Chapter 47
For a moment, suspicions about Ralph Steiner began to creep up, but… Ruan quickly denied the thought he had conjured.
‘No, there’s no way another beast-person would appear out of nowhere. The existence of beast-people itself is supposed to be a secret, so it can’t be that common.’
Of course, given that the truth about the ‘Northern Grand Duke Dietrich Reinke’ was like that, there was a good chance that ‘Guild Master Ralph Steiner’ wasn’t entirely as described in the novel either.
Ruan recalled what he had realized when he found out the Grand Duke was a cat beast-person.
‘I can’t just assume things carelessly here because that’s how it was in the novel.’
Ruan had already been blindsided once by what wasn’t described in the novel. Relying completely on the novel’s descriptions might lead to the same mistake again.
‘If that’s the case, they should have hinted at the incomplete narration in the novel… Like that novel that starts with a monologue asking to be called by a name that’s clearly an alias, making you think from the start, “What’s up with this narrator?”‘
The content of the novel “Tales of the Sirah Empire,” which lacked such kind devices, was something to be constantly doubted while being referenced.
He was no longer just a reader, after all.
Blindly trusting the reader’s perspective could make him lose his sense as a person living in this world. Generally, knowing information that others don’t can be a great weapon, but if he missed what was right in front of him while being swayed by it, he’d end up stabbing himself with the weapon he had just acquired.
Looking at the pink tongue slightly sticking out of the ‘violent and cold-hearted Northern Grand Duke’ from the novel, Ruan resolved:
‘I need to face Ralph with all possibilities open, not trapped by the perception created by the novel.’
And…
Until now, Ruan had no idea.
That the next day, upon meeting ‘Guild Master Ralph Steiner,’ he would think, ‘Wait, did I need to keep my mind this open to possibilities?’
* * *
Around noon the next day, Ruan got into a carriage.
It was to go and meet the Steiner Guild, who had said they would come by sea.
‘A carriage, of all things…’
As Kim Ha-jin, he rarely saw them, and even after the transmigration, he hadn’t had the chance to ride one as he only traveled short distances on foot.
This first-ever experience with a carriage as a means of transportation was giving the weak modern person Ruan a newfound respect for whoever invented rubber tires.
‘I thought Willis Carrier, who invented air conditioning, made an enormous contribution to humanity… But riding on wooden wheels on unpaved roads is really no easy feat.’
It was bearable now as they were traveling a short distance, but if he had to go on a long journey in this…
Ruan shuddered at the thought, feeling his back ache just imagining it.
‘Ugh. It’s terrible just thinking about it.’
Although his physical condition had improved a lot since the early days of transmigration when he had just woken up after being unconscious for a long time, ‘Ruan Daen’s’ body was still not particularly healthy. If he had to travel long distances in such a carriage, he might really end up with chronic pain.
‘But unless I get caught up in a war, what reason would I have to leave Reinke? I just need to prevent Louise’s schemes well.’
Having concluded that he wouldn’t have to ride a wooden-wheeled carriage for long distances, Ruan glanced out the window.
The sea was already visible in the distance. As Ruan’s gaze was captivated by the sight of the dark mass of water with its overwhelming volume tossing about…
“Why? Feeling stuffy?”
Magda suddenly spoke through the open window.
Wearing armor reinforced with ogre leather and riding a horse beside the carriage, Magda looked more like a reliable knight than her usual self who would bicker with her slightly older brother.
Looking at this unfamiliar sight, Ruan shook his head.
“No. I was just wondering how far we’ve come. Seems like we’re almost there?”
“Yeah. We’ll arrive soon. Want to ride with me if you’re feeling stuffy?”
For a moment, he thought riding a horse might be better than this terribly uncomfortable carriage… but remembering that horse riding was also an intense core workout, he decided against it.
‘With all the transportation options in this place being so intense, at this rate I’ll become a transmigrator who just commutes to and from work even in another world…’
As he was thinking that even a transmigrator needs health and core strength to live properly, the carriage finally arrived at its destination.
As soon as the carriage, which had been slowly decelerating, came to a stop, Ruan leapt out of the vehicle with its terrible ride quality.
Along with the relief of finally setting foot on solid ground, the cool air carrying the heavy scent of the sea enveloped his cheeks. Adjusting his collar against the distinctly cold wind near the sea, Ruan surveyed his surroundings.
Due to the long periods when sea routes were unusable because of the climate and the scarcity of travelers, harbors hadn’t developed much in Reinke. The seaside had only a small dock that could accommodate a couple of ships and some basic facilities attached to it.
Ruan was satisfied that the dock was at least reasonably clean.
Given Reinke’s tight finances that made it difficult to repair even important facilities, there hadn’t been the capacity to care for rarely used facilities, leaving them in a mess. It had been hastily tidied up in anticipation of the guild’s visit.
‘If we start trading with the Steiner Guild, there will be more ships coming and going… When we get some money, we should renovate this place a bit.’
Adding a new item to his ‘Things to Do When We Have Money’ list, Ruan shifted his gaze to the distant sea. A single ship stood out starkly against the empty, quiet sea surface.
Having arrived early, it seemed it would take quite some time for the ship to reach the dock.
As Ruan tightened his collar once more, his eyes fixed on the ship approaching from afar, Magda approached him.
“Hmm… At that distance, it’ll take about 30 to 40 minutes to arrive. Ruan, do you want to wait in the carriage?”
“No, I’m the person in charge, I can’t be absent. Besides, the sea breeze feels nice.”
“Tell me if you get tired. I heard you’ve been extremely busy lately. Dad was almost in tears every time he saw you, saying you seemed to be getting thinner.”
As Magda spoke, examining Ruan’s wrist and neck exposed outside his clothes, Ruan replied with a faint smile.
“Well, it can’t be helped since it’s my project. And everyone’s busy, aren’t they? Dad’s workload must have increased a lot because of this too, right? I can’t be lazy when I’m the one who started this.”
Looking at Ruan, Magda blurted out:
“Dad would much prefer you coming home one more time for a meal than working more.”
Freezing at those words, Ruan forced an awkward smile and said:
“Yeah… That’s true.”
Despite reminding himself several times that the Daen family would much prefer Ruan spending time with them and smiling rather than struggling to make up for the trouble he thought he had caused, Ruan often forgot this.
Feeling a strange emotion at the fact Magda had reminded him of again, Ruan added:
“I’ll come for a meal when we get back from the guild.”
“Yeah. Everyone will be happy.”
Magda briefly replied and then gripped her brother’s shoulder firmly a couple of times, as he kept his gaze fixed on the sea instead of looking at her.
“Ouch! Sis, that hurts!”
“That’s because your shoulders are tense.”
“No, honestly, when a knight grips like that, it hurts anyone!”
“Oh my. To think the son of Julia Daen, the captain of the Frost Blade Knights, would whine because he can’t endure this. How can you show your face?”
A refreshing smile had appeared on Magda’s face as she watched her brother jump up and protest.
* * *
While Ruan was suffering from Magda’s teasing, the ship that had been visible in the distance finally arrived right in front of them.
As soon as Ruan and Magda, who had been bickering, instantly put on the faces of a capable aide and a reliable knight and stood at the dock, the ship slowly reduced its speed.
While Magda helped with docking by catching the rope thrown from the ship, Ruan’s gaze fell on the Steiner Guild’s vessel.
Although it wasn’t a large ship, given that it was a coastal voyage with few people and not much cargo, it looked sturdy and luxurious, befitting the use of the Steiner Guild’s master.
Ruan was thinking about how all the ships in Reinke had been ruined during the period when it had become a monster field untouched by human hands… when suddenly,
His eyes met those of a man standing on the deck.
It was a man with eyes so dark that it was hard to distinguish between the iris and pupil.
Just as Ruan thought it had been a while since he’d seen such dark eyes.
The black eyes that spotted Ruan sparkled. And that light soon turned into overwhelming joy, flowing down the gently downturned, soft eyes. The eyes with their docile impression curved into a full smile without resistance.
The early afternoon sunlight sparkled like ripples on water on his long, lightly pigmented eyelashes.
Looking at the radiant smile spreading across the face that seemed as if carved from ivory, delicate and handsome, Ruan immediately recognized who he was.
The person he had been waiting for. The young master of the Steiner Guild, Ralph Steiner.
