Surviving on the Northern Front with Gukbap

Chapter 25 : Escape

Escape

Someday, when I inherited my parents' shop,

before anything else, I always wanted to start with a remodel.

It was a gukbap restaurant that had great taste but severely lacked in marketing and interior design.

But now, I was doing that remodeling in a medieval fantasy.

'You just never know what life has in store.'

At dawn,

as I checked the backpack I packed up before falling asleep last night, this thought crossed my mind.

Jerky, sausage, potatoes, rice balls, flint, pot, water pouch, compass, map, emergency cash,

and even a bundle of clean cloth and herbs just in case.

Did I forget anything?

'That should do for the final check.'

I wore a thick shirt patched between my tunic and gambeson, with a robe thrown over everything.

Of course, all of them were keepsakes from the late Burt.

As I slung the heavy backpack over my shoulder and left my room,

"......."

My eyes were met by the chaotic, trashed hall I still hadn't gotten used to.

I almost let out a sigh but barely swallowed it back.

'Let's think positively, Ian.'

It's not like I can even run the shop in its current state.

With soldiers not dropping by due to the emergency, and it being a tough season to source ingredients, maybe this is actually a blessing in disguise?

All I had to do was pull off a successful remodel and shed the inn's shabby image.

Come to think of it, I wondered how the inn's recognition was on the system window.

'Shop menu, inn.'

[Inn]

〈 Grade: Worn and shabby inn 〉

〈 Recognition: Village tier (69/100) 〉

I was supposed to be building up renown for the quest,

but the recognition had dropped from 78 to 69.

Just one day of no business and chaos in the shop, and it's already like this.

'How could I not feel anxious?'

There's nothing for it.

I could only get to Grey Fortress as fast as possible.

The sooner I remodeled, the sooner I'd be able to reopen.

Before dawn had fully broken,

I left the shop.

'Strangely excited, yet nervous at the same time.'

Just yesterday, I'd been all excited at the prospect of going to the city,

but now that I was actually about to leave the village, I found myself nervous.

'Even though I occasionally visited in the game, the real thing is completely different.'

Lost in such stray thoughts, as I was walking toward the smithy,

"Stop right there!"

Guards in front of me pointed their swords at me and shouted.

They glared at me, eyes tense.

"Remove your hood and state your guild."

A guild? Did they think I was an adventurer?

I raised both arms to show I meant no harm and spoke.

"It's me. Ian."

I pushed back the hood of my robe and smiled.

Only then did jaw-jutting Ralph and the guard I didn't know relax and lower their swords.

"So, it was you? I thought it was someone suspicious skulking around in a robe at dawn!"

Ralph said.

I barely restrained myself from laughing at their exasperated tone.

"I thought you just trained and ate all day, but looks like you're diligent at your main job too."

"Ha. Exactly. With all the incidents happening lately, we can't slack off."

Ralph continued, looking tired.

"By the way, why are you wearing a robe? Heading somewhere?"

"I'm heading to Grey Fortress."

"Now? Why there?"

"I've got business with the stonemason guild."

"For repairs on your shop?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"Well, your place is a total slime mess now. Be careful out there. If you haven't heard the rumors—,?!"

At that moment,

a group of a dozen or so soldiers ran past, catching our attention.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

At the head, a middle-aged man with green eyes led the soldiers, shouting,

"Hurry up, all of you! This is the company commander's order!"

"Yes, sir!!"

Ralph clicked his tongue as he watched the man.

"Damn. That's Company Commander Hank. What's going on?"

"For now, squad leader. Let's follow."

"Sure. Anyway, Ian, take care."

They hurried off toward the soldiers.

But, of all directions, the soldiers were running toward,

'Exactly where my shop is.'

Of course, there were other things besides my shop that way.

Still, something felt off.

Didn't the green-eyed man say it was the 'company commander's order'?

I was curious what kind of order warranted that commotion,

but I forced down my rising curiosity.

'Let's focus on what I have to do first.'

I needed to bring back a skilled artisan from a good stonemason guild.

To do that, I had to get to Grey Fortress as quickly as possible.

I set aside the unease and made my way,

arriving at the smithy and knocking on the door.

Bang, Bang!

This was the true medieval fantasy version of 'Hey boss, come out!'

It was surprisingly exhilarating.

"Huam. Welcome...... Huh? You're the outsider?"

"Did you sleep well? I'm here for the kitchen knives I left yesterday."

"Damn, with that robe, I thought you were an adventurer here to buy weapons. Want to get yourself killed at dawn?"

"You told me to come after sunrise."

Ignoring my words, Gerald turned and went back inside.

"Here. Take them and get lost."

He handed me two kitchen knives wrapped in cloth and slammed the door.

Bang!

'He's even ruder than usual this morning.'

Still, as long as the knives were well-sharpened, that was all that mattered.

I unwrapped the cloth and gripped a knife in one hand.

As it twirled and fit snugly, I couldn't help but admire it.

'Now it finally feels like my old kitchen knife.'

Indeed, reforging it with scythe iron made it much heavier.

It was nothing like the old, lightweight feel.

The blade now shone like new.

It looked like it could cut anything.

'If only I could just use this for cooking.'

But, instincts taking over, I slipped the knife into my waistband.

Since I had no real weapon yet.

Unlike my shabby makeshift weapon,

the arming sword displayed in the smithy's glass case shimmered in the morning sun.

The price written below was seven shillings.

'That's ridiculously expensive.'

Of course, Gerald was a master craftsman, so the price was justified,

but I'd heard prices were even higher in a frontline village.

That's why I planned to pick up a decent arming sword at Grey Fortress.

'Just wait till I sell that salt. I'll go for a full gear set!'

Grinning, I left for the village outskirts.

"Huff... huff..."

I spotted a soldier,

catching his breath as he muttered.

"Damn outsider. Where the hell is he?"

"?!"

At those words, I hurriedly pressed my hood down.

'What?'

As far as I knew, I was the only outsider in this village.

So that meant—

'Those soldiers from before are looking for me.'

And since that green-eyed bastard said 'company commander's order' earlier,

did the company commander send out these troops to find me?

'Doesn't look like they're looking for me for a good reason.'

I'd done nothing wrong so was unafraid,

but seeing the soldier's demeanor, blurting out 'I'm the outsider!' didn't seem wise.

So—

'Let's just ignore it and leave the village.'

With that decision, I set off.

The soldier happened to be right where I needed to pass,

but I walked past with as normal a gait as possible—not too fast, not too slow.

In this robe, they likely mistook me for an adventurer and wouldn't even see my face—

"Hey."

"......."

Of course. Damn it.

The soldier went out of his way to speak to me.

I lowered my head, hiding my face, and replied.

"Yes, what is it?"

In a voice even lower than usual.

"Hm. By any chance..."

I swallowed nervously, careful not to let him hear.

The soldier took a few steps closer and spoke.

"Have you seen a black-haired easterner in everyday clothes around here?"

"If you mean that person..."

I pointed off toward the center of the village plaza.

"He went that way."

"Oh, really? Thanks!"

The soldier ran off, passing right by me.

'Thank goodness.'

If he'd asked me to lift the hood, I'd have been caught for sure.

Glad he fell for it so easily.

But why are they after me?

'No, this isn't the time to stand around.'

I had to leave the village fast.

I could figure out later why they were searching for me;

for now, I just needed to get out, go to Grey Fortress as planned.

Picking up the pace, I finally reached the village entrance.

Standing right in the middle of the entryway was a familiar guard.

'Jeros.'

He stood as if he'd known I'd be coming by,

then, upon seeing me, gave a sly grin.

'Even with the robe and hood, he recognizes me?'

Step. Step.

Jeros walked right up to me.

But judging by the mood, he didn't seem to be trying to catch me.

Was he different from the soldiers looking for me earlier?

No, he was in the same company.

If the order came from the company commander, shouldn't Jeros be searching for me too?

"What are you so deep in thought about? Heh heh."

Before I knew it, Jeros was right in front of me, chuckling.

"...... The soldiers seem to be looking for me."

"It does look that way. Heh heh."

"Why's that?"

"How should I know?"

So Jeros didn't know the reason either.

"Aren't you going to catch me?"

"Who knows. Heh heh."

"......"

"Why are you just standing there? Heh heh. Go on, before the others get you."

His intention to let me go left me a bit confused.

"Why are you letting me go?"

"You're my cash cow. Didn't you say you'd go to Grey Fortress to make me money? Hurry up, get lost. Heh heh."

Damn.

I didn't understand anything anymore.

Time to leave.

As I passed by Jeros,

his voice hit me from behind.

"You have to come back. Don't forget your life's in my hands."

I paused for a second,

then rushed toward the outside of the village.

*

Compared to the path leading to the Ice Bear habitat where I buried Burt, this was a much smoother main road.

I followed that road.

If I got tired of walking, I'd rest,

check my direction with a compass while watching the sky,

and, feeling better, I'd go on again.

I had a water pouch but didn't need it.

If I got thirsty, I chewed on snow hanging from tree branches.

The pristine snow was incredibly refreshing.

Come midday, a thought crossed my mind:

'Should I just run away for good?'

Because of my robe, even villagers mistook me for an adventurer.

If I put down roots in another region where no one knew I was an outsider,

I'd never have to hear people call me 'outsider' again.

'If I just say I'm from the eastern Len Kingdom, nobody will know.'

They say most outsiders either die or become slaves,

but I bet quite a few manage to survive, escape, and forge new identities like me.

It almost seems possible, given my situation now.

'Ha. Come to think of it, even after taking over the shop, I never actually thought of running away.'

I killed Burt,

traded with Jeros,

and just kept the shop running, surviving day by day.

Of course, that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy actually running the shop and cooking.

Still,

only now did I suddenly feel stupid for not considering escape sooner.

'Maybe I should just go wherever my feet take me. Like a real adventurer.'

Just like my Belkhazium game character.

Biting my lower lip, I tasted blood.

Guess I was subconsciously tensing up.

"Ptui."

Spitting out bloody saliva.

A red drop fell between the white snow.

Naturally, the murder I committed a few days ago came to mind.

I stabbed and killed a person with a kitchen knife as if it were nothing.

Just to survive.

To protect my first employee, Naba.

'Ah, Naba.'

Suddenly the boy I'd left in the village came to mind.

The one waiting for me, trusting only me, in the awkward house of strangers.

With that, I opened the system window.

[Inn]

〈 Grade: Worn and shabby inn 〉

〈 Recognition: Village tier (68/100) 〉

---------(Staff List)--------

〈 [1] Nanabas Lokalio 〉

└ Grade: ???

└ Buff Application Rate: 50% + 0%

There was still a question mark next to Naba's grade.

I had to clear the quest and earn points to get rid of that question mark.

And in just a few hours, the recognition dropped again.

That was infuriating too.

But, is this really what I want?

"Pfft."

A bitter laugh slipped out.

Only a short while ago I was toying with the idea of running away,

yet I was now opening the system to check on my shop and staff.

'Damn it.'

Swallowing curses, I scanned the system window.

To earn points in the shop menu, I had to keep the shop running.

Quests were the same.

In other words, to improve myself and grow stronger, 'running the shop is essential.'

So I was torn.

Should I run far away like this, or finish what I had to do and return to Granfen as before?

And then,

'Why did the company commander send soldiers to look for me?'

I couldn't find an answer,

but I kept walking toward Grey Fortress.

There was nothing else I could do right now.

Caw, caw.

When I looked up at the sky at the sound of crows, the sun had already set.

It was about time to look for a campsite,

and just then, I spotted a suitable cave in the distance.

Breaking off branches for firewood as I walked toward the cave,

'Hm?'

There was a sign of someone—or something—inside the cave.

Was it really? Hopefully it wasn't just a wild animal.

Crunching over the snowy ground and stepping inside,

I found four eyes staring back at me.