Chapter 66

Chapter 23. The Silver-Eyed Swordsman, Kashmir (1)

"Is it good?"

"Yeah! It's good, mister."

"But I'm not a mister."

Being called 'mister' at fifteen is a cruel thing.

"You are a mister."

Jin gave an awkward smile and shrugged.

He bought an ice cream for the little kid holding a dragon plushie. The kid looked very cute, munching on the sweet ice chips.

'What should I really do with this?'

Seeing Murakhan subtly checking the surroundings, Jin's fists clenched involuntarily.

Gilli's cold expression suggested she was also very angry this time. Of course, when the kid turned to look, Gilli would smile brightly.

It was fortunate, or rather, extremely fortunate, that the kid who saw Murakhan transform was only five years old.

'If it had been a group of adults, there would have been a bounty on our heads in Jip by now.'

Murakhan also learned a lesson from this. While humans generally don't care much about others' affairs, he realized he needed to be more careful about transforming in the future.

After staring at the back of Murakhan's head for a while, Jin sighed deeply.

'Yeah... How frustrated must he be? He's a great black dragon who has never had to consider anyone else's feelings before.'

It had been five years since he woke up from the glass tube in the Storm Castle, but Murakhan's emotional state was still set to a thousand years ago, just before he went to sleep. He was holding back his desire to run wild for Jin's sake and adjusting all his standards to match Jin's.

During their stay in the Storm Castle and the Garden of Swords, except for a few small accidents, he had been very patient.

'Thinking about it, I feel a bit guilty.'

Jin bought another ice cream and offered it to Murakhan. Without a word, Murakhan took it and soon wore a cheerful expression. Gilli, who didn't miss the moment, chuckled.

The little kid, not understanding what was going on, also smiled.

"Then, that mister isn't a cat, right?"

"Yeah, Yuria must have been mistaken."

"Yuria is not mistaken. That mister is a cat. Mister is not a cat."

"Haha, do you like cats?"

Sitting on a bench and eating ice cream with Jin's group, the cute little kid's name was Yuria.

"Umm..."

"Yuria, do you know the way home?"

"No, Yuria doesn't know."

After listening to her for a while, it seemed her parents had temporarily lost her. She had been wandering the streets and happened to meet Jin's group.

So, the three of them decided to help find her parents. There was no urgent matter to handle immediately.

It had been about twenty minutes, but Yuria's parents still hadn't shown up.

"Master, shouldn't we take her to the nearby guard post? We have no connections here."

"That's a good idea. Finish your ice cream..."

However, as soon as the word 'guard' was mentioned, Yuria frowned.

"I don't like it there. They always make Mom tired."

"The guards make your mom tired?"

"Yeah, Mom is very tired because of the guards."

Many thoughts flashed through Jin's mind.

'Are they exploiting the guards?'

'Or is Yuria's mother a criminal?'

There weren't many interpretations for the statement that the guards made her mom tired.

After a moment of consideration, the three decided it was best to take her there. Yuria, who had been pouting, seemed to agree.

"What a good kid, Master. You must have had a similar time... No, you didn't. Haha."

Finding the nearby guard post wasn't difficult. The people of Tikan, a free city, didn't particularly distrust outsiders.

The guard post building was very clean, with a white exterior and well-painted letters.

-Tikan Free City Central Guard Post.

The fact that it was the central guard post was appealing. It's always easier to handle things at the largest institution.

"Tikan Central Guard Post. What brings you here?"

"Ah, well, the kid..."

"Hey, isn't that Yuria? Hey, bring the chief over."

"Do you know her?"

"Haha, not just know her. She's our chief's daughter."

"Really?"

Yuria, who had been very averse to the guards, was now being treated like a VIP.

Ah, so that's what she meant by her mom being tired because of the guards. The three of them chuckled simultaneously.

"Kid, you dared to trick this Murakhan?"

"I didn't trick you, cat mister."

"I'm not a cat, I told you."

Step, step.

A moment later, a tall woman approached where the three were standing. She was at least two meters tall, with broad shoulders and a nasty scar by her left eye.

She looked like someone who could run five dark organizations like Teshing without any trouble, but she was wearing a guard uniform. Her rank, indicating 'chief,' was noticeable.

She picked up Yuria.

"Haha, Yuria. Sorry, sorry. I suddenly remembered something urgent and rushed back, so I forgot about you."

"It's okay."

"Of course, it's okay. Everyone in this city knows that if they touch you, they'll go to heaven. Or they won't see the sky again."

Despite making a brutal joke in front of her five-year-old daughter, it felt full of affection.

For a moment, Jin's group was speechless.

"Thank you for bringing Yuria. I'm late in greeting you. I'm Alisa Vetter, the chief of Tikan's guard post."

Jin's group, taken aback, shook hands with Alisa.

"You're travelers, I see. Since most people in the city know Yuria's face, I was a bit careless."

"No, it's fine. It's a relief that she's the chief's daughter. I was worried it might take a long time to find her guardian."

"Ah, you even got her an ice cream. Yuria, do a belly rub. Anyway, thank you very much. How can I repay you?"

"If there's a good place to stay nearby, a recommendation would be appreciated. We just arrived."

"Oh, a place to stay. Wait a moment, Yuria, what?"

Whisper, whisper.

As Alisa bent down, Yuria whispered something.

A moment later, Alisa tilted her head, wrote something on a piece of paper, stamped it, and handed it to the group. It was a simple letter of introduction.

"This is an introduction letter with the chief's seal. Show it at any inn, and they won't overcharge you or treat you poorly. The food will be better too."

"Oh, that's great. I'll use it well. We'll be on our way now."

As the three left the guard post, Alisa shrugged.

"Yuria, did you really see a cat turn into a person?"

"Yeah. But the mister and the lady didn't want to tell, so I pretended not to know."

Alisa playfully tousled Yuria's hair.

"Good job. Everyone has secrets."

Then, she thought to herself.

'Transformation... Only dragons can do that. Yuria must have seen it correctly. I should talk to Kashmir about this.'

* * *

The power of the Tikan guard chief's letter of introduction was beyond expectations.

Jin's group chose a high-end inn in the outskirts. As soon as they showed the letter, a dedicated staff member followed them, and all services were discounted by half.

Moreover, they were given the best room, which usually required a reservation. Thanks to this, the group could finally enjoy a proper rest.

"Wow, such incredible treatment. I only experienced this in Hupester. Power is truly the best, isn't it?"

"The bed is so soft, I really like it, kid. This is what a good inn should feel like. My back was so uncomfortable in Akkin."

"Things seem to be going well in Tikan. We had such good luck right after arriving. Oh, this cocktail and shrimp dish are delicious, Master. Try it. Can we order more?"

"Goodness, Gilli. Why are you even asking? Order, quickly order."

It felt like they were on a real trip.

'I've never experienced this before.'

They had been together since the Storm Castle, but this was the first time they had such a moment.

Especially Gilli, who seemed to be humming a tune non-stop, looked very happy. Jin felt a bittersweet feeling, as this was the first time he saw Gilli so happy.

'She likes this so much. Gilli must have had no time to play or have her own time since she became my nanny.'

I won't make Gilli miserable like in my previous life. I'll make sure no one in Runkandel can treat her poorly, even if they are of pure blood.

But is that really the best for Gilli? Maybe it's better to just let her enjoy her life.

This thought crossed his mind.

"Gilli."

"Yes, Master."

"Have you ever regretted becoming my nanny?"

Gilli hesitated, then looked at Jin intently. She immediately understood why he asked.

"Never. This joy is meaningless without Master. Of course, Murakhan-sama too. Although Murakhan-sama can be quite annoying sometimes."

"Since we're on the topic, strawberry pie. I have a question for you. What are you missing that you stick around in Runkandel? You don't crave wealth or power like Emma or someone."

Jin was grateful for Murakhan's sudden intervention. He didn't know what to say after hearing Gilli's answer.

"Hmm... That's."

"Did you get caught in a weakness? Or do you have a lifelong debt to Runkandel? Your dedication seems overly blind."

"Can I tell you the reason later?"

"When will you tell us? Strawberry pie."

"When I'm a grandma?"

"Short. I can wait that long. But you must give me an answer."

Gilli said it jokingly, but Murakhan took it seriously. Considering his lifespan, a few decades wasn't a long time.

"Haha, anyway, I'll order more shrimp dishes."

When Gilli left the room, Murakhan called Jin.

"Kid."

"Yeah."

"You have a blessed life."

"I agree."

Soon, Gilli returned.

Her face was more urgent than expected, as if she had just ordered more shrimp dishes.

"Master, Murakhan-sama. Something's wrong. There's not a single person in the inn."

"What?"

"Not just the staff, but all the guests have left in a hurry. Something..."

At that moment, clank, clank, clank!

Dozens of footsteps echoed from the hallway and stairs. It was undoubtedly the sound of steel boots.

The overlapping footsteps in the hallway soon subsided, replaced by a calm, steady pace.

A man walked in through the open door.

A famous swordsman known to Jin and Gilli, but not to Murakhan.

"Are you well?"

It was the Silver-Eyed Swordsman, Kashmir.