◈Episode 147 Everything went as it should (7)
I guess I was worried for nothing.
We crossed Baekmyo Ridge without any trouble. So, there is poison in the fog, so there was no poisoning, and there was no enemy hiding in the fog to attack. There wasn’t anything like a trap in sight. There was no strange contact.
Of course, the attacks by beasts did not continue steadily but increased explosively…
but they gradually decreased after crossing Baekmyo Ridge.
It wasn’t that there weren’t any animals, but it felt like everyone was ignoring us and passing by.
This is a guess based on the fact that the wild beasts we encountered a couple of times glanced at us and then swooped away.
“Young hunter, are you okay?”
But that doesn’t mean that everyone was fine. Dev’s complexion got worse the closer he got to Ednium, as if he was sure he had bad memories.
Considering that he groaned while sleeping at night, it is quite possible that he had a nightmare.
“It’s okay.”
I was starting to get really, really worried.
Deb is a boy who seems to have a lot of expressions, but has a subtle poker face when it’s important, and he’s barely able to control his facial expressions right now.
You can see it just by looking at his pale complexion. What do you do if your face is expressionless? My eyes are dark.
“I don’t need a blessing…”
“…That’s it. “What kind of blessing is a blessing when you don’t even worship God?”
I always regret it, saying I shouldn’t have thought about it, but I regret it even more now. If it wasn’t for the concept, they would have made our meat dumpling happiness kimbap.
“God is generous even to those who do not believe in him.”
“It’s done.”
“I see…”
Meanwhile, the Inquisitor also failed. Considering how they treated me, I thought they would take a harder line here, but looking at their reactions afterwards, there was no sign of that happening.
Rather than saying I don’t want to do it, can I do it? I feel like I’m thinking about it. Like a person who is trying to gauge the line between a relationship that is just about to become close.
“It feels good to receive a blessing…”
“No, why are you more disappointed?”
Well, you shouldn’t think that kimchi dumplings that turned into crappy dumplings in this situation are funny. But it’s so cute. When Kimchi Dumpling looks sullen, Gogi Dumpling gets embarrassed and looks back at him this time.
“I wasn’t disappointed.”
“Don’t lie. “Everyone looks upset.”
“I’m not upset.”
“Gula jul.”
“profit!!”
And the result is a fight.
It’s better. Because if you argue, you won’t think strange thoughts.
“You idiot!”
“Saennim!”
“cur!”
“Stubborn!”
“idiot!”
“Huh, I thought you would say something like that, cult gangster?!”
“I am not a gangster!!”
But your mental age seems to be 10 years younger. Is it my fault?
“Hehe, everyone is in good spirits today too.”
“Haha. “The young hunter has become active again.”
I could barely stop myself from laughing like an Archmage or Berserk.
Then, I took a brisk step towards the forest where the end was finally visible. Outside the forest, which is cut off as if it has been cut down, a sloping plain appears frozen.
Also, when I set foot on that plain, a few curved hills and pale rocky mountains in the distance filled the open field of view.
Among them, a city suddenly popped its head out.
It was Ednium.
“I can see the city. I think it will arrive earlier than expected. “I thought it would take another day.”
“oh! “Can I finally drink?”
“The plains are bigger than they look, so we won’t arrive that early.”
“….”
I had gotten used to living on the street for a long time, so it wouldn’t have mattered if I arrived later, but…
I watched Dev’s breathing. My breathing became rougher and more difficult in a moment. The complexion reflected in my glance is extremely pale.
I guess I should never leave him alone in this city.
Many, many, many.
The sound of horses’ hooves, which had stopped for a moment while assessing the location of the city, began to continue again.
* * *
“They said the land was dry, but it is really dry.”
The Plains of Ednium, which looked like a green plain from a distance, took on a slightly yellowish tinge upon closer inspection.
It was not because the harvest season had arrived, but because it was dry and withered due to lack of moisture.
In some areas, it became so dry that the grass died down, exposing the soil. Pusssss. Every time the wind blew, the wind mixed with sand swept around my ankles.
“…so.”
“hmm?”
“So you have to be careful. “If a spark sparks, it can spread into a wildfire.”
“Oh definitely. “It would be dangerous if the fire spreads.”
Dev gave a small advice in a choked voice and urged me to speak. Our location is now right in front of the castle, so we just need to pass the checkpoint.
Dev pulled his hood down so it covered his nose.
“We are adventurers from Camburgh. As for the pass…”
It was even worse at the checkpoint. Dev kept his head down and did not lift it while the Archmage took charge of the conversation.
Even the sound was like that. Considering that they usually spend their time making fun of the Inquisitor, the atmosphere is definitely tense.
“You have green hair?”
“Is there a problem?”
“Oh no.”
Luckily, the inspection ended early. Strangely enough, the guard’s eyes turned to Dev often, but it didn’t cause any problems.
At least it wasn’t like I recognized him.
“Berserk I’m hungry.”
“Let’s go to the temple quickly.”
“I don’t like it because there is only wine in the temple.”
“Wouldn’t it be okay to just unpack and come out and eat?”
If you try to get Sugar High by feeding it something sweet… it would be too much. shit. Why did I come up with this concept!
“Rather than that, this city is really quiet. “The streets are clean.”
“Is this clean? “It looks dirtier to Berserk’s eyes.”
“That’s because the street itself isn’t particularly clean or quiet. However, the reason the Inquisitor feels that way is because there are probably fewer beggars or children soliciting customers.”
“ah! okay! “I think you’re right.”
I didn’t pay attention to what Dev was thinking and sighed inwardly like an inquisitor. I thought it was quiet compared to other cities, but there are really few children.
Usually, when you enter a city, the first thing you encounter are children who are offering to show you good inns.
“Why are there so few?”
“It’s not that it doesn’t exist at all, it’s just that there are a small number of them, so it’s probably not prohibited by law. “For a city with few children, there are a lot of children playing on the streets…”
The Archmage spat out the last sentence while stroking his chin.
“Considering that the children who usually solicit customers are the children of inn owners or street orphans, perhaps the latter is less common.”
Dev was visibly shaking. It was a movement that the speaker could not have seen because he was standing at the back of the group – in the same row as me.
“There are so few orphans wandering the streets. “It’s a nice place.”
No, that’s not it. Probably not with a high probability.
“amazing. “Are there any cities with fewer orphans?”
Berserker, you too, stop stop!
Is this how it feels to see people adding firewood rather than pouring water on the wood fire burning the bomb?
I screamed internally and slapped my face.
I felt even more uncomfortable because the air surrounding Dev was falling vertically in real time.
“well. That may not necessarily be a good sign. “It may be thanks to the reign of the castle lord, but isn’t there a possibility that there is someone taking the children somewhere else?”
“ah. If you do that, there will be devil worshipers…!”
“I don’t know. “You said you don’t feel any demonic energy in the city.”
“There is a possibility that he is hiding.”
“That’s right. Isn’t that why we came here? Of course, I have to tell you what the minor lord of Camburgh asked me to do.”
Meanwhile, the reason we had to come to this city remains.
It is said that we have no choice but to investigate this matter due to the cancer that may be secretly operating in this city.
I already feel like I’m sitting on a thorn cushion.
“…I’m hungry. Let’s go now. I’m not going?”
“I’m hungry! let’s go!”
Still, this conversation ended thanks to Dev’s direct remarks. I was anxious and headed to the temple.
Streets with fewer begging beggars and pickpockets from orphans give off a feeling of shabbiness rather than a feeling of good security.
“You really don’t see people begging very often…”
“Can’t we eat first?”
That’s probably because all the people of a certain age seen on the streets have scars.
And that’s not an ordinary scar. Scars that are likely to be engraved on those who fought.
“…there’s a good restaurant in the alley over there.”
“huh?”
“oh!”
“It might be gone. “I heard that before too.”
Still, I think I still have time to talk. Dev calmly pointed to one side. The eyes of Berserker and the Inquisitor became bright.
I think I was secretly hungry for kimchi dumplings too.
“If you do, let’s stop by there first.”
In the end, it was the Archmage who lost. It was probably a decision made because horses and burdens could be removed with magic. The request wasn’t terribly urgent either.
“Give me the horse.”
“To you?”
“There’s no stall there, it’s an alley restaurant. “I’m not really hungry, so I’ll leave it at the temple instead.”
Oh, I just had time to say something.
“…If you go, how are we going to find the restaurant?”
“ah.”
I really only had time to talk.
“Mr. Ai….”
“Just go and see it first and then decide. “Didn’t you yourself say that it might have disappeared?”
“Yes.”
Is this really okay?…
“Oh, I know of an empty lot. “I will send an errand boy to guard it.”
Fortunately, the restaurant Dev knew remained. Even horses could be kept.
Even though I don’t trust the errand boy—I can’t help it. The horse was too expensive a creature and the messenger boy was too small. It was at a level where an adult wouldn’t even be able to use his strength if he decided to attack it—even though the Archmage had to set up an additional barrier.
“I could have protected it…”
“Is there really a need to starve? “It’s not far away and it’s a barrier that an average person can easily respond to, so don’t worry.”
“….”
“This is a soup made with a family secret that has been passed down for generations.”
“oh! Secret soup!”
If I were simple enough to smile at a single word like Berserker… I wouldn’t have had to go through so much trouble. shit.
I put the stew into my mouth with a lament that bordered on jealousy. The thick soup enveloped my tongue. It was a truly deep flavor that I had never expected.
“…Delicious!”
“The ingredients are fresh. “I was prepared that the quality of vegetables would decline as the land dried out.”
“haha. Because our Lord Soseong is very resourceful. As soon as I touch His hand, all the dry plants come back to life, so I don’t have to worry about running out of vegetables. Ah, but it’s too much to eat, so there’s a little less meat.”
“That’s okay.”
I like it better because it has tomatoes as the base. I slowly filled my stomach by dipping the rye bread that came with it into the soup.
Dev’s nervousness was bound to subside in the presence of delicious food, and his expression relaxed a bit after he took a bite.
“One more bowl of Master!”
“Yep! “I think you liked it.”
“I like it very much!”
“I’d like another bowl too!”
This is a really good restaurant. Dev said he heard about it, but it’s most likely a restaurant he knew, and it’s great that the taste hasn’t changed over that long period of time.
There’s no such thing as a trend here, and it’s not easy to change industries – thanks to this, most people consider continuing the family business as their right to succeed – but it may be natural.
“You guys are lucky to eat it.”
“It’s really delicious.”
“Berserk has gotten better here!”
However, is this because they paid a huge amount of money in advance for the cost of storing the horses and meals? Or maybe it was because the time zone was ambiguous and we were the only customers.
The owner stood near our table and watched us except when he was serving food. The fact that he often spoke in a sociable manner was a bonus.
“Now that I think about it, there are few children or beggars soliciting customers here… Is there any other reason?”
“You seem like an old man, so it’s okay to speak comfortably. And what they wrote was… well. It’s been like that for a long time. haha.”
“Ah, a long time ago.”
“Yes. “Something happened a while ago.”
For example, this kind of information exchange was achieved.
Of course, Dev, who was usually in charge of such matters, was not in a position to step forward, so the Archmage had to step in as a replacement.
“Oh, that’s right. “I… customer.”
“hmm?”
“The guests are adventurers… are they gods? “Have you just entered the city?”
“That’s right.”
“If you do that. “I don’t want to tell you this, but I tell the group over there to be careful…”
“Is there some problem?”
However, although exchange of information is good, I am not sure if it is really a good thing to hear such words.
“Some of the citizens of this city… people don’t really like greenish hair.”
Dev put down his spoon.
“Green hair… you mean?”
“Yes.”
“why?”
The owner looked slightly embarrassed at the inquisitor’s question. At first glance, a large scar can be seen on the arm that shyly brushes the back of the head.
“It’s not something I should say in front of that person with green hair.”
If you even look closely at one leg, you can see that the movement is a bit unnatural.
“There’s a rumor in our city that a person with green hair brings blood.”
I put down my spoon after saying that.
I didn’t say it with bad intentions as I blamed it on a past incident, but it probably wasn’t my intention to attack Dev either.
Still, if you don’t think it’s something to say in front of someone, I’d rather not say it.
Even if it means a warning, you can say it without the person involved hearing it.
“That seems so illogical…”
“Did that rumor arise because of an incident that happened in the past?”
“That….”
Drurrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
While the owner was hesitating whether to speak or not, I stood up, dragging a chair.
He noticed Dev trying to get up and acted quickly.
“you…?”
“customer?”
I don’t think Dev will stay here, but if I follow him after he leaves, it’ll be a disaster…
“I’ve just lost my appetite.”
In that case, I will go out first.