Episode 258 What if (6)
After barely getting rid of the mountain army, I placed the delivered bundle on the floor of the hideout.
It was a little bigger than I thought, but I got over it. Although I ordered it, I am not very knowledgeable about this product.
Slurp.
“…!”
The moment I saw a clump of hair through the loose cloth of the bundle, I reflected on my lax attitude. I took my breath away for no reason because it looked like something out of a low-quality horror movie.
“Ah… surprise…”
And two seconds later, I was able to realize the truth in no time.
This is a wig… right? It’s a wig, right? Strength slowly returned to my body, which had unconsciously stopped moving, and my hand awkwardly picked it up. It seemed like it was a wig because all the hair was planted in a net instead of leather.
Oh, I was so surprised. I took a closer look at it, breathing a sigh of relief.
Hair texture that looks like real human hair, not plant fiber or wool. It doesn’t sparkle like gold, but has a soft wheat-colored color. A subtle length that goes beyond the shoulders but does not reach the wing bones. Instead of being big and curly, the curls are small and curly and look floppy.
Overall, it felt okay. It’s also normal.
But as far as I know, I heard that real hair is expensive…?
I touched the wig, which was slightly dented, probably because it was in the bundle. The hair that falls between my fingertips every time seems to be human hair. It’s less crumbly than in modern times where shampoo and conditioner are common, but it’s still soft and shiny.
…But really, why is it in there? I didn’t order a wig? What I ordered was hair dye?
I rummaged through the bundle some more, feeling puzzled. Degururu. Rolled up bamboo feet and several glass bottles containing dye were rolled out.
“…?”
The dye in the glass bottle appears to be the dye I ordered. But what are these bamboo feet?
I untied the thread that bound it and checked the contents. There was a slight crookedness, but it still seemed like the neat writing was connected in intaglio. The characters that make up the writing are not from the Great Forest, but from outside, which I can read – and which the system can interpret.
⌈ (Strategy) …In the process of carrying out your request, I learned that regular dyes are not effective and that magic dyes are expensive compared to their durability. So, considering Eunkong’s future journey, I tried to find something else with the money you gave me. Of course, you may not have purchased it for this reason, so we also included a few bottles of hair dye… (omitted) … You don’t have to worry about us being suspicious of your wig purchase. The hair loss priest got one leftover in the process of purchasing his own… (reluctant)⌋ As I
was reading the words, my insides began to fill with a subtle emotion.
It would be okay to just purchase it through an agent without even thinking about it, but considering my future and finding a better replacement product…? I even prepared an excuse that would be considered–I could get caught because I bought a wig during this period–did I even prepare an excuse?
He is so smart that he does things so wisely that it almost brings tears to his eyes. I’m thrilled.
“If only I knew it would be like this…”
I also had this thought.
I put a million gals in my pocket thinking that the dye would be expensive, but if I had known it would turn out like this, I would have put in twice or three times that amount.
“It’s a shame because I haven’t had anything to spend money on…”
Over the past few months, I’ve had to pay for the hotel, food, and other expenses myself, but that’s okay. Compared to the cost of restoring it to a certain city, it was only a trivial expenditure.
On the other hand, the money I earned from selling Biryuho’s body and the money I earned from working in Bemurgen are two orders of magnitude different from the amount I spent.
Even if you pay extra for a wig here, there won’t be any problem. I started thinking about how much extra I would pay.
“How much will 2 million gals be worth?”
I’d like to ask exactly how much it cost, but there’s no way the warchief would tell me that. So I measured the price on my own. I just hope that this amount is more than what the warchief spent.
Saruk.
This concludes my thoughts on the price of the wig. I put the wig on my head to see what it would look like after wearing it.
You use a pin to secure it here too. I had no difficulty wearing it, perhaps because I had used it a few times for a play in college. The pins inside the net clicked, entangling the real hair and the net tightly.
“…Hmm.”
Are you okay? Isn’t it noticeable?
I noticed a difference in my impression of myself as I suddenly became a man with brown hair. Maybe it was because the combination of gray hair and black hair was so strong, or maybe it was because I had relaxed my expression, but it felt quite different. Because of the eye patch, scars around the mouth, and the color of the eyebrows that haven’t been changed yet, it seems like they’ll be caught right away if anyone takes a closer look.
“Even if the eyebrow color is the same, what happens to the eyes?…” If
you use dye for the eyebrows and eyelashes, there will be some way to cover them. If it’s all your hair, it won’t take much dye if it’s just your eyebrows and eyelashes, and even if it gets a little spotty, it won’t be noticeable.
But the eyes are different. Hair and eye color barriers were particularly noticeable aspects of people’s impressions.
“The eye patch and odd eyes are very noticeable.”
When I take off the eye patch, my eyes are odd, and when I put it on, it stands out. Contrary to people’s misunderstandings, my right eye is not completely blind… I could use that to play a prank by taking off my right eye patch and putting my left eye patch on… but how far can
that shallow confusion go? Of course, the best thing is to change your eye color.
I traced the wound around my mouth, wondering if such an item existed. It was fun when I was making the settings, but when it came time to hide my identity, it was very difficult.
The same goes for the eyes and the scars around the mouth. How should I cover this up so I can get compliments for covering it well?
“…Will it hurt more?”
Because my makeup skills aren’t that good, I’m not good at writing makeup. I think it would be better to cover it up with something like a burn mark.
Now, the problem is that if you get caught in that state, it will be more difficult to run away, and I have never seen a scar on my body before.
“….”
In the end, do I have to live with this anxiety all the time I travel around? Even in a world without CCTV, it is so difficult to hide one’s identity, so what kind of guts do people have in modern times to commit crimes and pretend to be someone else?
I took a moment to wash my face while the only mountain was beyond the mountains. The joy of being able to hide demonic energy went nowhere, and only despair filled me again.
“…First, let’s buy the left eye patch and clothes.”
Still, one thing was certain. Every time I pass this hill one by one, I will be able to gather information more comfortably.
I worked so hard to picture a hopeful future.
* * *
【Does it make sense to lose just one of those many, many items?】
【…I have nothing to say.】
【Instead of saying what everyone can say, come up with a proper excuse. An excuse!!】
Equa He and Sangun watched the commotion that ensued as they offered to get a wig for their benefactor.
【How many supplies were bought from outside and how many people were there to guard them, so does it make sense for only the wig to fall out?】
【We don’t even know what’s going on. It’s true.】
【If the convoy doesn’t know, who knows? Huh?!】
The bald priest couldn’t help but scream in disappointment, or the warrior commander in charge of convoying the supplies this time was so stressed out that he just broke out in a cold sweat.
It wasn’t a very bad sight to see. The bald priest was a man who did all kinds of trouble because he did not want to give up his power even after he became warchief, and the warrior commander who was in charge of escorting the priest was a faithful collaborator and confidant of the priest.
【now. Calm down.]
Of course, I feel a little… a little pitiful.
Anyway, is that warrior commander so lacking in skills that he lost his wig?
It’s just that he wasn’t a good opponent. The person who sent me to steal the wig from here was none other than Sangun—nananananana. I will do it. I want to do it. I dream of that because the child was.
So, even if it had been someone other than him who was in charge of this convoy, he would have definitely lost his wig. Well, it was Equa herself who appointed that warrior commander as the person in charge of the convoy, even though she knew this would happen.
[There is nothing wrong with the other items, but there must be some reason why the wig evaporated without a trace. For example, the forest despises things made from human hair…】
[Does that make sense?! You would rather say that you despise all external objects!】
【Other objects have not disappeared, right?】
So who wants to buy a wig at this time? If we hadn’t bought anything, saying that we couldn’t interact with the outside world like we normally do, and that the forest would be angry, and that it would never happen, we wouldn’t have had to suffer like this.
【Then the convoy didn’t steal it!? Shouldn’t we investigate the people in the convoy?!】
【…That’s a frame-up!】
【Hmm… It’s certainly not impossible…】
For that reason, Equa felt that this incident was the forest protecting him. I also thought it might be something. With just one cancer wig, he helped his benefactor, caused division among conservative forces, and even caused financial damage – I heard he spent a lot of his family’s money – but if this isn’t the forest’s protection, then what is?
[Warchief! We’re in big trouble!!]
【…Sangun?】
But as the meeting—it was more of a meeting for interrogation—continued, Sangun stuck out his head. The priests were the first to panic at the ‘big deal’ that came out of the Sangun’s mouth. It seems like the wig evaporation incident was quickly forgotten.
【Sangun, we…!】
[Oh, not really. All you have to do is bring the warchief.]
【Sangun, how can you take only the warchief! Us too!!]
[If I say I can’t do it, it won’t work. Or what are you doing? I wonder if the priest is talking back now.]
The priests had to be crushed again by a few words from Hana Sangun. The warchief postponed the meeting until tomorrow and followed him at a leisurely pace. As I was leaving, I saw that the bald priest and the warrior chief were holding each other by the hair and it looked like they were going to fight. Oh, if this goes on, one of them will never be able to catch me, so should I just hold them by the collar? I felt good about it.
【How did you call me?】
[The driver is on his way. What am I supposed to do with this?]
Separately, I expected it to be the Black Thunder Snake’s work since the mountain army eliminated all the priests, but… is it already time?
Ekua was lost in thought about the person who wanted to do whatever he wanted to do. Unfortunately, there was no excuse this time.
“I don’t know what else to do to hold on to him. “It seems like the justification for keeping him here has already ended.”
I can’t say I know much about the devil knight’s situation. However, I know that he will not be able to rest comfortably the moment he goes outside the forest. So I wanted to let him stay here as long as possible…
[In the end, I had to let him go…]
“I have no choice. “I have no choice but to pray that his future will be smooth.”
Equa lowered her head, speaking in a different language in preparation for any unsuspecting ears.
I haven’t even had a proper conversation with him, but I already have to let him go. Apart from the fact that there was no reason to stop it, he was equally upset. I would like to catch it if I can.
[Even prayers can’t make it happen….]
“That’s true too.”
Meanwhile, Sangun grumbled about prayer. This was said because the faith of Daesalrim was centered on the mountains, but the mountains did not have such authoritative power.
Sangun lowered his head sullenly, and Ekua raised it.
[Then to my ancestors…?]
[I don’t have the ability to listen to prayers either. I don’t know if it’s the Creator.]
Then wait a minute. Yuk-gwi, who had regained his strength over the past few days and was now able to swim in the air on his own, intervened. I didn’t know when it came.
[Well, even if he has power, he is not someone who will listen…]
[Hing?]
“…Creator?”
But what is important now is not the intrusion of the Six Ghosts. It’s Yukgui’s statement.
Sangun and Ekua raised their heads. Creator. That was a word that came from the doctrines of the temple that was gaining ground outside.