Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: The Sand Hill Inn
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Sun-tanned, dark skin typical of a southerner.
Black eyes sparkling with vitality.
A mischievous grin full of playfulness.
It was a familiar face.
‘That’s the thief.’
He’d only caught a glimpse of it before, but it was definitely burned into his memory.
Seo Woo-jin feigned ignorance as he replied.
“You know a good inn?”
“Of course!”
Rinar beamed and nodded enthusiastically.
“It’s called the Sand Hill. It’s the cleanest place around here, and the food’s amazing. Especially their black beer—it’s the last holy nectar for travelers crossing the desert.”
He knew a lot for his age.
Even though he was too young to touch a drop of alcohol, his praise for the black beer went on at length.
‘Beer, huh...’
Come to think of it, he hadn’t had a single sip since arriving in this world.
He’d steered clear for a while because of that damned booze that had dropped him here in the first place.
But listening to Rinar, his mouth was watering a bit. It was tempting.
‘Just one beer won’t hurt.’
No way this body would get drunk off that.
“Alright, lead the way.”
Seo Woo-jin nodded readily.
“Excellent choice! Just follow me!”
Rinar marched ahead with unabashed confidence.
Seo Woo-jin chuckled softly and followed.
“Here it is!”
After a short walk, Rinar stopped and spread his arms wide toward a building.
“Definitely...”
Unlike the flashy-but-fake place he’d gone to earlier, this one was different.
Plenty of people came and went, and laughter poured nonstop from inside.
‘Should’ve come here first.’
It wasn’t far at all. Why had he picked the worst spot?
Regretting it, Seo Woo-jin reached into his pocket.
He pulled out a small gold coin.
Ting—
“Here. Thanks for the help.”
It was one gold— a luxury afforded by the generous travel money from Yorn.
But Rinar’s expression upon receiving it was odd.
His eyes bulged, as if they might pop out any second.
‘Did I overdo it?’
Seo Woo-jin hadn’t expected this reaction and felt a bit flustered.
“...Thank you.”
“Huh? What?”
He mumbled, so Seo Woo-jin leaned in closer.
Then Rinar squeezed his eyes shut and shouted.
“Thank you! You’ll be blessed for this!”
His grin stretched from ear to ear, like he might die happy.
“Yeah, spend it well.”
Seo Woo-jin nodded and headed into the Sand Hill inn.
Rinar’s thanks kept coming from behind, so he gave a casual wave.
“Hahaha! So I grabbed that guy by the tail and...”
“Desert folk and their tall tales. If you caught a black scorpion, then I caught a krash!”
The lively atmosphere hit him the moment he stepped inside.
“Oh, welcome! Just one? Dinner? Room? Bath?”
The waitress fired off questions, but Seo Woo-jin—tempered by the original chatterbox Lee Ji-ah—didn’t flinch.
“One. All three, starting with dinner.”
“This way. You’re from out of town, right? Our house special okay?”
“They say the black beer’s great. One of those too.”
“Got it! Uncle, one Droitan roast and a beer over here!”
It felt like a storm had blown through.
She looked busy as hell, so it made sense.
Seated at the table she’d shown him, Seo Woo-jin scanned the room.
It was in a corner, perfect for taking in the vibe.
Definitely not like the capital.
People here were freer, more boisterous.
Even small squabbles ended in laughter and shared drinks.
The nostalgic tavern scene lifted his spirits.
‘That kid really pointed me to a good spot.’
He hadn’t seen the rooms yet, but the common room alone felt right.
Rinar hadn’t lied.
As he watched the crowd, the food soon arrived.
“Here’s the Droitan roast. Barbecued with our special sauce—delicious. Beer’s here.”
The waitress served it up and rushed off to tend elsewhere.
‘Looks tasty.’
It was a style he’d never seen at the academy.
Some unidentified animal, roasted whole to a golden crisp on a massive platter.
‘Like a whole pig roast, maybe.’
The savory meat aroma made his mouth water.
He sliced off a big piece with fork and knife and popped it in.
Juices burst—filling his mouth.
Crispy skin, juicy to the point of soggy tender meat inside.
Seo Woo-jin nodded vigorously.
Delicious.
No wonder it was packed.
Satisfied, he reached for the black beer to wash it down.
Jing-jing—
The inn door swung open, and a group entered.
They gave off a bad vibe.
Seo Woo-jin’s eyes naturally turned their way.
“There’s a new out-of-towner here, right? Pale face, carrying that lame sword.”
Anyone could tell they were looking for him.
‘Tch.’
Probably connected to that scam innkeeper.
Not wanting trouble, he started to lift off his seat.
A booming voice rang out.
“That’s him!”
Before he could move, they spotted him first.
‘Thought the corner would hide me.’
“You. Come here.”
The bald one spoke.
His face was already mean-looking, with a huge scar on his forehead making it worse.
Seo Woo-jin stood without hesitation and walked over.
The room had gone quiet.
“You the one who assaulted Darwishi?”
“Darwishi?”
He tilted his head at the unfamiliar name, and the man scowled.
“Owner of the Red Sand Starlight Inn!”
“Oh, that guy?”
Honestly, he’d just heard the inn’s name now.
Red Sand Starlight...
Way too fancy for a scammer’s den.
“That guy? Whatever. We got a report you assaulted him. Come quietly. No resistance.”
Seo Woo-jin let out a hollow laugh.
He’d pegged them as the innkeeper’s thugs.
“Guards?”
“Obviously. See the uniforms?”
He hadn’t noticed.
Never imagined such scary mugs were guards.
Surprising, sure, but he had no intention of going along meekly.
They’d started it.
“That inn scams tourists. I almost got stuck in their shitty room.”
“Nonsense! Darwishi’s not like that!”
Seemed like a nice neighbor to locals.
Or maybe they were all in on it.
“Then bring him here. Let’s ask who’s telling the truth.”
The bald man frowned at Seo Woo-jin’s bold words.
“You think we’d put victim and perp in the same room?”
Hmph. Seo Woo-jin was mildly impressed by the snort.
Back home, cops often botched even basics like that.
His opinion of the bald guy ticked up.
“You’re right on that. But I’m not going. He’s the one who did wrong.”
Attempted confinement, threats, attempted aggravated assault?
“We’ll sort that at headquarters. Report’s filed, so we have to take you.”
The bald man was firm.
At first he’d thought they were bought off, but now they just seemed dutiful.
‘What to do?’
Going in for questioning wasn’t hard.
But he didn’t want to ditch his rare beer moment.
Couldn’t just beat down the guards either.
Pondering, someone wedged between them.
“I saw it!”
“Huh? Rinar?”
The bald man’s face turned fierce.
“You brat! Amir’s tearing the town apart looking for you—said he won’t let you off!”
Rinar was a local celebrity, alright.
“I-I’ll handle that. Anyway!”
The boy puffed out his chest.
“I saw Darwishi uncle trying to fleece this guy with my own eyes!”
The bald man froze.
“Watch your words. You might be held accountable.”
He looked scary, but worry flickered underneath.
“It’s true. That’s why I brought him here.”
Rinar glanced at Seo Woo-jin, who nodded.
“The kid’s right.”
The bald man’s expression grew grave.
“Rinar, this isn’t a lie? Even you can’t get away with that.”
“I swear on my sister.”
Hand on heart, Rinar’s earnestness made the bald man press his lips tight and eye his men.
“Fetch Darwishi. We’ll confirm ourselves.”
“But...”
His men looked reluctant.
“I’ll take responsibility. Bring him now.”
They had no choice and left the inn.
“You stay put. You’re still under investigation.”
“Whatever.”
Seo Woo-jin smiled faintly and returned to his table.
The bald man stood by the door, watching to prevent escape.
The room gradually buzzed again.
“Darwishi’s place is kinda shady, yeah.”
“No upkeep, crap service. Only clueless outsiders go.”
“So the out-of-towner’s telling the truth?”
“Dunno. Darwishi’s a punk, but not that bad.”
Seo Woo-jin downed his black beer in one go amid their talk.
“Kuh—!”
The bitter burn hit just right.
“How is it? Tasty like I said?”
Rinar had snuck into the seat across, eyes sparkling.
“Yeah, the best.”
Seo Woo-jin admitted readily.
Maybe ’cause it’d been ages, but it really hit the spot.
“Yuran sis! Another black beer here!”
“What? You little punk asking for a scolding? I’m telling your sister.”
“Not me—this customer’s drinking.”
Rinar ordered without asking Seo Woo-jin.
He’d wanted another anyway, so no complaints.
After bantering with waitress Yuran, Rinar eyed him.
“You from the capital by any chance?”
Curiosity lit his face.
‘Right, he had fantasies about it.’
Seo Woo-jin chewed a piece of Droitan and nodded.
“Take me with you when you—”
Bam—!
The inn door flew open violently as someone stormed in.