Chapter 207
Chapter 207
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 207
Chapter Title: A Stop at the City Inn
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“Over here?”
Seo Woo-jin raced through the night.
His speed was unbelievable for a human.
But Seo Woo-jin’s expression showed he wasn’t satisfied.
“At times like this, I envy the Grand Duke’s or Dark Duke’s abilities.”
With their powers, he could reach the destination in an instant.
Since Seo Woo-jin had no such skill, he had no choice but to run on foot.
How long had he been running like that?
A bright light began to appear in the distance.
“Hm?”
It was a city.
Not particularly large, but the streetlamps illuminating the darkness created a rather beautiful atmosphere.
‘Should I stop by for a bit?’
It was still several days away to Derhan’s border region, even at Seo Woo-jin’s speed.
He couldn’t keep running nonstop until then, so it seemed better to drop into the city, buy supplies, and gather some information.
“You think so too, right?”
As Seo Woo-jin asked someone, a breeze blew in.
Rustle—
The wind tickling his ear settled on his shoulder.
Squeak.
It was Whirateon.
Having eaten plenty of chaos energy from Seo Woo-jin lately, its appearance had changed quite a bit.
Large ears like a rabbit’s, round black eyes sparkling brightly.
And four adorable little legs.
Combined with its fluffy blue fur, it was unbearably cute.
Squeak squeak—!
It nodded its head quickly, crying out as if agreeing with Seo Woo-jin.
“Good. Then let’s stop by, rest a bit, and go.”
Seo Woo-jin smiled and tickled Whirateon’s chin.
Squeaaak.
Pleased, it closed its eyes and enjoyed his touch.
To think such a cute creature was a legendary divine beast.
‘It’s still young, so it doesn’t have any special abilities yet.’
Right now, all Whirateon could do was hide itself in the wind.
Considering the amount of chaos energy it had absorbed so far, the cost-performance was terribly low.
Well, it was cute, so he didn’t mind.
“Theon, mind hiding for a bit? People might freak out if they see you.”
Squeak!
It was obedient too.
Whirateon floated into the air as if to say it understood, then vanished completely.
It looked just like it had evaporated.
But Seo Woo-jin could sense Whirateon playing around him, riding the wind.
“Don’t fall behind—follow close.”
Seo Woo-jin kicked off the ground.
His figure seemed to stretch out, and in an instant, he was gone.
Whirateon followed right behind.
At a terrifying speed that didn’t lag behind Seo Woo-jin’s at all.
The city’s night was bright.
As a kingdom of culture and art, even this remote little city was quite glamorous.
Of course, Seo Woo-jin showed no particular emotion.
No matter how flashy it was here, it couldn’t compare to Seoul’s nightlife.
He was just intrigued by how the city looked a bit different from those in the Empire.
‘It’s quiet.’
But the glamour was only skin-deep.
Very few people roamed the dazzling streets, and the expressions of those visible weren’t great.
‘Can’t blame them.’
War had broken out.
Even if it wasn’t in Derhan, ordinary citizens couldn’t help but feel anxious.
Especially since their own kingdom had opened the path for that war—it would hit even closer to home.
‘I didn’t come to sightsee, but it’s still a shame.’
In different circumstances, it might have been more fun.
After wandering the city briefly, Seo Woo-jin decided there was nothing more to see and started looking for an inn.
“Money’s no issue.”
The leather pouch held far more gold coins than expected.
As expected of the Emperor?
Thanks to that, Seo Woo-jin no longer had to worry about cash.
‘Though I never really have before.’
The more money, the better.
Enjoying the pouch’s weight as he looked around, a large building caught his eye.
“An inn?”
Delicious smells wafted from inside.
Thinking it must be the inn, Seo Woo-jin headed there.
“Welcome!”
Opening the door, he was relieved to find it a high-class establishment.
No other guests apparently—the owner was tidying tables alone and greeted him loudly upon spotting him.
Then he froze.
He had noticed the sword at Seo Woo-jin’s waist.
But he quickly plastered on a business smile and approached.
“You’re a traveler, I take it?”
“Yeah. I’d like a meal and a room.”
The owner’s eyes quickly scanned Seo Woo-jin.
As if checking whether he could actually pay.
“This way, please.”
The coat Seo Woo-jin wore was a gift from the Emperor himself.
Not just functional, but elegantly designed too.
Recognizing it, the owner relaxed and led him inside.
“What would you like for your meal?”
Seo Woo-jin sat at a table, and the owner unfolded a menu.
“Hm……”
Seo Woo-jin frowned at the menu.
‘I have no idea what any of this is.’
All dishes were completely unfamiliar.
In the end, he had to ask the owner for help.
“Any recommendations?”
“Ah, in that case, our house specialty is……”
A long explanation followed.
‘It’s just lamb steak, basically.’
Seo Woo-jin chuckled inwardly and nodded.
“I’ll have that.”
“Excellent choice.”
The owner beamed.
Judging by his reaction, it seemed pretty pricey.
“Any drinks……?”
“A cold beer.”
Sensing another expensive wine pitch coming, Seo Woo-jin quickly ordered beer.
The owner smacked his lips and retreated.
Alone now, Seo Woo-jin looked around the place.
‘Definitely a classy inn.’
Not on par with the one in the Empire, but still quite refined.
As he took it in, the entrance grew noisy.
‘Customers?’
Seo Woo-jin’s gaze naturally turned that way.
The door opened, and someone entered.
“Whew, what the hell is going on?”
“It’s been three days of alert already. This make any sense?”
Three men came in.
‘Knights.’
Red armor suggested they were stationed in the city.
‘Their level……’
Low-rank knights.
Barely scraping by at that.
Probably freshly knighted.
“These crazy Aier bastards start a war out of nowhere—what the fuck?”
“‘The Saintess’ died, that’s why.”
“But why pick a fight with the Empire!”
They grumbled nonstop and plopped down at a familiar table.
“Oh, you’re here?”
The owner rushed out from the back, where he’d been prepping Seo Woo-jin’s food, and bowed.
“The usual.”
“Right away.”
Seemed like regulars.
“What’s the situation now?”
“How should I know, I’m just a grunt.”
“You’re assigned to the staff headquarters—you must’ve heard something.”
“Not sure exactly. Just scraps—apparently they’re charging like total fanatics.”
Curiosity flickered across Seo Woo-jin’s face.
He’d wandered in on a whim, but it looked like he’d get some unintended intel.
“So where are they now?”
“Marne.”
His fellow knights’ eyes widened at the answer.
“What? They’ve reached Marne already?”
“Possible? It’s 50,000 troops! How can that many move so fast……”
“Forget supplies. They’re just hauling ass.”
“Then the soldiers’ food?”
“Local foraging.”
The knights fell silent at that.
But only briefly.
“These fucking bastards!”
“They’re looting us as they advance?”
Outrage erupted.
‘Hm……’
Seo Woo-jin frowned as he listened.
‘Faster than I thought.’
If the knight was right, he’d encounter them sooner than expected.
‘I need to hurry.’
He had to drive them out as far from the Empire as possible.
Letting them get too close could spawn unknowns.
“Here’s your beer to start.”
The owner came out then and handed Seo Woo-jin a mug.
“Ah, thanks.”
Seo Woo-jin took it.
‘Nice and cold.’
Like it had just come from a fridge.
“Gulp!”
He took a big swig, and the signature bitter taste slid down his throat.
‘Tastes good.’
Maybe because it’d been a while since his last drink, but he was quite satisfied.
“One more beer, please!”
“Right away!”
Seo Woo-jin ordered another and raised his glass again—then noticed the sudden quiet around him.
‘Hm?’
Looking over, he saw the knights staring his way.
“…Don’t recognize you.”
“Where you from?”
They’d only just noticed him.
‘On guard?’
Given the times, suspicion of strangers made sense.
Especially with his sword.
“Just a traveler.”
Seo Woo-jin smiled back.
“Traveling now?”
“That war’s got nothing to do with me.”
Contempt flashed across the knights’ faces at his words.
They pegged him as some naive noble’s kid, clueless about the world, wandering carefree.
Of course, Seo Woo-jin had no intention of correcting the misunderstanding—he just flashed an innocent grin and downed his beer.
“Oh, by the way, do you know the Aier troops’ route?”
“Hah, why?”
Evidently not a fan, the knight dropped all pretense of manners.
“So I can steer clear? Don’t wanna get caught up.”
“You……!”
One knight shot to his feet in fury, but Seo Woo-jin was faster.
Clink—!
A gold coin flew through the air.
The three knights’ eyes tracked its path.
Ting!
Seo Woo-jin pointed at the coin on their table.
“Of course, I’d pay appropriately if you share.”
Their anger melted away like snow.
“Ah, well, you see……”
The staff-assigned knight rummaged through his memory.
And shortly after.
Seo Woo-jin left the inn.
“Three gold coins for some pretty useful info.”
The knights had spilled every scrap they’d overheard nonstop.
Not super reliable, but way better than nothing.
“Sadly, no time to stick around.”
Aier’s advance outpaced his estimates by a lot.
He’d need to cut rest and push to hit the destination on time.
“Whirateon.”
Rustle—
The wind blew, and Seo Woo-jin started walking.
“Let’s go.”
The two soon vanished from the city.