Chapter 19: The Price of Rest and a Fortuitous Encounter

Over the past while, accommodation costs alone had amounted to 18 gold, with laundry fees totaling approximately 5 gold. Though daily meal expenses fluctuated, an average of 5 silver per day meant he had likely spent upwards of 6 gold on food. The tuition paid to Briana Lamperche was 1 gold and 50 silver. While over 4 gold remained unaccounted for, it wasn’t entirely surprising. He hadn’t indulged in luxuries; rather, the sum likely covered occasional allowances for Renki and minor incidental costs for their daily living expenses, making the figures roughly consistent. In essence, he had spent roughly 15 million won during his time in this place.

‘I really need to start working soon,’ Hay sighed, a wistful note in his voice. He had grown rather fond of his life as a jobless man, all under the convenient pretext of training. ‘So much for happiness,’ he mused, the mere thought of work leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. Hay exhaled a series of heavy sighs as he returned the money to his pocket. It was at this moment that Renki reappeared.

Renki, toweling his cropped hair, regarded Hay with a curious gaze. ‘Master, are you feeling unwell?’ His scalp, now fully healed save for a small patch near his left temple, allowed his hair to grow in naturally. Consequently, Renki had ceased wearing his turban.

‘I have to work,’ Hay replied.

‘Work?’ Renki echoed, surprised.

‘I’ve rested long enough; it’s time to earn some money.’ Hay let out another profound sigh, then conjured a gentle breeze to dry Renki’s hair. After donning a thin overcoat, he headed out for a meal.

‘Uncle! You said you’d have chicken?! Get some for us too!’ Meylin’s voice rang out from behind him as he stepped out of the inn.

‘Honestly, does she think I’m her personal butcher? Buy your own with your own money!’ Hay retorted without turning around, prompting a disgruntled whine from behind him.

‘Hmph! So stingy over just one chicken! Fine, I won’t eat it out of spite!’

‘Hey! Do you even know how much a single chicken costs?!’ Hay protested, as Renki chuckled beside him.

‘Why are you laughing?’ Hay asked.

‘Because you’re going to buy it for them anyway,’ Renki replied, a knowing smile playing on his lips.

‘Buy it for them, my foot! Does my money grow on trees? I’m not buying a thing!’ Hay grumbled, his nose and mouth twitching in annoyance. Renki, however, continued to giggle.

‘Stop laughing,’ Hay warned, his tone stern. At the threat, Renki instantly pressed his lips together, his body quivering with a peculiar expression.

Arriving at ‘Angel,’ they ordered a plate of seasoned chicken, exactly what Renki had been craving. In fact, every table in the establishment seemed to be enjoying seasoned chicken, without exception. The ‘chicken’ itself was a special menu item at ‘Angel,’ a creation born from the recipe Hay had shared with Meggy. Driven by an intense craving for chicken, Hay had, back when he was ‘Han Tae-hyun,’ taught Meggy a seasoned chicken recipe he’d found online. Once patrons saw Hay eating it, they began ordering it themselves, and it quickly became a runaway success. Had he known it would sell so incredibly well, he would have charged at least 5 gold for the recipe. He wished he knew how to brew soy sauce; then he could make soy sauce garlic chicken too, but alas, that knowledge eluded him.

‘Still not enough, right? Let’s get the rest to go and share it with the kids.’

‘Yes! I knew you’d buy it! It’s for Meylin, isn’t it?’

‘No way! I’m going to crack open some beers with Brother Torres, aren’t I? And I’m going to devour all three myself!’ Having been a long-term guest for nearly four months, Hay had developed a comfortable, fraternal bond with Mr. Torres, referring to him as ‘Brother Torres.’ Their relationship, however, was primarily that of drinking companions.

‘Master, it seems you’ve been drinking a bit too frequently lately,’ Renki observed, his gaze drifting towards Hay’s lower abdomen. ‘Could that be why you’ve put on a little belly fat?’

‘Belly fat? Where?’ Hay countered, covering his midsection with both hands and glaring at Renki. Renki burst into laughter.

‘It’s a joke!’ he insisted.

‘There are limits to what you can joke about! How dare you accuse me of having a tadpole belly!’

‘Oh, I didn’t say *that* much, but it seems to have struck a nerve, hasn’t it?’ Renki teased. Hay fixed Renki with an intense glare, prompting Renki to swiftly avert his eyes. ‘Perhaps I should just feed him so much spicy, salty, and sweet food until he gets plump, then I can call *him* a pig,’ Hay grumbled inwardly. He then asked Meggy to pack two seasoned chickens and two fried chickens. He wondered if it was too much, but with three ravenous children, it might still prove insufficient.

‘Thank you. See you tomorrow, Meggy.’

‘Yeah, go on,’ Meggy grumbled in her usual manner. Leaving her brusque farewell behind, Hay returned to the inn. Sure enough, Renki was once again enjoying chicken with Brother Torres and his family. Renki’s appetite had been insatiable lately, and it seemed every bite he took contributed directly to his growth. He now reached Hay’s chest, and Hay wondered if he might even grow to shoulder height before the year was out.

‘I heard from Renki that your training is complete, isn’t it?’ Brother Torres inquired. Hay took a slow sip of the liquor he had personally brewed, nodding in confirmation. ‘Renki has become quite robust, and I’ve rested for a considerable time, so it’s about time I started working again.’

‘Then you’ll be leaving soon, I suppose.’

‘Whether I leave or stay longer depends entirely on the nature of the work. Why? Are you already feeling sentimental at the thought of my departure?’

‘Quiet, man. Don’t be so sickening. Now that I think about it, you’re a Spirit User, aren’t you? One who wields magic-like sorcery.’

‘Spirit Arts,’ Hay corrected.

‘Sorcery or Spirit Arts, what’s the difference?’ Brother Torres waved his hand dismissively.

‘But why do you ask?’

‘The Kranz Mercenary Group has been searching for mercenaries who can wield abilities like yours. They asked me to recommend someone if I had any suitable guests. I hadn’t mentioned it before because you were in training, but I believe they’re still recruiting. What do you say? Interested?’ The timing, Hay thought, was remarkably opportune.

‘What does the request entail?’

‘Monster subjugation.’

‘Monster subjugation?’ Hay’s eyes widened in genuine surprise.

‘Lately, monster attacks have become frequent in the surrounding villages. They’ve apparently discovered a habitat on Mount Senugel and intend to subjugate it. I don’t know all the specifics, so you should go and hear the details yourself.’ He had already planned to visit the guild tomorrow to scout for suitable requests, so this development was quite convenient.

‘I will,’ Hay affirmed. Monster subjugation, it had certainly been a while. ‘But where exactly is this mercenary group located?’

****

The Kranz Mercenary Group was not a band of wanderers but a resident force, firmly based in Nudan. Their primary commissions involved escorting merchants who traversed the routes between Nudan and its neighboring towns and cities. Additionally, they sometimes assumed partial responsibility for maintaining public order for the Lord of Nudan, particularly when his own private guard forces were insufficient, receiving payment for their services. It seemed likely that this current monster subjugation request had been issued by the Lord in a similar vein, a common occurrence for mercenary groups stationed within a city. Several months prior, the Lord had even dispatched an investigation team to Theron Village after it suffered a monster attack, employing mercenaries for both escort and combat roles to bolster defenses in case of further emergencies. Among those hired were members of the Kranz Mercenary Group. Reputed to be forty years old, the group had apparently garnered considerable renown throughout the Chaeapel Kingdom both before and after establishing its base in Nudan. Given that their original captain was rumored to have been nearing the mastery of a Sword Master, their fame must have been truly immense. While his grandson and disciple now jointly managed the mercenary group, it was widely acknowledged that they had yet to reclaim its former glory.

‘A monster subjugation request? Isn’t that far too dangerous? Couldn’t you perhaps look into other commissions?’ Renki asked, carefully draping a freshly ironed cloak over Hay’s shoulders.

‘Among a mercenary’s duties, how many aren’t dangerous?’ Hay replied with a dismissive shrug. ‘I’m merely going to ascertain the precise details and conditions of the request. If it doesn’t appeal to me, I simply won’t sign the contract.’ Renki then handed Hay his staff. ‘I truly wish you wouldn’t undertake anything too perilous,’ Renki mumbled, a note of concern in his voice. Hay, however, paid his words no mind.

‘You stay here,’ Hay instructed. ‘It seems we’re low on firewood for heating bathwater, so go help Rick. Consider it exercise. How long do you think it would take him to chop all that wood by himself?’

‘Yes, I will,’ Renki agreed. ‘When do you expect to return?’

‘I should be back before lunch, I imagine.’

‘Meylin said she’s making lamb stew today,’ Renki added, ‘and she wants us all to eat together.’

‘Oh, excellent,’ Hay said, his mood brightening. ‘Tell her to save a portion for me. I’ll be back.’

‘Yes, safe travels,’ Renki replied, bowing respectfully. Hay left the inn alone, leaving Renki behind, and headed directly towards the Kranz Mercenary Group’s headquarters.

The Kranz Mercenary Group’s base was situated behind the building that housed both the Mercenary Guild and the Merchant Guild. At its entrance, a flag proudly displayed their emblem: a red beard and three swords against a stark black background. Rumor had it that the inaugural captain of the mercenary group was a colossal man with fiery red hair and a matching red beard. He was also said to have wielded three swords, a detail that immediately brought to Hay’s mind a character from a Japanese shonen manga, though apparently, it wasn’t a ‘Three-Sword Style’ in the conventional sense. When one of his swords became unusable, he would reportedly swing a massive sword he always carried on his back, much like a troll brandishing a club.

Stepping inside, Hay found the building eerily silent. He had heard the Kranz Mercenary Group boasted nearly 300 members, including staff and mercenaries, yet he couldn’t fathom where they all might be. Directly opposite the entrance, a desk resembling a bank teller’s window stood. A woman with long hair braided into two lengthy pigtails sat there, nodding off. Hay recognized her, his eyebrows twitching in surprise. ‘She was a mercenary?’ he thought. Hay approached the desk.

*Tap, tap*, he knocked on the desk, startling the woman, who jolted upright.

‘Welcome to the Kranz Mercenary Group! How may I assist you?’ the woman chirped in a shrill voice, her eyes not quite open.

‘Do you also tell fortunes here?’ Hay asked. The woman was none other than the Fortune-teller he had encountered in the main square the day after arriving in Nudan.

‘Pardon?’ She gazed at Hay with unfocused, hazy eyes. Then, she frowned, abruptly leaning her face in close—too close. She blinked rapidly, her olive-green eyes now sharp and clear.

‘Oh? It’s the jobless freeloader who leeches off their parents!’

‘……’

Hay narrowed his eyes, glaring at the Fortune-teller. ‘I’ve never leeched off anyone, you know!’ he retorted. ‘Why are you fabricating things?’

‘So, what brings a jobless man like you here?’

‘I heard you’re recruiting mercenaries for a monster subjugation, so I came to inquire about an interview.’

‘Oh! We were short on mages, and a Spirit User like you would certainly be a great help!’ The Fortune-teller clapped her hands, her eyes sparkling with delight.

‘Are you perhaps in charge of human resources?’ Hay asked.

‘Human resources?’ The Fortune-teller burst into laughter. ‘I’m just a mercenary. Mikinsa stepped away, so I was just covering the lobby for them.’ Hay nodded, pretending to understand who Mikinsa was.

‘Then, who should I speak to about the monster subjugation request?’

‘Why, the captain, of course!’

‘Where is the captain?’

‘I think they’re on the second floor?’ The Fortune-teller pointed to the ceiling with a cheerful smile.

‘Can I just go up?’

‘Of course not!’

‘Then what am I supposed to do?’ Hay thought. ‘Shouldn’t you be guiding me?’

‘But it’s a hassle, so let’s just go up!’ With that, she sprang from behind the desk, grabbed Hay’s wrist, and pulled him towards the stairs. Hay was slightly taken aback.

‘Isn’t it wrong to go up without permission?’

‘What does it matter?’

‘What does it matter?’ Hay repeated inwardly. ‘This feels a bit rude.’

‘The captain would welcome you anyway! I told you, we were short on mages.’ Hay, having no choice, followed the Fortune-teller up. The Fortune-teller led him to the second room on the second floor. She knocked.

‘Come in.’