Chapter 19
Sophie, who had been chattering for a long time, eventually nodded off and fell asleep from exhaustion. Curled up like a pill bug, her small body, somewhat petite for a 15-year-old, looked endearing as she slept.
With the girl who chirped like a bird now asleep, the surroundings became quiet. All that could be heard were Sophie's soft, snoring breaths, the clopping hooves of the old horse, and the white noise of late autumn insects finishing their song.
Dojin cast his gaze off into the distance. The setting sun, which had dyed the world in crimson, had sunk, and in its place, a bright moon had risen, casting its light and veiling the landscape in a serene bluish silver.
The tranquil scenery was excessively beautiful. It was no wonder so many people preferred virtual reality over the real world, becoming addicted and unable to escape.
"If you're tired, feel free to get some rest. This old fellow is so slow, it'll take quite a while."
Just as Hanolz said, the carriage moved slower than a walking person. It was only natural, given that an old horse was pulling a cart full of firewood.
Still, Dojin had no complaints. Sitting in the mildly rattling cart, gazing out at the beautiful landscape, was something he quite enjoyed.
"I'm fine. But do you have something to cover her with? Sleeping like that, she might catch a cold."
"Something to cover her with? Oh, no need to worry. Sophie used to be so frail when she was little, but now she runs around barefoot even in the dead of winter. I prayed for her to be healthy, and she ended up a bit too healthy, getting into every kind of trouble imaginable."
The affection Hanolz had for his daughter was clear in his laughter-filled voice. Seeing Sophie's tiny twitching nose, Dojin unfolded a corner of his robe and gently wrapped her up.
"I'm a bit concerned since she tends to make other village kids' noses bleed often, but compared to watching her suffer from a fever, a little nosebleed doesn't seem like a big deal."
After Hanolz’s cheerful laughter, silence settled once more. It was a comfortable silence, with no awkwardness between them.
The fear Hanolz had once felt had lessened greatly. They had taken a road leading to a remote village, so there were no interruptions.
Things like bandits, those typical nuisances, tended to appear in areas with more foot traffic. But in a place like this, where one or two people passed by in a week at best, there weren’t any fools operating businesses.
Because of that, the cart carrying Dojin reached the mountain’s base at the expected time and eventually arrived at the deeply nestled Gulak Village.
"Hanolz! What were you thinking coming back so late with Sophie? Mr. Maksim arrived long ago, and you weren’t back yet. I was worried sick!"
As the cart entered the village entrance, a sharp voice rang out.
Then came Hanolz’s scream.
"Aaagh! That hurts! Honey, that really hurts!"
"You’re all brawn and still such a baby! Where’s Sophie?"
"She's sleeping in the back! Ugh, honey, my belly fat’s tearing, it's tearing!"
At the sound of her mother’s voice, Sophie woke up. Rubbing her eyes with a dazed look, she murmured, "Mom…"
As she fumbled in the dark trying to get down, Dojin held her and lowered her gently. The moment her feet touched the ground, Sophie stumbled and walked toward her mother’s voice.
"Sophie!"
"Mom…"
Seeing her daughter barely able to walk from sleepiness, Sophie’s mother Jenny rushed over to check her all over. She was making sure there were no injuries or signs of sickness. With her small frame, she looked like she fit perfectly in her mother’s arms.
"See? I told you staying home would’ve saved you the trouble."
"No, it was fun going outside. I saw the wizard oppa too."
"Wizard?"
"R-right. Honey, on the way here, there was a wizard who—"
Ignoring her husband’s words, Jenny turned her head to follow her daughter’s gaze and spotted Dojin, dressed in a black robe, walking out from behind the cart.
And then—
"You should’ve mentioned we had a guest first!"
She rushed over to scold her husband again.
"Gaahhh! I was just about to say it!"
"Faster! You should’ve said it the moment you saw him!"
Dojin, who had intended to introduce himself, was left standing awkwardly as the couple bickered. It seemed pointless to question who Sophie took after.
"Mom, mom, the wizard oppa helped us at the checkpoint!"
With Sophie now fully awake and chattering away, the noise only intensified.
"Hello. I heard you helped my husband and daughter? Thank you so much."
Holding Sophie in her arms, Jenny smiled brightly as she greeted Dojin.
Up close, her facial features looked exactly like Sophie’s—it was clear they were mother and daughter.
They even looked like sisters with a bit of an age gap.
"Think nothing of it. I didn’t really do much."
"No way. At the checkpoint, the guards got all scared when they saw wizard oppa and just let us through. They even waved us on like this, like this!"
Sophie excitedly reenacted the scene as if it were her own heroic tale.
Jenny patted her daughter’s head and said,
"I was really worried since everyone who arrived earlier said the checkpoint was a pain. Thank you again."
As they conversed, villagers began to emerge one by one.
"Sounds like Hanolz is back?"
"Don’t need to hear anything else. One scream and you know Jenny’s beating the crap out of him again."
"Looks like they had a hard time at the checkpoint. Others said it was rough."
"Bet it's not the checkpoint, it’s that slow horse of his."
As the village men chatted and gathered, they caught sight of Dojin in the torchlight and flinched. It was a natural reaction, seeing a stranger in a black robe. But Jenny, displeased by their nervous behavior, yelled at them.
"Look at you lot, supposedly Hanolz’s friends! All bulk and no guts! He’s a guest! A guest who helped our Sophie at the checkpoint! Hanolz, get that cart and unload those firewood bundles with those useless oafs of yours."
With a satisfying slap to Hanolz’s back, Jenny beamed at Dojin.
"Sir Wizard, please come with me. We do have an inn in the village. I usually make a living gathering herbs, but once in a while, we host guests with food and lodging."
"I was wondering where I might stay. Thank you."
"Think nothing of it."
"Mom, can wizard oppa sleep at our house tonight?"
"Our place is too small. There's no room for him."
"Aww…"
Since the village was so small, it only took a short walk to encounter Hanolz again. He was parking the cart in front of the communal storage to unload the firewood.
Seeing this, Dojin used telekinesis to lift the bundles.
"Whoa?"
"Uwaaaah!"
"It's a ghost!"
The men shrieked in fright at the floating firewood.
A few of them muttered, "So he really was a wizard…"
"Wow!"
On the other hand, Jenny and Sophie’s eyes sparkled in awe. The men might’ve been bigger, but the mother and daughter were clearly braver.
"Mr. Hanolz, everyone, would you please step aside?"
Hanolz and the others, as if hypnotized, shifted out of the way, glancing back and forth between Dojin and the levitating bundles. A line of bear-like men tracking the firewood with their heads was quite the comedic sight.
‘My Telekinesis output has increased a lot. Must be thanks to leveling up.’
Dojin could feel his growth as he lifted weights he couldn’t before.
The bundles floated smoothly into the storage. The villagers, who had prepared to sweat, stared in stunned silence at the now-empty cart.
"Wow! I’ve never seen anything like this!"
Sophie clapped in excitement, thrilled at witnessing magic for the first time.
"A-Amazing… I’d only heard of objects flying through the air."
Jenny was just as stunned.
To the people of a small village who rarely, if ever, saw magic, even simple tricks seemed miraculous.
"Th-Thank you, Sir Wizard."
Finally regaining their senses, the men bowed deeply to Dojin. Half their gazes were full of fear, half with curiosity.
Dojin returned the bow and followed Jenny to the inn.
"Hehe, didn’t expect such a distinguished guest after nearly six months."
The innkeepers were an elderly couple. They brought Dojin some boiled potatoes.
"Sorry this is all we have. It’s the season where food starts getting scarce."
"Grandma Lola, I’m hungry too."
"Sophie!"
Sophie reached for the potatoes but was swiftly stopped by Jenny.
"Oh dear, I’ll get you your own. Don’t be like that."
"It’s okay, Grandma. I’ll feed her at home."
"No, no, we barely eat much, just us old folks."
Listening to them talk made Dojin feel warm inside. It felt like a village full of good-hearted people despite having little.
"Grandma, you don’t need to bring more potatoes."
Stopping the old woman from heading into the kitchen, Dojin pulled food from his inventory.
Of course, he made it look like he took it from inside his robe to avoid unnecessary fuss. To a gamer, it was just the cheapest food: jerky and bread, meant only to fill the stomach, but to these villagers, ‘meat’ itself was rare.
"Whoa."
Sophie’s eyes grew wide at the sight of the jerky and bread. She’d reached for the potatoes without hesitation, but hesitated now at the sight of meat.
It showed how precious she thought it was.
"I have a habit of packing a lot of food when I travel. There’s plenty, so let’s all share. Let’s call Mr. Hanolz too. Ah, but may I use the kitchen?"
"T-The kitchen? Why…?"
"If I’m sharing, I might as well make it taste good. Sophie, want to see some magic?"
Sophie’s head snapped around, eyes gleaming with excitement. Dojin took her to the kitchen and lit a fire with magic.
Magical fire had adjustable heat, perfect for cooking. The stew used only jerky, potatoes, milk, butter, salt, and pepper. Still, having cooked for years while grinding in hunting zones, Dojin had enough skill to make it taste and smell great.
Gathered around the steaming stew were the elderly couple, the Hanolz-Jenny couple, Sophie, and Dojin.
Sophie took the first bite, stuffing a big piece of jerky and potato into her mouth, then teared up from the heat.
With watery eyes, she said,
"A I’ve n’ver e’en anythig like thish*."
(TL/N: “I’ve never eaten anything like this.”)
One by one, the others thanked Dojin before digging in.
The generous pot of stew quickly emptied.
* * *
Late night in the mountains is cold and dangerous. There’s no reason anyone would want to go in.
Yet in Gulak Mountain, about twenty people in dark clothing were moving.
"How much further? We’re almost in the wasteland. Are you sure we won’t get caught up in it?"
A man in black armor asked a robed man.
The robed man, a mage with a gloomy expression, replied, "Don’t worry. We’re far from the ants’ path. Once the ants gather toward the signal, they’ll swarm over that ridge and move toward the canyon in front of the village we want to wipe out."
"Good… as long as the plan doesn’t go wrong."
"Again, don’t worry. I may not be a great mage, but this magical device is so well-made that using it is no problem. As long as your men planted them correctly, there won’t be any issues."
As their conversation ended, another man approached.
"You’re sure this will make this whole area part of the monsters’ domain?"
The mage grinned.
"Of course, Baron Lynbern. Even though they’re just ants, once they enter and feed here, they’ll expand their territory."
"Hehe… once that happens, my land will be crawling with monsters. Finally, the imperial government will support us too, and we’ll be able to tax the Adventurers' Guild. Compared to that, a few dead herbalists are nothing."
With a laugh full of vulgarity, Baron Lynbern stared toward Gulak Village.