24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 45

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Dimensional Item Specialty 24-Hour Friendly Market Episode 45

Episode 45. The Arrow That Left the Bowstring (4)

“Doesn’t this mask look too suspicious?”

Clara, who had no choice but to follow me, muttered while fidgeting with the mask she was wearing.

“Not at all?”

The mask I had put on this white and innocent swan beastkin was actually a traditional mask.

Specifically, a yangban mask with a very charming smiling face.

“It’s a mask I’ve never seen before, so everyone will look at us strangely…”

“It’s fine. I can feel the spirit of the people.”

“Spirit? What’s that?”

“It exists, something good.”

I could feel Clara’s gaze turning toward me, but I couldn’t tell what expression she was making.

All I could see was the yangban mask with its corners turned up in a smile.

I too had taken out a plague doctor mask and robe from my inventory and put them on.

Two masked humans with their entire bodies covered in robes.

‘It would be strange if we didn’t get questioned.’

Clara and I looked as suspicious as people who had decided to be suspicious.

“Wh-what do we do now? Even if we go to my house, we’ll eventually get caught…”

“I was thinking we could go to the beastkin village…”

I, who had been answering casually, soon closed my mouth.

The only way to stay in the beastkin village was to activate the Merchant’s Mark.

However, since I was forcibly participating in the scenario and couldn’t activate the Merchant’s Mark, I couldn’t comfortably enter the beastkin village either.

“Let’s get out of Casabl first. We can’t keep doing this.”

“That’s true, but we can’t move without deciding where to go.”

“Then what do you suggest we do?”

Clara sighed as if frustrated, tapping her chest.

Pure white wings were peeking out from her sleeves.

I surveyed beyond the alley while organizing the situation in my head.

‘Since I’ve participated in the scenario, I can’t do nothing.’

Unlike previous scenarios, from Floor 51 onwards, you couldn’t leave without clearing the scenario.

Of course, waiting absent-mindedly for the raid team to solve it was one option.

‘But I don’t know when it will end.’

Just sitting around praying to the heavens wasn’t my style.

Moreover, judging by how the enemy quest started with ‘Clear the scenario,’ it seemed to actively encourage participation.

Though it was slightly concerning that this was the complete opposite of previous quests that told me not to covet scenarios, at least it wasn’t the worst situation.

After all, I could do something without restrictions.

The problem was not running into the joint raid team of the seven major guilds.

The goal of bringing about a meeting between the two races and preventing Agemor’s encroachment would have been conveyed not only to me but also to the other nine scenario participants.

‘Well, their destination is predetermined.’

After reading the scenario, the first place to visit would naturally be the ‘Sanctuary.’

After all, the Sanctuary, Prorobel, was what the beastkin and humans had been fighting over.

Then I would set my primary goal as avoiding the Sanctuary and exploring other clues.

Of course, I’d have to leave Casabl first.

“Clara, are there other villages nearby?”

“I heard from Anton that there’s a village called ‘Togena’ nearby.”

“Is Togena far from the front lines?”

“Yes? Since we’d be going deeper into human territory… I’ve never been there.”

“Oh dear. We’re going to visit today.”

“I’m a swan, you know?”

“That’s right.”

Perhaps my response was absurd, as Clara froze in place while waving her hands dismissively.

After five seconds of silence, Clara came to her senses, hung her head low, and pointed out reality.

“Even if we’ve covered our faces, how do we plan to get there? We’d need identification papers to rent a carriage or horse.”

“Ah, I happen to have a means of transportation.”

“What is it?”

I had a secret weapon I’d been cherishing for just such an occasion.

“It’s called Nokgacheon.”

I took out the magic bicycle that had been sleeping peacefully in my inventory.

Just as it had been when I took Echo to Cona, my Nokgacheon sat squarely in the middle of the alley, neither aged nor worn, still in perfect condition.

Clara, startled, examined Nokgacheon from all angles and asked.

“Where did this suddenly appear from?”

“From my pocket.”

Having received two nonsensical answers, Clara didn’t react much.

She seemed to have finally realized that responding to my every piece of nonsense was a waste of time.

I lightly climbed onto the saddle and pointed to the back seat.

“Get on for now.”

Clara had no other choice anyway.

Clara, who had been wary of the strange object she’d never seen before, soon let out a small sigh and settled her bottom down.

Even if humans came riding horses, they’d be slower than Nokgacheon, so we could just keep going.

‘More importantly, getting information is what matters.’

Perhaps because they were wings instead of arms.

While feeling a strangely peculiar sensation wrapping around my waist, I racked my brain.

If it was ‘ancient,’ it would naturally be from very long ago, so the most straightforward method would be to search libraries or documents.

If I could look around this area before leaving, that wouldn’t be bad either.

I just needed to hide Clara somewhere safe.

I had the ‘Anonymity’ skill and the Shadow Knight Order’s robe too.

“Is there anywhere we could look into history or legends? A library would be good, or maybe someone who knows old stories well.”

Even though she’d been living in hiding, she said she’d lived in this area for quite a while, so wouldn’t she give me a decent answer?

I asked the question with such expectations, but Clara actually didn’t know anything.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know the geography of this area well.”

“Hmm.”

Ah, this swan, is she really a swan…?

I brought her along because I was worried about being punished by association for the human prisoner’s escape, but Clara couldn’t provide me with any compensation whatsoever.

My dignity as a market manager was in shambles.

Then Clara suddenly straightened her body and spoke up.

“Ah, there’s someone who’s lived for a very long time where I grew up. They’re a turtle beastkin, and I heard that family has been recording everything since ancient times. From when the great tree was just a seed.”

“Wow, that’s amazing. Where did you grow up?”

Clara’s hometown was probably also encroached by Agemor and covered in Black Mist, but I pretended not to know and asked while pedaling.

It was consideration so Clara, who was riding Nokgacheon for the first time, wouldn’t get motion sick.

Since it had come to this, I had no choice but to go to Togena first and keep hiding until then.

“It’s a place called Cona.”

It wasn’t!

Just as I was about to exit the alley, I hastily hit the brakes.

“Did you just say Cona? You lived there all along and then came to live with Anton?”

“That’s right. Come to think of it, it’s been a long time since I couldn’t go to Cona. They used to adore me so much…”

Listening to Clara’s wistful voice, I cheered inwardly.

Clara met Anton while drinking water in the forest.

And since she said she settled on the outskirts of Casabl with Anton, that meant Kona wasn’t far away.

I quickly changed my destination.

‘Let’s go to Kona.’

Even without the Merchant’s Mark right now, I’m a human who ‘has a record of saving a young child and rescued a beastkin trapped in human territory,’ so this should be worth a shot.

Oerisa, thank you.

When I asked for help, you’re helping me under the guise of coincidence?

Expressing infinite gratitude to the otherworldly god I decided to believe in starting today, I quickly asked Clara.

“Which direction is Kona?”

“If you go straight right from Casabl, it’s there— Ah!”

I sharply turned the handle.

Once decided, maximum speed!

The Nokgacheon’s performance weaving through the alleys like wind remained consistent.

The knights who noticed our suspicious behavior instantly disappeared behind us.

The wind slipping through my sleeves and brushing my cheeks and ears felt cold.

‘This is it.’

It felt like a stuffy corner of my heart was finally clearing up.

Is this why people love driving so much?

‘If there were car items available, I’d buy one of those too.’

While I was enjoying myself with various fantasies, Clara grabbed my waist tightly and shouted.

“Where are we going!”

I looked back with lowered eyes and whispered dramatically.

“Clara, I’ll take you home.”

“Ugh!”

‘……?’

Clara suddenly started dry heaving as if she was getting motion sick.

Of course, I couldn’t stop here, so I kept running straight ahead.

Clara stirred again from behind.

“Urk.”

……It’s motion sickness, right?

* * *

Kona was closer than expected.

That is, based on the travel speed of the tireless perpetual vehicle Nokgacheon.

After running non-stop for exactly 2 hours and 37 minutes, we arrived at Kona’s wooden barrier.

Standing before it, Clara covered her beak as if moved.

“How did you get all the way here…….”

Since we’d entered beastkin territory, I’d long since discarded the nobleman mask and robe that covered my face.

Clara, just as she was when I met her in prison, revealed her swan upper body and human legs while gazing up at the barrier endlessly.

It seemed like tears were forming in her eyes.

Clara, who couldn’t speak for a long while, looked at me and spread both wings wide, flapping frantically.

Whether the Nokgacheon’s wind had washed away all of Clara’s dust and grime, her wings had lost their dullness and were shining pure white.

Most importantly, Clara’s appearance with her snow-white wings spread under sunlight, rather than in the dark underground prison, was quite beautiful.

‘Ah, just pure beauty.’

I’m not Anton, so I can’t feel love.

Then Clara grabbed my hands and bowed her head.

Flustered by the sudden courtesy, I stepped back and let out an awkward laugh.

Regardless, Clara, intoxicated with emotion, said while not knowing what to do.

“Thank you so much, Lee Hae. You saved me and my child, but how can I repay this kindness…….”

“Then you should repay it.”

At my statement that instantly broke the heartwarming atmosphere, Clara’s head shot up.

This innocent swan beastkin wouldn’t know, but.

“Of course it’s not free.”

As a proper merchant who ran for two and a half hours straight, there’s no way I wouldn’t charge taxi fare.

Flustered Clara started frantically searching through her torn pockets.

But what I want isn’t money.

“I’m not asking for money.”

Clara could fulfill what I wanted.

“Let me meet that turtle beastkin who remembers everything.”

At my clear request, Clara opened her mouth blankly.

“That’s really all you need?”

“Yes! Let me meet and talk with them.”

Clara blinked rapidly as if she couldn’t believe it.

“Ah, one more thing. It seems a bit insufficient. I’d like to ask something important.”

“Please tell me.”

Her expression waiting for my answer was so solemn that I almost burst out laughing.

I spoke in a serious tone befitting the other party’s mindset.

“Please make sure the beastkin don’t imprison me for being human.”

Since I don’t have the Merchant’s Mark, this is also one of the very important conditions.

Clara, who had been tensely listening, burst into laughter.

“Of course, don’t worry about that.”

“I’m serious. I don’t want to go to prison.”

“How could we send our benefactor to prison? Just trust me. Ah, I’ll guide you from here.”

Clara flapped her wings and slowly began walking along the wall.

I followed behind the snow-white swan beastkin with a light smile.

Things were going well somehow.

For something that started with coincidence, this was a very satisfying development.

Of course.

“Those barnacles on that side haven’t fallen off yet…?”

“Ah, I know that too……”

A few hours later, until the absurd situation of scrubbing a turtle shell with Han Romi, the guild leader of one of South Korea’s seven major guilds, Shinrok Guild…….

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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