Chapter 18 – Upper Escort

Two days later, I headed for the west gate early in the morning. Waking up early in the morning is always hard work, but thinking about going to another city for the first time in my life in another world, I was looking forward to it in my own way, so I didn’t feel the peculiar fatigue.

The preparations for the five-day itinerary were completed yesterday.

I returned the book, and prepared a pouch that I could eat for about 5 days if I ate moderately. I also filled the canteen full of water. And since I was supposed to be homeless for at least four days, I bought an old cloak that came down to my thighs for a whopping 20 coppers.

—Flutter.

I turned my body vigorously and flapped my cape nicely. I was kind of grumpy.

In fact, the cloak was not originally used for such a zodiac sign, but rather as a practical item worn as a blanket while traveling.

If you wear it, it blocks the wind, and you can wear it inside out when sleeping. I can’t expect much defensive power, but in case of emergency, it was enough to wrap it around my arm and use it as a substitute for a shield. Decidedly, wearing a cape and walking, he looked like an adventurer without fail.

More than anything, I liked that part. The atmosphere is what matters, the atmosphere. A person’s mood changes just by the clothes he wears. In other words, wouldn’t the gaze change from a sloppy barbarian warrior to an alien adventurer?

“Chuckle.”

I arrived at the western gate while flapping my cloak. Looking at it, there were roughly three or four wagons waiting, probably these were Abner’s top wagons bound for Isvant.

As I was snooping around, a middle-aged man in a green hat with a fancy feather approached me. Judging by the splendor of the hat, this person seemed to be in charge of the upper row.

“Are you?”
“Are you from the top of Abner?”

Since it was obviously related, I greeted him and took a wooden plaque out of his pocket and handed it to him. It was a wooden plaque worth 10 coppers that he had received from the adventurer’s guild the day before. To earn 60 coopers and pay 10 coopers as an introduction fee, these guys must be professional robbers.

Fuck guys. No, based on common sense, I think a fee of 6 coppers is appropriate for a fee of 60 coppers. Well, the guild must do this shit to make money.

“It’s the mark of our corps. Are you an adventurer who came as an escort? Nice to meet you.”
“Yes, nice to meet you.”
“What’s your name?”
“It’s a cut.”

He heard my name and checked off the list he had. His gaze briefly moved to my head, but he seemed to be mindful of my black hair. Black hair, which is evidence of barbarian blood, was bound to stand out.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. They say you can wait here for a while and follow the carriage when it starts. The sun will probably rise soon, so we’ll set off at that time. As I’ll tell you in advance, if you run away along the way or fall out due to lack of stamina, you will not receive any compensation. I cannot pay.”

But being a merchant, he didn’t seem to care much about that. Originally, merchants were businessmen who made money in a realistic way, so they were people with some level of brains and cultured things.

Merchants tend to have better character than wizards who are tired of privilege.

“Of course. I understand.”
“If you are injured during battle and cannot continue your work, I will take you to the city in a wagon and pay you all 5 days worth of wages, so if you ever have to fight, risk your life and fight.
“Oh, of course you have to fight hard.”

The middle-aged man said so and turned around. I’m sorry for betraying his expectations, but I have no loyalty to fight for his life.

Needless to say, ‘escorting the carriage’ meant protecting the carriage from enemies.

Why would you guard the wagon? This is because the wagon is loaded with things that could be money. If I saw a wagon full of goods in the mountains, I would have a wonderful thought, ‘Ah fuck, should I kill all these bastards and take them all?’

That’s why murder robbers, bandits and bandits, monsters, etc. Could attack. In front of greed, both people and monsters are the same. A normal person would end up just thinking about it, but this world was an era full of abnormalities. There was a high probability that robbers with knives would come with bad intentions.

I don’t know much about how the security in this area has been messed up, but given the need for an escort, it seemed like there would be some fighting.

Even in the modern world, when you enter an alleyway, there is no need to say that it is in the mountains of another world, in the yard where juvenile robbers steal money.

“Hmm…”

I’ve seen a few times where bandits arrested in the arena are executed, but looking at them, it’s probably a given fact that bandits exist. And well, there was no case that monsters wouldn’t come out of the mountain. If there are no bandits, there will be monsters.

“Do you know any chicks?”

I kept hovering around the wagon.

As time passed, other adventurers began to gather. When I counted them, there were about 10 of them. Oh my gosh. The escort cost alone was 50 copper per head, multiplied by ten, and it became 5 silver.

It was an unbelievable amount. Certainly, if you spend 5 silver on escorting the wagon, you will be safer than anything else. There are ten human heads, so what is there to worry about?

The adventurers seemed to be glancing at each other. I looked for familiar faces, but I couldn’t find anyone who spoke. I don’t know the details because there are ten of them. Looking at it as it is, only about two people are familiar. Of course, they’re familiar, but they don’t know anything about each other.

“The upper carriage of Abner is departing for Isvant!”

With the call of the coachman in the lead, the three wagons started, and the adventurers each stood on either side of them and walked moderately. It was important to match the wagon and walking speed. I took a seat at the very back. Whatever it is, the tail end is better than the lead. The front is tiring in many ways.

Leave the castle gate and proceed along the well-maintained road. Roads connecting cities to cities are usually maintained, but given that the schedule lasted for five days, there was a high probability that the roads would be ruined from the middle.

I can walk like this now, but it was clear that it would get harder as time went on. But no problem. Who am I, am I not an army sergeant? The hated military life at that time served as my bones and flesh now.

As a marching master, there was nothing easier than walking.

“Should we go to Jongno or Myeongdong?”

Excited, I hummed a small song. The title of the song was Teacher Seol Woon-do’s Compass.

If there is no bloodshed, it is a good opportunity to make money just by walking. Sightseeing in the neighboring city is a kind of bonus. Let’s take care of our health and earn money. I was forced to eat my heart out.

Do you think you can make a fresh start in Isvant if conditions are right? Just thinking about getting away from Winia right now makes me feel like the first stage of stomach cancer has subsided.

My heart was lightened that much.

As always, mishaps happen when you’re not paying attention.

“Rest time!”

I must have walked until around noon without talking to anyone, and it was time for a break. Those who seemed to be the servants of the upper ranks fed the horses with water and fodder with excited faces. Of course, us adventurers just sat down or sprawled out.

It is not a regular soldier and cannot be ruthlessly controlled with 10 copper per day. Above all, our mission was escort, not chores like that. There was nothing like that in the contract.

Actually, when I think about it, in escort missions like this, adventurers are nothing more than cheap and convenient disposable items that can be used just to receive arrows in case of emergency. In addition to the adventurers, the procession was accompanied by well-armed upper rank soldiers, and these guys are probably the main force.

Their hideous faces, which looked as if they had cut people up, were very trustworthy. I want these guys to solve it if the adventurers buy time by putting their bodies on it.

Anyway, it was break time.

I sat down and drank some water. You don’t know when you’ll be able to scoop up the water, so don’t drink it in gulps. Put it in your mouth, savor it with the feeling that it soaks your entire mouth step by step, and then slowly pass it down your throat. You have to eat a lot at one time to sweat it all out.

And as I split the amount of dry matter for nutritional supplementation, I felt a stinging gaze.

“Well?”

Somehow someone was staring at me. Boy in Luv Special) He doesn’t avoid snowball fights. So I also stared. Judging from his small stature, I felt sorry for him because I thought he might have been a little starved when he was young.

Even so, I had no intention of sharing the dry amount. But isn’t he coming all of a sudden?

This bastard… Is it a bite?

“Hello, Nice to meet you.”
“…Who are you?”

I wondered if he was someone who knew me, but I didn’t know him at all.

I looked up and checked the face again. With shiny golden hair. It was a guy with a thin face that seemed to have a slightly neutral feel. What the fuck are you doing? Is there no reason for this guy to talk?

“My name is Jylo.”
“Ah… I’m Katt, but do you have something to do?”

I asked out of curiosity. It was a guy I didn’t like because he looked quite refreshing with a male theme. Judging by the sword at his waist, this guy must be an adventurer like me. To my question, the man who calls himself Jylo replied with a grin.

“Are you interested in religion?”
“Yes?”
“Do you have any religion?”
“Yes? What?”

For a moment, I felt the illusion that this place was the main street in Korea.

It felt like I had been hit in the head with a hammer. If it wasn’t for the medieval-style wagon next to it, I wouldn’t have been able to tell if this place was Korea or another world. No, do you know this degree now? The friendly echo almost reminded me of the smell of soot, the scent of my hometown.

“From the look on your face, it doesn’t seem to exist.”
“…”
“It’s a tough world. If you don’t have a religion, listen to me…”
“Oh damn. You don’t need it, so go away.”

I flatly refused.

If this bastard was a woman, she would have listened to the story just to pass the time, but since she is a man, she just skips it. Real man special) Men are manure.
Because of some religion, I almost lost my precious break time.

Whoa, whoa, I waved my hand, but he showed no sign of leaving.

“Did you say Katt-nim? Katt-nim looks good, so I’m giving you this opportunity now. If you listen to the story, I’m sure…”
“No, what are you? You go to church? I’m not interested, so go see that bastard lying over there next to you.”

I quietly pointed at the guy lying on the other side with the intention of turning the bomb. But why the hell is this bastard not even pretending to see it?

“…This is all because Katt-nim looks good. It will be a good opportunity. Why don’t you listen to the story? And I’m not a priest.”

He was still smiling and recommending religion to me. Upon closer inspection, there was an earring in his ear his, apparently a religious symbol. He said he wasn’t a priest, so I couldn’t figure out why.

No matter how much I go, it won’t turn off. I wondered if there might be something else on my mind. At first glance, it seemed that the pseudo-asshole was 100% intent on seducing me.

I decided to talk nonsense and send him away.

“You bastard… Are you aiming for my back hole?”
“It’s a misunderstanding.”
“What a misunderstanding! Get out of here!”

Even though I had a seizure and issued an order to celebrate, including bullshit, he didn’t move like a tree rooted on the asphalt floor. What the hell made him this way? I am a person who has no intention of joining a religion.

“It’s because I saw Katt-sama and felt something. Don’t treat him so harshly, and if you’d listened to him while arguing like this, it would have ended a long time ago.”
“Looks like recess is going to be over soon, you bastard? And I felt fucked up seeing you too.”