Anyway, I can’t avoid the morning sales, can I? Even though Chaejin seems quite dissatisfied that I don’t practice Taijiquan, I can’t just abandon my livelihood, can I?
“Oh? This is delicious!”
Still, I couldn’t help but feed her some rice rolls since her constant staring was getting on my nerves.
She still wore a sulky face, but after taking a bite, her eyes went wide.
“You have quite the cooking skill.”
“This is nothing special.”
“Innkeeper! We’ve ended sales for rice rolls!”
“Is that so? Then go rest now.”
The Jeomsois, who had been helping with the morning sales, headed into the lodging for a bit more rest. Watching them, I sat down in front of Chaejin.
“Is it to your liking?”
“Hmm. This lowly dish doesn’t suit my palate as the great disciple of Moonjeong, but why does it stick to my mouth so much?”
Moonjeong is a major sect different from Hongseong. They accept outside disciples and don’t mind receiving donations, dividing into outer and inner circles.
It’s literally the same righteous faction but has a completely opposite tendency compared to Hongseong.
As such, Chaejin, being the great disciple of Moonjeong, naturally had a refined taste, and it would be strange for her to enjoy an inexpensive dish like rice rolls.
“Sometimes, simple things draw the tongue in. Especially rice rolls, as they’re a meal for workers to hold until lunch.”
“So?”
“It’s only natural to lack appetite in the morning before heading off to tough work. So I made the flavor a bit stronger.”
Of course, some people might dislike eating like this in the morning, but those people will take care of their meal themselves, so I didn’t need to worry.
“Hmmm. It seems like we should serve breakfast like this in Moonjeong too. Nom.”
She took another big bite, holding the rice roll with both hands, chewing away, then washed it down with a hot bok choy soup.
As she devoured two large rice rolls and finished off the soup, I gathered the empty plates before me.
“Well, I’ll finish the dishes and get back to work.”
“Uh. I didn’t just enjoy it… but hey! You Innkeeper! Isn’t Chae not practicing Taijiquan?”
“I have my life too, you know.”
“Hmph. I have my pride too. If I’m learning from you, shouldn’t I grasp the basics within a month?”
“Does that mean I shouldn’t work?”
“Well, not necessarily.”
“I’m not a martial artist, so don’t push too hard. By the way, what’s with that attire?”
“Huh? What’s wrong with my attire?”
Confused, Chaejin looked over her top and loose skirt. Right. There was nothing particularly odd about it.
The issue is that it’s Chaejin wearing it.
“Where is the proud attire of Moonjeong?”
Honestly, it was a treat for the eyes to see a stunning woman just in tights.
“I washed it. I can’t keep wearing the same thing all the time, can I?”
This is reality, and you can’t always wear the same clothes in reality. As she said this so matter-of-factly, I had nothing to reply.
“Understood. But will you be here all day?”
“Ah, I’m pondering that. Actually, I’ve been looking for some work.”
I carried the plates towards the kitchen, and Chaejin followed behind me. She seemed to be a bit bored.
Looks like you’re bored.
Standing behind me, she chattered away while washing the dishes in the kitchen.
“I didn’t expect to stay this long. I didn’t bring much money.”
“……”
“Why aren’t you saying anything? You don’t really think I came here without a plan, right?”
Is she reading my mind or something?
“Tch. I didn’t come here just for kicks. My plan was to stir up Hongryeon, and if that failed, I’d stick around and take all the local jobs for myself.”
She shrugged off the thick blanket draped over her shoulders and sat down on a chair in the kitchen. Then, she draped the blanket over her legs and pulled her legs up, hugging them with both arms.
Her slumped shoulders really made her sulkiness obvious.
“But this town… They don’t hire martial artists… What kind of peaceful place is this?”
“Seomhwa Village has Mount Yeongsan nearby, so evil monsters don’t show up too often. Plus, with the reputation of the Hongseong Clan, the riffraff generally avoid coming in. And everyone knows how to handle their own business anyway.”
“True… If I had known it’d be like this, I would’ve brought more traveling expenses.”
She had planned to steal jobs from the Hongseong Clan to provoke Hongryeon, but that plan blew up in her face.
As a result, Chaejin sulked once again.
“Go find out some info.”
“I should have done that. Who knew I’d be here this long? Thanks to that, my travel funds keep dwindling. If the Innkeeper didn’t accept my offer, I might have had to sleep outside for real.”
“Hmm…”
“Oh! By the way, the Innkeeper is a local magnate, right? They say he’s the richest in town.”
“That’s correct.”
“Any thoughts about hiring a bodyguard in the meantime? A fine, strong, and beautiful bodyguard to protect your wealth and life. Just one gold daily, not two!”
“That’s outrageously expensive.”
If Chaejin stayed here and fought the Iron Blood Clan, one gold would be nothing.
But what she really wanted was a showdown with Hongryeon.
Once that was over, she’d leave without a second thought, so her offer wasn’t that tempting.
“Oh?! I’m the Moonlight Sword Chaejin! Compared to my skills, one gold is really a bargain?!”
“Still not interested.”
“How about fifty silver?!”
If I’m paying fifty silver a day to hire her, I might as well not go out at all.
Having finished the dishes, I dried my hands with a towel. Now I needed to head upstairs to organize the accounts and check on what goods I needed to bring to the store.
“Ten silver! Ah! What a steal! A real deal!”
Good grief, what a racket.
I turned my gaze to Chaejin, who was grinning with excitement.
“The special room you’re staying in costs three silver a night. How about I waive that fee? I’ll cover the entrance fee separately…”
“My word! You’re offering to hire the prestigious Moonlight Sword Chaejin of the illustrious Moonjeong Sect for a mere three silver?!”
“If you don’t like it, then don’t take it.”
I turned my back. Besides, I didn’t really need a bodyguard.
As I told Chaejin earlier, Seomhwa Village is located near Mount Yeongsan, so evil monsters don’t tend to make an appearance.
The water doesn’t flow well.
Even if it does, it only appears sporadically on the outskirts of the village, and the evil monsters that show up aren’t particularly strong.
And since this is the village where the reputation of Hongseong Clan is established, even the bandits usually don’t show up.
The last time a group of bandits came was a while ago, but since then, not a trace of them has been seen.
Therefore, me not charging for lodging was quite a concession on my part.
I turned around without any regret, and her white hand gripped my shoulder tightly.
“Who said I disliked it? I’m just grateful. Hee hee.”
What is this, a Woody-level transformation?
“Since we’re at it, how about the meal expenses…?”
With a flushed face, Chaejin stammered. Since Chaejin has also given some concessions in her own way… it might be better for me to negotiate from here.
“As long as it’s not too expensive.”
“Great! Deal established! Then I look forward to working with you from now on~! My employer!”
Could it be that the problem I was worried about was resolved? Chaejin smiled energetically and reached out her hand to me. Shaking hands like this is technically an informal agreement, but it will serve as proof of our contract.
“No changing your mind later, okay?”
“Let’s do that.”
I took her hand.
And then…
“Master! Master!”
“What’s all the commotion?”
“You need to check the fields!”
“Huh?”
As I tilted my head, the rushing innkeeper reported in a flustered tone.
“A dog monster has appeared!”
Dog monster.
A creature resembling a dog with blue fur, as ferocious as a wolf, it’s the type of evil monster that devours people.
One of the easily spotted evil monsters in Heavenly Bright Moon, the Sonachal usually appears in secret realms, while the dog monster can often be met outside.
Of course, if you have a certain level of skill, capturing it isn’t really too difficult.
It’s just a threat at the level of wild demons or low-level mountain bandits that you can easily encounter when moving through the mountains.
Still, the reason for the fuss is obvious.
Dog monsters usually operate as minions of the intermediate evil monster, Mabok.
Upon arriving at the fields, I found that quite a few patrol officers had already gathered.
“Mr. Innkeeper, please hurry.”
Perhaps because I’m a local dignitary of Seomhwa Village, the patrol officers acknowledged me. Accepting their greetings, I turned my gaze to the three gruesome dog monsters sprawled out in the field, their blue fur glistening.
“It’s fortunate that we had patrol officers on duty. If they hadn’t been here, it could’ve been quite dangerous.”
No matter how weak a dog monster is, three of them could easily devour a farmer or two.
Especially since this area is on the outskirts of the village, it would have been genuinely risky.
“It’s quite strange. Who would have thought a dog monster would show up here.”
“What’s even stranger is that there were traces of Mabok as well. However, it seems Mabok retreated without attacking.”
When I followed one of the patrol officers to a spot quite a distance from the field, there were large footprints present.
Footprints of a tiger.
I looked down at them and nodded.
“What do you plan to do about this, officer?”
“Well… the appearance of monsters even with Hongseong Mountain nearby is a bit alarming… for now, we plan to strengthen the patrols. However… I’m concerned about Mabok.”
The creature Mabok—a monster with the body of a tiger and a human face—would be difficult for just a couple of patrol officers to handle.
Unless someone properly trained in martial arts were to intervene, they might end up being the ones in danger.
“Ramen might actually get hurt.”
“I’ve requested assistance from Hongseong.”
“Well done. Then I’ll have to prepare a reward for the Mabok hunt separately.”
“Huh? Why is the innkeeper doing that?”
Chaejin followed me, looking puzzled, and I shrugged my shoulders.
“Because this land is mine.”
“O… How long has it been…?”
“Just take a look around you.”
Chaejin spun around once.
“All the fields and farmland you see are my land.”
“Wait, you’re actually rich?!”
Local dignitaries aren’t just anyone.
Honestly, I was a bit surprised by the wealth after possessing Yu Wol’s body.
But that’s not the important part.
“Anyway, I’m counting on you.”
“…Huh? Why?”
“Why? This land is mine, and my possessions, after all.”
“…Whaaat?”
Chaejin’s expression, which was puzzled before, stiffened, and I chuckled.
“Haha. Of course. As the great disciple of the prestigious Moonjeong, I must keep my promises… Um… I must, after all. Ahahaha… Ahahahaha…”
My voice trembled.
Who said it? Life is all about timing. Why did such a situation happen right after signing the contract?
Well, I should just think of this as a good experience in life and move on.
Still, seeing her look like she was about to burst into tears made me feel a little weak-hearted.
“I’ll give you a reward of two gold coins if we catch the Mabok.”
That alone lit up Chaejin’s face.
“Oh! You’re indeed a wonderful employer!”
Of course, she was hired to protect me, not just catch the Mabok, so I made it a condition to protect my assets, which means everyone working on this land too.
Yet, Chaejin still maintained her dignified composure.
“Hehe! Of course. I’m the great disciple of the distinguished Moonjeong, and the daughter of the Doje, after all! It’s only natural to protect the weak!!”
Just a moment ago, she was about to cry her heart out, and now she has the audacity to act so shamelessly.
If she’s going to be so shameless, she should at least hide the redness in her cheeks.
But mentioning it would only lower her reputation, so I decided to keep my mouth shut.
“Is it true that the Doje has appeared?”
Just then, I heard a familiar voice from behind.
When I turned to look, three girls in similar uniforms appeared.
All of them were familiar faces.
Ryuhyun, Yoohee.
And Sayoon.
…Huh? Why are you here?
“Oh? Aren’t you the Innkeeper Yoo? And the one next to you…”
Sayoon seemed unaware, and Ryuhyun seemed to recognize Chaejin.
Maybe that’s why? She squinted her eyes at Chaejin and asked.
“What brings you here from Moonjeong?”
In a sharp tone.
Considering the relationship between Hongseong and Moonjeong, this response is pretty mild, right?
Knowing that, Chaejin answered nonchalantly despite Ryuhyun’s attitude.
“Oh my? As the great disciple of the prestigious Moonjeong, it’s only natural to assist the common people, right? And… after all, I’m not a stranger to Innkeeper Yoo, am I?”
Well, she’s not wrong.
It’s hard to view the relationship between employer and employee as ‘strangers.’
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