Small City Wayford
If we keep heading out like this, it should be around nine at night. Rather than spending another night in a place like this, I think it would be better to get out even if it's late. What do you think?
At Hwanin's question, Lesim glanced at Aldtis, who was fidgeting as if gripped by emotional turmoil, then answered.
"If it won't even take two hours, then getting out and resting comfortably would be best."
"We've gone nearly a week without a proper wash, so the young lady must be feeling rather sticky as well."
"Y-yes? Ah, no, I'm fine."
"Having to set up a screen and wipe each other down with Isilite must have been uncomfortable too... In that case, we'll move a little faster. Please keep up."
"That's not what I meant..."
Baek Ryeogang's voice shrank with embarrassment, yet she was secretly pleased that Hwanin was looking out for her.
And for some reason—after enduring the labyrinth's mental assault once—the political marriage that had weighed so heavily on her shoulders began to feel like nothing at all.
A political marriage. What was so terrible about that?
It wasn't as if she alone faced it. Most tiger-kin houses and powerful high-clan families arranged such matches. Love marriages themselves were rare.
To have called it the grave of her life, a bleak future—thinking of it now made her face burn with shame.
And just as he had said, in this world there was nothing money could not accomplish.
She was the second daughter of a 6th-class tiger-kin house. Her father would never marry her off to just anyone, so her husband would surely be a wealthy tiger-kin or an extremely wealthy high-clan noble.
I'll use all that money to build my own strength, just like Lesim. No—once I return, I'll sell off those uselessly expensive clothes and jewels right away and start studying and training. If anyone asks what a woman needs training for, I'll just say it's to cultivate my own beauty.
If she framed it as an investment to raise her value, "that" father of hers would say nothing.
Somehow she was starting to feel excited. A confidence that she could do anything at all filled her chest.
Just as he had said, she had only changed her mind—yet her heart was pounding and fluttering so much.
Seven mid-sized monster centipedes, small monster spiders, and shriekers were swept away like phantoms by Hwanin's ordinary yet extraordinary spearwork, the images lingering on Baek Ryeogang's retinas.
Ah, Lord Hwanin...
Hwanin, Isilite, Baek Ryeogang and Lesim, Emergency Food, and finally Aldtis.
Five people and one bird, all wearing hooded cloaks and hooded robes, emerged from the labyrinth.
It was the hour when a brilliant full moon poured bright light across the land.
The four entrance guards stationed at the labyrinth mouth stopped Hwanin's party for identification, but Baek Ryeogang simply showed the crest of her 6th-class tiger-kin house and they passed without further inspection.
"Then the young lady and I will head straight to Lord Aldjin Bere's castle."
"Young lady, and Mr. Lesim. You've both worked hard."
"Not at all, Lord Hwanin. I'm the one who caused you so much trouble."
"...It seems you've sorted out your feelings well. Your expression looks brighter."
"Y-you can see that too?"
Hwanin offered a small smile to the shyly answering Baek Ryeogang, then turned to Lesim, who cleared his throat with a quiet "ahem."
"Everything should be resolved by tonight, so I'll come find you tomorrow with good news. And this is the commission fee."
Hwanin accepted the small pouch Lesim held out and was tucking it away when Baek Ryeogang stepped forward without hesitation and threw her arms around him. He flinched and went rigid.
The feathered ears that looked as if they might belong to a bluebird trembled faintly.
Hwanin, hands still raised awkwardly, gave her back a light pat while glancing at Lesim.
This isn't my will.
I know... Haa.
It was a relief that Lesim didn't draw his sword and charge, yet Hwanin found it a little strange. He hadn't thought he had done anything to earn such open affection from Baek Ryeogang.
If anything, he had expected her favor to drop because of the misunderstanding.
She had kept smiling in front of him, but the expression had always felt somewhat forced, and she had rarely met his eyes.
After lingering a moment longer, Baek Ryeogang pulled away, pulled her hood deep over her face, bowed at the waist to Hwanin, then hurried off and vanished into the crowd.
Lesim gave Hwanin a light nod of the head as well, then took the arm of Aldtis—who was fastening the front of his hooded robe—and followed Baek Ryeogang into the throng until they disappeared.
"We're heading back too."
"Yes."
Kue~.
Without stopping anywhere else, Hwanin returned straight to the Oltz Hotel, only to be halted at the entrance by the wide-eyed hotel manager.
"Bringing in a bird that large is problematic, sir."
No matter how cute and charming Emergency Food looked with its plump, soft-looking green feathers, the bird was large enough to carry an adult on its back.
"I understand what Mr. Rootals is worried about, but the thing you're concerned about won't happen."
Kuu.
There was the matter of other guests' safety, and the worry that something so large wandering the hotel interior might lower the establishment's rating.
After some deliberation, the hotel manager granted permission.
"This is a green Kue nearing adulthood. I've raised it since it was a chick, and with its exceptional intelligence its market value alone is estimated near three hundred gold coins. If you put it in a separate stable and something goes wrong, can the Oltz Hotel take responsibility?"
Hwanin didn't think those words alone had secured the permission.
He had offered to cover full damages if any problem arose because of Emergency Food, so that must have been why they accepted. It also helped that every guest who passed by in the short interval had reacted only favorably to the extremely cute bird.
I'm tired.
Back in the double room, Hwanin felt the tension that had filled his body drain away, only for fatigue to crash over him in its place.
For nearly seven full days Hwanin had not properly rested. Even while sleeping during camp he had kept his ears open, and every waking hour had been spent on perimeter watch.
The final six hours had been spent climbing out of the labyrinth without rest, fighting several times along the way.
He had tried to recover by touching the blood-colored stone at intervals, yet considerable fatigue still remained, bringing with it a heavy sense of annoyance.
He propped his spear in one corner of the living area and began removing his leather armor; Isilite, having set down their luggage, helped from the side and asked,
"Master, shall I prepare a bath?"
"Yes."
Soaking in hot water would ease the fatigue somewhat.
Isilite rang the bell and asked the maid who arrived to prepare the bath, then unloaded the packs from Emergency Food's back, removed her own gear, and began cleaning Hwanin's leather armor first.
With its back lightened, Emergency Food stretched its wings wide as if yawning, gave a vigorous shake, then let out a contented nasal "Kuppi~."
Watching the bird while seated lightly dressed in a chair, Hwanin spoke.
"Once you become an adult, we won't be able to stay together like this anymore."
Kuet?!
Emergency Food immediately wore a look of pure shock. Hwanin let out a small chuckle at the sight and continued.
"When you reach adulthood your body will grow even larger than it is now. A frame that size will have trouble even fitting through doors."
An ordinary straw Kue stood about 1.7 meters at the back and 2.5 meters at the head. With wings spread left to right it reached roughly 3.5 meters.
But Emergency Food already stood around 1.5 meters at the back with a head height exceeding 2 meters. Wings fully extended measured a full 4 meters.
Kuu...
Apparently disliking the idea of living separately, Emergency Food grew dejected, trudged over to a corner, and plopped down. Even its head drooped to the floor—thoroughly crestfallen.
Once that one is fully grown, finding a place to rest is going to be a chore.
Having stayed together ever since their first meeting, the bird seemed to take sharing a room with people as a matter of course.
It obeyed well enough that making it sleep outside wouldn't be difficult, yet with such a high market value Hwanin himself was reluctant to leave Emergency Food outdoors.
Either live something close to camping, or look for a place like a pension.
Hwanin enjoyed bivouacking, but that was because he liked quiet forests—not because he particularly loved rough sleeping or camping itself.
I'll need to earn a lot of money.
Equipping armor classified as magic tools and the supplies needed for labyrinth exploration would cost plenty, not to mention travel and living expenses.
He was half-leaning against the armrest, lost in thought, when three hotel maids entered the room carrying large steaming water vessels.
A short while later, once the bath preparations were finished, the three maids were unceremoniously ushered out of the room by Isilite, their expectations dashed.
"B-but the bathing service...!"
"That is the duty of me, Master's personal maid. Thank you for looking after Master in my place until now. Goodbye."
"Ah!"
How dare they eye Master when I'm right here.
Isilite snorted inwardly without letting it show, then attended Hwanin's bath from start to finish with a perfectly smooth expression.
Of course pure devotion was not her only motive. While working soft towel and bath cleanser into a lather, Isilite stole glances at Hwanin's body and swallowed hard.
How can a body be this clean?
His hands bore calluses from wielding a spear, but that only made sense given Master's skill, so she set it aside.
What Isilite felt was a cleanliness she never sensed from the men of her own kind.
Lukrang men were covered in fur from head to toe.
Inseong-jok men had no fur, true, but they also had no head hair and their skin was so rough it was better called hide—so they were out.
As a result they often gave off an unpleasant beastly smell when wet, and because washing was difficult few of them went about truly clean.
Lesim was an exception—being a high-clan young master accustomed to being served—but if you stepped into the common districts you could easily see animals in filthy clothes walking around on two legs.
But Master's skin is smooth like a woman's.
Using the bath service as an excuse to touch him with a little ulterior motive, she found it wasn't exactly the same as a woman's... how to put it...
There's a faint roughness that belongs to a man, and I like that.
Back when she had been a bandit leader, a young, sharp-tongued girl had once joined the group. She had been far too cocky and died not long after, but anyway—
"Men, you know. Sometimes they piss me off so much I want to slit their throats. Why? Ever had fur get shoved inside along with it when they thrust? Ah, right, you said you're not interested in men... Anyway, when they get excited and wrap their whole body around you it's like being buried under a summer fur blanket. Plus the smell of a mutt that's been wandering back alleys in the rain for a month. And that fist-shaped thing getting stuck inside and not coming out is the worst..."
Adding up everything the girl had listed simply meant that Lukrang men themselves were a crime.
"Floe don't have any of that, but they're pencil dicks. You feel nothing even when they're in. And you know what's funny? They tell me it feels like they're waving it around in empty air! Fuck, blaming me for their own tiny cocks. Proud? Being with a Selpin Proud feels like screwing a kid—even worse. Pingel? Fuck, that greasy beard that smells like dirt mixed with rotten booze... ugh."
"I tried a Sabi man too and that side's even more goddamn awful. Keep getting stabbed by the scales, and something like a horse cock comes grinding in and shoves your guts right up—I thought my pussy was going to tear. The sensation was like a snake crawling in, which made it even worse."
After thoroughly cursing every kind of man, the girl had concluded with a cackle that Lukrang men were still the best of the lot.
As long as you knew how to pull the cock out properly, they were decent enough, she claimed.
"I, uh, saved up money once and went to a high-class male brothel in the capital, you know? They line the men up so you can choose, and you can even see them hard. That was the first time I learned there are cocks without that knot."
After that she had said her dream was to buy a Lukrang male slave with a cock that matched her taste, shave all the fur off his torso, and roll around hotly on a bed—but she never achieved it. An arrow from the regular army had punched through her skull while fighting.
The important point was that every woman in the bandit group who had experience with men agreed with that sharp-tongued girl's opinion.
And the even more important point was that the "perfect" man who had eliminated every one of those flaws was none other than her own Master.
This was only the second time she had attended his bath, yet midway through the service Isilite had glimpsed Master's thing and swallowed hard.
It was exactly the ideal form that girl had yearned for, and on top of that the skin was smooth, the body excellent, the low voice, the occasional hand that stroked her hair, the faintly pleasant scent that rose from Master's body...
No—perhaps it should be called body odor rather than scent.
It had been so good that Isilite had once secretly buried her face in the shirt Hwanin had worn while bathing and sniffed it deeply.
"You've worked hard attending the bath. You wash up and come out too."
Hwanin's words as he left after finishing his bath sent Isilite spinning improper fantasies while she washed herself clean, yet...
"Finished? Then let's go eat."
"..."
Watching Hwanin's back as he dressed and left the room, Isilite pouted, lips sticking out.
Did Master have no interest in her body at all?
Though the night was late, as befitting a lodging that called itself a hotel the food was prepared quickly.
A full lunch or dinner menu was impossible, yet the meat and vegetable dishes that arrived were of satisfying quality, so there were no complaints.
After finishing the meal with Isilite, Hwanin called room service to the room and arranged Emergency Food's dinner, then watched the bird preen its feathers with its beak—swish, scrape.
To think it would chew the meat bones and all.
During its second growth stage Emergency Food's beak had been no different from an ordinary bird's.
But now, in its third growth stage, the inside of the beak held several hard, arcade-shaped protrusions that served a role similar to molars, and it seemed to use those to crunch through bone.
I should order a whole roast and have them cut it into fist-sized chunks, bone and all.
Kuu~.
Having preened its feathers to satisfaction, Emergency Food's eyes sparkled at the sight of Hwanin seated by the window; it curled up beside him.
Then it rested its head on his knee, closed its eyes, and began breathing with soft, rumbling purrs.
Hwanin stroked Emergency Food's head while enjoying the cool breeze through the window, when a faint noise brushed past his ear.
Something breaking and shattering. Faint screams and shouts.
Voices from the floors below or above, or from the rooms to either side, mixed into the noise.
"What is that sound?"
"Isn't that the sound of a fight somewhere?"
"That direction is the central commercial district..."
A moment later came the rapid clatter of several people running; Hwanin also stood and looked out the window.
Three men and women wreathed in thin aura were fleeing desperately, while two warriors in Wayford regular-army attire pursued them fiercely.
"Flame Shot."
From the pursuers came a quiet voice, and a flame arrow left a crimson trail as it shot from the wand in one hand and buried itself in the back of a cat-headed man.
Boom—!
"Gyaah!"
The cat-kin man was immediately run through the heart by the blade of a regular-army warrior who reached him a second later, and died.
"No, Chilla!"
"Don't stop! We have to keep running...! Ghk!"
The remaining two staggered after taking throwing knives in thigh and shoulder, then lost their heads to the pursuing warriors' blades.
The regular-army warriors turned to the central-district citizens who had already lit lamps and were staring down from their windows with fearful eyes, and explained.
"These are the perpetrators of the attack on the young lady of a 6th-class tiger-kin house. Innocent citizens need not concern yourselves—please spend the rest of the night in peace."
"Good heavens. What kind of madmen would attack a young lady?"
At one man's question, one warrior fired a red signal flare into the sky while the other answered.
"A public notice will be posted on the main-road bulletin boards tomorrow. Please check there."
"Let's go."
"Mm."
The two warriors ran off. A short while later people who appeared to be city sanitation workers arrived, cleared away the corpses, scrubbed the bloodstains from the ground, and vanished again.
Even after that, the clanging of metal, occasional explosions, and faint battle cries continued.
The citizens of the central streets showed curiosity at the noise, yet not a single person stepped outside.
They clearly knew that wandering the streets at a time like this could end badly.
Three hours after the noise began the city grew quiet again, and after another hour even the lingering smell of smoke and blood had faded.
Wayford's central district returned to its usual quiet appearance.