Chapter 22: Chapter 22: Strange Breathing Sounds

When I went to sleep, there weren't many people around, but by the time I woke up, it seemed like a whole crowd had gathered out of nowhere. Because of this, a long line had already formed in front of the gate, even though it hadn't opened yet.

It wasn’t just people. Carts, wagons, and piles of goods had formed a long line ahead of me. In some spots, people had used stones to hold down small pieces of cloth marking their place in the queue. For a moment, I stared at them, confused, until I realized what they were doing. Following their lead, I left my bag full of meat in line to save my spot.

Some people chuckled at the sight of me. Maybe they found it strange for a "barbarian" to be lining up like everyone else.

I pretended not to notice and stretched, then took a swig from my waterskin and used it to rinse my mouth while I waited for the gate to open. As I wandered around, Rella took the opportunity to hop off my head and flap her wings as she waddled over to my bag. It was quite a journey for her, but she eventually reached it, jumping on top of the bag.

And—oops—she slipped off.

She must’ve been in too much of a hurry. Undeterred, Rella gave it another try, hopping back onto the bag and settling herself there. She puffed up her feathers, her eyes round and alert as she scanned the area. She looked like she was guarding the meat.

It’s fine.

More people laughed at the sight, but I didn’t mind. It wasn’t that they were laughing at a barbarian with a bird. No, they just found Rella amusing.

As the sky brightened, the giant gates groaned open with a thunderous noise. The people at the front of the line pressed forward in a rush, while others who had been dozing off or wandering nearby hurried back. Rella, neck outstretched like an angry rooster, seemed ready to pick a fight. Worried she’d cause trouble, I quickly stepped back in line.

Just because the word "phoenix" includes "immortal" doesn’t mean Rella can’t die if she picks a fight. Besides, her mother had died at my mother’s hands.

If she’d had a mother, Rella would’ve learned all this from her. I didn’t know if I could raise her well as a human.

I was easily two heads taller than most people, and as I stood in line, I looked like an adult among children. The people around me also kept their distance, creating a gap that made it look like the line had been broken. It felt like there was an invisible, transparent pillar around me.

Sigh.

Was this what Gulliver felt like in Lilliput?

For some reason, Rella seemed to be quite pleased with herself. She puffed out her chest and chirped, as if she were a king. Maybe she thought people were standing away from us because she had scared them off. At least one of us was happy.

As I felt my mood dip, I lowered my head. That’s when a soldier approached me. It was one of the guards who had escorted Jenny the last time. Well, it would have been harder not to notice me with my head sticking out like a sore thumb.

“You’re… that adventurer with the guild, right? You don’t need to wait in line. You can just go on in.”

The people nearby flinched at his words and stared at me again. They were surprised to hear I was an adventurer.

“Is that so?” I hadn’t known. I knew that adventurers registered with the guild didn’t have to pay tolls, but I thought we still had to line up for inspections.

Funny. I remember that adventurer I killed last time had waited in line.

Of course. They’re letting me in so that everyone else, including the guards, can have some peace of mind.

The guard gave an awkward smile, and I grabbed my bag without saying a word, making my way toward the gate.

“I wonder if people will eventually change their attitude if I stay here long enough.”

Would they ever realize I wasn’t dangerous?

Not that it would make me sad if they didn’t. It was just… just…

Sigh.

It was just that.

Once I entered the city, I noticed, off to the side of the gate, the witch Dorthe and the bard standing together. The bard had his eyes closed, taking deep breaths, while Dorthe watched him, her fists slightly clenched. Her face was filled with worry, while he looked strangely calm.

The contrast between them was odd, so I watched them for a while. Eventually, Dorthe sensed my gaze and turned her head, her eyes widening in surprise. Then, she waved at me, her hands fluttering like butterfly wings.

Was she happy to see me?

Maybe because I’d been feeling isolated, I felt a small twinge of something like warmth. After a brief hesitation, I lifted my arm in greeting. Dorthe’s mouth opened wide in astonishment.

Why was she surprised? She had waved first.

Damn, now it felt like I’d done something weird.

When I averted my gaze, Dorthe suddenly raised both arms and waved them vigorously, her face beaming with joy. She looked so much younger in that moment, despite her actual age.

She had mentioned she’d been “working” on the bard for over twenty years, and although I wasn’t sure, it seemed her magic allowed her to maintain a youthful appearance. But the way she waved at me with both hands, like a ten-year-old child, seemed strangely out of place.

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Hey, that’s enough.

Stop waving.

People are staring.

The sight of a "barbarian" and a "dancer" must’ve looked odd, judging by the whispers that spread through the crowd. The attention of one person drew the curiosity of others. The bard, however, seemed oblivious to the murmurs, his eyes still closed as he took steady breaths. Maybe he was using some kind of magic from the witch.

I turned away from Dorthe’s still-waving figure and began walking toward the guild.

When I arrived, I reported everything that had happened in the village. Jenny jumped up from her seat, bowing at almost a right angle.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Rafa. We had no idea that the contract would be breached like that.”

She looked so apologetic that I began to feel bad.

“It’s fine. It wasn’t anything too serious.”

“No, it was. You could’ve lost your life. You’re strong, so you managed to get through it safely, but if it had been another adventurer, they might not have survived.”

Jenny bit her lip before bowing again.

“The guild has a duty to provide accurate information to its adventurers. This was our mistake, and I will make sure appropriate sanctions are taken so that this kind of shoddy request never happens again.”

Jenny’s eyes were intense. I thought about the village and felt a pang of discomfort.

I had no idea how poor they really were, but I knew they were far from wealthy.

“Maybe… maybe we shouldn’t push that poor village too hard…”

Jenny looked at me in surprise and gave a small smile.

“Rafa, you really aren’t like most Enorthos people. Usually, your people would smash everything up first before asking questions. You’re quite remarkable—even among adventurers, few would be so considerate about the people who tried to deceive them.”

She nodded as if to praise herself.

“See? I knew I had a good eye. Not only did you avoid smashing everything up, but you even prepared the paperwork, which makes everything so much easier now.”

“…”

“Don’t worry. We’re not loan sharks. We won’t be unreasonable. We have people whose job is to investigate and deal with these matters. The person handling this one isn’t in the office right now, but I’ll introduce you later. If he takes over, we’ll get accurate results. He’ll find out if they’re truly as poor as they claim or if they’re just pretending. And he’ll calculate exactly how much they can afford—even if it’s barely anything.”

Jenny explained that most villages tend to hide a little of the grain they owe to their lords. Their investigator always finds these hidden reserves, she said, chuckling.

The way she described it, it almost sounded like a credit card company trying to collect debt.

‘Where’s the laid-back, middle-ages vibe in this world?’ I grumbled internally. It felt like my idea of a quaint fantasy world had been shattered. Jenny chuckled.

“Don’t worry too much. The guild allows for installment plans, so they’ll come to a reasonable compromise.”

With that, Jenny took my wooden token, went to the back of the office, and returned with my payment.

But what she handed me wasn’t what I expected. Instead of the original 90 lira, after deducting fees from the 150 lira, she handed me 360 lira.

12 lira per silver coin meant 360 lira would be 30 silver coins, right?

I tilted my head in confusion, and Jenny smiled.

“It’s the original 90 lira plus payment for the two additional beasts.”

“But you haven’t received the money from the village yet, right?”

“Yes, but that’s the guild’s mistake, so even if we can’t collect it, we’ll treat it as our loss. You don’t need to worry.”

“But the amount still doesn’t add up.”

The additional payment should have been 200 lira. Even with a 40% fee, this was too much.

Did Jenny miscalculate?

Noticing my hesitation, Jenny looked genuinely impressed.

“Rafa, you’re good at math. Since this mistake was on us, we’re only taking a 10% fee from the additional payment.”

Ah, that made sense. The math checked out.

I felt like I’d gotten a lucky windfall, and I couldn’t help but smile.

As soon as I did, Jenny gasped softly, and I heard a small scream from one of the adventurers nearby.

There was even a sharp inhale from behind the counter, creating a weird tension in the air.

I never really knew, but I guess my smile must’ve looked a bit terrifying.

My mother and father used to smile back at me when I smiled, but maybe to these people, I was like the giant from “Jack and the Beanstalk.”

A terrifying giant who eats people.

My shoulders slumped just a little.

I wasn’t sad.

Definitely not sad.

But damn it, here I was, in a fantasy world, looking like this…

Jenny awkwardly smiled and handed over the money.

“Thank you for your hard work, Rafa.”

“…Thank you.”

After deciding on my next job with Jenny’s recommendation, I left the guild.

I planned to rest today and head out again tomorrow.

I looked like a barbarian, had a smile that scared people, and my body was covered in scars like tattoos. Fine then—I’ll just have to earn a lot of money.

Sigh, I wish I’d taken after my father. Why did I have to resemble my mother? It might’ve been okay if I were a daughter, but I was a son, and I still ended up looking like her.

Sigh.

I sighed deeply and headed to the market to restock on supplies. There were a few items I hadn’t bought last time because I was worried about money.

On my way back to the inn, I heard music echoing from the square. It seemed like the bard and Dorthe were preparing to perform. They were playing their instruments to attract an audience.

If he weren’t going to sing my mother’s songs, I could’ve enjoyed it too.

With another sigh, I turned and headed for the inn. Someone whistled at Dorthe as I walked away. It sounded sleazy, so I looked back. Four or five men were mimicking crude gestures, making lewd motions toward Dorthe.

She turned away, pretending not to notice.

I could just ignore it.

She was a witch, experienced in life, with a name that could charm people. Surely, this was nothing to her.

But.

Sigh.

I noticed Dorthe’s eyelashes trembling. No matter how many times she had experienced this, it was still unpleasant.

The look on her face almost seemed like she was about to cry, and I couldn’t bring myself to keep walking.

“Well, I’ll just consider it paying respect to my elders.”

She was old enough to be my mother, after all. Besides, we weren’t exactly strangers.

I approached the men. They were now moving their hips back and forth, laughing as they made crude gestures. Without a word, I stood behind one of them and kicked him square in the back.

He toppled over, falling forward.

The other two soon followed—each received a swift kick.

I had held back.

Barely a whisper of resistance escaped them, and soon enough, the three were sprawled on the ground. Startled, they scrambled to their feet.

“Who the hell—?!”

“Which bastard did that?!”

“Son of a…!”

One had broken his tooth, another his nose, and the third had a cut on his forehead. The three of them glared at me, their voices dying down as they took a good look at me.

“If you’re here to listen to music, sit quietly and listen.”

They said nothing.

“Answer me!”

“Y-yes.”

“Yessir.”

“Understood.”

When they obediently sat down on the ground, I turned around. Dorthe was still staring at me. Though she wasn’t crying, her expression still looked sad.

Why did I keep seeing her as a child instead of an old witch?

Back at the inn, the man who reeked enough to make Noah’s ark flee was gone. Apparently, he had left for work.

Finally, a night without that awful smell. I might actually sleep well tonight.

Though I didn’t usually drink, I bought myself a glass of wine. It was, after all, my first day properly earning money in this world, so I decided to celebrate.

I filled a large wooden cup to the brim, then returned to the inn, feeding Rella plenty of meat before going to bed early.

And before I knew it, it was the middle of the night.

I woke up to the strange sound of breathing outside my door.

“What the…?”

It sounded like someone was hyperventilating.

I gripped my axe and quietly approached the door, pressing my ear against it. The breathing grew louder and clearer.

“Huff… huff… ha… ha… gasp… gasp…”

I gripped the axe tighter, ready to swing if anything jumped out, then yanked the door open.