Cardboard Houses Do Not Tear

140 – Compensation for Damage

“I feel sorry for those people.”

Hort ended his remarks with a polite apology.

Instead of looking at him with his head down, I looked at our party.

I wanted to hear their opinions.

Prianian, still holding his loaded crossbow, shook his head as our eyes met.

On the other hand, Priest Rien smiled and nodded, and the young lady did not move.

‘One against, one for, one neutral.’

According to my decision, the outcome of this conflict was decided.

“Good. Mr. Hort.”

The words he said on behalf of the party made his ears prick up.

“Then now-“

Hot raised his head quickly. It was a face that looked like someone who had cleaned up the past.

But there are certain things in the world that don’t end with a clean apology.

It was the military life and the trolling committed against me.

“Now it’s time to talk about compensation. Mr. Hort.”

“Get out of here- …Reward?”

Hot’s expression distorted slightly, but I had a lot to say and a lot to say.

“Mr. Hort. Why are you looking at me with those eyes?”

“The word compensation is a bit embarrassing. We were just going through the canyon together. A reward?”

“To be exact, we were going through the gorge together, and our mistake almost caused a big problem for us. Why would someone who knows that there is a heavenly and earthly difference between a comrade Gil and a comrade on the grave?”

I corrected him, but Hort didn’t seem very happy.

With an expression as if he had chewed on something, I asked while slightly dangling the longsword in my hand.

“Don’t look at me like that. If our position had been reversed, would you have stayed still?”

“That didn’t happen, so I don’t know. Could I pass it on?”

I tried to chew away the laughter that almost came out in an instant.

A trader just skipping the loss? A priest who just passes on blasphemy would be more realistic.

“I see. But I can’t stand still. Because what I have to do is to be responsible for the safety of myself and my companions. But we can’t wield a sword, so we have to bury them…”

The merchants just listened to me quietly.

These were the faces who noticed that I was giving direction in my words.

“At the very least, if you are going to ask someone for something, you should do it with what you are most confident about. Isn’t it? Mr. Hort?”

With those words, I gently shook the arming sword in my hand.

Tutuk, the drops of someone’s blood buried in oblivion lightly moistened the blade of grass.

“Ask.”

“If you want to ask something, isn’t it natural for a mercenary to answer with a sword and a merchant to answer with money?”

It doesn’t matter if Hort broke the bottle intentionally or accidentally.

Just as I answered the question with a sword, he can answer the question with money.

“……”

The middle-aged merchant looked at the point of his dangling knife, then at my face.

“What do you want?”

I got straight to the point.

“Half.”

“What?”

“Money equivalent to half of what was collected a moment ago. It’s because we can’t bring their luggage and do business.”

Only then did his voice soften a bit.

“Half of the loot.”

“I only get what I work for. I am not a robber.”

After I finished speaking, I lightly stuck the tip of my sword into the ground.

Quack. The blade gruesomely decapitated the blade of grass.

“So that’s it?”

“No. Now we have to talk about compensation for mental damage.”

“…To compensate for the psychological damage. Which town is that from?”

“So, is it an Eastern-style greeting to spread lure instead of a welcome drink?”

And, in my neighborhood, it’s passive to see a psychiatrist when you get a medical certificate.

I said, pointing to the bloody road we had walked.

“I don’t think I will be able to see the dog for a while, so what if it wasn’t severe psychological damage?”

Choco, I really miss you.

“Not only me but also my party. So we have to compensate for the psychological damage. Isn’t it natural?”

Hot slightly rolled his eyes at those words, but before he knew it, Max and Carl were standing a little away from him with their arms crossed.

Knowing that even the hired mercenaries would not serve as a shield, the merchant nodded his head.

“…I will.”

“Then, let’s start by setting the price of the items to be collected.”

Prianian, who was standing next to me, looked coldly at Hort.

“This has to be done quickly and precisely. I think so, how about you?”

As if he had heard her story about her from Max, Hot, who moved her body for a moment, nodded her head.

After that, the talk about compensation for damages ended amicably.

We got out of the gorge amicably.

“Wait a minute. I will bring you money.”

While Hort briefly returned to his carriage to fetch the set reward,

I was servicing our wagon.

“Look. G-House.”

Karl approached me and spoke to me. Judging from the shy expression on his face, it was clear that he was probably trying to break up without resentment.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m sorry about what happened a while ago. And I’m here to let you know that our employers don’t play pranks as people, even though they’re well-rounded.”

“I don’t have any particular grudge against you two. It’s all about getting paid.”

“Then I’m glad…”

His face was full of embarrassment that he hadn’t expected this to happen.

“By the way, are the two of you okay? Didn’t you deal with more kobolds than me a while ago?”

At that question, Carl shrugged his shoulders. He said it would be easy if that number was at his level.

“If you try a little harder, you will soon become like me.”

“Oh, yes.”

“Anyway, talk to your employers. Even to the order sniper. And this.”

As soon as Carl finished speaking, he looked around and handed him something subtly.

It was a small vial filled with sticky blood.

“…Once you receive it, you are already a good mercenary.”

Once I received it and hid it in my belly band, Carl said shyly.

“I was taught to be grateful for anything an adult gives me. Anyway, this is a troll-“

“Shhh. I didn’t give it to my employer earlier and left one.”

After he looked around, he said quietly.

“There’s nothing good to do with a double mercenary on this floor, so I’ll tell you that Karl and Max gave it to you later. In the meantime, share some with you.”

At Carl’s exaggerated gesture of laughter, I decided to forget that there was one more rattling sound coming from his pocket.

Because they also had to take care of things.

After thanking Carl like that.

A hard voice came towards me from far away.

“Mr. G-House.”

“Anyway, take care of yourself. If we meet while passing by sometime, let’s have a drink together.”

“You two take care of yourself too.”

Only then did the sword quickly move away, and Hort, the captain of the uphill movement, approached me.

“Come on. Here is the compensation for the damage.”

The pouch he gave me when he returned was quite heavy.

“Instead of taking this, let’s pretend that nothing happened between us.”

“Sorry, what happened on our way across the gorge?”

Heavy amnestics groaned as I squeezed a handful into my hand.

***

After parting ways with Sanghaeng, the carriage started running towards the village, the destination of the day.

With a pouch full of jingling coopers, and a vial dripping with blood.

After a long drive, there was only one inn in the village.

After roughly stopping the carriage at the corner of the local inn, he opened his mouth.

“Okay, we have arrived.”

I turned around, wiping the sweat from between my helmet.

In the carriage, the tension was relieved and the saggy party was taking a break.

“Are you all hurt?”

At my question, Priest Rien, who was cleaning the incense burner, nodded and answered.

“I looked at the other people on my way, but no one was hurt! Are you okay, mercenary?”

Injury.

Parr.

The only hand that could not overcome the excitement was still shaking, but there was no pain anywhere.

“I am fine. Let’s go to the inn and rest for a bit, then come down.”

When we entered the place with such vigor, a young-looking employee greeted us with a rather tired voice.

“Welcome. Meal, bath, room-“

“Give me three, please.”

Squiggly.

The coins were placed on the counter, and then his hand started to move quickly.

It took some time for the bath water to be ready, so I decided to do other things in the meantime.

“Hey, is there an alchemist in this town?”

“Are you an alchemist?”

“Yes.”

If you have received the blood of a troll, shouldn’t you use it?

Just as chamisul is in the hands of the homeless at Seoul Station, it is common sense that red potions are in the hands of travelers from another world.

He nodded his head at my question, full of anticipation of making a potion with troll blood.

But he even added that it was useless to go now.

“If the grandmother goes out to see her grandchildren, she won’t be able to get what the customer wants.”

At those words, I nodded and sat down at the table.

As the others sat around the table with me, something suddenly came to mind.

The troll’s vision that appeared while fighting the kobold earlier.

“Me, young lady.”

“Huh? Why but?”

She asked, looking in my direction.

I was about to raise my thumb, but when I noticed that my hands were still shaking, I lowered them back down the table.

“It was wonderful that you created a troll out of a mirage a moment ago. You would even say something like that to me.”

The young lady who heard that asked me.

“Sound? What are you talking about?”

“That grotesque, terrible cry. It almost felt like I was walking into a torture chamber.”

The other party nodded as if they agreed with what I was saying.

Then the young lady shook her head and said.

“I’m sorry, but I can only say one thing for sure. That scream was not made by me.”

After hearing that, the faces of the other party members began to harden, and before long, I also began to think of one thing.

Then who did it?

Suddenly, goose bumps began to form all over my body.

Soon, everyone’s eyes met.