Chapter 932. Gen (11)
I was sure Gen had no excuses, as the life he had planned for us to live was completely different from the life we were living right now.
He was a Templar, so he had to have been walking down an established path since he was young. It wasn't strange that he was having trouble dealing with an unexpected situation like this. He was even shocked to hear that my disappearance had already spread throughout the continent.
An army of griffons were flying in the air, and rangers were on patrol everywhere.
All we could do was find a place to rest and wait for them to thin out.
Since he had been working as a Templar in the Sacred Democratic Country, he knew just how competent and stubborn the armed forces of the Sacred Democratic Country were.
The search party was an army of rangers that was the pride of the Black Swan Guild.
The guilds and armed groups were aiming to create a coordinated communication network to move systematically.
The opening was tiny, and it was extremely difficult to exploit it. I was sure that Templar Gen didn't want me to sleep in this messy and small place. He also didn't want me to eat pig porridge all day unless he was a psychopath.
I was certain he wanted to remove the tree, at the very least, to allow some sunlight into our room, but he probably thought that he needed to be careful of his every move.
That was probably why he didn’t ask for basic necessities at that hamlet.
‘I’m sure of it because that’s what the results are telling me.’
The reason we managed to avoid the Sacred Democratic Country’s search party for two weeks and counting was that we were cautious.
We minimized our contact with the people outside, erased our traces, and hid like turtles, hoping that the fire would just pass.
Obviously, Gen didn’t yell at me because I had spoken with outsiders.
It was a variable, but it was something that could be handled. The reason he was still here was to erase my traces, and I was sure it was also because he couldn’t forgive himself. Actually, it was more like he had no courage to face me.
‘I didn’t say I wanted to escape. You’re the one who dragged me out here. Shit, I didn’t even ask you to set me free. I only came here because you asked me to come here.’
I was sure he was fantasizing about it in his head.
He wanted to show me the sky and travel with me across the continent. He was definitely dreaming of a happy life where we were always full of smiles.
However, this horrible situation had been going on for two weeks now.
'Think you can hold out? I’m sure you feel really bad right now.'
I wasn’t certain, as I couldn’t read his mind, but he was definitely filled with regret and shame.
When he saw my inflamed hands, which worked tirelessly to obtain leather, he definitely recalled his words about how he wasn't going to let me suffer. Even though he had broken his promise, I was still smiling brightly at him. I was sure his heart shattered at the sight.
He was definitely questioning his behavior and decisions right now. He was also definitely questioning whether he had done anything right for me all this while. A variety of questions had probably popped up into his head.
He was anxious, scared, and sorry, and all these led him to raise his voice at me.
‘...’
Of course, that was his own problem to handle, and there was no reason for me to worry about it.
'How dare you yell at me?'
I couldn't help but laugh about how hard I worked to skin an animal, as I wanted to feed that fool some meat. I was actually thinking about editing the script for him, as we had been living together for quite some time now, after all.
‘Do you know how heartbroken I was?’
Gen had yet to return. I looked at him using my telescope and saw that he was quite far away. I assumed he was there to comfort himself. Once security had loosened up and I was all by myself, I could probably go out that far as well.
Soon, daybreak arrived, and Gen got ready to enter a small city.
He was moving cautiously underground. I assumed he was moving underground, as he had already determined that it would be too dangerous for him to enter the city through the main gates.
He unsheathed his sword and moved cautiously, thinking there were rangers around, but I didn’t see any rangers nearby. The people nearby weren't really on high alert, and I presumed it was because they didn't have enough manpower to dispatch here.
‘It’s obvious why he’s decided to visit this tiny city.’
He probably wanted to apologize to me by treating me better. He had to have been troubled when he saw the food I had prepared for him last night. He only had sixty gold with him, but he still needed to stock up before leaving for the Republic.
He arrived safely within the confines of the small city.
- Whoo...
He started looking around, and he exhaled loudly, which was enough for me to deduce just how nervous he was at the moment. He melded with the crowd, pretending to be one of the city's adventurers.
- I’m here to sell something.
Gen soon found himself at a shabby shop.
The owner bowed before asking.
- What are you trying to sell?
- This. How much can you give me?
'He took out Benigoa’s rosario. This bastard was trying to sell his subject of devotion.'
- ...
- ...
- Where did you get this?
- Do I have to answer that question?
- You don’t have to, but it'd be easier to sell if I know the source. At a glance, it looks like it’s from the Sacred Democratic Country. I’m sure you’ll be treated well if you take this to them. Actually, everyone is trying to avoid doing backroom deals... I don’t even know if I can pay you the right price for this.
- How much can you give me?
- Um, let me check to see whether this is real or not. It looks like someone of pretty high status was the owner of this rosario. If you got this by killing a high priest of the Sacred Democratic Country, it’ll be difficult for me to sell it.
- The Heretic Inquisitors was here just a few days ago, so I’m curious whether this item has anything to do with that.
- It doesn’t have anything to do with them, so don’t worry.
- ...
- Whoo... I can give you exactly three hundred and forty gold.
- ...
- If I sell it at the right price, I’ll be able to get a thousand gold, but it’s really hard to sell this thing in the current situation... I’m not trying to rip you off, so relax. I’m offering the best price after considering the risk that I'll have to take just to sell this thing.
- ...
- That’s all I can offer, so if you don’t like it, I recommend going to another city and selling it... Most of the guys around here are conmen, so don’t go to them... I’m sure you’re already aware, but the Republic...
- I’ll sell it.
- Really?
- Yes.
- Ugh... I feel like it's a really big loss for you... Do you want something else except gold?
- Any basic necessities such as food.
- I won’t ask why... Wait here for a bit.
Gen looked nervous. He was worried that the merchant, who disappeared behind the store, would return with the search party.
Not many people were aware of the ongoing situation, but one could never be too cautious.
Moreover, fugitives often used the underground market, so I wouldn’t be surprised to know that the search party had visited the market a few times these days.
There was a possibility that the store owner had reported Gen while he was in the back of his store, but it seemed that the store owner was the type of merchant who would never stab his customer in the back.
Of course, there was a chance that he was worried about the consequences of backstabbing Gen, as the latter looked pretty scary.
- This is all I can give you.
- This is enough.
- Oh... go ahead. It's not much, but I added ten more gold, so take the pouch.
- ...
- You’re not going to count it?
Gen nodded and left. He walked past the square in a hurry, so I assumed he thought that he had to get out of the city as soon as possible. However, I suddenly saw him stop in front of an adventurer shop.
‘Boots?’
There was basic equipment like adventurer boots, comfortable clothes, and equipment that was a lot better than this dirty blanket. Of course, they looked cheap, but the set equipment that was being sold in the store seemed pretty cost-effective.
There were also ranked items in the story.
- The boots have an anti-fatigue effect. Sir, this is a rare item. They sell out as soon as they come out. It's kind of lacking for adventurers, as it doesn’t have other features... but items with similar features are ideal for rookie travelers. This set item...
- I’ll take it.
- It’s a hundred and eighty-eight gold.
- ...
Gen nodded and walked out of the store with a strange smile.
It was indeed a rare item.
They were becoming popular these days, as the manufacturing industry was in the middle of an industry boom. Despite that, the boots were still pretty rare.
The overall quality of manufacturers was still low, and there was a huge difference between those at the top and those at the bottom. There were items without any effects, and Gen had gotten lucky to obtain those boots with an anti-fatigue effect.
I assumed it was probably because it was still daybreak; the majority of the adventurers were still fast asleep.
Gen smoothly left the city. He was worried, but he got what he wanted pretty easily.
However, I was sure he could feel that he had gotten lucky. The search party had already searched this city over the past two weeks, but Gen still managed to enter and exit it without much issue.
I assumed it was either the rangers and the Heretic Inquisitors who were working in shifts or their security had loosened, as they found no traces of Gen or me around here. If they had received news that I was spotted around here, I was sure a huge chunk of their forces would focus on searching this region.
Gen returned rather quickly. The criminal had brought a handful of items for me to make himself feel better. Perhaps it was because he had obtained basic necessities, food, and even boots with an anti-fatigue effect, but he seemed to be feeling better.
He stepped forward and knocked on the door.
“Mr. Lee Ki-Young?”
Gen called out quietly, but I obviously didn’t answer.
“...”
“Mr. Lee Ki-Young.” He called out again and quietly opened the door.
Had he checked the dishes on the cheap wooden table?
The food was still warm, as I warmed it up upon confirming that he was going back.
“...”
I was sure he was touched. I waited for him until morning, so I was so exhausted that I ended up falling asleep. Of course, I didn’t actually fall asleep. Anyway, the point was that I made sure that the food wasn’t cold.
“Thank you,” Gen said.
“...”
He expressed his appreciation with a mutter upon checking my peaceful sleeping face.
“And... I’m sorry,” Gen added.
He even created a heartwarming atmosphere, but his smile suddenly turned into a frown.
“Mr. Lee Ki-Young...?”
My face was covered in sweat. I heard a clattering sound as he turned me around.
I was as hot as a ball of fire.
“Haa... haa... haa...”
My face was pale, and I looked like I had caught the plague.
“Ah...” I groaned without realizing it. It was a fun adventure, but it was too difficult for my weak body. Perhaps my lifestyle over the past two weeks had worsened my condition.
The poor living conditions and the fact that we hadn't been eating anything else but ham and pig porridge had ruined my body. Or perhaps I had gotten a bit too exhausted trying to get rid of the muddy water in our dwelling.
“Lee Ki-Young... Mr. Lee Ki-Young... Are you okay? Mr. Lee Ki-Young...” Gen asked.
Right now, I was sure he was thinking along the lines of this—‘I was having a good day, but I knew it was too good to be true.’
“Mr. Lee Ki-Young... Mr. Lee Ki-Young!”
This bastard was definitely thinking along the lines of that.