Chapter 303: A Vagabond’s Tears
Chapter 303: A Vagabond’s Tears
“So, did you have a good talk?”
At Kim Hanbyul's call, I re-entered the jewelry shop to find the old man wearing a gentle smile. He nodded once or twice, looking quite satisfied.
With a pleasant smile, the old man spoke in a calm voice.
“Mm. That was the most enjoyable time I've had in a while. Seeing her draw out the full power of the jewels was the absolute highlight.”
“I learned a great deal as well. You seem to have a truly profound knowledge of gems.”
The old man and Kim Hanbyul were singing each other's praises. I had been gone for less than an hour, but they seemed to have grown quite close in that time.
They seem to get along well.
Since that was hardly a bad thing, I responded with a gentle smile of my own.
As I sat in a chair that was still warm, I glanced at the window. A dim light was settling over the city, signaling that night would soon fall. I wanted to leave today if possible, so it seemed best to move the conversation along.
“In any case, I've kept my promise. So... what are your plans now?”
“Hm? What do you mean by that?”
“It's obvious you're pretending not to know. I'd like to hear your answer to my offer again.”
“Hmm...”
It might have sounded a bit brazen, but I had my reasons. My initial thought had turned to conviction after seeing the records on the display case when I first came in. Sensing the sincerity in my tone, the old man's expression grew serious as well.
A moment passed before the old man slowly began to speak.
“To be honest, I was a little tempted by your offer back then.”
“But you said you wanted to live out the rest of your days in peace.”
“That's right. And that hasn't changed. However...”
So far, his answer was the same as before. But he wasn't finished, so it was too early to be disappointed.
I quietly focused on what he would say next.
“Well... thanks to you, I was able to speak with that young lady of jewels. And I felt a great many things while we talked about gems.”
“I'm sure Kim Hanbyul learned a lot.”
“Hah... I'm not quite sure how to say this. I mean, I don't know what you'll think. I'm grateful that you're paying attention to a withered old man... but it's also a bit of a burden... Well... after talking with her, it seems there might be ways I can help... Of course, last time I said I just wanted to live quietly, but...”
He was rambling.
The sharp demeanor he'd shown when appraising gems was gone, replaced by a jumble of disorganized words. It was unlike him, and I tilted my head for a moment before I understood what he was feeling.
The old man felt apologetic. The Mercenary Clan of the past and the Mercenary Clan of today were in completely different positions. He had refused back then, and now he seemed to feel awkward accepting the offer when our foundation was so solid.
In a way, the old man has a pure side to him.
I smiled lightly and spoke in a low voice.
“Personally, I respect your wishes. You want to finish your life in a quiet place. I can't force you to change that. But couldn't we compromise to some extent?”
“Compromise? What's this all of a sudden?”
“I'm not asking you to join us on future expeditions or explorations. To put it simply, you'd just be moving. I heard you say earlier that you don't get many customers and that you're bored... If you join the Mercenary Clan, I can promise you won't be bored. There are plenty of things that require your touch.”
“Ahem...”
With that, I had said my piece. I had set the stage; all that remained was the old man's answer.
“In that case...”
“Yes.”
“Well, if you put it that way... Ahem, ahem. Anyway, do you have a spare room in that clan house of yours?”
It seemed so difficult for him to get that one sentence out. He avoided my gaze and kept clearing his throat. In any case, I had finally succeeded, and I answered with delight.
“We have more than enough spare rooms.”
“Ahem! I see.”
“Welcome to the Mercenary Clan.”
I heard my clan members clapping softly beside me. When I extended my right hand, the old man finally turned to look at me. His face, as his eyes met mine, was thick with embarrassment.
“...Thank you. And I'm sorry.”
The old man muttered softly and took my hand. His was wrinkled and gnarled, but his grip carried the weight of his years. When we let go, he looked around the inside of his shop with a fond gaze.
“Heh heh. It'll take some time to pack all this up. Well, it's a small place, so it shouldn't take too long. In that case...”
“Sir. Since we're on the subject, why don't we do it right now?”
“Wh-What?”
“Right now. My clan members and I will help. You can leave the building for now. How about we just pack what you need and head to Monica?”
The old man's eyes widened as he looked up at me, clearly thinking my request was completely out of the blue.
*
Night fell quickly. Darkness enveloped the city, and a cold wind began to blow. The sky was filled with dark clouds, and the air was inexplicably, unpleasantly sticky, as if heralding a coming rain.
And sure enough, a few drops of rain began to fall, dotting the damp ground. The number of dots grew exponentially, quickly turning the moist earth to mud.
Splat! Splat!
“Ugh... Shit.”
The sound of the rain was growing stronger. Just then, a man who had been huddled in a corner of the street staggered to his feet. He looked up at the sky with sleepy eyes and let out a sorrowful sigh.
“Good grief… Hyung-chan, Hyung-chan. Why does nothing ever go right for you?”
The man, who called himself Hyung-chan, stood blankly in the rain for a while. But as the raindrops began to stain his clothes and soak through to his skin, he slowly started to walk.
Hyung-chan's clothes were shabby, his appearance utterly wretched. He wandered aimlessly, looking for shelter from the rain, but seemed to find no suitable place, merely roaming from one spot to another.
By the time the downpour had left him looking like a drowned rat, Hyung-chan found himself passing through a street lined with entertainment venues. Though it was the middle of the night, lights were on in the pubs, and boisterous noise spilled out from within.
The street of pubs was filled with the savory smell of food. Hyung-chan clutched his rumbling stomach and flared his nostrils.
Bang!
As he stood sniffing the air in front of the pub with the strongest smell, the door suddenly swung open, revealing a man and a woman. They gave Hyung-chan a quick glance before hurrying past, chatting quietly.
“Oppa. Where should we go?”
“That place from before. The one you said you wanted to try.”
“That place? Really~? It's so expensive there.”
“Don't worry. I made some decent money today. Anyway, let's hurry before we get soaked.”
“Eek! You're such a pervert, Oppa~!”
The man replied in an arrogant voice. His hand, which had been on the woman's shoulder, slid down and subtly squeezed her breast. She let out a small shriek and squirmed, but then immediately gave him a coquettish smile. She was clearly one of the flowers of the night, a prostitute.
Hyung-chan watched the two disappear into the distance with envious eyes before biting his lip hard.
“Shit... Must be nice. Some of us don't even have money for a cheap inn, while others are out whoring... Hah...”
For a long while, Hyung-chan peered down the street where they had vanished and into the pub. But realizing he wouldn't get anything by staying there, he began to trudge aimlessly once more.
How long had he walked? As the rain began to pour even harder, Hyung-chan suddenly stopped. He lifted his head and looked ahead. Before him stood a shabby city gate and a crumbling wall. Huddled around the wall were others who looked just as destitute as he was.
Hyung-chan then looked at the gate itself. Two guards stood on either side, enduring the heavy rain. He clicked his tongue, then sighed deeply as if reminded of his own miserable situation.
It was then.
Fwing!
Suddenly, a sharp sound tore through the air.
Fwing!
“Gack!”
“Kagh!”
Hyung-chan frowned slightly at the successive sounds, but his head snapped up the moment he heard the short screams.
“Wh-What? What's going on...?”
He looked around, but everything was the same. The pouring rain. The Users taking shelter by the wall. And the guards protecting the gate...
“Huh?”
Hyung-chan's eyes widened. The guards who had been standing steadfastly at their posts just a moment ago were now lying motionless on the ground. An arrow was lodged in each of their necks, and the blood flowing out was mixing with the rainwater, slowly spreading into a dark puddle.
He had only looked away for a second, yet the situation had changed completely. As if in disbelief, Hyung-chan rubbed his eyes once, twice. The moment he opened them wide and looked at the gate again...
Fwing!
Another arrow flew through the air. Hyung-chan instinctively leaned to the side. A streak of cold light grazed the back of his neck. He whipped his head toward where the arrow had come from.
It was near the gate. And beyond it, countless shadows that hadn't been there before were rapidly closing the distance.
“Heh. He dodged it?”
“Idiot. Can't even hit a guy like that...”
“It happens. Anyway, I'm going again.”
Hyung-chan froze. The people scattered around, the ones he thought were just like him, were getting to their feet one by one. Hearing the sound of countless footsteps mixing with the rain from all directions, he slowly, very slowly, turned his head toward the wall. A User was there, aiming a crossbow right at him.
“Aaaargh!”
Hyung-chan screamed and turned to run. Watching him flee in a panic, the User—no, the Vagabond—took careful aim at his back.
“What are you doing? Shoot him already!”
“Ah, just wait a second. The gate’s breached anyway, right? Now it’s time to start flushing them out.”
“Just shoot first. The signal... Ah, I guess it doesn't matter?”
“Exactly. I’m saying we might as well take care of him while we’re at it.”
At his comrade's urging, the Vagabond grinned and raised his crossbow to the sky. His arm trembled as if gathering magic power, and then with a sharp cry, he fired the arrow.
“Hap!”
Swiiiiish!
The arrow shot from the crossbow transformed into dozens of beams of light that soared into the air.
The beams of light paused for a moment high in the sky. Then, they began to arc gracefully, plummeting toward the ground like meteors.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The moment the beams struck the earth, deafening explosions roared, sending massive plumes of muddy water splashing through the streets.
*
“Sir. I think we're about done here.”
“Seems so. You've all worked hard.”
“It would've been faster if we'd just tossed everything into sacks.”
“Don't be ridiculous. Anyway, all that's left is to pack our personal belongings, so go wake up that sleeping child over there.”
I said in a weary voice, looking at the sacks meticulously sorted by gem type, and the old man grumbled back gruffly.
About three hours had passed since we'd arrived in Mule. The old man had seemed a bit flustered by my suggestion to leave immediately, but thankfully, he had agreed. The building was his, so there were no issues there. All that was left were the gems filling the interior and his personal belongings. We tried to pack as quickly as possible, but it was still a shop, so we had to accept that it would take some time.
“We already packed this as fast as we could... What's the big rush...?”
“Grandpa, where should I put this?”
“Ah, give that here.”
“Oppa, what about this one?”
“Hey! A grown young lady like you shouldn't be so careless...!”
“Hehehe.”
He grumbled throughout the entire packing process, but it was the old man himself who took the lead. He even seemed to be enjoying himself, whistling from time to time.
Hearing Ko Yeonju tease the old man, I laughed to myself and walked over to Ahn Sol.
Ahn Sol was sleeping soundly in a corner of the shop. She breathed softly, occasionally sleep-talking as she sniffed the air.
“Sniffle~ Sniffle~ Sniff, sniff...”
“Ahn Sol.”
“Mmm... Lick... Hehehe...”
“...”
I watched her sleep for a moment, then gently poked her philtrum, which looked strangely cute. She twitched her nose, then suddenly stuck out her tongue and licked my finger. Startled, I quickly pulled my hand back. Wiping the saliva from my finger, I shook her gently.
“Nnngh...?”
“Ahn Sol, wake up. We're leaving soon.”
“Nnngh… Orabeoniii…?”
“Yes, yes.”
Ahn Sol groggily opened her eyes, and upon meeting my gaze, she unhesitatingly buried herself in my arms. I felt her small hands clutch my back, and I patted her back in return.
“By the way, how old is that young lady clinging to the Clan Lord?”
“Why do you ask?”
“She looks quite young... I feel sorry for her, being dragged to a place like this. She reminds me of my granddaughter...”
“She's twenty.”
“What?!”
Hearing the old man's cry of astonishment, I gave a wry smile.
Deciding that was enough coddling for now, I was about to loosen her hands from my back.
“Nngh...”
“Ahn Sol?”
“Orabeoniii…”
“What's wrong?”
Her hands wouldn’t loosen. No—Ahn Sol’s hands were trembling. Sensing something was wrong, I bent down to look at her face.
KABOOOOOM!
At that moment, a deafening roar echoed from the distance.