—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Hannah, an employee working at the “Weeping Horned Giant” inn, carefully placed a plate on the table. The ribs that the chef had excitedly roasted after obtaining good meat from the butcher that day glistened an appetizing brown color. Hannah spoke, “…Please enjoy your meal.”
Valian nodded and grabbed the rack of ribs. He then used a knife to cut off some meat and placed it on Drigen’s plate. He pulled the rest in front of himself.
Econ, who had just regained his appetite, looked at him with a bewildered expression. “…Aren’t I getting any?”
“Soup. Bread.”
“…Sounds delicious.”
Hannah swiftly left the table after overhearing their conversation, almost seeming to flee. Econ muttered quietly, “She seems scared.”
Valian took a big bite of meat and grunted. He paid no mind to Econ’s remark. Econ continued as if unperturbed, “Well, Valian’s build is quite intimidating… Are all people from Aynakia that big?”
Valian chewed his meat while looking at Econ, not intending any particular meaning behind the gaze.
“Oh, so they’re all big, huh? Then are the women all bulky too? Like, hairy and all?”
“I heard old tales like that. That dwarf women grow beards around fifteen or sixteen. But when I actually saw a real dwarf woman, I realized it was just a rumor.”
“I wonder about Merna, though. That old guy seemed to be a pretty powerful mage. Actually, it does seem that way. I’ve never seen Merna use that kind of frost storm spell before.”
“The truly powerful mages are said to be able to fight entire armies alone, you know? To me, that just sounds like nonsense. If that were true, shouldn’t the kingdom’s generals themselves be mages like that?”
“Say, Valian, have you ever been with a fairy woman? They’re supposed to be extremely flexible. And at first they don’t really like it, but once they get a taste, they go crazy for it.”
“Valian, what do you think of that waitress? Isn’t she kind of cute? She seems a bit timid, which makes her even cuter in my opinion.”
“I noticed earlier, that sword of yours looks pretty good. Is it maybe a rune sword? Like a Hrunting?”
“I want a rune sword too. You know, like a Galatine? Even the King has a rune sword, doesn’t he? What was it called again, Fafnir?”
“…”
He sure talks a lot, Valian thought as he savored the ribs. And why would prestigious rune swords like those ever end up in your hands? Even I, who has spent years slaying monsters, only managed to acquire something similar by chance.
At that moment, Drigen, who had been quietly cutting and eating his meat, spoke up. “Econ. You’re being noisy.”
“Huh?”
Yes, well said, kid. Valian cut off a bit more meat and placed it on Drigen’s plate. Drigen nodded in gratitude but failed to make eye contact.
Econ looked back and forth between Valian and Drigen with an indignant expression. But both of them ignored him.
“…You and Valian are just too quiet, that’s all. People are supposed to converse during meals… Converse…”
Valian chewed and raised his hand. The waitress approached with a slightly stiff demeanor.
“…Yes, sir. Can I get you anything else?”
“Ale.”
“Ah, yes. I’ll bring some right away.”
She soon returned with a large wooden mug filled to the brim with ale. Valian gulped it down with his greasy hands. Econ watched him quietly for a moment, then ordered one for himself and began drinking as well.
At the “Weeping Horned Giant” inn, there were a few other people drinking ale besides their group. Through the windows, the fading rays of sunset cautiously seeped in. The dimly lit interior was made sufficiently cozy by the glow of a fireplace on one wall and the scattered candlelight. It was an idyllic scene.
Then Merna came down from upstairs. With weary steps, she barely made it to their table, pulled up a chair, and plopped down heavily.
“…Are you all right?” Econ asked with concern.
She slowly shook her head. Valian raised his hand again to call the waitress, then ordered another helping of ribs along with some bread and soup. Merna remarked, “…I don’t think you’ll be able to eat that much.”
Valian tore off a piece of bread and popped it into his mouth before replying, “I’ll just eat whatever you can’t finish.”
Merna nodded. After that, she fixed her gaze on the fireplace and said nothing more. The only sounds at the table were the clinking of plates and Valian’s grunts as he ate.
Unable to withstand the silence any longer, Econ finally spoke up. “…Is the meat good?”
Perhaps because it seemed like a question Valian might actually answer, or because he had nearly finished the meat on his plate, Valian did respond.
“It’s good.”
“Ah… I see.”
Silence engulfed the four of them once more. And since Econ seemed to be the only one threatened by the silence, his mouth opened again.
“…The situation isn’t looking too good. This village was originally just meant to be a stopover, right?”
The question was directed at Merna, who answered, “Yes. We were supposed to be riding straight for Riott by now.”
“But I suppose it’s fortunate there was this village. Otherwise, we would have had to prepare camp outdoors.”
“…If it weren’t for those miserable bastards, I wouldn’t have even had that fortunate thought.”
“…True.”
Silence fell again. After a while, the waitress brought a new plate, and Valian cut off only the meat from the ribs, placing it on Merna’s plate. She nodded gratefully and forced herself to eat. Valian watched her for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Don’t you know any portal spells?”
Merna swallowed the meat she had been chewing with difficulty before replying, “I do know them.”
“Then why don’t you use one?”
“…You seem to know little about portals. That spell only has about a 30% success rate. We could end up in a completely random location, or even another dimension entirely. Would you have me risk the lord’s son with that kind of danger? I don’t want to be hunted down.”
Never having befriended or killed a mage before, Valian nodded at this new knowledge. Then Econ tilted his head and asked, “So those guys last time took that risk when they used the spell scroll?”
“I suppose so.”
“So they could have luckily ended up somewhere completely unintended, or even died?”
Merna shook her head. “There was still about a 30% chance they arrived at their intended destination.”
“Well then, the situation might be better than we think. It’s possible the Golden Shield has no idea what’s going on right now, is it not?”
Merna scratched her forehead with the back of her fork handle. Her brow was slightly furrowed.
“That’s too optimistic a thought. If we plan based on that kind of thinking, we’re bound to fail even when success should be possible.”
Econ smiled wryly as he spoke, “I’m just trying to point out that things could be a bit better than you think, Merna. So cheer up a little and chat with me, will you? Drigen and Valian are too quiet.”
His words almost became a plea towards the end. Merna smoothed out her frown and smiled faintly.
“You’ve always been a talkative one. It’s both a strength and a weakness of yours.”
“I’ll take it as a compliment.”
Merna took a bite of meat, chewed and swallowed before continuing, “I don’t think I’ll be able to use magic for a while. The damage to my consciousness is too severe. So if anything happens during that time, I’ll just be a sword-wielding mercenary. Everyone be careful not to provoke any mages, even by mistake.”
Econ laughed. “Merna, how often do you even encounter mages? What are the chances of randomly running into a mage on the road and accidentally picking a fight with them…”
“And Drigen?”
Ignoring Econ’s remark, Merna addressed Drigen.
“Yes?”
“It doesn’t seem like we’ll be able to procure horses in this village. And it would be excessive to purchase workhorses meant for farming. We have money, but not enough to squander recklessly on traveling that way. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Drigen nodded. “That we’ll have to walk for a while?”
“Correct.”
Merna gazed at Drigen’s composed expression with a hint of admiration before turning her attention to Valian.
“And we’ll need to modify our travel route a bit. The original plan was to head straight for Riott, but we’ll need to make a slight detour to Cobilay for a short visit.”
What? Cobilay?
“Why?”
“For the recovery and enhancement of my magical abilities. And to send a message to Lord Sigelrad.”
“Couldn’t we just do all that in Riott?”
“I have an acquaintance in Cobilay. We may be able to receive some assistance from them.”
Valian tilted his head quizzically. “But why are you telling me this? You’re the guide, so shouldn’t I just quietly follow along?”
Merna, who had changed plans within half a day, cleared her throat awkwardly, as if the meat had gotten stuck. When Valian pushed the ale mug towards her, she gulped it down greedily. Setting down the mug with a thud, she explained, “Ahem. You’re an experienced adventurer who has traveled extensively. The wisdom of a seasoned traveler could provide valuable advice. And when I said that before, it was because I didn’t really know much about you yet.”
Valian gave a casual nod. However, he had no desire to suddenly take on the role of guiding this group now, and since Merna was still essentially just informing him rather than consulting, he didn’t press further.
Merna continued, “We’ll rest here tonight and set out early tomorrow morning. Everyone, eat well and rest up.”
Having said that, she rose from her seat. Econ tried to stop her. “Hey, you’re just going to eat that little bit and go up?”
“Forcing myself to eat more would only upset my digestion. I need to go upstairs and meditate for a while before sleeping. And Valian and Drigen aren’t too quiet – you’re just too talkative. Take this opportunity to cut back on your chatter a bit.”
“Oh, no… That’s…”
But Merna had already turned and headed upstairs without another word. Econ looked crestfallen. Before him sat a dark-haired man who had consumed three times the portion of an average adult male, and a child with an oddly composed demeanor despite his young age, both staring at him blankly.
In the end, Econ sat there with an extremely uncomfortable expression until Drigen went upstairs after finishing his meal, at which point he fled to his own room as well.
Valian remained seated, blankly sipping his ale. He raised his hand, and Hannah, who seemed to have relaxed her guard a bit after observing Merna and Econ’s attitudes, approached with a less tense expression than before.
“Can I get you anything else?”
“Ale.”
She nodded at his curt request. Soon after, Valian’s empty mug was replaced with a fresh, full one.
Thanks to Hannah clearing the table while bringing the new mug, only the large wooden cup now sat before Valian. He placed it in front of him and slowly became enveloped by the growing shadows in the corner of the inn as night fell.
Perhaps some men who appeared to be locals laughed boisterously, clinking their mugs together, spilling ale all over their table. It seemed the waitress had work to do.
The inn door opened, and three men entered. All three wore somewhat fancy hats but were dressed like travelers. To Valian, they looked like merchants. They too found seats and briefly drank before laughing and clinking mugs in a toast.
As the sun nearly set, weary farmers trickled in to cap off their long day with a pint. The once-tranquil atmosphere of the inn quickly became lively and boisterous. Everyone drank merrily, shouting, arguing, then laughing again.
As the lone server, Hannah rushed to deliver drinks. Of course, she didn’t do it all alone. When she became too overwhelmed to take orders or bring drinks promptly, people would simply go to the kitchen area themselves, order directly or grab drinks, then return to their tables. Since Hannah seemed accustomed to this, she devoted most of her attention to the outsiders – Valian, the merchants, and any other travelers.
Though different from before, it was still an idyllic scene.
However, Valian gradually drifted further away from that atmosphere, blending more and more into the shadowy corner.
The inn was so crowded there were no vacant seats, yet it somehow felt more spacious than earlier. The laughter and chatter seemed to push against the confines of the small space, creating a new universe. The mild glow of the fireplace and candlelight blurred the cozy yet distant boundaries of the walls.
Valian continued observing that space with a blank expression. Suddenly, he felt an urge to make a loud noise and draw everyone’s attention to himself. It was just a passing thought. Why did he have that thought? Was he feeling… lonely?
He let out a soft snort. Loneliness – a familiar word, emotion, and at the same time, a nostalgic feeling. Nostalgic for what reason? The loneliness of a man in his thirties was different from the loneliness of the monster who could crush a man’s skull with his bare hands. Though the same person, in becoming someone else, all the thoughts and feelings he had once understood became strange and new. And they would never be the same again.
Valian drank from the mug set before him. Though the ale could not intoxicate him, it swirled the thoughts in his mind into a frenzy.
That’s how he sat, ruminating alone in the corner, solitary and lonely.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
