Chapter 32
"Long time no see."
Baek Ri-myeong looked haggard. In the meantime, his aunt and Baek Ri-pyo and So U-ak had been wailing every day as if they might collapse, tormenting Baek Ri-muk and Grandmother nonstop. Baek Ri-myeong, whose quarters were close to his great-uncle's, probably couldn't escape the commotion either.
He glanced at the modest carriage with a hint of regret in his eyes.
What is it?
My question was answered right away.
"I heard you're heading to the Namgung Clan."
"Yes, that's right."
"Isn't Senior Namgung Wan going with you?"
He must have been looking for Namgung Wan.
That's why Namgung Wan wanted to meet outside.
I could sense trouble brewing.
"I heard we'll meet up along the way."
"I see. Your little uncle will keep an eye out, but still, take care of yourself. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."
Baek Ri-myeong, pretending to be the kind big brother, finally revealed the real purpose of coming all this way.
"And I have one favor to ask of you..."
He beat around the bush, but it boiled down to one thing.
Give Namgung Wan a chance to save face.
After droning on at length, Baek Ri-myeong slipped something into my hand.
"Father told me to give this to you."
It was a silver ingot.
Bribing a six-year-old with money!
I widened my eyes in surprise but gripped it tightly and said,
"Of course! I'll make sure to tell him!"
Whether Uncle Namgung Wan would listen to me was another story!
* * *
The Baek Ri Clan estate gradually faded from view outside the window.
We're finally off.
We linked up with Namgung Wan and his men, who had been waiting outside the city gates, and exchanged greetings.
After gazing at the scenery for a while, I opened the sewing kit I'd prepared in advance.
And I renewed my ambitious resolve.
I'll finish this before we get there!
Gawking at the views was fun for an hour or two, but on this long trip, riding alone in the carriage, I knew I'd be bored out of my mind.
And my goal was to use that time to finish the sachet for Uncle Namgung Wan.
Kill two birds with one stone—beat the boredom and keep my promise.
Half a day after steeling my determination like that...
A groan of misery escaped my lips.
This wretched body!
I flung the needle and thread aside and sprawled out flat in the carriage.
It had gotten better as I grew, and since I'd been riding horses once I was bigger, I'd completely forgotten about carriage sickness.
I should've asked Seok Ga-yak for some motion sickness pills!
Energy-restoring medicine? Useless if I just threw it up.
A carriage rattling over uneven, poorly maintained roads was an insult compared to a car.
But we couldn't slow down for my sake.
With no telling how long Manshin-ui would stay in that village, we had to move as fast as possible.
And so began a grueling journey no different from being carted off on a stretcher.
I passed out into a dead sleep, only to wake and find Father—who'd been riding horseback—inside the carriage with me.
"Father? Why are you here?"
"...Don't worry about it. Just lie down."
Father, looking troubled, gently laid me back down.
I'd briefly come to, but soon dozed off again in his arms.
I later learned I'd asked "Why are you here?" five or six times.
But I had no memory of it...
The carriage pressed on without rest.
As time passed, my body grudgingly accepted reality and began adapting bit by bit.
The relentless jolting finally stopped, and I felt someone carefully lifting me.
When I opened my eyes, it wasn't the familiar carriage ceiling but pale yellow bed curtains that greeted me.
And my wrist felt warm and itchy.
Turning my head, I saw Father sitting there, eyes closed, his hand on my wrist.
He was channeling his internal energy to replenish my depleted stamina.
Our eyes met as he realized I'd woken.
Father's stoic face softened into a faint smile.
In that instant, the flow of energy cut off, and his smile vanished as if I'd imagined it.
"If you're awake, let's have dinner. I'll have it brought to the room."
"No! I want to eat downstairs."
The first floor of an inn like this was usually a dining hall.
"Why not eat comfortably in the room?"
"I've been cooped up in the carriage too long. I want some fresh air."
"All right."
Father scooped me up effortlessly.
Clinging to his neck as we stepped into the hallway, the view opened up to the first-floor dining area below.
The Namgung Clan warriors, whose faces I'd grown familiar with on the trip, were seated there.
Having finished eating, they were nursing drinks.
Sim Ji-pyeong, Namgung Wan's deputy, spotted us first. His face flushed from drink, he called out cheerfully.
"Young Master Baek Ri! There you are. Oh, the little miss is up too. Eating down here? Feeling better now?"
"Yes! I'm fine!"
Father chose a table a bit away from the Namgung warriors.
As I looked around, I asked,
"Where's Uncle Namgung Wan?"
"He went out."
The inn waiter approached right away.
"What can I get you?"
"Something simple for me. The child has an upset stomach—do you have porridge?"
Porridge again?
"Of course we do."
As the waiter turned to leave, I grabbed Father's sleeve.
"What?"
"I want dumplings..."
The steaming-hot dumplings on the Namgung warriors' table looked delicious.
"Your stomach's upset."
"But I want them..."
"...Bring some dumplings too."
"Heehee."
Moments later, the waiter returned with a tray and said cheekily,
"Shall I set the porridge in front of the young miss?"
Father nodded silently.
"Whew, I thought the young miss had some serious illness. Your face was so pale when you arrived!"
He set the rest of the food on the table but lingered, chattering on.
"Seeing the young master's sword, you must be from the jianghu, right?"
Sensing he had something to say, I jumped in quickly.
"That's right! Isn't Father cool? You'll know his name if I tell you!"
"Yeon-ah."
Father scolded me mildly, but the waiter pressed on shamelessly.
"If you're that famous, you must wield quite the sword, eh?"
"Yes!"
"Then no need to worry. You've got a big group too. Still... with a daughter along..."
At the mention of me, Father finally paid attention to the waiter.
Under Father's gaze, urging him to continue, the waiter lowered his voice.
"Lately, kids have been going missing around here. Be careful."
"Missing?"
"Missing?"
Father echoed, and I put on my most shocked face.
"Well, kidnapped, maybe? Anyway, human trafficking's rampant. Kids vanish if you take your eyes off them for a second. Damn scum, snatching innocent commoners' children. Tsk tsk."
"...Tell me more."
Emboldened by Father's interest, the waiter continued eagerly.
"Of course. It started with beggar kids."
Father's expression visibly hardened.
"One or two beggar kids scavenging vanished. Who'd notice beggars? They come and go, so folks figured they moved somewhere better or died."
I nodded inwardly, while Father's face grew icy.
"But then healthy kids with parents started disappearing one by one! That's when people realized something was off. They asked around, and those beggar kids hadn't left—they'd vanished. No one's seen them since. Ahem."
The waiter, throat dry, smartly sipped some tea from the table before going on.
"Now, any house with kids bolts the doors at night and won't let them out. It's been over a year easy."
He sighed deeply.
"Even with parents watching like hawks, the kids vanish like ghosts. Be careful, young master."
"What do the authorities say?"
If commoners were involved, the magistrates should step in.
"Authorities? Pfft, hopeless. They just tell folks not to make a fuss over a few missing kids. When some grieving parents caused a scene, they got beaten and chased off."
The waiter shook his head.
Just as expected...
It was the exact same incident as before.
If I'd stayed in the room, I wouldn't have known a thing.
Just like in my previous life.
Good thing I dragged myself down to the dining hall despite being exhausted.
Time to stay sharp from here on out.
On the surface, this had nothing to do with me.
But this incident was the biggest reason I couldn't get treatment from Manshin-ui.