The Heavenly Demon Rolls the Dice (4)
“The Beggars’ Inn?”
“That’s right. They say if you start without any affiliation, you should begin there—taking on requests to grow stronger and build connections.”
“Why do you sound like you’re just repeating what you heard? You started without any affiliation too, Hwaryong.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
My situation was quite different. The path I walked had already diverged so far from the one ordinary people took that it was almost unrecognizable. I had asked Seol-ah and Ha-rin for some advice to guide Enry properly, but I couldn’t understand a single thing they said. Simply put, they viewed this world not as the Murim, but as a game. Having grown accustomed to the real Murim and still perceiving this place as reality, it was difficult for me to accept.
Even now, explaining it to Enry was nothing more than me parroting what they had told me, so I could only speak as if relaying someone else’s words.
While exchanging such idle chatter, the moment we opened the door to the Beggars’ Inn—
“To think such a humble place would receive the honor of your return! It is truly a glorious occasion!”
I frowned at the sight of the martial artists lined up in neat rows and the female owner standing in the center, bowing deeply. What kind of nonsense was this now?
On the way here, I had noticed a few martial artists spotting me and rushing off in a hurry, but I never imagined they would prepare something like this.
“Hwaryong, what exactly did you do here?”
Enry shot me a suspicious glance, watching the beggars tremble in fear.
“I didn’t do anything special.”
“Then why is everyone so scared of you?”
“I have no idea.”
It was truly unfair. What on earth had I done here? I had only caused a single disturbance at the Beggars’ Inn. And even then, they had picked a fight with me first, so I merely showed them an example. I hadn’t done anything particularly vicious. Compared to those who relied on their strength to act recklessly, I had behaved with remarkable restraint. So why were they acting as if they had encountered some villain with a rotten personality and trembling in terror?
“It’s true that I didn’t do anything else.”
Perhaps sensing my indignation, Baru—who had been perched around my neck like a scarf—spoke up on my behalf.
As expected of Baru. I knew I could count on you. You are the only one I have!
“However, it is also true that this fellow is a walking weapon in herself.”
“Huh?”
“Think about it. Not long ago, this one destroyed Shaolin right in front of everyone. She made it known to the entire world that if something displeases her, she will crush any sect—great or small—without hesitation. How could ordinary people not fear Min-ga?”
“Uh… so they’re all bowing down in advance because they’re scared she’ll get angry?”
“Something like that. To put it simply, Min-ga is a fellow whose mere presence causes trouble wherever she goes. Isn’t that terrifying?”
I thought she was defending me, but instead of defending, she was attacking me with her words. I pulled out my pipe from within my robes, lit it, and exhaled a cloud of smoke while looking around.
Baru. Can’t you see Enry is struggling to hold back her laughter because of you?
The beggars in the inn were the same. Seeing them nod in agreement with Baru’s words made me seriously consider causing a scene just once. The wicked urge rose unbidden.
I gave Baru’s head a few light taps as a silent threat, and she obediently shut her mouth.
Sigh. Baru, you should be grateful that you’re so cute. If you weren’t, I would have tormented you quite severely.
“Innkeeper.”
“Yes!”
“Bring me a request suitable for the child next to me.”
“…Is this person an acquaintance of Lord Hwaryong?”
“Indeed. Her realm is at best second-class, so keep that in mind.”
Even that assessment assumed she was using every possible buff. If we only considered Enry’s own abilities, even calling her third-class would be generous.
The innkeeper tilted her head slightly, as if finding the term “second-class” strange. She probably couldn’t imagine that my acquaintance would be at such a low level. But that only lasted a moment. After meeting my eyes, she remembered her duty and hurriedly rushed back inside the inn.
Soon after, she returned with several sheets of paper, spread them out before me, and began explaining the requests she had brought.
Many of the ones she mentioned first were clearly requests that assumed I would be accompanying them. Only after I firmly declared that I had no intention of helping Enry this time did a few suitable ones appear.
“There is a merchant departing from Hwaeum for another region. The roads have been quite dangerous lately, so he is looking for escorts.”
Among them, the escort mission caught my eye. The journey wasn’t particularly long, and according to Seol-ah, the road wasn’t that dangerous either. I had been assured that at worst they would only encounter some common thugs, so I decided to assign this request to Enry.
“I’ll be counting on both of you.”
The man who had posted the merchant escort request looked rather gaunt. Don’t merchants usually look like greedy pot-bellied fellows? Enry had been thinking exactly that, but after the viewers pointed out that a small-scale peddler wouldn’t look like that, she shut her mouth.
I didn’t say anything weird, did I? Isn’t it normal for NPCs in these places to follow clichés? These people make such a fuss over every little thing. It’s honestly so unfair I can barely stand it. Maybe I should just stop talking altogether.
While grumbling to herself, Enry glanced sideways at Ara, who was wearing a fox mask. Ara had said that if she revealed her presence, no one would dare attack the caravan, so she would hide her face. Normally Enry would have teased her for overreacting, but right now she couldn’t bring herself to do so.
She had seen several men twice her size drop to their knees and tremble violently. How could she possibly joke about that? Even now, if Ara took off her mask, wouldn’t that merchant start shaking and beg her to leave, saying she was far too much for him? No, he’d probably be too scared to even say anything. He’d just whip the horse, desperately hoping this time would pass quickly.
Yeah. Ara wearing that mask was definitely the right choice. No doubt about it.
“Shall we get moving? I’d like to arrive before sunset.”
Once the caravan set off, Enry remained extremely tense, constantly scanning the surroundings. This was her first quest since entering the world of Hwaryong Muin. It was also the first thing she was doing after learning so much from Ara. In truth, the latter mattered far more than the former.
Think about it. If she showed any clumsiness during this task, how would Ara react? She would surely say her teachings had been insufficient and make Enry train even harder. At least, that was the kind of person Enry knew Ara to be. Terrified of the hellish training that would surely follow, Enry naturally sharpened her senses.
The viewers? The viewers didn’t really matter. In fact, they were probably hoping for Enry to suffer a miserable failure. That way they could tease her now and later enjoy watching her suffer even more.
“I gave them everything on time! I even gave them bonuses last month! The view counts have been great!”
Our workplace is so bright and wholesome! This kind of slander is unacceptable! Even if I have to skip a meal, I would never delay the editors’ paychecks! I give them everything they’re due—I don’t want to be treated like some evil boss!
Despite this minor quarrel, the escort mission itself proceeded smoothly. There wasn’t a single attack, not even a person in sight. The road the horses walked was so clean that not a single obstacle appeared. With no crises or threats whatsoever, Enry’s role as escort had essentially turned into that of a traveling companion.
At first, Enry had tried her best to stay alert no matter what. But after a while, seeing the exact same scenery no matter how far they went, she began to yawn. Eventually, she ended up sitting beside the merchant, chatting away.
The topics weren’t anything special, but if she didn’t do at least this much, she felt like she would die of boredom.
“The food supplies have been selling really well lately, huh?”
“Yes. Demand has increased quite a bit recently.”
“When we reach the city, you should take a look around the streets. Business is booming. It’s a happy thing for a merchant.”
“Really?”
“Yes. More than anything else…”
“Wait.”
The moment Ara, who had been quietly listening from behind, spoke up, the horse that had been walking steadily suddenly stopped in its tracks. The startled merchant pulled on the reins, but the horse refused to move, as if its legs had been glued to the ground.
“It’s an ambush. Enry, get ready.”
“What? An ambush?”
From Enry’s perspective, it was only natural to be confused. She couldn’t sense any presence nearby at all. No sound. No smell. Nothing.
So she asked again, and Ara simply shrugged before stepping down from the wagon.
“To be precise, the ambush will come in about a minute, so I’m telling you to prepare. If I suddenly told you to get ready, you’d be flustered, wouldn’t you?”
“…You can sense them coming from that far away?”
“Indeed.”
“You can detect that?”
“Is there anything this one cannot do?”
…Well, it is Ara, after all.
Reminding herself that the other party was an existence far beyond common sense, Enry began preparing for battle as Ara instructed.
About a minute later—
“Drop your weapons, you bastards!”
The bandits really did appear. A group of about a dozen men on horseback revealed themselves, brandishing their weapons and threatening the three of them.
“Hwaryong! Do I really have to handle this by myself?!”
Just facing ten people would already be tough, but ten men on horseback? Isn’t that too much?! Enry shouted because it truly seemed impossible, but she hadn’t expected a positive answer. If it was Ara, she would definitely throw her in and say “just try it first.”
“Hmm. That’s true.”
However, Ara’s reply was different from what Enry had expected. She nodded as if she understood Enry’s complaint, then moved her hand.
“What the hell are you—!”
In an instant, every member of the bandit group surrounding them—except for one—suddenly lost consciousness and fell from their horses. The repeated thuds were followed by the startled horses filling the air with their cries.
While Enry stared blankly at the scene, Ara tapped her on the shoulder.
“Since this is your first time, just take on that one.”
Her voice was far too casual for someone who had just subdued dozens of people as she pointed at the lone bewildered man.