The Prodigal Son
Cloud-white hair paired with stark black eyes. Even his unkempt short beard somehow lent him the air of a handsome middle-aged man. “I’m sure the guild already briefed you, but the reason I called you here is to escort a certain individual.”
The man sank into the long sofa across from us without a shred of dignity, skipping any pleasantries and cutting straight to the point. The mention of “a certain individual” made Reina’s metal helmet clank softly as she nodded. The protagonist’s father continued.
“My son is in Selindale. He turns fifteen this year.”
Selindale. Son. Fifteen this year. Though it was only background information for the job, it told me plenty. I finally understood why the current protagonist hadn’t shown his face in the capital, and the fact that he was the same age as me made my eyes widen.
Staring at him with round eyes, I heard the next question come from that stern yet kindly face.
“How old are you?”
The sudden question stabbed straight into my heart like a blade of tension. My lips trembled as I forced out an answer.
“Ah… I-I’m also fifteen.”
“Oh? Same age as the boy, then? You’re quite diligent for your age.”
“Th-thank you…”
I bowed my head at the plain, straightforward praise, but the conversation quickly shifted back to the reason for the request.
“I let him do as he pleased until he turned fifteen, but as you both know, anyone whose family home is in the capital must spend three years at the Academy, regardless of status.”
It was the same story Balt had told me—the mandatory Academy life for those with roots in the capital. I’d already accepted that much. Even if it felt like being dragged there by law, compulsory education was something you had to endure.
“So about a year ago, I sent a letter telling him to return home…”
But there was more. The next words made my expression stiffen.
“As you can see, the boy isn’t here. I don’t care what methods you use—just catch that unfilial brat and bring him before me.”
‘Huh?!’
I nearly cried out in surprise inside my head. I’d thought this was just a simple escort job between cities. Turned out it was also a retrieval mission for a rich family’s runaway son. On top of that, I learned the so-called protagonist had been ignoring his father’s letters and hiding out in another city for a whole year. What kind of trash protagonist was this? My shattered image of the righteous main character lingered for only a moment.
“I’ll have a carriage prepared for Selindale, so wait here for a bit. Catch him by whatever means necessary and bring him back the same way you came.”
Reina didn’t even respond, yet the matter was already settled. With the sound of refined footsteps, the man left the drawing room. He had treated us with polite respect, but every action still carried the weight of his status. No matter how well he wore the mask of a smile, some noble habits simply couldn’t be hidden.
“How much are we getting paid for this job?”
“Four gold coins. More than enough for fetching one brat.”
“Four whole coins…”
We chatted in the now-empty drawing room. The reward of four gold coins left me impressed—it was far too generous for a simple escort. As expected of someone with deep pockets. At the same time, I remembered the fifteen gold coins I’d offered the guild two years ago just to catch a single thief. In the end, I hadn’t lost the money, so it had been a wise choice… but looking back now, it had been completely insane.
“I guess A-rank mercenaries really do charge high rates, huh?”
“Of course. Especially for named requests like this.”
While we were talking quietly in the drawing room, a soft knock sounded and the large door opened with a click. Beyond the aged creak appeared an elderly butler with a neatly combed-back hairstyle. It was the same face that always greeted me with “How was your day?” whenever I returned from the Academy. Hearing something else from him felt a little strange, but the clanking of armor quickly buried the awkwardness.
“The carriage is ready. Will you be departing right away?”
Instead of answering, Reina rose from the sofa. It was a silent signal that we were ready to leave. I peeled myself off the sofa and followed behind her.
Inside the estate grounds stood a luxurious carriage that had somehow appeared while we were inside. Two sturdy horses waited in front, and behind them was a capsule-shaped passenger compartment clearly meant for only the upper class. Even the coachman was a neatly dressed servant rather than some scruffy driver.
‘How extravagant.’
Compared to the shabby wagons I’d ridden until now, the difference in environment was impossible to ignore. I let out a long sigh through my nose.
‘Never thought I’d feel deprived just from a mode of transportation…’
Whether anyone else felt deprived or not, the moment we boarded, the carriage wheels began to roll. The luxury of traveling on someone else’s legs instead of my own. Maybe because it was such a high-class carriage, even the jolts felt milder.
Normally, the stench of horse dung would hit us the moment we reached the city outskirts, making us wrinkle our noses. But perhaps because we were sealed inside, I didn’t notice the smell at all. Only after glancing out the window did I realize we had already left the capital.
Silence hung thick inside the carriage.
“Have you ever been to Selindale?”
“Huh?”
Reina’s soft voice pulled me from the drowsiness that had been making my head nod. She was asking if I’d visited Selindale before. There hadn’t been a direct carriage from Windren to Karsion, so I’d passed through it briefly while transferring between two cities. Though “passed through” was generous—I’d only seen the entrance before immediately boarding another carriage.
“Just for a moment on my way back from my hometown. I switched carriages right away…”
“Hmm.”
Reina let out an intrigued hum, and the conversation died there. Why was she asking that? I tilted my head in confusion, but the silence returned, so I leaned my head against the carriage wall.
The backrest was tall enough, there was plenty of space to rest my head, and the ride was smooth. Experiencing this kind of luxury meant I was going to suffer even more the next time I had to ride a regular carriage…
While worrying about the future, my body honestly enjoyed the comfort. Time passed like that—how long, I wasn’t sure.
“…Hey, Shen. Wake up.”
“U-uh?”
I didn’t even remember falling asleep. At Reina’s voice, my eyelids cracked open. Still half-dazed, I mumbled something incoherent and rubbed my eyes to steady my spinning vision. The scenery outside the window—once only fields and forests—had changed into the sight of a city where people lived.
It took only a few seconds to realize from my stiff neck and aching shoulders that I’d fallen asleep sitting up.
“Haa, ugh…”
Covering my mouth as I yawned, I stretched my arms upward, fingertips brushing the carriage ceiling. Outside the window, the blue sky that had been lit by the low sun was now filled with a pale ashen gray.
Job, protagonist, whatever—right now, all I wanted was to sleep a little longer. The carriage didn’t stop even after entering the streets, steadily heading somewhere.
With half-lidded, sleepy eyes, I stared outside for a while. The wheels finally came to a halt in front of a mansion that, while not as grand as the one in Karsion, was still quite spacious. Only one guard stood at the entrance—far fewer than the capital estate. Still, having someone permanently stationed at the gate meant the owner was wealthy enough.
The carriage paused briefly, then rolled forward again once the guard opened the gate… and finally stopped completely in a suitable spot inside the grounds.
At the rustling sound from the front of the carriage, I lifted my head. Footsteps approached the door, and my gaze followed. The young servant who had driven us the whole way carefully opened the door and spoke.
“Ah, there’s something I should mention beforehand…”
“Yes?”
“It might take quite a bit of effort to bring the young master back to the main house…”
With an awkward smile, the servant stepped aside to guide us. The fact that even the mansion staff were warning us like this, on top of the father’s “use any means necessary” order, made me wonder.
‘What? What exactly is he implying?’