Chapter 9

The face that made her gasp in shock was the very same bandit she had just knocked out in the forest.

“That mage must have been the bandit leader.”

Kure said this while looking at the wanted poster. But Baberi barely heard him. Her attention was completely fixed on the number printed on the poster.

“One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand… 10,000 gold…!”

There was a 10,000-gold bounty on that bandit.

For Baberi, whose entire fortune consisted of the 100 gold she had taken from the bandits, it was an astronomical sum.

“…Should we go back right now?”

Baberi turned to Kure and asked. For a moment, Kure had the strange illusion that her eyes had literally turned into gold coins.

“It’s been two full days. Do you really think those men will still be there if we go back?”

Kure gave his cool-headed assessment.

But Baberi, whose eyes were already rolling with greed, couldn’t let go of the possibility.

“Besides, the person who put up the bounty was none other than the Lord of Rondar.”

“The dead lord? Then even if we bring him in…”

“There’s no one left to pay us.”

Baberi had already turned around to retrace their steps, but she suddenly stopped dead.

“I absolutely cannot forgive those mercenaries!”

If they hadn’t killed the lord, that 10,000 gold would have been mine!

Baberi stomped her foot in frustration.

“Forget the bounty and let’s go find magic stones.”

Kure grabbed Baberi by the arm and pulled her along when she refused to move. He pointed toward the row of shops in the distance.

“No. We need to fill our stomachs first.”

Baberi insisted. She hadn’t eaten anything substantial since morning.

“We can eat as much as we want after we find the magic stones.”

“By that logic, we can find the magic stones after we eat.”

Even Diamond Mountain is better after a meal.

Baberi quoted a Korean proverb, asking if he had never heard it before.

“We need magic stones if we’re going to take the castle back from the mercenaries.”

“Who said we don’t need them? I’m saying we don’t need to rush.”

Even if they fought the mercenaries, they needed enough energy to actually fight.

How was she supposed to fight while starving?

When Baberi shook her head, Kure sighed.

“This is enemy territory. The moment they realize you’re an enemy, they’ll try to kill you.”

His voice grew increasingly agitated as he gritted his teeth.

His body was already suffering from his lack of magic, making him irritable and prone to getting worked up over even the smallest things.

“And yet you’re planning to sit around eating until they attack us?”

Shouldn’t she be thinking about what was more important?

To Kure, Baberi’s leisurely obsession with food was pathetic.

“If you’d just stop shouting, they won’t find out why we’re here!”

Baberi was hungry and exhausted. Just as irritated as Kure, she raised her voice as well.

Then—

Crack.

That familiar sound came from Kure’s body again.

“Stop. Let’s stop.”

Startled by the sound, Baberi immediately came to her senses and waved her hands.

If we get into another fight, one of us is really going to die this time.

I need to find a way to settle things peacefully with this stubborn lizard.

Baberi thought for a moment.

Then, as if she had come up with a brilliant idea, she pulled a coin from her pocket.

It was money she had taken from the bandits.

“From now on, whenever you and I disagree, we’ll decide with this.”

Kure looked thoroughly displeased, but he didn’t object.

Baberi secretly grinned.

The truth was, this coin had no tails.

It only had heads on both sides.

She had kept it because she thought it was unusual.

With this, Baberi could win every single time.

She deliberately showed Kure only one side before tossing the coin.

“Heads.”

But Kure beat her to it.

Baberi was so startled that she nearly dropped the coin.

She barely caught it and silently glared at Kure.

“I’ll give you a chance to change it.”

“Heads.”

Kure said it firmly again.

Baberi clicked her tongue inwardly and moved her hand away.

The coin, which had landed on the back of her hand, was revealed.

Naturally, it was heads.

“I should have done this from the beginning.”

Kure grinned.

He had actually realized that Baberi was trying to cheat him.

A dragon’s eyesight was exceptional.

The moment Baberi tossed the coin, he had seen that it only had heads.

Baberi, of course, had no idea.

She simply thought Kure had gotten lucky.

In the end, the two of them went to find a shop that sold magic stones, just as Kure wanted.

But there was a problem.

Rondar wasn’t a place where magic stones were mined. It had always received its supply from Martu through trade.

But apparently, that trade route had recently been cut off, and with it, the supply of magic stones.

“You won’t be able to find any right now, no matter where you look.”

The shopkeepers told them the same thing, but Kure continued sniffing around, determined to find whatever magic stones remained.

“You’re like a dog.”

Baberi found the sight hilarious.

The dragon who had once made the entire continent tremble looked ridiculously pathetic.

Still, how long was he planning to keep wandering around the city?

Baberi hoped he would finally give up.

“There must be some in the castle.”

Kure stubbornly insisted one last time.

Baberi stopped him, asking if he had gone insane.

“There probably are some there. But those mercenaries are there too!”

Baberi lowered her voice and grabbed Kure by the arm.

But Kure simply dragged Baberi along toward the castle.

And he did it straight through the main gate.

Just then, a man coming out of the castle noticed the two of them arguing.

Judging by his clothes, he wasn’t a guard. And from the ledger tucked under his arm, he appeared to be one of the castle’s officials.

“You two look like outsiders. Do you have some business in the castle?”

As he spoke, his mustache—which curled upward at the ends—moved along with his lips.

“Are there magic stones in the castle?”

While Baberi was still wondering how she should explain themselves, Kure asked.

The question was so direct that Baberi squeezed her eyes shut.

Do you really think they’re going to answer that?

“Magic stones? No.”

But the official holding the ledger casually answered.

Just like the shopkeepers, he explained that trade with Martu had been cut off, so no new goods were coming in.

“But there should still be some magic stones left in the castle, right?”

Kure questioned his answer.

“The mercenaries took every last one.”

“Then where are the mercenaries?”

Baberi asked.

She had assumed the mercenaries would have the castle firmly under their control.

But now that they were actually here, the place looked completely deserted.

There wasn’t even proper security, let alone any obvious mercenaries.

“I wouldn’t know. They just pop up out of nowhere sometimes.”

The official twisted the end of his mustache around his finger.

“But if you want to find them, look somewhere else. Those bastards never come anywhere near the castle.”

With that advice, the official disappeared inside.

Kure took a few steps toward the castle gate.

Then he sniffed several times before returning to Baberi with a sullen expression.

Apparently, there really wasn’t even a trace of magic-stone scent.

“Those mercenaries really are completely useless.”

I’m starving to death, and we’ve just been wandering around wasting our energy for nothing.

Annoyed, Baberi kicked a stone at her feet.

The stone rolled along and came to a stop in front of a shop.

When she raised her gaze slightly, she saw a sign decorated with wooden carvings of a fork and knife.

“Let’s not go looking for those guys right away. I’m about to collapse.”

Baberi trudged toward the shop, declaring that she couldn’t take it anymore.

After all their fruitless searching, Kure quietly followed her inside.

The place had around ten tables.

As soon as they sat down, a young female owner with red hair and freckles scattered across her nose approached them.

“My recommendation today is the fish pie.”

She said it before even handing them a menu.

Baberi didn’t have the patience to waste time looking through the menu.

“Then I’ll have that.”

The owner soon brought out a freshly baked fish pie.

“What is this pie? Why is it so good?”

Baberi took a bite and was stunned.

Maybe it was because she was so hungry, but the pie tasted absolutely incredible.

“Don’t get greedy with my portion.”

Even Kure, who normally did nothing more than frown when Baberi showed interest in his food, made sure to claim his own share.

“How is this your portion?”

“I ate two, and you ate three.”

“I only ate three small pieces.”

The two of them engaged in a silent battle over the final piece of pie.

“Let’s decide with the coin. That’s what we agreed on.”

Kure suggested it.

“Fine.”

Baberi pulled out the coin.

But once again, the moment she tossed it, Kure beat her to it.

“Heads.”

“…”

“Check it before the pie gets cold.”

Baberi clenched her lips tightly and checked the coin.

When Kure confirmed that it was heads, he calmly moved the final piece onto his plate.

The shop owner, who had been watching the two of them, approached and spoke.

“I’m Sharon.”

Sharon introduced herself in a cheerful voice.

Baberi took a small breath.

“I’m Margaret from Tosen Village. I fled here after hearing that a dragon had appeared in Pony Gorge. This is Kure, my younger brother.”

She repeated, word for word, the same story she had told the guards.

Kure silently frowned, apparently irritated that she had once again called him her younger brother.

“It’s lucky Rondar took you in. I heard the city was under blockade. When did they open it?”

By now, Baberi had become quite skilled at ignoring a dragon glaring at her, so she continued the conversation without a care.

“People who have nowhere to go because of the dragon have been coming here from time to time, so we opened the city a few days ago for them.”

Sharon’s voice carried a note of pride, as if she were pleased with the fact.

“Who gave the order if there’s no lord?”

But when Baberi asked, the faint smile on Sharon’s lips disappeared.

Looking nervous, Sharon shook her head.

“I’m not sure. That’s something the castle decides. I wouldn’t know.”

Then she quickly disappeared into the kitchen.

It was obvious she was deliberately avoiding the conversation.

But a little while later, Sharon came back out of the kitchen.

“That’s strange. You said you heard the city was under blockade, so why did you come to Rondar?”

Baberi froze for a moment before answering with a smile.

“…I have a cousin in Rondar. But it seems he’s no longer here.”

Of course, no such person existed.

It was a lie she had hastily made up.

“Really? He might be someone I know. Even if I don’t know him personally, I can ask around and find him for you.”

But Sharon was being far too helpful.

Baberi found herself in a difficult spot.

She searched her mind for some random name she could make up.

“There’s someone named Jacob.”

“What did he do?”

Why are you digging this deeply?

Baberi realized that Sharon was probing her.

“He works as a mercenary. Two years ago, he also went on the expedition to exterminate the evil dragon.”

Baberi subtly probed her in return.

The corners of Sharon’s mouth stiffened slightly.

“He wouldn’t have died during the expedition. I once received a letter saying he had returned to Rondar.”

Though I haven’t heard from him since.

Baberi put on a worried expression, as though she were genuinely concerned about her missing cousin.

“I just wish I knew where Jacob went…”

Sharon opened her mouth as though she were about to tell her something, but then shook her head.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know anything.”

Baberi pretended to be heartbroken while watching Sharon out of the corner of her eye.

This woman definitely knows something.

“Jacob is…”

Baberi gathered herself and put on her most serious, sorrowful expression.

“He’s my only family.”

It would have been even better if she could cry, but unfortunately, the tears wouldn’t come.

“Aren’t you the one who said this person is your younger brother?”

Sharon pointed at Kure with her eyes and tilted her head in confusion.