Chapter 22
Starlon Kingdom Border Wall Town.
As Kraush stepped down from the carriage, he found himself facing a rather annoying situation.
“Get lost, kid. Why should a brat like you butt in?”
He was in a scuffle with someone who was supposed to guide him to a broker who would secretly help him cross the wall.
“No, I’m offering money!”
From Kraush’s perspective, the current situation was utterly absurd. The person who was supposed to introduce the broker refused because Kraush was just a child.
“Haa, you know what lies beyond the wall, kid?”
The man now looked at Kraush with eyes that screamed fatigue.
“The officially established path between the Empire and Starlon is kept safe from world erosion every single day.”
That was common knowledge. The official path was typically the route taken by traders and travelers. On the other hand, those using back roads were mostly hiding their identities or were criminals.
“But the paths that aren’t official are riddled with uncontrolled world erosion. And brokers guide people avoiding such areas.”
He glared at Kraush as he said this.
“By the way, no matter how brave someone is, they often panic at world erosion, you know?”
World erosion inherently instills a sense of rejection in people. It’s akin to survival instinct.
Being engraved deep within them was the understanding that dangerous places should be avoided.
“What do you think will happen if a fully grown adult panics in a situation where a kid like you is involved? The brokers will be the first to meet their end.”
Kraush couldn’t deny the man’s words. No matter how much they might get paid, there was no reason for them to risk such danger.
‘So, it’s all about this appearance, huh.’
Being younger wasn’t so bad. Training was also going well, and there were no curses to deal with.
But this appearance led to all sorts of inconvenient situations.
“So, you’re trying to participate in the Empire Martial Arts Tournament, huh? Whatever it is, you’d be better off using the official road.”
“Is it not clear why I can’t use that road? That’s why I came here!”
“What do you want me to do about it? Either way, I’m not guiding you.”
With that, he turned sharply and walked away.
Watching him, Kraush nearly threw a punch but managed to hold back.
‘Damn it, after visiting the capital, I’m treated like this.’
He never expected that returning would lead to such drawbacks.
“What are you going to do now?”
Crimson Garden, who had been watching without offering help, asked.
It seemed like she found this situation amusing.
“Crimson Garden, don’t you have any magic or something? Like a spell that turns me into an adult.”
“Do you think something like that exists? Unless you’re willing to skin a human and wear their skin.”
She casually suggested something horrendous. Feeling that she was truly a world eroder, Kraush facepalmed.
“Hey there, kid.”
Just as Kraush was contemplating what to do, he heard a voice calling him.
Turning his head, he saw a woman in her mid-twenties with short hair standing there, smiling brightly at him.
“Do you want to go outside the wall?”
“Maybe…”
Kraush replied curtly, and she lowered her stance.
Even in winter, she was dressed only in a thin shirt inside her coat, revealing her ample curves.
“Well, I might be able to help you out, if that’s the case.”
“Are you a broker?”
“Not a broker, but I’m a merchant.”
After thinking for a moment, Kraush realized what she meant.
“You mean to hide me among your goods?.”
“Yup, brokers don’t have a reason to check their goods. Most things being carried through here belong to them.”
That was indeed a decent proposal.
“What’s the fee?”
“The price would be ten times what you’d pay a broker.”
She immediately presented an outrageous condition. Truly merchant-like.
Kraush figured that was the price she decided on for negotiation purposes. However, he had a different thought.
“Just take the money you would give to the broker.”
“Haha, then I won’t be taking you at all! A kid like you cannot leave the wall.”
“I’ll provide protection instead.”
At those words, her eyes blinked in surprise.
Then, covering her mouth in disbelief, she burst into laughter.
“Aren’t you overestimating yourself?”
Kraush rummaged through his pockets. Originally, he wasn’t going to bother, but seeing the situation, he decided he should.
In that moment, the woman’s gaze fell on Kraush’s hands.
What he held was none other than a badge with the Balheim crest.
The crest of Balheim was something everyone living in Starlon recognized.
Her body instantly stiffened as proof.
However, the real reason for her shock was the faint blue light emanating from the Balheim crest.
That blue light was something that all Starlon residents had heard of at least once. Especially, criminals who could fall victim to Balheim’s sword had a clearer understanding.
The blue light emanated only when the direct line of Balheim held it.
It served as a special identification token for Balheim.
“U-uh?”
Before she could finish her bewildered sentence, Kraush quickly raised his hand and covered her mouth.
Gah!
With her mouth pressed shut, Kraush’s blue eyes gleamed as he slightly tilted his hood back.
His blue eyes and dark hair, characteristic of Balheim, only confirmed her growing fear.
“Got it now?”
With a pale face, she nodded vigorously.
From the moment Kraush covered her mouth, she was intimidated and couldn’t move.
“You can tell others if you want. But talking about it won’t give you any advantages. After all, you won’t believe it anyway.”
There was no reason for a member of Balheim to take paths like this instead of using the official road.
Once Kraush removed his hand from her mouth, she took a step back, looking anxious.
“L-let’s go!”
The moment she saw the Balheim emblem, Kraush’s abilities were already confirmed.
In reality, she likely didn’t care about providing him bodyguard duties. It was probably just easier for her to take the money and let him tag along.
‘She’s smart, so that’s good.’
With a sharp mind, talking to her was rather sensible.
＊ ＊ ＊
Following her lead, Kraush soon arrived at a large carriage.
The carriage was draped in black, secured with a metal cage.
Inside, there were indeed eroders.
She must have been a merchant illegally selling captured eroders.
If Kraush mingled among the eroders, brokers wouldn’t be able to find him.
Those eroders were all under a sleep spell, so there was little risk involved.
“Let me know when the brokers leave.”
Kraush fished out the money meant for the broker from his pocket.
She hurriedly accepted the payment, then opened the cage door.
“P-please, step inside.”
Kraush ambled in, and after she locked the cage again, he plopped down.
At that moment, Crimson Garden landed on the carriage floor.
“Quite a few rare ones in here.”
“Those better be worth something.”
Kraush frowned at the eroders. The ones present were all drug-related eroders causing hallucinations and auditory illusions.
“Bunch of crazies.”
He couldn’t understand those who enjoyed pleasure through drug-related eroders. Leaning against the wall, he waited.
Soon, the sound of clattering signaled that the carriage had started moving.
It felt like they were heading underground based on how his body tilted inside the carriage.
Probably a back road passing through the wall.
As Kraush waited silently, a few hours passed.
He heard voices from outside, then footsteps approached shortly after.
CLANK-
Then, a heavy metal door creaked open.
As Kraush stepped outside, the merchant woman he had seen earlier stood there.
“Where’s the broker?”
“He left. The guidance ends here.”
In other words, deal with the rest yourself.
As Kraush lightly stepped out of the carriage, the emerald sky began to shine upon him.
Unlike Starlon, the sky had changed due to the influence of world erosion.
To Kraush, it was nothing too special.
And that sky was clear evidence that he was now outside the border.
‘As long as it’s not red, I shouldn’t be too worried.’
Shifting his gaze from the sky, Kraush looked back at the merchant woman.
“By the way, where are you headed? Just to clarify, I’m heading to the Empire.”
Kraush said with a grin.
Understanding the meaning behind that smile, the woman replied hesitantly.
“W-well, I’m heading there too.”
No matter where her destination was, it didn’t matter to Kraush. Given that he said he was heading to the Empire, she had to go there, too.
“Alright, let’s go then.”
Kraush stated, walking ahead toward the direction of the carriage.
He hopped onto the driver’s seat while the woman reluctantly sat beside him.
As she prompted the horses to move again, Kraush glanced around.
Aside from the eroders, it seemed like she was the only one there.
“Don’t you want to find other bodyguards?”
“Oh, no, I hunt eroders myself. Believe it or not, I’m quite skilled. I can handle up to Tier 2 world erosion.”
Unexpectedly, she seemed to possess decent skills.
If just going by her simple claims, she might be somewhat comparable to him.
“Once you reach Tier 3, running away is the better option, and hiring people costs way more. So, I prefer to travel alone. But, you know, dealing with insane freaks living outside the wall isn’t rare.”
Hearing that from her, Kraush shrugged and nodded.
“By the way, what’s your name, Balheim?”
Just then, she asked out of sheer curiosity.
Kraush chuckled at her.
“Why bother introducing names when neither of us will gain anything?”
“Y-you’re right! Let’s skip introductions then. Giddy up!”
For once, she seemed like someone who didn’t want trouble.
That led to a peaceful journey, allowing Kraush to lean back against the seat.
‘I hope we encounter some world erosion on the way back.’
Wishing for events that the merchant woman would definitely not want to occur.
＊ ＊ ＊
Clatter, clatter!
It had been ten days since the journey outside the border began. The merchant woman seemed adept at this work, skillfully navigating paths free from world erosion.
Thanks to that, Kraush spent his hours training his aura with Crimson Garden’s guidance.
They had ample time set aside for their journey to the Empire. However, they wouldn’t have time to waste even looking for world erosion along the way.
‘Anything can happen on the way back.’
So, Kraush didn’t sweat it and trained leisurely.
Before he knew it, night had fallen.
As Kraush wrapped himself in the blanket offered by the merchant woman, she hung a bell at the end of the carriage.
It was meant to ring immediately if anything approached.
“How much further?”
“About five days if we keep going like this. We’re moving quietly this time, without any world erosion. Maybe it’s thanks to you being from Balheim?”
The merchant woman winked, trying to butter him up.
Initially, the woman had seemed uncomfortable around Kraush, but she quickly picked up on his character and realized he was more generous than she had thought.
“You must be lucky, the Balheim people. It seems you really have it all, being born in Balheim, huh?”
“Is the world really that small? I never thought it was this small.”
“Oh, you’re probably still too young to feel its size, huh? Commoners worry just to eat three meals a day. You don’t have those worries, do you?”
That was true enough.
However, there was one obvious difference between the nobility and the commoners.
“Sure, nobles don’t face that kind of worry. But just as we don’t know much about you, you likely don’t know much about us either.”
Kraush gazed out into the lawless area.
That empty land held the testament of a nation founded through battling against world erosion and danger.
And maintaining that was the task of the nobility.
Many people forget that, including nobles themselves.
There were quite a few nobles engaging in trashy acts while neglecting their responsibilities.
‘If they believe that peace lasts forever, then only those who seek power will suffer first.’
Those who solely chase after power would be the first to perish when that peace shattered.
“Haha, really? Then, should I reserve my marriage with you in advance to become a noble?”
What was a woman in her mid-twenties spouting?
“I’m already engaged.”
“Oh, is that so? Your fiancée must be incredibly cute.”
“Cute?”
Kraush momentarily thought of Bianca.
He knew she would grow into quite the beauty as she aged.
In fact, there were times when he got caught up in troublesome situations due to others who took a liking to her because of her looks.
So in terms of appearance, she was undoubtedly superior to most.
‘If cute was the descriptor…’
She certainly looked adorably childish, flitting around like a chick.
“That may be the case.”
“Pffft, you appeared mature despite your looks, yet you’ve got a childish side too. Have you never experienced love?”
“Sorry, but I have…”
Kraush replied, standing up, leaving the blanket behind.
“It ended just as I was about to try, though.”
Kraush’s gaze shifted outside.
At that moment, Crimson Garden flew above and let out a loud caw.
“It seems it’s time to get to work.”
“Oh no!”
Ding-a-ling!
Simultaneously, the bell she had hung began to ring.
The merchant woman hurriedly unsheathed her weapon and rose to her feet.
Beyond the dark forest, figures that resembled liquid black began to walk toward them.
The issue was that their numbers weren’t few.
“Definitely a lawless area.”
These were symptoms arising from killing the rulers of world erosion without properly purifying them.
One of those symptoms was the appearance of the shadowy beings.
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