The Road to the North (5) - The Northern Metropolis
The Road North (5) - The Northern Metropolis
A gigantic Troll, its neck severed, lay fallen. Before its corpse, a red-haired beauty caught her breath. In her hand, an old Shortsword. Blue energy surged over its blade. A bizarre sight, where each element, difficult to comprehend on its own, came together. All the Mercenaries surrounding Rose and the merchants in the distance. They stared at her with astonished expressions, unable to close their mouths.
"Ah...."
Only then did Rose realize her hood had fallen off. Thinking the gazes directed at her were, as before, filled with lust, she hastily picked up the hood from the ground and wrapped it around herself, but...
"???"
Even after covering herself, the people's astonished expressions didn't change in the slightest, making her feel puzzled.
'What is it? Surely my clothes aren't torn, are they?'
She sheathed her sword and checked the clothes inside her robe.
"Uh, excuse me...."
Carlton, the Mercenary Captain, approached cautiously and with great deference, opening his mouth.
"Are... are you by any chance... a Guardian-nim?"
At that question, even the surrounding Mercenaries and merchants held their breath. Only then did Rose understand the cause of this strange atmosphere, and she gave a small nod.
"......!!"
"Gasp...!"
Groans could be heard from here and there. Among them, the veteran Mercenary who had just reprimanded the trainee Mercenaries, shouting, 'I want to touch that woman's ass too!' And Barman, who had openly stared at every inch of Rose's body with lecherous eyes until now. Both of them were on the verge of suffocating from fear. Especially since they had directly witnessed her skill in taking down the gigantic Troll with a single blow.
"W-we didn't recognize Guardian-nim and committed sacrilegious acts until now...!"
As the quick-witted Barman prostrated himself on the ground, the other workers and Mercenaries uniformly followed suit.
"Oh, no! Please get up. It's also my fault for hiding my identity. For now... let's deal with the situation first."
At Rose's dissuasion, everyone finally got up.
However, the atmosphere had changed 180 degrees from before.
No one dared to make eye contact with Rose, nor did they try to approach her.
Thus, avoiding Rose (?), the aftermath of the battle began to be dealt with. First aid was given to the injured, and the bodies of the two trainee Mercenaries, crushed by the Troll's blow, were buried to one side.
Although they were the ones who had conspired to commit insubordination.
Before the death of their comrades, the Mercenaries' expressions were heavy with sorrow.
As the cleanup of the battlefield was nearing its end, Carlton approached Rose again.
"Miss... no, Guardian-nim."
"You can just call me Rose, like before."
"...No, I wouldn't dare... It's just... how should we handle the spoils obtained from the Troll's corpse?"
"?? Spoils? I don't really know about such things...."
As Rose made a troubled expression, Carlton cleared his throat a couple of times and politely explained.
"In the case of a Troll, usually the Mana Core formed in its heart, its blood which is an ingredient for alchemy, and its hide and bones are valuable. If you wish, Miss... Guardian-nim, you may take all of it. After all, you defeated the Troll alone."
'Didn't I not defeat it alone...?'
Rose glanced at the Mercenaries. People groaning, clutching broken arms, and others bowing their heads before their comrades' graves. To say she defeated it alone... she was only able to land the attack successfully thanks to them drawing its attention.
"Then... I'll just take one Mana Core. The rest, the mercenary band can divide among themselves. The injured will need treatment costs, and you'll need to buy new weapons for the broken ones, won't you?"
"Uh... um... th-thank you. G-Guardian-nim...!"
Carlton's eyes trembled greatly with emotion. Even excluding the Mana Core, the Troll's byproducts hold immense value. It was entirely possible that if it weren't for Rose, they all might have been killed by that gigantic Troll. For their savior, who saved their lives, to instead consider them, forgo her rights, and even offer words of comfort... Carlton bowed deeply, expressing his heartfelt gratitude.
"I will never forget this kindness!"
"No, I... it's not that much..."
Rose received the Troll's Mana Core, which was about the size of a fist. Outwardly, nothing special was visible, but Rose knew.
'It's empty... It must be because I absorbed all the Mana it had when it died.'
If so, there would be no point in keeping it. If she sold it elsewhere and it was discovered that the Mana was empty, it might cause unnecessary trouble.
'Should I just discard it somewhere suitable, or destroy it completely?'
As she thought this, she saw Barman's face peeking at her from behind the cart and came up with a good idea.
"Barman-nim."
"Ah... um... Y-yes!! G-Guardian-nim!"
As soon as Barman's eyes met Rose's, he prostrated himself on the ground.
"I... I, for a moment, with foolish thoughts...! How dare I not recognize the great Guardian-nim...!! If I caused you any discomfort, please, I beg for your forgiveness...!!"
And yet, it wasn't long ago that he subtly probed if she would serve him at night. Now, seeing the old merchant prostrate and trembling, Rose let out a hollow laugh.
"Please get up. It's also my fault for not telling you beforehand."
"Oh... ohhh... Th-thank you."
"Instead, this Troll Core. Can your caravan pay me cash for it?"
As Rose held out the blood-stained core, Barman hastily wiped sweat from his sleeve and stood up.
"O-of course! But I'd like to pay you right away, however... I don't have enough gold coins to calculate the value of such a precious item. But! Once we arrive in Deluna! Our caravan will calculate it at the highest price and pay you! I promise on my life!"
"Alright. Then, I'll continue to rely on you until Deluna."
At Rose's cool reply, Barman sighed in relief and repeatedly bowed. If he paid a good price, she should probably forget about his lecherous stares until now. If he found out the core was empty of Mana, well, that would be his problem to deal with.
The journey thereafter was, quite literally, tranquility itself. At least for Rose. Sometimes the treatment was so deferential it was uncomfortable, but it was also the first time she had received such reverence from people.
'...This kind of treatment isn't bad, is it?'
Such a thought crossed her mind.
And three days later. The forest's boundary completely ended, and beyond the open plains, the majestic grandeur of a massive city appeared.
"Wow..."
Pristine white spires soaring as if to pierce the sky, sturdy and massive city walls encircling the city in layers. Countless caravans and travelers bustled in and out through the city gates, and the gazes of the guards in silver armor were sharp. They had finally arrived at Deluna, the great city and heart of the Lumen Kingdom's northern region.
After passing through the city gates, the caravan and the mercenary band stopped at a fork in the road.
"We need to return to the guild, so it seems we must bid farewell here. We will visit the caravan soon to discuss the settlement of the commission fee. And..."
Carlton, having finished his greetings with the merchants, bowed towards Rose.
"...It was an honor to be with you, Guardian-nim."
"It was an honor!"
Voices so booming that passing pedestrians turned around in surprise. Rose blushed and made them stand up.
"Don't act like we'll never see each other again. I... I'm thinking of visiting the Mercenary Guild while I'm in Deluna..."
"...Huh? Our guild?"
"Ah, I haven't decided for sure yet. But I'd like to meet the Guild Master, who you said is a Guardian, and if I have time, I'd like to learn more swordsmanship..."
"Ah..."
The Mercenaries, who had stared blankly at Rose for a moment, bowed again.
"It would be an honor if you visited us!"
"We will await you!"
"No, I told you not to do that..."
As people's gazes gathered once more, Rose hastily said her goodbyes and left the Mercenaries with the caravan.
Rumble rumble-
Barman and Rose walked ahead, leaving the cart laden with goods behind them. Now, once the caravan paid for the Troll's core, their short journey would be completely over.
'I'll have to think slowly about what to do next. But what I need right now is...'
"Um, Barman-nim."
"Y-yes! Guardian-nim!"
"Since it's my first time in Deluna... do you happen to have any inns you could recommend?"
"Ah... ah, an inn? Perhaps... what kind of place are you looking for...?"
"Hmm, well. I'm not particularly looking for anything specific, just a quiet, clean place with good food, and oh, a place where I can bathe with warm water would be fine."
"......"
"......"
A moment of silence. Barman's expression seemed to say, 'This young lady knows nothing of the world.' Realizing her demands were excessive, she hesitated, wondering which conditions to remove.
"Um... Guardian-nim..."
"Yes?"
"The nearby inns probably wouldn't be very satisfactory for Guardian-nim to stay in. After all, people who demand such conditions don't usually stay in inns..."
"Ah... I see."
"So, what I'm trying to say is..."
What was he trying to say? Barman, who had hesitated for a long time, unable to easily open his mouth, stammered out,
"Um... I have some spare rooms at my house, and if it's alright with you, perhaps you could stay there..."
"......"
Seeing Rose's eyes narrow, Barman hastily waved his hands.
"Absolutely...! I absolutely have no other intentions! How dare I, unless I had multiple lives, suggest such a thing to Guardian-nim...! I merely, truly, purely asked with the wish for Guardian-nim to stay comfortably!"
Indeed, he was someone who couldn't even make eye contact with her after the fight with the Troll. Unless he had suddenly gone mad, there would be no reason for him to harbor ill intentions. This much could be seen as pure goodwill, trying to build some favor since he had done wrong... right?
"Do I... have a room I can use alone?"
"Of course! I can clear out an entire floor for you!"
"And a bath with warm water..."
"Of course! There's a separate guest bathroom!"
Was there really a need to search for a noisy, bustling inn? A comfortable bedroom, delicious food, a warm bath. Everything was provided. Just thinking about it made her body feel pleasantly relaxed. So, without her realizing it (?), a reaction came.
Rose, in a very low voice, blushing, approached Barman and said.
"This is just out of curiosity, just wondering, but..."
"...??"
"By any chance, are there, how should I put it? Uh, people who entertain guests... no, people who help guests settle in... uh, like, attendants?"
"......"
The red-haired beauty Guardian who had taken down a gigantic Troll with one blow. As the tension eased, she began to harbor other thoughts.
"No, it's not that I want such a thing, but I was just curious if wealthy people like a merchant of your standing have such people..."
Even making a pathetic excuse that no one would believe.
< Illustration - Perhaps, maybe, even this? >
