12
Chapter 12
Standing on the hill, the entire village came into view.
This was Garnian. It was a small village surrounded by stone walls.
Smoke rose from every chimney, and someone was tending to the fields with a hoe.
The laughter of children spread through the alleys, and the rhythmic clang of hammers rang out from the Blacksmith.
For another world, it was an incredibly familiar sight.
However, my feet refused to move.
'...I don't have an identity.'
In this world, where you came from or who introduced you was the proof of trust.
A Mercenary needed a token issued by the Association, and a Merchant carried documents stamped with a Guild or territory seal.
But right now, I had no affiliation and no token. I was just a guy who showed up with nothing.
All I had were a few magic spells.
Could I enter the village with just this?
Wouldn't I look suspicious?
I took a deep breath and told myself.
'This is an opportunity. Even if I'm anxious, I have to get through this to move forward.'
I was lucky enough to cross the river, and if I could just get inside the village, I could gather information and hide out for a while.
Right now, taking that first step was everything.
**
At the village entrance was a wooden gate surrounded by a palisade, guarded by two Soldiers.
One was leaning on a long spear, while the other was leaning against the fence with crossed arms, looking around.
I patted the dust off my coat and cautiously walked over.
Their gazes immediately locked onto me.
"Halt. What is your affiliation?"
A stiff tone. They were cautious, but didn't show outright hostility.
I raised both hands and spoke calmly.
"I am a Traveler. I, uh, don't have an affiliation."
"Name?"
"...I'm Riv."
I hesitated for a moment, as it had been a while since I last said my name.
The Soldier holding the spear glanced at his comrade, who then approached me instead.
"The number of Mercenaries has really gone up lately. Are you here for the Ruins too?"
"...The Ruins?"
"An abandoned castle was discovered in the nearby forest a few days ago. It's a collapsed building, but word is they found some Mana Stones inside. Ever since that rumor spread, quite a few suspicious guys have crawled in."
If it was Ruins, I wondered if it was the place Dardan had mentioned.
He glanced at the empty equipment belt around my waist and spoke with a sigh.
"Kids without even proper gear come flocking these days, hoping to strike it rich. Well, it's something we see every day."
I didn't bother denying it.
I simply bowed my head slightly and said.
"I just plan to stay for one night for now."
He paused briefly, then tapped his spear against the ground with a thud.
"Alright. It's troublesome for guys who aren't registered with the Association to stay long, but as long as you don't cause trouble, a day or two is fine."
Then he lowered his voice and added.
"Be careful inside the village too. There's talk of Thieves roaming nearby."
"Understood. Thank you."
Talk of Thieves again. At this rate, it was a miracle I hadn't run into any.
I gave a small nod and stepped into the village.
***
A dusty dirt road, old wooden houses.
Merchants along the street were setting up stalls next to rattling carts and organizing their goods.
Outsiders could be seen everywhere, mostly walking around with long Robes draped over Leather Armor.
'It seems the Ruins really brought in a lot of Adventurers.'
Honestly, it wasn't easy to tell who was an Adventurer and who was a Mercenary just by looking at them.
Their appearances were all similar, and their equipment wasn't much different either.
If I had to make a distinction, people who mainly visited Dungeons or Ruins were usually called Adventurers, but...
To be frank, I wasn't used to this world enough to notice such subtle differences yet.
To me, they all just looked like 'people who risk their lives to make money'.
Mixed in among them, I looked far too ordinary.
No, honestly, I looked defenseless.
Still, I had taken my first step now.
From here on out, I had to find a way to survive in this village.
The very first thing I needed to do was find lodging, but...
The problem was that I had no money.
Eventually, I would have to find work.
But where? And how?
For a moment, the Mercenary Guild crossed my mind.
However, I soon shook my head. I was sick of fighting now.
For the time being, I wanted to survive in a different way, instead of spilling blood and fighting for my life.
So I wandered around the village, peeking into every place that caught my eye, but ultimately couldn't find any work.
The reason was simple.
There were simply no odd jobs worth entrusting to an outsider.
Besides, even though most of the work in this village seemed simple, it required its own kind of expertise.
'Come to think of it, even the tasks that would be simple part-time jobs in reality are all the domain of skilled workers here.'
Splitting firewood, moving luggage, driving a cart...
It wasn't something you could just do because you had a working body.
Finding a job was that much harder than I expected.
What would happen if I just revealed I was a Magician?
It was a thought that kept circling in my mind.
Of course, I didn't want a situation where I was hiding my true power for no reason.
The words Drek had said inside the Dungeon kept coming back to me.
-It's best to hide the fact that you're a Magician for a while.
His tone felt closer to a warning than simple advice.
And ignoring a warning in my current situation was just stupid.
But trying to find a job while hiding that I was a Magician left me at a loss.
There was nothing I could do.
Without that, I was nothing more than an outsider who couldn't even use his body properly.
'...In the end, if I hide that I am a Magician, is there anything I can even do?'
Unable to decide what to do, I wandered the streets until I suddenly stopped in front of a building.
A signboard with a familiar sword drawn on it. It was the Mercenary Guild.
Even at a glance, it was quite large.
Perhaps because of the Ruins being discovered, there were many people coming and going.
'...If I get rejected even here, it's really over.'
I lacked confidence.
My equipment was terrible, and it wasn't like my physical abilities were great either.
Even so, I couldn't think of any other good options besides this place.
I cautiously placed my hand on the door.
After hesitating for a moment, I pushed the door open and stepped inside.
As I opened the door, the heavy sound of the hinges mixed with the indoor commotion spilled out all at once.
-So what did I tell that guy—!
-Is that request still not finished? It's been four days already.
-That's because that guy came back half-dead—!
Boisterous voices, the sound of iron armor clashing, and the thud of a Beer mug hitting a table.
The scene unfolding before my eyes was like a small tavern.
In one corner, someone was maintaining an Arrow, and on the other side, people were squabbling over a Request Form.
I awkwardly took a step inside.
Everyone was focused on their own business, but a few glances briefly swept over me.
Well, my current appearance must look like the most novice of novices.
On the inner wall, slightly to the right of the center, a notice board caught my eye.
Various sizes of paper were densely stuck to a thick wooden board, with some spots already torn off.
I cautiously approached it and looked at them one by one.
There were almost no letters, and instead, only simple pictures were drawn largely on each paper.
A picture of a sickle and a blade of grass.
A picture of a strange-looking monster glaring fiercely.
Even a picture of a large skull drawn right in the middle of a dense forest.
Under each picture, a different colored circle was painted.
Gold, silver, brown... Even at a glance, it was a mark indicating the reward.
The colors were faintly smudged as if painted by hand, and even that felt like someone had intentionally drawn it to be distinguishable.
Since it was my first time seeing this method, I tilted my head while looking at it, and a Receptionist nearby quietly approached and explained.
"Not many people know how to read. If you bring a Request Form, I will explain it to you."
Aha, so it's that kind of system.
It was a method suited for an era with many illiterates.
Bringing it directly and hearing it from a person, this somewhat analog method felt quite nice.
The brief explanation I received from the Receptionist was like this.
[Herb gathering near the swamp. Reward: Twenty copper coins. Low risk.]
[Finding a lost dog. Conditional reward: One copper coin. Must be completed before sunset.]
[Night patrol on the southern forest path. Reward: Three silver coins. Skilled workers recommended.]
[Waterway maintenance assistance. Reward: Five copper coins. Room and board provided.]
I looked through them one by one, but nothing particularly stood out.
Still, none of them seemed like easy work either.
Most were mediocre, and the ones that seemed decent had a phrase recommending skilled workers attached.
They were probably requests I couldn't handle.
After a moment of hesitation, my gaze naturally stopped on the waterway maintenance.
A picture with a shovel and waves, and a brown circle below it.
It wasn't a lot of money, but the low risk and the provision of room and board caught my eye.
Room and board provided. The moment I read those words, my empty stomach reacted for no reason.
For the current me, is this the most realistic choice?
Besides, even though it was simple manual labor, it might actually help if I could apply water magic.
I reached out for the Request Form.
At that moment, a rough voice rang out from behind.
"Hey there, haven't seen your face before. Thinking about taking that request?"
I turned around to find a middle-aged woman standing right behind me.
She had her arms crossed, staring at me as if observing me.
Her dark brown hair was neatly tied back, and a sharpness lingered in her gaze.
Another Receptionist?
Holding the Request Form, I awkwardly nodded.
"Ah, yes. Is this still available, by any chance?"
"It's possible. But what about your Mercenary Token?"
My mind went blank for a second.
Ah, right. Mercenary registration. There was no way they wouldn't ask about that.
"I don't have one yet. How should I go about registering?"
Before I even finished speaking, she raised an eyebrow.
"So, are you a Traveler?"
She smiled.
"Or a Fugitive?"
It sounded like a lighthearted joke, but a razor-sharp intuition hid behind her words.
I choked up and froze for a moment, but quickly laughed it off.
Forcing the corners of my mouth up, I spoke.
"Uh, I'm a Traveler."
Instead of answering, she gave a small nod and
naturally took the Request Form from my hand.
She pulled out another piece of paper from her pocket and asked me.
"Your name?"
"Ah, it's Riv."
The sound of a pen tip scratching against paper could be heard.
In the brief silence, it felt as if this city was recording my existence for the very first time.
"Alright. Even though you aren't formally registered, I can accept today's request temporarily. However, any responsibility lies with you. If you cause trouble, you can't come back."
"Thank you."
"The workplace is the waterway on the outskirts of the village. Just head straight west from here. You just need to finish by sunset."
"Uh, what exactly am I supposed to do?"
"They'll tell you once you take the Request Form there."
"Yes, I understand."
I had managed to get one job, at least.
That was enough for now.
Leaving the reception desk behind, I walked out the door.
Now it was time to use my own body.
Whether by sweating or using magic, I had to survive this day on my own.
After walking along the western path for quite a while, a dusty clearing appeared at the edge of the village.
Beyond it lay a waterway winding its way along a low hill.
Rather than a waterway, it was closer to a shabby drainage ditch for letting rainwater flow out.
Crumbled edges, piles of dirt and stones, and filth that had washed down from somewhere.
The dried-up trench looked like land that had long forgotten what water was.
"Hey, you there! Are you the new guy?"
A middle-aged man wearing work clothes waved his hand.
Several people had already gone down into the ditch with shovels, and someone else was carrying rocks.
"Are you just going to stand there and watch? Come down!"
I waved the Request Form as I approached, and after briefly scanning my face, he casually handed me a shovel.
"Start clearing this section from here. Dig the dirt and unblock any clogged parts. We'll help you with the heavy stuff."
He wasn't even going to check the Request Form?
My hand holding the shovel felt incredibly awkward.
An unfamiliar weight, an unfamiliar sensation. At first, I couldn't even shovel properly.
The soil mixed with stones, roots, and bugs seemed to silently mock my inexperience.
'Shoveling is harder than I thought....'
People say men do a lot of shoveling when they go to the army, but I had served in the navy.
However, seeing the people beside me silently breaking a sweat, I steadied my resolve as well.
After some time had passed, a section inside the collapsed waterway where the flow of water was blocked caught my eye.
A pile of dirt was blocking it, and the deepest part couldn't even be reached with a shovel.
At that moment, a sudden thought crossed my mind.
'If it's this much... couldn't I unblock it myself?'
I slyly glanced around.
Everyone was engrossed in their own work.
It might be okay if I did it now.
I quietly focused my consciousness on my fingertips.
I slowly let my mana flow.
The sensation of using Water Bullet, but more precisely, more softly....
A cold aura seeped into the palm of my hand.
And the small stream of water brushing through the soil spread out like a gentle vibration.
Swish-
Something loosened as if melting away.
The hardened clay soaked up the water and collapsed on its own.
Naturally, as if it were a part of the groundwater.
I carefully controlled it on purpose so that no traces would be left behind.
At this rate, wouldn't it be possible to create magic later?
Splash.
The stream of water finally began to flow down the waterway. It was a success.
"Oh, it's flowing over there! Who dug that out?"
"I don't know. It suddenly opened up. Thank goodness."
Feeling a sense of pride, I silently gripped the shovel handle again.
As the sun began to set, the supervisor wiped his forehead with a towel and shouted.
"That's it for today! Let's clean up and head out!"
I put down the shovel with my exhausted arms.
My palms were peeled and my shoulders felt heavy, but I felt strangely refreshed.
"You're better at this than I thought, want to come back next time?"
"...I'll think about it."
He patted my back with a smile, and I slowly made my way toward the village.
Anyway, I managed to endure today.
***
The way back to the village wasn't long.
However, as I walked through the fields after sunset, the ground was rapidly cooling, and the dew on the tips of the grass soaked the hems of my pants.
Hunger and fatigue washed over me like a wave.
My shoulders were stiff as stone, and my palms were red and swollen from the shovel handle.
The smell of dirt and filth radiated from my body.
But for today at least, I didn't hate those sensations.
The lodging provided with my room and board was a stone building located near the village Square, next to an old well.
The low building, not even two stories high, was woven together with blackened wood and roughly hewn gray stone, and the roof was uneven, seemingly patched with a mix of straw and thin pieces of slate.
The walls were full of crevices bearing the marks of time, and cold wind seeped through them.
Upon opening the door, the faint smell of freshly boiled soup wafted out along with the scent of dry smoke.
"You must be the new guy."
A short old woman appeared holding a ladle.
Her face was full of wrinkles, but her eyes were sharp.
"Your room is the one at the end. You'll be using it alone. As for meals, just scoop it out of that pot yourself. The blanket is under the bed."
"Yes. Thank you...."
"No need to thank me. I'm getting paid to do this."
The old woman spat out those words and disappeared back into the kitchen.
The room was small, rough, and even had moisture forming in it, but for the current me, it was a space I dared to call a luxury.
Being quiet and being alone.
That alone seemed to ease my mind.
As I set my luggage down in the room, the thick smell of dirt and filth rose from my body.
The dust, mud, and rotten water I had been covered in while trudging through the waterway all day remained dried upon me.
I stepped out the door and headed for the well behind the lodging.
I scooped up water with a gourd a few times, transferring it to a bucket to fill a wooden basin with cold water.
Then, rolling up my sleeves, I quietly started washing my hands and face first.
The backs of my hands were covered in red, swollen marks, and my ankles and calves were stained black with mud.
The cold water pierced my skin like needles, but the sensation of it washing away my fatigue, filth, and dust was more refreshing than anything else.
I lifted the gourd over my head and carefully poured the water.
Splash— Within the flowing stream of water, it felt as if my dried-up day was being washed away.
I let out a long breath. The midday heat and toil, the unfamiliar labor, and my tension faded away with the water.
Ah, I don't have a towel. What should I do?
In the end, without a towel, I shook off the water with my hands and wiped myself dry with the hem of my clothes.
After washing my body with cold water from the basin like that, hunger struck me even before fatigue could.
After roughly drying my wet hair, I made my way to the kitchen.
The cauldron was still warm, and the soup inside was giving off gentle steam.
I hurriedly scooped up a bowl of soup.
Potatoes, onions, and a few pieces of dried meat.
They were simple ingredients, but warmth spread even to my fingertips wrapped around the bowl.
As I drank the broth, the heat seeping down my throat soothed my stomach.
"Ah...."
For this moment at least, I even fell under the illusion that this unfamiliar land was somehow worth living in.
Only after drinking all the broth did I lean back and look around the room as if catching my breath.
Rough and crude wooden walls, a low ceiling, and creaky wooden floors.
Even so, for the current me, it was a space I dared to call a luxury.
Overcome by a food coma, I roughly spread out the blanket and threw myself onto the bed.
As soon as I closed my eyes, sleep washed over me.