carriage, so hurry!”

Usher had no choice but to return to the carriage with Belka at Donar’s words, which were more urgent than usual. And Sief, who had been waiting inside the arrived carriage, greeted them. Usher wondered if she would know why Donar was like this, so he asked.

“I don’t know either, but Donar wouldn’t do that without a reason.”

Sief also said that she had been told by Donar and the others not to come out of the carriage today. In the end, they were told that they had to stay inside the carriage all day.

“I confirmed that the report was true, but it’s a pity that I didn’t see her bare face.”

But there was nothing he could do, and the man in the robe shook his head. It was he who had been rude first, even if it wasn’t intentional. He couldn’t force her to take off her mask. He could do it if he wanted to, but he didn’t want to be hated first by doing that. But even so, he still felt a sense of regret, perhaps because the girl’s redness was so similar to that of a woman buried in his memory.

He hadn’t even seen her face directly, but he was still shaken just because it was the same color that remained vividly in his memory, and he thought he was being too much of a fuss. If he hadn’t restrained himself a little more, he would have taken off the girl’s mask. But he still wondered if he could meet her again. With that thought, he headed to the place where the auction was being held and ran into a man wearing a robe similar to his, but the two passed each other without exchanging any words.

“A knight of Pasipenia.”

Knight State, Pasipenia. The distance was so far, far, and rugged from here that they had rarely interacted, but the name was so famous that it couldn’t be unknown. How could they not know the only country that could stand against the dragons along with the Holy Land? Especially famous were the knights of that country. The official name was not Knight State, but Pasipenia was called Knight State because there were so many outstanding knights. If a knight could defeat a dragon, there would be no problem in dealing with other monsters.

In fact, wasn’t he catching a crayfish, whose danger was comparable to that of a dragon below the cloud zone, and selling its shell at auction as a trophy? He couldn’t know in detail why such knights had abandoned their homeland and joined the merchant guild as members, but it seemed like good news.

“A summer guest…”

In the end, he smiled bitterly at the thought that he was a native of this place. He couldn’t shake off the redness that kept coming to his mind.

The auction was a success, which was a relief, as he had been worried about whether it would go well. The fact that the items were from other countries was precious, but the biggest topic was the crayfish shell. Donar talked with Shalvi while watching the crayfish head being carried on a cart.

“Wow, how much did that head part sell for?”

The crayfish shell’s price soared due to its notoriety and rarity. He knew it was worth that much, but even though he sold it separately by part, considering the broken parts, each one sold for a high price. The most expensive part was the head part that had just been sold.

“1370 iron coins, how many months is that of our salary?”

“That’s about 7 years’ worth, right?”

“No way, we couldn’t have made that much even if we had caught dozens of dragons…”

No matter how he thought about it, the amount of money he made from selling one crayfish was much more than the amount he had received for the time he had spent catching dozens of dragons for a month in his home country.

“We were originally living a life of patriotism. What money?”

It was Shalvi who said that to him as if scolding him, but his voice was full of bitterness. That was true. Even though it was a job where they had to live on patriotism, it was harder for those who lived as knights to not know how the by-products of the dragons they had worked so hard to defeat were used. They had only pretended not to know and had turned a blind eye, even though they knew. They had endured it in the name of patriotism, even if it was more labor than necessary or if it was life-threatening.

They were so busy dealing with dragons that it was too late to realize that it was a foolish thing. By that time, they had become fools who were treated like pushovers everywhere and were obligated to be kind. The knights from the same background could only feel empty at the price of the crayfish by-products, even though the situation was not as good as when they were dealing with dragons, but it was not really as difficult as they thought it would be to deal with dragons.

“Don’t regret thinking about the past for nothing, and let’s think positively. It’s good to have a lot of money to settle down, right?”

Donar comforted his colleagues, who seemed to be depressed for nothing. It was more difficult than catching dragons, but it was fortunate that there were no casualties due to the crayfish. There had almost been an irreversible event. It was foolish to regret the homeland they had already left and the time that had passed. It was better for them to think about living in Lantua from now on. As the sale of the crayfish head was the last thing, they settled the money they had earned.

“Hmm, this makes me feel even more sorry for the kids.”

Donar thought of Usher and Belka as he looked at the money he had made from selling the crayfish.

“Huh? Why?”

“We sold the crayfish by part, but it’s worth a lot if you count it as one, right?”

The crayfish by-products accounted for about 30% of the money they had earned. The kids said they didn’t need it that much, but. As he was worried, Odur said.

“Then give some to the kids too. We’ve saved a lot of money to settle down, more than we thought.”

“…Is that okay?”

“They’re the ones who helped us catch it, practically.”

“That’s right, were you not going to give it to the kids? Oh my gosh, Donar, you were greedy for money, weren’t you?”

“Hey! What’s wrong with you when someone is seriously worried?”

Donar asked back worriedly at the surprisingly cool agreement, and his colleagues teased him, and he ran at them as if he had been waiting for it, and his colleagues ran away. In the end, Donar caught his colleagues one by one and they rolled around on the floor.

“But don’t tell that to those guys.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

At Shalvi’s advice, Donar nodded awkwardly. The guys Shalvi was talking about were the people who didn’t make as big of a mess as Pan, but who caused trouble for other people or caused a nuisance, so they were called the people who were blacklisted. There had been a time when something big almost happened, so after Ermis showed a firm example, they had been quiet, but. They were going to give them the same settlement money per person. It would be troublesome if they insisted that it was too little.

“Who knows why they left Pasipenia.”

“Maybe they have a fantasy about other countries. If that’s the case, it would be better for them to live there.”

Git shook his head. He had been told several times before they left that merchant guild life would be difficult, but the obstinacy they showed during the trip was too difficult to handle. Because of Ermis’s mediation, they had been consistently ignoring them as much as possible, but their relationship would end with just giving them the settlement money. It was when they were settling the money and talking about this and that. Someone wearing a robe approached them.

“The auction is all over, but do you have any other business?”

At that, Donar exchanged glances with his colleagues and asked as a representative. He couldn’t help but think they looked suspicious, but there were few people who had the guts or were stupid enough to treat that appearance rudely. First of all, the material of the robe was different. It was safe to say that robes of that kind were used by high-ranking people when they came out for inspection. Everyone knew that no matter where they went, but it was an unspoken rule to pretend not to know. If there was someone who touched them because they didn’t know, it would be a disaster for that person and a nuisance for the high-ranking people.

For that reason, those who were called nobles wore robes made of expensive fabrics that were hard to deal with, even if they hid their appearance.

“Was the auction really over with just that?”

When he heard his voice, it was the man who had grabbed the girl’s wrist earlier. Donar felt frustrated, but still answered.

“Yes, there are no more items left to sell.”

There were still the carriage, Hildisvini, and the unused armor left, but those were things that had to be handled carefully separately. Even if the carriage was dismantled and sold off by blacksmiths, Hildisvini and the unused armor were particularly difficult to handle. Hildisvini had a very picky personality and they had tamed it, so it was hard to find a new owner, and in the case of unused armor, it felt like a promotional tool for the blacksmiths who came with them to show how good they were.

Because the armor they used was no different in appearance, there was a chance that they would be mistaken for the same armor if it was sold to the wrong place, and they could be in trouble. But the next words that came out of his mouth were enough to make Donar nervous.

“I remember there was a horse that came in with you.”

Let me tell you, it was only their second day in Lantua. No matter how fast the rumors were, it was clearly strange that he had obtained information about the horse in the meantime. Besides, the horse belonged to the children, so it was still hidden in the carriage so that it wouldn’t be seen. But the fact that this man knew meant that he was a higher-ranking person than he thought.

“I’m sorry, but that’s not for sale.”

At least it wouldn’t make sense if he wasn’t the superior of the gray dwarf who had reviewed their entry into Lantua. Then the man in front of him would be someone who had the power to allow them to enter Lantua. And that meant that he was at least a lord and at most someone close to the king. As far as he knew, Lantua was a league country. The powerful people who had territories and those who were no different from the kings of this region had agreed with each other to prepare for the monsters that were constantly attacking, and the huge country that was completed was Lantua.

“That’s strange. Then why did you bring it?”

Then he thought he knew why they were able to pass through with their scale and suspicious people. Did they let them through thinking that they would sell the horse? If that was the case, then the reason why they let them through wasn’t completely incomprehensible. Horses were very rare animals, and even the most eminent people couldn’t get them no matter how hard they tried. He felt the cold sweat running down his back increasing more and more, and somehow continued to speak.

“The horse has a separate owner.”

“Owner? An owner.”

Donar became more anxious as he watched the man ponder. And, as expected?

“Can I meet that owner? I’d like to talk to them directly.”

‘I knew it!’

He screamed inwardly. He tried to make excuses somehow.

“But… that’s.”

“Why? Is it difficult?”

There was no reason to make excuses, so Donar had no choice.

“Ugh, frustrating.”

Usher felt suffocated by the fact that he couldn’t get out of the carriage no matter how long he waited. When the carriage was moving, he often fell asleep because of motion sickness, so time went by quickly. But now it wasn’t moving, so he was bored and felt like the air was getting stuffy for no reason. If it wasn’t for Belka, he wouldn’t have been able to bear it and would have gone outside alone.

“If you’re really bored, how about reading a book?”

“That’s a bit…”

Usher trailed off at Sief’s suggestion. He didn’t really like reading books. If you asked what about magic books, he would say that’s because they were magic books. He only read books because they were about magic, but books were hard to find and reading them was a hassle in the first place. If it was a book about how to use magic, he could read it any number of times. In the end, what he chose to do was to lie down using the girl’s lap as a pillow.

“Belka, wake me up when they say I can come out.”

“Okay.”

The girl nodded. He was relieved by that unwavering answer, and just as he was about to fall asleep, he suddenly heard footsteps. Perhaps because the outside had suddenly become quiet, the sound of footsteps, which were mixed with the sound of metal, seemed to be from Donar or one of the coachmen. There was also another sound of footsteps. He was about to give up on trying to fall asleep because he thought the auction was over, but there was no need to do that. Because the door of the carriage opened at that moment.

“Donar?”

Donar was in front of the door, but Sief made a curious voice at the sight of another person standing there. Next to him was a man in the same robe as the one who had grabbed the girl’s hand earlier, and he was looking at them. To be exact, he seemed to be looking at Belka, who was inside the carriage and not wearing a mask.