SIMA 06

SIMA

Chapter 06 …

Alchemist (1)

I dragged the corpses sprawled on the ground and piled them to one side.

The cleanup had to be done.

They carried no belongings. They weren’t properly armed. The only things in their hands were the clubs.

I approached one of them with a dagger, ready to dismantle it.

“That one’s too old. Use another if you want to skin it.”

“Too old?”

“Just like people age, leather does too. When it’s old, it becomes tough. Not only is it worthless, but no one will even buy it. Have you ever skinned leather before?”

“No.”

“Watch me first. It’s not that difficult. You just need to scrape it off carefully without tearing it.”

Dorian skillfully removed the leather from the creature. Once he finished, he handed the dagger to Rael.

Rael slowly began to peel away the flesh sticking to the dagger. It wasn’t so much difficult as it was tedious work. While skinning the creature, memories of the fight resurfaced.

Four of them had appeared on the road. I took down three of them with the crossbow. Technically, it was two, but one had been hit by an arrow and couldn’t really fight, so it was like I’d taken down three alone.

For a first battle, I thought I had done well. At the same time, it sent chills down my spine.

The moment two of them had gotten close, I felt nothing but panic. I couldn’t reload the crossbow in the face of approaching enemies. It was as if I had no means to fight.

Dorian was an adult. Big and strong. He could face them head-on and handle them.

But I wasn’t. I was still a small, growing kid. I couldn’t handle even one of those creatures with brute force.

There wasn’t even time to cast magic.

I thought maybe water magic could have worked.

Impossible.

In such a critical situation, I couldn’t even think of casting it. If I tried, I’d probably lose focus and fail. No matter how I looked at it, I probably would’ve died. Casting magic was harder than reloading the crossbow. After the battle, a sense of humility had settled in.

Until just a moment ago, I had planned to deal with the creatures using magic. But my thoughts had changed. Now, I could only pray that no more appeared.

Four creatures had been overwhelming enough. I wasn’t even sure we would have won if I hadn’t spotted them in advance and fired arrows.

And if Dorian hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have survived at all. I felt a sudden appreciation for his meddling—though I didn’t show it.

Dorian praised me, saying I had done very well for a first battle. It felt awkward but also joyful. I’d never received praise from him before, living under his wing all this time.

We decided to only take the leather from the creatures. Even that alone was quite heavy. Picking flowers would have taken up volume, but leather was disgustingly heavy. It made me want to curse.

If we weren’t arriving by tomorrow, I might have suggested leaving it behind.

As the sun began to set, we chose a campsite slightly off the road. We lit a fire and ate our meal.

“Phew~ finally I can breathe.”

Dorian patted his stomach. He seemed visibly relaxed. After risking our lives today, fatigue was expected.

I watched him lie down in the tent. There was no discussion—someone had to keep watch.

Unlike before, I didn’t feel resentment. Things had changed. After experiencing a full battle, trust seemed to have formed. Besides, we’d reach the city tomorrow anyway.

Dorian soon fell asleep.

Until now, I had practiced from afar, but today it seemed fine to do it by the fire.

I decided I had to be able to use magic even if monsters appeared. I practiced magic throughout the night.

Only when my head ached so badly that I couldn’t continue did I stop. I shook Dorian awake, who had been sleeping soundly. Fortunately, no fists came flying.

“Are they here?”

“It’s your shift.”

“Already?”

“Get up.”

“Alright.”

Grumbling, Dorian sat by the fire. I squeezed myself into the tent where he had been sleeping. The warmth of his body had lingered.

I quickly drifted off. Normally, only my head would ache, but today my whole body was exhausted.

The night passed in a flash. Dorian had to kick me awake. Raising myself felt like my whole body was breaking.

“Does it hurt?”

“Why is this happening?”

“Your muscles are tense. Some people act like they’re injured after a fight.”

“It really hurts.”

“If you get up and move, it’ll get better. Stop whining and start cleaning up. You don’t want to run into more creatures, do you?”

At the mention of the creatures, I forced myself to rise. If I fought twice, I’d collapse.

Dorian had been right.

The soreness I felt initially disappeared after tidying the campsite. My body even felt slightly stronger. It was the feeling of having grown from battle.

Breakfast was simple—just jerky.

We shouldered our packs and walked along the main road. Compared to leaving the village, the crowds had grown noticeably.

My body felt heavy.

I forced myself to speak, knowing that moving my mouth might make things easier.

“What’s the city like?”

“The Baron of Born?”

“Is the place we’re going to a barony?”

“Lance Castle.”

“What’s Lance Castle known for?”

“Nothing special. It’s an ordinary castle.”

“Ordinary?”

“It has what it should, and lacks what it shouldn’t. That’s it.”

“What does it have?”

“A merchant guild, a thieves’ guild, and nobles with knights.”

“Are there wizards too?”

“Not sure. Why do you ask?”

“Just wondering.”

I avoided his gaze. Wizards seemed just as rare in the castle as in towns.

Dorian explained the castle, adding that it was so I wouldn’t get distracted like a naive country bumpkin.

I assured him I wouldn’t. He had been away from the village for a long time; I wasn’t that different. I inwardly bristled at his tone.

Soon, we arrived at Lance Castle.

The distant castle walls loomed ahead.

I couldn’t deny Dorian’s words. I barely remembered anything he had said before. Dorian presented the mercenary pass to the castle guards. After some discussion, he had to hand over copper before we could pass.

I took in the bustling streets. There were more people than I had ever seen in my life. It was overwhelming.

“Where to first?”

“We need to find the alchemist’s house.”

Dorian stopped a passerby.

“What is it?”

“I heard an alchemist lives here.”

“Go that way.”

The man frowned but, seeing Dorian’s face, gave directions willingly.

“How am I supposed to know that?”

“Go ask over there. Anyway, I told you.”

The man shrugged off Dorian’s hand and disappeared into the crowd.

Luckily, the alchemist’s house was easy to find. Everyone in the town knew it.

The building with a sign was firmly shut. Knocking and calling out yielded no answer. No one seemed home.

“No one’s here.”

“Seems they’ve closed for today.”

“What do we do?”

“No choice. We’ll have to stay at an inn tonight.”

“An inn?”

“Why, scared because it’s your first time?”

“I have no money.”

I looked at Dorian, thinking he’d be angry if I slept outside again.

“First, we should sell the leather.”

Again, we asked a passerby for directions. They weren’t too friendly. At least he didn’t ignore us—had I been a scruffy kid, I would have been dismissed.

Following the directions, we found the shop. Outside, leather was laid out. Dorian went inside.

“You stay here.”

I shivered in the cold while waiting. My shabby appearance drew attention. I suddenly felt the gaze of others. I decided I needed new clothes.

After a short while, Dorian came out. The creature leather he had carried was gone.

“How much?”

“45 copper.”

Four creatures, one wasn’t skinned, so three hides were sold—15 copper each.

“Here.”

“30 copper?”

“What, not enough?”

“No, it’s fine.”

I had thought he wouldn’t give it, but mercenaries were precise with calculations.