The Magician’s Memorial - Chapter 72



Only Krnovel

Episode 72

I was sitting on the horse’s back.

He paused for a moment, holding the reins, then came to his senses when a voice spoke from the carriage.

“Hey, what’s going on?”

Quilbian lifted his hat slightly and looked back. His eyes were visible through the small window in the carriage.

“A wild dog ran out. I stopped for a moment for fear of startling the horses.”

“I see.”

“If you provoke me, I might rush in and cause trouble, so I’ll wait a bit and then leave.”

“Do as you wish. But, if you’re late… … .”

“Don’t worry, we’ll be arriving at the campsite soon.”

The eyes that had been glaring through the small window disappeared. Quilbian pulled down his hat and looked ahead.

Are you a groom today?

I took a deep breath and held it deep into my lungs. Now all I had to do was hold it in until I lost consciousness.

After about two minutes, my vision started to darken.

Soon you will wake up from your mental body and open your eyes in your physical body.

I believed so.

Phew!

Quilbian exhaled sharply. He was still sitting on the stable.

It was embarrassing.

After realizing that there is a gap, return to the main body.

It was a process that had been repeated hundreds and thousands of times. There was never a single failure. Whenever I decided to return, I would always open my eyes in the main body.

“Not yet?”

An unpleasant voice flowed out from inside the carriage. Quilbian answered, “Let’s go,” and rode away.

I thought for a long time on the rattling stables.

Why can’t I go back?

I kept holding my breath as I headed towards my destination, Bund. Even though I pushed myself to the brink of fainting, I couldn’t get through the gap and my physical condition only worsened.

Suddenly this thought occurred to me.

Could it be… … that I had a ridiculously long dream?

The sun was setting beyond the snow-capped mountains in the distance. I thought of a campsite not far away.

I snapped the reins. I had to hurry to get there before the sun completely set.

Amid the sound of the carriage wheels rolling, harmonious laughter seeped in.

Riding in the carriage were a middle-aged couple and their two daughters.

The employer proudly boasted that he was going to meet a famous violin teacher, while his wife was watching him closely and telling him to take it easy.

The woman who seemed to be the eldest daughter got into the carriage with a bright smile and her instrument bag in her arms, while the woman who seemed to be the second daughter got into the carriage with a very displeased expression on her face.

“What is what.”

The only vivid memories that came to mind were those of ‘this place’. The memories of ‘that place’ were gradually evaporating.

A world where strange monsters run rampant and wield strange powers. And on top of that, your body turns into a fox?

Quilbian gave a dry laugh.

No matter how much I thought about it, it felt like a dream.

I saw a light in the distance.

It was a campsite used by people traveling to and from the city. As I approached, an armed man approached me and held out his hand. When I placed three coins in his hand, the man said, “Thank you for your hard work,” and stepped aside.

“I will stay here today.”

The employer began to unload the sleeping bags that had been loaded onto the back of the carriage. The wife and two daughters took them and settled down in the open space.

If he was able to hire a performance teacher, it meant he had ample means, but he didn’t want to spend money unnecessarily, so he deleted some clauses from the employment contract and lowered the wages. One of them was providing convenience.

An employer who sleeps in his own bed.

It was refreshing.

Early summer.

Even with just a thin blanket, you could somehow avoid the early morning cold. With a sleeping bag, you might be hot, but you wouldn’t freeze to death.

We headed to the center of the campsite, where there were bonfires lit here and there.

A man with a sword, a man with a spear, and a man wearing a hat that indicates that he is a groom.

They were either staring blankly at the fire with tired faces or gathered in groups of three or five to chat.

Quilbian got between the grooms.

“Let me have a drink.”

The old man with grey eyebrows held out a dented glass. The glass was hot. I took a sip and it was just sour wine.

“Would you like another drink?”

“it’s okay.”

It seemed like he was drinking alcohol that was just about to spoil. It would be nice to boil it with some fruit, but I guess I can’t afford to be extravagant.

“I went to a carpenter’s shop to get my broken spokes fixed, but they said the price of materials had gone up so the repair cost had doubled.”

“You got hit too.”

I was listening to the conversation going on and was holding the water bottle I had brought to my mouth.

People’s eyes gathered.

“You… … .”

It seems like I’ve run out of things to say.

Quilbian opened his mouth with an awkward smile.

“I’m from Gondi. Please call me Quill.”

“Gondi! It’s a nice place. There aren’t many young people in this area, so is it worth it?”

“I joined a guild because I thought it would be better than being stuck in one place, but it’s not that easy.”

“Stop it now. You should do something else while you’re young.”

Another person spoke, tapping the bearded man who was laughing heartily.

“Making money is hard. But keep trying. If you get a good route and get regular customers, this job is worth it.”

“Thank you for the advice.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to Bund.”

Once he opened his mouth, all sorts of stories came pouring out, from unbelievable tales of bravery to passionate bedtime stories with women.

“I’m having a really bad dream. Is this a sign that things won’t work out?”

I sent a message to the other grooms who had become my older brothers.

“What is it, tell me. My dream interpretation is also amazing.”

“Yes, yes. We hear a lot of stories as we go back and forth, so we can interpret them to some extent. Besides, people in jobs like ours that involve transporting people have to be very sensitive to such dreams.”

Quilbian drove the carriage and told absurd stories that came to his mind.

White Eyebrows, who had been listening for a long time, smiled brightly.

“It’s too long-winded.”

The beard spoke.

“Even a dog dream is at that level. What? A goblin? A dragon? A person dying and traveling alone to a strange place? Phew!”

“As the saying goes, dreams are the opposite of good, so it could be a good omen. Don’t worry too much, Mr. Quilbian. The dreams we have are not that great. If it was a famous prophet’s dream, then it wouldn’t be different.”

Quilbian nodded with a grin.

“Of course. Would something so ridiculous have happened to me?”

“I often have that dream too. I’ll become a general who goes to war and rise through the ranks, and I’ll have three or four beautiful wives and just be like, ‘Oh, my God!’”

It was a bearded man who got up from his seat and shook his waist vigorously.

After laughing and chatting loudly, they started leaving one by one.

Quilbian nodded to the old man who had spoken to him first and then returned to the carriage.

The employer’s family was asleep. After checking their complexions, he returned to the stable.

I wrapped myself in a blanket and closed my eyes.

I woke up, checked the things I needed to pack, and waited for sleep.

The scarlet light that had been caressing my eyelids gradually faded, and the chattering insects joined in the silence.

Okay, it’s time to go.

I tossed and turned, comforting myself.

Once to the left, once to the right.

My body was tired. My back, which had taken all the shaking from the carriage, was crying out for some rest.

I was clearly in a daze, but strangely I couldn’t fall asleep.

Eventually, I woke up in a dazed state.

“Are you okay?”

The employer asked, rolling up the sleeping bag. Quilbian patted his cheek and said.

“I lost a little sleep.”

“Tsk tsk. If you’re going to take the money, you better make sure you do something about it. If you’re driving a carriage while tired and you get into an accident, can you take responsibility?”

“I’m sorry. I’ll wash up and come to my senses quickly.”

The wife took him away, comforting him as she glared at him uncomfortably. The wife smiled and told him not to worry about it.

You need to come to your senses.

He untied the rope from the tree and started moving again.

I was so tired that my eyes were about to tingle, but I still couldn’t fall asleep. I tried to take a quick nap during lunch, but that only made me more nervous.

One day, two days, three days.

Arrived at Bund.

Quilbian stared blankly ahead, then turned his head at the faint sound he heard.

The employer was frowning.

“If you have anything to say… … .”

“Young man, you’re so useless. You can’t take care of yourself.”

“I’m sorry. But please rest assured that we arrived without any major incidents.”

I should have just apologized and kept my mouth shut, but I ended up adding something because I was too sensitive.

I thought I was going to hear that again, but then my employer reached out.

“Take it.”

“yes?”

“Quickly.”

As he stood there blankly, he quickly moved his hand and placed something in Quilbian’s hand.

It was money.

“If you get sick when you’re young, it’ll be a loss when you get older. There are many famous pharmacies in Bund, so go visit them.”

“Why this… … .”

“It’s because my heart was pricked. Anyway, you’ve had a hard time.”

I chuckled as I watched the coins clanking in my hand.

I returned the carriage to the Transport Guild. Someday I would be able to purchase my own carriage, but that was still a long way off.

I was walking along the street in a daze when I found an inn.

I paid the owner my room fee and went into the room.

My whole body felt heavy. I collapsed on the bed and closed my eyes.

Sleep, sleep, sleep.

I hoped that sweet sleep would come to me, thinking of just one word.

“Fuck.”

I spent another day wide awake.

I reached out to drink some water.

I had to fumble several times to even properly grab the water bottle that was clearly visible on top of the drawer.

The condition was a mess.

I have to go back to work in two days.

I came down to the first floor and had lunch.

I put something in my mouth and chewed it, but it didn’t taste good. It wasn’t salty or tasteless. It was completely tasteless.

Could I have a fatal disease?

I suddenly got scared and went to the pharmacy.

I explained my symptoms and was given some medicine, with the instructions to come back if things didn’t get better.

I returned to the inn, poured the medicine into my mouth, and closed my eyes in prayer.

It’s been two days since I arrived at Bund.

Quilbian was still awake.

I might die.

No, you’re definitely going to die.

“Hey.”

The innkeeper asked me how many more days I would stay, but I couldn’t answer. Words came to mind, but I couldn’t put them together into sentences.

Is my head completely ruined?

After thinking about it for a while, I finally said, “I’ll pay in the afternoon.”

“Your complexion is so bad.”

Rather than a look of concern for the guests, it was a look of concern that it would be troublesome if someone suddenly died in the guest room.

Quilbian came out into the street.

The voices of people passing by were all muffled.

It was time to dig through the muttering crowd.

Someone grabbed my shoulder hard.

“How dare you!”

I gave my chin to a fist that came flying at me out of nowhere.

What filled my head before the pain was the anticipation of passing out like this.

Unfortunately, my mind was clear.

Maybe it was because I got hit, but I could see clearly what was blurry in front of me.

There were a lot of people.

A pure white outfit caught my eye.

I’ve seen these clothes a lot somewhere.

“How dare you block my path!”

Quilbian immediately crouched down and bowed his head.

It just occurred to me.

What does the pure white outfit mean?

“I’m sorry. I made a mistake. Please forgive me.”

There was a person in front of me who could sweep away a coachman who was not good at anything with just a breath of air.

I had no choice but to bow down and ask for forgiveness.

“I’ve seen more than one or two people like you. It’s clear to the Prophet… … .”

“Stop it.”

It was a woman’s voice cutting through the reprimanding man’s voice.

Quillvian saw a shadow piercing his vision.

“Raise your head.”

It was a voice that could not be resisted.

I raised my head carefully.

“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”

The woman said, holding out her hand.

(Continued in next episode)