Bath Peeping (1)
The next morning, Pasvachio rode off early to the city where he used to live. He said it would take about half a day to return with the ingots. Until recently he had been a wanted man for murder, but in exchange for cooperating with the Lionheart unit, his wanted status had been temporarily suspended, allowing him to move about freely.
While waiting for Pasvachio, I spent a large sum to purchase a new house in a residential area where the middle class lived. It was a three-story detached house with a garden. The purchase cost a total of 20,540 beni—roughly 79 million won in Earth currency. Compared to the 8,900 beni (34 million won) I had spent not long ago on a single-story building on the outskirts of the bustling district, I had paid more than double. I did not regret it in the slightest. The joy of finally having a comfortable home outweighed everything else.
Haida and Evynie were delighted at the prospect of a kitchen where they could cook, and they were especially pleased to have a safe space to hang laundry. I felt a little sorry for the children, but I wondered if they realized this marked the beginning of their full-fledged life as maids.
Around sunset, Pasvachio returned. Together we carried three cobalt ingots and headed for the commercial district. Dana, who showed no interest in tidying the new house and cared only about what I was doing, accompanied us.
“Dana. Is there bread crumbs on my face?”
As the three of us walked side by side, Dana kept staring at my face. I spoke up, but she did not even pretend to listen and continued watching me.
“Can you hear me?”
“I can.”
“Is there something on my face?”
“No.”
“Then why do you keep staring? What if you trip? You should look ahead while walking.”
“Looking at Hyun-woo makes me feel good. I never get tired of it, no matter how long I look.”
She said it with a blank expression, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I was a little flustered, but I smiled on the outside.
“Thanks.”
“Hah, it has been a long time since I heard Lady Dana’s nightingale voice!”
Pasvachio, walking beside us, looked at Dana with admiration. Dana pulled her hood down low and stepped behind me as if to hide. Pasvachio scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“It seems I spoke out of turn, Captain.”
“Don’t worry about it. Dana is like that with everyone.”
We chatted idly as we walked down the street lined with forges on both sides. Pasvachio pointed to a shop and led us inside. I took out the cobalt ingots for the female clerk and requested that she make daggers.
“We have a backlog of orders, so it will take about three months to complete.”
At the clerk’s words I sighed and nodded reluctantly. While I was filling out the request form, the master smith happened to walk out from the back of the shop. He looked to be in his mid-forties. He examined the cobalt ingots closely before turning his gaze to me. His eyes seemed more interested in me than in the rare metal.
“I do not believe we have met. I am the master smith, Bread.”
He extended his hand for a handshake. As we clasped hands, I took the opportunity to promote the mercenary group.
“I am Kang Hyun-woo, captain of the Kether Mercenary Group.”
After the handshake, he spoke again.
“Forgive me, but I have never heard of the Kether Mercenary Group in this area. Might you be visiting from elsewhere?”
I smiled lightly and shook my head.
“We are a newly formed group. Though we are new, we plan to work with the Lionheart unit to wipe out the bandits.”
Bread looked genuinely surprised.
“Oh! To be working alongside the Lionheart unit—congratulations. It is only a matter of time before your group becomes famous!”
After that, Bread served us tea and asked all sorts of questions, almost to the point of being excessive. Apparently satisfied with our answers, he suddenly offered us a request.
“You may already know this, but the area is quite rough and bandits are rampant. There is no reliable mercenary group to entrust work to. Most of the local groups are tied to criminal organizations and cannot be trusted. On the other hand, the Kether Mercenary Group has been recognized by the Lionheart unit that came down from the capital to subjugate bandits, so I believe I can trust you. It is nothing difficult—just a simple delivery request. Would that be possible?”
From what he explained, his younger sister lived in a village about a day’s carriage ride from Nobern. She was soon to be married. Bread was currently too busy to attend the wedding himself, so he intended to send only a gift for his sister and brother-in-law.
“Even a short trip to attend my sister’s wedding would take at least three days. Unfortunately, the wedding date overlaps with the deadline for a sword the lord commissioned, so I cannot go. I cannot afford even a single day off if I want to meet the delivery date. Instead, I would like to send at least a letter and a gift. Please, help me.”
I understood the urgency, but a trivial delivery request was not something I felt compelled to take on when we were not short on money. With the mercenary group already short-handed, I politely declined. Bread did not give up easily.
“Then how about this? I will make the daggers you requested within a week. Normally I would not do this, but I will set aside the previous customers’ orders and make yours first. If I work on it alongside the lord’s commission, a week should be sufficient.”
The idea of receiving something that originally would have taken three months in just one week was tempting. I nodded and readily accepted Bread’s request.
“Then please wait a moment!”
Bread smiled brightly and hurried inside, returning shortly with a square box wrapped in blue silk.
“All I know how to do is hammer metal, so I made a pair of matching necklaces for my sister and brother-in-law. Please deliver this along with the letter.”
We drew up a contract on the spot. The payment for the request would be offset against the cost of making the daggers. Being able to obtain a master-crafted dagger at such a low price felt like pure luck. In high spirits, I returned home and shut myself in my room to plan.
The round trip to Urogavin village, where his sister lived, would take about three days if we took our time. As for who to bring along… Currently, the only capable members of our mercenary group were Dana, Pasvachio, and Unia. Bringing all three would be difficult, so I decided on two. Traveling with only one companion risked having to camp in the forest, so including myself made three the safer choice.
I selected Dana and Unia. I would have liked to bring Pasvachio as well, but I thought we needed a reliable man to watch the house while I was away. If the strong and healthy Pasvachio stayed behind, I could travel with peace of mind. Pasvachio also seemed pleased at the prospect of not being separated from his family.
The next day, I left the city with Dana and Unia.
“Damn it all. We need to wash up somewhere.”
Unia grimaced as she brushed clumps of mud from her hair and body. Dana and I were covered head to toe in mud as well. The cause was a chance encounter with a corod while crossing a swamp after dismounting. Corods were four-legged creatures resembling crocodiles that lived in swamps and fed on small organisms buried in the mud. To hunt, they would suck in large amounts of mud with their massive mouths and then expel everything except their prey through the blowhole on their backs, much like a whale spouting seawater.
While we were crossing the swamp, a corod submerged in the mud had suddenly expelled its load, drenching us. Unia, caught off guard, frowned and smashed the corod’s head with her spear in one swift strike. Covered in mud and looking like swamp monsters, we pointed at each other’s ridiculous appearances and burst into laughter.
Not long after searching for clean water, we fortunately found a small waterfall and a jade-colored pool deep in the forest. A sturdy rock stood beneath the waterfall, receiving the full force of the spray. We first scooped water into bowls to wash the two horses, then tied their reins to a tree trunk. Now it was our turn to wash.
With dried mud still clinging to my face, I spoke to Dana and Unia.
“You two wash under the waterfall. I will go down below and wash there.”
“Why not wash with us, Captain? Are you embarrassed?”
Unia gave me a sly, mischievous look. I turned away, feigning disinterest.
“It is just a survival strategy. If all three of us are together and we get ambushed, what then? At least one person should stay apart and keep watch. We cannot let our guard down out here.”
“Ooh, as expected of the captain~”
Unia gave a playful thumbs-up. Dana, who had been quiet for a while, suddenly spoke.
“Shall I wash you?”
“Like last time?”
Unia chuckled. At the sound of her laughter, the memory of Dana wiping me down with a wet cloth while I was unconscious resurfaced. For a moment I was tempted to experience it while fully conscious, but I quickly steadied myself. I had no desire to trouble Dana. Washing was something I could do alone.
I licked my lips and answered calmly.
“It is fine. I will wash by myself.”
Leaving Dana and Unia behind, I followed the stream farther down and washed. Men finished washing much faster than women. I hurriedly rinsed myself, put on my wet clothes, and climbed back up.
“This sort of thing is best enjoyed by peeking!”
Someone once said that even in adult videos, seeing someone partially clothed was more erotic than seeing them fully naked. The same principle applied here. Secretly watching was far more thrilling and vivid than openly bathing together. Who would have thought the stealth techniques Marcus taught me would prove useful in a moment like this? Maintaining the utmost concealment, I crept closer to the waterfall and hid behind a rock, slowly peeking out.