TOPWL 101

However, since he spent most of the day out and about, it was usually Wadiram, Huyan, or Shane who took turns waiting in the tent. But with Huyan and Shane’s rough appearances, there were quite a few unfortunate incidents where people who had come for consultation ran off in fear. Yudit thought he ought to hire an office worker with a more friendly appearance sometime soon.

As he stepped out of the tent, Yudit smiled contentedly, thinking of how delighted everyone had looked, just like children.

“Your Highness seems to be in a good mood,” Huyan said.

Huyan had started using honorifics now that he was officially Yudit’s escort. Meanwhile, Yudit wanted him to speak informally. Still unused to the shifting tones of formality, Yudit replied awkwardly,

“Seeing everyone so happy just because they have one shared kitchen… it’s cute, and it makes me wonder why I didn’t do this earlier. Well, that’s why.”

As Yudit stumbled through his polite explanation, Huyan gave a small sigh.

“That’s not the only reason they’re smiling.”

“Huh?”

“They were happy to have someone who would listen to them. That’s what it was.”

“Ah… maybe you’re right.”

With Huyan escorting him, Yudit climbed into the carriage. This time, they were headed to the women’s temporary housing. It was located at the village chief’s house, a fair distance away.

“Aren’t you tired, Your Highness?”

“Why would I be tired?”

“You’ve been sleeping less than four hours lately. You should really rest more. More people die young from overwork than you’d expect.”

“I’ll take your advice.”

“And please stop using honorifics.”

“Alright… I will.”

Yudit glanced at Huyan, then spoke respectfully but with deliberate informality. Huyan shook his head with a faint groan.

“I don’t have much. So I figured I should at least try to have more time. I’m taking breaks here and there, so don’t worry too much.”

“…Understood.”

Yudit, watching the hardened look on Huyan’s face, asked,

“Huyan… are you sure you’re not wasting your time doing escort work?”

“What makes you say that?”

“I mean, wouldn’t it have been enough to be a retainer knight instead of a guard…?”

Wadiram, who had come with them, was working freely as a retainer knight. Fortunately, he hadn’t caused any major trouble yet, being entirely obsessed with making armor out of monster materials.

“I’ve wanted to be like this from the start.”

“Huh?”

“I wanted to stay by Your Highness’s side as your escort. I stuck close because if Wadiram gets into trouble here, it’ll cause problems for you.”

“…You didn’t just want to join him making armor? I see. Sorry.”

Seeing Huyan’s expression darken, Yudit quickly apologized. Huyan pulled a document from his coat and handed it over.

“What’s this… hey?”

“It’s a written pledge. It says not to hold anyone accountable if something happens to us while acting on our own judgment. We each have a copy. You should keep one too, Your Highness.”

When Yudit unfolded the document, he saw a brief pledge and a will. At the bottom of the page was a half-stamped seal of blood.

“I know having something like this won’t completely put your mind at ease, but I thought maybe it would ease your worry at least a little.”

“Thanks for thinking of me, Huyan. But you still shouldn’t do anything too dangerous.”

Yudit’s sincere gratitude made Huyan look away awkwardly and clear his throat.

“Oh, right. Could you teach me more self-defense tonight?”

“Of course.”

Lately, Yudit had been learning self-defense from both Huyan and Shane. There wasn’t a set schedule—whoever was on duty during would give him a lesson. Khalid, who had been staying in the capital from morning till night lately due to various matters, heard about it. Not being able to teach Yudit himself had made him all the more eager. Thanks to that, Yudit’s body was barely holding up these days.

When they arrived in front of the village chief’s house, Yudit stepped down from the carriage with Huyan’s help.

“Welcome, Your Highness,”

the village chief’s secretary greeted him with a respectful demeanor.

“Is the chief inside?”

“He had an urgent matter to attend to today and left early.”

“I see…”

Yudit gave a wry smile. The village chief wasn’t a bad man, but he was extremely timid. After receiving several visits from a prince and a duke, he had all but shriveled up from anxiety. Now, just the sound of a carriage would send him scurrying into his office, refusing to come out. Khalid’s teasing early on had likely made it worse. Sighing, Yudit made his way to the annex.

The chief had offered up the entire annex for the women from the slums. Though called an annex, it was often used to house knights during monster hunts and could easily accommodate thirty people. As soon as Yudit entered, he felt the warmth from the fireplace. The distant sounds of children playing and women laughing echoed softly.

As he stepped further inside, a living room with a large hearth came into view.

The fireplace was ablaze with thick logs, casting a strong heat through the room. In front of it were a wooden rocking chair, a carpet, and enough seats and tables for many to gather. Around them, women sat in groups, all knitting.

The hearth’s warmth filled the room with a peaceful, homey air.

“Your Highness,”

Yasin noticed Yudit’s arrival and stood up, putting down his knitting. Yudit set a bag full of snacks on the table.

“I brought some treats. You can enjoy them while you work.”

“Wow, thank you so much, Your Highness.”

“We were just starting to get hungry.”

The women set down their needles and began to share the stuffed pancakes inside the snack bag.

“I was coming back from checking the men’s quarters, and I thought I’d stop by to see how things are going here. Is everything alright?”

“There’s not a single problem. It’s wonderful,”one woman said, blowing on her pancake. From the calm look in her eyes, it seemed she truly meant it.

“The room’s warm, the bedding is soft… it’s all thanks to you, Your Highness,”another woman added with a joyful smile. She looked like she might be from Rirut.

“There’s nothing wrong, but… it almost feels scary how many good things are happening all at once.”

“Same here. Actually, I had a dream. It told me this wasn’t where I belonged, and I should return to where I came from.”

“I had a dream like that too. What did you do when you had it?”

“I just thought, ‘Ah, so that’s how it is…’”

Noticing Yudit’s concerned gaze, the woman quickly waved her hands.

“I didn’t mean anything bad by it. It just shows how good things are here. It’s warm, we get food, and we’re even learning new skills,”she said, holding up the garment she was knitting.

“It’s for the baby. I want to dress them in it when they’re born.”

The room fell into a quiet hush.

Yudit stared quietly at the woman who had spoken. She was terribly thin, and half her yellowed teeth were gone. His eyes briefly flicked to her flat belly before he nodded.

“It’s soft and warm. I’m sure the baby will love it.”

“You think so? Then next time, I’ll knit something for you, too, Your Highness.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it,”

Yudit said with a faint smile.

Yasin, who had been standing nearby, seemed to have something on his mind and looked at Yudit. When their eyes met, Yasin stepped closer.

“There’s something I’d like to show you.”

He handed the class over to an assistant teacher and led Yudit into a room.

“Here.”

When Yasin opened the door, a tapestry came into view. As tall as an adult man, the tapestry depicted the mountains of dawn on the left and the desert at night on the right, the transition between the two beautifully embroidered.

“It’s incredible, Yasin,”

Yudit said, awed.

“Oh, it’s nothing. If I had more thread, I could’ve added more colors…”

Yasin trailed off, sounding regretful.

“Should I get you some? It shouldn’t be too hard to find more thread.”

“N-No, that’s not what I meant. I didn’t mean it like that.”

Shaking his head, Yasin hesitated a moment before asking,

“Would it be possible to retrieve my belongings from my home in the capital? I have knitting manuals there, and a lot of thread. I’d also like to bring the rest of my tapestries… if that’s not too much trouble.”

Who knows how long he’d wrestled with that decision before finally saying it. But there was hardly a trace of hesitation left in his expression.

“Why wouldn’t it be possible? Of course we can do that,”

Yudit said warmly, taking Yasin’s hand.

“Is there anything else you need?”

“A-And… I’d like to see my husband, too…”

Yasin couldn’t finish his sentence and bowed his head deeply. His eyes were glistening with tears.

Yudit quietly patted him on the back.

“I… I know we have to part ways. But I just can’t bring myself to say it yet… Could you wait a little longer…?”

“Of course. Take all the time you need. When you’re ready, talk to me anytime. We’re friends, after all.”

Yasin gave a teary nod. It was a love deep enough to cross a desert and enter a foreign land where he couldn’t even speak the language, trusting only in that one person. That kind of feeling couldn’t be let go of overnight.

But even so, there was hope.

Yudit recalled the conversation he’d had with Yasin just a few days earlier.