The Woolen Hat
After all the academy classes ended, I dragged my exhausted body out of the classroom and into the hallway. Students in uniform scattered in every direction. Some—like the protagonist, Kair—headed straight for the carriages waiting outside, as if the academy grounds were nothing more than a parking lot. Others made their way toward the dormitories attached to the main building. I belonged to neither group. Like the students who didn't wear uniforms at all, I simply walked out of the academy on my own two feet and headed home through the city streets.
"They don't even bother checking on the way out." The entrance had been under strict control during arrival hours, but now it seemed they couldn't care less whether you wore a uniform or not. Even an academy full of subtle discrimination apparently didn't bother monitoring departure times. Whatever. I just wanted to get home.
I swung my bag lazily as I walked. A familiar shop caught my eye along the way, so I pushed the door open like it was my own house. A clear, pleasant chime rang out—completely at odds with the cold gleam of metal weapons and armor on display.
"Welcome... Oh, it's you."
"I stopped by on the way home."
Balt, who had straightened up to deliver a sales greeting, relaxed the moment he recognized me and went back to sorting inventory boxes.
I told him I'd dropped by on my way back and casually took a seat on the clerk's chair, glancing over the stock. Weapons and armor that were still far too bulky for me to use.
"...Huh?"
Balt lifted his head slightly, eyes widening as he finally noticed something strange about my appearance. He narrowed his gaze, brow furrowed in thought, before speaking in a hesitant tone.
"That uniform... Ah, today's the entrance ceremony, isn't it?"
"Yeah."
Balt had attended Astra Academy himself. As if the three grueling years he'd spent there were already forgotten, he asked how much time had passed, as though he had no experience with the place at all. I gave a short confirmation and asked a question of my own, even though I already knew the answer.
"You graduated this year, right, hyung?"
"Heh, that's why I'm here at the shop right now."
He grinned, as if being at the shop during academy hours was proof enough that he was no longer a student, and finished organizing the boxes. Seeming curious about my uniform, he didn't even look my way as he moved the crates, but kept talking anyway.
"By the way, how'd you manage to get that academy uniform? It couldn't have been cheap..."
With a short grunt, he kept the questions coming. Just as Balt said, the Astra Academy uniform wasn't inexpensive. It was well-made, but it was just ordinary fabric—no special materials. Yet a full set cost nearly a gold coin. Enough to make pants out of throwing daggers.
"It was really expensive."
"They don't separate nobles and commoners by uniform for no reason. Even if it doesn't cost much to make, they don't want just anyone wearing it."
Only after hearing his words did I finally understand why the uniform was priced so high. It was a way to flaunt the kind of wealth that could casually hand out a gold coin as pocket money—something commoners couldn't do. Thanks to that, all the savings I'd scraped together for weeks had vanished in one go.
Right... Come to think of it, that guy Kair had said he'd cover the cost of the uniform for me.
'Completely forgot about that.'
"So, do you take classes in the big building? Or the smaller one?"
While the image of gold coins still lingered in my mind, Balt's question came again. The big building and the small building—he probably meant the main academy building and the annex he'd attended. Swinging my legs back and forth from the chair, I answered dryly with just the facts.
"For now, the big building. There's a noble I met before I became a mercenary."
"Oh, really? That's good. Are the facilities much better there?"
He sounded genuinely pleased and showed interest in the facilities. Since he'd only attended classes in the annex, he didn't seem to know much about the main building.
"Pretty decent? There's a separate training ground inside, and the garden has all kinds of stuff."
"Just like I heard. Completely different from the annex."
When I vaguely described the facilities I'd seen in the hallways, Balt muttered with a slightly dejected expression, as if newly realizing the gap. Even though we'd attended the same academy, we lived in completely different worlds.
"I don't know anything about that side, so I can't really give you advice."
Naturally, the education in the annex would differ from the main building. Balt sighed, admitting he had nothing to offer. Just as he was curious about the main building, I was curious about the annex, so I asked casually.
"What did you learn when you attended the... I mean, the academy, hyung?"
I swallowed the word "school" that almost slipped out and quickly corrected myself. Balt, who seemed to have finished sorting the inventory, sat behind the counter and spoke as if recalling recent memories.
"Us? Nothing special. Stuff like counting money that we already knew... basic history, basic etiquette when dealing with nobles? We learned things like that, and we did some exercise now and then."
"Hmm."
At his nonchalant reply, I let out a dry sigh. The subjects sounded like watered-down versions of what was taught in the main building, with far more straightforward names. Economics became "counting money," history became "basic history," liberal arts became "basic etiquette," and survival training became "exercise." Compared to what the wealthy learned, it was all much more basic.
"Since I graduated, it's none of my business now. But aren't you going home? Do you need to buy something?"
As if it was all in the past, he brushed it off and asked if I wasn't heading home, if I needed anything.
Looking at the items on display, I gave up.
"Well, because of the academy, I'll probably be staying near the capital for a while anyway..."
The only days I could move freely without worrying about the academy were Saturday and Sunday. Unless it was vacation, I couldn't leave the capital's vicinity. At most, cities I could reach and return from in a single day by carriage. That meant there was no need to carry anything beyond my main weapon—the dagger.
"Then how about sharpening your dagger blade? I'll do it cheap for you."
Understanding my meaning, Balt held out his hand with the palm of his rough work glove facing up and casually made a sales pitch. Since it seemed like a good idea to get it maintained while I was here, I handed over the dagger with the blade facing toward me.
The dagger I'd ended up using for three years, contrary to my initial plans. Bringing weapons into the academy was forbidden, but the memory of being attacked in the past meant I couldn't feel at ease without at least that. Its lifespan was probably nearing its end, and it was time to replace it, but... The weapons sold at ordinary shops weren't of great quality, and I still hadn't decided what to use as my next weapon. It was common knowledge that daggers weren't ideal for close combat. Even the monsters near the capital that could be finished in one blow required getting close, almost grappling. It hadn't been a problem so far, but there might come a situation where approaching itself became a disadvantage.
The scraping sound of sharpening continued from inside the warehouse. After about twenty minutes, I stood up with unnecessary anxiety and crossed behind the counter. The warehouse interior was off-limits to non-staff, but I stepped inside without hesitation. Maybe because we'd known each other for years, Balt only glanced at me once before continuing his work without yelling at me to leave.
"By the way, this dagger—you've used it for a long time. How many years has it been? No thoughts of replacing it?"
Instead of chasing me away, he asked if I had no plans to replace it because I'd used the dagger too long... It matched exactly what I'd been thinking. I nodded, grateful for the question.
"I've used it for about three years... I was thinking about that too."
"No matter what weapon you switch to, after using only a dagger for three years, the difference will feel huge. Think carefully before deciding."
Even as he spoke, Balt finished the work and turned the dagger back and forth in the warehouse light, visually checking its sharpness.
"Yeah, how much is it?"
I replied indifferently to his sincere advice and asked the price.
"For this much, I should charge seven silver coins, but I'll take five."
He mentioned both the original price and the discounted one, prompting payment. At the mention of the cost price—which showed he knew exactly how consumers thought—five silver coins disappeared from my purse in an instant. Of course, no one knew if the real cost was truly seven silver coins. It was all in the realm of trust. Like the saying that the taffy seller's heart decides the price, weapon maintenance fees were also at the merchant's discretion. Because of this, mercenaries often said it was better to buy new weapons than to pay for maintenance.
After finishing the dagger maintenance, I walked home to Reina noona's house with a lazy gait. Perhaps because the cold air hadn't completely dissipated yet, the inside of the house was quite chilly too.
"You're back?"
'?!'
I'd assumed noona would be at work as usual, so the relaxed voice echoing through what I thought was an empty house made me jump. While my body flinched in surprise, I finally noticed the neatly organized pile of armor in the corner of the room.
"Ah, you scared me. Are you off today?"
"Yeah, haaah..."
I clutched my startled heart and looked toward the voice with a drained expression. Reina noona let out a long yawn, covering her mouth with one hand. Then she rubbed her palm over her long-sleeved clothes and casually walked toward the closet, pulling out someone else's wool hat and putting it on. The wool hat Rein had carefully knitted, now fluffy with lint after a year of use.
"Noona, that hat..."
"Why, can't I wear it...?"
Feeling uncomfortable seeing someone else wearing it, I spoke without thinking. Reina noona narrowed her eyes and stared at me, as if I was being stingy over a single hat.
"It's not that, it's something I received from a friend in the village..."
"...Friend? You didn't buy it?"
At the mention of receiving it from a friend, noona's narrowed eyes widened. Then, while lying down, she lightly plucked some lint from the wool hat, rolled it between her thumb and index finger, and casually threw it on the floor before asking with a slight pause.
"...Is it a girl?"
"Uh, yeah, for now."
At Reina noona suddenly asking about Rein's gender, I answered affirmatively, feeling bewildered. I wondered what difference it made whether my friend was a boy or a girl, but noona, who had entered silence mode again, didn't take off the hat. Instead, she turned to lie facing the inside of the sofa and said,
"What does it matter? It's not like it's wearing out."
"Ah."