Pathfinder
Chapter Twenty-five
“For dueling.”
“And you, lady?”
“As a guard.”
After some brief consideration, the slave chose Garam.
The man sitting beside her, who had held onto hope until the end, left the room with a noticeably disappointed expression.
Garam, looking at the departing loser, asked the slave a question.
“Isn’t it more convenient to be a duelist than a bodyguard?
I mean, you don’t even know where I’m going.”
“Protecting a noble from harm while dueling usually involves getting beaten alone.
Besides, you seem to need me more than that man does.”
The man responded with a slow and gruff tone, seeming to know that Garam would be his owner for two years, even though he seemed quite taciturn.
It was unexpected that Garam thought he would say, ‘It’s none of your business’ or something like that.
“I see.”
Garam replied.
With that, their conversation ended.
Afterward, the magician laid out a parchment scroll on the table and spoke.
“It’s 226,500 gold.”
Having a bit of a shortfall with her mythril coin, Garam took out a ring and handed it over to the appraiser.
While she examined the parchment scroll and read it, she didn’t notice the appraiser’s eyes widening in disbelief.
However, he quickly refocused his attention on the thick emerald ring.
The scroll mostly contained mundane details.
It was briefly labeled as a “parchment scroll” followed by the names and durations of the three slaves.
Intricate, undecipherable patterns wrapped around the text, shimmering and rippling when viewed from different angles.
“It’s a magical document.
After the calculations are done, if you tear it, the slaves’ bindings will be transferred to you.”
Seeing the rather flimsy appearance of the document, Garam raised a puzzled expression.
Trigger whispered to her, explaining the situation.
“I understand now.”
Garam nodded in acceptance.
Suddenly, she realized how late it was.
She had been so busy all day that she was on the verge of collapsing.
Even though she didn’t know the exact time, she knew that evening had passed long ago.
“But Trigger, you mentioned earlier that you had to go soon.
Isn’t it too late now?”
“No, I’m fine.
Well, I guess I’m fine.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No need to apologize.
Honestly, I wouldn’t have felt comfortable if I’d just left you alone like that.”
Trigger shrugged his shoulders.
Garam smiled in both gratitude and apology.
She had done nothing for him, yet this tiger had always shown kindness to her.
Meeting a creature like him as the first living thing in that world had truly been fortunate.
While exchanging smiles, Garam suddenly realized someone’s gaze was directed at her.
It was the Asian woman.
She continuously stole glances at Garam, and when their eyes met, she became startled, lowering her head deeply.
She hesitated for a moment, swaying her head back and forth before avoiding eye contact again.
Eventually, Garam decided to initiate the conversation.
“Hello, I’m Garam.”
“I’m Muller.”
It was the water magician sitting beside the Asian female slave who responded to her.
He was said to be four years older than Garam, but he appeared almost the same age.
Only the calm and gentle gaze in his eyes hinted at his maturity.
He smiled warmly, and Garam couldn’t help but smile back.
“I’m Haneul Unhwa.”
Upon closer inspection, Unhwa seemed more like a young girl than a woman.
She was slightly shorter than Garam, with delicate features that made her appear fragile as if she might break at any moment.
Garam could sense the hardship she had endured from her rigid shoulders and tightly clenched fists.
In Garam’s world, Unhwa would have just graduated from high school, and the shock of becoming a slave in a foreign land must have been overwhelming.
“Haneul Unhwa?
That must mean “cloud flower in the sky.” What a lovely name!”
Garam had encountered scoundrels, been pinned beneath Trigger, and even suffered from motion sickness while riding a horse all on that day, but she managed to maintain a soft and friendly expression.
Unhwa blushed to the tips of her ears and lowered her head deeply.
“Thank you.”
She murmured almost inaudibly.
“I’m Wake.”
The short name of the Wyvern Slayer followed Unhwa’s expression of gratitude.
He didn’t seem to be a naturally talkative person, and as soon as he told Garam his name, he slouched in his chair, appearing uninterested as he closed his eyes.
Garam thought he looked very tired.
There seemed to be a lot of stories behind him, but then again, who didn’t have a story?
“The appraisal is now complete.”
The appraiser’s face had flushed a bit.
Instantly, all eyes in the room focused on him.
He didn’t seem to mind the attention and cautiously presented the appraised value.
“It’s worth 600,000 gold.”
Perhaps due to its thickness, the value was unexpectedly high.
Garam, who had expected it to be around 200,000 gold, was somewhat surprised.
However, Trigger wrinkled his nose, displaying a disapproving expression.
“Isn’t that a little too low?
If you auction it off at the royal auction, it might go for over a million gold.”
The man smiled without hesitation.
“Well, that could be the case, or maybe not.
It’s about the fair value, not the auction price.
What will you do?”
Just as Garam was about to respond favorably, Trigger stepped forward and shouted.
“800,000 gold.
600,000 is ridiculous.
This quality of ring doesn’t come up often, and it could be a highlight at the royal auction.
The emperor himself can’t have anything better!”
With his confident words, Trigger made it seem like he knew everything, and he looked at Garam as if to say, ‘Just trust me.’ He then engaged in an argument with the appraiser.
Garam couldn’t help but wonder how Trigger knew so much.
With his extensive knowledge that might as well belong to a gem cutter rather than a tiger, Garam was in awe.
However, as their conversation rapidly shifted to include more specialized terms, Garam gave up on understanding it halfway.
“But this cutting is superior to Evelok’s tenth. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
You can see it if you have eyes.”
“But we don’t even know who made it.
It doesn’t have a famous name.”
The appraiser was not easily swayed.
In the end, Trigger brought out his final trump card.
“Alright, let’s just pay in cash.”
Trigger pulled out a mythril coin.
The number 100,000 was clearly visible on it.
The appraiser, after checking the numbers, regained his composure.
“The total amount to be paid is 226,500 gold.
It seems you’re a bit short.”
However, as soon as Garam took out her mythril coin totaling 180,000 gold, the appraiser’s composure disappeared.
She presented the coins in a way that they were clearly visible.
“Combined, it’s 280,000 gold.
Is that sufficient?”
The appraiser sighed in response to Trigger’s smile.
Until then, Garam had been at a disadvantage because she needed to sell the ring to cover the cost of the slave.
However, if she didn’t have to sell it, the situation would be a bit different.
Even if the appraiser bought it for 1 million gold instead of 800,000 gold, it would be profitable for him to sell it at the auction house, so it was better to make the purchase.
“I suppose there’s no helping it.
I’ll buy it for 800,000 gold.”
“I’d like 3,500 gold in that change in 500 gold coins.
The rest, please deposit.”
Looking at Trigger with admiration, Garam momentarily forgot her fatigue and smiled warmly as she made her request.
“Okay.”
Before Garam could say more, the magician deposited 570,000 gold, which was equivalent to the money from the ring that Garam sold him minus the value of the slaves.
In the meantime, the appraiser had prepared a pouch with 3,500 gold.
Garam accepted the pouch and checked that there were seven 500 gold coins inside before bringing up her final purpose.
“But how do you free a permanent slave?”
At Garam’s question, Unhwa’s head snapped up.
Her eyes, a mixture of hope and pleading, trembled slightly.
“You just have to unlock the shackles with your own hands.
Tear up the transfer document first to have your rights forfeited.”
“Now that the calculations are complete, can I tear up the transfer document?”
“Yes.”
The appraiser replied carefully as he carefully took the ring.
When Garam tore up the transfer document, beams of light seeped out and wrapped around her wrist, forming three loops like a bracelet.
There was no special sensation.
Garam gently touched her wrist, but the established ring clung to her skin like a tattoo, much like the pattern on the back of her hand.
Suddenly, Garam looked at the back of her hand and was suspicious.
Until just a moment ago, there were two separate markings, but they just had merged into one.
The mark was pointing north.
“What’s wrong?”
Trigger, who was worried by Garam’s strange expression, examined the back of her hand as well.
When they first met, there was a glowing pattern there, but now there was nothing.
In Trigger’s eyes, it seemed as though Garam was just staring at her bare hand.
“It’s nothing.
It’s just that the direction has been determined.”
Garam hurriedly answered and then approached Unhwa.
She gently removed the bracelet that had been binding Unhwa’s wrist.
After a flash of purple light, the bracelet lost its power.
Unhwa looked at Garam with disbelief on her face, and Garam smiled at her.
Unhwa’s round face still gave off a childlike vibe.
“Uhm, uh, excuse me…”
To Unhwa, who couldn’t bring herself to continue talking, Garam spoke calmly.
“I intended to buy you to set you free from the beginning, so…”
Unhwa suddenly burst into tears and hugged Garam tightly.
Her crying was messy, with tears and snot mixed together.
Garam patted her back awkwardly, repeatedly reassuring her that everything was alright.
Unhwa hadn’t expected Garam to release her.
She had only hoped that Garam would take her with her, and perhaps, someday, when Garam returned to the Eastern continent, she could go back home with her.
She even thought she would probably be resold to someone else, never that she would be released without any compensation at all.
Unhwa sobbed as she told Garam her story.
She explained that she and her older brother had arrived there but had been swindled when she went to exchange their money.
At that time, she didn’t know the value of the currency there, so she had unknowingly sold a gemstone bracelet for only ten silver, not realizing it was a scam.
After exchanging her money and returning, her brother, who had been searching for information, disappeared without a trace.
In the end, she was left with no money and had to wander around here and there.
Not long after, she ran out of money completely and even attempted to stow away on a ship, thinking she could hide and escape.
Unhwa cried and said that she had known it was a crime, but she missed her parents so much that she couldn’t help it.
“It’s okay now.
I’ll help you.
I’ll make sure you can go home.
Let’s rest for today since it’s getting late.”
Garam gently comforted Unhwa who was wiping her own teary nose.
Then, Garam left the auction house with Unhwa, who had finally stopped crying, and Wake and Muller in tow.
As they walked toward the inn, Unhwa chattered on and on about her story.
She expressed her concern about what might have happened to her brother and wondered if he had gone back home first, saying it would be her last hope of seeing him alive.
Garam didn’t think that he would have gone back home without her, but she played along to comfort Unhwa.
“Well, I should be going now.”
Trigger said when they arrived at the inn.
Garam hugged Trigger tightly.
With a somewhat awkward expression on his face, Trigger, in his human form, hugged Garam back.
“We’ll definitely see each other again, right?”
“Yeah, take care.”
“See you next time.”
Garam gave Trigger one final tight hug before smiling at him.
Trigger, with his large hand, ruffled Garam’s hair and smiled back.
“Alright, go inside and rest.
You look incredibly tired.”
Garam’s eyes were visibly bloodshot even under the moonlight.
Garam gave a sheepish smile.
Trigger let them enter the inn first, and for a while, he stood there.
He could still smell Garam’s delicious scent, but he no longer felt any hunger.
He even felt the desire to go along with her.
If he weren’t the owner of the Beast Plain, he might have left with Garam.
However, he had a territory to protect.
There were lives in the area that needed his care.
“All roads are connected, so we’ll meet someday.”
Trigger’s regretful words were soon carried away by the night wind.
By the time the traces of his words vanished, there was no one standing in front of the inn.
***
Muller, twenty-nine years old, was a not-so-successful water mage.
The small Asian girl who had become his owner the day before was anything but ordinary.
There wasn’t a single unremarkable aspect about her.
Her peculiarity wasn’t about being a foreign spy or harboring conspiratorial plots to overthrow the Western continent.
It was more about how far she deviated from the norm.
First and foremost, she had too much money.
Her distribution of wealth was also extraordinary.
From freeing a slave she had purchased for 100,000 gold with no apparent gain to handing out a staggering 500 gold to her in pocket money, she didn’t seem to feel secure even after handing out such a large sum.
She personally paid the crew of a ship, insisting on compensating them for their hard work and asking them to keep an eye out.
Furthermore, she even offered to pay more if necessary.
She didn’t seem to be on familiar terms with Unhwa, but just because she was from the same continent, she gave the crew a large sum of money.
It didn’t make any sense.
‘Are all Asians like this?’
Muller thought to himself.
In fact, it was his first time having such a close relationship with someone from the East.
He examined Garam’s jade jewelry for a while.
It was a token of appreciation that Unhwa had given to Garam who had seen her off on the ship in the early morning.
Unhwa had asked Garam to visit the House of Haneuls when she returned to the Eastern continent.
After a tearful farewell that made Garam feel even more special than the girl’s own sister, Unhwa kissed Garam’s cheek and wiped away her tears with a handkerchief.
Garam did not leave the dock until Unhwa’s boat appeared so small that it could no longer be seen despite her tired look.
Her brown eyes were filled with anxiety about whether the young girl would safely pass through the straits to return to her homeland.
“I hope she arrives safely.”
Muller, who was secretly staring at her, said “yes” out of habit.
In fact, Garam had noticed Muller glancing at her in secret, but she said nothing.
She knew he might have many questions.
Where had Trigger gone?
Who was she really?
What lay ahead for them?
However, Garam couldn’t provide definite answers, so she chose to pretend she didn’t notice.
“You must be tired.
We’ll stay in the city for one more day and leave tomorrow.”
Garam, even though she was the most exhausted of all, said this while wiping the sweat from her forehead.
Her physical condition wasn’t great.
Her back was aching from riding the horse, but she could still move somehow.
She needed to finish her preparations that day so they could leave the following day.
As her path was fully charged, her heart was already racing toward it, but her body couldn’t keep up.
After leaving the pier, Garam first went to the stable to take care of Poppy.
She fed him plenty of carrots and followed Trigger’s instructions to saddle him.
Muller helped pack the luggage on both sides of the horse.
He assisted Garam in reducing the amount of gear they would need for the journey.
Instead of dried meat and preserved ingredients, they brought spam and canned goods along with just salt, pepper, and soy sauce for seasoning.
Muller cast a peculiar look at Garam when he encountered new foods and seasonings, but he didn’t display any rashness by opening his mouth.
This was fortunate for Garam.
Due to the increased number of people, they purchased sleeping bags and utensils and efficiently packed them.
“Lastly, we need to buy a multiple-use dagger.”
Garam said, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
Upon her word, the three of them headed to the weapon shop.
Despite a day having passed, the atmosphere between the three still remained awkward.
The uncomfortable relationship between slave and master prevented Garam from exhibiting her usual carefreeness.
Muller was somewhat more approachable, but Wake consistently wore an unfriendly expression whenever she addressed him.
Arriving at the weapon shop, Garam couldn’t help but think that it might have been better if she had come alone.
The two men, silently following behind her like shadows, felt both reliable and burdensome, and when it came to dealing with the men she had recently met and was still unfamiliar with, the burden seemed to double.
Until Garam initiated a conversation, neither of the two men would speak first.
With the long journey ahead, she suppressed a sigh.
“Hmm.”
Garam made an effort to ignore the two men behind her and focused on the daggers in front of her.
She had initially wanted to choose something resembling a traditional Korean kitchen knife, but they didn’t sell kitchen knives at weapon shops.
Kitchen knives were typically found in general stores or kitchenware shops.
However, she couldn’t completely rule out the possibility of the knife being used for other purposes, so she decided to go to a weapon shop.
In such cases, experienced travelers usually chose a dagger that suited them.
That was why she had come to select a dagger.
However, the daggers displayed in front of her didn’t look appealing at all with their dull appearance.
As she stood in front of the daggers, lost in thought for about fifteen minutes, the gaze of the weapon shop owner started to become fierce.