episode_0163

“Couldn’t sleep?” Ruyef asked brusquely from the carriage, which had departed again as soon as the morning sun rose. “No.” “Aren’t you too nervous?”

Ruyef broke off chunks of bread for breakfast. He first gave a large piece to Marie, then handed a similar size to me. He took the smallest piece for himself, then offered heartfelt advice. “If boiling emotions have ignited the flame, then you must be calm afterward, lest you ruin things. Pushing yourself like that won’t accomplish anything properly. It will only be a hindrance to our plan.”

I know. I hadn’t slept a wink, so I was so tired I could barely twitch a finger holding the bread. But sleep wouldn’t come. Tia’s image from last night kept flickering before my eyes, constantly coming to mind even when I closed them, and anger surged wildly, preventing me from resting comfortably. Ruyef probably wouldn’t understand why I stayed up all night. I envy him. I want to live confidently like him, to see only what I want to see. I want to live in ignorance. But everywhere I go, traces of Tia and Fosao remain, and I have to see them. Even to chase after them, I had to forcibly confront the past I most hated to see.

[This ‘knowledge’ that everyone fears comes with a heavy responsibility.] My father used to say that. Is this… the responsibility I must bear for seeking the truth?

“Ritsu Oppa.” I lifted my hollow eyes. Marie was holding something out to me. A chunk of bread. She gave me the bread, which she had only taken a tiny bite out of with her small mouth, and said, “I’m full… Oppa, you eat it.” “…” I glanced sideways at Ruyef. He seemed to be deliberately looking away, pretending not to notice. Not wanting to refuse Marie’s kindness, I accepted the bread she offered. “Thank you.”

After eating all the bread and drinking the water, filling my hungry stomach, drowsiness set in. Though it was a terribly shaky wagon, when I closed my eyes, it felt like a gently rocking cradle. Slowly, I lost consciousness. When I woke up again, the sun was already setting.

Ruyef said nothing had happened in the meantime. Occasionally, we encountered wagons coming from the opposite direction, which he said were merchants going down to sell fruit from the Gordburg mountains. “Those merchants said they were selling fruit cheaply, so I bought some!” As if she’d been waiting, Marie held out a wrapped cloth to me. Inside were peaches, strawberries, and an apple. I picked up an apple. “A Gordburg apple…” It seemed to be a different variety from the one called ‘Hongok’. Its skin wasn’t bright red like that, but a common apple with a mix of yellow and red. I took a bite. *Crunch.* The sweet fragrance of the fruit juice filled my mouth. It was delicious. But at the same time, I felt a subtle emotion.

“Are there many people going to Gordburg?” I asked the merchant. He turned back, surprised that we, who were normally quiet, were showing interest in him for the first time. “Of course. There were many. From Taledon, the only places to go are Deseo or Gordburg. But Deseo requires traveling the Mesroad for half a month, so the travel expenses are high, and in the end, most choose to go to Gordburg.” “Those who are fleeing… what do they go to Gordburg for?” “I don’t ask passengers about their pasts. I’m not particularly curious either. I just get paid to help them travel this road.” The merchant looked ahead again.

“But some of the fugitives told me dream-like stories. About starting a new life in Gordburg. They said that since the land there is vast and fertile, it produces a lot of grain, and with good harvests every year, you can gather abundant fruits and vegetables, so you wouldn’t at least starve.” “I know. Gordburg’s grains were commonly found in the Taledon market.” “Yes. It’s a good place, indeed.” He loosened his grip on the reins and chuckled. “But if that place were truly heaven, wouldn’t I have long ago quit this job and gone to Gordburg myself?”

“…Is there a reason you think differently?” “On the contrary, let me ask you one thing. If you cultivate the land and obtain grain, whose is it?” “Mine, of course.” “Tsk tsk. You’ve lived in Taledon too long. Well, Taledon is a peculiar place, after all.” He gazed at the golden reed field stretching before them and said, “The landlord of Gordburg is its lord. No matter how much you grow grain with your own effort, as long as it grows on that land, it all belongs to the lord.”

A memory from a book suddenly came to mind. Most of the world operated that way, I recalled. Peasants would borrow the lord’s land to farm, and give a portion of their harvest to the lord as taxes. Breeze-don, on the other hand, was an autonomous territory. We each had our designated jobs in this village, and everyone worked together to share what we obtained according to our needs. If a dispute arose, the Village Head-nim would wisely mediate, allowing everyone to continue living without complaint. That’s why matters from the outside world felt so foreign to us.

“…If the lord takes everything, what do I get?” “You get compensation for working faithfully for the lord.” “If the compensation is sufficient, it doesn’t sound bad.” “However, it also means that if you don’t have the ability to cultivate that precious land properly, the lord will consider you a useless human.”

Gordburg was a land of opportunity open to everyone, but if you couldn’t please the lord, you would inevitably be driven out. Furthermore, it was said that there was a severe disparity in wealth among the peasants there. If one had excellent efficiency and skill and earned the lord’s favor, they could receive a lot of money. Conversely, if they were old or ill and couldn’t work properly, they received no money. “But do you truly think those who caused trouble and had to hastily flee the city will be able to live better in Gordburg?”

“…” “I didn’t really want to say this, but since you asked first, I’ll answer.” The merchant said in a heavy voice. “It will certainly not be hopeful.” His tone suggested he surmised what had become of all the ‘fugitives’ he had transported. He probably didn’t even need to try to find out. He would have heard their stories through word-of-mouth while traveling between Taledon and Gordburg. “Do you happen to know what happened to those fugitives… the ones you transported in a coffin?” “The young lady and the fat man?” The merchant shook his head. “Well. I don’t know.”

I couldn’t tell if he genuinely didn’t know or if he was simply deflecting to protect the fugitives’ identities. But as he said, I felt it wouldn’t be entirely hopeful. “Still, since you’re a doctor, you’ll be well-treated wherever you go. And now—we’ve arrived.” I lifted my head. Beyond the tiresome golden plains, something ‘man-made’ finally appeared. The first thing I saw was an incredibly vast expanse of land. The land was extensively cultivated, as if a divine dragon had raked it with its claws, and scarecrows were set up to wave their clothes, preventing birds from pecking at the sown seeds. A tall watchtower with a bell hanging. Wells. Houses and chimneys nestled somewhere on the mountainside. A new city, encountered in the subtle light of the setting sun. The merchant said, “Welcome to Gordburg.”

* * *

The city gates opened easily. The soldiers seemed to have no interest in who we were in the first place. Unlike Taledon, which had a harbor, Gordburg had countless merchants traveling by land from various regions, so they couldn’t afford to be strict. We said our goodbyes to the merchant who had brought us. We didn’t say the usual ‘see you again’. I thought we would never see him again.

Walking through the central street, I looked around. This place was much more bustling with people than Taledon. Moreover, carriages constantly entered and exited the roads, making it incredibly narrow. Many people sat idly on the ground, and many were drinking and having fun late into the night. Ruyef stroked his chin. “So now… we have to find them?” “Yes.” “It’ll be a bit difficult.” I had vaguely expected it to be similar to Taledon, but seeing the city teeming with people beyond imagination took my breath away.

Marie tugged at Ruyef’s sleeve. “Oppa, I’m… sleepy.” Having ridden in the wagon all day, my own body wasn’t in good shape. For the frail Marie, enduring this much must have been an incredibly arduous task. The sun had already set anyway, and there was nothing to gain by moving urgently. It would be better to conceal our presence as much as possible while slowly tightening the noose around Fosao. “Then let’s find a place to rest from our journey first.”

We found a quiet inn a little away from the central street. When we asked for a room for three, they offered a large room for 25 silver a day. Fortunately, it wasn’t an expensive price. We still had some money left, so I paid the advance immediately. Even after unpacking and sitting on the bed, I didn’t feel good. Somewhere on this land, where the smell and even the air were different. Tia and Fosao were here.

I had followed closely behind. I had narrowed the distance so quickly that it felt instantaneous. Now, all that remained was to find where the two were, rescue Tia, and then target and kill Fosao. The only task left was… truly just that. I clenched my fist. I just needed to regain the flow of memory. I still didn’t know where the two had gone after arriving in Gordburg. It seemed I would have to ask the local residents directly to find clues for tracking them. I looked down at the city’s nightscape. How was Tia living here? Was she living happily, as Fosao had promised? After killing that pig, what should I say when I face him?

“…” Wait for me, Tia. I’m coming for you.