They Died Smiling
The two of them stepped into the small city of Hilledan.
Of course, the ferocious White had been sent back to the summoning realm long before they arrived.
True to its reputation as a city famous for alchemy, Hilledan was dotted with books on the subject and the occasional waft of smoke from distillation apparatus. Potions ranked among the rarer goods, so there weren’t many dedicated shops, but the fees at corpse decomposition facilities and compounding workshops were noticeably cheaper than in other cities.
The decomposition facilities in particular housed machines that could separate monster carcasses into bone and flesh or strip away hides, which made them expensive unless the remains were worthless junk.
A massive building belonging to the Alchemist Clan dominated the city center.
First, the pair stopped at the trading post.
The place was noisy with merchants and clerks arguing back and forth.
Kang Yoonsoo pulled twelve gold bars from his pack and set them on the counter.
“Exchange these.”
The clerk looked at him with open surprise. A merchant rolling up with a cart piled high would have been one thing, but an ordinary-looking man casually dumping gold bars from a backpack was enough to make anyone stare.
The clerk gathered the bars with both hands.
“I’ll weigh them. Please wait a moment.”
While they waited, voices drifted over from behind.
Two traders who had brought in a heavy load of precious kerosene were deep in conversation.
“Did you read the paper? Last week Mariel from the brewery got taken.”
“Mariel? What happened to the girl?”
“Aigoo. Mano, you’ve been away from Hilledan too long. Your news is slow. Lately this city’s been plagued by some bastard who targets beautiful women, rapes them, and kills them. This makes four already.”
Shanette found herself listening despite herself.
“Serial murder? In a peaceful city like this?”
“There’s always some lunatic itching to shatter the peace, isn’t there?”
“Tsk tsk. Such a sweet girl… how did it come to this.”
“But there’s a strange rumor about these cases.”
The trader lowered his voice like he was sharing a secret.
“They say the women died smiling.”
“Smiling when they died?”
“Yeah. The victims were tortured horribly. Knife and whip wounds so deep they’d turn your stomach. Yet every single one of them had a smile stretched ear to ear. Creeps you right out, doesn’t it?”
“That’s chilling. Were they drugged?”
“That’s exactly why the investigators are tearing their hair out. If drugs are involved the whole thing gets more complicated. On top of that, cities smuggling narcotics from the capital have been popping up everywhere lately. Looks like Hilledan might be joining the list.”
Just then the clerk returned and set several leather pouches on the counter.
“One thousand two hundred gold coins total.”
Kang Yoonsoo swept the pouches into his coat with an indifferent glance.
“Let’s go.”
Shanette was curious about the rest of the traders’ gossip, but she followed him out of the trading post anyway.
After hearing about the murders, the peaceful daily life of the city suddenly looked different. She wasn’t exactly afraid, but an unpleasant feeling lingered.
“Serial killings in a city like this. It’s surprising, yet it feels familiar. Just like a mystery novel.”
“The killer’s name is Lee Minchan.”
“What?”
Shanette stopped walking.
“What did you just say?”
Kang Yoonsoo turned to look at her.
“Spoiler.”
Kang Yoonsoo and Shanette headed for an inn.
Both of them looked terrible. Sand from the wasteland clung to every fold of their clothes, and dust had settled into their hair and skin.
Shanette, who had been secretly craving a bath, smiled brightly.
By the time the red sunset had faded, they entered a wooden building. A sign reading Golden Liquor Inn creaked in the wind.
“One room for the night is fifty coppers. Bath included?” the grizzled innkeeper asked.
The tables were filled with a mix of Continentals and Travelers.
Kang Yoonsoo pulled out a silver coin and tossed it over.
“One room. And liquor.”
Shanette blinked in disbelief.
Did he just say one room?
The innkeeper rummaged on a shelf and handed over a worn key.
“Farthest room on the left, second floor. What kind of liquor?”
“Strongest you’ve got.”
“K-Kang Yoonsoo? One room? There are two of us!”
Every head in the inn turned toward them at once.
Shanette asked, flustered.
Kang Yoonsoo regarded her with an expressionless face.
“We share a room.”
His voice was low.
“Because tonight I need to stay by your side.”
The bathhouse was thick with steam.
Shanette lowered herself into the wooden tub filled with hot water. The warm liquid wrapped around her bare skin.
As the exhaustion soaked out of her body, her thoughts drifted to her suspicious new traveling companion.
He really is a strange man.
When they first met she had assumed he was a highly experienced adventurer. His swordsmanship was superb, he possessed blacksmithing skills, and he had even created a spirit right before her eyes—an impossible feat.
Yet the truth was different. His level was low, and he claimed to have been summoned to this world less than a month ago. His grip strength was even weaker than hers.
Then why does he know so much?
When they located the Ultika Ruins he had been utterly calm, as if he visited the place regularly. And earlier today he had spoken the name of the serial killer like it was the most obvious fact in the world.
She felt less like she was traveling with a fellow Traveler and more like she was following a sage who held all the knowledge of the world.
Though he feels more like a cold doll than a sage.
A cold doll. The description felt strangely accurate.
Then her mind circled back to what he had said moments ago.
Because tonight I need to stay by your side.
Splash!
Shanette smacked the bathwater like a child. She buried her face in her hands, trembling.
Her head felt so hot she thought steam might rise from it.
Just what is wrong with that man? Does he have any sense at all or not?! How could he say something like that so boldly in front of all those people?
He was impossible to read. Usually so indifferent, then suddenly dropping lines like that.
Like anyone else, Shanette didn’t view his behavior favorably.
Sleeping in the same room with a man I met days ago? It’s ridiculous. It’s not as if I even like him that much. And he never asked for my consent.
She had let it slide earlier because she was exhausted. But now that she thought about it again, it was absurd.
That’s it. After I wash up I’ll sneak out of this inn. I’ll part ways with him here. Even if I have to get my own room, this sort of thing could happen again. Traveling alone for my first journey will be difficult, but it’s better than staying with a man whose intentions I can’t fathom.
Having made up her mind, Shanette rose from the tub.
While drying herself she noticed a hand mirror lying on the floor. She picked it up and examined her milk-white body.
A faint burn scar still lingered on the left side of her face, but her skin was supple and smooth. Remembering how she had once been mocked as a crippled, scar-covered wretch, she felt tears threaten to rise.
Now that I think about it… even before I regained my original skin, that man treated me normally.
Back when she had been searching for a liquor bottle in the warehouse, Kang Yoonsoo had told her he knew a woman more beautiful than Hermiya. He had told her to take off her helmet and look in a mirror.
Shanette smiled faintly.
He was the first person to ever say that to me.
After her beauty returned, people’s gazes had changed. Disgust and pity had become envy and admiration.
But not Kang Yoonsoo. His eyes had remained exactly the same.
Shanette set the mirror down. The tangle in her chest felt a little less knotted.
It’s true he has many suspicious sides. But he opened a new path for me. He saved me. That alone isn’t reason enough to like him, but…
Honestly, the time she had spent with him had been fun. Short as it was, she had felt it.
Could she ever experience creating a spirit or exploring a hidden ruin while traveling alone?
Probably not.
It was suspicious that he refused to reveal his identity. His sudden suggestion that they share a room made no sense.
Yet Kang Yoonsoo was an interesting man.
Only then did Shanette realize the truth.
She was starting to want it.
She wanted to keep traveling with him.
I’ve decided.
Wearing a thin robe, Shanette left the communal bathhouse and walked straight toward their room without hesitation.
“Wow. Sis, you’re pretty damn fine.”
Shanette stopped.
A boy had stepped into her path. He looked to be in his late teens. The terminal on his wrist marked him as a Traveler.
When she stared at him in confusion, the boy flashed a wide grin.
“I’m staying at this inn too. You looked so hot I had to work up the courage to talk to you. Got a boyfriend?”
“No. So move.”
Still thinking about how people’s eyes changed depending on her appearance, her tone came out colder than intended.
Even so, the boy only snickered.
“Hmm. Lie. You’re with that guy you checked in with earlier, right? Sharing one room? It’s obvious you two are fucking.”
Shanette glared at him, thoroughly offended.
The boy’s attitude was incredibly rude. It went beyond confidence; his tone suggested he could do whatever he wanted to her.
Shanette was usually kind to others, but she had no patience for people who lacked basic manners.
“Why are you staring at me like that? People might think I did something wrong.”
The boy chuckled again and finally stepped aside.
Shanette continued to the room, an inexplicable discomfort crawling over her skin.
From behind her the boy shouted.
“Name’s Lee Minchan! What’s yours, sis?”
Shanette flinched and froze mid-step.
She didn’t need to search her memory.
Lee Minchan.
It was exactly the same name Kang Yoonsoo had given for the serial killer.