Chapter 3: Misunderstanding
-------------------------------------
Translator: JayM
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Misunderstanding
-------------------------------------
“Whoa, finally!”
A ragged Jeong Yoo-shin exclaimed in front of the village.
Thinking about the hardships he had endured for the past three days brought tears to his eyes.
The survival tips he’d learned from his father hadn't been helpful at all.
“[Dad, teach me how to make a fire.]”
“[Ah, you make a fire like this. Watch closely.]”
His father held up his hand and lightly scraped the surface of a dry piece of wood.
A ray of light grazed the wood and smoke curled upwards. His father tossed a piece of straw onto it, crossed his arms, and stood there for a moment. As if on cue, the wood burst into flames.
“[Easy, right?]”
“Not easy at all.”
There were other macho survival tips he’d learned from his father, but none of them had proved useful.
He slept on trees at night and walked during the day. Fortunately, he didn't experience any monster attacks. Perhaps it was because of the many soldiers patrolling the highway?
He didn't know.
Jeong Yoo-shin ran a hand through his greasy hair and approached the village guard.
“Coming from Arenzville?”
The shaggy-haired guard asked.
“Yes.”
“Five copper coins.”
“Here you go.”
As he handed over the coins and was about to enter the village, the guard stopped him with a raised hand.
“Did anything happen on the way? I hear slave hunters have been appearing around the highway lately.”
His thoughts whirled back to the moment he entered this world. Even if he said he’d been transported to another world, there was no guarantee that the guard would believe him. He would have to fabricate a false identity and a backstory, but he knew nothing about this world, so his lies would be easily exposed.
Wouldn’t it be easier to just deny his encounter with them?
“No. Nothing happened.”
“Really? You seem to have a rather good sword. Let me see it.”
Jeong Yoo-shin handed over the weapon.
The guard drew the sword and held it up to the sunlight.
“Most slave hunters come from the Western Empire. Do you know their hunting methods?”
“No.”
A sense of foreboding crept over him. Perhaps he should have been honest.
The guard continued to examine the sword.
“They don’t hunt in packs. Ah! You know where their hunting grounds are, right? The Eastern Alliance territory. They sneak in one by one like rats, pretending to be innocent, clueless pilgrims, deceiving people and preparing for their hunt.”
Jeong Yoo-shin remained silent.
“It’s hard to tell who’s a hunter when they infiltrate individually, right? So they carve a mark on their swords. A mark just like this.”
The sunlight reflecting off the sword’s surface was blinding. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them…
Thud.
A cold sensation touched his neck.
“You’re lucky today. Come along, you vermin.”
He was taken by the guard into a building at the corner of the village square.
“Captain. I caught one.”
There were two people inside.
A middle-aged man looking at documents and a person completely shrouded in a gray robe.
At the guard’s words, the middle-aged man looked up.
“Black hair. Haven't seen a barbarian in a while. Judging by his frail appearance, he must be a mixed-blood. I’ve already received most of the information from him, so there's no need for anything else. Take him to the nearby forest, question him briefly, and dispose of him.”
“No, wait a minute. This is a misunderstanding! It’s a misunderstanding!”
“What part did I misunderstand? The part about you being mixed-blood?”
“No, the part about me being a slave hunter!”
The middle-aged man stroked his chin.
“Disembowel him. Make it as painful as possible.”
“Wait, wait! I was captured by slave hunters too! That red-haired wolf beast-person, Karin, rescued me!”
The middle-aged man and the guard stiffened.
“You…”
Had they finally understood? Had his sincere cry reached their hearts?
“A barbarian crying. This is… truly precious.”
The middle-aged man stared at Jeong Yoo-shin with wide eyes.
Shit.
“I’m not crying. My eyes are just a bit watery from frustration.”
“That’s crying. Just get rid of him. Tsk.”
“Captain, I think he might be the human rescued by her. Shouldn’t we confirm it?”
At the guard’s words, Jeong Yoo-shin eagerly exclaimed,
“That’s right! Let me face Karin. She’ll confirm it immediately.”
The middle-aged man sighed.
“Karin-nim is the daughter of the Beast-person Alliance representative. She’s not someone you can just meet on a whim. Besides, she left a while ago. Let’s just make this easy.”
“Can you really kill someone who’s been wrongly accused?”
“It will take at least four soldiers to escort you. They're all out on highway patrol. There's no one left in the village who can do it. And do you think money grows on trees? No. Does the paperwork for this field operation do itself? No. How many people have to suffer because of you? Barbarian, let’s just make this easy.”
The middle-aged man’s eyes were bloodshot as if he was getting agitated.
The guard scratched his head and looked at Jeong Yoo-shin.
“The captain is right.”
“I’ll take him.”
The person in gray robes spoke.
“Really?”
The middle-aged man’s face brightened.
“Yes. I have to see Karin-nim anyway. I’ll take him and help the captain with his work.”
“Sir Simus…”
The middle-aged captain seemed touched and speechless.
The person called Simus pulled back his robe, revealing his appearance. A middle-aged human with streaks of white in his hair.
He smiled when his eyes met Jeong Yoo-shin’s.
“My, it’s been a while since I’ve traveled with a barbarian.”
“Thank you. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay this kindness.”
The captain abruptly stood up and bowed.
“It’s my duty as a servant of the Spirit Church.”
Simus waved his hand dismissively and continued,
“Let’s depart immediately.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
“Barbarian, don’t even think about it.”
While Simus went to gather his belongings, the captain grabbed Jeong Yoo-shin's shoulder.
“I wasn’t thinking about anything. Where are we going?”
“Karin-nim went to the Great Labyrinth, so you’ll have to go there too. It’s about a week’s walk from here.”
“Is it okay to tell me this information so freely?”
Jeong Yoo-shin’s question made the captain bristle.
“I didn’t tell you anything freely. And watch your language in front of Sir Simus. He holds a high position within the Spirit Church.”
“How high?”
“Find that out yourself. Why should I tell you?”
“…”
Just then, Simus returned, having gathered all his belongings.
“Let’s go.”
“We’re leaving just like this?”
Jeong Yoo-shin asked, and Simus shrugged.
“Do you need anything else?”
“Aren’t you going to tie my hands or something? I could run away, you know.”
A burst of laughter erupted. The captain and the guard chuckled.
Simus also wore a faint smile.
“Barbarian, try it if you want. Your confidence is quite admirable.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Simus and Jeong Yoo-shin immediately left the village.
He was allowed to keep his belongings, but his sword was confiscated. They didn't tie his hands or feet, but they clearly didn’t want him carrying a weapon.
Jeong Yoo-shin walked along the highway. Simus walked beside him, muttering as if in deep contemplation. Occasionally, he would take a strange-looking necklace from his pocket and kiss it.
Simus didn't speak to Jeong Yoo-shin unless necessary. His earlier friendly demeanor, when he smiled and said it had been a while since he had traveled with a barbarian, seemed to have vanished.
Jeong Yoo-shin had nothing to say either. So they walked in silence.
In the mornings, he would glance at the nameless wildflowers blooming by the roadside.
At lunchtime, they would rest under the shade of a giant tree rooted beside the highway.
In the evenings, he would stare blankly at the horizon of the vast plains and the setting sun beyond.
A change occurred in their strangely silent journey four days after leaving the village.
They had made a fire and were munching on dried meat in the corner of some old ruins in the evening plateau.
Simus raised his head.
“Monsters.”
“Oh! What should I do?”
“Don’t worry. It’s just a few goblins.”
Simus stood up.
“Hee hee hee.”
“Kree.”
About thirty goblins approached them and entered the firelight.
Simus stood up with a smile.
“They must be getting careless because there are only two of us. They usually just shoot arrows from the darkness. You just stay put.”
“Kieeeeek!!”
Dozens of goblins shrieked and charged at them simultaneously.
Simus threw off his gray robe, revealing a black cassock. As he clenched his fists and took a stance, an unusual aura enveloped him.
Bang!!
A booming sound erupted as his fist hit the stomach of a goblin leaping from above, leaving a gaping hole.
Jeong Yoo-shin’s eyes widened.
The priest's fist had been so fast he hadn't even seen it move.
And that destructive power… To rip a hole through the goblin's stomach like that…
Crack!!
The priest’s low kick struck a goblin’s shoulder like a whip, smashing it into the ground.
The other ten goblins who initially charged at them hesitated. They seemed to have realized something, but it was too late.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The priest’s light jabs exploded the goblins’ heads. The goblins screamed and tried to flee into the darkness, but…
“Stop.”
Simus spoke in a calm voice. The goblins froze, unable to move.
Jeong Yoo-shin realized that the strange aura he had sensed earlier was now binding the goblins down.
Simus raised his index finger and drew a horizontal straight line in the air.
The heads of the immobilized goblins were cleanly sliced off and fell to the ground.
Jeong Yoo-shin gaped at the scene.
“Holy shit.”
He understood immediately.
The reason they hadn’t tied his hands or feet.
Simus’ words that were challenging him to run if he could.
Against someone who could sever heads as easily as pulling coins from a pouch, handcuffs were meaningless.
There was only one reason he was still alive.
Simus didn’t want him dead yet.
“Ugh!”
The carnage and the smell of blood made his stomach churn. He quickly brought his waterskin to his lips.
Gulp gulp.
“Phew.”
“Barbarian.”
Simus’ voice snapped Jeong Yoo-shin back to attention.
“Y-Yes, sir.”
Simus chuckled.
“Pour some water on my hands so I can wash them.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jeong Yoo-shin tilted his waterskin and poured water over Simus’ hands.
“Barbarian, are you trembling?”
It was true. The waterskin shook and the water stream trembled because his hands were shaking.
“I apologize.”
“Don’t apologize.”
“Yes. I apologize. I won't apologize.”
“Huh, a barbarian trembling. You see all sorts of things when you live a long life. Go to sleep.”
Simus dried his hands and returned to the fire.
Jeong Yoo-shin shuddered.
What the hell was a barbarian, anyway?
He shuffled over to the fire and sat down. The air was thick with the pungent smell of blood.
He remembered the day Karin left. The night he spent alone in the carriage, surrounded by the smell of blood.
Whoosh.
A strange wind brushed past Jeong Yoo-shin and the stench of blood dissipated.
“A wind spirit. I’ve dispersed the smell of blood, so get some rest. We’ll be leaving early tomorrow.”
“Do you not intend to move our camp?”
“No.”
“Yes, sir.”
He had to obey. He pulled his blanket over himself and closed his eyes.
His heart pounded from the horrific scene he had just witnessed.
‘I wonder if I’ll be able to sleep?’