Obtaining the Antidote (3)
After half a day of riding, we finally crossed into Nublang territory, which bordered the southern edge of Nobern. When I presented the inspection pass Adelia had given me at the Nublang checkpoint guarding the main road, we passed through without issue. This was my first time leaving Nobern since arriving in this world. Though the mission weighed on my mind, the unfamiliar scenery of Nublang filled me with a sense of excited anticipation.
Prostide showed no signs of fatigue even after running for hours, cutting through the forest at a terrifying pace. Occasionally we encountered orcs on the forest paths who fearlessly bared their teeth and loosed arrows at us, but by the time they nocked their bows we were already well out of range. With the Swift Bow's buff added to Prostide's natural speed, our pace was extraordinary. We moved so fast that I sometimes failed to dodge low-hanging branches, earning shallow cuts across my cheeks. The sting was annoying, but I refused to slow down. Sixty-eight lives rested in my hands. I wrapped a cloth around my face like a hijab and urged the horse onward with renewed force.
“Burn with your house, you bastards! Gahaha!”
As the sun began to set, we passed a forest near a village and spotted a cabin just starting to catch fire, along with five men laughing and jeering in front of it.
“All the other races should die!”
“Why did something that isn't even human come to our village? This isn't a place for pigs like you!”
“Looks like we'll finally get to feast on some plump pork roast! Ahahaha!”
The men hurled every insult they could think of at the cabin, clearly enjoying themselves. Watching the scene, the only words that came to mind were bullying and group harassment. Someone seemed trapped inside the burning cabin, and I knew I had to get them out before the flames grew worse.
“Whoa, whoa.”
I pulled the reins and brought Prostide to a halt. Dismounting, I approached the men.
“Is someone trapped in that cabin?”
The men turned to stare at me in unison. The tallest youth among them scowled and strode forward.
“Who the hell are you? Didn't your dad ever tell you not to stick your nose in other people's business when you were a kid? Huh? Get lost before I beat the crap out of you!”
I had no time, and he had no manners. Months of living as a bandit had left their mark; I knew exactly how to handle situations like this. One advantage of this world was that you could swing your fists anywhere without worrying about lawsuits. I drove my fist straight into the man's face. A loud crack rang out, and his eyes crossed before he toppled backward.
“That bastard wants to die!”
“Hey, who the hell are you?”
“Kill him!”
“Shit. You're dead!”
The remaining four men, thoroughly enraged, drew the knives at their waists and charged together. I quickly unbuckled my belt and lashed it like a whip at the nearest man, striking him across the eyes.
“Aagh!”
He screamed and clutched his face. I dodged the other three's attacks, then beat them one by one with the belt until they dropped. Their skills were no better than those of common street thugs. One even went flying after being kicked by Prostide, who had rushed over to help when she saw me fighting. Adelia had been right—Prostide was an exceptionally intelligent horse. After felling all five men, I gave Prostide a thumbs-up for fighting alongside me.
Prostide let out a short whinny, as if replying, “You're welcome.” She was a loyal and polite mare. If only her owner possessed even half her humility.
The cabin was in dire straits. The small spark I had seen upon arrival had grown into roaring flames that sent thick black smoke billowing skyward. I hurriedly pulled out my canteen, soaked a cloth, covered my mouth and nose, then kicked the door open and rushed inside.
“I've come to help! If anyone's in here, answer me!”
Smoke obscured my vision, but a small, plump hand soon reached through the haze and grabbed my forearm.
“H-here!”
“Let's go!”
I yanked the person toward me. They came easily—surprisingly small in both height and build. The leaping flames and dense smoke made it hard to see their features clearly. Were they around Haida's age, maybe twelve? Wondering this, I scooped them up in a princess carry and dashed outside.
Once we reached a safe spot, I carefully set the person down and examined them. A surprised “Huh?” escaped my lips. Though female, her body was thick and short—roughly 145 centimeters tall, I guessed. Yet her face looked youthful, like a girl's. A single word flashed through my mind.
“Are you… a dwarf?”
The girl, plump but not excessively so, lay on her back and smiled up at me.
“Yes, Epibia is a dwarf.”
She shattered my stereotype that all dwarf women looked like burly aunties. Her face was small and cute, but her figure was round and chubby like a flower pig. This was my first time meeting a dwarf in person, so I stared at her in fascination.
“Wow, I've never seen one before.”
“First time?”
She smiled brightly and friendly, showing no fear of me. We moved to a different spot where she briefly explained her situation. She had only recently settled here, making a living by mining small amounts of ore from the mountains and selling it in the nearby village. The same thugs who had just attacked her had started bullying her for being small and chubby whenever she passed through the village, and today they had gone so far as to lock her in her house and set it on fire.
Despite the ordeal, her expression remained bright and spirited.
“Epibia likes human culture. Epibia loves humans. Epibia admired the human world and left home alone to come here. Epibia wants to meet a human man and live happily.”
She introduced herself as Epibia. Her speech was clumsy, but I could understand her well enough. Since she claimed to like humans, she must have studied the language diligently. I felt a quiet admiration.
As night fell, we camped in the forest together. I lit a campfire and offered her the rice balls Haida had packed so carefully. Her eyes sparkled as she ate with obvious enjoyment. After the meal, she suddenly insisted on doing something in return and asked for any metal objects I had. I tried to refuse, but she kept pressing until she spotted the crossbow I had set down beside me and broke into a bright smile.
“This crossbow looks very weak. Epibia will make it stronger.”
It was an ordinary crossbow I had bought from a weapon shop during a trip to the refugee camp with Marcus. It had seen heavy use and was practically obsolete. The idea of having it reinforced piqued my interest, so I handed it over and decided to watch how she worked.
“Please do.”
“Epibia ate delicious food earlier. Epibia will work hard and make it good.”
Epibia disassembled the crossbow and meticulously cleaned every part, from the smallest to the largest. She then went to the ashes of her house, retrieved oil from an iron box that had survived the fire, and oiled each component's surface.
“What is that oil?”
“It's reinforcement oil that increases durability and power. Just applying it without replacing parts works well. Sometimes people ask Epibia to look at their equipment, and even if there's nothing wrong, Epibia always applies this oil as a free service. Then the equipment becomes stronger.”
“Did you buy it?”
“This is a traditional family secret Epibia makes. Nothing with the same effect exists on the market.”
Her work was simple yet delicate. While chatting with her and watching, I eventually drifted off to sleep. When I opened my eyes again, a bluish dawn light was coloring the forest. The campfire still burned, and Epibia was assembling the parts with her small, plump hands, apparently having finished the maintenance just now. When I asked if she had stayed up all night, she nodded brightly with a smile, showing no sign of fatigue. Moved by her kindness, I quickly prepared breakfast. Epibia had nowhere to stay and nothing to eat after her house burned down—she was now homeless. Already looking like she enjoyed her food, I decided to make a generous portion so she could eat well before we parted.
The rice balls in the food sack had gone cold and hard. I tossed three into a frying pan, added Worcestershire sauce that tasted like soy sauce, and mashed and stir-fried them. The rice balls already contained finely chopped carrot, fennel, leek, and shallot, so no extra vegetables were needed. The Worcestershire fried rice, mimicking soy sauce fried rice, was complete. I tasted a spoonful first—nothing special. Still, I offered it to Epibia. She ate heartily to fill her stomach rather than for the taste, and though she seemed puzzled by the flavor, she asked what regional dish it was. I explained it was food from a country called Korea, very far away, and that I had only roughly imitated it because the ingredients were hard to find here. Unlike me, who liked rice, she probably preferred Western-style cooking, so it must have tasted even worse to her. Yet she ate two more bowls. After finishing, she even smiled and said it was delicious. She looked cute when she ate well, and her personality was pleasant too.
We washed the meal down with a glass of wine each, which she had brought from the ashes of her house. She seemed to love alcohol immensely. I stopped after one glass, but she downed five in a row.
“Epibia can live without anything else, but not without alcohol. Alcohol is the best.”
Epibia's pale cheeks quickly flushed from the drink. She laughed more and talked more. We chatted pleasantly and test-fired the crossbow she had worked on all night. The grip felt better, it made a more precise sound, and it struck the target accurately. A tree trunk the size of a child's waist snapped easily—it seemed the destructive power had increased tenfold. At this level, it was practically a cannonball. I felt great satisfaction with the results.
While packing the crossbow away, the thought of recruiting Epibia's talent suddenly struck me. Having someone in the mercenary group who could professionally maintain equipment would be ideal, so I asked what she planned to do next.
“Epibia will move to another village. Epibia thinks there will definitely be people there who welcome someone small and chubby like Epibia.”
“Has this incident made you disappointed in humans?”
“Epibia is not disappointed. Good people and bad people exist everywhere. Dwarves are the same. There are good dwarves and bad dwarves.”
She added with a bright smile, “Epibia wants to meet more good humans like Hyunwoo-nim. This is the first time Epibia has eaten and camped with a human. Epibia is happy. Epibia will remember this for a long time.”
While I packed my things and prepared to leave, Epibia rummaged through the charred ruins, gathering anything usable and loading it onto the cart that had been sitting in the front yard. She even loaded things that looked completely worthless, saying they were a shame to leave behind.
“It's lucky Epibia salvaged the pickaxe, hammer, and portable anvil. With these, Epibia won't starve no matter where Epibia goes.”
Looking at the cart piled high with blackened items, Epibia wore a proud smile. Even that positive attitude appealed to me. Still, could a woman really pull such a heavy-looking cart alone? Could a dwarf manage it?
“Um, Miss Epibia.”
“Yes.”
I handed her the note I had prepared in advance.
“If you have trouble finding a place to stay, come to the address written here. That's where I live.”