Chapter 15
After walking for an entire day, they were now close enough that they could reach the Luxen Barony by evening.
Arin struggled to lift her tired body and started packing up her sleeping bag. Because the system was bound to her body, her backpack wasn’t much different from a normal one. Unlike on the deserted island, she couldn’t just store and retrieve items using the system anymore, so her backpack was heavy enough to push her physical limits.
As usual, Arin spotted Jake holding his necklace with both hands, praying. The necklace had an inverted triangle inscribed within a circle. He cherished it deeply, saying it was like a protective charm he’d kept since childhood.
Jake pressed the pendant part of the necklace to his chest and whispered, “Glory…” before cautiously opening his eyes. His pupils looked sunken, like dense fog.
Unaware of this, Arin tapped his shoulder and said,
“Jake, let’s go quickly. We’ll be late for the morning shift.”
“Ah! It’s already that late? I’ll pack up my stuff and catch up. You go on ahead.”
“Alright, I’ll see you there.”
Since she wasn’t obligated to wait for him, Arin turned around without hesitation.
Even though it wasn’t particularly late, some people were already preparing breakfast. Arin joined them and busily helped with breakfast preparations.
Just as the cooking was almost done, the youngest in the mercenary group, Barrett, tapped her shoulder.
“Yan.”
At his low call, Arin nodded. Both of them discreetly slipped into the bushes, aware of their surroundings.
Barrett glanced around one more time before carefully handing something to her. Arin received the heavy item.
“Barrett, thanks again.”
“It’s nothing. I’m being paid after all.”
What he brought was boar meat from Yellow’s recent hunt.
“Can I keep the hide this time too?”
“Go ahead. I won’t use it.”
Arin handed him two heavy leather pouches tied at her waist.
“Here, as promised.”
Barrett bowed politely and opened the pouches. Inside were salt and sugar. Arin had secretly taken these from her system and stored them separately.
Unrefined salt and sugar were considered precious spices here and traded at high prices even in small amounts. Since Arin had no money, she had no choice but to use system items to get people to help her.
Once Barrett left with the pouches, Arin stuck her fingers into the leaves wrapping the meat and pulled out a small piece of paper she felt hidden there. Though she didn’t know the source of the buff, she could naturally read and write the local language.
“There’s suspicious activity around the Altair Ducal estate.
P.S. This is all the information you get for the current price.”
As soon as she finished reading, the edges of the paper began to burn and slowly turned to smoke. At first, she’d panicked, thinking the paper caught fire, but later learned it was due to an evidence-destroying spell set by the information guild.
‘So this is all I can get for salt and sugar…’
Salt and sugar were valuable, but clearly not enough to buy detailed information about the Altair Duchy. Part of her wanted to sell her lighter or medicine for more, but such uncommon items couldn’t be shown easily to people.
Just as she was about to head back to the camp, she heard Yellow’s annoyed cry.
[Grrr…]
Arin turned toward the source of the sound.
[This little brat… I’ll swallow you whole!]
Following the sound, she arrived at a wide meadow. The closer she got to the center, the louder the scuffle became.
There she found Yellow, trying to swallow a small child’s head in one bite. Before Arin could react, Yellow had already popped the child’s head into his mouth. After a few noisy chomps, Yellow made a disgusted face and spat the kid out.
[Blech.]
Gagging and looking utterly grossed out, Yellow spat on the ground.
[Ugh, tastes like poop!]
The kid, unfazed, lunged and bit down hard on Yellow’s black tail.
[Gyaah! Ouch! This little creature bit me again!?]
Yellow swung his tail side to side with all his strength, flinging the kid to the ground. But the child got up, burning with determination, and bit fiercely into Yellow’s front leg.
Annoyed beyond measure, Yellow unsheathed his claws and swiped at the kid, but blue glowing letters suddenly appeared around the child’s body, blocking the attack. It looked eerily similar to what Deneb had once described as an alchemist’s defense.
“An alchemist?”
Perhaps hearing her mutter, the child opened wide eyes and looked at Arin. Seeing blood dripping from Yellow’s leg, the kid eagerly slurped it up.
[Clumsy girl, a huge mosquito bit me!]
“Ah! Hey, kid! Why are you drinking blood?! Spit it out! Spit!”
[No way. My blood doesn’t taste like poop. No need to spit.]
“That’s not what I meant…”
Slurp slurp…
A small child with sandy blond hair and golden eyes was now following the procession toward Luxen territory with determination.
“Yan, who’s that kid?”
“Uh… I met him in the meadow earlier. I don’t really know him.”
“He’s been following us the whole time.”
Given that the child’s gaze was fixed on Arin, it was clear why he was tagging along.
“Haa… What should I do…”
A few hours ago, Arin had barely bribed the kid, who was sucking down Yellow’s blood, with some jerky from her pocket.
“I’ll give you this if you let Yellow go, okay?”
The kid eagerly ran over, reaching out for the jerky.
“Ad’s!”
So his name was apparently Ad.
After finishing all the jerky from her pocket, Ad still seemed hungry. Unfortunately, that was all the food she had at the time. Regretfully, Arin said goodbye and took Yellow back to camp.
From then on, Ad had been following her relentlessly.
Judging by the ease with which he performed alchemy, it was clear Ad was a born alchemist. Combining all she’d learned from Deneb, Arin guessed his parents had likely abandoned him on the meadow.
Though she pitied the kid’s situation, Arin could barely take care of herself. Ignoring a seven-year-old left a guilty pang in her heart, but reality forced her to stay cold.
“Alright, everyone, time for lunch!”
The Black Mercenary Guild leader, Lemar, shouted loudly, and everyone gathered to eat. Breakfast and dinner were provided, but lunch had to be self-prepared. As a food-driven Korean, Arin had been perpetually annoyed at this policy.
“That’s the boar Yellow caught yesterday?”
“Yeah, I asked Barrett to prep it for me.”
While most mercenaries had simple meals, Arin busily worked on her food. Taking out the meat from her backpack, she seasoned it with salt from her small leather pouch.
“Yan, you’re always so serious about eating.”
At Lemar’s comment, Arin made a grim face.
“It’s all about survival.”
“Pfft. True enough.”
Arin cut the meat into pieces, skewered it onto sticks, and roasted it. Though there was still a faint gamey smell, the aroma was mouthwatering enough that other mercenaries began flaring their nostrils.
Even after the meat was fully cooked, the lingering smell made Arin reluctantly pull out a crumpled paper from her pouch. Spreading it carefully, she revealed what she called her magical powder—instant ramen seasoning.
Pinching a bit of it, she sprinkled it generously onto the skewers. The ramen seasoning mixed with the meat juices, producing a deeply appetizing scent.
Everyone who smelled it swallowed hard. Even Lilliana Luxen, the baron’s precious daughter and the client who hired them, was drawn in.
“I can’t take it anymore.”
“You mustn’t, my lady.”
“I’ve waited long enough! I need to eat that meat right now! Nanny, come with me! Hurry!”
Lilliana Luxen, the eldest daughter of Baron Luxen, had been tortured daily during lunch by the smell of Arin’s cooking.
Her nanny and maids tried to stop her, unwilling to let the young lady eat food made by lowly mercenaries. But as time passed, the aroma became stronger and more irresistible. If Arin hadn’t pulled out the ramen seasoning, Lilliana might have held out one more day, but now, she completely lost control.
Leading a few escort knights and her nanny, Lilliana charged toward the source of the smell. The main reason she was moving herself was because… meat tastes bad once cold.
As the scent thickened, her strides grew larger and faster. Before long, she’d outpaced her knights and nanny, taking the lead.
Almost at her destination, something small and filthy collided with her leg. Too distracted by the smell, she stumbled sideways. A knight behind her grabbed her and drew his sword.
“Who goes there?”
The knight pointed his sword at none other than Ad, who’d been scampering toward Arin, lured by the smell of meat. Arin’s eyes widened in panic.
Ad, staring at the sword, began moving his fingers. Others assumed it was out of fear, but Arin knew better. Judging by his fearless eyes and subtle hand motions, he was definitely about to use alchemy.
And Arin knew full well what would happen if he got caught using it.
‘If they find out he’s an alchemist… they’ll execute him!’
Arin wasn’t a righteous person, but she wasn’t heartless enough to let a child die either.
Cursing herself for being a fool, she lunged toward Ad. She forcefully pressed Ad’s head down, making him bow to the ground. Arin also threw herself flat and prayed for Lilliana’s mercy.
“I’m sorry! Please spare our lives!”
“Is that your child?”
At the knight’s cold question, Arin shook her head vigorously.
“I found him on the meadow and gave him food… He’s been following me ever since… I’m sorry.”
