Chapter 16:


    On ate evening in the approaching summer, the sun, which had long held its position in the sky, began to sink beyond the horizon. Through the windows of arge inn adjacent to a spacious stable, a crimson glow and boisterousughter spilled out.


    “Three more beers here!”


    “When will the food arrive? I ordered ages ago!”


    “My ss broke, bring a new one! Are you saying we finished them all? Do you have any evidence?”


    <i>‘I’m going crazy!’</i>


    Mei, who worked as a waitress, was at her wit’s end with the shouting customers. She wanted to shout back and tell them to wait, but she suppressed that urge. After all, the patrons in the inn were without exception rough-faced mercenaries.


    The inn was not called the Mercenaries’ Refuge for no reason.


    She endured, even if it meant suppressing herself, because she had six younger siblings to support. If not for them, she would have already beaten up all these strange people and left.


    At that moment, the inn’s door swung open.


    Already feeling overwhelmed, Mei looked at the neers with a sigh of relief.


    There were three customers: tworge men and a beautiful woman wearing a pretty blue robe. Mei swallowed her saliva. They were different from the other outgoing and rough-looking patrons.


    Could they be a noble heiress and her guardian knights?


    Imagining such a scenario, Mei rushed over with excitement.


    “May I take your order?”


    The woman in the blue robe smiled lightly and spoke.


    “Threerge sses of beer, please. One roasted turkey and, before that, a light soup and warm bread as an appetizer.”


    “Yes, understood!”


    After a curt nod, Mei hurriedly ran to the kitchen. Kyle murmured as he watched her go.


    “I guess being a waitress suits her temperament…”


    Ruon, sitting across from him, chuckled.


    “And does this line of work suit you?”


    Kyle shrugged his shoulders and replied.


    “I’m not sure if I can call following a sword-wielding hero and a mage around an ‘upation.’ All I know is that carrying a shield all day makes my shoulders ache like hell.”


    Ame, hearing his words, opened her eyes slightly.


    “I should take time to study the shield so I can properly calcte how they interfere with magic wavelengths—or at least their range.”


    Upon Ame’s words, Kyle nodded and spoke.


    “By the way, Ruon, can’t you speak more casually? We’ll be together until we reach the Tower, so how long can you keep calling me ‘you’? Just call me Kyle.”


    Ruon shrugged his shoulders.


    “If you promise not to be so formal, I’ll consider it.”


    “Understood. Ruon… sir.”


    “Drop the ‘sir.''”


    “Oh, that’s a bit challenging… I’ll try my best.”


    Ame intervened, “Just call me Ame.”


    Meanwhile, Mei started cing the prepared food and beer on the table. There were quite a few tes, so Ruon instinctively reached out and helped set the table. Surprised by the sight, Mei eximed, “I-I’ll take care of it, Sir Knight.”


    Caught off guard by Mei’s unexpected words, Ruon wore a puzzled expression while Ameughed silently and said, “Seems like she’s mistaken something. By the way, Ruon, do you like her? Why did you suddenly help with serving the food?”


    “She’s cute, but… isn’t she too young?”


    Reacting to their conversation, Ruon frowned.


    “Where do youe from, Ruon?”


    “South Korea.”


    “I’ve never heard of that ce…”


    Of course not. Ruon had no intention of satisfying Ame’s curiosity, so he immediately took a sip of beer. The beer was refreshing, and the slightly bitter taste wasn’t bad either.


    Following suit, Kyle finished his beer and eximed, “It tastes good. Ame, won’t you drink?”


    Ame, who had been absentmindedly tapping the table with her fingers, suddenly came to her senses and brought the ss to her lips. Her head tilted back as she gulped down the beer with unexpected momentum. As she put the empty ss back with a nk, the surrounding men whistled and cheered, having been pretending not to pay much attention to Ame but secretly observing her.


    <i>‘Well, she doesn’t seem like someone easily influenced by others.’</i>


    Ame spoke, “Originally, we nned to head straight to Lothian and then cross the ins of Dawn. However, as both of you know, we can’t guarantee how long the fragment’s seal will hold, so sticking to the n is impossible. We need to change the route a bit.”


    While enjoying a bite of bread generously dipped in soup, Ruon asked, “Where to?”


    “We’re going to Dumfreese.”


    “Is there a special reason?”


    At that moment, a sizzling roasted turkey was ced on the table. After ordering three more sses of beer, Ame replied.


    “We’re nning to strengthen the seal of the Fragment there. There’s someone there who can help us. I’m not sure if they’re still alive or not, but…”


    “I see.”


    Ruon picked up two turkey legs and ced them on Ame and Kyle’s tes. It was a natural habit for him, as he used to grill meat for others in his original world. However, Ame and Kyle, who didn’t know that, exchanged awkward nces. Without hesitation, Ruon added, “This might be a fundamental question, but why don’t we just teleport to the Tower?”


    Ame tilted her head slightly. “I can teleport us, but not to the Tower. The coordinates there are disrupted. If we force our way there, we might turn into unrecognizable masses of flesh. It would make good dog food for the gatekeeper.”


    “…Ame, we’re having a meal right now.”


    Kyle frowned, and Ame yfully asked, “Oh, are you feeling queasy from such things? You seem to handle corpses just fine during the day.”


    “That devil worshiping bastard deserved to die. It’s a bit much topare this to that spear-throwing bastard who ended up as a pile of meat.”


    After saying that, Kyle nced around for a moment, then raised his ss to eye level.


    “Shall we make a toast?”


    “Sure.”


    Ame also raised her ss. With an expressionless face, she gestured towards Ruon, who was looking in her direction.


    “How about a little game? Tibe’s champion?”


    Ruon chuckled and extended his ss.


    “Just call me Ruon.”


    The sses lightly met in midair and scattered. The night grew deeper, but the warmth inside the inn seemed undiminished. The mercenaries celebrated another day unharmed, clinking their sses with theirrades and loudly chatting. The floor was littered with food scraps, and despite the open windows, the air was stuffy, but the atmosphere was not bad. Ruon and hispanions joined in the mood and continued to drink.


    The first to rise from the table was Ame. She said, “I’m going upstairs now. Sleep is more important to me than alcohol. You two should go to bed soon, too. If we want to leave early tomorrow morning, that is.”


    As soon as she finished speaking, Ame quickly went upstairs.


    “Damn, it would be nice to drink a bit more… Sir Ruon, no, just Ruon. How about we have another drink? It’s still night.”


    As ambitious as he was, Kyle didn’tst long.


    Ruon’s high stamina always aimed to keep his body in optimal condition, so the alcohol he consumed was quickly broken down. Faced with a practically unlimited number of drinks, Kyle’s tongue simply became loose.


    “Um, well… the reason I wanted to join you and go along, hic! even like this, is because I wanted to repay Ruon’s kindness. That’s why… hic! Even though I got my revenge, hic! People’s hearts… anyway, the vigers will want me to do it.”


    Rambling on with self-confession, Kyle’s tears became visible. Ruon instructed him to go upstairs and sent him off, downing the rest of the ale in one gulp. Mei approached, even though she wasn’t called.


    “Shall I refill your drink?”


    “It might be bothersome to go back and forth, so just bring about ten sses.”


    “Understood, Sir Knight.”


    Ruon shook his head.


    “You seem to have been mistaken. I’m not a knight. Just…”


    He swallowed the words ‘I’m a mercenary.’ He gestured, as if telling Mei, who was looking at him, to go. He smiled with a touch of self-pity. It had be a matter of course for him to introduce himself as a mercenary without hesitation.


    The university student who enjoyed grilling meat and blushed even from a single bottle of soju had disappeared. Now, only a lone mercenary remained, spending the night unable to get drunk, his life devoted to crushing monsters with his fists…


    Suddenly, he remembered the sentence he’d been clinging to for so long.


    “[Challenge countless monsters, demons, and legends toplete your story.]”


    Upon hearing this, a wry smile escaped his lips.


    <i>‘What on earth does it mean toplete my story? Is there really a need to constantly kill grotesque monster bastards? Can’t living in this world like everyone else, eating, drinking, and enjoying life, also be a part of my story?’</i>


    Although he knew that such contemtion wouldn’t provide an answer, Ruon continued his thoughts.


    The inn was still bustling, filled with the energy of people, but he felt increasingly distant from such a scene as he drank alone. He recalled thendscapes of his original world, which he had tucked away in a corner of his heart.


    The ten sses of beer disappeared in an instant, and Ruon ordered another ten. And so, the night grew deeper and deeper.