Chapter 48 – Chapter 3: Rotten Barn – 3
“What?”
“Apologize.”
“Some kid suddenly said something…”
“You understood everything.”
I stared straight at the employee.
“I need two carriage seats. But why are you saying something different? Are you deaf?”
“Let’s take a look at this…”
“We didn’t give you money? Why do you keep talking nonsense when you can just give it to them? So what do you get?”
The employee’s face turned red.
It was shameful to be in this situation where he was being scolded by just a ‘woman’, but he looked very angry because he couldn’t refute even a word of what I said.
It’s obvious even without looking.
Because these guys are simple.
A clamor arose from behind.
“Ah – in front of there! Come out loud and quickly!”
“What! “We have to leave now, why are we taking so much time?”
He pointed back.
“Did you hear? The people behind you are waiting. “Don’t waste time, give me two seats quickly.”
I flexibly direct people’s complaints towards the employees, not me.
The angry employee roared back.
“No. You have no votes to sell. Get out now.”
“No tickets? People look here! They said all the tickets were sold!”
“What-?”
“Bitch!”
The employee rushed to grab me by the collar… There is no way.
Chuck.
Just grabbed my wrist.
“It wouldn’t be good if you touched me. You’re making a mistake.”
“This… !”
“Tia! Me… Because I’m fine! Come on, don’t fight…”
Uncle Posao urgently stopped him.
There is no chaos.
In the back, people are piling up, shouting and dissatisfaction is pouring out, and the staff and I have our arms tangled.
I know.
There was an accident.
To be honest, I had no desire to come to an unfamiliar place and make a fuss.
〈 World Adventure Book 〉 also stated that the basic qualities of a traveler are to be friendly with people, and that it is best to avoid noise and protect yourself.
If Ritz were here right now…
He must have stopped me before I could jump out.
I knew better than anyone else that I shouldn’t do this.
For some reason I couldn’t bear it.
The scene where Uncle Po Sao is insulted and falls to his knees helplessly.
It made my body move on its own.
And even now, I do not regret this action.
The employee laughed.
“Going to Deseo? Joy. Have a nice walk somewhere. “You little bitch.”
“… Good. “If it comes out like that.”
I held on to the man’s hand tightly.
“… T, Tia?”
Bang!
I kicked open the door of the stable next to it.
An employee ran towards me swearing, but I didn’t pay any attention and shouted loudly.
“4 gold for two people! Looking for a carriage to go to Deseo!”
All the coachmen who were resting turned to look at me.
The price of a regular carriage is 1 gold per person.
When the asking price was about twice as high, all the coachmen started to get up from their seats.
“4 gold?”
“Me! “I’ll go!”
“Here! “The carriage is ready here!”
An old coachman came running quickly.
He said that for 4 gold, he would prepare to depart immediately without delay.
However, to see if he really had that much money, he asked me to show him the gold coins first.
He immediately took out a gold coin from his pocket and showed it to me.
“Here. Is it correct?”
“Oh! Good! Let’s get ready now. “What is the ticket?”
“There are no tickets. They didn’t cut it off. The employee over there.”
“What?”
The old coachman frowned and walked to the ticket booth.
And then he immediately gave the employee a reprimand and began to ask questions about what happened.
As expected, the person with the loudest voice in the stable was the driver.
Since the coachmen had their money tied to this one ticket, they were not allowed to refuse customers for unjustified reasons.
After getting scolded, the employee gave me two carriage tickets with an angry look on his face.
Even though I spent a lot of money on tickets. If you think about it as the price of properly choosing that proud top, it wasn’t a waste at all.
No, on the contrary, it was very refreshing.
I promised the coachman that I would leave at lunchtime and went out with Mr. Posao.
“Tia… “Didn’t you spend too much money?”
“Are you okay. It was your money from the beginning. “It’s right to use it for you.”
The man lowered his head.
“Thank you so much, Tia…”
“Anyway, why did you just listen to that insult? “Aren’t you even angry?”
“I’m fat and… It’s true that he’s ugly and stutters…”
“But there’s no law that says you can listen to such harsh words!”
“… Hehe.”
I’m getting scolded.
The man just smiled as if he was in a good mood.
“Why are you smiling?”
“T-Tiaga… Speaking like Lina… I suddenly remembered. Lina too… You helped me, helped me, protected me…”
When I heard those words, that smiling face seemed sad.
At first, she was surprised to hear that her mother was best friends with Uncle Po Sao.
I mean, she was like Ritz with me.
It is said that her mother put in a lot of effort for the slightly clumsy man.
I didn’t understand that.
But now I think I know how her mother feels.
A person abandoned by the world… The pity that I can’t bear to just look at.
With this feeling I have right now.
Wasn’t Mom trying to protect Uncle Posao?
“Tia… “You really look like Lina.”
“I heard that last time.”
“Thank you. Tia.”
“-Lol. Oops.”
I took out a biscuit from my bag and handed it to the man.
“I bought it yesterday. “You couldn’t eat anything since morning because you were waiting in line, right?”
“Yes…”
“Now, there is water here, so drink it carefully. Don’t get thirsty.”
“Okay…”
We chatted while sharing biscuits.
It’s already afternoon. I went out to the promised place.
The coachman had already completed all preparations and was waiting for us.
However, because it was prepared in a hurry, there was only one horse, and the carriage was a two-seater.
“This… Can I get on?… ?”
It’s embarrassing.
The carriage was small enough for the man to ride alone.
In the end, one person had to sit uncomfortably next to the coachman.
The man claimed it himself.
“I’ll ride in front.”
“… That’s Okay. Let’s just ride together.”
“Together? T, Tia… Are you okay?”
“Because as big as you are, I am small. Well, it would be perfect.”
He pushed his big body in somehow, climbed on top of me, and closed the door.
Although it was definitely a little cramped, I was able to ride it somehow.
The problem was that we were so close together that I had to be shouldered to shoulder with him.
… But it wasn’t particularly uncomfortable.
“Okay, let’s go!”
When the driver swung his whip, his horse began to move.
Now, if it only takes one day like this… Deseouda.
“…”
After a while. I started to feel drowsy.
Uncle Posao was already dozing off, probably because he had worked so hard since the morning.
Haam.
I guess I should pay close attention too.
After tossing and turning, I finally found the best position to fall asleep.
Leaning my head on his big shoulder.
I closed my eyes in the rattling carriage.
* * *
I got off the carriage for a while, rested, got back on and moved again.
As I was caught up in the conversation between the coachman and Uncle Posao, time passed in a blink of an eye.
I ran for a whole day and when the sun came up the next day.
Finally, the blue sea spread out in the distance.
I was able to see the amazing sight of a huge city touching above.
Deseo.
It was the moment when the legendary port city that I had only heard about unfolded before my eyes.
“Wow!”
I couldn’t keep my mouth shut.
It was bigger than I imagined after reading it in a book.
That is a ‘city’.
From the north end to the south end.
There are buildings lined up everywhere you can see.
There were countless ships anchored beneath the high walls, and they were still crossing the horizon.
As we got closer to Deseo, the number of people and carriages traveling around increased rapidly.
There were so many that I felt like I was being buried in the procession.
How far did it travel?
The coachman said.
“Well, we’re all here! Get down!”
“Yay!”
I opened the carriage door and jumped out.
I stepped on the ground and stretched out happily.
In the midst of a large crowd of people.
I looked up at the huge castle gate in silence.
[Deseo]
A huge badge that can only be seen if you raise your head for a long time.
There was a huge letter announcing Deseo’s name engraved in golden embroidery.
It is an incredible feat.
After handing the four gold coins to the driver, we headed to the Deseo Castle Gate.
Uncle Posao said that he had only been to Deseo once in the past.
Thanks to this, I was able to proceed with the entry process without difficulty.
Deseo is a city where so many people come and go, so identity verification was thorough.
First, I needed an official document to prove my identity.
My uncle showed me a certificate written by the lord of Taildon long ago, and I proved it with a letter written by a royal doctor.
Once the identity was confirmed, the soldier asked the name.
“Posao Modales… “
“Posao Modales. Next.”
“It’s Tia Anthee.”
“Tia Anthea. Next.”
On the passage document the soldier was using, my uncle’s and mine’s names were written side by side.
As soon as it passed, the contraband inspection was conducted this time.
I was worried that there might be a problem with the weapons I brought, but surprisingly, I passed without any problems.
After listening to what he said later, it seemed like the ‘letter from the royal doctor’ I had submitted was more effective than I thought.
Complete identity verification and inspection.
We barely made it through the castle gate.
The moment you step inside the gate, a dazzlingly beautiful city unfolds.
“Here… It’s Deseo.”
The man also looked down at the scenery blankly.
“Yes, that’s right. We… I came to Deseo… Finally…”
“…”
It was difficult to even dare to speak.
Lots of people walking, carriages.
It might seem complicated, but the distance was so big that there was no point in worrying about that.
In an area where a variety of shops are lined up in a row.
Wonderful people are coming together and having fun.
A house that specializes in selling flowers.
A house that specializes in confectionery.
There was also a store selling play equipment.
There was also a place that only sold rocks.
I couldn’t focus on just one thing.
It really seemed like everything that existed in this world was gathered in one place.
Would you believe it if there were not just one such enormous area, but hundreds of them?
Deseo was that kind of place.
If you listen closely, you can sometimes hear foreign languages other than Korean.
Sailors from a distant, foreign land drank and talked noisily.
Some people wore unusual clothing, had long chins, flat noses, or had dark skin.
When you hear singing somewhere, you go to see the orchestra playing happily.
There was also a humorist performing tricks next to him.
Even if I just took one step, it felt like a completely different world.
We avoided the crowded streets and went into a quiet back alley.
It was a shady outskirt.
“T, Tia. Look over there…”
The man pointed to one side.
Very far.
However, there was a tall and huge castle that was so high that it could be seen even from here.
A roof made of gold sparkles between the spiers.
On top of it, the pattern symbolizing the royal family was made of ruby and shined bright red.
“… Can you see it?”
“Yes.”
“That is the ‘Red Castle’… “This is where King Deseo is.”
King.
A being that reigns over everyone living on this earth.
I thought I would never see it in my lifetime, and it seemed like it would have nothing to do with me living in a small mountain village.
Of course, you won’t be able to see his face.
I am looking at the king’s residence, even from afar.
Once again, I felt that I was in a different place.
“Great job. Tia.”
“You too, uncle.”
Uncle Posao slowly got up from his seat.
“Now… Hey, is it time to break up?”
“… Yes?”
Why?
Without realizing it, I ended up asking that question.
