Chapter 44: Preparations for Flight
Chapter 44: Preparations for Flight
〈Reminiscence〉
“We both struggle in the shadows, don't we? Even if we're enemies… it's a pleasure to meet you, anyway.”
“Mm. I've heard the rumors. Han Soyoung, the Battlefield Maestro. And you're the Sword Master under her command? Jin Soohyun, was it?”
“Ah, my apologies. Not Jin Soohyun, Kim Soohyun.”
“Perhaps. If I had met her first, I might have joined her immediately. She’s that compelling a User.”
“That's a poor joke. My current position isn't so bad. And I don't make a habit of betrayal.”
*
Thankfully, the Warp Gate was still offering a discount. The original fee was two gold per person for a total of eight, but thanks to a 50% discount, we only had to pay half that—four gold.
As the kids stepped into the portal, which rippled like calm water, they could not hide their fascination. They had passed through portals several times during the Rite of Passage and should have been growing used to them, yet the way they craned their necks and looked around might as well have advertised, “I’m a complete newbie.”
I wanted to warn them that such a trivial display could make them targets for Vagabonds. But I didn’t want to become an overbearing mother hen from the very beginning, so I shut my half-open mouth.
As my body was fully submerged in the portal, a cool sensation, like diving naked into the ocean, enveloped me. I quietly closed my eyes. After savoring the clear energy that filled my entire being, I opened them again to find the scenery had already changed. The shabby cityscape of a small town came into view.
We had arrived in the small city of Mule.
Even with the kindest of words, Mule could hardly be described as prosperous. The kids’ reactions were a sight to behold. After living in the grand city of Barbara with its straight roads, clean buildings, and bright, magnificent atmosphere, seeing such a rundown city seemed to leave them at a loss for words.
It would be a long shot for a pioneer city like this to ever catch up to Barbara, unless the Young Lord in charge of the city’s representative clan was exceptionally resourceful. I led the kids forward, our feet treading on the uneven, ochre-colored dirt.
The streets of Mule were mostly quiet. The few Users we saw were mostly clad in shoddy equipment. Considering it was transitioning from morning to noon, most people were probably out of the city, but one couldn't expect to see Users at every step like in a metropolis. (Not that I was expecting that in the first place.)
Lee Yoojung looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings before asking curiously.
“Oppa. What do we do now? Are we heading straight out of the city?”
What a reckless thing to say. We at least needed to secure a place to return to. I shook my head.
“No. First, we need to find an inn to use as a base camp for the time being.”
“Base camp? An inn?”
“If you're not registered as an official clan, it's hard to get a clan house, let alone a regular house. Think of it as living in an inn for a while.”
I had planned to stop by an inn first anyway, to get breakfast and lunch. I wasn't sure what the kids thought, but I felt this wasn't a bad start for their first steps into the Hall Plain. Users who failed to join a clan or dropped out of the User Academy would find it hard to even survive day to day.
A pub was the obvious place to gather information about a city’s currents, but I had another reason for choosing an inn. During my first run, I had briefly operated in Mule and once stayed at a certain inn without giving it much thought.
Back then, I had simply stayed there and moved on, but later, I had the chance to confirm a coincidental fact related to that inn.
Following my memory, I walked along the main street until I stopped before a shabby inn. The kids halted behind me. A faded sign above the entrance bore the peculiar name The Demure Lady. Certain I had found the right place, I smiled faintly and was about to step inside.
Crash! Thump!
“Aaaahhh! Somebody help meeee!”
Just as a loud noise erupted from inside the inn, a male User with a dark beard burst through the door. With a look of pure panic on his face, he stumbled out and actually went tumbling right in front of us.
But then, with a skill that was almost acrobatic, he shot back to his feet and fled without a single glance back. Having a rough idea of the situation, I let out a small laugh, but the kids just stared blankly in the direction he had run.
“Don't just stand there gawking. Come on in.”
Soon, a husky yet distinctly feminine voice flowed out from inside the inn. I led the dazed kids inside, where we were greeted by a scene of utter chaos. Scattered dishes and tablecloths were the least of it. Ahn Hyun let out a groan at the sight of broken chairs and overturned tables.
In the center of the hall stood a woman with a composed look on her face. She wore a languid smile, looking thoroughly satisfied with something. The only thing that set her apart from other Users was the faint hint of ash-gray in her hair.
The woman glanced at me, then slowly looked over our entire group before speaking.
“I haven’t seen your faces before. Are you customers?”
A gentle voice capable of melting any man’s heart flowed from her beautiful lips. Ahn Hyun’s face reddened before he even realized it. There he goes again. I was already immune to such temptations, so I answered calmly.
“Yes. We're customers.”
“A meal? Or lodging?”
“Both. We'd like to eat first.”
At my answer, she smiled faintly.
“I do like a polite man. Alright, little ones. This place is a mess, so it might be a bit difficult, right? Go find another table and wait there.”
I went to the spot she indicated and sat down quietly. The kids, initially too flustered to take a good look, now began to look around once they had settled down a bit.
It had been a long time since I had seen The Demure Lady. The inn was three stories tall: the first floor served as the lobby and dining hall, while the second and third contained the rooms. More importantly, aside from us, there wasn’t a single other User inside.
A moment later, the woman approached our table with a bright smile. Of course, the table and chairs were still in a state of disarray. She placed water, cups, and a menu on the table, practically tossing them, but miraculously, they all spun once in the air before landing softly in the center of the table. The kids' eyes went wide at the sight.
“Besides what's on the menu… you can order things that aren't on it, too. I can make just about anything. What would you like to eat?”
The kids all turned their gazes to me at once. I briefly scanned the menu before answering. To be honest, I was just pretending to look; I already knew what the best thing to order here was.
“Course A for four, please.”
“My, my. The handsome ones always make the best choices. Course A will be out shortly, so just wait a moment.”
She sashayed into the kitchen with a gait that openly flaunted her voluptuous figure. Ahn Sol pouted at me, Lee Yoojung wore a strange expression, and only Ahn Hyun watched me enviously.
“Oppa. Something feels weird about this place. Why did we come here?”
“Yeah, it's weird. Can't we just go somewhere else?”
Lee Yoojung spoke with a displeased expression, and Ahn Sol quickly backed her up. I tilted my head. I hadn’t expected them to ask to leave. Was it really that strange? Ahn Hyun hurriedly spoke up, unwilling to be left out.
“I don't know! I think it's fine. It's not that weird. Is there really a need to go somewhere else?”
The moment Ahn Hyun finished, the two girls glared at him at once. Lee Yoojung gave him an I knew it look, while Ahn Sol stared at her older brother in disappointment. Wincing under their gazes, Ahn Hyun cleared his throat and hurriedly changed the subject.
“I'm, I'm really hungry. Let's just eat first and then… talk.”
“Give me a break. Did you fall in love at first sight or something?”
Ahn Hyun did not answer. He merely turned his head as if admiring a distant mountain. After looking away from him, Lee Yoojung immediately turned on me, her voice sharp. Ahn Sol had also been unusually grumpy ever since the plaza in Barbara.
“Hmph. I don't like being called 'little one,' either. We're not babies.”
When Ahn Sol finished, Lee Yoojung flinched and stared at her. I had also been treating Sol like a child, so I had little to say. Lee Yoojung scratched her head and continued airing her complaints. Why on earth was she acting like this?
“If you're going to bring us to an inn, at least pick a decent one. It's obviously weird. The inside is a mess, and that guy ran away like his tail was on fire.”
Your personality is stranger. I can’t ever tell what you’re going to do. I barely suppressed the urge to say it aloud and answered with an awkward smile. Apparently dissatisfied with that response as well, Lee Yoojung kept grumbling and was about to join Ahn Sol in badmouthing Ahn Hyun and me.
Swoosh.
“Eek!”
Lee Yoojung shrieked and flinched. The woman had appeared silently behind her with a plate in one hand. Ahn Hyun and Ahn Sol also looked ready to faint. She stood right beside them, yet none of them had sensed her presence. Practical experience really was everything.
The woman opened her mouth, her languid eyes matching her gentle voice.
“Oh my… I've never heard such a peculiar scream before.”
“You crazy—?!”
Angered by the woman’s nonchalant expression, Lee Yoojung was about to reveal her true colors. Then her eyes widened and she stopped mid-sentence. The woman had leaned down, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and pulled her into an embrace, burying Lee Yoojung’s face in her chest.
“Little one.”
While Lee Yoojung sputtered wordlessly, a faint aura rose from the woman. It instantly spread through the surroundings and became a heavy, oppressive atmosphere. The moment the air changed, Ahn Hyun, Ahn Sol, and Lee Yoojung all stiffened as though their bodies had frozen.
The woman brought her lips close to Lee Yoojung’s ear and whispered.
“Are you curious why that man ran away with his tail between his legs…?”
Lee Yoojung did not answer. More accurately, she could not.
I deliberately stayed out of it and watched. What the woman was displaying was part of Mana Release, a basic technique available to Users with talent in magic. Her mana quietly and subtly encroached on the surroundings, and I could not help admiring her control. Of course, I also meant to use the opportunity to correct Lee Yoojung’s behavior—solving the problem without lifting a finger.
“That man came in and told me to take his order… but do you know what he said he wanted to eat?”
A palpably tense and unsettling atmosphere filled the space around the table. It was almost hard to breathe. I could understand Ahn Hyun and Lee Yoojung, but I thought Sol would be able to resist to some extent. Seeing her tremble with a panicked expression, I realized she really did need more practical experience.
While I was lost in thought, the woman continued to speak to Lee Yoojung.
“He said he wanted to suck on my tits.”
The woman chuckled, living up to her reputation. Then she pulled her gaze away from Lee Yoojung and gave Ahn Hyun and me a seductive smile. I wanted to let it continue a little longer, but I could no longer ignore Lee Yoojung’s pleading look.
I slowly moved my right hand and picked up the water cup on the table. As I did, I could see the woman's eyes change with interest. I took a gulp and, as I placed the cup back on the table, I infused it with a slight touch of magic.
Clack.
The cup struck the wooden table with an unusually loud sound. At that instant, my mana spread from it in every direction and neutralized the mana she had dispersed through the area. In combat, I would normally have sent one concentrated shock through it to stagger the opponent with mana, but this was not a fight.
Soon after, as if a curtain had been drawn, the formless energy that filled the area vanished in an instant. As soon as the energy dissipated, Ahn Hyun and Ahn Sol, who were practically sinking into their chairs, looked back and forth between me and the woman with shocked expressions.
Lee Yoojung had been closest and seemed to have suffered the greatest effect; she gasped roughly for breath. Humiliation showed plainly on her face, but she kept her eyes lowered beneath the table. She must have sensed it instinctively: the difference between her level as a User and the woman’s was in another league.
“Oh…?”
The woman let out a small gasp, as if she hadn't expected this, and straightened her posture. Her expression shifted from surprise to curiosity. Watching her, I spoke calmly.
“Hearing that, it seems that man deserved to be kicked out.”
At my quiet words, the woman looked at me with an amused expression. Then, she readily nodded and replied.
“…Right? But he's still a customer. Business has been slow lately…. So I told him it would be one hundred gold for a taste.”
I have a thousand Gold.
“That man didn't look like he had much money.”
“Nope. Just as you said, that bastard told me he had no money. Instead… he said he'd give me something else good.”
“Something good?”
At my question, an even deeper smile spread across the woman's lips as she continued.
“Yeah. He said he'd give me a bunch of syringes.”
“Are, are there things called syringes in the Hall Plain, too?”
Ahn Hyun, having composed himself somewhat, interjected into our conversation. The funny thing was that he spoke in a deliberately low voice, different from his usual tone. Seeing him try so hard to get a word in with her, I was reminded once again what sad creatures men are.
The woman smiled bewitchingly at Ahn Hyun, as if she found him cute, and answered.
“Of course. Doesn't every man have a syringe full of nutrients?”
“What…?”
Seeing Ahn Hyun ask what she meant, the woman raised a slender finger and pointed at his pants.
“You have one too, don't you? A syringe full of white nutrients.”
“White nutrients? Ah…?!”
“Yeah. He said he'd inject it directly between my legs.”
Ahn Hyun, finally realizing what she meant, turned bright red and ducked his head. Only Sol had a blank expression, seemingly not understanding what they were talking about.
“I was going to break his syringe… but unfortunately, he ran away. Lucky him.”
The woman licked her lips with a regretful look. Hearing her words, I could see Ahn Hyun swallow hard and quickly squeeze his thighs together.