Wandering Mercenary in an Open World

Kyle’s face twisted in displeasure.

“Who did you see?”

“It’s the name you heard, brother.”

“And you’re telling me this now?”

Colin raised his palms as he saw the veins bulging on Kyle’s neck. He seemed to be telling him to calm down.

“Just hear me out, okay?”

Then, Ruon asked.

“Why do you think it was Amela?”

Colin pondered for a while before opening his mouth.

“I told you. I owe my life to the potions more than once or twice. You were the one who generously gave me the troll’s blood, but it was Amela who refined it into a potion. They’re both like benefactors to me, so I remembered their faces.”

Ruon nodded silently.

Considering that Colin recognized him at once in this breathless situation, his words were plausible enough.

He said he understood and then left the room with Kyle, who looked pale.

“Ruon, you don’t believe that, do you?”

“Why not?”

“What do you mean, why not? Minerva said so. The north is now allied with the great demon and pushing back the kingdom’s army. Why would Amela be among those bastards? It’s a guess. Colin must have seen wrong.”

That’s when Strabo poked his head out of the next room.

“Friends, can you tell us too?”

“Yeah, sure.”

Ruon winked at Kyle and then went into the room. After that, he told the others what he had heard from Coleman.

When the brief explanation was over, Igor said.

“I know who Amela is. Kyle used to mention her often.”

Since they had been moving together and sharing their pasts without holding back, they had a rough idea of who Amela was.

A mage from the tower who was sent to catch the traitor who stole part of the philosopher’s stone.

That was what they knew.

“Amela was the only one who cared for me and looked after me in the tower. She was a kind person. Of course, she disappeared suddenly… Anyway, how could she suddenly side with the barbarians? I can’t believe it.”

At Kyle’s words, the others looked at each other with awkward expressions. They couldn’t say anything in a situation where they only heard it by word of mouth, not seeing it for themselves.

Then, Ruon opened his mouth.

“Tarwen, what is the blood oath?”

The fairy stiffened at the somewhat irrelevant question.

“If it’s not a metaphorical expression, it’s a wicked spell that comes to mind. But why?”

“I saw Amela exchanging that spell with the man who claimed to be my father. I wondered if that had anything to do with it.”

Tarwen furrowed his brow.

“What kind of crazy father makes a blood oath with his child? Are they really family?”

The others’ eyes were drawn to Tarwen at his unexpected violent reaction.

He hesitated for a moment on how to explain to the others who were ignorant of magical knowledge, and then opened his mouth.

“The blood oath is an ancient primitive spell that has no trace of its origin. Those who are bound by it must absolutely obey the three demands of the other party, and they can’t even take their own lives until they fulfill them. It’s a mark that is engraved on the soul. In short, it’s just becoming a slave.”

He added after spilling out his words like a waterfall.

“The mage of the tower didn’t know that? No way. She must have chosen it knowing it.”

“Why?”

At Strabo’s question, Tarwen glanced at Ruon and Kyle and then opened his mouth.

“I don’t know that either. Maybe she thought it was the best option at the time?”

Silence fell at his words.

The conversation didn’t continue, and the group decided to leave Malmo by tomorrow and then dispersed to their own rooms.

***

The firewood in the fireplace crackled.

The wool was generous enough to keep the warmth in the room all night.

The people said they couldn’t bear to see the group who saved Malmo shivering in the middle of the night, and they sent all kinds of items from food to firewood to the inn, and thanks to that, they enjoyed the favor of sleeping warmly all night by the fire.

From behind the wall that was not soundproof, Strabo’s snoring could be heard. He seemed to be sleeping soundly.

Ruon stared at the ceiling blankly with his palms on the back of his head.

His eyes blinked at a steady pace, and he looked calm at a glance, but in fact, his mind was restless with thoughts that he hadn’t sorted out yet.

A palm-sized room, a real name, a fake world, Ruon, the name he had lived with, the violence he had gotten used to, but still the lonely night that was unfamiliar.

Whenever a short thought crossed his mind, he felt an indelible anger boiling up, and then loneliness came rushing in, and sometimes his chest felt tight with sadness.

He seemed to be engulfed by negative emotions in an instant, but he also smiled faintly at Strabo’s sleep talk that came from behind the thin wall.

As he closed his eyes quietly, Ruon remembered Fleur, who had scolded him for dreaming of ascending to heaven. And in his innermost, he saw [Ruon] shining in rainbow colors.

That was the word that encompassed his past, which he had built up, his present, which he lived by stepping on, and his future, which he would face.

[Ruon] was a story in itself.

Was becoming a god the completion of the story?

When he opened his eyes, his expression was complicated.

Could he really go back to his original world if he squeezed his butt between the nobles like Tiberlani, Duermurni, and Ganax, who were doing this and that?

Well, he didn’t know.

He couldn’t imagine what he would look like as a god, so Ruon snorted with a hollow laugh. Come to think of it, that was the worst.

Knock-

It was not the sun, but a small knock sound that cut off his thoughts that followed one after another.

He wondered if he had heard it wrong, but then he heard a cough sound.

Why isn’t he sleeping?

Ruon got up and said.

“Come in.”

As soon as the permission was given, the doorknob rattled and someone cautiously entered the room.

“Are you awake?”

“Not yet.”

“I’m glad.”

Kyle smiled lightly and closed the door with his shoulder. He shook a bottle of liquor that he didn’t know where he got from and said.

“Do you want a drink?”

“Well, it’s not bad.”

The two sat face to face at a small table in front of the fireplace. There was no toast.

Kyle, who lightly wet his lips, opened his mouth.

“Can I get straight to the point?”

He always did.

Ruon nodded his head with a chuckle.

“Go ahead.”

“I can’t sleep because I’m embarrassed.”

Kyle let out a long sigh and drank the liquor. He choked on the heat of the strong distilled liquor and added.

“Looking back, I was fine when Amela disappeared without a word. I guessed she would be living well somewhere.”

Ruon thought that wasn’t necessarily wrong, but he waited for the rest of the words to follow.

Sometimes it was more helpful to listen quietly.

“Did I tell you? After Ruon left the tower, Amela gave me various potions while I was swinging my sword poorly. When I said it was burdensome because it looked expensive, she said this.”

‘You can’t live as a woodcutter forever, can you?’

Kyle scratched his head. The man who had become the sword of the goddess in an instant was now engulfed in guilt.

Soon he said in a low voice.

“Ruon.”

“Why?”

“I have to go north. Even if I don’t participate in the war directly, I have to find Amela.”

Ruon took the bottle to his mouth belatedly. It was only bitter, not tasty.

“If you want to go, just go.”

“I know it’s weird. How irresponsible it is to say that I’m going to find an old friend who broke up with me in a situation where everyone is moving for the sake of justice. But…”

Kyle couldn’t go on.

Ruon started to laugh softly at some point in his words.

“Justice, who moved under such a grandiose word? As far as I know, there is no such person among us except Igor.”

Kyle tilted his head as if he didn’t understand what he meant.

“…What about Ruon?”

“Me?”

Ruon looked at the firewood fire that was dancing softly with a calm gaze.

“Justice, reason, those are words that suit the heroes that Strabo admires. Not me. Whether the knights of Ganax conspired for decades or not, whether the barbarians of the north joined hands with the great demon and tried to overthrow the kingdom or not, I have no reason to stop them.”

That was the truth.

He was the one who had extinguished two great demons, but he didn’t want to do such a thing as wrapping up his achievements grandly.

It was just the end of a thing that started somehow. He didn’t have any intention to kill the great demon and contribute to the peace of the world from the beginning.

It might seem like he lacked a sense of responsibility, but he had always lived like that since he fell on this land, and he intended to live like that in the future.

Kyle blinked his eyes and said.

“…Then, Ruon, will you go with me?”

“It would be much better to help an old friend than to chase after the clouds of peace. After all, that place is also connected to the great demon, so I guess I’ll have a hard time. Wherever I go, those bastards are always there.”

Despite being related to the great demon, Ruon’s tone was as if he was just annoyed.

Kyle finally started to laugh at that.

“Strabo would love this.”

“There’s nothing more romantic than stepping into the battlefield for a friend. He would probably write ten novels with his mouth about it.”

Kyle laughed louder at the words that saw through Strabo’s mind.

The two finally toasted. The alcohol tasted strangely better.

The room was cozy, and from the next room, the snoring of a dwarf was heard incessantly.

***

The sun peeked out over the pale sky. The party woke up from the sunlight pouring through the window and gathered their belongings one by one. They headed down to the dining room.

All kinds of dishes started to fill the table in front of them, who were rubbing their sleepy eyes.

The woman who put down the last plate smiled awkwardly. Her name was Maren.

“Since you’re leaving today… I prepared this with my humble skills, but I don’t know if it suits your taste. Please enjoy it comfortably.”

She looked a bit burdened by the fact that she became the owner of the inn at a young age after losing her parents to deserters.

But the party, who had watched her for a few days, believed that she would do well. The food was also very delicious.

During the meal, Ruon told the party what he had talked with Kyle last night.

In a nutshell, it was this.

He and Kyle were planning to go north. What about you?

Igor put down his spoon and said.

“So it came to this.”

He pondered for a moment and said.

“As much as I want to go with you anywhere, I can’t turn a blind eye to Gannicus’s sinister movements as a priest. I have to return to the Grand Church. I have to find out their truth and drive away the dark conspiracy.”

Kyle felt sorry that the Sword of Tivela himself couldn’t join Igor’s journey, but the priest smiled gently as he always did.

“There are things that you shouldn’t regret, Kyle.”

Contrary to expectations, Tarwen and Strabo also expressed their intention to go with Igor.

“The cradle may have collapsed, but the knights who are suspected behind it are still running around somewhere. This choice may not be a way to atone for my mistake… but I want to take responsibility at least.”

The last witch of the cradle, Tarwen, said that and smiled bitterly.

“See you soon.”

The last one was Strabo.

He struggled to express why he made this choice for a long time and opened his mouth.

“There’s nothing more beautiful than jumping into the battlefield for a friend… but right now, you guys are my friends. This feels right to me.”

Ruon smiled slightly at the sight of the dwarf who always cried out for romance.

When the meal was over, the three got up first.

Tarwen hugged Ruon tightly with her slender arms and stayed still for a while. Igor comforted Kyle, saying that he would come back as soon as the church’s work was done. And Strabo, who seemed to regret even the short farewell, kept looking back until he finally shouted.

“I’ll be back soon! Leave some action for us!”

Sven followed him.

“I’ll be back soon-I’ll be back soon-”

Kyle, who was looking at the empty table after the party left, scratched his head and said.

“How did you cope when you parted with all of us, Ruon?”

Well.

Ruon smiled faintly and packed his bag. Someone came down from above.

The man who came down the stairs wearing a thick quilted armor was Coleman. He opened his eyes wide at the table where only two were left.

“Where did the priest go? I have to thank him.”

“We just parted… but you should lie down more. Why did you get up? Where are you going?”

At Kyle’s question, he stretched out and said.

“I don’t want to die as a deserter. Do you know how many barbarians I killed?”

Ruon had a feeling that he knew what he was going to say next. And he was right.

“I want to go with you guys. Is that okay?”