Chapter 10: The King’s Mark and a Mercenary Encounter

Chapter 10

“But you’re going to tell fortunes with a mirror? Not this stone?”

“That’s just an ornament. It makes it look more… authentic, doesn’t it?”

The fortune-teller shrugged, though Hay didn’t find it particularly authentic.

The mirror was rectangular and foldable, designed so that when flipped and folded into a triangular shape, one could see reflections from both sides.

Rolling up their sleeves, the fortune-teller tapped the mirror.

“Just reflect your face clearly in the mirror. That’s all you need to do.”

‘That’s it? That’s all?’

Despite the suspicious simplicity, Hay didn’t protest and instead reflected his face in the mirror.

The face staring back at him from the mirror was utterly unfamiliar.

This was because Hay Styles had never seen himself in a mirror throughout his entire life; at most, he had glimpsed his reflection on the calm surface of water.

To be honest, a slight thrill ran through him at the prospect of finally seeing his own face clearly.

The man in the mirror had a pallid complexion. It wasn’t the flushed, pale skin typical of Caucasians, but rather a milky white, as if brushed with fresh milk.

‘No, how could he look like this after constantly roaming outside?’

His hair was silver, tinged with a faint grey, and even his eyebrows and eyelashes were white. With deep double eyelids, his eyes shimmered with a luminous violet, like embedded amethysts.

“Ah…”

While he knew his eyes were purple, he had never seen such a vibrant shade of violet in his life.

This held true both as Hay Styles and as Han Tae-hyun.

It was a color he had only ever seen in cartoons, or one that could only be achieved with colored contact lenses.

Naturally, it was incomparable to the color produced by lenses.

‘How fascinating. Are these really human eyes?’

“This one, they’re practically going to fall into the mirror. Why? Are you captivated by your own face?”

The fortune-teller remarked.

Hay, without realizing it, had pressed his face so close to the mirror that his nose was nearly touching it.

“N-no, it’s not like that at all!”

Embarrassed, he blushed, turned his head, and cleared his throat.

“Ah, I told you to look straight into the mirror, didn’t I?”

Hay bit his lip, his face flushed, and looked back into the mirror. The fortune-teller was also observing the mirror from the opposite side.

‘Even so, they can only see their own face. How are they supposed to tell fortunes like this?’

A moment later, the fortune-teller raised a hand and began writing something incessantly on the mirror with her index finger.

From Hay’s side, he couldn’t discern what was being written.

Even if he could see it, he wouldn’t understand, being illiterate.

‘I really do need to learn how to read and write.’

The fortune-teller mumbled something under her breath, a sound so close to an inaudible murmur that Hay couldn’t make out any words.

A moment later, the fortune-teller snapped her head up.

Their eyes met. Hay couldn’t decipher the meaning behind the fortune-teller’s wide-eyed expression.

She seemed both surprised and perhaps a little angry.

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s just… peculiar.”

“What is?”

“You’re a spirit user, aren’t you? It’s clear from the Spirit Tree staff you carry.”

“That’s right.”

“It’s truly peculiar.”

“What is?”

“Typically, this kind of fortune doesn’t appear for spirit users. Even if it did, it would usually portend a life of wandering, leading to a lonely death in a foreign land.”

A lonely death…

“Then what did it say?”

“It’s… settled. You were born with the mark of a king, and you will work your entire life until you die.”

“Excuse me? The mark of a king? I’m just a commoner.”

“Who said you’d become a king? I said you’d work like a king until your dying day.”

“Huh…”

“Well, fortunes are never absolute. The future can change depending on how you forge your own path. For example, let’s say a fortune predicts you’ll reach the pinnacle as a spirit user. But if you simply believe that prediction, make no effort, and indulge in laziness, your future could turn out to be the exact opposite. The same applies to bad fortunes. Even if a despairing prediction suggests things can’t get better, you can change your future through strenuous effort.”

‘Isn’t that obvious?’

Hay rested his chin in his hand, a look of indifference on his face.

“Hearing you speak such sense, it seems you’re not a charlatan after all.”

“Haha, that’s a first. Most customers usually argue, asking why bother with fortunes then, and call it sophistry.”

Hay merely shrugged.

‘On the contrary, people who demand, ‘It will happen just as I say! Trust me!’ are less trustworthy.’

However, many people, when having their fortunes told, strongly wished for hopeful predictions and ached to believe them.

Charlatans were despicable and vulgar individuals who preyed on others’ faith and desperation.

“Is that all you’re curious about?”

“Then how can I live without working for the rest of my life?”

“You’d have to acquire enough gold and treasures to last a lifetime, for free, wouldn’t you?”

The fortune-teller smiled brightly. Hay’s eyes drooped with disappointment.

‘It would be wonderful if this world had a lottery.’

****

Chewing over the disappointing fortune, Hay was making his way back to the inn.

Along the path, he spotted Renki.

Renki held a small cloth bag, constantly peeking inside and smiling, clearly delighted by its contents.

So engrossed was he that he didn’t even notice Hay passing right beside him.

“What did you buy that makes you so happy?”

Hay subtly grabbed Renki’s nape and asked.

Startled, Renki clutched his bag tightly, as if protecting it from a thief, and looked up at Hay.

“Master!”

“I asked what you bought.”

Renki opened his bag to show him.

Inside were a few pieces of fruit.

“Oh, apples?”

“I bought a few to share with you, Master. And I even have some money left over.”

As he fumbled to pull out some copper coins, Hay stopped him.

“Keep it.”

“Huh?”

“Consider it your allowance. Save it up and buy whatever you want.”

Renki, evidently not expecting such words, stood there dumbfounded, his mouth agape.

Hay picked out an apple, rubbed it against his clothes to clean it, and took a large bite.

Though it was bright red and glistening, it wasn’t as sweet as the apples from Korea.

“It’s alright.”

Still, it wasn’t bad.

“Shall we take a stroll and then go for dinner?”

“I’d like that. Did you have a good training session?”

“Too many distractions, so I couldn’t. I’ll do it tonight.”

The two ambled through the city, watching the people. There wasn’t much conversation between them.

Their only discussion revolved around what to eat for dinner that evening, and the conclusion was meat.

Renki needed animal protein for his health, and Hay was simply craving meat.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the esteemed Spirit User!”

As they walked, they encountered some familiar faces: mercenaries from Captain Cambern’s troop. They were dressed in simple shirts and trousers.

“Hello.”

Hay greeted them indifferently.

Beside him, Renki nervously bowed in greeting.

“Had a good rest? Speaking of which, our captain was hoping to take you along for the next assignment.”

“Yes, Captain Cambern did propose it yesterday, but I declined.”

“Why not? We had a good run! Come on, join us. Wouldn’t you prefer working with people you’ve already worked with?”

“It seems I’ll be staying for over a month. I usually take extended breaks, and I stayed for three months in Mejiton as well.”

“Hmm? That long?”

“Yes. My child isn’t in good health either.”

Hay stroked Renki’s head, using him as a convenient excuse. The mercenary nodded, a look of understanding on his face.

“Indeed, the lad did seem a bit sickly all the way to Nudan.”

“Can’t be helped then. But if you happen to change your mind… you know where to find us?”

“Yes, I know.”

“Then let’s share a drink before you leave sometime. What do you say?”

“Sounds good. Oh, I have a question.”

“What is it? Ask away.”

“Is there a good place for meat nearby?”

“Meat?”

The mercenaries exchanged glances.

“We’ve only been to one place, but the one we went to yesterday was truly delicious. If you go one block down from the Mercenary Guild towards the city gate, there’s a restaurant called ‘Angel.’ Try that place. Their beer is fantastic too!”

It seemed Captain Cambern’s mercenaries had quite the drinking spree there yesterday.

Parting ways with them, Hay and Renki headed towards ‘Angel.’ The place was already teeming with people.

Half of the narrow first floor was occupied by mercenaries, and the rest seemed to be townsfolk. There wasn’t an empty seat in sight.

‘Angel’ also had a second floor, where the situation appeared to be much the same.

“Ugh, should we try somewhere else?”

“I don’t mind not eating meat.”

“Quiet. At your age, you could eat meat all day and still not have enough.”

Hay patted Renki’s head and scanned the interior. Still, no seats were available.

Even as Han Tae-hyun, he had never waited for food anywhere, so he hesitated for a moment.

“They said this place was good, though…”

As he pondered, a table suddenly opened up. The timing was impeccable; it was a spot right near the entrance.

Hay’s eyes sparkled, and he grabbed Renki’s wrist, pulling him into the restaurant.

“Can we sit here?”

“You can sit once I’ve cleared it.”

The server, looking rather surly as if overwhelmed by work, replied.

While the table was being cleared, Hay stepped aside briefly, surveying the noisy interior of the restaurant.

All the mercenaries occupying half of the first floor were strangers to him. They weren’t from Captain Cambern’s troop, nor were they any of the mercenary groups he had joined during his journey.

He recalled hearing something about another merchant caravan arriving when he visited the guild that morning.

“You can sit now. Will you order right away?”

The server asked.

“What’s your most popular dish?”

“We butchered a cow yesterday and today. The tenderloin and ribs are already sold out.”

“What about the other cuts?”

“Whatever you order, there’ll be enough for two people.”

“Flat iron steak, then. How much is it?”

“About the size of my palm. It’s quite thick. One piece is 1 silver and 3 copper.”

Saying this, the server held up their hand, which was quite small.

“We’ll have two pieces each. Do you have any vegetables?”

“We have stir-fried vegetables with cabbage, tomatoes, and bell peppers as standard. Would you like a plate of that too?”

“And a glass of beer. Oh, and milk if you have it.”

“It’ll take some time. Would you like your drinks first?”

“Yes, please.”

After taking the order, the server quickly headed to the kitchen, shouting out the order details loudly.

A reply of acknowledgment, almost a roar, came back from the kitchen.

Given how noisy the restaurant was, it seemed unavoidable.

All the mercenaries seated seemed to belong to the same company.

They clinked their glasses, roared with laughter, and raised their voices to their fullest.

One, overcome with excitement, even sang and bounced in their seat, dancing.

His comrades cheered him on, clapping their hands.

Renki, finding the mercenaries’ boisterous antics fascinating, rolled his green eyes around, observing them.

Someone entering the restaurant bumped into a mercenary who was standing and reveling, pushing them forward. This caused the mercenary’s elbow to strike Renki’s head a little hard as he sat.

“Ouch!”

“Oh, sorry— What, a s*ave?”

Hay’s face instantly crumpled at the man’s words, uttered reflexively after his apology.

“Be a little more careful, won’t you?”

His voice came out sharp.

“Hm?”

“I said, be careful.”

The man looked as if he didn’t understand what he had done wrong. He turned to look at Hay.

Their eyes met. Neither of them averted their gaze.