Chapter 7: Cheap Mission

After officially being assigned the task, Rebecca took me and her into the counseling room.

As soon as the blind woman entered the room, she opened her mouth.

“My name is Seolhyang.”

“My name is Evan.”

The woman, who introduced herself as Seolhyang, placed her hand on her chest and began explaining the details of her request.

“I want to go to a northern city, Labyrinth.”

“Labyrinth…?”

“First time hearing of it? It’s just a quiet city up north.”

As I glanced at Rebecca at the mention of the unfamiliar place, she quickly fetched a map and pointed out the location of Labyrinth to me.

It was a city tucked away in the northernmost corner, about a week’s journey by carriage from where we were now.

It seemed like the kind of place that would make anyone wonder what business would draw someone there, but a true adventurer’s code meant never questioning the client’s reasons.

“Why are you going all the way to Labyrinth?”

Of course, Rebecca, who wasn’t an adventurer, disregarded that rule and immediately asked Seolhyang for her purpose. Seolhyang answered without hesitation, as if it was nothing special.

“I’m looking for someone.”

“I see. Well, the road to Labyrinth is good, and if it’s a bodyguard mission on the way, it’s not a bad request… Evan, are you really going to do it?”

“I have to. I already said I would.”

“I can’t stop you if you’re set on it… Alright then, Ms. Seolhyang. Thank you for the designated request. Mr. Evan, being a low-ranked adventurer, your fee will be calculated at the industry average…”

“Cheaper than I thought.”

“That’s because you’re a low-ranked adventurer. Right. Have you arranged the carriage to Labyrinth? If not, the guild can get it for a low price–”

Rebecca knew it was a big loss for me, someone who would soon be a top-tier adventurer, to take on such a low-paying mission, but I didn’t care about a few pennies.

Why did I decide to become an adventurer in the first place? To find a girlfriend. For the beautiful woman in front of me, a few coins were no big deal.

However.

…The person she’s looking for—it’s not a man, is it?

Remembering what Seolhyang said earlier, I started to worry.

Could I be delivering a woman to another man?

Even after accepting this cheap request, the guild didn’t neglect me. On the contrary, they went out of their way to arrange the carriage and provide the necessary supplies for the journey, going out of their way to make things convenient for me.

The fee I would receive for the designated request was already practically gone, but Rebecca didn’t seem to mind at all.

“Don’t worry! The guild’s motto is to do whatever it takes for adventurers!”

Incidentally, Evan had never seen any adventurer get so much as a glass of water from a guild employee. So it was clear that Rebecca was lying.

It was obviously the guild’s way of trying to win his favor. But Evan didn’t want to stir up unnecessary trouble, so he quietly nodded and boarded the carriage.

“The Adventurer’s Guild… they take better care of you than expected.”

Following him, Seolhyang climbed into the carriage and let out a gasp of admiration as she observed the guild’s efficiency in arranging the carriage overnight. She wore a look that questioned how the guild could afford to extend such hospitality to every adventurer.

Seeing her expression, Evan realized she was under a misunderstanding, but there was no need to explain the guild’s inner workings to an outsider.

More importantly…

“I have a question. The person you’re looking for—are they, by any chance, a man?”

“Why would that matter to you?”

“I just… wondered.”

“It’s a man.”

Upon hearing Seolhyang’s words, Evan sighed. A man, huh? So, his first love (or maybe not) was coming to an end just like that…

“But it’s not the kind of relationship you’re imagining, Mr. Evan.”

As he was in the depths of despair, Seolhyang’s words flew into his ears, and Evan immediately lifted his head, regaining his composure.

Indeed, it’s important to listen until the end. If it wasn’t that kind of relationship, he still had a chance.

Thinking that, Evan looked closely at Seolhyang’s face as she turned her gaze out the window.

‘…She’s beautiful.’

With skin as white as snow and jet-black hair that contrasted against it. He couldn’t see her eye color since her eyes were closed, but somehow, her closed eyes added a mysterious allure to her beauty.

Additionally, her half-tied hair, as if carefully braided by someone, contributed to the dignified air of a lady from a noble family.

Gulping, Evan swallowed, unsure of why he felt the need to do so, and quickly covered his mouth. However, he was a beat too late.

“Hehe, you’re making me blush, staring at me like that.”

“C-Can you see me?”

“It would be nice if I could… But unfortunately, I can only hear.”

“You can hear…?”

“Yes. Since I can’t see, my hearing, touch, and other senses have developed. Oh, I can also do things like this.”

Saying so, Seolhyang set aside her cane and reached out both hands toward Evan’s face. Watching her, Evan froze stiff as her hands made contact with his cheeks.

With her hands on his face, Seolhyang didn’t stop there and began feeling his features one by one—how his forehead felt, the shape of his nose, and the area around his eyes. After she had mapped his face with her hands, she spoke.

“So, this is what Mr. Evan looks like.”

“Y-Yes… How do I look…?”

“You look a bit young and quite handsome. You have a face that would be popular with women.”

“Oh, t-then, does my face please you as well, Ms. Seolhyang?”

“If you’re only asking whether I like it or not, then of course I do.”

Seeing Seolhyang tilt her head as if wondering why he’d even ask, Evan felt his heart pound intensely. It was almost painful.

“She… she likes it…!”

Yet he paid no mind to the pain. Now that he’d heard what was practically a confession, he had no energy to spare for trivial things.

Enduring the aching in his chest, Evan continued talking with Seolhyang.

Perhaps Seolhyang was also fond of him, as she struck up small talk herself. Evan learned quite a lot of unexpected things—like the fact that she was from a rather high-ranking family and what her favorite foods were.

“Hehe.”

However, she said nothing about who the man she intended to meet in Labyrinth was.

***

A week had passed. The world outside the window had become something I no longer recognized. The most striking sight among them was the snow-capped mountain. A mountain with snow only at the very top.

“So, there’s a mountain shaped like that.”

It looked as if someone had dipped the top of a bread roll in milk. The summit was covered in pure white snow, while the lower slopes shimmered in a greenish hue, just like that.

As I gaped in awe at the sight of the snow mountain I was seeing for the first time, Seolhyang, who was seated across from me, cautiously spoke up.

“Are we almost there?”

“Yes. We’re almost there now.”

“What kind of city is this?”

“It’s a city with beautiful snow mountains… well, other than that, it’s just a typical town.”

As I explained the city to her, I noticed the carriage slowing down outside. It seemed we were close.

The carriage had reached the castle of Labyrinth and was slowly pulling in for inspection.

—Proceed inside.

After a quick inspection, the carriage entered the city of Labyrinth. I hoped the man she was looking for wouldn’t be easy to find.

‘I haven’t even had the chance to confess yet…’

Whether or not she knew my feelings, the coachman picked up the pace again.

‘He’s here.’

Seolhyang felt her eyes heat up. She was certain that the man she was searching for was in this city. The response from the injury he had inflicted on her confirmed it.

Screech— The carriage came to a stop, and Seolhyang took Evan’s escorting hand and disembarked. The city was so lively that it was hard to believe the man she was looking for could be here.

“I’ll arrange for accommodations first.”

“Yes, please.”

Evan naturally guided her to the inn. She could feel Evan’s hand tremble slightly as he held hers. Seolhyang felt a small pang of regret about hiring someone so inexperienced.

Showing such lack of confidence, how could he possibly be of any help if they encountered that man?

‘Well, against him, no one would be much help anyway…’

A moment later, Seolhyang reached the first-floor lobby of the inn and took a seat at a table, waiting for Evan to finish negotiating with the innkeeper.

But perhaps even a brief wait was too long for the idle layabouts gathered in the inn. Soon, Seolhyang’s sharp hearing picked up the footsteps of several men approaching her.

“Hey there, miss. Don’t think I’ve seen you before. You a stranger?”

“What brings you to this dull city?”

“…Are you two locals here?”

“Of course. We’ve lived here our whole lives.”

“Why? You looking for something?”

“Yes. I’m looking for someone. Do you know a man named Cyrus?”

The moment Seolhyang mentioned that name, sweat began to drip from the two men’s faces. Their heartbeats grew faster, and their pupils dilated and contracted repeatedly. An unmistakable sign of tension. Seolhyang realized that they knew the name.

“Y-you… no, who are you to… to know that name…”

“W-we apologize! P-please, spare our lives…”

“Where is he right—”

“What are you idiots doing!”

At that moment, Evan, who had just finished his negotiation with the innkeeper, came running over. He quickly knocked out the two thugs surrounding Seolhyang.

Then, as if hoping for praise, he looked at Seolhyang with a bright smile.

In this situation, Seolhyang’s expression turned cold.