Chapter 61: Rank 11 (1)
Whoooosh-
“Mmm, nice.”
The November wind wasn't quite a biting wind, but a rather chilly air lingered, enough to make passersby tighten their collars.
However, Harang, lying on the roof of the carriage, didn't think so.
It was cooler and more refreshing than usual.
As if the wind's touch washed away all his pent-up frustrations, a hum naturally escaped Harang's lips.
“Hmm, hmm-hmm, hmm-hmm-hmm…….”
About two hours might have passed like that.
The sun, which had painted the sky bright blue, slowly began to disappear, and night started to fall.
It was sunset.
Amidst the beautiful scenery where the world was dyed in gold, Harang unknowingly recalled the bustling times of Marzen.
The night Merchants would stretch one by one.
The figures who protected them would also rise from their spots one by one and patrol every nook and cranny of the alleys with a swagger.
Their identities were neither the Guards nor the people of the Swordsmanship Guild.
Thugs.
No, they were Harang's old connections, now changed to the respectable name of ‘Eddy Mercenary Corps’.
“……Yes, it would be right to call them old connections.”
He missed them.
Unlike the scenery of the ‘village’ he still didn't want to go anywhere near, the scenery of ‘Marzen’ was still longed for and familiar.
The grilled skewers he occasionally bought for a pittance, the fruits Merchants sold off cheap, and the whiskey he drank with a grimace with Eddy and the other Mercenary Corps members had all become decent memories filling Harang’s mind.
However, he couldn't stay there forever.
That was right.
That place was different from the village, but it was no different in that it tied him down.
It was also no different in that it took away his freedom.
Therefore, it was right to leave before he became more tied down.
It was when he was having such thoughts.
Clunk.
“Sir, we've arrived.”
“Ah, has it gotten that late already?”
Hearing the coachman's shout, Harang jumped down from the carriage roof and paid the fare.
Then he admired the appearance of Ruibil Castle.
Overall, it wasn't much different from Marzen, but in terms of scale alone, it was a huge castle that seemed three times larger.
This place was Harang's new base, and it was to be a place to celebrate regaining his freedom.
He didn't bother to ask what joy freedom could bring him.
Right now, Harang needed at least that, and he had to cling to even that.
“Hey there, are you coming in? The gate's closing soon. If you're coming in, hurry!”
“Ah, yes. I'm coming in now.”
Moving quickly at the Gate Guard's words, Harang showed his Mercenary plate.
A Wooden Plate.
It was an item that would earn ridicule among Mercenaries, but it was sufficient to pass through the castle gate.
Of course, possessing a weapon was an entirely different matter, but when he slipped two Silver coins to the Guards, he was able to pass without any trouble.
‘Come to think of it, I learned this from Eddy and Pale too.’
It couldn't be helped.
He had spent most of his seven months in the outside world with them, and he had learned most of the common sense of the outside world from them.
It wasn't just this.
He had also learned from them how to hire a coachman to travel to other castles, and how to haggle prices.
Their stories were embedded in most of his daily actions, so it could be said that Harang's mind and thoughts were still trapped in Marzen.
“……That won't do.”
Harang muttered softly.
That was right.
He couldn't be tied to Marzen forever.
That wasn't true freedom.
If he moved to a wider place and experienced newer and cooler things, perhaps he could escape the specter of Marzen?
‘Perhaps this place, Ruibil, can also become such a place.’
Having thought this far, Harang slowly made his way to the bustling streets of Ruibil, where he could watch Merchants hawking their wares here and there.
“Come on, come on! Delicious fruits at a bargain! Buy three, get one free!”
“Chicken skewers so good you wouldn't know if one of you died while eating! Even tastier with our special sauce!”
“The newly opened Golden Shark Tavern welcomes you all! Don't miss the beer chugging contest starting at 8!”
‘……It’s not much different from Marzen.’
Were all markets pretty much the same?
It really wasn't much different from Marzen.
Aside from being slightly larger and having relatively cleaner buildings, it was a scene he had seen many times before, so disappointment couldn't help but bloom in Harang's heart.
It was absurd.
He had come to another city to erase Marzen, but instead, thoughts of Marzen were becoming even stronger.
It was then.
In a corner of the square where a fountain gushed, deep within the bustling street, someone was seen playing an instrument.
The incredibly busy people usually passed by without paying any attention, no matter how passionately the performer played, but to Harang, it felt special.
It was because it was a scene he had never witnessed in Marzen.
He had, at some point, approached the front of the performer and was appreciating the music, able to be in a joyful mood without being caught up in old thoughts for the first time in a while.
However, that too was brief.
By the time three songs had been played consecutively, a burly man who had been standing by the performer's side approached and began to threaten Harang.
“Hey, mister.”
“Yes? What is it?”
“Where's the law that says you can enjoy music for free! Can't you see this maestro here? He played the violin so hard his hands turned red in the winter wind, and there's no reward coming back!”
“Ah, I see.”
“Right, now you get it.”
The burly man gave a satisfied smile, and Harang also responded with a faint smile.
It was thanks to Glen’s teaching that it was better to respond to a smiling face with a smile.
What was regrettable was that he had never heard the saying, ‘If you listen to a performer’s music, you should give them at least a pittance.’
Despite the opponent's continuous pressure, Harang failed to grasp the situation until the end, which led to the performer's dry cough.
Hearing this, the large man replied, "Yes, Boss!" and then abruptly grabbed Harang by the collar.
“Hey, mister.”
“Uh…… Let go of my collar and then speak.”
“Can't do that. You listened to our Boss' performance, a former court musician, and you're not paying a single cent? Before I fix that audacity, it seems we'll have to have a physical conversation, don't you think?”
“He was a court musician?”
“Yes, a court musician! He was a musician so cherished by His Majesty Whittaker of the Nadan Kingdom that he would be second to none. What's with those eyes! Don't tell me, are you doubting us right now?”
Of course, he doubted them.
Harang didn't know much about music, but that didn't mean he didn't know about pitch.
The performer's playing was constantly off-key, to the extent that even the patient Harang considered leaving his seat.
If the performance hadn't been erasing his thoughts of Marzen, he probably would have left before the first song even ended.
Of course, he didn't voice such thoughts.
He was too tired for that.
It wasn't his body but his mind that was tired, but he felt it was all the same.
Harang took out a Silver coin from his pocket, and the gazes of the performer and the burly man quickly exchanged.
It meant they had caught a sucker, and if they pressured a bit more, they could get more, but Harang, who had never learned to decipher the meaning in others' eyes, couldn't notice this.
A moment later, absurd claims were about to pour out of the mouth of the burly man who had magically taken the Silver coin.
No, to be precise, they were just about to pour out.
Just then, a kid who darted out of an alleyway like an arrow kicked the burly man hard on the shin.
Thwack!
“Ugh, agh! This damn brat……!”
Whoosh.
Pow-!
“Ugh, uwaaah! My eyes, my eeeeyes!”
That wasn't the end of it.
When a bag filled with sand was thrown in his face, the burly man couldn't move.
Seeing him just sit down on the spot and swing his arms, the performer looked at the kid with a bewildered expression, but the boy had already grabbed Harang's hand and was running far away.
‘What in the world is going on?’
Being helplessly dragged by the boy's hand, Harang wore a bewildered expression.
He hadn't liked it much, but he had paid the performer and the man, and he thought it was now time to listen to a bit more music.
As he had thought earlier, their skills weren't good, but he had considered it a sufficient price for erasing the memories of Marzen.
But why was this kid acting like he was rescuing him?
And if he was helping, why did he secretly take the money tin that was in front of the performer?
That question was answered not long after.
Around the time they passed the fourth fork in the alley and were confident that the burly man and the performer couldn't catch up.
Along with three other kids gathered at a dead end, the boy who had been pulling Harang's hand opened his mouth.
“Pant, pant, phew…… Huck, hold this money tin for a bit.”
“Okay.”
“Phew, phew…… What, aren't you out of breath, mister? Your breathing is fine even after running for quite a while?”
“Ah…… I'm fine.”
“Fine? No way! How can you be fine after moving so much? Here, there's a chair. It might look a bit dirty, but it's super soft and comfortable, so, here, sit down. Mister, do you know you were almost in big trouble just now? That big guy just now, he was trying to take all the money you have!”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. It was me, so I stepped up and helped even though it was none of my business; anyone else wouldn't have bothered. Right?”
“Hmm…….”
Harang wore an expression that seemed to disagree.
It couldn't be helped.
As soon as he sat on the chair, two kids who rose from a corner completely blocked his escape route.
The kid counting the money from the performer's money tin showed an incomparably vile smile.
Finally, the boy who had made Harang sit in the chair held an incredibly sharp dagger in his hand, threatening his neck.
“So, in return for helping you…… hand over two-thirds of the money in your pocket, just exactly two-thirds. Got it?”
“Keu, nice, nice. The mercy of leaving one-third! With that much money, you can stay at an inn, warm your body in hot water…… Isn't that great?”
“Yep, that's right.”
“Heehee, are we making a lot of money today?”
“Huck, just count the money quietly.”
“Okay! Got it. Hehe.”
The child, who had shown a foolish smile, began to count the money again.
Harang flinched.
He kept wanting to point out that they had miscounted in the middle, but he barely managed to hold back, feeling it wasn't appropriate for the atmosphere.
In short, he wasn't tense at all.
It couldn't be helped.
It was because there were kids like this in Marzen too.
Kids who grew up watching thugs from a young age and could only live this way.
Kids who had to carve out their own lives without adult care.
In a way, he felt it was similar to his own past.
Their current state, having to do things they didn't want to do to survive, their threatening expressions hiding anxiety and sadness beneath.
‘Of course…… that has nothing to do with me.’
Despite the blade at his throat, Harang nodded.
It was true.
Whatever these kids' circumstances were, it was none of his business.
The situation was different from when Eddy and Daereon were captured.
These were complete strangers, and they had no influence on him.
Having thought this far, Harang suddenly frowned.
‘These guys are complete strangers?’
Did that mean the people of Marzen, including Eddy and Daereon, were not ‘complete strangers’?
Why did such a thought occur to him?
In an instant, his mind became complicated, and that displeasure faintly flowed out as Presence.
Ssssss……
It wasn't Killing Intent.
Nor was it hostility.
At least, it definitely wasn't at a level that ordinary boys with dull senses could perceive.
The child holding the knife to his neck was also just thinking, ‘Is he crazy?’ upon seeing Harang nod and then frown.
However, there was one being who reacted to it.
And the moment he reacted, Harang also detected an unusual signal.
The black-haired young man, who had abruptly stood up from his seat, stared intently at the back of the alleyway.
“Wha- what? This guy! Hey, stay still, will you?”
The boy holding the knife to his neck muttered in a flustered voice.
It was strange.
It was the first time, adult or child, he had encountered someone who wasn't flustered even after this much threat, someone who went beyond that and treated him like he was invisible.
That ignited the boy's pride and made him decide to swing the knife he was holding.
However.
To state the conclusion first, the boy couldn't do it.
The moment someone appeared from the back of the alleyway, he couldn't help but powerlessly drop the dagger.
Wooooong……!
It wasn't just the boy who reacted.
Harang was the same.
No, he stared at the opponent, emitting a much denser Killing Intent than when he had shown a slight hint of displeasure.
The four children's pants became damp from the dark energy, so palpable that even the dullest person could feel it.
He could feel the kids, who had retreated to the very end of the dead-end alley, trembling.
……He didn't care.
To be precise, he had no time to care about such brats.
“Hagio.”
Rank 11 of the village.
Meeting his old Peer, a fierce smile spread across Harang's lips.