Preface
<This novel was originally written in Korean by a Korean author and later rendered into English.
Should any part of the translation prove inadequate, I am more than willing to accept correction and refinement.>
<Even in an age when films bring miracles to life and games let us take part in those miracles ourselves, literature remains the ground they stand upon—and perhaps the star they aspire to reach, or perhaps must one day reach.>
Part 1: The Beginning of a Sorrowful Journey – 1
Written & Translated by Seion
Two mules were pulling a wagon along a dusty road.
It would be more accurate to call it a four-wheeled cart rather than a wagon.
The man driving the wagon, which was covered to keep the goods from getting wet in the rain, was Skelvis, an itinerant vendor, thirty-two years old.
At that age, he could be considered a successful merchant, having avoided the peddler who sold his goods by walking with his load on his back.
Next to him, his only son, who celebrated his 10th birthday in January of this year, was sitting and looking around.
They had spent that birthday on the road, and time had flown by quickly.
It was now September 8th, more than a week into the month.
Although this day was originally a holiday, for a wandering merchant, there were market days but no separate holidays.
The road was unpaved, and only traces of foot traffic showed that it was a road.
Of course, the milestones appearing every 100 meters or so were what truly made the road feel like a road, but even though many people knew this fact, few paid much attention to it.
The most helpful things often reveal their true value only when they’re gone.
Therefore, any traveler would be greatly concerned if a milestone were broken.
Of course, Skelvis, who lives his life constantly on the road, is someone who pays attention to milestones.
Being a itinerant merchant is a relatively dangerous occupation, and even more so for traveling vendors in these small fiefdoms.
His son Rimas was also attentively observing the surroundings from his father’s left side.
He was often the first to spot anything that might appear
It was natural that young Rimas would spot things first, given his eyesight was much better than his father’s.
So this time too, it was Rimas who first noticed something.
The path they were on was in mountainous terrain, and their destination was a village at a higher elevation, so typically the route would become increasingly steep and difficult to climb.
This section had a gentle downward slope, letting them spot travelers in the distance without any obstacles blocking their view.
“Dad, I see someone ahead.”
“How many?”
“Looks like one person.”
Skelvis firmly grasped the mules’ reins with his left hand while checking the crossbow at his side with his right, responding to his son’s words.
Observing his father’s actions, Rimas also inspected his own crossbow, which was smaller than his father’s.
Skelvis had long ago taught his son how to use a crossbow and provided him with one of his own, knowing that anything could happen in the outdoors.
“If it was just one person, Skelvis felt there was no need to reach for the axe beside his crossbow.
As the distance between them got closer, Rimas recognized the person ahead of him and spoke.
“It’s teacher Medipl.”
Upon hearing those words, Skelvis set down his crossbow and grasped the reins with both hands.
The person named Medipl, who had been walking ahead leading a donkey, seemed to hear them approaching and turned around.
Upon spotting Rimas, he stopped in his tracks, fully turned to face them, and waved at the two.
Being an elf, Medipl likely had sharp hearing and keen eyesight, allowing him to quickly sense their presence and easily recognize Rimas.
Shortly after, Skelvis’s wagon caught up with Medipl, who had been standing still.
Medipl was leading a donkey, and while holding the reins to keep the fully-loaded animal from wandering off, he waved again with one hand, smiling at Rimas and Skelvis.
Medipl appeared to be only a few years older than Rimas, looking like a young boy.
With his hat on, his ears were hidden, enhancing this youthful appearance.
However, if he were to remove his hat, his pointed ears would be visible.
In fact, even without seeing his ears, most people in the area knew that teacher Medipl was an elf.
He is 59 years old this year.
“Elves have slower physical growth and aging, so he appears to be a teenage boy, but he is indeed a certified Imperial teacher, one of only 19 teachers in the fief.”
“How have you been, teacher?”
“Yes, have you been well too, Skelvis?”
“Yes, I’m doing alright.
Are you heading to Whitestone?”
“Yes, it’s my turn to go there.
It seems you’re headed in the same direction.”
This exchange reveals that both Medipl and Skelvis are traveling to a place called Whitestone.
The conversation implies that visits to Whitestone are scheduled or rotated, as Medipl mentions it’s his turn to go there.”
Teachers like Medipl in this fief, while sometimes teaching in the main town where the lord resides, primarily travel to all villages within the fief to educate students.
Out of the 19 teachers, some are permanently stationed in the main town, but the rest have the demanding job of constantly circulating throughout the fief to teach children in each village
Elves are a discriminated race, so even though they are teachers and live longer, thus being older, elf teachers like Medipl are assigned as itinerant teachers, while human teachers stay in the main town for their teaching careers.
“Due to these circumstances, they had encountered each other several times on the road and in the villages Medipl visited, so their conversation flowed easily.
“That’s right.
I hope the goods sell well in Whitestone.”
“I hope so too.
And my goods as well.”
Teacher’s words made Skelvis and Rimas laugh along.
It was a joke they all understood, knowing that books were unlikely to sell in Whitestone village.”
Like many teachers, Medipl is both an educator and a merchant.
In this world, becoming a merchant typically requires a license issued by local rulers and membership in a Merchant Guild, which involves paying dues.
However, there are a few exceptions to this rule, and teachers are one of them.
Those who pass the teacher qualification examination administered by the Imperial government can engage in commercial activities without any additional procedures.
However, the items that can be handled are limited to books.
Traveling book merchants known as colporteurs primarily consist of teachers engaging in a side business.
While it’s not impossible for non-teachers to obtain a license and register with the Merchant Guild to become colporteurs, such cases are extremely rare.
Therefore, most book peddlers are essentially teachers supplementing their income.
Books are of interest mainly to the nobility and wealthy, so there’s little chance of selling them while traveling around these rural villages.
However, since teachers have a stable salaried profession that involves traveling anyway, it’s not a bad idea for them to double as book peddlers.
As a result, most teachers also work as book merchants.
Teacher Medipl’s donkey is loaded with cargo that, aside from travel necessities, mostly consists of books and related items.
Furthermore, the majority of these are not books for sale as a colporteur, but rather textbooks for the students he teaches.
Most parents living in rural areas do not buy books for their children.
Therefore, teachers like Medipl carry textbooks with them, hand them out during class, and retrieve them when they leave the village, so they are always carrying textbooks with them.
When Skelvis resumed the carriage that had stopped momentarily for greetings, Medipl also repositioned the bow on his back once and started moving with the donkey in tow.
Books being heavier than they looked, Medipl simply grasped the donkey’s bridle and walked alongside it instead of mounting it.
Moreover, it would be disastrous if it rained while transporting books tied with just strings.
Therefore, the books must be placed in waterproof sacks and carefully balanced when loaded onto the donkey.
For this reason, Medipl usually loads only books on the donkey and walks alongside it without riding.
Skelvis drove the mules slowly, following Medipl’s gait.
Medipl said as he went next to Rimas.
“Rimas, have you been studying hard?”
“Yes, teacher.”
“Good.
Then let’s check.
How much would it cost for 13 Imperial legions to have one meal of Imperial food?”
This question requires knowledge of both calculation and the Imperial social system.
An Imperial legion typically consists of 6,000 men, and the legal price of Imperial food is 9 coins.
The problem is to solve 13 × 6000 × 9.
After thinking for a moment, Rimas answered:
“702,000 coins.”
“Excellent.
You must be proud, Skelvis.
Your son is so intelligent.”
“You’re exaggerating.
And what good is intelligence for a peddler’s son?”
Despite his self-deprecating words, Skelvis smiled, looking pleased with the compliment about his son’s intelligence.”
“No, I apologize for saying this, but while Rimas would surely be good at business with his quick calculations, I hope you’d consider letting him pursue something else.
It’s rare to find a child this intelligent at his age.
This is true even considering all the children across the entire fief.”
Given that Medipl’s main job is to travel throughout the fief teaching children, his words aren’t entirely without basis.”
“First, we haven’t checked if he has talent for magic yet, so we should start with that.”
“If Rimas has magical talent, I think he could really go far.
Come to think of it, he’ll be taking the test this year, won’t he?”
“Medipl looked at Rimas and asked:
“Rimas, why is the talent for becoming a mage tested first among the three classes of MOW(Members Of Wonder)?”
“It’s because of the agreement made between the Magic Society and the Empire when the first Emperor founded the Empire and subjugated the Magic Society.”
“Correct.
You remember well.”
“Medipl, after his brief response, turned to Skelvis and said:
“In my over 30 years as a teacher, I’ve taught countless times that the test for magical aptitude comes first, before those for clerics or warriors.
But among all the students who heard this, fewer than ten have asked why and given the answer we just heard.
Rimas is one of them.
What’s more remarkable is that he doesn’t study in one village like other students, but travels constantly with you, rarely staying in one place for long.
To achieve this level of understanding under such circumstances is truly impressive.”
Even the son of a merchant, must receive primary education without exception.
The Imperial law is famous for its strictness in not allowing any exceptions to primary education.
Even the children of slaves must receive education, and neither noble slave owners nor great lords can dream of violating the law by excluding the children of servants or peasants from elementary education for the sake of putting them to work.
Therefore, this is not an education that can be skipped just because the child of a mere vendor is busy.
Consequently, whenever they meet like this, and whenever their paths cross in villages, they must make time to fulfill the educational curriculum as much as possible.
Naturally, when his father goes to town to purchase goods, Rimas must definitely attend the school in that town.
Skelvis responded to Medipl’s praise with these words:
“Children in the villages have to help with farming and various household chores, and they don’t study except when the teacher visits.
Parents rarely make them study separately.
In comparison, even though Rimas lives in camps or moves from inn to inn, he might actually have more time to study.
It might not be as impressive as it seems.”
“You’re being modest in saying that, but even if it were true, most children would fall asleep immediately after spending a day on a wagon and then camping or entering an inn room.
They wouldn’t study at all, even if their merchant parents didn’t ask them to help with organizing goods”
“Rimas is an excellent student with great potential.”
“Even so, what good is it for a commoner to study well if they don’t have the talent for MOW?”
“If he has MOW talent, that would be wonderful, but even if he doesn’t, I sincerely hope you’ll consider having Rimas take the Imperial University entrance exam.
Once he passes the entrance exam, he can attend the school for free.”
“I heard from my deceased wife, who was knowledgeable about such things.
While it’s true that Imperial University has no tuition fees, provides free meals at the cafeteria daily, and even supplies two or three sets of clothes annually, that’s really just the bare minimum for living.
There are still many other expenses that add up significantly.
I’ve heard it’s difficult for the son of a merchant from a small fief like this to manage those costs.”
“I hope you won’t think too pessimistically about it.
I’ve heard that scholarships are available for students with excellent grades.
In any case, I hope that in this year’s assessment, Rimas will be found to have talent in at least one of the three MOW classes.
If that happens, there would be no need for all these worries.”
“It would be nice if such a thing happened due to the blessing of goddess Rena, but that kind of talent is rare to obtain even though many desire it.”
“Skelvis, you were a follower of Rena, weren’t you?
The rosary you’re wearing around your neck appears to be from the Rena Order.”
The necklace described has a circular shape with four straight lines of equal length extending outward from the top, bottom, left, and right.
This symbol represents the religious order dedicated to the goddess Rena.
People from the Senon Kingdom or those familiar with various religious emblems would recognize this as the symbol of the Rena Order.
“As expected, Teacher Medipl, you’re very knowledgeable.
The Rena Order only has a significant following in the Senon Kingdom.
In our Chewater Kingdom, there are no followers of this order.”
“That’s not entirely true.
Aren’t you and Rimas followers?”
“Yes, that’s true, but the Order of goddess Rena is only worshipped in the Senon Kingdom, and even there, it’s not a particularly large religious order.
And to be precise, my son and I are not laymen.
We’re just believers.”
“Yes, I know that goddess Rena is not a widespread belief even in the Kingdom of Senon.
However, regardless of religious affiliation, he is definitely one of the High Deities, so it is a good thing to have faith in her.
By the way, You are originally from Chewater.
How did you come to believe in the goddess of Senon, far to the south?”
“The child’s deceased mother was from the Senon Kingdom.
Unlike Rimas and me, she was a formally recognized laity of the Rena Order.”
“This is the first time I’m hearing about this.”
If Skelvis’s expression had been pleasant, Medipl might have jokingly asked about the story of how a couple from two such distant kingdoms came together.
However, Skelvis’s expression suggested he didn’t want to discuss his deceased wife, so Medipl kept quiet.
Then Skelvis spoke, likely attempting to change the subject.
“By the way, how about tying the donkey to the wagon and, although it might be a bit cramped, the three of us sit here and go together?”
When Skelvis changed the subject and made this suggestion, Medipl shook his head and said”
“This donkey is stubborn, and who knows what might happen if I’m not holding the reins.
Besides, even though we’re on a road protected from monsters by millestones, if the three of us sit together, the person in the middle would have difficulty using a weapon in case of an emergency.
So it’s better if we go as we are.
If you think we’re moving too slowly, I’ll try to walk a bit faster.”
“No, that’s not what I meant by slow.”
“I understand.
Despite appearances, I’m an elf, so walking quickly isn’t difficult for me.” As Medipl said this, he suddenly turned his head and began to scan the road behind them.
Seeing Medipl’s face, Skelvis became worried and asked.”
“What’s happening?”
“A considerable number of people are approaching from a distance.
Most of them are mounted.
I haven’t heard any rumors about bandits in this area, but let’s be prepared just in case.”
Medipl, being an elf, has significantly better hearing than humans.
Given this elven trait, Skelvis and Rimas double-checked their crossbows, ensuring they were ready to fire at any moment.
They couldn’t aim their weapons preemptively or take further action, as it might provoke a passerby, which they wanted to avoid.
Unlike earlier, Skelvis had heard mention of multiple people, so he also rechecked his axe.
After firing a single bolt, there’s no time to reload a crossbow when fighting multiple opponents.
When Medipl was first discovered, it was said to be one person, so even if facing an enemy like a highway robber, a second shot would be rare.
Skelvis, having been a traveling vendor for a long time, finds handling and hitting targets with a crossbow not particularly difficult, but if there are multiple enemies, even if the first shot hits, he must deal with the others, so naturally he has to wield a weapon next.
Therefore, the axe must also always be within reach.
Medipl had also taken the bow off his back and was holding it in one hand.
The other hand held the donkey’s reins, but it wouldn’t take long to release them and nock an arrow.
In any case, Medipl is an elf, and the only ones who shoot better than elves are those warriors of MOW who have chosen the Sharpshooter subclass.