The Primordial Village
"Let's grab an inn first."
"You got the money, right? It's not like the innkeeper suddenly vanishes and we end up as his daughters or anything? No sudden cancellations popping up? We won't have to become daughters of the guests, right?"
"Oh my god, you don't mean kill the innkeeper and take over, do you? That's bad."
"No, corrupt nobles—"
"Inns are obviously paid for with money."
"...Phew, good."
Baek Hye-seo, who had been staring blankly at the sky, quietly patted her chest in relief.
She had a feeling she might develop some lifelong stress ailment today.
"Where's the money?"
"Right here."
Haneul rummaged around inside her cloak for a moment before pulling out a few gold nuggets and some gems.
"Currency that works here too, huh?"
"Gold and jewels fly everywhere, any world. Want a few, Hye-seo? This is a real ruby."
"Huh? No, no thanks. I'm good."
"Just say the word if you want some later."
Haneul selected a few suitably sized gems from her handful, tucked the rest back into her cloak, and started walking.
"You can trade fragments here too. Wait, not fragments—mana stones."
"Really?"
"Yeah, same value as gold. Sometimes even pricier."
"...Mana stones?"
Mana stones were rare and special materials, sure, but back on Earth, they'd never surpassed the value of gold. Equipment made with mana stones always incorporated gold too. Once mana stone processing techniques were perfected, gold prices had skyrocketed as a result.
"They process mana stones here? They have that kind of tech...?"
The city Baek Hye-seo had seen was straight out of a textbook medieval fantasy: letters instead of phones, carriages instead of cars, basins of water instead of showers, chamber pots instead of... well, you get the idea. The thought of mana stone processing existing in a place like that just didn't compute.
As expected, Haneul shook her head.
"Nah. Gold's just something nobles like. Mana stones are for offerings to the gods or..."
Trailing off, Haneul scratched her nose before slowly continuing.
"You'll see the other uses."
"Not good ones, I take it."
"Not great."
Flashing a bright smile, Haneul pointed ahead.
"That's our inn."
Combining a few letters Haneul had taught her, Baek Hye-seo made out a familiar-looking word.
"The Night the Stars Linger? Kinda poetic..."
"There's a sister inn called Where the Wind Stays. Somewhere around here there's one just for noble ladies. Wanna head there instead, Bianca?"
Baek Hye-seo flinched, half-expecting the smoke-and-mirrors act to start up again, and glanced at Haneul.
Fortunately, it was just Yoo Haneul this time.
"Ah, no... I prefer something normal."
"Got it. Let's go."
"Haneul really knows her way around this city."
"Yeah, I already lived here once."
Striding forward without hesitation, Haneul flung open the inn's door.
"Innkeeper! Customers here!"
"H-Haneul...!"
A tired-looking man at the counter hauled himself upright. Baek Hye-seo shrank back at the sight.
A massive scar slashed across his face, and his build was easily three Haneuls combined.
"Two of ya?"
"Yep! Two!"
"Two rooms?"
"Week-long stay, one room! Oh, got any with two beds?"
"Nope."
"Just give us the one then. Oh, and meals too. One a day, sometime between breakfast and lunch. Hot bath water every evening. That all good?"
The innkeeper sized Haneul up and down.
The casual banmal didn't match the smooth flow of requests. Only seasoned adventurers knew to rattle off details like that.
But adventurers didn't use banmal. They knew buttering up the innkeeper meant better treatment.
Nobles, meanwhile, spat banmal without knowing the first thing about such requests.
So this was weird. The cloak didn't scream noble, but the pale skin, silky hair, and callus-free hands were more noble than noble...
But no way it's a noble.
Nobles had that unmistakable aura, honed from a lifetime of privilege. No acting could hide it from someone like the innkeeper, who'd dealt with countless people.
Snorting a laugh, the innkeeper pulled out a key and nodded.
"All good. Meals start tomorrow?"
"Wanna eat now that we're here."
"Fine. Sit over there."
"Paying upfront."
With that, Haneul plunked two gems on the counter.
"For the room, food, and baths."
The innkeeper's eyes bulged.
Gems like those could've rented out the entire inn for a week, not just for two people.
He eyed the cloak intently before quietly pocketing the gems.
Haneul continued right away.
"Hey, innkeeper bro—any nobles around here with bad rumors?"
This time, an even chunkier gem hit the counter. Overkill for info.
But he pocketed it without protest.
"...What kinda nobles?"
"Y'know, ones from other cities with nasty rumors. Gotta be a bunch."
The innkeeper stared into Haneul's eyes before deciding to stick to the facts.
No point lying to someone who seemed to already know.
"Too many to pin down."
His hand slipped under the counter. Fumbling around, his fingers found a button.
"Then tell me the worst one."
"What're you planning?"
"That gem covers the 'don't ask' fee too, right? Prices gone up?"
Grinning innocently, but her words were pure veteran adventurer.
Bluff or real? The innkeeper glanced at the cloak again and nodded.
"...Plenty. But it'll take a bit. Gotta check the ledger inside."
"Whoa, you got a ledger? Nice. How 'bout we eat while you look? What's on offer?"
"Mushroom soup from this morning, bread, eggs and bacon. Simple veggie salad too. And honey beer that came in yesterday."
"Honey beer too! Gimme it all!"
*****
They sat and waited a bit before the innkeeper's described food arrived, along with two mugs of honey beer.
Wow...
Baek Hye-seo's eyes sparkled at the spread.
Fantasy-world food straight out of novels, anime, or movies, laid out before her.
And the honey beer mugs were those classic oak tankards from subculture tropes. Beer leaked from the sides, staining the wood, but to Baek Hye-seo, even that seemed atmospheric.
"Bro, what about the info?"
"Gonna dig through the ledger now. Eat and wait."
"Sweet."
As the innkeeper left, Haneul rubbed her hands together and pulled a silver needle from her bosom.
Baek Hye-seo, spoon midway to the soup, tilted her head.
Before she could speak, Haneul pressed a finger to her lips, dipped the needle into the soup, and stirred.
Just then, new customers entered: four men, each armed differently. Spotting their weapons, Baek Hye-seo pegged them as adventurers.
Their eyes met hers. Then one locked onto Haneul, still stirring with the needle.
His gaze shifted to the kitchen where the innkeeper had gone.
Another headed to the door, locking it with a click-click-click—five locks total.
The one eyeing the kitchen yelled.
"Hey! Malcolm!"
No answer, but he pressed on.
"Where ya sellin' 'em? Nobles? Brothel?"
What the hell did that mean? Baek Hye-seo stared blankly as Malcolm emerged from the kitchen with thick rope and a large sack.
"Both faces are top-shelf. Sellin' to nobles. Hands off."
"Virgin intact like always?"
"Mouth and ass should be fine... Just clean 'em good after."
"Heat the water right."
The adventurers cackled, cracking their necks and loosening up.
"That bitch didn't eat the poison? How?"
"That's why smart ones are a pain, tsk. I'll spot ya an extra ten percent—deal with it, Galak."
"Bird, egg, and pussy. That's why I love this dump."
Sword, spear, axe, bow. Weapons drawn, they grinned sleazily and smacked their lips.
A chill raced over her skin. Baek Hye-seo turned to Haneul.
Haneul was smiling. Her silver needle was pitch-black.
The soup, the beer... every damn thing had been poisoned.
And probably the mugs, spoons, forks too.
"Hye-seo, you good at cooking?"
Stunned, Baek Hye-seo stammered.
"...I suck, but the other demons are great."
"Demons can boil water, clean, do laundry?"
"Y-Yeah... Dry too..."
"Perfect."
Drag—Haneul shoved back her chair and crooked a finger.
"Huh?"
No sound, no warning.
The silver needle flicked from Haneul's finger straight into the bowman's forehead.
Gurgle, hack, gack... Sounds no human throat should make.
White, yellow, red foam bubbled from his mouth as he crashed down—thud.
Whatever poison they'd slathered on was vicious; one man turned corpse in seconds.
A heavy silence blanketed the inn.
Even the crude-talking adventurers shut up.
Baek Hye-seo too.
Sure, she'd killed before. Awakened criminals had to be put down on sight sometimes; she'd lost count.
But never this casually, like swatting a fly mid-air.
As the adventurers panicked and Baek Hye-seo gaped, Haneul extended her index finger and wagged it side to side.
"Gotta keep one alive, right? Malcolm or Galak—which knows more? Innkeeper probably."
A fork flew at her eye. Haneul debated grabbing it, then decided against.
No scythe or pickaxe handy, so bare hands it was today.
"Malcolm, Galak, Malcolm, Galak? Who's best? Guess, expert. Malcolm-Galak, Malcolm-Galak, Malcom-Crack... Crack-Malcolm? Mal-Sweet? Spicy-Sweet? Huh? What was it? Eh, whatever."
Raising her finger, Haneul hummed her nonsense tune—then bolted from her seat.
The sword-wielding tomato-head flailed and bellowed.
"Wh-What the hell! Crazy bitch...! Kill her!!"
Haneul twisted her head, dodging the thrusting spear.
Shortened her stride to slip past the sword a beat late, spun her body to deflect the falling axe.
Fluid as water, evading every strike, Haneul's eyes went wide.
"Tomato?"
Sword-tomato head. Spear-habanero head. Axe-cheese head.
A combo that'd make spicy-sweet gratin. Armed and charging her.
"Gratin out of nowhere? Even I'm thrown."
Thrown or not, she acted.
Haneul thrust her open palm at the charging habanero.