Chapter 47: Chapter 47
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The weather in the late afternoon was chilly.
Stopping at an inn built by the roadside, Jang Geon’s party dismounted from their carriage and horses. Standing before the inn’s sign, Jin Gyeon examined the shabby wooden building and muttered.
“It seems we must rest here today.”
“Well, at least there’s a roof over our heads. It’s better than sleeping out in the wilderness.”
Seol Myo-geum spoke cheerfully as she patted her clothes. Behind her, Jin-ha held the horses’ reins while silently scanning the surrounding terrain. Little Jin Seo-ha held Seol Myo-geum’s hand tightly, looking around with quiet curiosity.
Jang Geon led Jojo to the stable behind the inn, while the rest of the party entered the inn’s main hall.
The inn hall was quiet, with only a few travelers sitting scattered at wooden tables. The innkeeper, a middle-aged man with a thin mustache, looked up from behind the counter.
“Ah, sit wherever you like. Meal?”
The monk nodded, walked steadily over to a table on one side, and sat down. The party following behind also gathered and sat at the table he sat at.
When the innkeeper brought out tea and set it down, a pretty woman among them slumped into her chair and said.
“Haaa… excuse me, what kind of meals do you have here?”
“A meal is a meal, what else would there be? Should I prepare a dish for you? Pork braised in soy sauce? Or fish and vegetables stir-fried in oil? Just say the word.”
At that question, she reflexively tried to answer something, then faltered. And after thinking about something by herself for a moment, she pointed her finger right at the innkeeper and smirked.
“…Heh. You’re being sarcastic, right? I understood that.”
The innkeeper smiled back without realizing it at the friendly smile she wore. The woman continued speaking with that same smiling face.
“Actually, we camped yesterday, and this morning we solved it with roughly boiled porridge. That tasted really bland. Had I known, I would have bought plenty of salty jerky… Anyway, thanks to that, my belly skin is flat right now. I thought I was going to starve to death. So rather than a plain meal, couldn’t you prepare something a bit decent and edible for us? Please.”
“Haha. Then wait a bit. If I’m to make something, it’ll take time.”
At her request while stroking her stomach, he spoke like that and walked to the kitchen. And a moment later, the sound of a real iron pot clattering was heard from there. Hearing that sound, the monk Jin Gyeon smiled gently and said.
“Thanks to Patron Seol, we will eat a decent meal. Thank you.”
“What’s a little thing like this.”
Seol Myo-geum raised her chin slightly and acted smug by herself. Seeing that, Jin-ha let out a silent sigh, and Jang Geon chuckled. Despite being ordinary words and actions, somehow it felt as though one had to grant her request if she asked. And since people didn’t feel particularly bad about it, that was also a talent if it was a talent. Of course, the fact that she didn’t make unreasonable requests in the first place would also be a factor.
Giggling like that by herself, Seol Myo-geum suddenly met eyes with Jang Geon who was looking at her. Blinking her eyes for a moment, she said.
“Um, Warrior Jang?”
Without making a sound, Jang Geon flicked his eyebrows as if asking what was up. Putting both elbows on the table, she said.
“So when are you going to tell me your heroic tales, Warrior Jang? We’ve been traveling for several days already, but you haven’t told me a single story to write in my book. Monk Jin Gyeon keeps talking only about Buddhist scriptures and Shaolin monks…”
At her pouty words, Jin Gyeon smiled gently, and Jang Geon shrugged his shoulders as if asking what could be done.
“Well, I told you I don’t have any story worth telling.”
“Hmph, you said it’s been several years since you came to the New Continent. In my opinion, even if one wandered the Central Plains for three or four years, there would be tremendous stories to tell. But in the New Continent as a blade-bearing martial artist? Ah, there’s no way there are no stories.”
Even at her banter, Jang Geon merely smiled faintly without answering. During the past few days traveling together, the only thing Jang Geon had said about his personal background was that vague time of several years. Seol Myo-geum looked at his face blankly, then subtly attached herself to Jin Seo-ha sitting beside her.
“Seo-ha, you’re curious about Ahjussi’s past too, right? Right? They say his martial arts are amazing, so wouldn’t he have wandered the New Continent and fought tremendous battles?”
Holding her teacup with both hands and carefully sipping, Jin Seo-ha softly set down the cup and looked at Seol Myo-geum. The child shifted her gaze to Jang Geon with blank eyes, then soon turned her attention back to her teacup. At that lukewarm response, Seol Myo-geum pouted her lips, while her bodyguard Jin-ha picked up the teapot and asked Seo-ha.
“Shall I pour you more tea?”
The child nodded her head and held out her cup. Jin-ha patted her head and filled the cup with a trickling sound. Jin Seo-ha did not speak yet, but she came to express her intentions to the degree of nodding or shaking her head. And Jang Geon also knew that the child sometimes observed him for a long time. It seemed to be because of the prank played the day before departure, and when observing him like that, the girl was tenacious as if to capture that moment once again.
Of course, during the past three days, whenever the girl focused on him like that, Jang Geon never played a prank again. Only at the moment when the girl’s attention brushed past him, like a face-changing performer, he ruined his face for a very brief moment. It was so fast that no one among the party except Jin Seo-ha knew it. Every time, Jin Seo-ha flinched in surprise and looked for other companions, but no matter how fast she was, she wasn’t faster than Jang Geon hiding his expression.
And as that was repeated, from a certain point, Jin Seo-ha and he came to engage in a subtle psychological war as if in a duel. Even at this moment drinking tea, the girl was peeking at Jang Geon’s complexion while pretending not to. Just like Jang Geon’s face-changing, her eyes were stealthy and sharp to the point where no one among the party noticed.
Not being able to speak, it was unknown what she would do even if she observed like that. In any case, until now Jin Seo-ha had never succeeded in informing the other companions of his ruined face. It was Jang Geon’s complete victory.
While this eye battle known only to the two continued even at that moment, the waiter who had organized the carriage and horses returned. As he entered while slapping his hands clean, the innkeeper shouted from the kitchen side as if he knew.
“Hey, Wangpal! Carry this.”
“Yes, coming.”
The waiter named Wangpal approached the kitchen sluggardly, just like when he went out to organize the carriage. And together with the innkeeper, he approached Jang Geon’s table carrying large and small dishes. Surprisingly, it was the stir-fried vegetables and soy sauce-braised pork he had mentioned. Seeing that, Seol Myo-geum laughed.
“You really had it?”
“Did you think it was a joke?”
“Thank you. We’ll eat well.”
Unlike the innkeeper’s slightly unfriendly attitude, the food was delicious. At their table, only the sound of clattering chopsticks and bowls clashing echoed for a while. Returning behind the counter, the innkeeper smiled warmly seeing that sight.
Just then, someone slowly pulled aside the entrance curtain of the inn and entered. The one who entered first was a man of sturdy build, wearing neat purple martial attire and a robe with fluttering hems, a man whose neatly bound hair, forehead headband, and mustache as handsome as his hair were impressive. He entered without a word and arrogantly raised his chin to scan the inside of the inn.
The innkeeper wondered what kind of fellow this was again, looked blankly, and spoke to him.
“Looking to stay at the inn? Or did you come to have a drink? Coincidentally, I made some food suitable as snacks.”
“Ahem, knowing who this gentleman is, how dare you speak so carelessly?”
Just then, someone abruptly entered the inn and spoke to the innkeeper. Unlike the man who entered first, he was a somewhat petite man with a rat-like impression. He bore a sizable broadsword on his back, and also had a thin sword tucked at his waist. That rat-faced man was glaring at the innkeeper with sharp eyes.
The innkeeper looked at that stern face as if it were absurd and asked.
“…What? Who are you people?”
“Hmph, a merchant lacking etiquette. If you wish to know about the other party, you should naturally introduce yourself first.”
Matching his appearance, the rat-faced man spoke in a thick, solemn voice. The innkeeper frowned and did as he said for now.
“…I’m the owner here. That fellow is the waiter here.”
“I am Wangpal, sir.”
The waiter who came over introduced himself like that. And even while they introduced themselves so briefly, the arrogant mustache man looked around the inn arrogantly, acting distracted. Instead, the rat-faced man stepped forward, stood straight with snappy movements, and turned half a circle. And in that unmatching voice, he solemnly spoke.
“As for this gentleman, starting with punishing the bandit gang that drove the area into terror in Cheongmyeong Village, Gamsan Province a few years ago, he defeated all kinds of evil men and wanted criminals in Seohyang Province, Eunmyeong Village, Buhyang Valley, and the like, and subjugated bandit gangs such as the Black Bandana Gang, Ox Bone Gang, and most recently the Net Blood Gang, proving his martial arts and righteousness to the four seas! Even the Martial Alliance Leader did not hesitate to call this gentleman a chivalrous hero! The sight of him wielding his blade is truly like a storm, earning him the nickname Gale Blade! He is the Great Hero Gam Gun-sang!”
The moment that voice echoed in the inn, Seol Myo-geum, who was eating rice, spat it out into her rice bowl with a ‘pfft’. And turning her head, she looked at the arrogant mustache man with disbelieving eyes. Beside her, Jin-ha also looked at the mustache man with a disbelieving expression.
The innkeeper spoke as if it were absurd.
“…W-What the fuck? Gale Blade? Gam Gun-sang? What kind of liars are these again? Do you think I’ll discount your lodging fee if you pull such bullshit? Where did such beggars come from to my shop?”
At the innkeeper’s attitude, the rat-faced man’s expression instantly changed. And before anyone could do anything, his hand reached for the sword at his waist, and a wind-tearing sound followed with a ‘sshook’. Immediately after, the innkeeper’s trousers slid down to the floor with a rustle.
“Prepare food and liquor, and guard that tongue of yours well.”
The innkeeper’s expression turned pale white. To run an inn business in such a wilderness, he was naturally a man who could roughly handle ordinary bottom-of-the-barrel fellows. But he had to be careful around a crazy martial arts master who drew a sword without warning just for saying something wrong.
Looking at the two men walking up to the 2nd-floor table, the trembling innkeeper pulled up his trousers with those trembling hands once they moved away. The waiter Wangpal approached him and whispered.
“Are you alright?”
“…What choice do I have if I’m not alright. Go bring out the liquor.”
All the guests inside the inn saw that scene. But no one stepped forward to say anything. That was partly because the innkeeper had spoken carelessly first, but more because the rat-faced man’s sword was that fast.
“Amitabha. The innkeeper didn’t speak well either, but drawing a sword right away seems a bit too much…”
Finished eating and sipping tea, Jang Geon softly smiled at Jin Gyeon’s muttering.
“Since no one was hurt, it doesn’t seem like they are completely reckless people.”
“Is that so?”
Jang Geon nodded his head. If it were a truly cruel person or lunatic, he wouldn’t have drawn his sword to cut the innkeeper’s belt, but made a blade mark on his skin. At the same time, his sword would have stayed drawn as well.
“At any rate, they are strange friends. The one who doesn’t open his mouth, and the one who steps forward like a servant to introduce him. Are there originally many such people in the New Continent?”
“No way. Those two are the strange ones.”
“Hmm, Amitabha… Having a distinct personality will leave a long memory at least.”
Jang Geon found those words funny and chuckled softly. Just then, in his eyes appeared Seol Myo-geum, who had her arms crossed and her face seriously hardened. Gale Blade Gam Gun-sang. Jang Geon said.
“I apologize. It turns out Gale Blade was a real person. My knowledge was a bit lacking.”
“…No. There’s no need to apologize.”
Looking down at the table with her eyes cast down, she still had a serious expression. Jang Geon tilted his head at that sight.
“Isn’t that person called Gale Blade the martial artist you were looking for? But you don’t look very pleased.”
At those words, Seol Myo-geum hesitated with her lips parting as if to say something. However, in the end she tightly shut her mouth and looked at Jang Geon with somewhat sad eyes. Looking into his eyes like that for a moment, Seol Myo-geum abruptly stood up from her seat as if having made up her mind.
“…That’s right. I really enjoyed reading his web novel. I should even get an autograph, shouldn’t I? I’ll be back in just a moment.”
With a heavily hardened face, she pulled out a booklet from her breast pocket and walked with big strides toward Gam Gun-sang and the rat-faced man. Jin Gyeon and Jin-ha were startled and tried to stop her, but her hopping up the stairs was faster. In the end, before anyone could stop her, she went up to the 2nd floor and abruptly barged into the table where the two were sitting.
At those words, Seol Myo-geum hesitated with her lips parting as if to say something. However, in the end she tightly shut her mouth and looked at Jang Geon with somewhat sad eyes. Looking into his eyes like that for a moment, Seol Myo-geum abruptly stood up from her seat as if having made up her mind.
“…That’s right. I really enjoyed reading his web novel. I should even get an autograph, shouldn’t I? I’ll be back in just a moment.”
With a heavily hardened face, she pulled out a booklet from her breast pocket and walked with big strides toward Gam Gun-sang and the rat-faced man. Jin Gyeon and Jin-ha were startled and tried to stop her, but her hopping up the stairs was faster. In the end, before anyone could stop her, she went up to the 2nd floor and abruptly barged into the table where the two were sitting.
“Hello?”
No fluster or wonder could be found in the eyes of Gam Gun-sang and the mouse-faced man receiving Seol Myo-geum’s greeting. They seemed as if they already knew her.