## Chapter 18 – Escorting the Merchant Group
Two days later, I headed towards the west gate early in the morning. Waking up early is always a pain, but the thought of going to another city for the first time in this new world made me somewhat excited, and I didn’t feel the usual fatigue.
I finished preparing for the five-day journey yesterday.
I returned the books, packed enough dried food in my pouch to last about five days if I rationed it carefully, and filled my water bottle to the brim. And since I had to camp out for at least four nights, I spent a whopping 20 coppers on an old cloak that reached down to my thighs.
ㅡFlap.
I twisted my body sharply, making the cloak flutter dramatically. It looked pretty cool, in its own way.
Actually, cloaks aren’t really for show; they’re practical items used as blankets during travel.
When wrapped around you, they block the wind, and you can use them as a cover when you sleep. You can’t really expect any defense from it, but in an emergency, you could wrap it around your arm and use it as a makeshift shield. Most importantly, walking around with the cloak made me look exactly like some second-rate adventurer.
That was the part I liked the most. Atmosphere is important in everything, atmosphere. People’s image changes just by the clothes they wear. Wouldn’t the perception shift from a scruffy barbarian warrior to a foreign adventurer, at least?
“Heh heh heh.”
I arrived at the west gate, flapping my cloak wildly. I saw about four or so wagons waiting there, which were probably the Abnel Merchant Group’s wagons heading to Isvant.
As I was loitering around, a middle-aged man wearing a fancy green hat with a feather came up to me. Judging by the flamboyance of the hat, this guy seemed to be the person in charge of the merchant group.
“Are you…?”
“Are you with the Abnel Merchant Group?”
He clearly looked like someone involved, so I greeted him and took out the wooden tag from my pouch, handing it to him. It was the wooden tag that cost a whopping 10 coppers from the Adventurer’s Guild the day before yesterday. To earn 60 coppers, I had to pay 10 coppers as an introduction fee; these guys must be professional robbers.
Fucking bastards. I mean, logically, a fee of about 6 coppers would be appropriate for 60 coppers. Well, I guess the guild has to make money somehow by doing this.
“This is our merchant group’s mark. You’re an adventurer who came to escort the group? Pleased to meet you.”
“Yes, nice to meet you.”
“What’s your name?”
“Katt.”
He checked my name against the list he had. His gaze briefly shifted to my hair, and he seemed to be concerned about my black hair. Black hair, the evidence of barbarian blood, was bound to stand out.
“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter. Wait here for a bit, and follow when the wagons depart. They’ll probably leave when the sun rises soon. I’ll tell you in advance, if you run away or fall behind due to lack of stamina, you won’t be paid at all.”
But he was a merchant, so he didn’t seem to care much about such things. Since merchants are businessmen who make money in practical ways, they were somewhat intelligent and had some level of refinement.
Merchants tend to have better personalities than wizards, who are steeped in a sense of privilege.
“Of course. I understand.”
“If you can’t continue your duties due to injuries sustained during combat, we’ll put you on the wagon and take you to the city, and we’ll pay you the full five days’ worth of wages, and we’ll cover the medical expenses as well.”
“Oh, of course, I’ll fight hard.”
The middle-aged man said that and turned away. Sorry to disappoint, but I have no loyalty to fight to the death.
Needless to say, “escorting the wagon” meant protecting the wagon from enemies.
Why protect the wagon? Because the wagon is full of things that can be turned into money. Seeing a wagon full of goods in the mountains is tempting, and you’re bound to have the incredibly wonderful thought, “Oh, should I just kill those guys and take it all?”
That’s why murderous robbers, bandits, and monsters might attack. In the face of greed, people and monsters are the same. A normal person would just end up thinking about it, but this world was full of abnormal people. There was a high probability that robbers with knives would come looking with bad intentions.
I don’t know exactly how messed up the security is around here, but it seems like there will be some fighting, considering that an escort is needed.
Even in modern Earth, teenage robbers run rampant in alleyways, so it goes without saying that it would be worse in the mountains of this world.
“Hmm…”
I’ve seen bandits who were arrested in the arena being executed a few times, so it’s probably a given that bandits exist. And well, there’s no way monsters wouldn’t pop out in the mountains. If there are no bandits, there will be monsters.
“Are there any familiar faces?”
I kept circling around the wagon.
As time passed, other adventurers gathered one by one. Counting them, there were about 10 people. Wow. The escort fee alone was 50 coppers per person, multiplied by ten, which came out to 5 silver.
It was an unbelievable amount. Surely, if you spend 5 silver on escorting the wagon, it will be safe above all else. There are ten heads, so what’s there to worry about?
The adventurers seemed to be glancing at each other. I also looked for familiar faces, but I didn’t see anyone I had talked to. There were ten people, so I don’t know for sure. Roughly, I only recognized about two people. Of course, I only recognized their faces and didn’t know anything else about them.
“Abnel Merchant Group’s wagon heading to Isvant is departing!”
With the shout of the coachman at the head, three wagons departed, and the adventurers stood on either side of them, walking at a moderate pace. It was important to match the walking speed with the wagons. I discreetly took a position at the very back. Whatever the case, the rear is better than the front. The front is tiring in many ways.
We left the gate and proceeded along the well-maintained road. Roads connecting cities are usually well-maintained, but considering that the journey was five days long, there was a high probability that the road would be messed up from the middle.
We can walk like we’re going on a picnic now, but it was clear that it would get harder as time passed. But no problem. Who am I? I’m a former army sergeant. The hateful military life back then acted as flesh and blood for me now.
There was nothing easier in the world for me, a master of marching, than walking.
“Shall we go to Jongno? Shall we go to Myeongdong?”
I was excited and hummed a little song. The song was “Compass” by Mr. Seol Undo.
If there’s no bloodshed, it’s a good opportunity to earn money just by walking. Touring the next city is a kind of bonus. Let’s take care of our health and make money. I decided to have a good mindset, even if I had to force myself.
Considering that I could make a fresh start in Isvant if the conditions were good, I couldn’t help but be excited. Just thinking about getting away from that Winia made me feel like the stomach cancer I had was calming down to stage 1.
That’s how light my heart was.
As always, misfortune happens when you’re off guard.
“Break time!”
I walked without talking to anyone until around noon, and then it was break time. The people who seemed to be the merchant group’s employees were excited and fed the horses water and fodder with drooping expressions. Of course, we adventurers just sat down or sprawled out.
We weren’t regular soldiers, and we couldn’t be ruthlessly controlled with 10 coppers a day. Above all, our mission was escorting, not such chores. There was nothing like that in the contract.
Actually, when you think about it, adventurers in these escort missions are just cheap and convenient disposable items that can be used as arrow shields in case of emergency. Besides the adventurers, the procession also included the merchant group’s soldiers, who had decent weaponry, and I think these guys are the main force.
Their fierce faces, as if they had cut down some people, were quite reliable. If the adventurers buy time with their bodies, these guys will take care of it.
Anyway, it was break time.
I also sat down and drank some water. You shouldn’t gulp down water because you don’t know when you’ll be able to get more. Hold it in your mouth and savor it, feeling it gradually moisten your entire mouth, then slowly swallow it down your throat. Even if you drink a lot at once, it will all be sweated out.
As I was breaking up my dried food for nutritional replenishment, I felt a piercing gaze.
“Hmm?”
For some reason, someone was staring intently at me. Manliness rule #1: Never avoid a staring contest. So I stared back. Judging by his small build, I felt sorry for him, thinking he might have been a friend who was a little hungry when he was young.
That didn’t mean I had any intention of sharing my dried food. But then he suddenly came up to me.
This bastard… is he a mooch?
“Hello? Nice to meet you.”
“…Who are you?”
I wondered if he was someone I knew, but he was a complete stranger.
I raised my head and checked his face again. He was a guy with shimmering golden hair and a delicate face that felt somewhat androgynous. What the hell is he? There’s no reason for a guy like this to talk to me?
“I’m Jairo.”
“Ah… I’m Katt, but is there something you need?”
I asked with a question in my voice. He was a guy who was quite refreshingly handsome for a man, and I didn’t like him. Judging by the sword at his waist, he must be an adventurer like me. To my question, Jairo smiled brightly and replied.
“Are you interested in religion?”
“Huh?”
“Do you have a religion you believe in?”
“Huh? What are you saying?”
For a moment, I felt like I was on a street in Korea.
I felt like I had been hit in the head with a hammer. If it weren’t for the medieval-style wagon next to me, I wouldn’t have been able to tell if this was Korea or another world. No, is this “Do you know the truth?” The familiar resonance almost brought back the nostalgic scent of exhaust fumes from my hometown.
“Judging by your expression, you don’t seem to have one.”
“…”
“It’s a harsh world. If you don’t have a religion, why don’t you listen to my story…”
“Ah, damn it. I don’t need it, so go away.”
I refused outright.
If this guy was a woman, I would have just listened to his story for fun, but he’s a man, so I’m just going to pass. Manliness rule #2: Reject men.
I was about to have my precious break time stolen by some religious nut.
Shoo, shoo, I waved my hand, but he showed no sign of leaving.
“Did you say your name was Katt? I’m giving you this opportunity because you seem like a good person. If you listen to my story, you’ll definitely…”
“Hey, are you a priest? Do you go to church? I’m not interested, so go over there to that guy lying down next to you.”
I quietly pointed to the guy lying down on the opposite side with the intention of passing the buck. But why the hell doesn’t this guy even pretend to look at him?
“…It’s all because you seem like a good person. It will definitely be a good opportunity. Why don’t you listen to my story? And I’m not a priest.”
He was still smiling and trying to get me to join his religion. Looking closely, he had an earring on one ear, which seemed to be a religious symbol. He said he wasn’t a priest, but I couldn’t understand.
No matter how much I told him to go away, he wouldn’t leave. I wondered if he had other intentions. He looked like a cult member, and he was definitely planning to seduce me.
I decided to make up some nonsense to chase him away.
“This bastard… is he trying to get into my back door?”
“That’s a misunderstanding.”
“What misunderstanding! Get out of here right now!”
Even though I went into a frenzy and issued an eviction order that included nonsense, he didn’t move like a tree rooted in the asphalt floor. What on earth made him like this? I have no intention of joining a religion at all.
“It’s because I saw you, Katt, and felt something. Don’t be so cold, and if you had listened to my story instead of arguing like this, it would have been over a long time ago.”
“It looks like the break time is about to end, you bastard? And I felt disgust when I saw you.”
