Chapter 8
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Transfer
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A month or so had passed since Selena left.
- Tap... tap...
I drummed my fingers on the desk, lost in thought.
'Time to move on.'
It felt like the right moment to head to the next village.
The timing lined up perfectly, and staying in this village any longer came with its own problems.
The issues that might crop up from leaving...
Well, I could deal with them once I got there.
For now, there were two main reasons I couldn't stay in the village.
First off.
Selena Evangelin. Even as she left the village, that look she gave me...
She probably started suspecting I might not be a soldier.
The way her eyes turned icy when I just waved her through at the checkpoint...
I thought I was done for; my head spun.
To begin with, I already knew what was in the carriage.
I figured Selena wouldn't want me checking it anyway.
So I skipped the inspection... and for some reason, that ended up fueling her suspicions.
It was clearly a secret transport job...
Or rather, she was supposed to head the other way originally. Why did she come here...?
I had no clue what variable threw things off.
And the clincher... at the very end, our hands brushed for a split second.
That's one of the biggest reasons I'm leaving this village.
Did her fierce expression throw me off?
Even though I knew from the previous loop, I still messed up.
The moment I touched her hand, it felt like she saw right through me.
That slip-up was probably the worst part this time too.
I caught the subtle shift in her expression when our hands met.
Selena didn't say anything at the time, but by now...
She's likely figured out I'm no soldier.
And a few days ago, unfamiliar faces started showing up in the village.
High chance they're her subordinates.
Proof that I'm under suspicion.
Did she ask that black-haired woman from the north?
No, if she had, soldiers would've swarmed by now.
It's still just the suspicion phase, probably.
But I need to get out of this village as fast as possible.
And the second problem.
This Hand of Abstinence... I still can't control it properly.
I've been practicing control for the past month straight, but I failed.
I couldn't mop the floors every day, so gloves were my stopgap solution.
As long as they didn't touch skin directly, it should be fine, I thought.
But the real issue? No gloves that fit a Body Search.
This place revolves around farming, so clothing and tools all depend on merchant guilds.
I borrowed some new livestock gloves from the next village over and tried them...
Wearing gloves does weaken the Hand of Abstinence effect.
Bare hands are still the most effective.
The problem is, villagers complained about the gloves chafing their skin.
Livestock gloves are thick and stiff—that was the culprit.
They don't look good either.
Some refused outright, saying it was ridiculous to use animal-handling gloves on people.
To fix that, I need high-quality gloves.
But good material gloves are hard to come by without a major guild.
And today was the day I could solve all these problems.
- Creeeak.
The cabin door slowly swung open.
"Hah... You called for me?"
"Sir Kyle, I need a favor. Have a seat here for a bit."
Kyle stepped through the gate, pushing the door open.
Ever since that incident last time, he'd been doing little favors for me like this every so often.
He resisted hard at first, but after a few 'requests,' now he runs my errands like this.
"Take this, please."
As Kyle sat in the chair, I handed him a single sheet of paper.
"What's this... You expect me to cover all this?"
"Yes, Sir Kyle. Your salary should cover it, right? Consider it a loan—I'll remember everything and pay you back later."
Kyle glanced at the amount and furrowed his brow.
I'd listed every expense for today and my future plans.
He could afford this much.
Of course, it was a hefty sum even for him.
But I planned to pay him back later.
What's the point of just extorting him? Besides, I can't even hold property right now.
"This is a fortune... Wait, travel fees with a guild? You're planning to run away?"
"Not running away—it's a transfer."
I corrected him. Running away? Hardly.
Today, I planned to join a merchant guild caravan and leave this village.
Bonus: pick up some gloves too.
Merchant guilds visit this village just once a year.
Miss this chance, and I'd wait another year.
"Hah... Running slave errands is shit enough. Getting fleeced, and now aiding an escape..."
"Then one more favor, Sir Kyle."
"...Another?"
Kyle rubbed his face, blood pressure rising, it seemed.
Since we were already at it, I decided to get bolder.
He had no choice but to go along anyway.
I pulled out another sheet and handed it to him.
"Write me a letter of recommendation. In your name, recommending me as gatekeeper. Mention custom uniforms too. Deduct the cost from your salary..."
"...Hey."
Kyle glared at me, his expression turning deadly serious.
Writing a recommendation for a slave? His pride wouldn't allow it.
I planned to use his name for it.
The Empire's 5th Sword carried serious weight.
Even military bureaucracy couldn't ignore a recommendation from an Empire Sword.
It basically meant Kyle was vouching for me personally.
Taking full responsibility.
With his letter, I could pass any checkpoint I wanted.
"...If you get caught, it won't end well. Colluding with a slave as a soldier, forging identity, fleeing, fake documents."
"I know. Believe me."
I'd heard it a million times.
Didn't matter. Better to die than live as a slave.
And we'd crossed that line ages ago.
"Impersonating a soldier alone means summary execution... Does it matter? You're an accomplice anyway, Sir Kyle."
"......"
Kyle scratched his head vigorously.
If I got busted, he was in deep shit too.
He could lose his hard-won Empire's 5th Sword position, even face prison.
That's what signing the letter meant.
"Sir Kyle, you probably won't see much of me after this. It's good for you too. Just don't let me get caught."
"...Hah..."
Kyle reluctantly started writing the recommendation.
No choice for him, but he knew it too.
We were in the same boat now.
No getting off.
"Roughly say you're taking full responsibility for my ID and everything. With the 5th Sword's name, most people will buy it."
"..."
"Custom uniforms too—say you'll cover it all. And stamp it with your seal."
"......"
Since he was writing anyway, I went all in.
Kyle scribbled as I dictated, scratching his head raw with one hand.
If you're scamming, scam big.
Empire's 5th Sword—when else would I cash in on that?
And I'd pay him back for real.
Kyle finished the papers and tossed two sheets at me.
He looked pissed.
I picked up the scattered documents and tucked them into my pocket.
"Hey, then who's guarding this gate?"
"Oh, that..."
Kyle massaged his brow and spoke.
I already had the perfect guy.
"Have Florian do it."
Kyle's loyal retainer, Florian. He fit this boring village perfectly.
"And the watch?"
"Do we really need one?"
A remote village like this didn't need a watch in the first place.
Kyle standing watch here was basically his punishment.
No need for a separate sentry.
Among imperial villages, this one was safe, with good public order.
But every village needed a gatekeeper.
The gatekeeper was the village's front door.
One thing I'd realized lately: villagers liked having a soldier as gatekeeper.
Made more sense than a slave guarding the entrance.
That's why Florian was perfect.
"Hah..."
Kyle sighed, getting my point.
"Prepare to leave too, Kyle."
"What?"
I pulled out a sheet, wrote on the back, and handed it to him.
"What's this... Where'd you get this info?"
"Got it from someone I know."
To ease my guilt over working him so hard, I wrote down Kyle's return-to-capital date from the game.
Kyle eyed me skeptically, as expected.
"Believe it or not, up to you. Just don't screw up from now on."
Kyle couldn't cause trouble even if he wanted to anymore.
Time for him to return as an Empire Sword.
It'd make using this recommendation easier.
And his evaluation back in the capital would skyrocket.
The Kyle who didn't touch women.
Hot topic in the capital for sure.
The better he looked, the shinier my recommendation.
"Oh, right—this is the south, yeah?"
"Yeah... it is. Didn't you know?"
"Just double-checking."
To be safe, I confirmed imperial geography with Kyle.
Sure enough, this was the south as I remembered.
I stepped out of the gate with Kyle.
"I'm joining the guild now. Say hi to your wife for me."
"...Don't get caught."
I bid Kyle farewell.
Guy's prickly to the end.
But damn, Kabung really delivers.
I patted the papers in my inner chest pocket.
Thanks to them, my heart felt warm.
I reached the bustling village square.
The usually quiet streets were packed with guild carriages.
On one side: Fleta Merchant Guild, squirrel flag, selling jewelry and cosmetics.
Opposite: Stella Merchant Guild, star flag, lined up with farming tools, livestock, and fish.
Time to choose.
I planned to join one of these two guilds.
Fleta: east route.
Stella: west route.
First option: safe eastbound trip.
Few variables, good security—no raids en route.
Few dangerous types like Selena, good for honing skills.
Downside: fewer quests.
'This must be it.'
I headed to the front of the Fleta Guild first.
Big squirrel-tail flag stood out.
Guild leaders usually hung out up front.
Second option: tough westbound route.
West was near the frontline cities warring with monsters.
Crawling with monsters like Selena... If you value your life, skip it.
It was my most-played route in the game, but the west had variables from the start.
Security sucked especially.
Guilds were like treasure goblins to bandits and vigilantes—raids were constant.
Raids themselves weren't a big deal, though.
The west guild had the empire's future Hero riding along.
But the Hero herself was the biggest problem.
She'd graduated military academy in the provinces and was heading to the capital frontlines.
My forged identity had a sky-high chance of blowing up.
My recommendation letter would turn to trash.
And this Hero... weirdly obsessive.
Acts like she's missing a few screws, but once fixated—like an imprint—she clings fanatically.
In the game, she goes mad slaughtering monsters, tries soloing the Demon King, and dies.
If I caused any variable because of her...
No good outcomes came to mind.
Like, no Demon King battle or something...
Demon King gets caught eventually anyway.
Best avoid the Hero entirely.
Right now, avoiding variables was key.
Plus, west meant gatekeeper duty near the frontlines—not my vibe.
I'm doing this slave-freedom thing to live easy, not dive into war.
This was reality, not a game.
Before heading to the guild, I opened my status window one last time.
[Would you like to save?]
Life Point: 1(-1)
YES / NO
My remaining Life Point was just 1—another worry.
Die, and it's over. No more chances.
Life's fragile anywhere, but this is medieval fantasy.
First secure Life Points, then take risks—that's smart.
Multiple ways to get them, but...
Life Points increase by 1 at higher-grade checkpoints.
Save points update there too.
Meaning I could save without spending Life Points.
So, get anywhere and stock up first.
East route fit the current situation perfectly.
"Excuse me, care to talk?"
I approached who looked like the Fleta Guild leader.
Better than a lawless hellhole full of crazies...
Selena's inspection drilled it into me.
Game routes matter, but my actions, speech—everything's a variable.
Life Points were critically low right now.
My lifeline...
Best to conserve them.
East was right all around.
Or so I thought.
I handed one of Kyle's papers to the Fleta Guild.
Covering my guard fees, clothes, gloves—everything under his name.
Couldn't borrow his uniform anymore, so civilian clothes it was.
Tailor a uniform at a suit shop once I arrive.
The guild led me to a carriage.
Sun had fully set; night had fallen.
Guilds closed up, loaded cargo.
Lucky night—moon especially bright.
Should be fine traveling in the dark.
"Got some luggage, sharing the ride. That okay? Hop on; we're leaving."
"Yeah, no problem."
Sharing a carriage? Common in this era.
I pulled back the cloth and climbed in.
Inside was pitch black—couldn't see a thing.
"Hello."
"Uh... hello."
A woman's voice came from the darkness.
Dimly visible: a silhouette that looked human.
Fellow passenger's a woman?
They usually don't mix men and women...
"..."
"..."
Awkward.
Why pair me with a woman?
Say something.
"Um, may I have your name...?"
As I started to ask—
- Thud.
The carriage hit a rock, jolting hard.
Eh?
"Ngh..."
I could only clap a hand over my mouth.
The entry cloth flapped from the shake; moonlight seeped in.
Revealing the woman across from me bit by bit.
Blue hair gleaming like water droplets, sharp eyes...
Tall frame, rapier propped beside her.
"Call me Rain."
Naia Rain.
The empire's Hero.
She was supposed to be on the Stella Guild carriage, yet here she sat—first passenger in my ride.
Now I'd share a carriage with her for hours heading to the empire.