No Sane Person Speaks Politely to a Debtor
There isn't a single sane bastard in this world who uses polite honorifics with their debtor.
Just as I finished spreading out the bedding, Gawol pushed the door open and stepped inside.
"Phew... I just paid the extra fee for—wait, excuse me?"
"What? Why?"
Doesn't he know that going to bed early is good for your health?
Gawol pointed straight at where I was sitting.
"...That happens to be my quilt."
Ah, so that was the issue.
"Come on, share a little. Sleeping on the bare floor makes my back ache, you know?"
Not to mention my tail gets squished, which is excruciatingly uncomfortable.
"Didn't you claim you were going to act as my bodyguard...?"
"Hey, is there a law saying bodyguards aren't allowed to sleep under a blanket? Let's just share. And why are you calling me 'you' again?"
So cold-hearted.
"Haaah..."
Gawol let out a weary sigh, walked over to the wardrobe, and hauled out another set of bedding.
"Fine. Setting that aside... you don't toss and turn in your sleep or anything, do you?"
What's with that look of utter distrust? Why is he making a face like he already knows the answer...?
"Don't worry. I sleep like an angel."
At least compared to my older brothers.
"Then... I'll take your word for it."
"Attaboy. You've got nothing to lose by having a little faith, right?"
"...Just go to sleep."
Fwoosh.
Gawol blew out one of the two oil lamps in the room.
"I'll get the other one," I offered.
"...Thank you."
As the second flame died, a faint wisp of smoke curled up from the candle—which had probably been treated with some kind of special bug-repelling oil.
"...Let's shut the window in a bit."
"Huh? Why close it?"
Why bother?
"Bugs will get in. Don't blame me if you get eaten alive by mosquitoes."
"I haven't been bitten by a mosquito since I was ten."
I had trained like a madman back then, so my ki instinctively formed a barrier to protect me even while I slept.
"......"
What? Why the sudden silence?
In the dim gloom, a faint look of astonishment washed over his face.
"That... is genuinely impressive."
...Wait. Did he just compliment me?
"Right? I'm kind of a big deal."
It was slightly annoying that the feat earning me praise was an automatic mosquito-defense net of all things, but still...
Being recognized always felt nice.
He continued, "No... I mean it. To have that level of ki control means you're at least a 4-Sword... That's well beyond the realm of ordinary mortals."
"Hmph, is that so~?"
Look who knows his stuff. Do you finally believe in my skills now?
Even so, this was the moment to show a bit of modesty.
"It's nothing special. I know people who reached 3-Sword in their early twenties."
"...Excuse me?"
Mhm, mhm. My older brothers might be completely insane, but they certainly know how to wield a blade.
Still, something felt off. The twin prodigies of the Baek clan were supposed to be fairly famous, yet from the look on his face, he hadn't the faintest clue.
"I've never... heard of such a thing."
Huh? Wait, he really doesn't know?
"Hey, this is purely out of curiosity, but..."
"Yes...?"
"Where on earth are you from?"
"......What?"
"Dok... moe?"
It was a place name I had never heard in my entire life. Usually place names were based on Sino-Korean characters, but this sounded like pure native tongue...
"Yes. It's also called Seoksangol... Though you've probably never heard of it."
"Where in the world is that?"
"Near the northernmost reaches of the peninsula... Well, not quite that far, but you know the massive mountain range in the north, the Yeongyeon Mountains, right?"
"Yeah."
The one bordering the Hwan Empire. Even I know that much.
"Right in the heart of that range, there's a single low-lying pass connecting to the plains of Seolguk Province in the Hwan Empire up north. It's a tiny village situated there."
"Aha..."
Come to think of it, I recalled hearing that merchants used to cross Mount Yeongyeon to trade...
"It used to be quite an important trade route... though that's an old story now. Because of that..."
"Hm?"
"It's nothing. Please get some sleep. We have a place we need to reach before noon tomorrow, so you'd better rest while you can."
Sounds like he's hiding something. Just like me.
"Well... alright. Ah, by the way, how on earth did you manage to get permission for a man and a woman to share a room?"
"Ah, that..."
"That what?"
"I told them you were a cross-dressing man, and they let it slide."
"...Hey!"
"What's the problem? There was no faster way to convince them..."
Still, of all things...!
"No, haah... Let's just sleep."
This guy definitely wasn't playing with a full deck either.
Woof!
"Ugh..."
A dog was barking.
Chirrrr-tweet—!
"Nghhh..."
This time, birdsong.
Shut up already. Let me sleep...
Arf-arf-ruff-woof!
Chirp-chirp-trill-screeech!
These bird-brained mutts...!
"Aaaargh! Just let me sleep!"
Why the hell are they raising such a racket at the crack of dawn?
"...Are you finally awake?"
"Gyahhh!"
Holy crap... My heart almost leaped out of my chest.
"Hey...! I just woke up, okay? You scared the life out of me."
"Is that so. Haah..."
What's with the sigh?
"If we swapped clothes, anyone would think I was the bodyguard."
Come to think of it... did he wake up earlier than me?
"Uhhh... what time is it?"
"Five-thirty."
Huh?
"It's not even late!"
Isn't waking up at this ungodly hour just ridiculous?
"...Would you kindly look at where you're lying right now?"
"On the bedding, obviously?"
"Haaah... That is technically true, yes."
"Then what?"
"That was originally my spot."
"......Huh?"
Only then did I snap my eyes wide open and survey my surroundings.
On the far side of the room, against the left wall, lay the bedding I was supposed to be sleeping on. Meanwhile, I was sprawled out eagle-spread right where Gawol had laid his head.
"Since when... have I been lying like this?"
"Haaaaah..."
Good grief, the ground's going to collapse under all that sighing.
"Around three in the morning, I woke up unable to breathe because your leg was crushing my chest. I barely managed to wriggle free and went over to sleep in your original spot instead."
"......"
Well, I certainly had no excuse for that. Sorry about that. It's been a long while since I shared a bed with someone else...
Tiptoeing around Gawol's mood, I slowly pushed myself up. In the sunlight streaming through the window, something glinted between Gawol's clasped fingers.
"...Wait, is that a pocket watch?"
"Ah, yes."
"Whoa..."
Even back home, I had only seen one of those a handful of times, yet here he was carrying it around on the road.
Tap, tap.
"Look at you, huh? Must be from a wealthy family, aren't you?"
Well?
"Hardly... When I was young, my father brought it back from a trade expedition."
"A trade expedition?"
"Yes. My father was a merchant as well... Though he isn't anymore."
"Aha..."
The mood took a sudden turn for the gloomy. I absolutely despised awkward moments like this.
"Oh, right! You mentioned we had to arrive somewhere before noon. Where are we heading?"
"Ah, about that..."
He pulled a map from his robes and pointed out several locations.
"First, we'll head out through the west gate and aim for Dongbuk at the northernmost tip of Hoan. It's drawn needlessly large here, but..."
"Is that so...?"
Dongbuk... Dongbuk. Where had I heard that name before?
"Ah, you mean the town right up against the frontier road?"
"Yes. The place known as one of the southern gateway passes."
"Hrm..."
A local specialty of Dongbuk tickled the edge of my memory.
"I hear their plums are particularly plump."
"Ah, right! Plums. Dongbuk plum syrup..."
Memories flooded back of my childhood, of how my adoptive mother would brew me a warm cup of water mixed with Dongbuk plum syrup whenever I had indigestion from overeating. My parents, who took in an adopted stray and raised me as their own flesh and blood.
"It was so delicious..."
It would be so nice to carry a jar of that along with us.
"Our objective is to pass through Hoan, not go shopping for plum syrup, so we're only staying one night before moving on."
"Ehh..."
Shut down without hesitation. Well, seeing as I was basically working off my karmic debt, I wasn't really in a position to complain, but still...
"I know that, okay...?"
"Hmm. Depending on how you perform, I might buy you a jar. Who knows... If we run into bandits on the road, my opinion of you might improve a bit. Assuming you can beat them, of course."
"......Really?"
I knew it, you're curious about my skills too, aren't you?
"Of course. For a merchant, trust is our very lifeblood."
The wagon Gawol led me to was a curious contraption, a bizarre cross between a proper carriage and a rough ox cart.
"Yaaawn..."
How long had we been trundling along in it? Gawol suddenly began barraging me with questions.
"Excuse me."
"Yeah?"
"Uh... based on your behavior alone, you act like half a thug. What exactly did you do for a living before this? And... are you truly a woman?"
Of all the things to nitpick.
"As long as a bodyguard guards well, does any of that really matter?"
"...You were hiding when we passed through the gate, yet I still wonder how you snuck inside the city in the first place."
"I jumped over the wall."
"Ah... hah... Well, be that as it may... we are still a man and a woman. It's only proper that we separate our sleeping arrangements and bathe privately, isn't it?"
Ah, so that was what he was stressing over.
"Don't sweat that stuff."
"...Why shouldn't I?"
"I've seen naked men dozens, if not hundreds of times more often than naked women."
Especially if I counted the memories from my past life.
"Pardon?"
A look of utter bewilderment washed over Gawol's face.
I gave a firm nod.
There exists a sacred place like that, kid. A living hell where dick-wielding bastards are crammed together by the hundreds—the military barracks. You'd probably be classified as Grade 1.
"So like I said, don't worry about it."
Got it?
Yet contrary to my expectations, Gawol's expression only darkened further.
"I mean... you are a woman."
"Yep."
For now, at least.
"And you're... past the age of majority?"
"Yeah."
I've already had my coming-of-age ceremony.
"Yet, if you've seen far more naked men than women..."
"There are places like that."
".........I apologize for asking such an insensitive question."
In his eyes, doubt and curiosity were rapidly replaced by deep pity and a faint tinge of guilt.
Wait, what? What on earth is he imagining—?
"...Hey, wait. It's not what you think!"
Wave, wave.
"It's fine. I don't... mind that sort of thing."
"I said it's not that! And why do you sound so unsure of yourself?!"
Don't wave your hands dismissively like that! And wipe that look off your face!
"Let us drop this topic."
Argh, seriously!
"Hey!! It's really not like that! In the first place, would any bastard in their right mind get off on someone like me?!"
"...What in the world are you talking about?"
"I'm telling you, it's a misunderstanding!"
He's been getting the wrong idea this entire time!
At that, Gawol pressed a palm to his forehead and groaned.
"Phew... I believe you are the one misunderstanding here."
"About what?"
"The... the power struggles that swept through Hoan over a decade ago. Especially what happened around Geumwon. They said that in the orphan shelters back then, more than ninety percent of the children were boys."
Ah. That incident that left behind a sea of orphans.
"......Ugh."
I could feel heat rushing straight to my cheeks.
"H-Hey! You're the one who phrased it weirdly in the first place!"
Though I had to admit, the guy wasn't entirely lacking in common knowledge.
"No, what kind of thought process do you even have to jump to that conclusion...? Besides, when did I ever phrase anything strangely?"
"Grrr..."
Honestly, it wasn't like I was completely blameless in misunderstanding him. Maybe about twenty percent of it was my fault... or if I was being truly honest with my conscience, thirty percent.
Haaah... Am I sexually frustrated or something?
"...Hey."
"Yes?"
"...Never mind."
Meanwhile, Gawol was feeding sugar cubes to his white mare, Daeseong. Since I had rarely seen horses in person, I hadn't realized it before, but the horses here seemed remarkably sturdier than the ones I remembered.
The cattle had been sturdy too.
"And delicious..."
"Pardon?"
"Ah, nothing."
Thinking about it only made me hungrier. Man... I was half-tempted to steal one of those sugar cubes from the horse.
Grumble—
"......"
"What? It's a natural bodily function."
"Just like earlier, I haven't said a single word."
You said it with your eyes, jerk.
It seemed it was genuinely time to find some breakfast.