Chapter 158
Chapter 158
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 158
Chapter Title: Chapter 4. The Land of Entertainment and Culture, Uruun.
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After Roxanne left first, Judah returned to the mansion to rest. Without even sleeping for a few hours, he left the mansion at dawn and headed to the market with the thousands of gold coins he had won at Avalon. Even though the people of Uruun were mainly active from night until dawn, the market was bustling with people even in the morning.
Fresh fruits and jams, meat, foodstuffs.
Along with a large quantity of food that could be easily eaten at chain-like sandwich shops, he bought an excessive amount of miscellaneous items from general stores that might come in handy someday. No, it wasn't just excessive—it was to the point where anyone would think he was preparing for war. He bought everything he could afford and asked them to deliver it to Count Genewer's mansion.
After roughly touring the market and finishing his purchases, he returned to the mansion and waited by the outer wall. Carts loaded with goods soon arrived in a line.
He asked them to unload by the outer wall, checked the quantities of the piling supplies, gave them a bit of silver as a tip for their trouble, and sent them away. The guards at the mansion's entrance watched with expressions wondering what on earth was going on.
'Did I buy too much?'
They would all fit into the <Bag>, but thinking about it, he had bought similar amounts in Sernia Castle and Phloria's capital, Aslan. And those were all safely stored inside the <Bag>. He didn't need to buy more like this...
'Well, piling up gold coins doesn't give me anywhere to spend them anyway. Converting them into supplies is much better. They're useful in so many ways.'
Judah slowly nodded. Gold coins held the same value anywhere as long as the weight and purity were the same. Supplies, on the other hand, varied in value depending on whether they were needed in a place or not. He wasn't buying them to sell anyway.
"Judah!"
Just as he was about to open the <Bag> and put away everything piled in front of the outer wall, he heard someone calling his name from behind. Turning around, he saw the damned instructor of the Blue Lancer Knights, Wolfram, along with Jeanne and Arhil, approaching as if they had been somewhere.
They exclaimed in admiration upon seeing the piled-up goods.
"Wow, what did you buy so much of?"
"I happened to win a lot of money at Avalon, so I used that to..."
"You went to the casino again, Judah!"
The moment the word Avalon came up, Jeanne tilted her head before realizing it was a gambling den, and her face immediately scrunched up. Her worried expression thrust right in front of his face. Arhil saw this and let out an "Eek!" before fleeing to Wolfram's side, who was examining the items.
"Didn't you say you wouldn't go last time? You can't get hooked on gambling!"
Judah gave a wry smile at her words. To anyone else, it might feel like nagging, but Judah knew what she was worried about. He raised both palms to calm her and continued.
"Don't worry. I won't in the future if I can help..."
"I'll tell Tia everything when we stop by Sernia Castle again later."
"...Uh, that would be a problem."
It really would be. Gambling didn't have a good reputation. Tia would worry a lot, especially since he hadn't even seen her face in a while. If the first news she heard after so long was this, she wouldn't take it well.
"Then promise me. Promise you won't go to any gambling dens from now on!"
"Ah..., alright, I'll try not to if possible."
"That's not a satisfactory answer. Tia asked me to keep an eye on you..., I wouldn't have the face to see her. Part of me wants to follow you around for real."
Seeing Jeanne sigh, Judah hurriedly changed the subject.
"But are you really going to Sernia Castle?"
"If we're acting separately, we'll have time, so I plan to visit. Sir Wolfram won't object to that, right?"
"Hmm. Then you know, but keep the thing about Cain a secret. I'll tell them myself when I go later."
"...I see. Understood."
Jeanne nodded. She had only meant to give a light warning, but the mention of Sernia Castle naturally led her thoughts to Cain. Seeing Judah's expression darken slightly, she sweetened her tone and said quietly.
"I'm sorry."
"No, there's nothing to be sorry about. Ah!"
He opened the <Bag> and handed two magical pouches filled with gold coins to Jeanne. She looked at them questioningly, but Judah told her to open them. She must have felt the heavy weight, but when she opened one, gold coins sparkled shyly in the sunlight.
"Use one until you return to the Byron Empire, and give the other to Tia. Don't say it's gambling winnings and refuse. Think of it as a promise for when we meet again, so stay healthy until then. If you don't take it, I might have nowhere to spend it and go back to the casino."
Jeanne stepped back, hands behind her as if refusing, but then she chuckled, bowed her head.
"Understood. Then I'll add the rest of my money and give it all to Tia."
"You can't not spend a single coin?"
"Don't worry. Until the day I return to the Byron Empire, I'll enjoy luxurious living and the outside world with this. But giving it like this means you're planning to leave soon? And buying all these supplies too."
Judah nodded.
"Yeah, I have to go. I can't stay in Uruun forever. I've seen most of the sights worth seeing. If I stick around, I might end up following someone's suggestion to the casino again."
"That's a shame."
"What is?"
"That I can't travel the world with you. It feels like there would be so many fun things if we did. Sure, it'd be tough..., but that has its own value."
"No need to be sad. We'll meet again someday, and who knows, I might grant you a new wish then."
Jeanne approached Judah and looked down into his eyes with a smile. There was sincerity in her gentle smile. She stood silently, watching Wolfram and Arhil rummaging through the supplies by the outer wall, then slowly spoke.
"I'll look forward to the day we meet again, Judah."
It was a wistful atmosphere. It felt like all surrounding sounds were blocked out, as if only the two of them stood there. Judah looked at her.
"Isn't that something to say when we actually part ways later? Someone might think we're separating now."
"...True. We should say it then, but what if we can't? Better to say it early."
Her tone suggested she knew something, making Judah smile wryly. In the distance, Arhil called out to him, seemingly curious about something. The conversation with Jeanne was nearing its end.
"What's up? Something weird?"
"No, not that, but are you planning a festival? Why'd you buy so much?"
Wolfram, who had been listening nearby, nodded.
"What do you plan to do with all these? There were even fruits—hard to store."
"Yeah. Are you having a festival today or something?"
"No, I'm leaving soon, so I bought them just in case."
Wolfram clicked his tongue.
"Even so, buying this much is foolish. How are you going to carry..."
His voice trailed off, slowing to a stop. Right before his eyes, Judah opened the <Bag> and swept all the supplies piled by the outer wall inside. He even categorized them as -Uruun Foodstuffs-. The black void opened in mid-air, devouring the supplies at his gesture, leaving him gaping in shock.
"M-My god. Subspace?"
"Don't worry. It wasn't a foolish purchase."
"Huh?"
He couldn't continue, just staring at the now-empty space.
"You're not a magic swordsman..., so this must be your ability? To see such a rare ability user here of all places. Amazing, truly."
Wolfram stroked his chin, eyeing Judah with greedy interest.
"But... where are you headed with all these supplies? Sernia, Phloria, Lizen, Uruun... If you're going from here, it must be north."
"Yes. You know it well."
"Hard not to."
Strangely, his face hardened. He let out a groan, pondered briefly, then looked around. The only ones nearby were Judah, Jeanne, Arhil, and two guards at the mansion entrance rubbing their eyes in disbelief.
"North means you're thinking of the [Slave Kingdom Sillan]? Or the [Elves' Forest]?"
"The Elves' Forest. Not sure if the elves will accept me, but I want to go there and at least see their faces."
"......"
Wolfram fell silent. His brow furrowed as if struggling with what to say.
"Don't go."
"Pardon?"
"Come with me and Lady Jeanne to the Byron Empire instead. The timing isn't good right now."
He continued in a lowered voice.
"You must not have heard yet. Sillan is preparing for war to avenge the humiliation from a hundred years ago and enslave all the elves. If you head fearlessly to the Elves' Forest, you'll get caught in the war, and even if you go to Sillan, it'll be all war prep—no sights to see."
"Wa-War...!"
Arhil, hearing this, almost shouted in surprise but quickly covered her mouth. War was no light word. The continent had been very peaceful for the past few decades. Only Byron and Baekje, on bad terms, engaged in small-to-medium skirmishes as routine, not escalating to full war. But Sillan declaring war on the Elves' Forest?
"If you add the adventurers and mercenaries flocking from across the continent to grab a piece, it's over 200,000 at least. That's an imperial estimate, so accurate. With nobles from nearby kingdoms funding it, the number could grow more."
"My god... Do they really need to go that far?"
Arhil muttered.
"There are many who want elves, but the number of elf slaves on the market is extremely low. They're beautiful, capable, and long-lived—living assets you can pass to your children. No wonder they're coveted. But they experienced how such greed brings disaster a hundred years ago and still haven't learned. Or maybe they're confident this time because [Spear Star] is said to be joining."
"Hmm..."
"Even with the elves' [Sword Saint] and some massive guardian of unknown identity, it's doubtful they can fully repel over 200,000 troops. Even if they win, the elves' losses would be immense. You won't see anything good there."
Wolfram spoke as if sharing crucial information, but Judah already knew it. That's why he bought weapons and food. Rescuing the elf slave in Uruun was to earn trust from the wary elves due to the war.
"The Byron Empire is culturally thriving too. Not as fun as Uruun, but I guarantee there are plenty of sights. Won't you come? Then you won't have to part with Lady Jeanne either."