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Translator: Barnnn
During a horsebus journey, the need for water seemed to echo through every hour of the day.
Water was essential as sustenance, naturally, but its importance stretched far beyond that — it was needed for cooking, for cleaning dishes, and for maintaining some semblance of personal hygiene. In the close quarters of the horsebus, where bodies were pressed together for hours on end, the absence of cleanliness would soon make the journey unbearable.
Naturally, the horses, those noble creatures pulling the weight of their collective burdens, required their share of fresh water as well.
–And thus,
“Hal! Over here! The horses are thirsty — get some water out for them, would you?”
“Hal, my boy! Can you spare a bit of water for the soup?”
“Ah, sorry to trouble you, but my wife says I reek. Any chance you could help me out with some water for a quick wash?”
–Hal’s life had entered some strange phase of ‘Mister Popular.’
“This isn’t the kind of ‘popular’ I had in mind!”
“All this work must be exhausting, huh?” Ize chuckled beside him. “I know they’re paying you, but it’s starting to feel like you’re some kind of tourist attraction. Like that fountain in Singapore–“
“At least I’m not spitting the water out of my mouth,” Hal interrupted, rolling his eyes.
“Maybe you should try pretending you are. Maybe then they’d stop pestering you for it.”
“Yeah, and I’d lose whatever dignity I’ve got left…”
“Mm-hmm,” Ize nodded. “They’d definitely be creeped out.”
On the very first day of the journey, Fieda, one of the guards and a veteran of the route, had remarked, “You’re fresh out of your Coming-of-Age Ceremony, Hal. You probably can’t summon much yet.” And so, at the time, Hal had only provided the bare minimum when asked.
But, as the hours stretched into days, something curious became apparent — Hal’s magical gift for producing water seemed boundless. No matter how much was asked for, his magical energy never ran dry. Fieda, seeing this, began to make requests more frequently, and soon enough, the other passengers took note. By the third day, Hal had succumbed to their constant pleas, transforming into a veritable human water fountain, always on call.
By now, they were nearing the end of the third day of their journey. Along the way, they had stopped at two towns to drop off passengers. Tomorrow, there would be one final stop to pick up more travelers before, on the day after, the horsebus would reach its destination — Dukatten.
Fieda kept a sharp eye on the passengers, giving quiet orders to the other guard and reacting quickly whenever Mystic Beasts came too close.
Ize, too, kept her Perception skill active, using the steady pace of the journey to refine her proficiency. But she couldn’t help noticing how Fieda’s responses to the Beasts mirrored her own almost exactly. Perhaps he had a skill similar to hers.
As night fell, Fieda would often drift over to their camp, teasing Ize and sharing bits of hard-earned wisdom with Hal — advice every fledgling adventurer needed. And when the mood struck him, he’d entertain them with stories of his favorite Sages. Somehow, his gravelly voice had a way of making those ancient tales feel more vivid than any fantasy novel.
“Hey, kids! Smells like you’re cooking up something nice over here!”
Ize groaned. “Here we go again…”
“What, were you waiting for me, little shrimp?” Fieda teased, his voice dripping with mock affection.
“I. Was. Not. Now. Go. Away,” Ize replied, her voice stiff and robotic.
Hal raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “Ize, honesty might be a virtue, but that was rude.”
“You’re not helping, kid…” Fieda shook his head before sniffing the air again. “So, what’s that you’re having?”
“Oh, this? It’s, uh…” Hal hesitated for a moment, searching for the right words as he gestured toward the dish. “…fried chicken. In a sweet and spicy sauce.”
In truth, it was yangnyeom chicken — one of the pre-prepared dishes Ize had brought over from Earth, stashed away in her Magic Bag. Alongside it, there were ones that came in salted garlic and hot chili sauces. Hal, too, contributed to their supply, having stored up some local fried chicken wings from his final business trip. Between the two of them, they had, oddly enough, quite an abundance of infinitely respawning fried chicken.
“I swear, you two are obsessed…” Fieda muttered, glancing down at the fried chicken. “By the way, Hal, you really HAVE to read that book I mentioned — the one about the Sage of Alchemy.”
“S-sure thing.”
Ize tilted her head. “Alchemy? So, this Sage, they… made things?”
“All sorts of things,” Fieda said, nodding. “But the most famous creations? Magic-powered tools, each with a personalized identification function. And, of course, Magic Bags with ownership registration.”
At the mention of Magic Bags, Fieda’s tone suddenly shifted. His easy-going manner vanished, replaced by a somber expression.
Even Ize, who had been casually munching, felt the sudden tension. Swallowing her mouthful a little too loudly, she hurriedly straightened up in her seat.
“Well,” Fieda began, “Magic Bags that are passed down through families are often set to be used only by blood relatives. If it’s not something you have to worry about, don’t stress over it.”
“Huh… so are Magic Bags that rare?” Ize asked, her brow furrowing in curiosity.
“Rare doesn’t begin to cover it. Let me break it down for you — there are three ways you can get your hands on one of these bags.” He held up three fingers — and Ize couldn’t help but feel relieved he wasn’t one to wiggle them around the way Hal might. “One, you inherit it from a Sage’s family. Two, you find one in a Dungeon, either as treasure or monster loot. And three, you buy one made by someone with a rare space manipulation skill. In the first case, Magic Bags are treated like family heirlooms. No one’s letting go of one that easily. In the second case, adventurers usually keep what they find, especially something this valuable. Most A-rank adventurers own one, maybe half of the B-ranks do too. If someone’s in a bind, you might see one for sale, but I wouldn’t count on it. And then there’s the third option, which is the most common if you’ve got the coin. But you can imagine what the price looks like.” He paused, glancing at Hal to see if he was following, and the latter nodded slowly. “Old noble families almost always have Magic Bags. It’s a status symbol for them. On the flip side, newer powers are desperate to get their hands on one.”
“Given how valuable they are, I’d imagine people try to steal them?” Hal asked, frowning.
Fieda’s expression darkened further. “It happens. And sometimes, it’s worse. There are stories of people being imprisoned, forced to have children who can access a family’s Magic Bag — just to get the bloodline right. I swear I’m not making this up, kid.”
“I see… well, if I ever have one, I’ll be careful.”
“Yeah, if you ever have one. BIG if.” Fieda took another bite of chicken. “Boy, this chicken’s pretty damn good. Could use a bit more spice, but I bet it’s just right for the little shrimp here, eh?”
“Shut up!” Ize snapped, her face flushing as she threw a glare at him. “You come over here, eat our food uninvited, and now you’ve got complaints?”
Despite her protest, she found herself scooping more yangnyeom chicken onto his plate, as a thank you for the story.
◆
The following day, Fieda shared that their destination, the city of Dukatten, was famed for its cuisine — all sorts of dishes crafted from a mildly sweet local potato.
“Candied sweet potatoes, potato pies, roasted potatoes, dried potatoes, maybe even steamed potato bread…” Ize rattled off a list of delicacies with the fervor of someone casting a spell.
Hal, exhaling in mild exasperation, thanked Fieda for his endless stream of advice while conjuring water wherever Fieda directed.
Fieda waved him off, his expression easy and unbothered. “No need to thank me. It’s not every day you see young travelers like yourselves out here. I just didn’t want you two getting tangled up with the wrong crowd, or worse, losing your heads over some petty squabble. Besides, my partner’s gotten good enough to hold his own — I’ve had a lot of free time on this trip now that I don’t have to boss him around.”
“So what’s next for you?” Hal asked. “Are you going to keep guarding this route?”
“Nope. After this, it’s a trip back to the capital, then I’ll be reassigned to a new route.”
Suspicion flickered in Ize’s eyes.
“Okay, fess up, Fieda — who’d you offend to deserve that?”
“Damn it, you little– I didn’t do anything! It’s just how the union works.” Fieda made a sweeping motion with his hands, drawing a large circle as if holding an invisible bowl. “See, the younger ones are assigned further from the capital — they handle the long, dangerous routes, where Mystic Beasts are more rampant. Then as you get older, they start placing you closer to either the capital or wherever your home base is. The routes shorten, and eventually…” He gradually shrank the circle with his hands until only a pair of clenched fists remained. “…you’re either escorting horsebuses within city limits or working behind the scenes.”
Ize’s brow furrowed as she studied Fieda’s expression. “Fieda… is it just me, or are you a bit sad about it?””
“What? I’m not–” Fieda hesitated, then shrugged. “Well, maybe a little. There’s something relaxing about these country roads, away from the noise and rush of the capital. Not that that’s bad, mind you. But when you’re older, that’s just the way it goes. Gotta be grateful they keep giving an old man jobs at all.”
“I see…”
“Eh, don’t worry about it. Anyway, it won’t be long until Dukatten. Listen, Hal — once you’re there, finding a place to stay is your top priority, but don’t forget to check with the union about the next outbound horsebus. Miss it, and you might end up stuck for a week. That’s a headache you don’t want.”
Hal nodded. “Sure. Got any good inns to recommend, by the way?”
“I won’t settle for anywhere without good food!” Ize chimed in.
Fieda chuckled. “Well, there’s a place near the northern gate that serves great breakfast. It’s conveniently close to where you’d board the next horsebus. No need to drag yourselves across town when it’s time to leave.”
Fieda’s attention to detail didn’t go unnoticed by Ize, whose mischievous smile crept onto her face.
“And where are you staying, Fieda? Got someone special waiting for you, maybe?”
“Shut it, little shrimp. I’m staying at the union’s lodgings.”
“Huh, I didn’t know they offered that,” Hal said.
“Yeah, it’s convenient. Right by the job site. Not much more than a roof and a bed, but that’s all we need.”
Fieda’s subsequent laughter echoed warmly. After a moment’s reflection, he admitted that this would likely be his last visit to Dukatten for some time. Because of that, he planned to take a longer break than usual before setting out on his return route.
In a gesture of gratitude, Hal proposed that, should he and Ize find themselves with time to spare before the next horsebus, they should meet again to share a good meal.
And so, with that promise made, the horsebus reached its destination the following day.
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