Kasian-nim is... way kinder than I imagined (043)
Bump! Thud! Every time the carriage wheel hit a rut, my ass let out a silent scream. Was this a carriage or some torture device shaped like one? We were crammed into this suffocating space like pieces of luggage—me and a bunch of hulking guys—barreling down an unpaved road.
A stale mix of sweat and leather wafted up from somewhere.
...Ugh.
My stomach churned like it was trying to flip inside out. Memories from my past life, twenty years ago, came flooding back uninvited. A khaki two-and-a-half-ton truck roaring down an unpaved mountain road in Gangwon-do. That nauseating vibration and diesel fumes were transcending time and space, recreating themselves right here.
PTSD central.
The nobles around us were chattering away like it was the best thing ever.
"Whoa! Check out those mountains! The scenery is insane!"
"Nothing like the outdoors to clear the chest!"
Clear the what? Your skulls got holes in 'em? I wanted to jab chopsticks into every one of those eyes sparkling with curiosity and awe.
I gripped the window frame for dear life, desperately fighting down the bile.
Fuck... shoulda packed motion sickness pills.
I had no clue it'd be this bad until this morning.
Fuck.
My nose had gone numb, but then another worry slithered in.
Is that flounder bitch Lily even alive?
Did she scarf too much jerky before we left? Puking her guts out and passed out from exhaustion? She probably couldn't afford pills even knowing about the Region Tour today.
That was when it happened.
"Exciting, right?"
A voice prodded my side. I turned to see some pretty boy grinning at me. Brown hair, innocent face. But to me? Just a clueless dipshit.
Who the hell was this tone-deaf prick? I was at maximum discomfort—why start shit?
I shot him a rotten-fish glare, mouth opening to snap "What?", when he smoothly pulled a small glass vial from his pocket.
"Here. Motion sickness medicine."
"...!"
"You look pale. This stuff works like a charm."
Scratch that thought. You an angel or what?
Dignity be damned—I snatched it like a lifeline.
"...Can't say no to this. Thanks."
"Yeah, go for it."
I popped the cap and chugged it in one go.
Gulp.
Fantasy world's alchemy was god-tier. Like unclogging a backed-up sewer drain, my roiling gut settled in five seconds flat. Vision sharpened, the world bloomed back into color.
"Hoo..."
I set the empty vial down and let out a deep breath. Now I could finally breathe.
But damn, this was some premium stuff. No ordinary remedy.
My seat-side savior eyed me with keen interest.
"Feeling better?"
"Thanks to you."
"No need to flatter. But I've got a question."
He tilted his head.
"Someone of your caliber, Kasian-nim, could easily control your body with magic. Self-healing or sensory block spells would've fixed it in a snap."
"..."
Ah. This pattern again.
...Can't do it, fuck.
The only "magic" I knew was hitting a button for bullshit results.
Honestly, that might've worked. Problem was, I'd just learned shit like self-healing or sensory blocks even existed.
If I'd known, I'd have picked 'em up ages ago—godsend for farming—and skipped this hell.
But I couldn't tell a total stranger who recognized me, "Nah, I suck at magic."
So I spouted some plausible bullshit.
"Can't abuse magic for petty convenience."
"Huh?"
"Interfering with causality demands a solemn mindset."
Damn, even sounded legit to me.
He stared blankly for a sec, then smacked his knee in awe.
"Ah...! Knew it."
His eyes glittered with respect.
"Figured you'd say that. Totally different philosophy on magic. I was short-sighted."
...It landed?
They say fame turns shit into applause. Time to pivot to con artistry?
He introduced himself.
"Name's Lucius. Alchemy department freshman."
Lucius? Racked my brain—no such name in the original novel.
Too handsome for an extra. Too prepared.
Who the hell is this guy? Not in the original?
"How much do I owe you?"
The nobles around tsked like, ugh, barbarian.
But Lucius just grinned good-naturedly and waved it off.
"Nah."
"Cheap deal, huh."
"Huh?"
"Making friends with the academy's top celeb for one potion? Call it a gift. Owe me a meal later."
Ballsy.
I pocketed my wallet.
"Deal. Hate owing debts—I'll buy."
And onto the real point. The important one.
"So... any spares?"
I held out my palm with maximum shamelessness.
"Need more. Got two mouths to feed."
"Huh? Two mouths?"
He glanced between my mouth and gut, clearly picturing something freaky.
"Not literal. Got another family member to look after."
I'm not a mutant, jeez.
"Ah."
He tilted his head but rummaged his bag without complaint.
"I'm a paranoid packer—brought extras. Here."
Handed over two more vials.
Screech, thud! The carriage ground to a halt with a brutal racket.
First stop: a clearing near the forest.
"Ugh..."
"Help..."
The noble young masters tumbled out like battered cargo, staggering and green-faced—defeated soldiers to a tee.
Chest all cleared, huh?
But thanks to Lucius the alchemist, I was pristine.
I hopped down lightly and scanned the girls' carriage across the way.
Let's see.
By my guess, she should be half-corpse by now.
And sure enough.
"Ugh..."
A fancy door swung open. Pink hair stumbled out, supported by others, face the color of dirt.
Her snow-white skin made the sickness pop—bags under her eyes, legs wobbling like jelly.
Zombifying nicely.
I tsked and strode over.
Lily was squatting by the wheel, hands on knees, staring at the ground like she was about to have a heart-to-heart with it.
"Lily."
"...!"
My voice jolted her. She whipped her head up. Those dull light-green eyes sparked to life, her face lighting up like a dog's tail-wag frenzy.
"Ka-Kasian-nim?"
I tossed her the little vial I'd snagged from Lucius.
"Take it."
"Huh?"
She fumbled but caught it.
"What's... this?"
"Motion sickness meds."
"Ah."
She cradled it preciously in both hands. Then, without even opening it, looked up at me.
"Ah, what about you, Kasian-nim? Did you take some? You look a little..."
"..."
I was floored. Her own nose was out of commission, and she's worrying about me?
In this state, fretting over others. Definite saintess material. God knew what he was doing.
Me? I'd inhaled mine the second I got it.
"Can't you tell I'm fine? I'm built different—no need for that crap. Shut up and drink if you don't wanna hurl."
"Y-Yes! Thank you. Hehe."
She finally popped it open and downed it.
Gulp.
Instant results. Slumped shoulders squared up, dirt-pale cheeks flushed with color. One lively pup, like nothing happened.
Though she'd nearly croaked from radioactive tea before—wary of that—but scarfs down my gift no problem.
"Wow! It's magic! Stomach's totally settled!"
Makes sense?
Never had this stuff before, huh.
For real? Suddenly felt like some overseas starving-kid sponsor.
Just hope this pinkie doesn't turn pirate.
"Good enough. Up. Prof's calling assembly."
I turned coolly.
Whispers from nearby noble ladies.
"Oh my, that barbarian? Looking after Lily?"
"Even gave her medicine—surprising. But his speech is so..."
"So crude..."
Shouting it for me or just no ear filters? Whatever. I was max level—zero damage.
Bark away.
I breezed past to the assembly point.
Professor Wilhelm lined us up in ranks. His face was dead serious.
"Attention!"
His booming voice echoed across the clearing.
"Today, we camp here—phase one. But first."
He jabbed his baton toward the forest beyond.
"As proud nobles of the empire, under the banner of imperial citizens, you must see what the world holds."
His eyes gleamed sharp.
"No ugly faces or hints of disgust. I warn you. True noble dignity comes not from attire, but from how you treat others."
Stuck in classrooms till now, now out for 'ops'—soldier's blood pumping. His tone had gone oddly rigid.
The noble kids were tense, faces tight at this first glimpse of misery.
Far from the walls, deep woods hiding even the castle spires. Remote as hell.
And there, like a lie, sprawled a slum village. Rickety shacks on the brink of collapse.
And.
"Ugh..."
"This is too much."
"Perfume can't mask it."
We hadn't even entered, but the wind carried a stench stabbing our noses.
Lily muttered to herself.
"Why... such a smell?"
Roughly? Rotting water, shit, unwashed bodies mixed into pure foulness.
"Slum village."
Lily tilted her head.
Yeah. I didn't know jack either. Just from the novel.
"The slums I saw were..."
Different, right? You never saw a real one.
Students lifted hands to noses, then dropped 'em fast at the prof's piercing glare.
But me?
"Haa."
A deep sigh escaped on its own.
Lily beside me asked cautiously.
"Why the sigh? You okay?"
"Nah. Just."
Fuck.
"Been ages since civil support duty. Hits different. Thought I'd never do it again."
"...Huh?"
Manure and livestock stench stirring PTSD.
My brain spat out old memories.
Civil support = army shovel duty, unpaid grunt work. Floods? Rebuild. Snow? Clear it. Harvest? Rice planting slave life.
This old, in this world, again? Reality crashed hard.
That damn geezer... shoved us right here.
But Lily, clueless to my baggage, had her eyes sparkling.
Her brain was wiring it all wrong.
"...Ah."
She clasped her hands, face full of emotion.
"Kasian-nim is... way kinder than I imagined."
"...Huh?"
I stared back at her admiring gaze, totally blank.
What the actual fuck?
I just cursed? 'Fuck'?
"Volunteering in places like that... often enough to call it 'ages'..."
Ah. She'd pegged me as the noblesse oblige type—frequent do-gooder volunteer.
"No, that's not—"
Tried to correct, but she gazed up with starry eyes, whispering.
"I respect you. Truly."
"..."
No. I just sighed 'cause I hate shoveling.