Chapter 57 The Inn's Guest
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: The Inn's Guest
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A knock came from the door.
Jeong Yoo-shin opened his eyes.
He got out of bed and grabbed the sword he had placed by his pillow.
“Who is it?”
“It’s Anne. There’s a guest downstairs looking for you.”
“How long have I been asleep?”
“Since yesterday morning. It’s nighttime now.”
He had slept for a full day and a half.
He must have been incredibly tired.
“I’ll be right down.”
He changed his clothes and strapped his single-edged sword to his waist.
A guest this late at night.
Could it be Aldein? Perhaps he had come to retrieve the sword he had lent him.
Jeong Yoo-shin checked his appearance and went down to the first floor of the inn.
Ingrid Redtail was sitting at a table.
There was a cage on the table, and inside was a white rat.
“Lady Ingrid?”
“Skar.”
Jeong Yoo-shin sat across from Ingrid and asked.
“What brings you here?”
“I have a favor to ask of you.”
“A favor?”
Curiosity flickered across Jeong Yoo-shin’s face.
“I’ll bring some refreshments.”
Anne said, anticipating a long conversation between the two, and disappeared into the kitchen.
Silence fell between them as Anne left.
Jeong Yoo-shin folded his arms and observed the white rat.
He couldn’t see its face because it was sitting with its back turned.
Still, the plump backside looked familiar. He felt like he had seen it somewhere before.
Jeong Yoo-shin turned his head to look at Ingrid.
“I don’t know what favor you want to ask from me, but it’s unlikely that I can help you.”
Ingrid’s eyebrows furrowed.
“…Why?”
Why?
Because she had publicly humiliated him by calling him a virgin.
However, he couldn’t be petty and snap at a person of high standing for such a reason.
He decided to offer a more practical excuse.
“I don’t have the time. Just managing this inn is already exhausting for me, and I’m barely scraping by. On top of that, I lost all my equipment in the recent fight, and I only managed to salvage a single dented helmet.”
Clink!!!
Ingrid placed a pouch on the table.
The sound of coins. The happiest sound in the world. A sound that resonated with his soul.
Jeong Yoo-shin’s eyes widened.
“Ten gold coins. This includes the reward for Hans' subjugation and a little something extra from me. It’s a generous sum for a novice explorer. In addition, I’ll exempt you from your night watch duty. Of course, the request will be considered fulfilled.”
“Ten gold coins?”
Jeong Yoo-shin repeated, his voice trembling slightly.
“The exemption from night watch duty is also included. However…”
Ingrid tapped her fingers on the table and continued.
“On the condition that you grant my request.”
Jeong Yoo-shin swallowed hard.
“Wh, what is the request?”
He wondered if it was some unreasonable demand.
Still, ten gold coins at a time like this when he was so strapped for cash was enough to make him walk through fire.
Ten gold coins would cover the inn’s deficit and allow him to replace his equipment.
Ingrid pointed at the white rat in the cage.
“This white rat is my familiar.”
The rat twitched its ears and turned around.
“I see.”
He recognized it immediately. It was the rat that had crawled under his bed the last time.
No wonder it looked so familiar.
Jeong Yoo-shin, who had been nodding, suddenly widened his eyes.
Wait a minute.
A chill ran down his spine.
“Don’t tell me you sent it to spy on me?”
Ingrid gave him a look as if he were an idiot.
“You’re overestimating yourself, barbarian. Don’t you know your place?”
The sudden, blunt truth left him stunned.
‘Right. I'm not important enough to be spied on.’
He thought.
Heat rose to his face.
Jeong Yoo-shin then stammered.
“I, I see. Then, what’s the reason that you’re showing me your familiar?”
Ingrid opened the cage.
Creak.
The white rat, Lin, stepped out of the cage and looked up at Jeong Yoo-shin.
“This child’s name is Lin. Take care of her.”
It had a name.
That aside…
“How exactly am I supposed to take care of her? I need you to be clear about that.”
“I don’t mean keep her locked in a cage. When Lin gets tired from wandering around the city and stops by this inn, just provide her with food and a place to sleep occasionally. And…”
Ingrid hesitated for a moment, seemingly unable to continue.
“Please, speak freely.”
“Occasionally, I’d like you to give her a massage.”
“Excuse me?”
Jeong Yoo-shin’s eyes widened.
That seemed awfully convenient.
Ingrid looked away as she said.
“You know, during that night watch request…”
“Ah.”
He remembered grabbing the white rat that had barged in while he was eating his roasted chicken and kneading it without permission.
“Ahem. Lin said she enjoyed it and asked me to request it again for her.”
“Squeak?”
The white rat tilted its head.
“This thing, it talks?”
“Not language, but ‘feelings’ and ‘emotions’ to be precise.”
“You must cherish Lin a great deal, to even ask for massages for it.”
“…”
A faint blush colored Ingrid’s face.
He thought it over.
Putting aside the fact that the familiar had it pretty good…
Ten gold coins and the completion of the night watch request in exchange for this condition wasn’t bad.
Jeong Yoo-shin nodded and continued.
“Alright. But isn’t it dangerous? It doesn’t seem safe for such a small rat to wander around Labyrinth City.”
“Lin is clever. She’ll manage if there's any danger. Besides, I’ve cast a protective spell on her as an insurance.”
“This thing, I caught her once already.”
“That was because she was ‘careless.’ It won’t happen again.”
“Ah, right.”
Jeong Yoo-shin poked the rat’s belly as it stood on its hind legs near him.
“Squeak!”
Lin, the white rat, squirmed and covered her belly with her paws.
Thud!!!
Ingrid suddenly shot up from her chair.
“Wh, what!!!”
Ingrid’s usually expressionless face was slightly flushed.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
Ingrid slowly sat back down.
She seemed quite flustered, her ears red.
“…Don’t touch her whenever you please. Touch her ‘gently’ and ‘tenderly’ at the appointed ‘time.’”
‘She’s quite demanding.’
He thought.
“Yes, I understand.”
Jeong Yoo-shin scratched his head and nodded.
Ingrid's behavior was strange, but not entirely surprising. He considered it one of those odd hobbies people of high standing tended to have.
In any case…
With ten gold coins on the line, he was willing to give the rat a massage, or whatever she wanted, as many times as necessary.
“I accept those conditions. But the reward seems more than generous.”
“You deserve it. The Unholy Flash is quite a powerful monster.”
Unholy Flash.
The name of the monster Hans had transformed into.
“Was it really that strong?”
“To be more precise, it was more troublesome because of Hans' imprint. Besides, if the summoned creatures had spread to the western district, there could have been civilian casualties. Your help was significant.”
“I don’t think my contribution was that great. I believe you could have broken the barrier yourself, Lady Ingrid.”
“That’s true, but it would have taken me more time.”
A brief silence passed between them.
Although Ingrid denied it, he felt that the reward was excessive when he considered the previous battle.
Thinking back on the fight objectively, there were several close calls. Without Stonefist’s strength and Croak's divine magic, they wouldn't have been able to reach Hans.
Moreover, without Aldein's single-edged sword and Iron Mask’s gauntlets, they wouldn't have been able to damage Hans' Virginity Defense Barrier.
And if Ingrid hadn't sufficiently weakened the barrier, he was certain that his own attack wouldn’t have been able to deal the finishing blow.
In conclusion…
This success was a result of the party’s combined efforts, good equipment, and external assistance – a perfect combination of all three.
A sudden question came to his mind.
“I’m not very knowledgeable, so I’d like to ask. Are imprints not all-powerful?”
Although his question was vague, Ingrid grasped the gist of it.
She looked at Jeong Yoo-shin and began to speak.
“You must have seen the cracks in Hans’ Virginity Defense Barrier when I swung my sword. You’re right, imprints aren't all-powerful. Think of it this way. It’s easier to think of an imprint as something that grows alongside its owner.”
“So, even with the same imprint, the power can differ depending on the person?”
“That’s right.”
Ingrid’s explanation made sense to him.
This was because he had experienced the Sacred Weapon’s deployment speed increasing and its blade feeling sharper as his magic power adaptation, or level, increased.
“I have one more question.”
“Ask away.”
“Why do people enter the labyrinth? I don’t think it’s attractive enough to risk obtaining a bad imprint.”
Ingrid smiled bitterly.
Jeong Yoo-shin’s eyebrows rose.
Seeing the bitter smile on the face of someone who usually maintained an impassive expression since their first meeting made his heart pound.
“The reason people enter the labyrinth… I wonder about that myself. The reasons vary from person to person. Some seek fortune, some want to change their fate, some desire power, some test their luck, and some want to revive a deceased loved one. There are so many possible reasons. You could say it’s beyond the realm of reason. Skar, why do you enter?”
Ingrid’s question made Jeong Yoo-shin stiffen.
If you want to understand someone, understand their desires.
This wasn’t something he learned from a sage’s teachings. It wasn’t from a book either.
It was his own realization, gleaned from living in ordinary society before his transmigration.
Actually, it wasn’t grand enough to be called a realization. It was just a thin thread of understanding pulled from his short life.
Ingrid’s question was a way to understand him.
The problem was how Ingrid would react to his answer.
He didn't know.
Furthermore…
Despite her calm tone, a faint glimmer of wariness resided in Ingrid’s eyes.
He sensed danger on an instinctual level.
It could be paranoia, but he decided to trust his gut here.
“…It’s difficult to say.”
“Why is it difficult to say? Tell me comfortably. Surely, you’re not searching for an imprint that will allow you to rule the world, are you?”
Ingrid’s casually probing eyes gleamed coldly like ice.
A world-dominating imprint?
Did such an absurd imprint even exist?
He calmed his turbulent mind. Such an imprint had nothing to do with him.
“It’s not like that. I’ll tell you when the time is right.”
“Is that so? Do as you please.”
Ingrid crossed her arms and turned her head, her eyes looking more tired than ever.
Anne then brought snacks from the kitchen.
It was a dish of thin wheat pancakes wrapped around chicken and vegetables, cooked with a sauce.
“Bring a bottle of dwarven fire liquor too.”
“Alright.”
Anne returned from the counter cabinet with a bottle and glasses.
The food and alcohol were placed on the table.
“Would you like a drink?”
“Dwarven fire liquor. You’re a barbarian with a refined taste in alcohol, I see.”
“Yes, it’s quite drinkable.”
‘I just drink it because it’s similar to soju.’
He thought.
Jeong Yoo-shin tilted the bottle and poured the liquor into Ingrid’s glass.
Glug.
He filled Ingrid’s glass and then…
Glug, glug, glug.
He filled his own as well.
Jeong Yoo-shin then asked.
“Shall we toast?”
“No.”
“Alright.”
Jeong Yoo-shin and Ingrid emptied their glasses simultaneously.
Jeong Yoo-shin picked up a wheat pancake with his hand, put it in his mouth, and chewed.
Ingrid elegantly lifted a fork, brought the wheat pancake to her mouth, and took a delicate bite.
It was quite different from the image of her swinging a great sword as tall as herself like a storm.
Perhaps she was a noble milf with ingrained grace and decorum.
“By the way, how is Karin doing?”
At Jeong Yoo-shin’s question, Ingrid covered her mouth and swallowed her food.
“She’s under house arrest for the time being.”
“Excuse me?”
“I heard that she caused quite a stir in Labyrinth City, flaunting her status. She deserves to be punished. Frankly, I’m so ashamed that I can’t show my face.”
“Karin always had that side to her. She enjoyed throwing her weight around, didn’t she? Yes, yes.”
Jeong Yoo-shin shared his honest opinion.
Ingrid glared at Jeong Yoo-shin.
Jeong Yoo-shin met her gaze without flinching.
“I plan to send her back to Labyrinth City when she comes to her senses. This time, with nothing. The rules must be followed.”
Rules?
Was it the rule that children from wealthy families couldn't receive support from their relatives?
He couldn’t quite recall it, but he thought it was probably the correct rule.
“It’s getting late, so let’s end our conversation here.”
Ingrid said as she rose from her seat.
“Yes, let’s.”
After seeing Ingrid out of the inn, he returned to his seat.
Jeong Yoo-shin watched the white rat munching on a wheat pancake and sighed deeply.
“Phew, it was like a meeting with my in-laws. Terrifying.”
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T/N - So not only did Iron Mask and the others survive, Karin will also come back later on. Including the MC, that’s five. Enough to form a party.
Also, lol at Ingrid sending her rat familiar to the MC. She obviously wants more of those ‘massages’. And the way she threw money at the MC to get what she wanted was so like Karin too.