Chapter 90
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Are You Kidding Me? (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In the 21st century, poverty is an extremely relative concept.
In some places, not being able to afford even watery porridge is called poverty, while in others, barely surviving in a cramped, single room is called poverty.
Lee Eun-hee was Korean.
If the Korea I remembered and the Korea she remembered were the same, then it was clear that unintentionally starving in Korea was no easy feat.
But the story changed slightly if Lee Eun-hee was talking about a time outside that era.
“I have.”
Quite a lot, actually.
There were times I hadn't eaten for days and felt I could chew on grass, and once I was isolated in a dungeon and came close to starving to death.
“No, I have too, of course. All sorts of crazy things have happened since I came to the Tower. That’s not what I meant… Ah, damn it!”
Having left the slums, Lee Eun-hee kicked a stone on the ground.
Watching the stone roll away, Lee Eun-hee spoke.
“I’m only telling you this because it’s you.”
“Why me?”
“You said you didn’t know what happened in the lobby. I never thought there’d be someone who didn’t know about something that big…”
Something that big? At this point, I was genuinely curious about what had happened in the lobby.
Lee Eun-hee took out a large bottle of juice from her item window.
Was she thinking of it less as an item window and more as a convenient refrigerator?
Lee Eun-hee chugged about half of the large bottle on the spot.
“I’ve starved before.”
“Is starving such a big deal? I have too.”
“Read between the lines, will you? I’m talking about before I came to the Tower.”
Outside the Tower meant her life back in the normal world.
Before I could ask, Lee Eun-hee told me her story.
“My hometown is North Hamgyong Province. I defected when I was much younger, so I don’t remember much… But I know one thing for sure. Back then, I was hungry.”
“I take back what I said about you having a beggar in your stomach.”
“You little bastard.”
Hearing it like this, it felt different.
I wasn't just saying that; I genuinely couldn't have guessed her origins until she told me.
She sounded so natural, and since she said she came over when she was young, I figured it was plausible.
“So this is just me being nosy. Ugh, but who would’ve known I’d get dragged into a world like this to suffer so much.”
“How did you end up here?”
I heard Yoo Ji-han just woke up in the Tower after going to sleep.
It was a natural question, but I couldn't say I wasn't curious about the other humans in the Tower.
Besides, the more samples, the better, right?
“Me? I fell from a construction site.”
“What?”
“I worked for a construction company. Went on a business trip to Saudi Arabia, and while I was inspecting the site, I had an accident and fell. Normally, I would’ve died on the spot or been as good as dead even if I survived, so I just think of it as a good experience and am living my life to the fullest.”
What an absurdly positive mindset.
“So, I’m heading back to the guild. I have to go see the count tomorrow, too. As for you…”
Lee Eun-hee glanced in the direction of the Western Guard’s headquarters.
“You handle yourself.”
As soon as Lee Eun-hee disappeared, I headed straight for the Western Guard where Rudie was.
When I entered the guard post, one of the guards sitting inside recognized me.
“What can I… Ah! You’re the one from last time…”
“It’s Ruin.”
When I’d said I didn’t have a fake name, Lee Eun-hee told me I should make one.
This seemed better than introducing myself as Yoo Ji-han again.
‘Not that it matters anyway.’
For some strange reason, people in the Tower had a hard time remembering my name and face.
The most likely reason was that I wasn't a challenger climbing the Tower normally.
‘Lee Eun-hee will probably be the same.’
It was a bitter thought, but there was nothing I could do.
“Ah! You’re the one who helped with the dungeon expedition, right? My apologies.”
“No. It’s fine.”
“What brings you here?”
“I have some business. I did say I would come…”
I glanced around the inside of the guard post.
Just then, Rudie emerged into the hallway and waved.
When I looked at him, the guard stepped aside as if to let me pass.
I entered Rudie’s office.
“I see the woman isn’t with you.”
“She said she had something to do, so we parted ways.”
I sat down comfortably on the sofa in his office.
“What is it?”
“Well, I’ll get straight to the point. Does the Peilia ducal household happen to need anyone?”
It wasn’t uncommon for guards to end up as escorts for nobles.
If they were from the Capital Guard, their identity was certain, and their skills were above average.
Some guards were scouted to become noble escort knights, and some nobles even openly requested escorts to be sent.
“You didn’t seem very interested in nobles.”
“I’m not particularly interested in them.”
“Then?”
“Let’s just say it’s personal.”
“I had no intention of prying. However.”
“However?”
“The name Peilia ducal household is a bit concerning.”
Rudie glanced toward the door.
Once the person passing by in the hallway was completely gone, he spoke in a low voice.
“A few months ago, the ducal household contacted us asking if we had any decent escorts. There was a young man who happened to be interested in serving a noble, so I sent him. But I haven't heard from him for the past month.”
“Not just a simple loss of contact?”
“He’s not the type to cut off contact without a reason. When I asked the ducal household, they said he was assigned to the northern territory…”
“Did you confirm it?”
“We don’t have the resources to send someone all the way to the north for a man who has already left the guard.”
Right. Their situation was different from Aegis or Erel, who were investigating with clear intent.
Besides, if he had entered service as an escort, he was now officially a member of the Peilia ducal household.
A mere guard unit couldn't interfere in the internal affairs of a duke.
“He’s not one to die easily, but.”
Rudie took a letter with a broken wax seal from his drawer.
At the bottom of the envelope was the symbol of the Peilia ducal household.
“I don’t like how they brazenly request another escort knight after dispatching my valuable talent to the north.”
The Peilia family did indeed have a duchy in the north. But that was all it was.
The Peilia ducal family had been central nobles active in the capital for generations; their provincial territory was nothing more than an asset.
Sending him to the countryside was effectively the same as saying they had no intention of introducing him to other nobles.
From Rudie’s perspective, it was a perfectly reasonable thing to be upset about.
Rudie tapped the letter on the table with his finger.
A request was just a request; he didn't have to grant it.
Just as the guard couldn't interfere with the Peilia household, the Peilia household couldn't treat the guard, which was under the protection of the Imperial family, carelessly.
It was a truly delicate relationship.
“If you want, I’ll write you a letter of recommendation. Your skills are proven, so you won’t need to be tested. But there’s a condition.”
There was only one reason for someone not aiming to become a noble to want to become an escort knight.
“I won’t ask what you’re up to. But I assume one more task won’t be a problem for you?”
“Of course not.”
“The subordinate I recommended is named Keil.”
“Alright, I’ll look into this friend of yours, Keil.”
“The request for an escort came for the second daughter, Peilia Platina Liz. She entered the Peilia ducal family as a lady at a young age and is an incredibly arrogant woman. By the way, have you ever considered getting a scar on your face or something?”
We were having a perfectly normal conversation, so why did it suddenly swerve in this direction?
A scar on a perfectly fine face! Why on earth!
Rudie coughed and took a sip of the water in front of him.
“I’m not actually telling you to do it.”
“That old man, what’s-his-name, I heard his hobby is buying 4th-grade slaves and making them fight, right? And then he eats with the ones he likes.”
“It would be a relief if all he did was eat.”
I knew it!
But what? I have to become a slave?
What do you think is going to come out of that bed?
I was eternally grateful I had rejected Erel’s offer.
“I’m not going in as a, a slave, am I?”
“Is there a rule that says he can’t touch an escort knight?”
“Nope, none at all. Damn it.”
Although the treatment was a bit better, from a noble’s perspective, an escort knight was just a slightly more expensive possession.
Furthermore, unlike slaves who had nothing to lose, the hierarchy between a noble and their escorts or maids was clearly defined.
Muel’s maids and escort knights were those who hadn't been chosen as a noble’s adopted child but still wished to become one eventually.
Their futures were decided by how the noble they served introduced them, so they clearly couldn't refuse easily.
This world really was…
Disgustingly…
Trash.
I calmed myself down by drinking some water.
“But it’s not like he lays a hand on all the escort knights, right?”
“That’s right.”
“…”
“Unless you were five years older, taller, had a darker complexion, sharper eyes, and were about twice your current weight.”
“Hey, where’s the most effective place to put a scar?”
Damn it, that duke looked perfectly normal in the picture.
I guess you really can’t judge a book by its cover.
* * *
Even with a recommendation from Rudie, the captain of the guard, becoming an escort for the Peilia ducal household was not so easy.
‘I didn't expect to have competitors.’
I was genuinely flustered when they told me to come for an interview.
I thought they might make us fight, but it was just a pure, simple interview.
So much so that I wondered if it was okay to hire an escort this way.
‘Though they do say it takes a master to know a master.’
What happens if there are no masters among the interviewers?
Rudie, who needed me to investigate Keil, had created a plausible identity and career for me.
Thanks to that, I passed the interview without much difficulty.
Except for one thing.
After deliberating with Rudie on how to effectively get out of the duke’s line of sight, we decided I should cover one of my eyes.
‘It’s uncomfortable.’
I wasn't some guy in extreme training; there was no way I’d be used to covering one eye.
“I am Ijepeu Albereta, the butler and an aide to His Grace, the Duke.”
He was a middle-aged man dressed in a neat tailcoat.
I bowed my head slightly in greeting.
“My condolences about your eye.”
“It happened a long time ago, so I’m fine.”
And don’t show any interest!
Ijepeu showed me around the estate.
The vast mansion was mostly filled with employees.
It was an excessive number for a residence where only two people lived.
“There are only two people you must serve in this mansion. Duke Peilia, and the Lady Liz.”
The first daughter, Elin, was at the imperial palace.
“You are never to set foot on the floor where His Grace’s office and study are located without his command, and you must give absolute obedience to the orders of both of them. That is all that is required of you as an escort.”
Ijepeu stopped walking and approached me.
His fingertips reached for the eyepatch I was wearing.
“You wish to become a noble, do you not?”
“…”
“Then close your eyes to what you see, and block your ears to what you hear. That is the way to become a noble. Tsk, the youngsters these days can’t even do that simple thing. A lack of grit, perhaps. Hmph.”
What was he talking about?
When I sighed, showing my displeasure, Ijepeu stepped back and chuckled.
“I will show you to your quarters. You may rest for today.”
A red sunset poured in through the large window.
The shadow flowing down the pillar and the sunset reflected on the floor looked just like blood.
* * *
Late at night, I met Lee Eun-hee at our designated spot.
“That fucking bitch.”
“What?”
“She’s the worst fucking bitch to ever exist.”