Chapter 75
“Ugh!”
“Are you okay? Are you alright?”
“Ah… my stomach… it hurts so much.”
“Someone, please give him something to drink…”
“Hey, snap out of it!”
It was a grim scene. Between the thick bushes, half-conscious bodies hung limply, all clutching their stomachs and groaning in pain. Su darted back and forth, doing what he could to tend to the patients.
“When will the doctors arrive?”
“Hmm… well, since they left empty-handed, they should be here by tomorrow, I suppose? If they don’t get lost on the way.”
Su perked up, eavesdropping on the conversation. If the doctors arrived by tomorrow, they could treat the patients and push forward again. Progress would be slow due to the energy loss, but eventually, they’d reach Merellof.
“Hmm.”
Su muttered, gazing at the ridge stretching down the mountain.
“Is Merellof closer from here, or the Kingdom of Hawan?”
A man sweating profusely answered, seemingly trying to distract himself from the pain by rambling.
“We haven’t been traveling long, so Hawan is closer.”
“And the path to Merellof is rough all the way, but the Hawan side is mostly flat—at least until you enter the mountains.”
“So the doctors from Hawan will arrive first.”
“But I don’t trust those quacks over there.”
“There are a lot of gypsies, true. But it’s still a proper kingdom—they wouldn’t kill healthy people on purpose.”
“Ah… I just want to go home. Not lying here in the mountain dew, but lying in a bed, resting for days until I get better.”
Everyone sighed wearily, lamenting their fate. Whether they did or not, Su approached a boiling pot of water and pretended to add firewood. Then, glancing around, he carefully sprinkled some yellow scorpion venom into it.
“Not enough to kill, but enough to make them feel dizzy and sick. Sorry, but I have no choice.”
Yellow scorpion venom also causes stomach pain. A lethal dose would be fatal, but since everyone would share the large pot of water, it would be diluted enough to avoid death.
“Hey, can I have some warm water?”
“Yes, just a moment. I’ll cool it down for you.”
Su smiled brightly at the request and turned around. Then, weaving through the patients again, he gave off the aura of a white-clad angel incarnate.
“Is she a woman in need? At least she looks okay.”
“Yeah. If it weren’t for someone skipping dinner that night, we’d all be dead by now.”
Su wiped the sweat from his brow and laughed heartily.
‘Damn it, when I get out of here, I swear I’m never stepping foot outside the desert again.’
Though his outward demeanor and inner thoughts didn’t quite match, he was still dutifully doing his part.
Once the doctors from Hawan arrived, he could subtly stir things up to push everyone to return that way.
“Hey, wait a minute.”
As Su was about to bring water, someone grabbed his wrist. It was the deputy leader of the caravan. The man snatched Su’s hand and began poking and prodding it.
“W-what the hell…?”
Su was so stunned that even a curse got stuck in his throat. The man frowned as if he’d expected this.
“Your hand isn’t normal.”
“What do you mean? My hands aren’t that big!”
“No, I mean the calluses on the back of your hand and palm. Usually, only people who throw a lot of punches have these.”
Su stopped struggling and glared at the man. The deputy leader glanced at Su’s inner pocket and warned in a low voice.
“Take out what you just put in your pocket while I’m still being nice.”
“Got nothing better to do? Just spying on what I’m doing?”
They were behind a cart, out of sight. If Su made a scene, it would definitely reach the others. He clenched his teeth and muttered.
“You’re really ruining the mood for someone trying to help.”
The man’s smirk was unsettling. The deputy leader drew a dagger from his waist and tried to threaten him.
“…You bastard, what do you think you’re doing?”
Smack!
Su’s fist flew out instantly, landing squarely. The man’s mouth fell open as he collapsed, unconscious. At that moment, several people clutching their aching stomachs approached the cart.
“What happened?”
“Did I just hear something break…?”
“No…”
They blinked back and forth between the fallen deputy leader and Su, clearly baffled by the situation.
Then—
Rustle!
From beyond the bushes came the sound of footsteps, and a figure suddenly appeared. A stranger, hooded and panting heavily, clearly having wandered the forest for some time.
“…What’s going on? Who are they?”
“Where the hell is this place? Damn it!”
The hood was pulled back slightly, revealing a woman’s face. Su froze for a moment before shouting at the top of his lungs.
“Ahhh! Bandits!”
“Bandits?”
“Damn it! Grab your weapons!”
“Wait, hold on! Hey, everyone!”
The caravan’s guards staggered to their feet, drawing swords. They were unsteady but had no choice against the threat of bandits.
The woman who emerged from the bushes took a step back, looking incredulous.
“Hey, calling me a bandit right off the bat? I’m an imperial investigator—”
They were the central investigation team searching for the bodies of Merry and Chel. Su recognized Erika’s face and acted first. At the same time, he spilled the pot of water, extinguishing the firewood.
Ssssh!
Clang! Clang!
“Ahhh! Kill them! Kill them!”
“What? Damn it!”
“Where’s the fire? Light it! Light the fire!”
In the dark mountain forest, a battle erupted. Without hesitation, swords clashed against each other. Su quickly climbed a tree to watch the bloody fight unfold.
“Half will die, half will run away. Hm. Whether it’s Hawan or Merellof, they’ll be dealt with before the doctors arrive.”
Besides, rumors of bandits would spread easily without much effort—a perfect bonus. Su admired his own quick thinking and patted his head. If all went well, he might be back in the desert by tomorrow.
“No…”
The Count of Merellof was at a loss for words. Even if unexpected, could it be this unexpected?
The doctors sent out a week ago returned with only three patients. The grand, majestic procession awaited by the Merellof residents was nowhere to be seen.
The count looked around in despair.
“What about the others?”
“My lord, it seems there were bandits.”
“What nonsense is this?”
“When they arrived following the guide, they found the caravan already ambushed, bodies scattered everywhere. Fortunately, moving a bit toward the Kingdom of Hawan, they found survivors, but the attack scattered everyone.”
“So?”
“Amid the chaos, the caravan leader was badly injured and returned to Hawan. It’s closer, after all. We only brought back the survivors who could still be cared for.”
The problem was that the caravan’s position was closer to Hawan. Plus, since it was the route they came from, they were familiar with the terrain.
Merellof was a frontier of Bariel, but Hawan was a large city in its own right, making it a better place to regroup the caravan.
“Arrgh!”
The Count of Merellof let out an involuntary roar. He was thin and usually quiet, but this was too devastating.
“Damn it! Damn it! Why the hell did those idiots eat pig’s death soup!”
Crash!
He angrily threw miscellaneous items off the table. The doctors, sweating profusely after a week of hardship, backed away. They knew the count’s situation better than anyone. The residents would soon be left empty-handed—there was nothing to eat or use in the territory.
“Then, I’ll take my leave.”
“Excuse me, my lord.”
Bang!
The doctors rushed out one after another, each eager to leave first. Merellof sank into silence, the count pressing his palm to his forehead.
“…Butler.”
“Yes, my lord?”
“How much did you say the price was in Sheiron?”
Sheiron was a city northwest of Merellof. Unlike Merellof, which survived on frontier trade, Sheiron was a prosperous commercial hub.
But the problem was…
“A few days ago, I heard that a sack of wheat was selling for six silver coins.”
The economic disparity was staggering. Merellof was a frontier, while Sheiron was the second most prosperous city in Bariel after the capital.
In Merellof, a sack of wheat cost three silver coins, but in Sheiron, you had to pay twice as much. That was a few days ago—now, with bandit rumors, the situation was likely worse.
“If we leave now?”
“It would take about four days, I think.”
Because of the mountain range the caravan crossed. The mountains wrapped around Merellof and stretched northwest. They were good for defense but made travel costly. It took only half a month to reach the capital from here…
“There’s no choice. Send someone.”
“How much should we budget?”
“Take applications from those needing supplies. Once the list is ready, we’ll form a trade caravan.”
Of course, supplies weren’t free.
If the number of tenants decreases, it would deal a serious blow to the estate in the long run. Each head of household is practically a unit of productivity. The usual approach was to first ensure they didn’t starve, then raise taxes when harvest time came.
“Um, Count.”
“What is it?”
The count narrowed his eyes irritably, clearly annoyed.
“Even if we accept going all the way to Sheiron, the real problem is the return trip. The temperature there is lower than here, and snow will fall early. Carrying all that cargo through snow-covered mountain passes—it just seems impossible.”
“So? What are you trying to say?”
Even the experienced trade caravans had been wiped out by unexpected food poisoning and bandits. It was uncertain whether the locals, born and raised here, could endure such hardships.
“How about asking Bratz for help?”
“What?”
“The road through the Hwan Kingdom is currently impassable due to bandit activity. At least until rumors spread that the kingdom has cleared them out.”
“Look, steward, I know that. That’s why I want to go to Sheiron.”
“They say Bratz has developed Gula as an edible crop. It’s said to be very filling, so even a small amount can satisfy hunger. Maybe we could get some on short notice…”
The steward didn’t finish his sentence, meeting the count’s fierce glare. It was a clear warning: one more word and he’d be fired on the spot.
“You want me to buy weeds with money?”
“…The price would be reasonable.”
“Enough. I thought you were smart, but you’re just worthless chaff. How could I put something even dogs wouldn’t eat on my table?”
“My apologies.”
“Go find out the market price in Sheiron immediately.”
The steward lowered his head and left the room. In hindsight, the count’s reaction wasn’t entirely unreasonable. It was just that the situation was far more serious than expected.
Creak.
‘…No choice.’
Once again, if the master won’t act, the steward must.
He returned to his room, pulled out parchment and a quill, and after a long moment of thought, began to write.