Chapter 22

As the sun set, the innkeeper announced that the bath was ready.

Coincidentally, dinner was also finished around the same time.

"Why can't these be done separately…"

When Ian complained, the innkeeper looked at him as if he was being absurd.

"Isn't it because you said you wanted a bath that mealtime was delayed?"

Ian was the only one in the inn who had asked for a bath. Mealtime had been delayed because they had to prepare a bath just for him.

Ian couldn't question the innkeeper further.

"Don't just sit there, go and start the fire."

"Me?"

"I fetched the water, lent you the pot, and even prepared the firewood, and you can't even start a fire?"

The glares from around were fierce.

The guests were angry that dinner was delayed because of Ian.

Especially fierce were the glares from a group of burly men huddled at one table, who looked like mercenaries, each with forearms that were threateningly muscular.

"What's that about? Is he the innkeeper's son or something?"

"Hold yourself back. Are you planning to turn this place into a mess?"

As the atmosphere turned hostile, Ian finally moved as the innkeeper had ordered.

"Lucy. I'll go take a bath and come back. Stay put."

"Okay! I'll eat first and then go upstairs!"

Although reluctant, Ian trudged to the backyard.

Damn medieval era.

Taking a bath was such a hassle.

"Haah."

As Ian was transferring the embers he received from the kitchen to the hearth.

A man quietly watched Ian from a dark corner.

"Things are going strangely well?"

As soon as Ian left the inn, the troublemaker Willy notified his friends that the opportunity had come.

Originally, they had planned to wait until things quieted down a bit before secretly calling the two out for the plan.

But with the man away from the woman's side, there was no better opportunity than now.

"Let's go!"

The most handsome among Willy's friends entered the Misty Inn.

Meanwhile,

Lucy, relieved from Ian's nagging, quickly took off her robe and started her dinner.

"Ian worries too much."

Lucy, who wanted to rest comfortably at the inn, found it suffocating to keep her face covered with a robe.

Even if it was right to wear a robe before crossing the Earth Dragon Mountain due to pursuers, there was no need to wrap her face up all the way to Riverville, right?

As Lucy's beautiful face was revealed, she could feel the men's gazes gathering on her.

Lucy secretly enjoyed the attention.

'Hehe. Do you like my face that much, you peasants?'

It felt like she was returning to the times when she was adored as a noble, albeit in a twisted way.

Though crude, it somewhat filled Lucy's need for esteem.

However, Lucy was unaware.

Among those looking at her, there were those with malicious intentions.

'That's her?'

Willy's friend was mesmerized by Lucy's elegant appearance.

I thought Willy was just bragging again...

But there really was an incredibly beautiful woman staying at the inn alone!

Willy's friend approached Lucy with a 'genuine smile'.

His handsome smile, which had won the favor of the village maidens, served to lower the woman's guard.

"Beautiful lady. Are you by any chance traveling with a man with black hair?"

"...? Who are you?"

Although he was a stranger, mentioning Ian made Lucy unwittingly lower her guard.

'Things are going well.'

"I'm a messenger hired by that traveler. He told me he has a 'very' important secret to tell you and gave me money to deliver it."

He showed the coins he had prepared in advance.

A prop to embellish his blatant lie.

Hearing that he was sent with money, Lucy completely believed the man's words.

"An important message? What is it?"

"I'm just a messenger, so I don't know the details... but he said you should come to the wharf as soon as possible."

"The wharf? Where's that..."

"It's urgent, so I'll guide you there."

He helped Lucy with her robes and lured her out of the inn.

To prevent Lucy from having second thoughts, accomplices who were waiting in advance blocked her way as soon as she stepped out.

They created a commotion to confuse Lucy's thoughts.

"Hurry up! We need to hurry!"

"It's urgent! We have to run!"

Lucy panicked at the nonsense the ruffians were spouting.

'Could it be... a pursuer?'

The first thing that came to her mind was a pursuer sent by Baron (Jin).

Had they already infiltrated Riverville?

Then what about Ian...?

But after walking a few steps, she sensed something was off.

'...Why would someone who went to take a bath suddenly...?'

This doesn't make sense.

And if he had run into a pursuer, he would have come back to the inn immediately...

"Huh?"

Just as Lucy turned the corner of an alley, she froze at the sight beyond the fence in the inn's backyard.

In the inn's backyard...

There was Ian, diligently lighting a fire under a large pot...!

Why was Ian, who was supposed to be at the wharf, there?

"Wait...!"

Just as Lucy tried to stop, the thugs demonstrated amazing teamwork, lifting her up.

One covered her mouth with a cloth, while the others grabbed her and stuffed her into a prepared sack.

This was a classic kidnapping!

Throughout history, regardless of the era, a sack was the best tool for kidnapping a woman.

This fact is recorded even in ancient history.

"Kyaaa... Mmph! Mmph!"

In the blink of an eye, the thugs who had kidnapped Lucy ran towards the river's wharf.

They 'borrowed' a boat to drift on the river, intending to romantically share a moment of cloud and rain with Lucy.

For your information, cloud and rain = intimacy.

If classical literature mentions something about cloud and rain, it's safe to assume they became intimate and move on.

In "The Tale of Chunhyang," whenever Lee Mongryong and Sung Chunhyang locked eyes, they would share a moment of intimate passion, imagine watching this scene in the live-action "The Tale of Chunhyang"... (omitted)

Anyway.

The thugs successfully captured Lucy as planned.

Now, it was Willy's turn.

Willy had been secretly watching Ian, ready to knock him down and escape if anything went wrong.

With the thugs successful, all that was left was to make their escape.

However, Lucy's scream, like a last breath, ruined everything.

"Lucy?"

Ian heard Lucy's scream!

Lifting his head, Ian sensed that something was terribly wrong beyond the fence.

And he was instantly furious.

How could Lucy have been kidnapped in the brief moment he looked away?

'I swear I'll never take another escort request again.'

It was just an attempt to mimic the classic fantasy novel trope of VIP escorts.

This escorting business was more stressful than he had anticipated.

Especially when the one being escorted was such a pretty piece of baggage!

'Like a damn Princess Peach.'

In Ian's eyes, Lucy was a dark-haired Princess Peach.

Though, if anything, she resembled Princess Prin Prin from Ghosts 'n Goblins more.

[A/N: Game developed by Capcom and released for arcades in 1985]

Ian was about to leap over the fence to save Lucy.

When it happened.

"Arghhh!"

Suddenly, someone burst out of the bushes.

It was a face he had never seen before.

Looking like a jobless man who hadn't shaved in months, this person swung a club at Ian.

'An assassin...?'

Ian was slightly taken aback by the sudden attack.

Could this be an assassin sent by Baron (Jin)?

But what kind of assassin looked so shabby?

The answer was simple. The attacker was not an assassin.

Just a local rascal who wanted to share a moment of cloud and rain with Lucy.

As evidence, the club flying towards Ian was clumsy and weak.

Weak enough for Ian to prepare a spell!

Ian closed his eyes and listened to the mysterious voices.

A wizard who decides to use magic thinking, 'I should use this spell~', is one of a certain level.

Famous wizards like Eredith, recognized by everyone, can use the magic they want at the timing they want.

However, a novice wizard like Ian couldn't just use magic whenever he wanted.

Like when the earth magic he tried to use to fix Longtail's house failed because the mysteries refused to lend their power, magic would fail if the mysteries declined to help.

Therefore, Ian needed to see first which mysteries were willing to lend him their power.

[Human! The light is fading!]

[It's a good time to play!]

[Want to play together?]

The first to respond was darkness.

Ian strangely had a good affinity with darkness.

Despite not having spoken much, darkness was eager to talk with Ian.

'Is this what master meant by compatibility?'

Just as people have different talents, the ability to receive and utilize mysteries varies from person to person.

Darkness was ready to talk to Ian.

In that case, there was no need to summon other mysteries.

"[Darkness!]"

As Ian picked up a branch from the ground, he conjured up thick darkness around him.

The darkness that gathered around Ian turned the space into something darker than the deepest midnight, even though it was only dusk.

"Wha... what?"

The professional layabout, troublemaker Willy, was taken aback by the sudden darkness and lost track of Ian's position.

Blinded as if his eyes could see nothing, Willy froze in place.

Thwack!

Ian struck the defenseless Willy with the branch.

No matter how much of a wizard Ian was supposed to be, physical force was necessary to take down an opponent.

Yes. Ian was a force wizard (by necessity).

In the classic fantasy realm of "The Lord of the Rings," the Wizard Gandalf also beat his enemies with a staff, making Ian a wizard of solid tradition.

Thump! Thump!

"Argh! Ahhh!"

Willy, joyously beaten up in the pitch darkness, was so startled that he lost the ability to think clearly.

So startled that...

He thought the reason everything turned dark was not because Ian conjured magical darkness, but because he had gone blind...!

"I surrender! I surrender!"

Thump! Thump!

"Someone save me! My eyes! I've gone blind!"

'This guy?'

As Willy screamed his lungs out, people started to gather one by one.

Ian dispelled the darkness and grabbed Willy by the scruff of his neck.

"You! Are you with those bastards?"

"Uh...? My eyes...? I can see again?"

Thump!

"Answer the question I asked!"

Just as Ian was about to continue interrogating Willy.

"Enough of that, young man."

A deep, powerful voice stopped Ian in his tracks.

It was just as well.

Ian was about to leave Willy behind and chase after Lucy anyway.

But as Ian made to move, a dagger flew from behind him and stuck in the fence.

"..."

A sharp and precise throw.

It was by no means the work of an amateur.

Ian slowly turned his head.

'This is bad...'

There, the burly figures he had seen at the inn were standing in a group, all armed.

A white-haired, sturdy old man stepped forward.

"That darkness just now... did you summon it?"

As the words 'white-haired' and 'sturdy' suggest, the old man was no ordinary senior.

His eyes were sharp as if honed to a fine edge!

A threatening gaze that seemed to say he would cut off Ian's head if he made a move.

You might have guessed, but Ian had no skill in deflecting flying blades.

Even the most talented wizards die if stabbed with a knife.

Wizards in this world were merely beings with unique linguistic abilities, not invincible superheroes.

Ian had no choice but to start doing what wizards do best.

That is, talking his way out of it.

"Yes, I am the wizard who summoned the darkness."

Willy whined and clung to the old man's legs.

"Please, save me, my lord! This crazy wizard tried to kill me!"

"...Is that true?"

Receiving the old man's murderous gaze, Ian felt a chill run down his spine.

But it wasn't unbearable.

Ian had already withstood the murderous intent of a drake.

Unbeknownst to him, enduring the drake's murderous intent had actually strengthened his courage.

Ian smirked and responded.

"Sir, could you lend me that sword?"

"The sword?"

Ian glared at Willy with a cold gaze.

"Let me kill this bastard."

"..."

Ian's words unsettled the armed brutes.