Chapter 181
Chapter 181
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 181
Chapter Title: Nothing to Steal (1)
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It took about a week to reach the next city. Occasionally, we were lucky enough to find an inn and stay for a day or two, but mostly we traveled by camping outdoors.
“Uwaaah~! I want to take a bath!”
“Just hold on a little longer. We’ll be there soon.”
Yawn. I stretched lazily and looked around. Ayla and Argos were dashing through the forest, playing around, while Pipi and Legion were bickering inside the carriage. Blackie was perched high in a tree, looking down at us. It was a peaceful scene in its own way.
The forest path was well-maintained, meaning people passed through often. We should arrive in the city by late afternoon at the latest. Leaning back against the carriage, I leisurely sipped some apple juice. It was thick juice made from apples diligently grown by Pury in the Dimensional Garden, filling the air with a sweet, fragrant aroma. Ah, this is the taste of nature! To be honest, it was on another level from the stuff I used to buy at convenience stores. Wait, is it literally on another dimension because of that?
“Have you been to Corin before?”
“It’s my first time. What about you, Lloyd?”
Instead of answering, Lloyd just gave a light smile. Yeah, it was a silly question. I didn’t know his past in detail, but it was clear he’d been a knight of the Empire. He’d probably visited most imperial cities—or even if not, he knew them well.
“He’d know info way above what a mercenary like me has access to…”
Part of the reason I wasn’t tense about heading into a new city was thanks to Lloyd. Even stray dogs passing by would sense he was an outstanding knight. In this pseudo-medieval land, a “knight” was basically a living armored vehicle—no, a tank. The equipment and power they wielded were beyond what ordinary people could dream of! You couldn’t ignore it even if you wanted to, or pretend not to notice.
“There’s an old friend of mine there.”
“Oh, really.”
“We won’t have any troubles while we’re staying.”
That’s a relief. To be honest, everywhere we’d been so far had been a total mess. Now I could finally relax in a proper city. Gather some intel on how the continent was faring…
“Oh, so you’d know all the best eateries too, right?”
“…Eateries?”
Right, no such word as “eateries” here.
“Uh, I mean, great restaurants. Good inns too.”
Lloyd chuckled and nodded.
“I know some, but…”
“Not confident?”
“Your standards are too high.”
Ah, fair point. The standards of this pseudo-medieval land and a modern person’s were worlds apart—literally different dimensions. What I considered basic as a modern person was luxury here most of the time. For example, the super plain ice cream from convenience stores would be a dessert fit for royalty here. Same with pretty much everything else.
That’s why I was obsessed with gourmet food. Coming here made me realize how precious the joy of “fine dining” I’d taken for granted was. For the people of this pseudo-medieval land, meals were never enjoyable. Just something to fill your stomach. Savoring “flavor” was a luxury reserved for the leisurely and powerful.
In a world where survival was everything, obsessing over “eating for fun” might sound stupid to some. But for me, fine dining was proof I was still a modern person—the same old Kang Tae-oh. Evidence I hadn’t lost my sense of leisure.
“…Well, if you’re gonna eat, might as well eat something tasty, right?”
I flashed Lloyd a grin and finished the rest of my apple juice.
As expected, we arrived in Corin around lunchtime.
Corin was a massive city. The entrance was swarming with mercenaries, so we waited ages before they checked our mercenary badges and let us in. And the interrogation about our identities—man, they grilled us. Believe it or not, getting through the gates was harder than the journey here.
The long inspection left us all starving. Luckily, there was a square near the entrance lined with street stalls. Judging by the crowd’s attire, they weren’t for locals—they seemed aimed at mercenaries like us. We parked the carriage there and decided on a quick bite. Finding an inn, unloading, and eating properly would take time.
-Sizzle…
-Skizzle skizzle…
-Bubble bubble bubble…
Noisy sounds of grilling, frying, boiling, and simmering filled the air. Regular mercenaries usually went for the cheapest oatmeal porridge, but this being a big city, it attracted mercenaries with money, so the food was varied.
We split up to buy our own food. Elle visited every stall, her arms soon full of stuff. Lloyd got a meat pie from the least crowded one. And me…
“Nothing beats skewers for a quick meal.”
I stopped at a stall with smoke billowing up. All sorts of skewers were roasting golden brown. Hard to mess up with charcoal grilling. I ordered one each of salt-and-pepper chicken skewer and pork skewer, plus a plain pork one for Ayla. And next to them, something that looked like ginkgo skewers—two of those.
“Haha! You’re eating these, huh!”
The stall owner laughed heartily, surprised I’d ordered the ginkgo-like ones, and took my money. Yeah, even in my old world, ginkgo skewers were love-it-or-hate-it. A delicacy for me, though.
We sat at a table in the middle of the square and started eating what we’d bought. Elle had apparently hit every stall—no skewer, stew, quail roast, fried bread, caramel apple, you name it, it was on the table. This wasn’t a snack; it was a feast. This girl wasn’t blowing all her pay on food, was she? Worrying.
Lloyd kept it simple: one slice of meat pie. Almost boring.
I started with the chicken skewer. A bit less juicy than mine, but well-seasoned and decent. Ah, skewers need beer. Ice-cold draft. I paired it with the sour pickled onions I’d bought, then tried the pork. Hmm. Surprisingly, pork was better than chicken. Greasy, went great with onions.
“Theo.”
“Hm? Want some, Legion?”
“Theo. Me too.”
“Sure.”
I tore off a piece each of chicken and pork and fed Legion. Satisfied, it licked its lips nonstop and let out a pleased rumble.
Next, the ginkgo skewers. What’d the owner call them? Pumpkin skewers, I think. Probably named after the gemstone pumpkin or something. Let’s try one—salty, well-roasted ginkgo flavor.
“Theo. Me too.”
“Huh? This too? Might not be your thing…”
“Theo. Me too.”
Legion nagged me like a baby mimicking its parents. Unable to resist, I fed it one ginkgo nut. It chewed on the unique texture for a while, then…
“Urk.”
It gave me a weird look. Kinda like it wanted to cry?
“See? Told you.”
“Theo. Poison. This.”
True enough. Ginkgo has toxins. But not life-threatening unless you overdo it. I chuckled and patted Legion’s head.
“Theo. Dangerous. This.”
“Dangerous stuff tastes the best.”
“Theo. No. Eat.”
“Wasting food brings divine punishment.”
“Theo. Don’t know. Might die.”
Legion flitted around my hand holding the skewer in a panic, then finally opened its mouth. Spotting black embers rising in its throat, I grabbed its body in a hurry.
“No, Legion!”
“Theo. I. Protect. Theo.”
Oh god. What to do with this guy. Not the time for talk of death or freedom. I looked at it helplessly, then slowly released my hand. The little lizard instantly climbed up and devoured the whole skewer, face screaming it was dying.
“Legion, I don’t die that easily.”
“Theo, but…”
“I appreciate you worrying about me—it’s sweet and all—but don’t fret too much. I’m strong enough, even if not like you.”
“Theo. Weak. Humans.”
“Yeah. Humans are weak. Compared to dragons.”
“……”
“Anyway, I won’t eat that stuff anymore. If it worries you that much.”
At my promise, Legion finally relaxed and climbed onto my shoulder. Gee, can’t even drink cold water in front of kids.
“Legion. What about me? This apple might have poison too, y’know.”
Elle, munching her caramel apple and watching intently, giggled and asked. Legion tilted its head at her, yawned hugely, then…
“Elle. Idiot. No. Poison. Apple.”
It bluntly said in its charm-lacking voice and dove into my pocket. Ha! I knew that! Elle huffed in disbelief, but no reply came. She aggressively chomped the remaining half-apple, glaring at me—or rather, my pocket where Legion hid.
“Alright, alright. Everyone’s full now, so let’s go find an inn.”
In a big city like this, lunchtime was prime for snagging rooms. Mercenaries had left, and new ones hadn’t arrived yet, leaving vacancies. We cleared up and headed to the carriage.
“Huh?!”
Elle, who’d gone ahead with Ayla, yelped in surprise. Then she turned to me with a panicked face and shouted.
“M-Master! The carriage is gone!”