## Chapter 675 – The Capital

Anyway, since we met after so long, I figured I’d buy her a meal, so I dragged her to a nearby restaurant. Thankfully, she hadn’t had breakfast yet. So I just ordered a bunch of stuff.

I was hungry too, after all.

“Oppa, were you here for work today too?”

Lina asked, bowing her head once more in greeting.

“Nah, just sightseeing.”

I’m not an adventurer anymore.
I’m a Paladin.

“I’m leaving Isvant soon, though.”
“Huh? Leaving Isvant… you mean?”
“Yeah. I should go hang out in the capital for a bit. I came to see if there was any news before heading up there.”
“Ah…”

For a moment, Lina looked surprised.

“…So you’re going.”
“Yeah. What, you’re gonna miss me?”
“You helped me out a lot. Thank you again. I’m really… grateful for everything.”
“Hehehe, this little rascal.”

A feeling akin to emotion welled up inside me.

A bond that started with pickpocketing.

Even though our first meeting was a complete disaster, Lina and I built a relationship by helping each other out in our own ways. There’s a big age gap, but I guess Lina and I could be considered friends. Fusion Confucianism doesn’t discriminate based on age when making friends.

Come to think of it, Copson’s probably older than me too.

“Alright, don’t forget that gratitude. As I always say, if you get help, make sure to express your thanks properly, and if you’re treated unfairly and think you can get away with it, just beat the crap out of them. If not, read the room and act accordingly.”

I gave Lina some simple advice while waiting for the food to arrive.

“This is real-world, condensed advice. Only act violently when you’re sure you won’t face any repercussions and you’re confident you can win. Shitty adventurers usually have to put up with the strong ones acting like assholes. But when someone of a similar level is being a dick, you don’t have to take it. Or when something important to you is at stake.”

A fool who can’t distinguish between fire and water can’t survive. But even so, there are things you can’t compromise on. There are times when you have to risk your life.

Lina nodded, listening to my words.

“That’s really insightful advice… I’m always trying to live like that. It’s all thanks to you teaching me so well.”
“Hehehe, is that so?”
“Yeah… I learned a lot from watching you.”

Come to think of it, the only things I’ve done in front of Lina are killing and beating people up. But for Lina, who lives as an adventurer, that must have been the most valuable lesson of all.

“I wish I could grow up and get stronger soon…”
“Kids grow fast. When you earn money, buy meat soup. That’ll help your bones grow.”
“Okay. I will.”

Now that I think about it, she’s grown a little taller than when I first met her. Kids really do grow fast. If she gains experience as an adventurer, earns money, and grows up, she’ll be able to live well even after she’s all grown up.

And so, I ate breakfast with Lina. But eating this makes me wonder what the food in the capital will be like. Maybe they have really good food there?

Just imagining it makes my mouth water.

The food here is decent if you go to expensive places, but to me, who’s been accustomed to the taste of chemical seasonings for twenty years, it still feels a bit bland.

While eating, I had a simple conversation with Lina. I heard that there are some people who make her work without paying, but it seems she’s still able to make a living by continuing to work.

I hope Lina does well.

“Anyway, since you’re leaving… thank you so much for everything. You’re one of the few people who treated me fairly.”
“A person of my caliber isn’t that common, you know.”
“That’s right.”

We finished eating and came out.
Will I ever see her again?

“Alright, Lina. Live hard. Don’t go collapsing and dying somewhere. Don’t make mistakes. Don’t let your guard down and always think survivalistically. F-rank and E-rank adventurers dying is more common than you think.”
“Yeah. I will.”

Lina answered with a smile.

“And I’m not going to die. I can’t go meet my grandma yet. She’d be really sad if I came to see her too early.”
“Is that so.”

Was this Lina’s faith?

An afterlife where you can reunite with your family after death.

Her grandmother’s end wasn’t very beautiful. She became a ghoul and died like that. It’s a really unfortunate thing… but it was also a common tragedy.

That’s what life is like for the lower class in this world.

“Yeah, your grandma’s probably hoping you’ll live well in a good place. So be careful. This world is unforgiving if you make a mistake. There are tons of guys who die because they’re greedy.”
“I… know that now.”
“Good then. Take care, Lina. Always live strong.”
“Yes…! You too, Oppa!”

As I waved and turned around, I heard Lina’s shout from behind.

“I hope you do well in the capital!”
“Hehehe, yeah. I hope we get to see each other again someday.”
“I hope so too! Take care!!”
“Alright.”

Lina waved her hand energetically in greeting.

She’s really become a person now.

Leaving Lina behind, I headed back home. I need to buy a carriage today. Lina’s received my advice, so she’ll do well in the future. That’s what I believe. Having been educated by me, Kim Kat, she’s bound to become a proper adventurer.

Live strong in the mountains.

* * *

ㅡPheeheeing!
ㅡPurrrr!

This was the city’s largest carriage dealership.

Carriages for sale were parked everywhere, and the horses that would pull them. Drake subspecies. And subspecies of Cockatrices were restrained, letting out cries of longing for freedom.

With all sorts of livestock monsters lined up, it was quite a sight to see.

As soon as I got back home after eating with Lina, I came here with Claudie, Winia, and Karin. Risha said she’d stay home and watch the house with Hilde and Ari.

Anyway, as soon as we entered, Winia said,

“Then Karin unni, you lead the way here.”
“Just follow me.”

With Karin at the helm, we looked around the carriage dealership. The grounds were quite large, and the business seemed to be doing well. But since I’d already come to see it once before, there wasn’t much chance of getting lost.

“First of all, as you saw last time, we need to buy something really big and sturdy. You know that, right? We’ll be traveling long distances.”
“We have to.”

In this field, Karin was the top expert. Claudie and I were mostly pedestrians, and Winia rode carriages often, but not as much as Karin, who led a mercenary band and fought wars.

In carrying out a war, nothing is as important as supply and transport.

A mercenary band is, after all, a group that carries out wars for money. Naturally, they use horses and carriages like crazy, and managing them was Karin’s job. I feel infinite trust in Karin right now.

An elite is an elite after all.

A mercenary captain from the royal knight order. And the master of the swordsman’s guild. Karin is the best when it comes to looking at carriages and vehicles.

Isn’t my sister too cool?

Following Karin, we looked at the trained mounts. Karin coolly passed by a few, and finally stopped in front of some Drake subspecies.

“This breed is expensive, but it’s perfect for pulling carriages.”
“Oh.”
“Karin unni? What’s its name?”
“Hmph, it looks unique?”

Drake subspecies… it was obviously a breed modified for the purpose of pulling something. Its bulging hind legs exuded strength, and the hump on its back was reminiscent of a camel.

ㅡGrumble…

And its teeth looked eerily similar to human teeth, making it feel grotesque. Looking at the tooth structure, is it an omnivore?

Anyway, it was a really strong-looking bastard.
Monsters specialized in pulling carriages.

“Palmates-Drake. Keuheuh, how much I wanted this when I was a mercenary.”

Karin naturally reached out and stroked its nose as she explained.

“It eats anything well, and it doesn’t get sick easily. Its personality is docile, so it’s perfect for exploiting. Its strength and endurance are also great, so there’s no need to worry. The only downside is that it eats a lot, but it’s summer anyway, right? You can just feed it the grass that’s everywhere.”
“Ooh.”

Even though she was stroking its nose, it didn’t react.
It really must be docile.

“What do you think? You’re a Paladin on assignment anyway. You’ll probably be using it in various ways even in the capital, so if you’re going to buy one, you should buy one like this so it lasts a long time. We’re going to buy a really big carriage too. We have a lot of luggage.”
“That’s true. I think it’s really good. I like the way it looks too. What about Claudie and Winia?”

They looked at it very carefully and answered.

“Hmph, Karin knows this field the best. I’ll leave it to you.”
“It’s best to buy what someone who knows well recommends. Karin unni. Let’s go with this.”
“Then let’s do that.”

Karin nodded satisfactorily and explained that we needed to buy two. She looked quite happy.

Karin tends to like military things.

“The master of the swordsman’s guild has an eye for things.”

Soon an employee approached, and Karin naturally stepped forward and started talking.

“As you can see, it’s a very healthy fellow. There’s no better guy for pulling heavy things… You seem interested, are you thinking of buying it?”
“I’m thinking of buying two, but I think I should decide after looking at the carriage. I’ll look around first, so I’ll call you later.”
“Alright.”

Karin naturally sent the employee away and linked arms with me.

“Then let’s go see the carriage.”
“Hehehe, alright.”

Winia naturally linked arms with me too, and Claudie followed behind. We headed to where the carriages were on display.

“Oh.”

Looking at the lined-up carriages, it felt like I was at a used car dealership.

From simple transport packhorses to carriages with roofs. Passenger carriages. Those were parked neatly, and the bigger ones came out as you went to the right.

What I’m trying to buy is a large carriage that seats about 10 people. A carriage that can carry luggage and all my women. I’d looked at a few last time, so I stood in front of one that looked good.

“Excuse me, is it okay if we go inside this one?”
“Of course.”

The employee readily agreed. We went straight inside.

“Um, Claudie. This one looks pretty good. It’s spacious inside.”

The inside was definitely spacious. It was wide from side to side, long, and the ceiling was high enough that you didn’t have to bend over. It felt spacious because it was empty, but this was enough for ten people to fit in easily. There were also two windows on each side, making it look pleasant.

There was also quite a bit of space to put luggage.

Since we can use the second floor, we can put all the luggage up there, secure it with ropes, and cover it with a tarpaulin.

“I’m going to lie down for a second.”

I immediately found a spot and lay down.
It feels good.

“It seems like it’ll be fine if we just put something down.”

Then all of them lay down too.

“Hmph, it seems like it’ll be comfortable enough? We can put the luggage on the second floor and just put bedding inside… enough to be able to travel lying down.”

Even with four people lying down, there was still a lot of space left. It doesn’t seem like there would be a problem with eight people lying down. We can definitely go inside the carriage and sleep at night while traveling.

“In the first place, if we just follow the main road, there won’t be much inconvenience. Karin unni? Right?”
“If it’s the road to the capital, that’s right. There’s a road anyway. So husband? If you like it, let’s go with this. Honestly, I don’t think I can find anything better than this. It’s perfect for our circumstances.”
“It’s best to have unni decide on something like this.”

Again, it’s best to decide on what Karin thinks is the best.

“Keuheuh, I’m so happy that you trust me like that.”

Karin smiled and hugged my head.

“Hehehe, unni’s the biggest expert. You know this the best.”
“Well, I’ve done quite a bit of mercenary work. Then let’s go with this.”

We came out of the carriage and called the employee. The Drake to pull this and the carriage were quite expensive, but it wasn’t a problematic price for me, who had already become filthy rich.

They even gave me a discount because it was a dead stock, so I was able to take over the carriage at a fairly satisfactory price. I’m also quite happy with the spare wheels and other things I received as a bonus.

This feels like I just bought a car.
A really big one at that.

The two Drakes I bought were just livestock anyway, so I decided to call them Ilryong and Iryong for short. As I connected them to the carriage and moved, the carriage moved forward very smoothly.

I pulled the newly bought carriage and headed home. It feels different with all my women in the seats. I’m going to park it in the backyard when I get there.