Chapter 41 ….
“What do you mean? A monster suddenly attacked the arena?”
“They say a hole just opened up in the middle of the arena, and monsters came spilling out.”
“Because of that, they might even cancel the upcoming martial arts tournament.”
Inside an inn in the southern region, everyone was buzzing with excitement over the shocking events that had occurred at the Youth Fencing Tournament.
“What? Then what about the hunting contest? The monster caves are supposed to open soon, aren’t they?”
“Probably. Since no one knows where monsters might suddenly appear, instead of holding the tournament, they said they’ll just go hunt them themselves.”
“This tournament is as good as gone.”
Even the mercenaries in the inn shared the same sentiment.
“Damn it all!”
Bang!
The mercenary captain slammed his cup down onto the table with a loud thud, full of frustration.
“Ever since last time, luck’s been completely against us!”
A few days ago, they had caused a ruckus trying to avoid paying for their meals, and ended up being caught by the higher-ups.
In the end, the mercenaries had to pay the innkeeper for their meals thanks to the dispatched guards.
On top of losing their hard-earned money, now the martial arts tournament might get canceled as well.
“All the effort to come here was pointless!”
The scarred mercenary captain’s face twisted in anger. The losses were significant.
Other mercenaries grumbled and sighed in their own ways.
The captain’s gaze shifted to the boy sitting quietly in the corner.
‘Damn it… bringing him along was a mistake.’
He had intended to use him as bait, but the boy was just a useless mouth now.
Of course, they had never properly fed the boy or made sure he had enough sleep.
The captain’s greedy eyes darkened as he looked at San.
‘At this point…’
He scrutinized the boy. Though thin from not eating enough, San had a sturdy frame and strength beyond his age.
‘Maybe I should deal with him too.’
The captain recalled a few schemes he had used in the past.
‘Even though regulations have gotten stricter recently…’
…if handled discreetly, there might still be someone willing to buy him.
“Hmm.”
The mercenary captain quietly calculated in his mind.
‘Not a bad choice.’
At the very least, he could cover this loss. Living selfishly all his life, he naturally gave himself a self-justification.
‘I’m no fool.’
Better to get rid of useless mouths quickly.
Meanwhile, in the corner, San couldn’t shake a single voice from his mind.
“Do you want to run away?”
The clear, young voice of the girl from a few days ago kept circling in his thoughts.
Run away?
She had said that to him.
“Then I’ll…”
What had she meant to say after that? Was she really offering to help him?
‘…No way.’
San shook his head slightly, unwilling to let himself hope.
‘Why would she…?’
The boy had never believed in kindness without reason. There had been no such thing in his life.
‘Who is she, anyway?’
She had only said what she needed to and then left abruptly.
A girl who somehow knew him.
‘How does she know me?’
His thoughts were a mess.
At that moment, a large figure approached him.
“Hey, kid.”
“….”
It was the mercenary captain, now forcing a smile onto his rough face.
“Why not eat a bit more?”
He suddenly offered food.
“…Just like that?”
San frowned, confused by the sudden gesture. Until now, the food he’d eaten had always been pitifully meager.
“What’s with the shock? Eat. Oh, and after you finish, wash off the dust on your face.”
The captain scanned San from head to toe with a sly grin.
“….”
San instinctively felt wary under that assessing gaze.
He didn’t know what the man was plotting, but it didn’t feel good.
Glancing around, he saw the other mercenaries seemed to understand the captain’s intent. Their eyes carried no kindness.
San lowered his gaze to the food in front of him.
“Do you want to run away?”
The girl’s voice echoed in his mind again.
Run away?
‘…Yes. I want to run away.’
He had to get out of there. Immediately.
His instincts screamed warnings about the danger approaching him.
“…I’m not hungry.”
“Is that so?”
“I want to go to my room.”
“Hmph, suit yourself.”
San dragged his chair back and stood.
The mercenary captain subtly signaled his subordinates. A few understood and stood.
San observed their movements, thinking quietly.
‘If I could use my abilities now…’
Somehow, he could escape without being caught.
He swallowed hard. He had to run somewhere first…
At that moment, the inn door suddenly burst open.
“Grab them!”
All eyes turned to the entrance.
Soldiers from the south had stormed in.
“What?!”
“What’s going on? Let go of me!”
The soldiers quickly subdued the mercenaries. Even the captain, who was reaching for his weapon, was forcibly restrained.
San gawked in disbelief.
‘What’s happening?’
He couldn’t make sense of the situation.
The mercenary captain shouted angrily.
“Damn it! Why, why are you doing this? What did we do wrong all of a sudden?!”
A soldier coldly retorted.
“Wrong? You have no conscience at all!”
“What?!”
San didn’t know what was going on, but he was certain of one thing: if the mercenaries were being arrested, he would likely be taken too.
‘I have to escape while things are chaotic…!’
A soldier grabbed the boy’s shoulder.
“Hey, kid!”
“…!”
San spun around in surprise.
His purple eyes flared with caution.
The soldier looked at him and said,
“So you’re the boy they said was kidnapped. No need to worry now.”
“…Huh?”
San had no idea what that meant.
Another soldier shouted at the mercenary captain and his men.
“You’re under arrest for child kidnapping!”
“What?!”
“Take them away!”
The mercenary captain, realizing San was there, scowled.
“Is it you?! Did you report us?!”
“….”
“Damn it! We fed you and let you sleep, and this is how you repay us?!”
“Damn it! I’m asking if it was you who did this!”
“Shut up!”
The captain was soon restrained and dragged away.
“You too.”
“Huh?”
San was also escorted away by the soldiers.
However, unlike the mercenaries, San was not forcibly tied up.
“…Where are we going?”
“To someone who asked to see you.”
The soldiers were simply taking him somewhere. In fact, they were “protecting” him.
“Relax now. You’re safe.”
“You can take it easy.”
San couldn’t lower his guard. He knew things like this didn’t usually happen to him.
A foreign boy from a peaceful nation like him was rarely the focus of attention or protection.
“….”
The concept of being ‘protected’ was unfamiliar and uncomfortable.
‘Can I really follow them?’
San asked cautiously, hiding his suspicion.
“What’s going on…?”
A soldier explained briefly: someone had witnessed the mercenaries with San and reported them for child kidnapping—directly to a high-ranking noble of the southern region.
Orders were immediately given to the soldiers.
“The mercenaries made it easy for us—they were causing trouble everywhere, so we could catch them quickly.”
Thanks to the mercenaries’ antics, the soldiers had swiftly arrested them, the soldier shrugged.
San thought to himself: someone had enough influence to report directly to a southern noble.
‘Who could it be…?’
“Do you want to run away? Then I’ll…”
The voice that had haunted his thoughts for days echoed again.
‘No way…’
The girl in fine silk clothing.
The man who was with her.
He looked like a person of high status. If that’s the case…
Had the girl really helped him?
Ridiculous, San scolded himself, though at the same time, a small flicker of hope stirred within him.
His thoughts raced.
‘…Why do you keep helping me?’
He recalled the first time he saw her:
Being unfairly beaten while the shopkeeper took his goods.
Then, a sudden light appeared—protecting him…
“San!”
The clear voice of the girl calling his name.
For the first time, someone had called him out.
“Almost there, kid.”
As his mind swirled with thoughts, the soldier walking with him spoke.
“You’ll be meeting General Seol.”
“This is the boy?”
A low, calm voice.
San’s head snapped up.
A tall, handsome man was looking at him—the same man he had seen recently.
And then…
“Hello!”
A bright voice rang near his ear.
From behind the large man, a small face peeked out.
‘Ah.’
It really was her.
The girl who had been complicating his thoughts for days.
