Chapter 79

Damn, slept in hardcore.

Thanks to that, Louilin only opened her eyes right after noon.

After a rough glance around, there wasn’t even a trace of her master.

When she asked someone she crossed paths with in the corridor, he said her master had gone out early morning.

“Sure is diligent.”

In situations like these, you should sleep in deeply; when else will you ever get to sleep in?

Officially, the mission she was assigned ended the moment she arrived here.

Since she didn’t plan on staying here long-term, it made rational sense to leave once she got another job.

In this regard, she was considering either following the same route as her teacher when they left or hitching a ride with them if possible.

Even though it might not be the case, her teacher was quite enlightening and considerate in what little they did teach or inform her.

And yet, despite all that, they were thorough enough not to let their guard down at the back of their head like some sucker.

Their vigilance rivaled any wild beast’s, and their instincts were sharp.

They weren’t ignorant of worldly matters but weren’t clumsy enough to trip over themselves either.

“Well, looks like nothing really happened after all.”

No matter how tightly one clamps their mouth shut, when a man and woman tangle together, sound of some kind will inevitably come out.

Heat and warmth might be blocked, but sound cannot be sealed away.

Even in a fancy inn, let alone a cheap one, if a couple locks themselves in a room—well, you’d have to use half of that noise as a lullaby or something.

Rather, even if we assume that’s fine for a man and woman, imagine seeing burly men with thick fur looking affectionately at each other and entering the same room?

…That’d be bad for mental health in an entirely different way.

And if it’s packed so there’s no room to change rooms?

It’s absolutely maddening.

Does that mean you can’t sleep?

Not exactly, but… circumstances are different here.

“Even if this is part of a knight’s journey, abstinence is a whole other issue, isn’t it?”

Honestly, from the standpoint of someone traveling alongside and guiding, it was convenient that her teacher stayed away from alcohol and women—even noblewomen.

Because there were always those types who couldn’t shake off their damn lust and inevitably caused trouble.

And worse still, treating her as an object of such lust while trying to charm her—it was super annoying.

In that sense, her teacher had class and dignity.

The epitome of a well-raised noble young master.

Just one thing though.

Even in places where tension should ease, maintaining the same level of external vigilance could be problematic.

If they were being chased hard, it would make sense, but so far there hadn’t been any urgent situations.

Was he sticking to his faith because he was religious? Nah, that’s not it.

A knight with steadfast beliefs?

Nah, definitely not that either.

“…But this isn’t the time for that, is it.”

She needed to find work.

Otherwise, her pockets would soon be empty.

Thanks to her eating habits, her food expenses were no joke.

Had her teacher eaten like that, she could’ve scraped together capital by now and settled somewhere already.

‘But what’s the point of living without enjoying eating?’

All this is just about surviving, after all.

It’s not like Louilin avoids drinking and partying because she’s too young.

I mean, how many young guys her age are drunks anyway?

Only those raised under strict parents are forced to abstain; orphans like us can drink whenever we want, whether we’re three or four years old.

It’s just about taste, really.

Drinking heavily might feel good at first, but then you forget everything, wake up with a headache, and besides, even in safe places, you never know what might happen if you’re completely vulnerable.

There’s not a single person you can trust in this world.

Even those you trust can betray you overnight in this damn world.

If you don’t want to be caught in such situations, don’t create them in the first place.

…In that sense, her teacher was a model example in that regard.

“Hmmmm.”

In that light, she and her teacher might be fairly compatible as adventure partners.

It was useful that he could restrain her when she went off the rails.

She checked out the long-term missions or dispatch/expedition-level requests at the Edenlevan Legion Branch but found nothing significant.

The closest missions were long-distance trips, mostly caravan escorts, and their schedules varied greatly, requiring some coordination.

“No point rushing into it right now.”

Her stomach growled instead.

Heading toward the dining area, she ate heartily despite it being a simple meal, and people started giving her strange looks.

Even with just hard bread, cheese, and milk, she managed to eat it all, which probably contributed to it.

On the contrary, there was no soup to soften the bread or minimal extras, so she kept chewing it thoroughly, soaking it in milk repeatedly. This prolonged the meal, but not much actually ended up in her belly.

“…”

Craving some meat.

Leaving the branch building, Louilin didn’t bother looking for Carriel.

She wasn’t some baby bird crying for its mother, after all.

Instead, she wandered around the first tier, habitually listening for potential jobs or information.

“Hmm.”

There were slightly more armed individuals than yesterday.

And all of them were lightly armed.

They seemed less like caravan guards or travelers and pilgrims and more like… something else.

“Come to think of it, this place is also a pilgrimage site, isn’t it?”

In the Metran Kingdom, Grandeous was a commemorative figure known for defeating Ruelde, according to rumors.

Especially in a nation of knights, the idea that the most skilled knight and warrior was defeated by a foreign knight adhering to chivalry using a knight’s sword resonated with pride.

…They had reason to feel proud.

Though she herself wasn’t particularly interested in the topic.

She had visited this place several times but only held a sword for the first time yesterday.

To Louilin, all these symbolic and commemorative things felt utterly useless.

“If graves are for the living, what about those who die without graves and become prey for birds and beasts?”

Or those who rot into the earth—do they continue to suffer inequality in death based on species, status, wealth, or poverty?

“That doesn’t make sense.”

Good people are just corpses when they die.

Bad people are just corpses when they die too.

Death should be equal, but the whims of the living make it unequal.

Ultimately, the living manipulate the dead however they please.

Even if she wasn’t a sage, her old teacher who knew much taught her that pondering life and death was pointless.

He suggested focusing on training or making money instead.

“Hm?”

Among the bustling merchants, Leo and Luciri appeared, prompting Louilin to unconsciously head their way.

“Hello?”

“Eh?”

The tall bearded man chatting with them turned to greet Louilin with bright eyes.

“So, who’s this pretty little lady?”

His unruly brown hair hidden under a wide-brimmed black hat, the bearded man showed immediate interest in the newly introduced girl, his deep blue eyes radiating friendliness.

This wasn’t baseless kindness.

It was the kind where men tend to be especially gentle towards women.

Louilin’s silver eyes betrayed familiarity with this behavior.

“This is Louilin. And… Louilin was fine yesterday, right? Oh, this is our colleague Deyk, by the way. You two haven’t met before, obviously.”

With Leo laying the groundwork, introductions flowed smoothly.

“You both look troubled. Is something worrying you?”

“Hmm? Did it show that much?”

Deyk scratched his beard exaggeratedly as he questioned, prompting Luciri to kick his shin out of habit.

“Ow! You damn hideous witch! If your looks were as ugly as your attitude, I’d have retaliated already!”

“How’s my pretty face supposed to help with that?”

“Speak nicely or I’ll-”

Luciri crossed her arms smugly at Deyk’s grumbling complaints.

“Ah, I’m thirsty. Any good bars around? Let’s unwind and talk things through over drinks.”

“How do you find a good place in a place like this? We’ll just go wherever.”

Louilrin pointed at herself and asked.

“Hey, Deyk-nii? Can I join you guys unwinding? Right?”

“A relationship with a promising young lady is always welcome. Besides, your name has a nice ring to it!”

“Deyk…”

Leo gave him a disapproving look, but Deyk ignored it.

“And it’s not like this story is that secretive, right? If confidentiality was crucial, wouldn’t you two have stopped me already? Isn’t that true?”

“That’s….”

Luciri alternated glances between Leo and Deyk, her expression stiffening slightly.

Then Deyk teased her further.

“Ah, your names sound similar too. Why not become closer? She’d make a great younger sister.”

“You?! You’re hundreds of times closer to her than I am! Right, Louilin?”

“Of course! My sister and I could live under the same roof anytime and maintain such a close relationship!”

At this, Deyk dramatically stuck out his tongue.

“What? Are you two already that close? Surely not step-siblings?”

“Luciri? You surprise me. When did you two get so close?”

“…Leo? Why are you surprised?”

The tavern being the only option in town, the four naturally moved to a secluded round table.

“What about Sejinah and Ribain?”

Leo asked, but Deyk simply shook his head.

“If you guys don’t know, neither do I. I just came straight here after finishing my task.”

“We don’t really know anything either since they haven’t joined us yet.”

Deyk then complained.

“Finding some random hero isn’t easy, after all.”

“Hero?”

As Louilin looked questioningly at the three, Deyk asked Leo and Luciri.

“Didn’t you tell our little miss anything?”

“It’s only been since yesterday.”

Luciri explained briefly about yesterday’s situation.

“This isn’t city-sized. It’s just a village where such a rotten organization exists?”

“Don’t underestimate it. With a bit more growth, this place could easily become a medium-sized city.”

“How much bigger? Twice? Thrice? Wouldn’t there be checkpoints added across the area if it grew that much?”

Would the local lord Yarl have left this place alone if it were city-sized?

The fact that the village chief handles major affairs shows it’s still a village.

Of course, it’s not their private property or territory.

If it were a city, there’d likely be governors or mayors acting as representatives or administrators overseeing this small city.

“Anyway, Leo. Did you learn anything about the Demon King?”

“Nothing at all.”

“The elder told you to ask someone here, right?”

“So I did, but they wouldn’t cooperate.”

“Who?”

“Sword.”

“What? Why’s their name so weird?”

“I’m not talking about someone named Sword. I’m talking about an actual sword. The swung sword, I mean.”

“What?”

Deyk blinked widely, thinking he misheard, then responded.

“An actual sword? That’s gotta be a joke, right? Luciri, is what Leo says true?”

“…How should I know.”

“Isn’t that what a knowledgeable witch is for? Aren’t you brilliant?”

“Do witches have to know everything? I’m smart, sure, but…”

Seeing Louilin tilt her head in confusion, Leo seemed secretly aggrieved as he rubbed his temples.

“Why doesn’t anyone believe me? I’ve said it so many times!”

“Well, it is strange no matter how you look at it.”

“I already told you yesterday, didn’t I? The elder said to ask a sword when I get here!”

“So the last time you meant asking a guy named Sword, but now you’re saying it’s literally a sword? Like, how is that different from confusing riding horses with talking nonsense?”

“…Clearly, you’re not hearing me.”

“No, it’s not that. You should’ve been clearer! You seemed uncertain yourself until you came here and gained confidence, right? Anyway, Luciri, didn’t you hear him say that?”

“…Hmph!”

“Why? Are you upset because Leo heard but you didn’t?”

“No! Who do you think I am, some petty woman?”

Leo felt secretly wronged but remained silent since Deyk wasn’t entirely wrong.

How was he supposed to know he was supposed to talk to an actual sword?

Thinking it would be easy to identify someone with such a unique name, he was baffled when no one existed.

So, with a shrug, he just went to check out the stuck sword.

“Anyway, the sword told me to back off, and I clearly heard it. And if a sword can speak, surely I can address it, right? Isn’t that logical?”

“…”

“…”

Luciri and Deyk simultaneously shook their heads.

“You must be very tired.”

“To be fair, having been called everywhere nonstop for almost a year without rest, maybe it’s affecting his mind… Ah, but West Wind Witch standing right next to him probably didn’t help, huh?”

“Are you blaming me now?!”

Something else caught Louilin’s attention.

“West Wind Witch?”

“Oh, didn’t you know? Our little miss?”

“…Never mentioned it, never revealed it.”

“You learned introductions backwards, didn’t you?”

“Why would I proudly announce that? People who don’t know better treat all witches as evil ones. Am I not wrongfully accused enough already?”

Her voice carried a palpable sense of sorrow.

Maybe that’s why.

Deyk nodded vigorously as if acknowledging her wrongful feelings.

“That’s true. But you being wicked and irritating, we know better than anyone—”

BANG!

“Guh!”

The table rattled once, and Deyk’s upper body collapsed.

“Deyk. Let’s keep it clean.”

“I only speak the truth…”

BANG!

“Graaah.”

He was practically dying.

Just then, various screams erupted elsewhere inside the tavern.

“Aaaaah!”

“Kyaaah!”

“What the hell, why are there so many rats?!”

Before long.

“Kyaaah!”

Terrified, Luciri pulled her legs onto the chair as dozens of rats swarmed across the tavern floor, darting along walls, ceilings, and crevices before disappearing in seconds.

Even though the chaos lasted less than a minute, faces throughout the tavern were pale. Of course, there were plenty who seemed unbothered or indifferent to the commotion.

Among them, a burly man whose leg a rat had climbed onto and crawled into his pants stood up suddenly, emitting childish screams as he flailed around like dancing, causing bursts of laughter from others.

And there was one more incident here.

“Nice picture.”

“Y-you, I’ll kill you?!”

Without realizing it, Luciri had thrown herself into Leo’s arms, and upon noticing her own embarrassing behavior, her face immediately flushed red like a beet.

“Why’s a witch scared of rats?”

“Deyk! Why can’t you ever shut your mouth?! Are you suffering from some incurable disease that makes you unable to stop talking?!”

“Not exactly. Though I might have a condition where I can’t resist pretty ladies.”

“…”

The mood soured momentarily.

“Still, I deal with your nasty attitude because I tolerate you, Leo and I. So don’t take it for granted.”

The table rattled again, and Deyk collapsed onto it, groaning.

“That’s roughly the gist of our relationship.”

At Leo’s words, Louilin readily agreed.

“You guys seem to have fun.”

“Fun? What fun?!” “What part of this is fun?!”

Reacting simultaneously, Louilin clapped in amusement. Leo asked again.

“By the way, where’s Leil?”

“My teacher went out early this morning, they said.”

“Is that so?”

Unless the village was extremely large, it wouldn’t take long to find him if they wanted to.

However, they needed a reason to find or join him first.

Before that, let’s clarify one thing.

“So you mentioned a Demon King earlier? What’s that about?”

Even passing by casually, the scent of money—or rather, something perilously dangerous—was unmistakable.

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