The Road Home (2)
Holding the quill loosely, he set it down and hurriedly took the letter Bow offered.
Woojin carefully tore open the wax seal on the envelope and extracted the contents inside. His eyes scanned the words written on the page.
The letter's contents were...
Greetings asking after his well-being, recent updates, minor troubles that had cropped up lately, and so on. It was filled with the kind of light chit-chat friends might casually exchange.
So utterly mundane. Yet Woojin sensed the fragility lurking beneath those words.
......Her handwriting's a mess.
Cindy wrote in neat, elegant script, flowing as naturally as a bird's chirp.
Woojin scanned the letter again.
Crooked letters, ink blots smeared like tear stains. The content was calm and everyday, but there were several uncharacteristic mistakes that stood out.
The dissonance felt like... watching a child desperately holding back tears.
"Did Cindy seem okay?"
Woojin asked, unease creeping in. Bow let out a faint sigh in response.
"She seemed quite unstable."
Cindy had lost her entire family to slaughter, leaving her with deep emotional scars. Meeting Woojin had seemed to help her improve...
But after rumors of Woojin's death spread, her mental state had begun crumbling rapidly. Just like when he'd first encountered her.
Still, it wasn't all bad.
"Once I assured her you were definitely alive, she seemed to pull herself together a bit. I doubt it'll be a major issue."
"I see..."
The perceptive monk had soothed her well enough to restore some calm. Woojin felt a measure of relief at that.
He picked up the letter again, fixing his gaze on the final line Cindy had written.
I miss you.
......Guess I need to hurry a bit more.
Even in a rush, some things had to be handled properly. While Woojin quickly drafted his report, Arwen shared various details with Bow.
The Farm Faction, the Dark Priests' customs and ideology, and the leader overseeing their enemies...
As a high-ranking Dark Priest, Arwen knew plenty of valuable intel. The elderly monk sat across from her, listening intently.
"Hah... Treating humans like livestock. What a bizarre affair."
Bow muttered in disbelief, showing particular interest in the Farm Faction.
He paused to think, then spoke.
"You said higher titles mean greater power?"
"Yes, that's right."
Baron, viscount, earl, marquess, duke.
Like humans, the beasts had devised a hierarchy, doling out ranks based on strength. Those with exceptional power rose higher.
Bow pressed on.
"Then... the pinnacle of that system would be the king, I presume?"
"Exactly."
The king bestowed noble titles.
Naturally, the king ruling the Farm's beasts would possess the greatest power. That was the Dark Priests' guess.
"We have almost no info on the king. The Farm Faction is extremely insular—high-ranking beasts rarely venture beyond their territory."
Barons and viscounts often emerged for menial tasks, but earls and above seldom did.
Thus, the noble Woojin had hunted in enemy territory last time was likely a baron or viscount, Arwen surmised.
Bow asked,
"Was that noble strong? I'm curious about their caliber."
"That... I don't know."
Arwen replied awkwardly—she'd had no chance to gauge the enemy's strength.
Woojin had sneaked in and assassinated the sleeping target, or wiped everything out in one bolt of lightning.
But one could make a rough estimate. Woojin, who had been sitting beside her writing his report, answered instead.
"Didn't feel particularly impressive on the surface. But worth keeping an eye on."
"Is that so? Hmm..."
Bow crossed his arms, pondering briefly before unleashing a barrage of questions at Arwen again.
Perhaps due to the old monk's sharpening intensity, Arwen visibly tensed. Sweat beading on her brow, the former Dark Priest answered as best she could.
Woojin chimed in occasionally during their back-and-forth, finishing his report.
......This should suffice.
He neatly bundled the pages and set them on Bow's desk. Then he prepared to depart immediately.
Bow commented,
"I get that you're in a hurry... but at least stay for lunch. Feels a shame to let you go like this."
"Understood."
They'd reunited after so long—ditching after a quick errand would be rude.
He'd eat, then head out around noon. With that plan, Woojin donned his bowler hat and scarf, half-hiding his face, and strolled leisurely out of the cathedral with Bow.
Along the way...
They encountered a man. A monk in his early thirties, who approached with a friendly smile.
"New faces, I see."
Bow replied flatly.
"My acquaintances. We're stepping out for a meal before heading back."
"Oh... That's rare."
Meeting like this was fate, the man said, extending a hand for a shake.
"I'm Ladin."
A name Woojin recognized.
The frail Ladin.
Dead last among his peers, yet he'd risen above through sheer persistence and grit.
Vikram had envied him, sought the Divine Eye because of it, and tumbled into irreversible ruin.
"Ladin. Nice to meet you."
As Woojin grasped his hand to introduce himself... a sudden realization hit.
......Can't use my real name.
Woojin was faking his death, hiding his survival. He couldn't casually drop "Jin."
In a pinch, he blurted the first name that came to mind.
"I'm Jacob."
"Jacob! Fine name."
Ladin shook his hand with a grin. His palm was callused thickly—he clearly still trained diligently.
The two finished their handshake.
"Wish I could join you for the meal... but that'd be intruding."
Hoping they'd cross paths again someday.
With that, Ladin walked off. Woojin stared at the monk's retreating back.
Bow, standing beside him, spoke up.
"What do you make of him?"
"Very strong."
To be blunt, he outclassed even Roland. Among humans Woojin had met, top three easily.
Curious, Woojin asked,
"He seemed exceptionally skilled. Is he joining the expedition too?"
"Ended up that way, somehow."
Ahead of the main expedition, the church alliance had gathered various powerhouses.
Saints and saintesses of extraordinary might, mercenaries, knights, mages, monks... Ladin stood out among those selected.
Not surprising.
Ladin trained longer and harder than most.
At least thirty years under his belt. A blade honed deliberately by Britra's elders.
As far as Woojin knew, Ladin was in his early-to-mid forties. He just had a youthful face; he was actually middle-aged.
Roland, meanwhile, looked far older than his years without his beard.
Wonder what Roland's up to now.
Curiosity piqued, he asked.
"Any word on Roland?"
"Beats me. Haven't heard from him in ages. That cheeky bastard's got nine lives—probably fine."
Bow knew nothing specific either.
That only made Woojin more curious about the paladin's whereabouts. With the third expedition nearing, where was that eccentric knight?
I'll track him down later.
With that in mind, he kept walking.
They entered a nice restaurant and reserved a private room. Woojin, Bow, Arwen, and the flying squirrel Koko gathered around the table.
"Kiiing..."
Koko let out a pitiful whine. Perched beside Arwen, the little guy was too small for his front paws to reach the table.
Standing on tiptoes, clinging to the edge with his paws, flailing—Bow finally spoke up.
"Just put him on the table."
"Is that okay?"
"No choice. Might flip the whole thing otherwise."
With Bow's permission,
Arwen lifted the squirrel onto the table. Koko happily munched on the complimentary cashews.
Bow watched quietly... then murmured, almost entranced.
"......Keep staring, and his antics do seem kinda cute."
Even the old monk conceded in the end.
After the meal, Woojin and his group left the city without delay.
Bow rummaged in his inner pocket.
"Here, take this."
He pulled something out and handed it over. Woojin accepted reflexively.
A white marble-like stone carved into shape. At its center was an eye motif, with a green emerald embedded where the pupil would be.
A familiar item after all this time.
"Isn't this your recommendation token, sir? Why give it now?"
Bow replied casually.
"Flash my name if trouble arises."
Woojin couldn't use his real identity while faking death. Having this as insurance wasn't bad.
Most issues would vanish the moment he showed Bow's token.
"My thanks for the consideration."
"No matter. Safe travels."
After final farewells with Bow, Woojin mounted the war rhino.
The rhino charged toward their destination again. Well-rested, it picked up speed powerfully.
The monk's send-off faded into the distance.
Woojin glanced back, then tucked the token deep in his pocket.
I've got good people around me.
A fresh realization.
Yawning lazily, he leaned against his gear bag. Tea and snacks in the office, plus a hearty lunch, had brought on drowsiness.
Arwen asked curiously,
"Should I call you Jacob from now on, sir?"
"......Eh..."
Not all connections were good.
The merchant Rex had killed long ago was named Jacob—and in the rush, he'd blurted it out unconsciously.
Didn't want to use a scumbag's name, but thinking up another alias was a hassle.
"Call me Jacob around others."
"Got it."
With his new name, they headed south.
Plenty of camping supplies, so no need to stop at the pioneer city. The rhino raced the shortest path to their goal.
Days later.
Something appeared on the horizon. A massive wall spanning the entire skyline. The structure commonly called the Alliance Wall.
"Wooow..."
Arwen and Koko gawked in awe at its grandeur—the same as Woojin when he'd first seen it.
Barrier City Yurgis.
Humanity's foothold. He was home.