Pathfinder
Chapter Eleven
“Excuse me, where did the gentleman behind me go?”
“Oh, he went upstairs earlier.
I think he went to his room.”
“When was that?”
“When we said we had a lot of food in the kitchen, he heard it and went up laughing.
Since he said he’d have his meal in his room, Kenny probably went upstairs with his food.
Are you together?
“No, not at all.
It’s just that I didn’t even get a chance to thank him.”
“Well, he said he’s checking out early tomorrow morning, so he probably wanted to eat and rest early.”
With a disappointed expression, Garam nodded.
She wanted to go and thank him, but she was worried that it might disturb his sleep since he mentioned leaving early tomorrow.
Seeing Garam’s regretful look, the waitress made a suggestion.
“How about this?
You can leave a thank-you note, and I’ll pass it on to Kenny so that we can hand it out to him when he checks out tomorrow.”
It was a good idea, so Garam nodded in agreement.
The waitress smiled and handed her paper and a pen.
Garam hesitated for a moment, wondering what to write, and eventually wrote a simple thank-you note in crooked letters.
When the waitress saw it, she giggled, commenting that her handwriting was cute.
“Alright, shall we go then?
I’ll bring your meal to your room after your bath.”
Garam put down the pen and followed the waitress.
Behind her, the men at the bar burst into laughter.
“This way.”
The waitress, who had been walking a step ahead of Garam, stopped at the second door on the left on the third floor.
In the dimly lit hallway, Garam finally realized how large the inn was.
The hallway stretched quite far between the guest rooms, and compared to the single door of Garam’s room, the room at the end of the hallway had large double doors.
As she opened the door and waited for Garam to enter, the waitress noticed Garam’s gaze fixed on the room at the end of the hallway and smiled.
“Oh my, that’s the deluxe room.
It’s our inn’s pride.
It costs twenty-five silver per day, but all the services are included, and it’s the most luxurious room in our inn.
Don’t be surprised—I’m telling you this because you’re a cute guest—but right now…”
The waitress’s voice trailed off.
In a hushed tone that hinted at secrecy, Garam involuntarily tensed up and leaned closer to listen.
“There’s a wizard staying in that room.”
“A wizard?”
Garam thought of Mordred when she heard the word “wizard.” Her expression stiffened.
The waitress seemed puzzled, but since she had already started, she decided to continue her story.
Most of the wizards were picky to the point of having obsessive tendencies, so the fact that such a wizard chose to stay here meant that this inn was exceptional.
“He doesn’t seem to be an exceptional wizard at his young age, but when his beard grows, he might become a real wizard, right?
Hehe.
Leave your things here and come this way, please.”
Listening to her, Garam simply placed her backpack on the floor without bothering to look around the room.
Garam’s room had a simple layout containing a bedroom and an attached bathroom.
The bathroom was equipped with a wooden tub shaped like a well, a large wooden barrel, and a small wooden bucket.
There were also light green powder and towels provided.
The waitress poured water diligently from a wooden bucket into the large wooden barrel as Garam was standing nearby, a bit dazed.
When the water splashed and made a bubbling sound, she raised the wooden bucket again.
The wooden bucket was filled with hot water, and steam was rising from it.
The waitress, then, filled the large wooden tub with that water.
“The cauldron in the basement is connected to a magic pipe.
When not in use, we keep the lid of the magic pipe closed, so there’s no point in dropping down the wooden bucket.
Instead, you can use cold water, so use it for washing your face in the morning.”
While saying that, the waitress busily poured water from the wooden bucket into the large wooden tub.
Garam, feeling intrigued, approached the well and looked down below.
As she had heard, there was a large cauldron filled with water in the pitch-black space below.
There was something beneath it, and apart from the strange purple glow, it resembled a bonfire.
The fire blazed brightly without any firewood.
Garam couldn’t help but think it looked like the fire lizard that she had seen before.
“Is that the magic pipe?”
The waitress, diligently fetching water and sweating profusely, nodded her head.
Then, guessing there was no magic in Asia, she replied kindly, pulling herself together.
“Yes, that’s our pride, the magic pipe of this inn!
There aren’t many places where such a thing can be installed.”
Garam admired the waitress’s dedication, as she continued working while sweating so profusely.
“I see.
By the way, I might want to take a bath in the morning as well.
How much is the bathing fee?”
“It’s fifty copper.
You might think it’s a bit expensive compared to the meal, but in other places, it’s one silver.
We can offer it a bit cheaper thanks to the magic pipe, which doesn’t require firewood.
Plus, there are only a few inns where you can bathe, you know.”
As she listened to the explanation, Garam began to get a rough sense of the prices.
The meal cost twenty-five copper, so it was roughly 2,500 won.
However, they said the cost of food was half-price because of staying at the inn, so the original price must be fifty copper.
“Alright, it’s settled.
When you’re done with your bath, just pull out the stopper next to this barrel!
When I hear the water flowing down, I’ll bring your meal.
Enjoy!”
With a final playful wink, the innkeeper left the room quietly.
Garam followed her to the front of the room, locking the door after she left.
The locking mechanism was unusual for her, but it was similar enough to other bolt locks, so it wasn’t too difficult.
However, due to the flimsy nature of the structure supported by a single steel bolt, where a single kick could probably break it, she felt a bit uneasy.
Garam brought a table in front of the door to barricade it, and even then, she didn’t feel completely safe.
She piled up her bag, chair, and other items for additional security.
After barricading the door and feeling somewhat relieved, Garam entered the bathroom where the hot water was ready.
Although she had taken showers every other day when climbing mountains with Mordred, Garam had always been on the move as if chased by something, so immersing herself in hot water was a rare occurrence.
Garam was exhausted, so she quickly undressed and immersed herself in the hot water.
The long shadow of a candle flickered amidst the water vapor and the sound of water splashing.
From the rain-splattered main gate to the small windows, all wooden doors were closed without exception, and due to the advantage of being on the third floor, she could barely hear the voices of the men on the first floor.
In the silence, Garam slowly let go of everything that had been building up inside her.
With the help of the bath’s warmth, her emotions began to surface in the form of tears that welled up in her eyes.
She buried her face in her heated, reddened hands with the hot water, and let out a restrained sob.
The tears she hadn’t managed to hold back trickled gently through her fingers and fell into the bathtub.
The sobbing was so intense that it ironically lacked sound.
It was just intermittent gasps of breath and fragmented sobs.
Her shoulders cried in place of her eyes.
The candlelight gently flickered on her trembling shoulders.
The bewilderment she felt being suddenly thrust into a life she had never considered or even dreamed of and the bitterness of Mordred’s betrayal—they all felt too heavy to bear on her shoulders.
Yet, she couldn’t even release her emotions in a loud cry.
After crying for a while, Garam washed her face and hair with the hot water.
She scrubbed herself thoroughly and tightly squeezed her hair.
There was no longer any trace of vulnerability in her eyes as if the tears had taken them away.
She had cried her heart out, and that was enough.
She told herself that she didn’t have time to cry anymore and that she could cry after solving everything, after regaining her family.
It was too early for her to sit and cry.
After vigorously washing herself, she felt much better.
Garam pressed the towel firmly against her slightly swollen eyes to prevent them from stinging and dried her hair.
Then, as the waitress had suggested, she pulled out the stopper next to the wooden tub, and water flowed down through the drain.
Lastly, after shaking off the dust from the clothes she had been wearing, she thought she would need to keep about two sets of clothes with her in the future.
Even if she wanted to wash the clothes she was currently wearing, Garam only had one set of clothes, so she would have nothing to wear while they were being cleaned.
Feeling uncomfortable, Garam put on the clothes she had just shaken off.
When she came out in her new outfit, the waitress knocked on the door, bringing Garam’s meal after hearing the sound of the water draining.
Garam quickly pushed aside the table and chair she had piled up in front of the door and opened it.
Thanks to Garam’s hurried movements, enough to break a sweat, the door opened in no time.
The waitress, who had calculated everything to the minute and had come up in time, was puzzled about what was happening but chose to hand over the meal to Garam instead of asking questions.
She had a strong work ethic.
“I’ll place the meal here.
On the menu for today is a stew and meat with cheese served with grain bread, and for dessert—honey-soaked apricots.
The drink is orange juice.
Enjoy your… Oh my, miss!”
The waitress, who was setting up the meal, was surprised when she looked at Garam’s face.
“Oh my, oh my, miss…”
The waitress noticed traces of tears on Garam’s eyelids.
The kind-hearted woman immediately empathized with the young Asian girl, who had probably been crying alone in that difficult situation.
With a sympathetic look, she grasped Garam’s hand quickly, as Garam was busy trying to deduce the meaning of her gaze.
Garam’s small hand was tightly held in the warm, calloused hand of the waitress.
“Um, yes?”
The waitress showed sympathy towards Garam, who shifted her eyes around in confusion.
Seeing her delicate hands and face, Garam probably hadn’t experienced much hardship.
She might be the precious daughter of a well-off family.
The waitress also had a younger sister whom she cared for like a princess, so Garam seemed like a younger sister to her.
Did she lose her family?
Or was she searching for a lover?
Although she hadn’t heard anything specific from Garam, the waitress could imagine Garam’s situation in her own way.
“Oh my, you’re still so young and cute.
Things might be tough, but stay strong!
You’ll definitely make it.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Garam bowed her head in gratitude, not understanding why the waitress suddenly said those things.
The waitress, who had been observing her with a sympathetic gaze, thought that she should personally provide a generous breakfast for her tomorrow morning.
Seeing her staying in a high-end inn, it seemed like this young lady had some money, but the way Garam’s slender body looked as if she hadn’t eaten properly concerned her greatly.
Due to her recent travels, Garam seemed very fragile, enough to receive sympathy from the waitress.
“My name is Roana.
Roana.
If you say Roana from Fairy of Rest, everyone knows.
So if anyone treats you as a foreigner, just say you’re a friend of mine.
Got it?”
“Um?
O-okay.”
Garam couldn’t understand why she suddenly said those things, but she decided to accept the kindness gratefully.
Garam found this cheerful and bright woman quite likable for some reason.
Roana was neatly dispelling the prejudices that Garam had almost held against the people of that world due to the thug.
“Oh, well, the food must have gotten cold.
Please help yourself.
Leave the empty dishes, and I’ll take them when I bring breakfast for you tomorrow.”
Roana left the room without waiting for Garam’s response.
As Roana’s smiling face disappeared briefly through the door, Garam was somewhat puzzled.
Garam sat down in a daze, listening to the cheerful sound of Roana’s footsteps gradually fading away.
The food was getting cold, as Roana had worried.
The taste of the food was not bad.
Garam was a bit disappointed that the stew was slightly cold, but overall, it wasn’t an unpleasant taste.
The chunks of meat floating in the stew felt oddly familiar to Garam, and she struggled to recall what they were.
Eventually, she remembered.
They were the fruit of the meat tree, which she had eaten with Trigger when she had first arrived there.
They tasted a little bit stale, though.
“I wonder how Trigger is doing.”
Garam suddenly became concerned.
Trigger should be doing well wherever he was, but she couldn’t help worrying.
“Let’s not get emotional.
If Trigger heard this, he would probably roll around and laugh.”
Garam took a big bite of the meat dish.
After her bath, she was so tired that she wanted to sleep more than eat, but she ate diligently, almost as an obligation.
In the past, she might have considered losing weight and taken only a few bites, but as she was moving a lot and needed a lot of energy, she easily devoured the meal.
After finishing her meal, she felt a little full, so she took out a notebook from her bag while eating dessert.
She intended to organize the things she had to do in the future before going to bed.
Garam first wrote “collect paths” in the notebook and drew five stars underneath.
Below that, she began listing the items she needed to retrieve from the base camp.
Since she wrote down whatever came to mind, the list was disorganized and included many items that would be difficult to obtain, but she didn’t mind.
Garam first wrote down “weapons.”
The escape from the thug and the insect creatures was pure luck, and she didn’t expect that luck to come again.
She pondered which weapon to carry and listed down a few kinds: a pistol, a gas gun, and a stun gun.
Then, she erased them all with a pen and wrote “a gun” very small, not even a quarter of the size of the other letters.
Garam, who had written the word quite hesitantly, quickly moved on to the next line of the notebook as if trying to avoid it.
She didn’t really want to carry a gun, but given the circumstances, she needed to have one.
Next on the list was money.
It seemed like having more money would be better.
Garam wrote down:
[1.
Rob the jeweler’s shop.]
She thought that would give her enough money.
However, not knowing what was valuable and what did not exist there, she decided to bring as many different types of items as possible to sell.
The list was filled with various miscellaneous items such as pens, perfume, notebooks, t-shirts, paint, dishes, and more in no particular order.
Then, she wrote “travel gear” and collapsed onto the table, unable to resist sleep any longer.
Yet, with her head resting on the table, she began to move her hands.
Garam’s hand, which had written down “a better sleeping bag from a sporting goods store” and “a new portable stove,” gradually slowed down.
Her handwriting had lost its initial neatness long ago.
In the end, Garam slowly fell asleep.
Soon, only the quiet sound of her exhausted breathing remained.