TOPWL 91

“Morning…?”

That couldn’t be right. Yudit pulled the curtain aside slightly and looked outside. The sky was dark, but it was as bright as day outside. The carriage slowed down before coming to a complete stop. The coachman opened the curtain and spoke.

“The area ahead is still under construction, so the road is a bit chaotic. We’re clearing some debris, so please wait a moment.”

Yudit was surprised to find people working in the middle of the night.

“I want to step out and take a quick look.”

“It’s dangerous.”

Shane, who was trying to stop him, received a small smile from Yudit.

“People are working even in this dark, so it should be fine. There are guards, too. I’ll be quick.”

Shane looked dissatisfied but didn’t try to stop him further. Yasin had woken up, but still groggy from the medicine, he couldn’t manage to get up.

“I’ll be back shortly. Rest for now.”

Yasin, trying to get up, wobbled a bit before falling back asleep under the influence of the medicine. Yudit accepted Shane’s escort and stepped out of the carriage. The sharp, biting cold wind hit his face as there were no buildings nearby. As Yudit pushed forward against the wind, some people glanced at the unfamiliar visitor.

“Your Highness?”

One person, whose night vision was good, recognized Yudit. Feeling a little embarrassed, Yudit greeted him.

“Your Highness is here!”

At the man’s words, the workers who had been busy began to gather around. Yudit also recognized the faces of those coming toward him—they were the people from the slums who had listened to Yudit’s story.

“You’ve worked so hard, staying up so late.”

“Oh, not at all. Thanks to you, we’re doing well.”

“That’s right. Thanks to Your Highness, things are so much better these days.”

The people showered him with compliments. Yudit had arranged for the people in the slums to get jobs paving the roads and developing the area, but he hadn’t expected them to be working so late into the night. As more people gathered, one of the knights who had been guarding them approached Yudit.

“Your Highness.”

The knight greeted him respectfully. He, too, was familiar to Yudit. He worked for Khalid’s household.

“You’ve been working hard. I have a few questions. Do you have a moment?”

“I’ll take you to a quiet place.”

The knight quickly led Yudit to a less crowded area. Although it was cold outside, there were fires lit at intervals along the road, providing warmth and light.

“There’s a chance of monster attacks, so you should speak only where the light reaches.”

“That’s enough. How long are they working?”

“They work until six in the morning.”

Yudit took a short breath. He hadn’t thought about the possibility of working overnight for road construction.

“What time do they start working?”

“At 10 p.m. They work in three shifts, eight hours each.”

“The night shift must be harder. There are quite a lot of them.”

Yudit observed the workers, estimating that around thirty people were working.

“Since they get paid 1.5 times the usual rate for night shifts, there are a lot of volunteers.”

No wonder their faces showed no signs of exhaustion or complaint—it was because of the extra pay. Yudit thought that this was probably an idea that came from Khalid’s mind. The average working hours for laborers in the capital were usually twelve hours, and sometimes extended to fourteen or even sixteen. They often couldn’t sleep much before heading back to work, which made it inefficient. But here, despite the hard work of paving the road at night, the satisfaction in terms of work hours and pay seemed to be quite high.

“When do you think the road construction will be completed?”

“At this rate, it should be finished within a week. Over there is the entrance to the village.”

The knight pointed toward the distant lights at the end of the road. The village, which had been dark even during the day, was now brightly lit with lamps.

“…”

What exactly is Khalid doing?

“Any special circumstances?”

“There have been frequent monster attacks, but since the fires were lit, it’s dropped to about once a week. Still, due to the large number of monsters, we’ll have to carry out exterminations.”

“You’ve worked hard. What do you do when there are injuries?”

“There are three doctors the Duke brought with him who are staying in the village.”

Yudit clicked his tongue. Khalid was certainly meticulous about everything. Just knowing that such a person was on his side eased his mind considerably.

“I’ll be staying in the 3rd District of Bern for a while, so if you need anything or there’s an emergency, don’t hesitate to contact me.”

“Understood.”

When Yudit returned, people began to glance at him again. It seemed it was time to leave this place quickly. The road had been cleared so the carriage could pass. Although the ground was a bit uneven, the first phase of construction was finished, so there should be no major difficulty in going forward. As Yudit was about to get back into the carriage, someone hurriedly approached. Shane, wary, hid Yudit behind him. A middle-aged man took off his hat and stood in front of Yudit. He was someone both Yudit and Shane knew—Hui, the man who almost lost his wife to Hiore.

“Your Highness, it’s an honor to see you.”

“It’s been a while. How have you been?”

“Yes, thanks to you, we’ve been doing well.”

Hui looked a little tired but didn’t seem as consumed by despair as he once had been. Yudit hesitated before cautiously asking.

“How is your wife…? Is she alright?”

At Yudit’s words, Hui paused and nodded.

“Yes. Thanks to the good doctor Your Highness introduced, she has recovered a lot. She’s still bedridden, but by the time spring comes, she should be able to return to her daily life.”

It was good news. Yudit’s expression softened as he listened to Hui.

“I’m glad to hear that. But it’s not me you should thank, but His Grace the Duke. He’s the one who introduced the doctor.”

“Yes. I will definitely repay the kindness of both of you. Truly, truly thank you.”

Hui bowed deeply as if about to kneel.

“Get up, the ground is cold. You’ve already done enough. You’re helping with the road construction, right?”

“Well, I’m being paid well for it, so I have to work hard.”

I wonder how much they’re paying him. Yudit was curious but didn’t ask directly. Hui continued to bow, hat in hand, until Yudit got back into the carriage.

***

The next morning, Yudit woke up early. As he opened his eyes, he saw Shane, who was maintaining his sword, and Yasin, who was still deeply asleep. Yudit approached Yasin and covered him with a blanket. His curled-up body made him look even smaller than usual. Not wanting to surprise him when he woke up, Yudit left a note in Herutian and changed his clothes before stepping outside. He was staying in the same inn as before. He worried the sign might have been changed to “Prince Yudit’s Inn” or something, but fortunately, it was still the same.

“I’m late.”

As Yudit was coming down the stairs, he almost slipped at the sound of the voice. Turning his head, he saw Khalid sitting elegantly with his legs crossed on an old chair, reading a newspaper.

“Khal… id?”

“Did you sleep well?”

It seemed he had slept well, but Yudit still felt like he was in a dream. The sight of Khalid in his old leather cloak, sitting in this rundown inn, was so out of place. It was as if he didn’t belong here, just like Hiore rolling around in the dirt of the slums.

“What are you doing here?”

“Well, if you’re here, I should be here too. Not that I want to stay long.”

Yudit, who had been watching Khalid confidently, glanced at the innkeeper, who seemed equally uncomfortable. It seemed like the innkeeper shared Khalid’s sentiment.

“Uh, Your Highness, excuse me… would you like to sit together? I’m sorry to ask, but… would it be alright to have breakfast here?”

A woman who had come out of the kitchen spoke, looking at them nervously. It was Hess, the woman raising her younger brother, Kennan, on her own. Seeing her again after a long time, Yudit felt unexpectedly happy. Hess seemed to feel the same as she blinked when she saw Yudit. Then, as if she had seen a ghost, she looked shocked.

“…!”

Yudit tilted his head, wondering what was going on, but Hess muttered to herself in a dazed voice.

“Is it a ghost…?”

With a pale, shocked face, she quickly returned inside with the food she had brought out. Yudit sat down in front of Khalid, looking at him with an awkward expression.

“How did you end up here?”

“It’s not that I ended up here. I came because you’re here.”

“…”

How can he say such things without any hesitation? Hess, walking unsteadily, set down a full breakfast on the table.