Chapter 506
"Well, I'm not exactly rich anymore," Ian replied, putting the gold coins back into the storage box.
He only picked up one from the top. This emergency fund was part of the gold coins he had received from the Princess in the past.
"Well, you are the count of the capital and the margrave of the snowfields. Come to think of it, it would be strange if you weren't rich." Diana nodded.
"I told you, not anymore," Ian added as he tossed the storage box into his pocket dimension.
Diana paid him no mind and clicked her tongue. "I lived on the other side for too long. So long that I became a fool who couldn't even realize such an obvious fact right away."
"Don't be so self-deprecating. In any case, you didn't forget the fact that we need money, did you?" Lucia comforted her.
A sigh slipped from behind Diana's mask. "I only just remembered that, too. I assumed you had no money either. It's useless out there, after all."
"We didn't live there long enough to throw away what we had," said Ian, turning his gaze forward.
Diana, who had been looking up at him while blinking, let out a low sigh a beat later.
"You're right... Crazy. It feels like I've been following you my whole life. But it hasn't actually been that long.""Let's think in terms of the outside world. Then we've been traveling together for several years." Lucia's quip drew a dry laugh from Diana.
Ian nodded toward the front. "I thought they were drinking from broad daylight. It was the opposite."
Lucia, who had only then turned her gaze back to the inn, nodded, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You're right. It seems they were leaving."
A procession of horses and carriages had already lined up in front of the inn. The people who had been gathered around the entrance were each climbing aboard. It appeared to be a trading caravan from the Empire.
As soon as they finished boarding, they immediately went out onto the main road and moved away, turning their backs on the group. All that was left were a few drunkards leaning against the wall, dozing off. Judging by their attire, they all seemed to be residents of this city.
Lucia, looking at the now-deserted inn, added, "Perhaps, there aren't many outsiders left in the city."
Ian gave a slight nod. It wasn't surprising. With the fall of the Black Wall and emergency alerts at every front line, it was only natural for outsiders to return to their bases.
Of course, the merchants, who would make up the majority, would try to finish their deals tenaciously before returning. The ones who had just left the inn were likely such cases.
Lucia looked back at Ian. "Shall we look for another place a little further inside?"
She was likely asking if they should go to the base of the back-alley kingpins.
Ian shook his head without hesitation. "It's fine. We were going to find out anyway. We're staying for one day and leaving, so let's not create any unnecessary trouble."
"Alright." Lucia nodded readily.
Reaching Tahena safely remained their top priority. They were merely hoping for an early glimpse of things. The situation in the inland sea or the South would naturally reveal itself once they arrived at the Erenos estate.
"Since it's come to this, let's rest comfortably before we go."
It's not like there's no way to get information just because there are few people.
Ian added inwardly and jumped down from the saddle.
Lucia, who followed, held out her hand. "Alright. I'll check how many horses are left in the stable."
"Okay. Make sure Moro stays separated from the other horses."
"Don't worry. Let's go, Moro." Lucia, taking the reins, turned toward the stable.
Snort.
Moro, letting out a puff of air from its nose, followed behind her with a graceful gait. Even after crossing the wilderness, the black horse's coat still gleamed.
Looking at it like this, it really does look like a fine steed.
The reason the residents occasionally looked back might not have been because they were outsiders who had entered the city at this time, but simply because they had been captivated by this horse.
Ian, turning his gaze to Diana, nodded. "Let's unpack our things first. I need to take a bath before we eat."
"Even an ancient swamp fairy wouldn't have enjoyed bathing as much as you do, Ian Hope." Diana followed behind, shaking her head from side to side.
"I'm not the strange one here..." Ian murmured, almost to himself, as he headed for the inn's door..
The familiar stench of a tavern, mixed with the sharp scent of spices, was already stinging his nose.
***
"My goodness. I wasn't mistaken about the smell," said Lucia, letting out a low exclamation as she approached the round dining table laden with all sorts of food.
The table placed almost in the center of the fairly spacious room.
"I expected it when you rented the best room. It seems you ordered all the dishes, too." Lucia took a seat on one side of the round table. Her face was much cleaner, and she was dressed lightly in just a shirt and pants.
"I just told them to prepare enough for the three of us to eat until we burst," Ian, who was equally clean, replied, sitting diagonally from her.
He tugged lightly at the chain around his neck, adjusting it. The talisman pouch rested directly against his bare skin.
Diana, who sat opposite him, let out a low, hollow laugh. "Throw gold at anyone and they'll serve you like this."
Unlike the other two, she still wore her armor, its sides left wide open. When she pushed her mask up onto her head, it revealed the face of a fairy, one corner of her mouth curled in a subtle smirk.
"To spend a gold coin on one night. I feel more than ever that you're a central noble, Ian Hope. Well, thanks to you, I'm comfortable, though."
"Sir Ian's habit of throwing money around taverns is already a well-known fact."
"There are rumors like that?"
Ian frowned slightly at Lucia's casual remark. Shrugging her shoulders instead of answering, Lucia quickly reached forward. She grabbed one leg of an unknown roasted bird and tore it off.
Diana, who was nodding as if she had expected it, also sliced a piece of meat roasted with spices with her knife. It was then that the waitress, who had rushed into the kitchen after guiding them to the table, approached.
After placing the wooden mugs of beer in front of the group one by one, the waitress looked back at Ian and added, "Let me know if you need anything else."
She was a Vantruian waitress with curly brown hair and coppery skin.
"I think we'll have leftovers, if anything." Ian, who had lifted his mug to wet his lips, tilted his head to the side. "Change the drink instead. I think wine would go better with this food."
"Just a moment. I'll bring you the best wine." The waitress, winking playfully, turned around.
Ian chuckled and moved some lamb onto his plate.
"Guess we're invisible to that waitress," Diana murmured as she slowly chewed, a typically cold fairy's smile playing at her lips.
Lucia, unfazed, nodded calmly as she continued eating her roast pigeon. "Sir Ian is very popular with waitresses. This, too, is a well-known fact in the North."
"It's the power of money. Hand over all the change, and anyone would turn that friendly," said Diana.
"What kind of ridiculous rumor is going around?" Ian muttered, clicking his tongue.
Lucia and Diana only nodded vaguely. Neither of them seemed to be paying much attention to his words.
As he chewed reluctantly, Lucia added, "In any case, it's a relief that there are some customers. We'll have to listen to see if there's any useful talk."
As the sun set, the round tables began filling up one by one. Most of the patrons were city residents, though a few outsider guests staying at the inn were mixed in.
They were likely those who had chosen to remain and observe the situation for now, rather than return to the mainland. If one could afford the time and money lost, it wasn't a bad choice.
Ian, who had swallowed the meat he was chewing, shrugged. "It doesn't matter much if we don't get anything. I've already heard the rumors of the inland sea, for the most part."
Lucia looked at him, her eyes narrowing. "You did?"
"Roughly." He fell silent as a waitress approached with a tray. On the tray was a pewter bottle, clearly containing wine, and wine glasses.
"It's wine from Valo Hill. It's the most delicious wine in the South. I hope it suits your taste," said the waitress as she set the bottle and glasses on one side of the table, her gaze settling briefly on Ian.
Ian smiled. "It smells good. Thank you."
"When you're done, put the bottle back here. I'll refill it for you." With a bright smile and a faint, lingering glance, the waitress turned and walked away.
As Ian poured the wine, Diana muttered, "No need to ask who told you. But when did that conversation even happen? Oh. Right."
With a wry twist of her lips, she cast a sideways glance at the waitress bustling across the room. "Must've been while she was changing your bathwater."
"Yes. Though I don't know why that's so important," Ian said, placing a wine glass in front of her.
Diana, who immediately picked up the glass, smiled. "It's not important. It's just, I think I know why she's being so friendly."
What nonsense.
Ian snorted.
"So, what's the rumor?" asked Lucia.
"They say no more ships are coming from the mainland. Once the docked ships leave, there won't be a way back for a while. That's why all the merchants are scrambling to leave," said Ian, who had placed a filled glass in front of Lucia.
"My goodness. The people leaving the South might all die. It might not be that the mainland isn't sending ships, but that they couldn't reach the South," Lucia sighed, not even touching her drink.
"Well, that could be it." Ian, who had nodded, brought the glass to his lips. It was an excellent wine with a very good aroma and a rich taste, just as the waitress had said.
"If we just stand by and watch, the damage could be too great. What if we go to Duke Jihandar and tell him what we saw? That would be the quickest way to spread the warning across all the ports. We might be able to lessen the losses, even if just a little," said Lucia.
"Tahena is right around the corner, and you want us to take such a detour from here?" Diana frowned.
Receiving Lucia's gaze, she continued, "It will take a week to get to Arvant. It won't be difficult to meet the Duke since Ian is here, but we'll be forced to be treated as guests for a few days. It's not polite to send off a distinguished guest in one day. The Duke's face is on the line."
"But we can't just let people all fall into the sea and die," Lucia said calmly.
Diana snorted briefly. "It's been nearly two weeks since the Wall fell. Even if we met him, it'd take ten more days to warn the ports. The ships would be long gone. Besides, if there's something wrong with the sea, the sailors would have been the first to notice. Islanders are weird, but they're superstitious and easily spooked. If they think something is strange, they won't set sail no matter how much money you give them."
"Hmm..." Ian nodded, picking up the wine bottle to fill his glass. Lucia also stroked her chin as if at a loss for words.
"If the rumor has reached this far, they probably all know over there. So, let's not waste time on pointless things," Diana added, her voice firm.
"It seems you really hate detouring more than death itself," said Ian, holding his wineglass, one corner of his mouth curling up.
Diana, who had paused, smacked her lips. "To be honest, yes. We're almost home. Finally, after a nightmarish time that felt like it would never end."
Lucia quietly sipped her wine. That, too, was why she didn't push further.
"In any case, if the rumor is true, we might really have to board some suspicious ship captained by a corrupted one," said Ian.
"I suppose so." Lucia, having set down her glass, gave a small nod. She, too, seemed to have put off making a decision about the route, for now.
It was then that a low laugh spread through the group's minds.
—When did you make such an interesting plan? I'm already looking forward to it.
It was Yog, finally woken up.
—Don't worry about finding a corrupted captain. I'll find one by smell. No matter how well they hide, they won't be able to fool me.
Setting down the cleanly emptied glass, Ian let out a low laugh. "Then we'll have to be out late."
Since leaving the demonic realm, Yog had dozed off without exception every morning. And each day, it woke up just a little later than the last.
"Are you alright, Yog?" Lucia asked, watching as it crawled down onto the table. She, too, seemed to have noticed that it had been waking up later each day.
Yog, who had stopped, flicked its tongue.
—It can't be helped. I've become insignificant again. But before long, won't the day come when this friend absorbs chaos once more?
So that's why he was so eager.
Chewing on a piece of meat, Ian let out a low chuckle.
This creature was waiting for the moment he killed a corrupted one again. Maybe it was even hoping he'd end up fighting Bukikia.
"You'd be better off being careful not to get burned to death by divinity. You might end up losing more power while trying to gain it."
As Ian added, filling his wine glass, Yog let out a low laugh.
—Thanks for the advice, Friend. I'll keep it in mind. But by the way…
Its gaze turned to the space between Lucia and Diana.
—Why is that ugly one looking at you?
Diana and Lucia, who had paused, looked at each other.
Ian, showing no sign of surprise, calmly set the bottle down and turned his head, muttering, "So it wasn't just my imagination."
He had been feeling the gaze as well. Standing just outside the closed main door was a large man in a hooded cloak.
The yellow glow under the hood, which had been staring at Ian, dipped slightly the moment their eyes met. He seemed to be checking a parchment in his hand.
Soon, the man, who looked back at Ian, strode into the room and took off his hood. A fierce face with tusks protruding upward was clearly revealed.