Katon Village
Leaving behind the open highland vistas of Maestig village that had so thoroughly cleared his chest, Hwanin retraced his steps and set out along the road toward Katon.
The weather was fine and clear, and the journey proved an easy one—no wild beasts, predators, or magical creatures appeared to trouble them.
There was only one problem.
"Ah… another fork in the road."
"…"
The forks kept appearing.
If there had been a signpost pointing the way to Katon, or if the path had split cleanly and obviously, it would have been fine. But every time an ambiguous Y-shaped fork presented itself like this, the situation grew thoroughly awkward.
"I should have asked for directions before we left Maestig."
"Wouldn't it be better to turn back even now?"
They had already come upon their third unmarked fork.
"No need. From here on, we walk."
Hwanin dismounted from Emergency Food's back, untied the packs and travel bag from the saddle, then stroked the bird's neck as he spoke.
"You fly up and follow us from the sky. If you spot a village, come down and let us know. You can manage that, yes?"
Kuet!
Emergency Food answered the order with a vigorous cry, then took a few quick running steps and soared lightly into the air.
At the sight of the bird rising like a cute little sparrow taking flight, Isilite let out a soft exclamation of admiration.
"So we could have Emergency Food scout from the sky all along."
The Gahnin Plain they were now walking was the stretch of grassland that divided the Roatings Jungle east from west, roughly three hundred kilometers across.
Three hundred kilometers.
The number alone sounded vast. South Korea's average east-west width was only about two hundred seventy kilometers, after all.
But this place could not be compared so lightly to Korea—or to Earth.
True to its name, the Gahnin Plain was a flat expanse of grassland rolling out for the full three hundred kilometers, and under a sky utterly free of smog or fog, the weather remained brilliantly clear.
They were traveling along the plain's center. With Emergency Food's eyesight, even a survey from only a kilometer up would let the bird see most of the Gahnin Plain.
There was no chance they would miss Katon and pass it by.
Isilite dismounted from Kurti, took the travel bag Hwanin handed her, and secured it to the saddle before speaking.
"Master, please ride Kurti."
"If I ride Kurti alone, Emergency Food will sulk. And if both of us ride with my bag as well, it would put too much strain on Kurti."
Walking was better.
"Then I'll walk too. I couldn't possibly ride in comfort while my master walks—I'm only a maid, after all."
"Very well."
The old fable of the donkey being led to market came to mind, and Hwanin gave a quiet snort of laughter. He chose the fork that showed clearer signs of frequent foot traffic and set off at a leisurely pace.
Three days later.
As she followed Hwanin, Isilite found herself once again astonished by his judgment.
Does Master have a talent for tracking as well?
They had taken any number of unmarked forks, yet every signpost that occasionally appeared still marked the remaining distance to Katon without fail.
Even without the signs, whenever they asked the merchants, travelers, adventurers, explorers, or the occasional mercenary coming the other way, every one of them confirmed without hesitation that this was indeed the road to Katon.
Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, Isilite asked,
"Master, how did you know this was the road to Katon?"
"Between Wayford and Katon there must be many villages. And where would the people leaving those villages be headed?"
"Well… to a city or a town, I suppose?"
"Exactly. Relatively few people travel from one village to another. So when traffic grows heavy, what happens?"
"Um…"
Isilite turned his words over in her mind, then answered with a doubtful look.
"The road… gets wider?"
"When people start using the same path, a road forms. When many people travel it, the road grows wider. As long as our destination is not a village, whenever we meet a fork we simply choose the broader path or the one with more footprints. That way we almost never go wrong."
He added that even this method was not perfect—which was why he had sent Emergency Food into the sky. Isilite nodded rapidly, her mouth slightly open.
The idea that roads form where people walk was simple enough. But thinking of that principle at the right moment and putting it into practice was another matter entirely.
Is that what they call wisdom?
Isilite gazed quietly at Hwanin's back as he walked two paces ahead.
Strong, handsome, skilled in the bedroom, blessed with good fortune, sharp of mind, and a Soul Master on top of it all—her perfect master.
Affection for him rose gently in her gaze as she watched his back, yet neither Hwanin nor Isilite herself noticed it.
"Uh…"
The veteran gate guard of Katon, five years on the job, was momentarily flustered by the pair standing before him.
One rode a green Kue outfitted with splendid gear, though the rider himself showed no aura. The other rode a plain straw-colored Kue with no equipment at all—yet the rider was clearly a warrior radiating a vivid aura.
He thought the man and woman ought to have switched mounts, but such cases were not unheard of. After a brief stammer, the guard demanded a travel pass from the woman.
In situations like this, the one on the straw-colored Kue was usually the subordinate.
"If you have a travel pass, please present it."
"We don't have a travel pass, but we have identification. Here—issued in Wayford."
"Confirmed… And the gentleman?"
"He is my master."
Isilite fixed the guard with a steady look that clearly said, You're not seriously going to demand identification from my master as well, are you? The guard ignored it and asked Hwanin for his papers anyway.
"Here you are."
"Confirmed. The toll for two Kues together is four copper coins."
After showing the identification issued in Wayford and paying the toll, Hwanin entered Katon and heard Isilite muttering behind him.
"That guard has no sense at all. How does he expect to get by in society like that…"
"It isn't a lack of sense—he's simply faithful to his duty."
"But Master, you are…"
"If I had cared about such things, I would already be cultivating a friendship with Aldjin Bere of Wayford by now. Or I would have gone with Lesim."
"…Really? No—coming from Master, that almost seems only natural."
While Isilite nodded to herself in agreement, Hwanin walked along the bustling main avenue in search of a suitable inn.
Katon was larger even than Rehil.
True, they had fled Rehil after less than half a day, yet the sheer number of people moving along the roads made the difference plain enough.
Heavy wagons and travel carriages thronged the streets.
People who looked like adventurers or explorers, armed and armored.
Shops and street stalls lining both sides of a road wide enough for eight lanes.
Travelers passing through on their way to the Grand Festival of Parhist, and townsfolk busy making a living off those same travelers.
As Hwanin admired the neat triangular roofs and the two- and three-story buildings that lined the avenue, he lifted his gaze farther ahead.
The main road continued, but an irregular crossroads appeared, sending paths branching in every direction.
"It's a rather complicated town."
Complicated or not, the abundance of greenery kept any sense of oppression at bay.
Trees stood here and there, and more than a few building walls were draped in climbing vines, giving the place the feel of a scenic rural town back on Earth.
"True. Still, finding an inn to stay in looks difficult."
Every place that looked like an inn along the avenue was packed with people.
The steady stream of traffic along the side streets made it easy to guess that the lodging houses were completely full.
After a moment's thought, Hwanin addressed a man walking on the sidewalk right beside them—an Indon-kin of impressive build whose clothes were noticeably finer than those of the people around him, and whose expression carried an easy leisure.
"Pardon me a moment."
"Hm? Well now… What can I do for you?"
"A pleasure to meet you. This is my first time in Katon, and I'm looking for a place to rest, yet such places seem hard to find. Might I ask if you could share a little wisdom?"
The Indon-kin man, who resembled a flower pig, looked over the man who had spoken to him and the woman who appeared to be his companion, and a spark of interest lit his eyes.
The man had no aura, yet something innate could be felt in his bearing. Even without the Kue, the woman at his side gave the clear impression of a subordinate.
"Is that so! Might you be heading to the Grand Festival of Parhist…?"
"In part, yes—we are on our way to Parhist."
"Just as I thought. Every year around this time the number of travelers bound for Parhist swells, and the lodging trade fairly shrieks with delight. I doubt any inn that would suit the two of you still has a vacant room."
"I see."
The Indon-kin man glanced at the green Kue Hwanin rode and smiled as he continued.
"Yet if you settle for a low-grade inn, all sorts of troubles are bound to arise. If it would not be an imposition, how would you feel about staying at my house?"
"I worry we would only be a burden."
"A burden? Please don't say such a cold thing. For people like us, the chance to invite a distinguished guest met by unexpected fate into our home is a joy without equal. Come now, no need for modesty."
"Then I shall not refuse."
Hwanin dismounted from Emergency Food and shook hands with the Indon-kin man as he introduced himself.
"I am Hwanin, traveling toward the seat of the Racial Alliance. This is Isilite."
"I am Isilite. Though I am of little worth, I serve my master."
"Ah, and I am Kantwi. I run a small farm outside town."
A class-holder who was not a bodyguard but a maid? Kantwi's eyes widened as he shook hands with Isilite as well.
This one may well be a highborn from some distant city, just as I thought.
With that thought, Kantwi invited Hwanin and Isilite to his home.
The man Hwanin had approached after noting his build, dress, and manner was one of Katon's leading citizens.
When Katon had still been no more than a village, Kantwi's great-great-grandfather had used his natural talent for commerce to gather land, people, and goods, laying the foundation for the place to grow into a proper town. The family had naturally become local notables, and the line had continued to the present day.
"This is my house."
Kantwi's residence stood on the edge of the hill that formed the town's center. It consisted of a four-story main building, two two-story annexes, stables, storehouses, and pens—a mansion with more than thirty rooms.
Moreover, his claim of enjoying chance encounters had not been empty words; four guests had already arrived before Hwanin.
The guests happened to be gathered in the tree garden in front of the main house, so brief introductions were exchanged.
"A pleasure. I am Luararda, come from the Praber direction. Of the Lake Gull clan."
Luararda, a Join-kin with white feathers, closer to human than bird.
"I am Munder. A freeloader staying for a while thanks to Master Kantwi's kindness."
"…"
Munder, a gray mole-like Inun-kin, and a taciturn Inung-kin man who did not even give his name.
"I'm Asen."
Asen, an Inho-kin woman who carried the blood of a white fox.
All four were class-holders, each wrapped in an aura dense enough to stand comparison with Isilite's.
"I am Hwanin. This is Isilite, my guard and maid."
Kantwi's four guests took a keen interest in Hwanin.
It was not so much his race that intrigued them as the fact that a classless man kept a class-holder as a guard and owned a green Kue.
Leaving their gazes behind, Isilite was guided by Kantwi's butler to the stables and was about to put Emergency Food and Kurti inside when her expression turned troubled.
Kue~! Kuet!
Emergency Food took a rebellious stance, seizing the reins Isilite held in its beak and yanking hard, making its fierce refusal to enter the stable perfectly clear.
[Flower Pig]