Chapter 50
At dawn the next day.
Jeong Yushin opened his eyes. His body had stiffened from the intense training, making it difficult to move.
“Whew.”
After writhing on the bed like a worm, he barely managed to get up.
He opened the window, took a deep breath of the summer dawn air, and looked down at the street.
The street was quiet, with no one out and about yet.
He got dressed and went down to the first floor.
Tarman was bustling around the inn hall.
“Are you awake?”
Tarman saw Jeong Yushin and bowed in greeting.
Tarman’s face looked rather gloomy.
“Yeah. Tarman, did you sleep badly last night?”
Tarman scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“I slept well.”
“Tell me if you’re having a hard time.”
“Haha.”
Tarman gave a weak laugh and diligently swept the floor.
When he entered the kitchen, Anne was busy moving around.
“Want me to help?”
“Ah! You’re awake? It’s all right. I can handle this much by myself.”
Anne’s face also looked a little gloomy.
Was something wrong?
Jeong Yushin tilted his head in puzzlement, passed through the kitchen, and went out into the yard.
He stood in the yard and warmed up. He took off his shirt because summer made him sweat easily. Besides, he did not have many spare clothes left.
‘I need to do some laundry.’
Between training and studying, he left in the morning and returned at night, leaving him no free time.
Anne handled all the kitchen work, so it was difficult to ask her to do his laundry too. It was especially embarrassing to entrust her with things like his underwear.
‘I’ll have to find some time to do laundry.’
Jeong Yushin looked around the yard.
Darmong’s house stood on the left, and a storage shed stood on the right. There was a small well in the corner, with a laundry rack off to one side.
Seeing the house reminded him of Darmong.
How was he doing?
‘Yushin, you’re seriously ill.’
Repeating that to himself, he slapped his cheeks a few times to clear his head, then ran around the yard.
“Huff. Huff.”
He slowly ran while breathing in and out.
As heat gradually rose through his body, his stray thoughts disappeared. He focused on his breathing and moved his feet.
When his body grew increasingly soaked with sweat, he stopped running and swung his sword.
Whooosh.
Whooosh.
Jeong Yushin’s sword cleaved through the dawn air.
He swung his sword this way and that through the empty air, recalling the experience he had gained from sparring with Ashur all day yesterday.
Sweat poured down his entire body.
When his muscles began to ache, he stopped swinging the sword and caught his breath.
When would he be able to learn advanced techniques like parrying?
Impatience filled his heart.
Jeong Yushin shook his head and brushed the thought aside.
He continued summoning Sacred Weapons until his mana ran dry.
“Huff. Whew.”
Jeong Yushin knelt on the ground and gasped for breath.
Because he had summoned them repeatedly to his limit, his mana had run dry and his body had no strength left.
“Um...”
When he turned his head, Anne was standing there.
“Is breakfast ready?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll be there.”
He wiped himself with a towel hanging from the laundry rack, got dressed, passed through the kitchen, and went to the hall.
Anne, Tarman, and Jeong Yushin gathered around a table.
“Um... There’s something I’d like to tell you.”
Anne spoke hesitantly.
“What is it?”
“It seems the inn isn’t making any profit.”
“How little profit are we talking about?”
Anne began to explain.
Jeong Yushin folded his arms and listened calmly.
“...With things as they are, we’re barely avoiding a deficit.”
“So our sales are steady, but food prices are rising. That means the profit from selling food is shrinking. We’re making up for the reduced profit with the money we earn from selling alcohol. Is that what you’re saying?”
“Yes.”
Jeong Yushin rested his chin on his hand and thought for a moment.
“We won’t compromise on the quality of the food. What do I know about cooking or running an inn? Still, there’s something I want to uphold.”
‘Because it’s Darmong’s inn.’
“It doesn’t have to make much profit. If we’re running a deficit, I’ll find some way to cover it. I know it must be difficult since this is your first time, but please bear with it a little longer.”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
Anne and Tarman answered at the same time.
Since the subject had come up, he decided to ask one more thing.
It was also a difficult question to bring up. It was a wound for Tarman and Anne as well.
“...This may be a sudden question, but how is Mari doing?”
A priestess who served the Earth Mother Goddess.
A girl who had been raped by a hobgoblin and impregnated.
The shock had shattered her mind, and she was recovering at the temple.
“...Mari is doing well. Thanks to Priestess Mion’s efforts, we were able to safely ‘take care of’ the hobgoblin baby. The last time I went, I heard that her mind was slowly returning, but I’ve been busy lately...”
Anne’s voice trailed off.
I see.
“Don’t reduce the wages you two take home.”
Jeong Yushin said this, scratched his head, then turned to Tarman and continued.
“Tarman, have I been acting like a sucker?”
“Yes. If you keep giving everything away like this, what will be left for you?”
‘You two.’
He was about to say it, but swallowed the words.
Tarman’s round eyes were red. Anne’s eyes were red as well.
Silence lingered over the table.
In the quiet, something tugged at their heartstrings.
“I’ll say it again: I’m not going to completely wash my hands of running the inn. I’ll think about it in my own way, so don’t worry.”
Jeong Yushin said this as he picked up his fork.
“Yes.”
Tarman and Anne answered, their faces considerably brighter.
They ate while discussing this and that, then rose from their seats.
“I’m off.”
“Yes.”
“Yes. Have a safe trip.”
They saw him off as he left the inn.
He walked against the stream of people heading toward the labyrinth and arrived at the temple.
He showed his face to the person in charge of registration, had his attendance confirmed, and entered the orphanage.
“Hello, mister.”
A little child came running over and greeted him.
“Yeah.”
“Mister, you know...”
Jeong Yushin sat down, opened his teddy-bear bag, and took out his writing supplies.
“Could you not talk to me for a bit?”
“Hiiing.”
The little child made a tearful face.
‘Oh, come on.’
“All right. Don’t cry. What is it?”
“Yesterday, I saw someone who looked exactly like you, mister.”
Jeong Yushin’s eyes widened.
“What?!”
“Waaah. Mister, you’re scary.”
“Sorry. I’m just surprised. They didn’t do anything bad to you, did they?”
“No. They looked around the orphanage once and disappeared.”
‘Those bastards. Is this really dangerous?’
The realization that the dick outlaws of Labyrinth City were creeping closer made a chill run down his spine.
Were they letting him know that he was their target?
If so, they were particularly vicious.
Jeong Yushin ran a hand across his forehead.
“Whew. Be careful. They’re dangerous people.”
“Why?”
He could not bring himself to say the words rape or semen pickling in front of a child.
“Be careful. Don’t follow anyone who offers to buy you something tasty. Understand?”
The child tilted their head.
“If they buy me something tasty, doesn’t that make them a good person?”
“No. They’re people who lure you in and gobble up your liver.”
“Wui... Wuiii.”
Tears welled up in the child’s eyes.
‘Good grief, I don’t know. They’ll just have to grow up crying. What else can I do?’
Jeong Yushin scratched his head and looked down at the child, who was on the verge of tears.
“Mister! Why are you making this kid cry?!”
A spirited blue-haired girl interrupted.
“I was just telling them to be careful.”
“You could have just said that. Why say something about gobbling up their liver?”
“Whew, I’m sorry.”
The blue-haired girl took the little child into her arms and stroked their head.
“Sharon, don’t cry.”
The blue-haired girl comforted the child.
The tearful child sniffled and buried their face in the blue-haired girl’s arms.
“Waaah. Big sister Lily.”
“There, there. Good children don’t cry.”
Rattle.
The door opened, and a stern-looking male priest entered.
Diego Perez.
A mid-level priest serving the Earth Mother Goddess.
The moment Diego appeared, the children began to grumble.
Most of them were asking why Teacher Mion was not coming.
“Everyone, quiet.”
Diego tapped the lectern, and the children fell silent.
“Teacher Mion will not be coming today because she is feeling unwell.”
“Really?”
“What are we going to do...?”
The children’s worried voices filled the classroom.
“Quiet.”
Diego looked around the classroom once and spoke.
“She says it’s nothing serious. She should be fine soon, so she told you not to worry.”
As Diego finished speaking, he glanced briefly at Jeong Yushin.
I see.
Jeong Yushin sighed and opened his book.
Even so, his heart felt heavy.
He resolved to visit Mion later and apologize.
‘A belly massage before we were even dating. Normally, a kiss is supposed to come first.’
Regardless of Jeong Yushin’s feelings, Diego’s lesson proceeded kindly and thoroughly.
The children quickly focused on Diego’s class.
Unlike his stern appearance, he was a diligent young priest.
“Excellent. Mr. Ska, you corrected every part I pointed out.”
“Thank you.”
“At this rate, you should be ready to move on to the next book.”
“Really?”
He was getting a little tired of the story about the wind spirit and the woodcutter. It had been cruel, too.
Diego smiled and nodded.
“What book is it?”
Jeong Yushin asked.
“I’ll save that for the next pleasure.”
‘This priest is quite skilled at keeping people in suspense.’
Even so, Jeong Yushin could wait with a pleasant feeling. Learning something new was always enjoyable. It was necessary, too.
When noon came, class ended and the children left the classroom.
Jeong Yushin gathered his writing supplies and put them into his teddy-bear bag.
“You worked hard, Teacher Diego.”
“You worked hard too, Mr. Ska.”
“By the way, I heard a rumor that a Barbaroi entered the orphanage courtyard. Is that true?”
Diego’s eyes widened.
“Really?!”
‘You didn’t know?’
“Yes. One of the children at the orphanage said they saw one.”
“I’ll investigate first. Do you know the child’s name?”
“Sharon.”
“Understood. ···Is the evil we drove into hiding being unleashed again?”
Diego turned away and muttered the latter part, but Jeong Yushin did not hear him.
Jeong Yushin left the classroom, leaving Diego behind.
He went to the temple cafeteria, stood in line for food, and sat down.
The menu was vegetable soup with herbs, rye bread, and watered-down wine.
Jeong Yushin took a bite of soup and bit into the bread.
Something soft squished inside the bread, and a strong fishy taste rose in his mouth.
‘What the hell is this?’
He hurriedly looked inside the bread. The half-chewed head of some fish was poking out at him.
Ugh.
Jeong Yushin covered his mouth.
Who puts fish inside bread out of nowhere?
It felt as though he had stepped on a land mine after everything had been going so well.
Was this an assassination attempt?
He looked around, but the other priests were eating happily.
“Huh, bread with fish in it. What a blessing from the Earth Mother Goddess.”
“What day is it today? To think we’d get such a precious special meal.”
Jeong Yushin’s face twisted. Unable to spit it out, he covered his nose, chewed, and washed it down with wine.
“By the way, did Priestess Mion skip the dawn mass again today?”
“It seems so. She’s been staying up all night in the archives for the past few days, searching for sacred magic, and it looks like she finally came down with a fever. Knight Commander Kain came to visit yesterday, but it seems he couldn’t meet her in the end.”
“Oh dear, that’s serious. I should at least pray for her.”
Jeong Yushin rose from his seat.
Whether it was because of the fish bread or his guilt over Mion, he could not get any food down.
He left the cafeteria and arrived in the temple courtyard.
Just then, a group of explorers came out of the temple.
Two humans.
One dwarf.
One gnome.
It was a party of four in total.
They looked exhausted, but they were smiling.
“Kraaah! I finally got the Strength Enhancement Imprint!”
A human man with a longsword strapped to his back raised his arm and shouted.
“Hehe. I’m glad it worked out. I got the Chant Acceleration Imprint, too.”
A human woman who appeared to be a mage said with a smile.
“Sigh. A Wall-Climbing Imprint? What a complete dud.”
A dwarf priest sighed and scratched his head as he spoke.
The party members chatted happily, but one of them stood silently apart.
The human swordsman spoke to the silent gnome.
“You got the Heavy Foot Imprint this time, right?”
“...They said running would become more difficult and my footsteps would get louder, making things hard for me as a guide.”
The gnome answered with a weak nod.
“...It’s all right! We can erase it.”
“That’s right. It’s not even such a powerful negative imprint. Don’t worry about it.”
The party members consoled the gloomy gnome.
The gnome’s face slowly brightened.
“Yeah. I guess I was taking it too seriously. We can just erase it.”
The human swordsman patted the gnome’s shoulder.
“We’ll just take it one step at a time. Don’t worry too much. Let’s go get some food and rest. I’m exhausted.”
“I need to wash up. I haven’t bathed in a week, and I smell awful.”
The dwarf priest grumbled.
The party members left the temple, chatting quietly among themselves.
Jeong Yushin watched them from a distance.
A Strength Enhancement Imprint? He was so envious that his stomach began to ache.
And what about a Chant Acceleration Imprint?
‘I know how to get good imprints, too.’
Jeong Yushin smacked his lips.
He was envious of their good-natured companions as well.
If only I had good companions too.
How wonderful would it be to have reliable allies to conquer the dark labyrinth together?
‘Stop.’
He stopped thinking about it. Thinking any further would only make his stomach hurt. He had a lot to do. Jeong Yushin hurried to the Swordsmanship Guild.
“Your face is overflowing with desire.”
Ashur tossed out the remark with an extremely annoyed expression.
Jeong Yushin’s chest pricked as he ran hard around the training grounds.
So that was what came with being a Swordmaster of a long-lived race. His powers of observation were extraordinary.
“What do you mean?”
He asked indifferently while controlling his expression.
“Don’t bother controlling your expression. I can see everything. Don’t think about anything else and focus on training.”
‘What are you, Gung Ye?’
Jeong Yushin’s expression hardened.
“Here. Put on one more sandbag.”
Jeong Yushin shuffled over and strapped the pouch Ashur handed him to his ankle.
“Run.”
“Yes.”
He ran for a long time under the blazing sun.
His entire body became caked in sweat and dust, and his breath rose to his throat as his mind began to swim.
“Kheeegh. Huuuuuff.”
Jeong Yushin completed the final lap, collapsed onto the ground, and gasped for breath.
He felt like he was about to go mad.
“Yes, that’s the face. The face of a man who’s just gotten off.”
Ashur said with a laugh.
‘Is this bastard insane?’
Jeong Yushin glared at Ashur.
Ashur threw him an iron sword.
Thud.
The iron sword fell onto the training-ground floor.
Jeong Yushin barely managed to grab the sword with his trembling hand and rise.
“Come.”
Ashur’s eyes gleamed.
The two men sparred until deep into the night.
Kraaang!!!
Kaaang!!!
Ashur, who had been clashing swords with him, suddenly leaped backward.
“Enough. That’s all for today.”
“Huuuuuff. Haaagh.”
Jeong Yushin immediately collapsed onto the ground.
Ashur looked down at him and pointed out his flaws one by one.
Even while gasping for breath, Jeong Yushin listened carefully to Ashur’s words.
“...By the way.”
“What is it?”
“A Barbaroi came all the way to the front of the Earth Mother Goddess Orphanage. I feel my safety is threatened. What should I do?”
“There’s not much you can do.”
“...”
“It’s late, so you’d better return quickly.”
Ashur said this with a wide grin.
Jeong Yushin staggered to his feet and left the training grounds.
Ashur watched Jeong Yushin’s back grow more distant and muttered quietly.
“...Are those bastards finally returning to the streets? They held out for quite a while.”
Jeong Yushin walked quickly back to the inn.
He opened the wooden door and looked around the inn hall.
Anne and Tarman must have gone home from work, as no one was there.
He stuffed the food on the counter into his stomach, went up to the second floor, and entered his room.
He took off his clothes, wiped himself down with a towel, and lay on the bed.
He used his arm as a pillow and closed his eyes.
Whether those guys were really Barbaroi or not, he was simply too tired.
Because the training kept getting more difficult, his head always grew foggy at night, and sleep came drifting over him.
Now that he had arrived safely, he decided not to worry about those bastards anymore.
“Hyaaaawn.”
Rustle.
A sound came from beneath the bed.
Jeong Yushin’s yawn abruptly stopped.
Something was there.
Under the bed.