#050

Perhaps the short break had been helpful, as the journey to Dadin proceeded smoothly. After crossing desert mountains that concealed the sea, they finally arrived at a place to rest. A rather large city spread across a desolate plain revealed itself.

“I’ve only heard of it, never been here before,” Lasano exclaimed. Arne, who had been quiet all along, also seemed surprised by the sight, looking around with a bright face and exclamations of wonder.

“Me too. I’ve never left the Exion Territory… It’s even more amazing than I heard!”

Kiyen was no different. His expression was almost nonexistent, but Cullen noticed the faint curiosity in his eyes. If he had ears, they would have perked up.

Cullen barely managed to suppress the thought that it was cute, a thought that was becoming a habit. Even if they were sightseeing, securing lodging and tidying up came first.

“First, secure rooms at an inn and then we can sightsee. I want to unpack and wash up.”

“I agree. It seems I’ll need to get some new clothes too,” Lasano said with delight. His elegant High Priest robe was in tatters. Arne was no different. Only Kiyen remained neat and beautiful.

“Your appearances are particularly striking, so it would be best to buy an extra robe to wear. Covering your faces might prevent unnecessary attention.”

Lasano nodded and complimented himself.

“Exceptional looks can be a curse.”

Arne, finding his tone so confident and matter-of-fact, couldn’t help but nod in agreement. Kiyen and Cullen, accustomed to this, ignored him. Cullen surveyed their surroundings.

Dadin was structured differently from other territories in many ways. Stone buildings were only used by the merchant guild for lodging; all other buildings were made of mud and wood.

Rickety wooden houses stood packed together, forming a city like a giant tree, and awnings covering the sand extended from the roofs of the houses to shade the roads. The scorching sun, blocked by the white awnings, at least provided breathable shade.

“They really… all look like mercenaries.”

The surroundings were filled with people carrying weapons at their waists or on their backs. Many were also cloaked in robes. Someone carrying a greatsword as large as a child’s torso passed by Arne.

The greatsword was unusually wrapped entirely in bandages. Besides that, the sight of someone with a small, slender build casually carrying a greatsword drew considerable attention.

“How much do you think a sword that big weighs?”

“It depends on the craftsman, but greatswords that large are rare. To actually swing it, unless one has extraordinary strength, the speed would be reduced. By my estimation, it must weigh about as much as three longswords.”

“Indeed, you shouldn’t judge people by their appearance.”

Arne watched the person with the greatsword pass by with eyes full of awe. Cullen narrowed his eyes, observing the person, then quickly turned his attention away. Based on their build, they seemed to be disguised as a man, but… people with stories were everywhere in this line of work.

“Let’s go.”

Racking his memory, Cullen recalled the inns in this place. He wasn’t sure if anyone would remember him, given how long ago it was, but he chose an inn he had never visited. He didn’t want anyone asking about Gale.

The inn the group decided to stay at was called “The Shining Cow’s Eye.” With a carving of a giant bull tree as its sign, it was quite large. The first floor housed a restaurant serving meals and drinks, and floors two through four were for lodging.

“All the single rooms are taken. We only have double or triple rooms left. What will you do?”

Cullen made a quick decision.

“We’ll go somewhere else.”

With money, there was no need to share a room. More importantly, Kiyen would be uncomfortable. The innkeeper, however, stopped Cullen.

“My, you’re in a hurry. You’d just end up here anyway. Everywhere else is full right now. Rooms might open up while you’re gone. Merchants are recruiting mercenaries left and right these days, so it’s packed.”

“Why is that?”

Cullen’s plan to leave was thwarted when Lasano asked a question. The innkeeper quickly continued.

“Lately, people have been disappearing on the road leading to the Duke’s territory. Merchants are all scared, so they’re gathering mercenaries and setting off.”

“Oh, I see.”

Lasano winked at Cullen. Cullen shook his head and tried to leave, but this time Kiyen spoke.

“I want to rest. Just book it here.”

“But… you’ll have to share a double room.”

Kiyen looked at him with an uncomprehending expression.

“I can just use the double room by myself.”

Ah.

Was there such a way? Cullen was reminded anew of their different sense of money. Despite everything, Cullen was more accustomed to a commoner’s life. A mere month of court life hadn’t changed his financial sensibilities.

“That would work, then.”

“So, it’s decided? Please show us to our rooms.”

Lasano, also seeming eager to rest, quickly requested. The innkeeper, who had been listening intently to their conversation,’s eyes lit up as he stated the price.

“One double room is 30 nickels per night.”

“What?”

This time, Arne was surprised. It was understandable. Cullen scowled. 50 nickels was equivalent to 1 siluna, which was enough money for a commoner to buy groceries for two weeks. The merchant was now asking for nearly 1 siluna for a single night’s stay.

Even with the passage of time and rising prices, the average cost in Dadin shouldn’t be this high. Cullen leaned against the counter and met the innkeeper’s eyes.

“Are you calling out prices however you please just because you have a mouth?”

He glared quietly, infusing his gaze with killing intent. The innkeeper flinched. Though he was quite large and looked like a middle-aged man who had seen his share of hardship, Cullen had dealt with many such people.

“There are no rooms available right now, so I can name my price.”

Still, the man insisted stubbornly. Cullen was ruthless.

“20 nickels, including meals.”

“No, I’m really naming my price…”

“Oh? In that case, I’ll call Gael and ask. The cooperative probably won’t like it if you arbitrarily raise prices.”

At the mention of Gael, a name unknown to outsiders, the innkeeper fell silent. Gael was a descendant of Garun, who had essentially founded Dadin, and currently served as a sort of peacekeeping force managing fairness here. If Cullen’s memory was correct, he was still alive and leading a renowned mercenary group.

“Damn, what rotten luck. To mention Gael when you look like you know nothing… Fine.”

Cullen intended to haggle further.

“Then how about 15 nickels…”

It was Kiyen who stopped him. He looked impatient.

“Stop it. Don’t waste time over such petty cash. Let’s go sightseeing already.”

He had been looking around with curious eyes since earlier; did he want to sightsee? Cullen felt his displeasure, caused by the innkeeper, melt away. He nodded. Although he had given most of his money to Kiyen, he still had some lunars saved.

Cullen presented two shining lunars to the innkeeper.

“We’ll stay for now with this, and I’ll let you know if our stay is extended.”

It was rare for someone to carry lunars instead of silunas. The innkeeper, as if to verify their authenticity, examined the lunars from various angles, then reluctantly nodded with a disappointed expression. He bent down and retrieved keys.

“So, are there four rooms?” the innkeeper asked, his tone now polite. Cullen shook his head.

“We’ll take three.”

No matter how he thought about it, taking separate double rooms was extravagance. Cullen decided the three of them would coordinate to share the remaining two rooms.

“Huh? Cullen-nim, I see you’re quite the miser!”

“We need to buy weapons too, so we can’t waste money here.”

“We have more than enough money…”

Cullen pulled Lasano along. Then he said to Arne.

“Please bring the keys, Arne.”

“Yes!”

Arne, also seemingly concerned about Kiyen and Lasano’s financial sense, replied with a determined voice. The innkeeper clicked his tongue, grumbling about how unfortunate it was.

The rooms were assigned: Kiyen took one, Lasano took another, and Cullen would share the third with Arne. Originally, they had planned to decide by coin toss, but Lasano pestered them, asking to be considered as the High Priest, so Cullen conceded. In any case, Cullen could sleep anywhere, so sharing a room with someone was not an issue.

“Let’s go.”

Since Kiyen had no luggage, he knocked on Cullen’s door immediately after bathing—the innkeeper, unwilling to let go of his greed, had charged 3 nickels for bathwater, and Cullen had barely suppressed the urge to behead him—while Cullen was still about to bathe after unpacking.

“Could you wait a moment?”

“No.”

Kiyen seemed eager to sightsee immediately. Cullen couldn’t understand why such a bothersome act appeared so cute. Cullen ended up deciding to go out with Kiyen first, leaving Lasano and Arne behind.

“Arne-nim, please rest. I’ll be back after going out with Kiyen-nim.”

“Yes, have a good time.”

Arne waved shyly. Cullen squinted, as if sensing something being cheered on.

“What is that expression?”

“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing. I just think you two look so good together…”

“I told you, no.”

Arne quickly nodded.

“Yes, of course.”

“It’s not.”

“Yes, I believe you.”

Cullen was about to say something more but shook his head. Kiyen, who had gone out, returned and flung the door open, so he couldn’t delay any longer.

Once outside, Cullen decided to head to the market first. Kiyen was busy looking around in all directions. He didn’t turn his head wildly, but his eyes darted about.

Pfft, Cullen chuckled inwardly and decided to look at weapons. He wondered if they had anything useful, or if they had any iron arrows.

“I’m going to the weapon shop. Would you like to come?”

“No. I’ll stay here.”

Kiyen seemed captivated by a certain stall. There were many shiny things, including something similar to the golden sundial in Silfir’s room.

Dragons really liked shiny things.

Cullen was convinced that the legends passed down through generations were true. Hesitantly, Cullen nodded.

“Don’t go anywhere. You should look around here.”

“Are you seeing me as a mere human child?”

“No.”

“Your tone suggests so.”

Kiyen narrowed his eyes and looked at him. Cullen stubbornly denied it.

“I’ll be back soon.”

“Alright.”

Kiyen’s gaze had already shifted elsewhere. Cullen wondered if he liked it that much, finding it cute, yet also felt a pang of regret that he was sending him away so quickly.

Cullen slowly turned his reluctant steps. For a moment, the scene of him leaving his mother and Sasha flashed through his mind. A wave of anxiety washed over him, and he looked back. Kiyen was still in his place.

It’s okay.

Kiyen wasn’t human.

It was a sentence more magical than magic itself. Cullen replayed Kiyen’s immortality that he had witnessed. He was far stronger than Cullen. An immortal being. Therefore, there was no need to worry. Thinking so, his heart felt a little lighter. Cullen slowly turned his steps away.

The blacksmith was a five-minute walk away. No one recognized Cullen. The mercenary group had visited here quite some time ago, and it was natural, given the countless mercenaries passing through.

Feeling somewhat relieved, Cullen examined the weapons. There were no swords he liked. They were all of poorer quality than the sword he had brought from Silfir’s castle.

Moving past the swords, Cullen went to the area where arrows were displayed. He couldn’t find any iron arrows no matter how hard he looked. He even asked the blacksmith directly, just in case, but only received a reaction of having never heard of such a thing. It seemed they were indeed not easily obtainable items.

Separately, it would be good to acquire a bow.

While swordsmanship was Cullen’s strongest suit, he was also proficient with a bow. Rather than a heavy bow, a light bow for shooting while riding a horse would be perfect.

While browsing, he found a bow he liked. Cullen reached out. However, he wasn’t the only one interested in the bow. Someone else grabbed the bow at the same time. He turned his head. Above the head hidden by the robe, the hilt of a greatsword jutted out first.

“Do you really need this bow?”

Long, large, teal eyes appeared. The eyes, without double eyelids, stared intently at Cullen. Although her body was hidden by a robe and her voice was low, it was clear. She was a woman disguised as a man.

“……Take it.”

“Thank you.”

There were many mercenaries like that. Cullen lost interest. The bow wasn’t his primary weapon, so there was no need to buy a good one immediately. He would have to visit again tomorrow.

With no significant findings, Cullen left the blacksmith. As soon as he exited, he quickly returned to the spot where he had parted with Kiyen. Just as anxiety began to surface, Cullen spotted Kiyen standing alone in the distance, shining. Relief spread through him.

“Kiyen-nim.”

Kiyen turned around. He was holding something he hadn’t had before. It looked like a round, golden pocket watch. It had a lid, so it wasn’t certain if it was a watch. Cullen paused.

“Did you buy that?”

Kiyen nodded.

“Yes.”

Cullen’s face softened slightly at the languid voice that sounded pleased.

“You did well.”

“The content is as interesting as the intricate patterns. Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Yes.”

Useless, though.

Cullen swallowed the rest of his words. It was fortunate to have bought it at all, given how unpredictable his desires were. Thinking that far, Cullen asked for the price.

“How much did you spend?”

Kiyen blinked his pretty eyelashes and replied.

“I gave 100 Luna.”

Cullen stared at Kiyen for a moment. After a few seconds of silence, Cullen asked again.

“What?”