Jeong Yusin returned to the inn and immediately confronted Darmong.
“What?!”
Darmong shouted in surprise.
“It’s not certain yet.”
“The law of ‘Darkness’ that governs the lower levels of the Labyrinth drives people insane. Didn’t you see how the boy named Lin from Kael’s party went mad when we first went together? Why didn’t you say anything?”
At Darmong’s serious tone, Jeong Yusin scratched his head.
“I didn’t realize it was so important. Since I wasn’t driven insane, I thought Guide Karin might have been mistaken.”
“Hmph.”
“Don’t worry too much. Ashur seems to have gone to the Mage Tower to check on my condition.”
“I see. Ashur is a long-lived member of the Longevity Race who has held the position of Swordmaster for a long time. He is known as one of the sharpest-eyed people in the city, so he will surely make a clear judgment about your condition. Follow his advice.”
“Understood.”
Even with Darmong’s worried gaze, Jeong Yusin showed no great anxiety.
It was because the pouch that Guide Karin had left contained an impressive five gold coins and 50 silver coins.
Additionally, he still had 26 silver coins saved up.
All together, it amounted to a substantial wealth of five gold coins and 76 silver coins.
After spending one gold coin on a seal-suppressing ring and 30 silver coins to register with the Swordsmanship Guild, he still had four gold coins and 46 silver coins left.
Of course, he still had to pay his monthly rent at the inn, food expenses, and tuition for the Orphan Academy, but these were not overly burdensome.
Since Ashur had said not to enter the Labyrinth for the time being, Jeong Yusin planned to focus on training at the Swordsmanship Guild and learning writing at the Temple.
Even with the madness lurking in his mind, Jeong Yusin’s heart was at peace.
It was because he had plenty of money and good companions around him.
Though he had gained an unfortunate marking, he had also acquired a rather good one and had leveled up.
Upon reflection, it wasn’t such a bad life in the Labyrinth City.
As he was thinking about this, there came a sound.
Clunk!!
The cat humanoid entered, pushing the inn’s door open.
“Darmong! A letter’s arrived.”
The cat humanoid took a rolled parchment from their bag and handed it to Darmong.
Darmong stood up and took the letter.
“Who’s it from?”
“Your wife.”
Jeong Yusin’s eyes widened.
“You have a wife?!”
“Yeah. I also have a daughter.”
“Hooh.”
So he was married.
And he also had a daughter!
If the opportunity arose, he hoped to meet her in person.
Smiling, Darmong opened the seal.
As he began to read the letter with a smile, Darmong’s mouth fell open.
His lips began to tremble and his eyes grew wide as a door.
His hands began to shake like a quaking aspen, and the letter fell to the ground.
“I… what…”
“What’s wrong?”
“I…my wife is…pregnant.”
“Are you expecting a second child? That’s good news. Congratulations.”
“What nonsense! I’ve been here the whole time!!”
Darmong shouted in fury.
???
‘An affair.’
The word flashed through his mind.
Jeong Yusin could only stare blankly at Darmong.
Agitated, Darmong paced back and forth before suddenly rushing into the kitchen.
Bang! Clatter!!
Crash!!
The sound of kitchenware flying and shattering echoed.
Within a minute, Darmong returned.
In his hand was a two-meter iron spear, perfectly suited to his height.
Clunk!!
The door of the inn opened again.
“Darmong, I’m here.”
Karin entered.
“Karin-sama, my apologies. I don’t have the time for a long conversation right now.”
Darmong spoke with an urgent look on his face.
Karin’s face lit up with curiosity.
“Why?”
“My wife…khh!”
Darmong stopped mid-sentence, twisting his face.
“What’s wrong with your wife?”
Karin asked.
“She had an affair.”
Jeong Yusin replied instead.
“Gulp!”
Darmong doubled over, shaking as if spitting blood.
“Really? Are you going back to your hometown? What will you do about the inn?”
Darmong anxiously pulled at his hair, then glanced at Jeong Yusin.
“Scath, would you mind taking care of it for me? Even if it runs at a loss, please don’t burn it down.”
“Yes, I’ll take care of it. If I have any questions or need advice while running the inn, I’ll send you a letter.”
“Understood. Karin-sama, I’ll leave first.”
With a slight bow to Karin, Darmong rushed out.
Whoosh!!!
“Kyaaa!!”
“Uwhaa! Get out of the way!”
The speed at which he left created a gust of wind, and the screams of astonished bystanders echoed through the streets.
Karin looked outside then returned inside.
“Hmm. Darmong’s village is pretty far away. A round trip would likely take about three months.”
Karin crossed her arms and said.
“Is it really that far away? And why raise a child so far from here?”
“I hear that this Labyrinth City isn’t a very good place to raise children.”
“So this city isn’t just an ordinary one.”
With Barbaroy around, it does make sense that it wouldn’t be ideal for education.
“The city seems to have a lot of strange elements, strange people.”
“And what are you planning to do, Karin-sama?”
“Why? You were so bold earlier asking me to take over, but now you’re scared?”
Karin covered her mouth and chuckled.
“Karin-sama.”
Randolph entered by opening the inn’s door.
Jeong Yusin exchanged glances with Randolph.
He was the feline humanoid who pressed Jeong Yusin’s head into the muddy ground right after his transference to this world.
“What is it?”
Karin crossed her arms and questioned.
“Miss Ingrid requests your presence.”
At Randolph’s words, Karin’s expression hardened like stone.
“My mother? Why?”
“I’m not quite sure. But she said it’s urgent, and she requests that you come immediately.”
Karin furrowed her brows. Turning her head, she glanced at Jeong Yusin before speaking.
“I’ll return. Behave yourself. Our clan’s village is closer than Darmong’s, so it’ll likely take about two months. Silba, stay here and help Scath.”
A white-furred Elpyeon named Silba quietly entered and bowed her head.
“Yes, understood.”
Karin bid farewell and left with Randolph.
With both Darmong and Karin gone, the situation left Jeong Yusin completely bewildered.
On one side, there was concern for both of them.
But there was work to be done.
Shaking his head, he tried to clear his thoughts.
‘Let’s do what needs to be done first.’
Jeong Yusin extended his hand towards Silba.
“This is quite chaotic, isn’t it? Please allow me to count on you. I am Scath.”
“I am Silba. I’ve heard a lot about you from Karin-sama. Please let me have the honor to help you.”
Silba smiled and shook Jeong Yusin’s hand.
Jeong Yusin and Silba worked together to tidy up the inn.
They picked up broken kitchenware from the kitchen and inventoried the food supplies in the storage room.
As Jeong Yusin lacked much experience in running an inn, most of the tasks were handled by Silba.
Her calm and efficient handling of her responsibilities was reassuring.
Even though they hadn’t known each other long, Silba was already someone Jeong Yusin liked.
Fortunately or unfortunately, thanks to the opening of the Labyrinth, most people had gone out, leaving the inn relatively quiet.
Taking a break, Jeong Yusin sat on the counter chair and looked out from the inn.
Although he had planned to follow Ashur’s advice, stay away from the Labyrinth, and focus on learning and training, circumstances weren’t favorable.
Darmong had entrusted the inn to Jeong Yusin, saying he was okay even with losses.
But Jeong Yusin had a different opinion.
Darmong trusted him enough to leave this place in his care.
Regardless of the urgent situation, which left no time to seek help elsewhere, Jeong Yusin wanted to repay this trust shown by Darmong.
He felt that training and learning could wait a little longer.
Jeong Yusin stood up. There was still much to be done.
By evening,
Explorers returning from the Labyrinth began to trickle into the inn, a few at a time.
Primarily, Silba handled the kitchen duties, while Jeong Yusin served as the waiter.
Silba’s cooking skill was truly impressive.
People visiting the inn nodded in understanding, seeing Darmong’s absence but not questioning it too rigorously.
Frequent customers greeted Jeong Yusin humorously as he served their meals—people who had familiarized themselves with his face through repeated visits.
“Is the world ending? A Barbaroy serving tables!”
“Hooh. Barbaroy, have you spiked the food with some drugs? Be honest now.”
“Just eat it. It’s not my cooking; it was made by one of Karin-sama’s subordinates.”
“Karin-sama? Isn’t she the daughter of the head of the Beastmen Union? Where is Darmong?”
“Yes, Darmong had some urgent business and left temporarily.”
Jeong Yusin wiped the tables as he replied.
Given the situation, he couldn’t bring himself to say that Darmong’s wife had an affair and conceived a child, so he answered vaguely.
“Is that so? Looks like it was a rather urgent matter. Since the chef is Karin-sama’s subordinate, it’s reliable. But be careful. My eyes are faster than your hands, so don’t try anything funny.”
“Then just drink your alcohol. Boost the sales a bit.”
“Wow, you’re really a supporter of Darmong, aren’t you? Alright.”
The regular, seeing a comfortable banter between the Barbaroy and others, assured himself and ordered food and drinks.
Was it due to more curiosity than fear?
Many guests posed various questions, but Jeong Yusin responded sensibly.
“Do Barbaroy really jump into any hole and can’t control themselves?”
“Really? That’s not true at all.”
“Do you like rubbing your face against soft children’s stomachs?”
“Sir, you’re quite drunk. Please leave.”
“How big is your–”
“Why are you asking about my penis size? You seem really curious. Just leave already.”
As night deepened, the tipsy guests staggered out of the inn one by one.
Despite being the first day, the closing process went relatively smoothly.
After seeing off the last customer, Jeong Yusin helped Silba tidy up the kitchen.
“Scath-sama, you’ve worked hard today.”
Silba wiped her face with a towel as she said this.
“Not at all, Silba-san, you’ve worked much harder. Thank you.”
“I’m glad I could help. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Silba smiled and bid farewell before heading upstairs.
The inn without Darmong.
Sitting alone in the quiet inn, an unusual sense of solitude welled up.
With his mind unsettled, he decided to take a little walk outside.
He strolled slowly around the park and sat on an empty bench.
The early summer night breeze brushed against his forehead.
As he sat still, admiring the fountain,
A rustling sound came from behind the bench.
Jeong Yusin turned his head.
“Dieee!!”
A small child jumped out from the bushes, swinging a dagger.
Thwack!
Jeong Yusin’s hand moved quickly, grabbing and twisting the child’s wrist.
“Ah-!!”
The child’s face contorted, unable to move his immobilized wrist.
“Who are you?”
“Revenge for my father!! Barbaroy!!”
“Who is your father?”
“Dito Piglic!”
Upon closer inspection, the child looked like Dito. The taste in his mouth was bitter.
“Your father tried to kill me. For money.”
Jeong Yusin took the child’s dagger and examined it closely.
The emblem of a slave hunter was engraved on it.
Shit.
“Iiik!!”
Seeing the child’s face in pain, Jeong Yusin let go of his wrist.
“Where did you get this?”
The child didn’t answer.
Jeong Yusin stretched out his hand and grabbed the child’s collar.
“Tell me where you got it?”
Roaring loudly, the child’s body stiffened.
Jeong Yusin glared at the silent child.
“Did your ears get blocked? Let me tell you again. Your father tried to kill me. The people who gave you this dagger paid him to kill me. Stupid idiot. Was that money worth killing someone over?”
“And what do you know?!”
The child glared at him with venom.
“Do you know what it feels like to starve? Do you know what it feels like when your belly sticks to your back?”
The child continued with his words.
“After father passed away, mo…mother fell ill. My siblings cry of hunger. What did you want me to do?”
“So this is why you attempt murder? Worthless boy. How much were you paid?”
The child closed his mouth again.
Afraid the money would be taken away.
Jeong Yusin asked again.
“How much were you paid?”
“T.. 50 copper coins.”
“Shit.”
Jeong Yusin released the child’s collar.
He was just a kid so small that his face was almost obscured by Jeong Yusin’s hand.
Orphanage children came to mind.
There was no way he could kill him.
“Follow me.”
“Why should I?”
“I’ll share some bread with you.”
“Quit messing around! Do you think I’d fall for that?”
“If you don’t want to, don’t follow.”
Jeong Yusin turned his body and walked toward the inn.
The child followed at a distance.
What dire situation must it be for him to follow the man who killed his father’s employer?
Jeong Yusin pursed his lips tightly.
‘Sons of bitches.’
With Darmong and Karin gone, the slave hunters immediately extended their claws.
Even so, sending such a young child was absolutely despicable.
Jeong Yusin entered the inn.
The boy did not follow inside.
He went into the kitchen, grabbed a leather pouch, filled it with bread, added a bottle of grape wine, and some cheese.
Something still felt insufficient.
He climbed upstairs, took out 20 silver coins, and put them in the pouch.
When he returned downstairs and opened the inn door, the boy was standing there.
“Here.”
The boy caught the heavy pouch and stumbled.
“W..What is this?”
“I’ve put some money and food in here. Come back if it’s not enough.”
“I’m not saying thank you.”
“If it’s not enough, come back.”
Jeong Yusin repeated his words.
Without a response, the boy turned and ran off.
“Hmph.”
Jeong Yusin sighed and climbed upstairs.
Lying on the bed, he closed his eyes but couldn’t sleep.
His stomach churned uneasily.
The dark shadow of the Labyrinth City was gradually revealing its face.
