Haroon v6c3

《To Castle of Jorlen County》

“Teeno is gone!”

Said Ritrina. She has been looking for Teeno for the whole morning. The other three couldn’t hide their surprise. They had love and hate with Haroon as a mercenary academy colleague, but Teeno was someone different. Though he may be old, He cared for them like a father or brother.

“He must have gone to Captain.”

Ritrina clenched her fists and fumed.

“He abandoned us! No one else but Teeno!”

She was enraged as if she got betrayed.

“He didn’t abandon us. We abandoned him.”

Philip powerlessly let out a sigh and mumbled to himself. His eyes had huge eyebags. He spent the last night awake. He ambitiously chose the path of the knight, but he was still suffering from inner conflicts. He knew that Teeno left at dawn. He saw Teeno was in agony after Haroon left and he ended up giving up choosing the Gusts of Wind, giving up being a knight. Philip didn’t know the details, but Teeno seemed to have a very special connection with an old man named Devron, whom Viscount Savaan Evans, the chief leader of Huk'ran Knights, admires. That must be why he accepted the term most easily among the group when Hall offered all of them to be knights, but when he saw that the captain had refused the offer and left, he was left agonized.

He never told them his age, but he seemed to be in his late 40s. And he seemed to be interested in the chief maid who was in charge of cooking and other housework of the camp. She, too, must have had a good feeling towards Teeno, as recently some knights witnessed they were together in secret. He abandoned his position as the knight and his lover and left - what are his thoughts? Why did he follow Haroon out to the exhausting wild? Is he addicted to being a mercenary?

Philip was genuinely curious. Anyone given a choice to become a knight or mercenary would choose to become a knight if they were put in the same position as him. Isn’t it a hundred times, a thousand times better to become a cool knight following the chivalry than becoming a mercenary who is not treated as a human being by the world? The four wankers and Hall never believed that Haroon was an outlander. They heard a lot about the outlanders when they were back in the baron castle. Because they were from the outside world, they could visit their world only once in a while, and they couldn’t stay for two consecutive days. Of course, they thought he was killed back in the river. But he came back alive, claiming to be revived. But nobody trusted his words. Haroon was a very peculiar elementalist. Even Hall, a magician, didn’t fully know what abilities elemental spirits had.

They once had an argument over whether Haroon is an outlander or not, but their conclusion was that he was pretending to be an outlander for some reason. He was so different from the outlanders they have heard from the others. He ate, slept, and explored with them. The only time they couldn’t be sure where he was was when he died at the river. And there was more decisive evidence. The only reason the outlanders eat in this world is to relieve hunger. In fact, they didn't eat much. The only thing they usually eat was mostly bread and water. But they never told Haroon about this. They didn’t know what his secret was, but it was the unspoken rule among the mercenaries to not ask about their secret, as they chose to live a tough life. By any means, he couldn’t understand why Haroon would refuse to follow the path to become a knight, and why Teeno would follow him. Philip could still hear the words he gave when he handed him the last antidote.

- Yeah. I have nothing more to say if you chose to live that life. Life is always a series of choices. I hope you will be happy with the life you chose. Everyone would have different goals in their life, and I choose the path I can be happy in. That's why I don’t want to become a knight, giving my life as the pawn for the lord or mere chivalry. I always want to freely follow the path I want, and have free will to do what I want.

Free will! These words distressed him as a fishbone stuck in his throat. Teeno never expressed he disliked being a knight, for them, but he left at the last moment as if he was running away; Philip was faintly guessing he did it to protect his free will.

‘What do I want? Is it the admiring glances from ladies for the platemail on my chest? Or is it my desire to make my father proud of me for becoming a semi-noble? Or is it my greed to make my name renowned with my sword art?’

He looked back on himself. What made Haroon think differently? What is ‘free will’ to him that he refused such a bright future?

Philip was born as the son of quite a renowned mercenary guild owner, and he walked down the path to become the inheriting owner as he was told, without looking back on himself. A training sword was in his hands since he was a kid, and he went through severe training. Because he was told it would be needed to operate a mercenary guild, he studied and he even attended the premium capital academy to build relationships. Thankfully he wasn’t talented, and he was smart; he was confident with his future. Then he entered the mercenary academy to become the top of the class to make his name known among the world of mercenaries, and he met Haroon; he had a mysteriously strong will, bottomless stamina, and a unique mind. He was a few years younger than him, but he never thought Haroon was younger than him when he became a member of the Gusts of Wind. He actually felt he was much older than him. Well, that is not enough description. He led his life as a mentor. Even during the battles, he never took an eye off them, and he used his own money so they could learn skills from the Hall of Warriors so they could improve. He always took care of the dangerous tasks, and he pushed them in training so they could improve significantly. He had enough generosity to share the money they earned evenly, even when the figures were huge. No other mercenary captain would distribute their earnings like him.

People say absence makes the heart grow fonder - now that Haroon left, they realized how huge his absence was. Their hearts hurt, as his absence reminded them of the times they have been together. Come to think of it, the last months Philip spent with him were more valuable and enjoyable than his whole life summed together. And he knew those times would not come back.

Feeling complicated, he looked at his colleagues. Gitan hasn't spoken a word since last afternoon. Nothing but grim was on his face. He has never seen him like this, when he was the most talkative person among the group, even when he had the largest physique. He was a coward, and timid - he never felt comfortable if he didn’t have anyone to follow. The way he cried with joy and celebrated when Hall offered him to be a knight was nowhere to be seen; his eyes on the stream with a grim face had no energy at all.

Serinn had the same face as well. When she was offered to be a knight, she just mastered basic sword arts over two months of training so she couldn’t be any happier but now she had a broken-hearted face. She's been practically singing that she can finally learn proper sword arts, and she will beg the captain to teach her proper sword arts. Now she was sitting in sorrow with her shoulders hunched.

Ritrina was repeatedly punching the air, mumbling something without making any sound to fume her anger. Philip was coincidentally able to read her lips. Mercenaries knew a few basic mind-reading tricks.

Why? Why? Why can’t we be all knights together? We can be happy as knights altogether! Why did you leave us?

Though she wasn’t speaking it out loud, she was desperately wailing in her mind. She was feeling anxious and terrified, crying without making a sound like a child abandoned by their parents. Because she was shaded by her older brothers, she never got a chance for a proper education or training even when with her talent. She decided by herself when she entered the mercenary academy, while she was enrolled in a capital technical academy, and that was why she had almost no money. It was Haroon who helped her grow this far. He allowed her to learn the skills that suited her nature, and although he rebuked her with words for having no money, he treated her just as equally as the other members.

‘Have we made the correct choice?’

Philip looked up at the main peak of Huk'ran. It was so close he felt he could grab it if he just reached out. It felt like his captain and Teeno were waving back at him from the summit.

‘Captain! Why do we feel so sad and angry as if you abandoned us when we are the ones who betrayed you?’

Philip wished he could ask.

—

Haroon set his course towards the north, the direction the steep stone peaks were lined up like a backbone of a dinosaur. The mountain range was steep, dangerous, and no road was visible, but he had the empire atlas, the treasure of the herbal guild. He had more than 20 points on ESP, so he was able to see the path to the Castle of Jorlen County before his eyes without opening the atlas.

“Hmm, I suppose I’ll be safe as long as I avoid the wyverns.”

He could see a path that would take him to the castle fast as long as he avoided the wyverns, though the word ‘path’ might be too much to describe such a dangerous route. It was a dangerous path as he had to maneuver over the giant boulders, but Haroon had Messenger Walking. He had to climb up or down the boulders with sizes over tens of meters, so not only was it dangerous, but it also took a lot of time. But the herb collectors had climbing ropes installed so they could collect rare mushrooms nearby. He could not jump up tens of meters but he had no problem climbing them up and down with the help of the ropes. In fact, as long as he overcame the fear of height, there was nothing to worry about,

He hurried himself to the castle, but he took short breaks every so often. Those breaks were actually for harvesting very expensive herbs he found along the way. So-called selagin grows on high rock walls, and they look like clenched fists when dried; this was full of energy known to be effective for various types of cancer. He harvested only from dangerous places or high rocks for local harvesters and it still filled a whole bag soon. They were huge and not touched by human hands so he was able to harvest the colonies. He even hunted some monsters, too. There were not many monsters or beasts on the way he took but then he saw two orcs that came out to hunt. He thought about avoiding them, but he hunted them down and skinned them so that they wouldn't hurt the herbalists. He hunted musk goats too. Musk goats only lived in the rocky terrain, and they had musk sacks that perfume delicate scent that attracts opposite sex - musk goats were very popular by female nobles. Harvesting herbs, and hunting musk goats, Haroon couldn’t feel any more peaceful and happy spending his time in nature.

‘Maybe I should have traveled alone all this time,’ he thought.

He didn’t have a wide range of emotions, but he didn’t know if he was born without it or if he didn’t get it because he lived an emotionally barren life. To be honest, when his old members told him they would quit the mercenary guild to join Huk'ran Knights, he wasn’t feeling that sad about it. He felt somewhat betrayed, but he wasn’t disappointed by the quad wankers nor hated them. They were only the colleagues he spent some time together along the journey to get stronger as the goal he set for playing this game. His heart was broken by human beings as he grew up, so he instinctively tried not to get attached to others. He was hurt by Hall though. He had a sort of crush on her. His feeling for her was so huge he could say she was his first love in a way. Of course, the relationship was done even before it started, but his heart still felt empty and it hurt.

Anyhow, he couldn’t feel more free and comfortable enjoying nature as it is. It wasn’t so hard to camp alone. Anything that could go into his mouth was food, for his entire life. If it sheltered him from morning dew, it was a good place to sleep. He had no greed, and that meant no disappointment for him. When he moved for about two days, a village came into his eyes. He opened his atlas and found the village. It was named Kelpran. There were Jorlen plains two mountains after this village - it was known to be the largest granary of the whole empire. Haroon came near the wooden fence surrounding the village. He could see a group of people with bows drawn at him over the fence.

“Who are you?”

A guard asked through a huge hole in the middle of the wooden fence.

“A mercenary. Look!”

Haroon raised his wrist to show them he is a mercenary.

“Huh! What is a mercenary guild master doing in the middle of nowhere?”

The guard opened up the fence for him after checking his identity. He had an imposing physique and bear-like long and thick fur covering his face.

“I am on my way to Jorlen. I came through the mountains to save some time.”

“Hahaha! What a guy you are to climb up the mountains full of wyverns and monsters, and you made it here! Welcome to Kelpran. I am Alph and I lead this vigilante group.”

“Haroon, captain of the Gusts of Wind. I am traveling alone for this business.”

“The sun is going to set soon. This village may be small, but we have a lot of rare herbs growing around so we are herb merchants’ favorite village. You must have had a rough time climbing that mountain; you will need a quiet and comfortable place to sleep. Go to the Sing of the Wind. They will do you good if you tell them my name. Their beer is ‘this’, you see?”

Alph showed his thumbs up and winked.

“Thanks.”

Haroon handed him a whole orc leather that he kept on his belt to get it dried, as he remembered a tip from Teeno - ‘Show some generosity to the vigilante group when you enter a remote village, and they will return some convenience and you will be able to avoid getting into trouble.’

“Hahaha! You, sir, are going places. Thank you. You just bought me and my group a proper drink tonight!”

Alph could tell it was a good, properly skinned leather just by taking a glance. He could get 10 silvers for that leather if he bargained well. That could buy his group a good table of drinks and food. He usually gets about a Silver from the merchants he knew, so this was a lot of money he gave. Feeling sorry to just take the leather, Alph showed more kindness.

“Ah, I think there is a stranger in the inn who is looking for someone to escort him. Tell the innkeeper I sent you and ask her to guide you to them. I don’t know what happened to Thaust, but herbalists from Thaust are coming all the way here to buy the herbs. So I don’t think any hunters or herbalists would want to go all the way to Jorlen and come back at this time, but I think it is an offer you might want to take.”

Haroon smiled back for his kindness. Haroon felt his warm heart. Though it was for the orc leather he gave, Alph could always have just taken it for nothing. Haroon didn’t intend to take the mission, but he still felt thankful.

“Thank you. Have a good one.”

Haroon headed to the village. The village was formed with dozens of houses built along a small stream coming from the mountain. The houses were built halfway underground, presumably because they were living in a windy place, so the roofs were at eye level. The inn was easy to find. There were two two-story houses in the central area, and one of them was an inn named Sing of the Wind. He walked down the stairs and found a small hand-stained door. There was a landscape drawn over the door, and when he opened the door the painting made a clear and ringing voice that sounded like a wind. The inside was covered in hazy darkness. The window was small due to wind and the glass wasn’t very clear so it did not let a lot of lights through especially when the sun was setting. Haroon closed his eyes for a moment and opened them to see four round tables filling the room. The lobby was empty; it was still early evening. Haroon sat on the table near the window which was brighter than others and dropped his bag.

“Howdy!”

A boy who looked about 10 years old came out of the kitchen and greeted him. A rather chubby woman followed him. She seemed to be the innkeeper.

“I’m a mercenary and Alph got me here.”

“Hoho! Welcome, you have come to the right place. We do specialize in serving mercenaries. No one in the village can top our great beer and comfortable bed. Did the boy’s father mention when he’ll be at home?”

Haroon giggled when she asked. He never expected Alph to own the place. He realized Alph usually sends his message to his wife through the customers.

“Not that I can recall.”

“Hmm. I am going to break his back if he slips away again.”

The innkeeper had quite an energy talking to herself with her hands on hips. It was entertaining to imagine that bear-like Alph is whipped. Just thinking about it made them feel more humane.

“Oh my! That wasn’t very polite to say in front of a customer, was it? Hohoho! He is just a man that keeps someone very worried, you know? So, would you like your dinner first or a bath?”

“A bath if that is possible.”

“Then put up in Room 3. Follow my boy Gallon. We have a quite good outdoor hot spring in our backyard.”

“How much for a night?”

“Since he got you here, I will only take 30 Silvers, breakfast included.”

Just thinking about the hot spring relieved the fatigue - he never expected it from such a remote place. He never thought he would be able to experience a hot spring bath in a video game when he never had one in real life. He paid the fee to Ifran the innkeeper and followed Gallon upstairs. He put his bags in Room 3 and headed to the hot spring. There was a building with a low roof, just like the other buildings in the village, but the roof was open where the steam rose - there was a hot spring. Two bars (or inns) seemed to be sharing the hot spring. He saw a merchant who was done taking a bath and returning to the other building. The steam filled the whole view and the heat overwhelmed him. It was a very simple hot spring. The rocks sprung hot water and they were surrounded by simple walls, but the first hot spring ever felt splendidly fantastic. Moderately warm hot spring drew his sweat out, and the cool mountain wind coming through the open roof couldn’t feel more refreshing. When it got too hot, he got out of the spring, sat on a small rock to cool his body down, and went into the spring again. He enjoyed his first bath in the hot spring so much he was unaware of the passage of time.

“Hahaha! This young fella knows how to enjoy a hot spring!”

Haroon looked towards where the voice came from to find seemingly an elderly man soaked in the corner of the spring. He didn’t notice there was someone else in the spring because of the dense steam. He couldn’t see the old man’s face very well, but he noticed his gray hair.

“I didn’t know there was someone else.”

Haroon blushed in embarrassment as it felt like his personal side was exposed. He didn’t do anything particularly strange, but he thought no one was there so it was his first time being absolutely himself in the game. The man stood up and walked towards Haroon.

“I am an outlander so I do not know how good the hot spring feels. What I do know is how to enjoy it with some imagination instead.”

He revealed himself as an outlander, and he indeed was an old man. If it wasn’t for his wrinkle-free smooth skin, he would have thought this man was a middle-aged man.

“Name's Haroon, a mercenary.”

“And I am Avan, a merchant.”

Avan looked at Haroon with every interesting look. He seemed to be bored by being alone in the hot spring. Haroon couldn’t tell why the man would look at him like that, but it quite bothered him.

“Woah!”

Haroon breathed in sharp, seeing a lady appearing behind Avan like a ghost. There was definitely no one but she appeared out of nowhere between the steam. Well, it would be more precise to say she came into his eyes as the steam swayed. The lady in her late 20s was rubbing Avan’s body with a cloth, wearing almost nothing. She must be giving a bath service, but seeing her in a men's bath, not mixed, barely hiding her private parts made him feel perplexed. Haroon’s barely-adult heart raced, She had vivid curves, and her breasts and hips were well developed; he could tell how large those were, even with underwear.

“Haha! I am sorry if she surprised you. She is my attendant. Would you like some service too?”

“N-No, thanks.”

Haroon shook her hands and looked away. He wanted to leave the scene right away, but it wasn’t easy when naked so he soaked in spring deeper. He felt the heat building up in his body, and he was sweating crazily.

‘Why do I have to feel uncomfortable with this?’

He couldn’t say why he had to feel uncomfortable when he came to relax. That reminded him there was nothing that would make him feel intimidated. She would be feeling uncomfortable in this situation, not him. He got out of the water and sat on the rock. The lady stole a glance then quickly looked away. He realized he was hungry. He looked up through the roof and saw the darkness was curtained over the sky. The night in the mountains was very early.

“Where are you headed?”

“Castle of Jorlen County.”

“Is that so?”

Avan was pleased to hear this.

‘Is this the man Alph mentioned?’

There was a high chance this was the man, considering how he was pleased to hear where Haroon was headed. But Haroon didn’t intend to take any mission. He felt a bit lonely traveling alone for two days, but there was a different taste to it and he enjoyed it. He couldn’t tell if it was for his bad personality he didn’t really feel the loneliness. What he knew was that he can enjoy nature with limitless freedom and his whole heart.

“I'll get going, then. I’m hungry.”

He thought he better not make the meaningless connection.

“Haha, I suppose I will stop this boring bath thing. I don’t have a high sync rate, so I don’t really see the benefit of doing this.”

Haroon got a bad feeling about this. Avan was a merchant and he was quick at reading minds. Did he realize Haroon found it unfavorable to have him nearby? Avan made it even more awkward by following him. Not only because of the glamor girl in underwear, but he found it uncomfortable to show the subspace he had his underwear stored in.

‘Geez!’

Haroon gave up opening the subspace and decided to wear only the overcoat. When the old man saw Haroon wearing the huge overcoat without wearing any underwear or armor, his eyes got weirdly narrow.

“Hahahaha!”

Leaving the old man laughing behind, Haroon hurried himself to the room. After unlocking the door, he saw that his bags were still there and opened the subspace to get his underwear and armor out.

‘Oh! I never got these washed.’

“Naia, come out!”

“That took you long enough.”

Naia had a thin smile on her face, glad to be summoned. Haroon heard elemental spirits showed no expression, but the elemental spirits subordinated to him acted so differently.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t really get a chance to call you, my friend.”

“I smell rich water. You must have taken a bath.”

“Yeah, I just did, and I realized I didn’t really get my clothes washed.”

“That’s not good. Just call me every other day, at least. Washing your body or doing the laundry is a very easy task.”

“Well, I just felt sorry to ask.”

Haroon really felt sorry to call his precious elemental spirits for such trifling tasks. The water spirit gave him a good smile and a warm look.

“But the armor I got not so long ago is so good I would like to wash it regularly. But I am not sure if it is good for hard leather armor to wash with water.”

“It’s alright. Water does wear out leather, but it’s fine with my ability.”

She covered the underwear and armor with her body and soon came back to her original shape. It happened in a flash, but the armor and the underwear were turned clean and there was no moisture at all.

“I will clean your overcoat, too. ”

Naia covered Haroon’s whole body as he was wearing the overcoat before he could say anything. Something warm and soft covered his whole body so he shut his eyes before he knew. She was warm and comfortable just like what he felt when he had Bell in his arms.

“And all done.”

He opened his eyes and found Naia smiling and laughing. Haroon felt a bit embarrassed that she just contacted his naked body and he couldn’t look at her directly.

“Thank you. It was…… great.”

“Fuhuhu! Me too. I want to hug you more often.”

That made him feel even more awkward. It felt like she was teasing her, but it definitely felt pleasant. At the end of the day, the first being to experience his naked body was an elemental spirit. It wasn’t just a simple being. When he gave meaning to her like that, a small ripple formed on the spirit’s body, and her body size doubled and grew even bigger.

“I'll summon you again.”

“Yeah. I miss you so summon me often. Even if you have got nothing for me. Don’t just summon Lifey.”

“Sure.”

Haroon, embarrassed, couldn’t even look at her eyes when he said goodbye to her. He never realized the ardent look the elemental spirit gave. When he wore the clothes, he realized there was black powder scattered over the floor. He inspected it and realized they were soils that came from his body and the clothes. Seeing that made him feel even more refreshed. He headed to the first floor. There was food set to the table he first occupied.

“We prepared a full course for you! Grilled boar leg, mountain herb salad with special sauce, and a mug of beer will surely fill you warm and get your fatigue relieved.”

Gallon helped his mom with her work and he gave a little brief on the food. Haroon was starving. All the food he ate was some jerkies and dried bread. Haroon searched his pocket for a few Bronze and gave it to Gallon.

“Thank you!”

Excited with the tip, Gallon headed to the kitchen and Haroon slowly began enjoying the food. Boar meat was a bit tough, but it was gratefully tender compared to jerky. Mountain herb salad was full of herbal scents and it was fantastic. He got foam on his mouth when he drank the beer, and it was very refreshing. It was easily the best among the food he ever had in a game, or in real life. He felt thankful for Alph who introduced this place to him, yet again.

Someone walked up to the table Haroon was at.

“Haha! You were eating already.”

Haroon knew who that person would be. Wiping his lips, Haroon greeted Avan with his eyes. Avan wasn’t alone. He was with a lady (Haroon presumed this was the attendance lady he saw earlier) and another lady who seemed to be about the same age as Haroon. Avan sat on the other side of the table without even asking, and the other two ladies naturally sat beside him.

“Hey, Ifran. Get us the same.”

Avan was natural at ordering food from Ifran. He either stayed here for a few days or was good at it because he was born a merchant.

“Okay!”

“You definitely put more work into this fella’s food. Do ours the same!”

“Hohoho. I said okay!”

Avan shouted, and the innkeeper replied from the kitchen.

“Ah, I forgot to introduce them to you. Haroon, this is my daughter Shany, and you met this lady before, right? This is my attendant and my bodyguard Myo. Ladies, Haroon.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Haroon nonchalantly greeted and stole a glance over two ladies. Shany seemed to be a merchant, just like his father Avan. She had some armor, but she had a clean outfit and a very cute appearance. It felt a little weird to see a father and a daughter with a huge age difference enjoying the same game together, but he also felt envy about it. This lady named Myo was definitely a warrior. When he saw her in underwear, he could barely see her glamorous body but now that he was looking at her in armor, she had quite an overwhelming feeling. She didn’t carry a weapon, but she was releasing sharp energy, keeping her eye on him. Haroon’s senses grew as he learned to control mana, and his senses were telling him she was quite a strong warrior. Then a group of people walked in. They were dressed like herbalists, returning from work from the mountains. There must be some kind of issue so the air was heavy among them, but more than ten people were coming in so the indoor atmosphere got noisy pretty soon. Haroon felt it was a shame he couldn’t enjoy the food alone anymore.

‘I'm definitely going to miss her food.’

He decided to leave the table. He didn’t want to be with Avan anymore. He had some food left, but he wanted to rest now. It was either the bath that was too long or the food with a beer that filled his stomach that he wanted to rest.

“So, have you got any colleagues?”

“No.”

He murmured, intentionally, nodding with meat in his mouth. Then he suddenly opened his eyes wide when he heard the conversation of the herbalists ordering the beer.

“Fuck! We are short on selagin!”

“We are. And we can’t ask the herb merchants for more time. And the rain is going to start tomorrow.”

THe herbalists knew it was going to rain tomorrow.

“Yeah. We are not going to get that selagin if it rains. More herb merchants are visiting us and that’s great, but we can’t keep up with the contracts!”

“I know we can’t be like Thaust but we never had a better chance being a famous herb origin… Damn it!”

Herbalists were worried that they might not be able to fulfill the contract they made with the herb merchants. It was mysterious how they could predict the weather, but it seemed like the rain ruined their plan. Haroon ignored Avan trying to keep the conversation going and got up from the table.

“Have a nice dinner.”

“Oh …… you are going to take a rest. Farewell.”

Leaving Avan disappointed, Shany curious, and Myo sitting with an expressionless face, Haroon went to his room and unpacked his bags. The Food he bought from the Castle of Baron Thaust was in his magic bag, and he didn’t need anything else. He opened the atlas of the herbal guild and recorded the places he found the musk goats. The places where the herbs were recorded were on the atlas, but it didn’t have the habitats of the musk goats. And then he checked the information of Alamiz mountain he would be climbing over tomorrow. Alamiz mountain had three high and dangerous peaks, with the wyvern habitat near the summit, black orc villages from the bottom to the midpoint, and a small habitat of lump orcs; it was a dangerous place.

He checked the map thoroughly and found a safe route, and he memorized it.

“Oh!”

Something reminded him of a small bag of selagin in his subspace. He remembered the conversation of the merchants. He hesitated for a moment as he thought maybe going downstairs would make him bump into AVan once again, but he knew the herbalists in the area would be in the herbal guild so he wanted to help them. When he went down to the first floor, the five tables were all full and it was noisy. There was Avan and Shany enjoying conversation with their beer, and another table was taken by Alph and his members. The other tables were taken by the locals, the herbalists.

“Hey, my mercenary friend! Come over here.”

“Haha! I got a nice room thanks to you. The food and beer are great.”

Haroon smiled and showed his thumbs up.

“Haha! I’m not just saying this because she is my wife, but no woman in this village can cook like her. She’s good at quite a few things, really.”

There were empty mugs on the table; they must have emptied them before he came. Gallon was moving between the kitchen and tables like a squirrel, and he was too busy to clean the tables.

“Alph, is nagging on that list?”

“C’mon, you bet! And something about the long night is on that list too.”

Seeing unreserved jokes given and taken, Haroon thought Alph has got a great personality. He sounded like a good guy to be a friend if he had time. Haroon liked innocent or honest people.

“Join us!”

Alph offered a seat, but Haroon shook his head.

“No thanks. I was planning to take a rest soon. I want to ask you for a favor, though. Introduce me to the leader of the herbalists.”

“Herbalists?”

“I have something to trade. I got a few herbs from the mountain, and I heard their conversation earlier and thought they might need it.”

“Then follow me. That man with a long beard is the village chief. He is in a meeting because they are short of something they contracted with the merchants.”

Alph led Haroon to the table herbalists were sitting at.

“Chief! This fella wants to talk to you.”

The village chief was an old man with a nice-looking gray beard. Herbalists in a wide range of age, young adults to old men, were sitting beside him having a quiet conversation with beer. They paid their attention to Alph and Haroon.

“I am the leader of this village. How may I help you?”

The old man was not feeling well and he wasn’t welcoming Haroon, but he couldn’t ignore when Alph brought him to him.

“I am just a mercenary passing by. I think we can agree on a good deal so I asked Alph to introduce me to you.”

“Huh, a good deal? With us herbalists?”

The chief found this very unexpected. The other herbalists curiously looked at Haroon. That brought the silence to the lobby, and everyone could hear Haroon and the chief.

“I got a lot of selagin coincidentally as I came here from Huk'ran.”

“Oh! You got selagin?!”

Chief jumped up from his seat. That shook the mugs and splashed beer, but no herbalists cared. One of the most important items they have been worried about was selagin. Haroon opened the bag and put a few selagin from the table. Huge fist-like selagin were not dried, but the herbalists were surprised to see the vivid color and the size.

“Wow! That is an amazing selagin. I have never seen such huge and good selagins. ”

The chief was excited. The other herbalists were inspecting selagins with thrilled eyes.

“I was planning to sell them on my next stop, but I happened to overhear that you needed these so I took them down from my room.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much. We were short on these herbs. We still have some time until the due date, but we were worried because it seems it is going to pour down starting tomorrow. As you might know already, selagin is not easy to gather when it rains.”

The chief was right about it. Selagin grows in the cracks of cliffs, and they root in weathered dirt so when it rains and makes the cliff slippery they simply had to give up getting those herbs. Haroon emptied the bag and poured selagin on the table. He didn’t realize it when he gathered them, but there were enough to fill the whole table. They were huge and well-grown.

“So, how should we pay you?”

Smiling, the chief looked back at Haroon, feeling a bit troubled. He had sold herbs before but it wasn’t usual for him to buy them. And they were not common but good-quality herbs, so it was even harder for him.

“I have become friends with Kartz at Thaust.”

“Oh! Kartz! I know him.”

“I thought you may since you seemed to be about the same age. I am not a merchant, not a herbalist, but a mercenary. I have heard a few things about the herbs from him and I happened to notice these bad boys. I’m telling you I got these by accident, so I want you to put a price on it.”

This made the chief happy so he shook his hands

“Haha, I can’t be more glad to meet you. A mercenary, a friend of Kartz! Have you… Have you got him the iron– the thing he wanted for his whole life?”

“I did."

"Hahaha! You have done a great job, getting him what he wanted. Thanks to you I will be seeing his smiling face once again. Hey, Alph! We have an important visitor so grab him some beer!“

The chief ordered a mug of beer for Haroon. He saw how conversation folded out so he quickly went to the kitchen.

“Come and sit, my friend. Everyone, say hi to this mercenary who helped Kartz. He is one of our friends now.”

The herbalists stood up in order and said hi to Haroon. Everyone knew Kartz so they welcomed him. Haroon told the herbalists the locations he found selagin. He won’t be coming back to this area nor harvesting herbs from there, so he didn’t hesitate to tell them about it. The most important information for the herbalists was the natural habitats of rare herbs. It was like a treasure of individuals or the whole village. It was natural that Haroon was getting their favor when he was so easily telling them such great information.

“I would love to have a beer and talk with you great people, but the path from Huk'ran to here was so rough and exhausting I feel very heavy. I am very sorry but you will have to send me up for tonight. I will let you put a price on the herbs, chief. I don't mind taking first-aid medicines instead of money.”

“Oh my goodness! I am sorry I had an exhausted person held. I cannot believe my ears when they tell me you have come from Huk'ran. Well, I suppose I can tell how good you would be when you have helped Kartz. Alright, take a good rest. I will pay you back early in the morning tomorrow.”

Haroon asked the chief and the herbalists for their understanding and went back to his room. He was feeling extremely tired.

—

Haroon woke up early in the morning. The sun wasn’t up yet, but Haroon wore some clothes and went outdoors. The dawn was slowly drawing the darkness away; the air was very refreshing but it felt damp. The herbalists said it will be going to rain for a few days, and it seemed they were right. It was mysterious how they could predict the weather.

Haroon used Messanger Walking to take a walk towards a hill. Refreshing and clear mana entered his body through his feet, and he moved the mana of the mana ocean to operate the mana flow that loops around the central line of the upper body. He was not familiar with making mana circulate by inhaling mana by special breathing while sitting down. From what he has been experimenting with for the last two days in the mountain, casting Messenger Walking and circulating mana at the same time was more efficient. After walking on the hill with Messenger Walking and circulating mana, he heard something from his body. Something was bursting into his body. He stopped moving and sat on the spot, focusing on the mana flow.

‘When did it get so fast?’

The mana rushed through his upper body, significantly faster than how it was the previous day. He wasn’t sure if it was because the mana was not tempered or it has to do something with the sound he just heard, but he liked it so he focused even more.

There was the sound again, and he could tell it was near his shoulder this time. Haroon couldn’t not be surprised when he moved his consciousness there. It was not the mana road that he was circulating the mana, but it was much wider than before.

‘When did this get so wide?’

The mana roads except for the ones he always took had very narrow pathways, but this one was very wide. He couldn’t tell why this path got so wide. He focused on mana again, and after observing the mana and its surroundings, he finally saw why. The mana that seemed to be liquefied due to high density rushed the familiar mana road and the entrances of the twelve narrow mana roads connected to it were showing some cracks. For whatever reasons he couldn’t tell, the mana was influencing mana roads strongly. This gave him an idea so he stopped the circulation and let the mana flow to his shoulder. The mana easily went through the widened road and rushed to his elbow, but it stopped there. The mana road was narrow at his elbow. The mana formed strong pressure and that built excessive pain. He was worried that the mana road would rip if he forced it, so he tried his best on controlling the power and the amount of mana. Soon he felt the mana that flew down to the palm of his hand. He moved it to the tip of the fingers and saw his fingertips glowing. That was the glow of the mana that got out from his body through his fingers. He finally succeeded in moving mana on command. He could put mana in his throwing knives or the bone sword, but it was different this time. Moving mana on his will and feeling the movement of it wasn’t something he never experienced before. He wanted to laugh with such joy, but the experiment wasn’t over yet. He reversed the mana and directed it to his left hand. It wasn’t easy, though. The mana road to his left hand was still narrow, unlike his right shoulder. He didn’t give up and kept it going but not much mana could pass down the road and its strength was very weak so he had to give up.

‘Hmm, I learned a good thing, anyway. If I circulate mana, though I can’t tell why that widens up the other mana roads. If they are not wide, I can’t easily move the mana.’

Unfortunately, he didn’t know how he could widen the mana roads from the elbow to his hand. He realized the necessity of circulating mana flow with a focused mind without casting Messenger Walking. He felt he might be able to find the reason why the mana road of his shoulder got widened in that way.

While he was at it, he checked the mana roads flowing in his lower body. He couldn’t tell if it was for his messenger walking skill but the mana roads from the mana ocean to his feet were widened well. So he could easily move his mana to his feet.

He was operating a simple flow of mana that circulates from the back to the front vertically through his upper body, but he realized he would need to operate a huge mana flow that goes through his entire body. Only in that way, he would learn to move accumulated mana to the places he wants.

This is the process of being an expert as the people of Beyond commonly refer to. Haroon just stepped in the doorway. He finally had a vivid goal. If he learns to use the mana, he could exert more force than what he could do with his simple muscles. He started training curve pitch while he was at it. He moved mana via a certain mana road, and the mana arrived at his hands and accepted his will.