3. The First Commission...
-Tap tap. “Wake up.”
I snapped my eyes open at the sensation of someone shaking my body. Looking around, the surroundings were dim, with a faint blue light brightening in the east. Around dawn, huh...
I glanced beside me to wake Cheong-ah, but she was already gone—must've gotten up first and headed out.
“She woke up early, I guess,” I muttered to myself as I stepped outside, greeted by a biting chill in the air. That cold wind whistling past my nape...
“Ahh... it's freezing.”
I rubbed my numb hands and headed toward the still-smoldering campfire. Aria and Sierra were already there, seated—they must've risen before me. But something was off about them. Really off.
Both women had their robes pulled down to the tips of their noses. I couldn't see their expressions, but their body language said it all. Aria sat with her legs crossed and arms folded, radiating displeasure from every pore. Sierra, meanwhile, fidgeted nervously under Aria's watchful eye, then startled when I approached and bowed her head deeply.
What the hell happened overnight? I gave them a quick once-over and bowed politely.
“Good morning, Lady Aria. Lady Sierra.”
“......Yeah.”
“Y-yes...”
Fortunately, Aria wasn't upset with me—she glanced my way and nodded. But Sierra... she seemed like she wanted to avoid me. ......Ugh. Whatever it was, it didn't feel like good news. Aria was our main charge, but Sierra was just as important. Still, without knowing why she was acting this way, there wasn't much I could do. And grilling them outright in this mood? No thanks.
First things first—Cheong-ah. “Um, do you know where Cheong-ah went?”
“She said she was going to fetch more firewood before the fire dies out. Why not go with her once you're up? But she insisted a wife should handle these chores before her husband wakes.”
“I see.”
“More importantly, Ian.”
“Yes, Lady Aria.”
“What do 'husband' and 'wife' mean?”
“Oh, that.”
I warmed my frozen hands by the fire and explained casually. Husband basically means the man in a marriage, and wife refers to a married woman.
Aria nodded thoughtfully. “Hm, Yuldo words, then.” And just like that, she went back to oozing bad vibes from head to toe.
Ugh, what the hell is with this damn atmosphere? My breath caught in my throat, and I shot to my feet.
“Where are you going?”
“Wh-where are you headed?!”
They spoke in perfect sync, and I pointed toward the carriage. “Just need to check it over before we head out. Might as well grab some simple breakfast stuff while I'm at it.”
“I see. Go ahead.”
“Ah, y-yes...”
“Right.”
I approached the carriage, inspecting the horse, the wheels, the crates of water and rations... All good, except for a bit of frost on the veggies. Then I spotted something odd.
“What the—why's only this spot frozen?”
In one corner of the carriage, the floor was darkened like someone had splashed water on it, with a patch of white frost clinging to just that area. Did someone dump water here at dawn? Who?
I checked for leaks from the water crates—nope, they were a ways off. No veggies nearby either...
“Hmm...”
Seemed like some weird anomaly. Someone targeting the carriage and splashing water? Nah.
“Doesn't seem like sabotage.”
If they wanted to wreck it, they'd smash a wheel or something. No point in just splashing a little water here. Even if it was some ploy, what could you do with this tiny amount?
That's when a thought hit me. This was an isekai world with magic. Maybe some unknown power I didn't get...
“A curse or something?”
I couldn't figure it out, so should I tell Aria and Sierra? As I pondered, a familiar voice came from the other side of the carriage.
“Darling, something wrong?”
“Oh, Cheong-ah.”
Ju Cheong-ah approached, arms full of dry branches, tilting her head curiously.
“Nothing major... just this. This side of the carriage is a bit damp.”
“Damp? Did water leak? That'd be bad—means issues with our supplies.”
“No, not that. The water's over there. It's just... unexplained.”
“Let me see.”
She hopped lightly onto the carriage, branches and all—her insane physical prowess left me momentarily stunned. Well, duh, she has internal energy...
A twinge of inferiority hit me. “Yeah... huh. What is this?”
She stood right beside me, peering at it, and tilted her head just like I had.
“You don't think it's... that assassin after Lady Aria, right? Some trick?”
“Doubt it. No sense of poison. Looks like someone just spilled water and it hasn't dried. Probably nothing to worry about.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I don't know magic or curses from around here, but... I don't sense any special energy.”
“You can sense energy?”
“Yes, if you can handle qi... Ah, sorry.”
“It's fine.”
I gave a wry smile and shook my head. She didn't mean it.
“Darling...”
Still, with magic stones, I could use that special ability, right? The Conductor power from the goddess. Never really tested it properly, though.
The first time I used it on Cheong-ah was pure luck—a goblin's magic stone happened to be in my hand when I was about to die. More like it activated automatically than me controlling it.
...Gonna need to stock up on magic stones. Sorry, Cheong-ah, but her sight might relapse soon.
After that, I rummaged for simple breakfast fixings and stood. “Let's go—the others are waiting.”
“Ah, right.”
She trailed a step behind like a puppy caught misbehaving, peeking at me guiltily over her slip-up. It was kinda...
...Adorable. “Hey, Cheong-ah.”
“Yes? Yes, darling.”
I pulled her close and whispered about Aria and Sierra's weird vibes, asking if she knew why.
“Oh, that...”
“You know?”
She shook her head. “No, they were already like that when I got up.”
“When was that?”
“Mm, one or two hours before you woke?”
“Early today. You usually sleep in.”
Her ears flushed red at my question. “W-well...”
“What?”
“Last night, we didn't... you know. Doing it with you feels great, but it tires me out so much...”
......Ah.
Flattering, but my face burned anyway. “R-right.”
“Yes...”
“......Yeah, let's go.”
We scarfed a quick breakfast, packed up camp, and prepped to roll out. Aria stayed grumpy the whole time, while Sierra fretted between her and us.
I climbed into the driver's seat, glanced back at the cargo hold, and called out. “Alright, we're off!”
“Let's.”
Aria's voice came, and I snapped the reins. Clop clop.
Our first commission—me and Cheong-ah's—and day two dawned.
...
The carriage followed the road smoothly for days. Eerily quiet and peaceful. Probably because it's the road to the royal capital—no goblins, no wild beasts, nothing.
For 50 gold plus perks, this was almost too easy. “Feels like we're just sitting pretty and pocketing easy cash.”
Cheong-ah, acting as my living heater and conversation partner beside me, tilted her head. “Isn't that good?”
“Sure, but stuff like this usually blows up later.”
“Mm, true... Fortune hides misfortune, and vice versa.”
“Right? So something might happen soon...”
But nope—against all odds, we kept rolling without a hitch. Thank goodness.
Sunset approached, and a small village appeared in the distance.
“Oh, village at last.”
“We can sleep warm tonight.”
Not that you're cold with your inner power. Anyway, no camping today.