Episode 74

A dense canopy of trees and leaves blocked the sky in the narrow canyon.

A man slipped on moss-covered rocks and fell. Immediately, those following behind tangled up and collapsed one after another.

Thud!

“Ahhh!”

“Watch out!”

“Hey, could you please watch where you’re going?”

“Tsk, tsk. Hey, are you okay?”

The procession, formed in groups of three or five, stretched so long that neither end was visible. Most were members of the merchant guild, but among them were also those who had paid to hitch a ride to other regions.

“Can you get up?”

“Yes, thank you.”

A man helped a fallen woman to her feet. She tilted her head back, her face partially covered by a headscarf—a typical outfit for women from the Hawan Kingdom.

The squad leader shouted as he reorganized the chaotic line.

“Keep moving! The congestion only gets worse further back!”

“Yes, yes. We’re moving. When will we get out of here?”

“We just got in. It’ll take at least a week.”

“The wheel’s stuck! Push from behind!”

It wasn’t just people struggling to move. Boxes that couldn’t fit on carts had to be dragged by hand, and rare beasts locked in iron cages, exotic furniture, and heavy raw stones all weighed down the procession.

The woman dusted off her hands and muttered under her breath.

Sigh. Really… I was such an idiot to get excited and eat that meat.

From now on, no matter what, she vowed never to eat the meat Kakanthir gave her again. She pressed her lips together and fingered the packet of gula powder tucked in her pocket. It had been two days since leaving the Hawan Kingdom, and she was just starting to get a feel for how the merchant guild’s march operated.

Three meals a day. And every evening, without fail, a stew made by throwing in all the leftovers.

She had packed gula powder, which caused food poisoning symptoms, and the venom of a yellow scorpion. Her goal was to keep the procession stuck in the canyon as long as possible. If she could turn back, she’d be grateful.

“The sun’s already setting.”

Since they were close to the wilderness, darkness fell swiftly after sunset. The deputy leader checked his watch and clicked his tongue. At this rate, they might not get out within a week.

“That’s enough! We’ll rest here for the night. Prepare dinner. Don’t stray too far, and get your sleeping arrangements ready.”

“Ugh, I’m dying. I’m really dying.”

“Who ordered this? Damn it!”

“Who else but some unknown noble, I suppose.”

As the order to rest came down, everyone groaned as they set down their loads. Since she was an outsider who had hitched a ride, Su had no heavy burdens, but the guild members each carried at least one item as big as themselves.

“Um… excuse me.”

Su approached the cooking area cautiously.

The large pot was filled with all the leftovers from today’s meals.

“Is there anything I can help with? Even though I paid, everyone looks so exhausted…”

Though she wanted to shout, “You want us to eat that?” she forced herself to be as gentle and kind as possible. This was exactly why Kakanthir had chosen her.

Kakanthir knows you’re responsible. This will be cold and grueling work. Other warriors might lose patience because of their fiery tempers, but you’re different.

And above all, you’re the fastest thinker in Cheonryeo, right? Since this is a solo mission, if things go wrong, you’re supposed to escape rather than fight back. I can’t think of anyone else but you.

It was madness. Falling for Ian’s sweet talk had landed her in this hellish ordeal. Traveling to the Hawan Kingdom was one thing, but moving with the merchant guild was pure torture.

“You want to help? Hmm.”

“Don’t worry about it too much.”

“Then could you hold this for a moment?”

The squad leader gave Su a suspicious glance but, probably too tired to argue, accepted her offer. Compared to the men scratching their groins nearby, she seemed far more helpful.

“Isn’t it heavy?”

“Not at all… well, a little heavy, but I’m fine.”

“Wait here.”

Su smiled awkwardly as she held the pot. The cooks glanced at her briefly but soon busied themselves preparing dinner.

She slipped one hand into her pocket and found the gula powder. Casually, she sprinkled its contents into the pot.

One of the cooks, who had brought the seasoning, looked at her curiously.

“You can put it down now. You’ve been holding it this whole time?”

“Oh.”

Damn it… I was told to keep holding it.

Su forced a smile, suppressing the frown between her brows. The man admired her strength and stirred the pot roughly with a ladle, mixing the gula powder into the hodgepodge stew.

“Let’s start serving! Who’s on duty tonight?”

“No idea. You do it again.”

“You jerk, I skipped dinner yesterday!”

“I’ll do it. I’m not very hungry.”

When Su offered to help with the serving, the squad member looked puzzled but gladly handed over the ladle. Since the server could only eat if there was food left, refusing wasn’t an option.

Thud, thud, thud!

“Alright, everyone, line up!”

“Who’s that?”

“An outsider who joined from Hawan.”

Su greeted the people warmly as she stirred the pot. When lumps of gula powder were visible, she carefully mashed them with the ladle.

“Hey, this needs more seasoning.”

“Really? Just a moment. Could you sprinkle some of this?”

She cheekily offered gula powder to those requesting more flavor. One man took a bite of the stew with the powder and widened his eyes.

“…This is…!”

Oh no, did he notice?

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“The seasoning’s perfect. Thanks.”

He gave a thumbs-up and turned away. Su sighed in disbelief and kept stirring. If only they all got food poisoning, she could return to the desert in peace…

“Hahaha! This tastes like heaven today!”

“Can I have another bowl? Burp.”

Ignoring Su’s thoughts, the tired men’s laughter echoed through the forest. From afar, the howl of wolves seemed to answer.

---

Merelrof Territory.

“Mom, I’m hungry.”

“Here, hold this. Don’t chew it. Dinner will be ready soon.”

The mother handed her child a strip of dried meat. After a few sucks, the child couldn’t resist and began to chew.

“I told you not to chew!”

“Waaah!”

The mother’s sharp scolding made the child burst into tears.

It wasn’t just their household. The neighbors, front and back, were all the same. The price of a terrible harvest was this severe. Though foreign trade was the main economy, still…

“We’re doomed.”

“Yeah. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life.”

“Wasn’t it like this last year too?”

“Not this bad. Last year, the river ran red with blood, and that caused all this mess. Shouldn’t we demand compensation from Bratz?”

“Arthasige, haven’t you heard? Someone from Merelrof tried to kill Ian. That’s why relations are so tense.”

It was the worst harvest in history. The food stockpiled last year to prepare for famine was nearly gone. But they couldn’t ask Count Merelrof for mercy. If they upset him, he might raise their taxes.

“I heard the Bratz people say gula tastes really good…”

“Do you want to become a beast? Then I’ll personally roast you. Heh heh!”

“No, seriously. There’s an advisor from the imperial palace who often ate gula. Since this is a border region, news travels slowly. Up north, even the royal family and nobles eat gula.”

“Are you stupid? You believe that?”

“That’s why they’re paying to collect gula.”

“No way…”

They wanted to argue but had no good answers. They’d heard that weeds were being bought and planted everywhere, and outsiders were strictly barred. It sounded like a rumor, but…

“I don’t care about gula or anything. I just want the merchant guild to come already. Otherwise, we’ll be left empty-handed.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. When the guild arrived, they could offer lodging and facilities in exchange for money and food. And with that money, they could buy food from the guild again.

It was an annual routine. Every time the cold wind blew, they looked northward—toward the Hawan Kingdom.

Clop, clop, clop!

At that moment, a horse galloped down the village’s main road. Judging by his clothes and banner, he was clearly a foreigner. Holding the reins, he asked the villagers,

“Which way leads to the manor?”

“Go left and keep going straight. Are you from the Hawan merchant guild?”

“That’s right.”

His expression looked grim. The villagers hurriedly stopped him to ask,

“What brings you here?”

“The guild is stuck in the canyon. Everyone’s suffering severe food poisoning and can’t move. The doctors are overwhelmed, so I came ahead to find a solution. Please make way.”

The man quickly headed toward the manor. The villagers watched his retreating figure in silence, the words echoing in their minds.

“Stuck in the canyon?”

“So, when exactly are they coming? Or are they even coming at all?” Everyone looked up at the Mereloff estate with anxious, unsettled eyes.

Meanwhile—

“What did you say? Did I hear that right?” Count Mereloff couldn’t believe it and kept asking again. Over a hundred people in the troupe, and yet they’d all been struck down by food poisoning?

“It seems the dinner was the problem. At first, only a few showed symptoms, but as time passed, more and more fell ill… now over half are bedridden and unable to move.”

It must be quite a sight—people collapsing in the middle of that dense forest. Stroking his beard, Mereloff tried to calm his shock.

“Tsk, tsk. I’ve told them to stop cooking everything together like some pig’s slop!”

Did the count really understand what it meant for a troupe to cross seas and trek through lands? Food poisoning during a march wasn’t unheard of, but for everyone to be this severely incapacitated? That was rare. Usually, it was just a mild stomach upset.

“Anyway, send a doctor immediately. The medicine we prepared ran out in a day.”

“And who’s covering the treatment costs?”

“The troupe will pay for their own members, and any outsiders will pay individually.”

“Where exactly are they now?”

“Around here.”

“That’s quite a distance. Double the fee for the trip.”

Count Mereloff eyed the map the man pointed to, greed flickering in his gaze. Judging by the location, they’d just barely passed the mountain range’s entrance.

“The troupe leader said to do as you see fit. Survival comes first. But we’ve also sent word to the Hwan Kingdom, so we should hurry.”

“Right. Wait a moment. Outside! Butler!”

“Yes, sir.”

“Call every doctor here, except for the elderly who can’t walk easily within the estate.”

Soon, the butler reported that the physicians had gathered, and Mereloff dispatched soldiers to escort them.

The horses carrying the doctors rode out in a line, leaving the estate behind. The villagers watched with heavy hearts, following their shadows as they disappeared into the distance.