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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: The Start of the Journey
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“It’s good that I left, but…”
Leaving the Count’s estate quickly, simply, and without a backward glance was, at least, a good start.
But once again, there was one fact he had momentarily forgotten, and he only realized it after leaving the estate.
“…Where am I supposed to go?”
He had completely forgotten that he was just a little—no, quite a lot—bad at finding his way.
And it wasn’t as if he could go back to the Count’s estate and ask them to provide someone to guide him because he was lost. Not after making such a show of it, even writing a letter before leaving.
“……”
Finally, Sei-an let out a short sigh and decided to at least get out of the capital. He urged his horse forward, heading towards the outskirts of the city.
“Excuse me, but could you tell me how to get to the capital’s outer gate?”
Then he remembered there was a simple way to navigate unfamiliar roads: just ask for directions. He began asking passersby for the way.
It was early, so there weren’t many people on the street, but he spotted someone who looked to be in his early twenties loading luggage onto a horse in front of an inn. Sei-an approached him and asked for directions.
“……?”
The man, who was loading his horse, looked at Sei-an with a puzzled expression at his question.
It was strange to him that someone wouldn’t know where the imperial capital’s gate was. Even outsiders found the way easily.
“Go straight that way, then turn left.”
“Thank you.”
Easier than I thought.
With the man’s surprisingly simple directions, Sei-an felt a surge of confidence and urged his horse vigorously toward the capital’s outer gate.
“Excuse me.”
“……?”
“Could you tell me how to get to the capital’s outer gate?”
“……”
But that confidence was short-lived. A little while later, as Sei-an casually asked for directions to someone standing on the road, he couldn’t help but make an awkward expression at the strange look the man gave him.
It was the same man he had first asked for directions from just moments ago.
“I told you to go straight that way, then turn left.”
“Right. Thank you.”
The man clicked his tongue for a moment, as if in exasperation, then kindly explained the way to Sei-an once more.
Sei-an thanked him, then, vowing to finally leave the capital this time, spurred his horse on, hurrying down the road.
“Excuse me, over…”
“……”
“……”
But once again, Sei-an got lost and asked for directions to someone standing on the road. The moment he saw the person’s face, he realized he had been going in circles.
Of course, the man, who was now in the position of having to give Sei-an directions multiple times, also looked at Sei-an with a bewildered expression.
His gaze seemed to say that he had never seen anyone struggle so much just to find their way to the capital’s outskirts.
“Follow me.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll guide you to the gate. Follow me. I’m going that way anyway.”
Finally, the man, unable to bear it any longer, got onto his fully loaded horse, offering to take Sei-an to the gate.
Judging by his attire and the travel supplies loaded onto his horse, he seemed to be a traveler heading somewhere himself.
“Thank you.”
Sei-an thanked him once more and quickly followed behind him as he spurred his horse forward.
“Where are you headed?”
A short while later, the man, who had guided Sei-an straight to the capital’s gate—a path Sei-an had struggled to find for so long—asked him a simple question.
“I’m going to Juist Academy.”
Sei-an, who was exiting the gate with a somewhat resigned expression, realizing once again his terrible sense of direction, simply answered his question.
“Juist?”
“Yes.”
“Are you going there alone?”
“Yes.”
“…With that sense of direction?”
“……”
The man, who looked to be in his early twenties, stared at Sei-an with a dumbfounded expression at his answer. He was utterly bewildered as to how someone who couldn’t even find the way out of the capital planned to navigate such a long journey alone.
And that was a problem Sei-an couldn’t deny either.
“Thank you, anyway.”
“……”
However, a moment later, Sei-an bowed politely to him once more, then quickly mounted his horse and hastened his pace.
He recalled a phrase he had read in a book long ago: that a path, somehow, always leads to another path.
“Hey, that’s not the way!”
But a man’s urgent voice from behind him made Sei-an abruptly halt.
He let out a short sigh, then turned his horse around and started riding in the opposite direction.
“You’re going to Juist Academy?”
“……?”
As Sei-an passed the man, he looked at him with a puzzled expression when the man spoke to him again.
“It’s the same direction, so I’ll guide you to where you’re going.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll accompany you.”
“……”
Then, at the man’s words, which sounded like a sigh, Sei-an simply stared at him for a moment without saying anything.
“No, thank you.”
“…What?”
Then Sei-an told him “no, thank you” and hurried on his way again.
“Hey! Wait!”
It was the man who was flustered.
He had been concerned about someone who couldn’t even find his way traveling alone and decided to accompany him, only for Sei-an to refuse, which he found absurd.
“What is it?”
“I’ll accompany you.”
“I said no, thank you.”
“Why?”
“I’m not particularly fond of excessive, unsolicited help and kindness.”
“……”
The man was momentarily speechless at Sei-an’s response, who repeated his refusal without the slightest hesitation and continued on his way.
Then, with a click of his tongue, he quickly followed Sei-an.
“…What is it?”
“Never mind. As I said before, it’s the same direction.”
And then the man rode a little ahead of Sei-an, as if guiding the way.
“……”
Sei-an, too, said nothing more to the man.
He wasn’t sure why the man wanted to help him, but frankly, given his complete lack of direction, the man’s kindness was an absolute godsend.
*Clip-clop… Clip-clop…*
In the silent space, only the quiet sound of hooves echoed. And so began the strange journey of two companions who weren’t quite companions.
***
‘What an odd fellow.’
Jeron subtly shook his head as he watched Sei-an slowly follow behind him.
It had already been half a day since he first met him in the capital and they started moving together, but they still hadn’t even properly introduced themselves.
At first, Jeron had waited for Sei-an to speak first, thinking that they would naturally start a conversation as time passed, but he soon realized that was his misunderstanding.
Sei-an treated him as if he wasn’t even there, truly like someone going their own separate way, not a travel companion, leaving Jeron utterly dumbfounded.
And yet, he thought, it truly was a talent to maintain such an attitude when he was kindly guiding the way.
‘But it’s strange.’
It was odd even to himself that he, who wasn’t usually one to meddle in others’ affairs, was helping this person who hadn’t even asked for it.
‘Perhaps it was his air of vulnerability?’
Seeing him wander helplessly, unable to find his way, felt so precarious and unsettling that he just couldn’t pass by.
And yet, his confident gaze and firm refusal of help might have piqued Jeron’s curiosity.
In any case, Jeron found himself extending a helping hand to Sei-an without even realizing it.
“Welcome.”
As the two continued their journey in a quiet atmosphere, they arrived at Meki, the closest city to the Cezaros Empire’s capital, around sunset that day.
To find a place to rest, Sei-an and Jeron entered the nearest inn.
“Are there two of you? One room should be enough, right?”
At their arrival, a young woman in her early twenties, who appeared to be an inn employee, approached them and spoke in a friendly voice.
“No.”
“We’re not traveling together.”
“Pardon?”
Tina, the employee, looked at the two men with a puzzled expression as Jeron and Sei-an simultaneously shook their heads and responded.
“Separate rooms.”
“Separate meals.”
“And separate bathwater, please.”
“Yes? Oh, yes. Please follow me.”
A moment later, as the two men took turns answering her questioning gaze, Tina quickly began to lead Sei-an and Jeron to the rooms on the second floor.
“One of you can take this room, and the other can take this one. I’ll prepare the bathwater shortly.”
“Alright.”
“Thank you.”
“Your meals will be ready as soon as you come down. Well then…”
Tina quickly assigned them rooms and hurried back downstairs to arrange for bathwater and food.
“……”
“……”
Left alone in the hallway, Sei-an and Jeron silently looked at each other for a moment, then simultaneously turned their heads and quickly entered their respective rooms.
“Hmm.”
Sei-an entered his room, scanned it for a moment, and wore a satisfied expression.
The room was just the right size for one person and neatly arranged, which Sei-an quite liked.
*Knock! Knock!*
“Guest, your bathwater is ready…!”
Of course, even a neatly arranged room wasn’t enough to fully satisfy Sei-an.
“…What are you doing?”
“I’m cleaning.”
“……”
Tina, who had entered the room to fill Sei-an’s requested bathwater, was momentarily stunned to see Sei-an busily moving around, wiping dust everywhere.
“W-was the room dirty?”
“It wasn’t clean.”
“……”
Tina, who had hastily asked the question, couldn’t help but be flustered when Sei-an nodded without the slightest hesitation.
“I-I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright. Cleaning is my hobby, so please don’t worry about it.”
“……”
Tina quickly bowed deeply to Sei-an and apologized, then was left utterly blank once more by Sei-an’s subsequent words.
