55
“This is the last thing we need to pack.”
Yeon Ji-ho carefully placed the water canteen in a corner of the caravan. When Set and Shango, who were riding with him, looked his way, he dusted off his hands and grumbled.
“…Now there’s really nothing else.”
“Is that so?”
In fact, it had been Ji-ho who kept saying it was the end, only to add one more item to the luggage each time. Of course, Set and Shango had silently helped move the luggage every time he did this.
Anyway, they had packed everything they needed to pack. It was a completely different amount compared to when they only carried a few backpacks last time. This was possible because they had the caravan as a means of transport, and they had packed enough supplies to last at least a month in the caravan.
“But can we really travel with this? We don’t have to move it to the wardrobe or something, do we…?”
Unfortunately, what Ji-ho had was a trailer that couldn’t move without a car pulling it from the front. It would be fine to tie it to horses like a carriage or use magic after crossing over to the other world, but not now.
Fortunately, Ji-ho’s imagination was off the mark. Set rolled up his sleeve to show the gate drawn there.
“No. The method of movement is different from last time. Because the gate is engraved on my body.”
“Oh, so then…”
“It works like teleportation magic, Ji-ho. Everything in contact with me will move.”
Of course, this didn’t mean that Set had to touch every item in the caravan. The method was that everything touching Set, and furthermore, everything touching those items, would all move.
It was fortunate that while there was a limit of three people, there was no limit on the transfer of objects. Ji-ho gently touched the gate drawn on Set’s forearm and suddenly asked.
“Then, what happens to this pattern after we move?”
“The glowing color of the gate will disappear, making it unusable. After that, it just remains as a pattern. That’s why merchants who travel frequently often have these patterns left on their bodies.”
It’s a shame that this beautifully glowing blue light will go out after use. While Ji-ho was looking at the gate with curious eyes, Shango, who was behind him, bowed his head deeply and spoke.
“…I’m ashamed, Your Excellency.”
“It’s fine.”
“…To dare put travel marks that should only be on a merchant’s body on Your Excellency’s body…”
It was natural that the trace of a used gate, or travel mark, wouldn’t be found on the body of a typical noble. Knowing this fact well, Shango felt guilty every time he saw the gate pattern on Set’s body.
“Shango. I’m no longer a duke.”
“…”
“So having a travel mark or two isn’t a flaw.”
As Set patted Shango’s shoulder to comfort him, Shango’s chest heaved and then settled. Ji-ho just watched the two, sensing the deep bond between them, without intruding.
“We’re leaving this evening, right?”
“Yes, Ji-ho.”
Originally, they were supposed to leave tomorrow morning, three days from now. However, since preparations ended early and there was something to look into, they decided to leave this evening when the sun had set, rather than tomorrow morning when the sun would be up.
“If it’s also sunset there when we arrive this time… I guess we can assume the time flows similarly.”
First, they needed to find out if the flow of time was different between this world and that one. Last time, Ji-ho had forgotten to bring a watch and had to rely solely on his phone’s clock, but of course, the phone clock didn’t work properly there.
Judging by the time they spent there and Uncle Soo-cheol’s reaction when they returned here, the flow didn’t seem to be significantly different. Ji-ho checked the watch on his wrist once more and said.
“We’re set to leave at 8 PM today, so good. If I order now, the timing will be perfect.”
“…Order?”
“Ah yes. You said before, didn’t you? That Isquis and Apophis would be right in front of us when we move.”
Thanks to Apophis being the designer of the gate, it was made so that they could arrive in front of Apophis when returning. Already knowing this fact, Ji-ho grinned and picked up his phone.
“I’m going to buy them some chicken.”
It was nothing less than an inter-world chicken delivery. Ji-ho was planning to bring the chicken with free delivery, generously.
***
“In the past, there wasn’t even a single chicken place near our pension. So people who came to stay would grumble about it.”
Ji-ho’s pension was actually located in an even more secluded place than one might think. Because of this, he often cried his eyes out when he was young, hating his home. Every time he had to go to school, his parents had to drive him there, which made young Ji-ho, who was embarrassed by the attention, dislike it.
Moreover, when he grew up a bit and turned on the delivery app, there were only a handful of open restaurants. Even those few places would often close early if you were a little late, so Ji-ho knew all the operating hours of the surrounding restaurants by heart.
The chicken place they were going to now, he visited so often that he was on greeting terms with the owner when they met outside.
“Here it is. The delicious place I told you about.”
“Kko… Kkodaek?”
In front of an old chicken shop with a weathered sign.
Ji-ho, leading Set and Shango, opened the shop door first and entered. A creaky metal sound echoed ominously.
However, unlike the metal sound, from inside came quite a boisterous presence along with hot air. This was because the fryer for cooking chicken was right at the front of the door.
“Oh, Ji-ho! You’re here already?”
“Yes, boss. How long will the chicken take?”
“Just need to pack it now. Wait over there… Oh, friends?”
The owner’s eyes widened as he saw the two sturdy people standing next to Ji-ho. Since this neighborhood was so small, it was harder to see unfamiliar people, and moreover, the two didn’t look Korean, which made him even more curious.
“They’re visiting for a bit. My friends speak Korean well.”
He could now lie habitually. As Ji-ho skillfully introduced the two, the owner laughed heartily and began packing the freshly fried, piping hot chicken.
“I see. I wondered why you ordered five chickens by yourself, Ji-ho. Thought you were having a party or something. It’s because of these sturdy friends, huh?”
“Yes, you made the seasoning not too spicy, right?”
“Of course. Is it because they’re foreigners and can’t eat spicy food?”
The red paper boxes containing the chicken were placed in white bags. Thanks to ordering five chickens, the multiple white bags were divided between Shango and Set to carry.
After finishing the payment, Ji-ho walked back home the way they came. Shango, who was following, kept lifting the bag to smell it, seemingly intrigued by the scent of the chicken.
“…Smells delicious…”
“Mr. Shango, you can’t eat that now! I bought a lot so we can eat together with Mr. Apophis and Mr. Isquis.”
Swallowing his saliva, Shango nodded heavily at Ji-ho’s restraint. Finally, arriving at the caravan, Ji-ho put the chicken on the table and looked at Set with a solemn face.
“I’m all ready now.”
Since he was planning to go in these clothes, there was no need to change, and all the items they needed to bring were already loaded in the caravan. Set briefly scanned the interior of the caravan and slowly nodded.
“Then let’s move now.”
“What should I do?”
“Close your eyes, Ji-ho. You might get motion sickness.”
At those words, Ji-ho quickly closed his eyes. Watching this, Set smiled slightly and approached Ji-ho, gently grasping his hand.
Shango, standing on the opposite side, also approached Set and carefully placed his arm against Set’s. That was the end of all contact.
“We’re departing. Ji-ho, don’t let go of my hand…”
Ji-ho, with his eyes closed, felt Set’s voice becoming muffled, just like the last time they moved. The words that clearly started in Korean suddenly changed to sound like a different country’s language at some point.
This time too, Ji-ho kept his eyes tightly shut until he heard Set’s voice calling him. Then, at some point, strange sounds began to be heard.
“…What’s that?”
“Ap, Apophis! A carriage just popped out of thin air!”
“You bird-brained idiot, how does this look like a carriage to you?!”
Ji-ho’s lips curled up involuntarily at the familiar voices. As he slowly opened his eyes, he saw Shango and Set, who had come with him, watching him with concerned eyes.
“Ji-ho, are you alright? Your head… Are you dizzy?”
“…If the outside is too noisy, please give the order…”
As Shango seemed ready to go outside and subdue the two noisy voices, Ji-ho waved his hand. He smiled brightly, saying he was fine, and then turned around.
Finally, he opened the tightly closed caravan door. The outside was dark, just as it had been before coming here, but even in the darkness, there were people gathered noisily.
“Mr. Apophis, Mr. Isquis!”
“…Mr. Ji-ho?!”
“You snake bastard, why is Mr. Ji-ho here… Huh?”
Ji-ho opened the door wide and shouted with all his might towards the two people looking at him.
“I brought chicken!”
