Having enjoyed an unexpectedly comfortable night‘s sleep, Yujin woke up and stretched his stiff muscles.
He had been worried that something might happen during the night, but none of the threats Daniel mentioned had materialized. After quickly repacking his gear, Yujin looked around the room, feeling a slight pang of guilt toward Daniel. It was a free room, yet the quality was superb. Except for the fact that it was a low building and lacked a view of the city‘s nightscape, it was nearly perfect. It must have cost a fortune to furnish it this way.
Is he just doing this as a hobby?
After tidying his clothes, Yujin headed downstairs to find Daniel already preparing breakfast.
"Good morning."
"Your face looks refreshed. I take it you slept well."
"The bed was excellent."
As he had done the night before, Daniel wiped the tables with an expressionless face. When Yujin sat down, Daniel naturally served the meal he had prepared.
"Thanks for the food. And if there's ever a need for a bit of muscle, just say the word. I‘ll help."
Yujin spoke while scooping a spoonful of chicken stew—perfect for breakfast. Daniel let out a hollow laugh and set a salad down beside him.
"You‘ve become quite friendly all of a sudden. Is it just my imagination?"
"Free meals and a top-tier room for nothing? Considering you‘re a Nearl, I doubt you‘re the type to stab me in the back either."
At the mention of his name, Daniel flinched. He let out a sigh and asked, "Are you doing that on purpose?"
"Doing what?"
"Bringing up the Nearls."
The night before, when the name had first come up, Daniel's face had momentarily frozen. He had corrected it in an instant, but he couldn't escape Yujin‘s sharp eyes.
"Maybe. From what I know, the Nearl family is..."
"I know, I know. Stubborn, protectors of justice and goodness, honorable to a fault," Daniel said, his voice laced with a sarcasm that masked a deep contempt. "If they can‘t protect anything, they should just throw it away."
"Sometimes things are kept precisely because they can't be thrown away."
"No, in my eyes, it was just stubbornness and delusion. The era of knights is fading..."
Yujin stayed silent. There were always things people couldn't discard. He carried such things in his own heart as well. He didn't know the specifics of the mess the Nearls were in, but he sensed it wasn't something an outsider should meddle in.
"Let‘s stop this conversation here," Daniel said.
"Understood."
There was no point in aggravating someone who made their displeasure so clear. Yujin figured he could dig for information slowly later on. Instead, he asked another question that had been on his mind.
"Does me being a Sarkaz really make me such a likely candidate for an assassin?"
The previous night, his attention had been on the drunkard, but looking back, the atmosphere in the tavern had shifted the moment he revealed his race. The drunk had been the vanguard, but even the other patrons had suddenly turned predatory.
"How do most Sarkaz earn their living?"
"Well... mercenary work."
It was a fact known to everyone on Terra: most Sarkaz wandered the world as mercenaries. Being Infected allowed them to wield terrifying Arts and ancient sorceries. They were highly skilled, effective warriors.
"Then connect the dots," Daniel said. "Mercenary backgrounds, exceptional Arts, and a tendency to throw their lives away like moths to a flame."
"The perfect pawns for a tail-cutting assassination job..."
"I don't mean to offend, but to most people, Sarkaz mercenaries are mayflies. They‘ll burn themselves out just to see tomorrow. If things go south, they‘re easy to disavow and discard."
"So every outsider who came looking for you before me... they were all Sarkaz?"
"Exactly. Can you blame us for being suspicious?"
"I guess not."
"It's why I haven't been taking regular customers. Keeping the place filled with my own associates is exhausting enough."
Yujin nodded. Daniel clearly had his own network if he could fill a tavern with 'guards' disguised as patrons whenever an assassin was expected.
"You must be quite influential if you have people willing to fill a tavern just to protect you."
"I used to be a businessman. I‘ve retired from all that nonsense now. This tavern is just a hobby."
He made a fortune in business and is spending it on this?
Yujin, who was only at the start of his path, was far from retirement. He wondered if he‘d ever open a place like this when he was older. If he did it in Kazdel, he‘d have to worry about mercenaries trashing the place, though with his strength, maybe they‘d think twice. In every story he'd read, the inn or the tavern was the first thing to get leveled in a fight.
"I don't know if they‘re just testing the waters with mercenaries... but I‘m thankful the Armorless Union hasn't stepped in yet."
The moment he said the name Armorless Union, Daniel‘s expression tightened. "Forget I said that."
"Forgotten. I can tell by your face it wasn't a compliment."
The Armorless Union. Likely the group truly targeting Daniel. Seeing that Daniel didn't want to involve a traveler, Yujin didn't push further. He finished his meal and prepared to leave.
"I'll be out for a bit."
"…Where to?"
"I have to find someone. It‘s like looking for a needle in a haystack, but I promised I'd look."
Becoming a knight was the goal, but finding a runaway princess was the duty.
"Is it that woman you showed me? A runaway lover?"
"Why would I hunt down a lover? And no, she's not my lover."
Daniel laughed at his own joke. Yujin grabbed his sword and stood.
"Don‘t worry. I‘ve asked around my own circles. Information might turn up soon."
Yujin stopped at the door, turning back to Daniel to voice the doubt that had lingered since yesterday.
"I know I‘ve asked this already, but... why are you being so kind to me?"
Searching for information, the best room, free meals. It was far beyond a simple apology for a misunderstanding.
"Hmm... calling it an 'apology' doesn't seem to satisfy you."
"It‘s excessive, don't you think?"
"Tell me your name first. Then I‘ll explain."
Yujin realized he hadn't given his name yet. "It‘s Yujin."
"Yujin, eh? A Sarkaz using a name you‘d hear in the Yanese border states."
Kalaisha had mentioned Yan once; it was a land where names like Yujin were common.
"Listen, Yujin. I was built for business, not knighthood. And I was quite successful. When you do business long enough... your intuition sharpens. You get a sense for what to invest in and where to look."
"…Are you saying I look like a 'successful investment'?"
"No. You don't look like a successful man at all."
Yujin‘s shoulders slumped. But Daniel looked him straight in the eyes.
"But you look like a man who knows how to carry responsibility."
"Is that... a compliment?"
"A high one. The world is full of cowards who flee from their duties. A man who carries them has a way of drawing good people to him. He‘s the type who eventually takes flight."
"So you're buying my favor with LMD?"
"Haha. In Kazdel, people usually..."
"I understand. If you look weak, the world will stab you in the back. I‘ve seen it plenty of times. Being suspicious isn't a bad trait; it's a survival mechanism."
Yujin bowed in gratitude and stepped out. After the door closed, Daniel muttered the words he hadn't said aloud.
"And... men who carry responsibility usually die young."
Just like his father. He silently wiped the dishes and retreated into his thoughts.
Yujin spent the day wandering the city, starting his search for Raquelamalin. He didn't outwardly broadcast his Sarkaz heritage, so most people were polite enough.
The city was buzzing with energy—the atmosphere of a festival's eve. There were still six months until the Major, but for a city of this scale, the preparations for foreign dignitaries and tourists started early. Considering the logistics of a Nomadic City, it made sense; once the city moved or docked, the windows for travel were tight.
Morning turned into night. While people were friendly, no one had any information on Raquelamalin. In this sprawling metropolis, Yujin felt lost.
He was passing a park when he saw a group of young Kuranta boys about to throw stones at a small, white-haired girl with horns.
It was a common sight—casual discrimination. The girl was clearly a Sarkaz. As the boys raised their arms to throw:
"Hey."
"Ack! Who—?!"
Yujin snatched the stone mid-air. The boys, startled by the appearance of an adult, scattered immediately. Yujin clicked his tongue.
"Kids these days... starting early, aren't we?"
"Th-thank you..."
A small, trembling voice reached him. A girl, looking to be about ten years old, was trying to hide her horns with her hands while looking down at her feet.
"Why are you hiding those? It's okay."
"I... I just..."
She looked terrified. Yujin slowly pulled some food from his pouch.
"Let‘s sit for a second."
He led her to a bench and sat her down, offering a piece of chocolate.
"Here."
"U-um... my sister told me not to take food from strangers..."
She hesitated, her voice trailing off. Yujin simply broke the chocolate in half and ate a piece himself.
"See? If you don't want it, you don't have to eat it. Want a drink from the machine instead?"
She was suspicious, but Yujin didn't mind. She reminded him of himself when he was younger. After getting a juice from the vending machine, he handed it and the remaining chocolate back to her. She took them carefully.
"Thank you..."
"Rough life for someone so young," Yujin noted, frowning. Her clothes were threadbare, and her limbs were thin. He wanted to take her for a proper meal, but he knew pushing too hard would only scare her off. "What are you doing here?"
Every city had its slums. Seeing a girl who looked like she‘d crawled out of one, Yujin waited.
"……I‘m sorry."
"Don't apologize. If you can't say, you don't have to."
The sound of her carefully nibbling on the chocolate filled the silence.
"You don't have to tell me anything else, but what‘s your name?"
She looked him over one last time, deciding he was safe. "Kisharsinagh."
"Hoh. That‘s a beautiful name. 'The hope that allows no parting.'"
The girl‘s eyes went wide. Only a Sarkaz would know the traditional meaning behind a name like that. "Are you... one of us?"
"I am. Just a traveler."
Kisharsinagh. Yujin repeated the name, and the girl spoke softly. "You can just call me Kisha if it‘s too long."
"Kisha? Alright then."
Revealing his race seemed to have broken her guard. It made sense; in a foreign land, kin should stick together.
"Oh! The time!"
Looking at the clock in the square, Kisha jumped up. "I have to go! If my sister finds out I snuck out... she'll be furious."
It seemed she was in the city with family. Yujin called out to her as she turned to run.
"Kisha, if you‘re ever bored, come back here."
"…What?"
"If you visit around this time, I‘ll be here to keep you company. I can even bring you things you need."
Bewildered by the kindness, Kisha stared at him for a long moment. Yujin just gave her a small wave.
"Until next time, hopefully."
Kisha nodded silently and vanished into the crowd without a word.