WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Sword Master of the Fallen Kingdom

Chapter 96

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How to Cross the Waves (2)

Sarmaren was one of the wealthiest places in the southern part of the continent.

Trade flourished there, fitting for a nation that had developed along the coast.

Cadis was the easternmost of its cities. It was where goods from other continents and the Federation crossed paths. Naturally, the city could only grow. With all kinds of cultures mixed together, it had a deeply exotic air.

The buildings raised along the coastline came in every shape. Even the roofs were a jumble of domes, spires, and flat stone terraces.

White, ocher, and blue tiles shone brightly under the blazing sun. Buildings that held the styles of countless regions somehow blended into the city and created a mood all their own.

Huge sailing ships with folded sails lined the docks. They were not all the same kind of ship. There were large passenger ships, trade ships carrying goods, and warships set with Magic Stones. Some were smaller, faster vessels. Off to one side were small boats specialized for fishing. All told, nearly a hundred ships were anchored there.

To people from other regions, it was an utterly unfamiliar sight.

So were the people passing through.

The city was packed with people. That was only natural.

Cadis was the busiest trading crossroads in the east of the continent, and it served as a bridge linking the eastern and southern parts of the continent to the lands across the sea. There was bound to be heavy foot traffic.

Kyle and Elysia stepped into that city. The first place they went was the horse market on the outskirts, where they sold the two horses they had been riding.

They were about to board a ship, so they could not take the horses with them. It was not impossible to bring them aboard, but both the cost and the procedure were so troublesome that it was better to get different horses after reaching the Federation.

“It is a shame. I had grown rather attached to them since we crossed the duchy.”

“You can just get new ones later. If you get attached to every single one, you’ll only wear yourself out.”

“I know. I was only saying it.”

At Kyle’s advice, Elysia answered as if it were nothing.

After that, the two headed to the busiest market in Cadis.

They needed supplies, and they wanted to get a sense of the situation nearby. Since it was still midday, the market was crowded with all sorts of people. If anything stood out, it was that many of the goods laid out on the stalls were exotic things they had never seen before. Unlike in the inland regions, many of the merchants doing business and the people browsing had dark, coppery skin.

“Welcome! At least take a look before you go!”

“Precious Azaril spices, just arrived! Special discount for today only!”

“Silk from across the southern sea. You won’t find goods of this quality anywhere else.”

“Fish caught this morning. Buy now and I’ll throw in one more. How about it?”

Merchants called for customers while people haggled. As Elysia walked between them, her eyes shone with interest.

It was a market like any other, but Cadis’s market was different from the inland ones. The goods in the shops, the faces of the merchants and passersby, and even the damp air thick with the scent of salt that wrapped around her were all different. She was an Imperial Princess and a mage who could kill someone with a wave of her hand. Now, she was different. She looked like an ordinary young woman who had just turned twenty.

Elysia sometimes showed an innocent side. It was pure, and so white it seemed unstained. It was probably her true self, hidden behind the wall called reality. At least, that was what Kyle thought.

Someone who loved magic purely, was purely curious, and had a purely tender heart.

Someone who still held tightly to the childlike innocence Kyle had once possessed, but had now lost.

“Kyle.”

“Speak.”

“Over there, I mean...”

After looking around for quite a while, Elysia raised a finger and pointed to one side. There was a small stall there that seemed to be selling fruit.

“You there! Come over here. Hurry. I’ll give you a good price.”

A sociable boy who looked to be in his teens waved at Kyle and Elysia. After glancing at each other once, the two somehow found themselves stopping in front of the stall. The counter was packed tight with colorful fruits that seemed to have come from all over.

“There are many kinds.”

“Yes. We handle fruits from other continents too, not just Velia. A lot of foreign fruits are good.”

“Is there much demand?”

“There is. They’re especially popular with nobles. They go to the Federation as well as Brendel and Kirian. Demand from the Empire is steady too.”

The boy held out a fruit to Kyle.

“Would you like one?”

“Is this a date?”

“Oh, you know it?”

The boy looked surprised. As he said, the fruit he had held out was oval and red.

“A date? You mean the fruit said to grow in the deserts of Azaril?”

Elysia, who had been silently looking over the fruits on the counter, asked in a curious voice. The boy nodded.

“That’s right. Dried dates are famous specialties even in Azaril.”

The boy glanced behind Kyle and Elysia. Their gazes turned back.

Countless people were still walking through the middle of the market.

If anything was different from usual, it was that there were more people with exotic appearances than one might expect. At a glance, they were clearly not from Velia. They were people of the Azaril Continent across the sea. Strong folk who lived in the dry desert.

“There are many Azaril merchants in Cadis. Travelers and sailors who have just crossed the sea are important customers too.”

The boy puffed out his chest and spoke proudly.

“So, how much?”

“One silver coin each.”

Elysia let out a low groan without meaning to. The price was higher than she had expected. Considering that a cheap inn usually cost one or two silver coins per night, it was easy to tell how expensive this small date was.

It was not so expensive that they could not afford it, but it was not an amount an ordinary mercenary could pay lightly, either. It would have been one thing back in Archandia, but right now, she was not wealthy enough to spend money freely.

“I’ll buy two.”

Kyle, however, was the exception. He took two silver coins from inside his clothes and handed them to the boy. Then he placed one date in Elysia’s hand. She smiled softly.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.”

Kyle stared down at the date in his hand.

The last time I saw one was in the samgyetang I had on Chobok, wasn’t it?

A memory of Earth, now blurred beyond recall. Back then, before he had turned twenty, Kyle had been studying hard for the college entrance exam and had eaten all kinds of foods his parents prepared for him. The samgyetang he had eaten on a summer day had been one of them. It was already a memory from more than ten years ago, closer to eleven.

Kyle lightly bit into the date while turning over that old memory.

Damn, it’s sweet. Was it always like this?

“It is sweet. Incredibly sweet.”

He was not the only one with that impression, because Elysia beside him frowned without thinking. She made all kinds of faces while chewing half the date in her mouth. The sweetness really did feel like someone had poured straight sugar into her mouth, so it made sense.

“Well, once you get used to it, it’s tasty in its own way. They say Azaril people eat dates every day.”

“No wonder they’d get diabetes.”

“Pardon? Diabetes?”

“There’s such a thing. More importantly, I have something to ask.”

Kyle swallowed the remaining half of the date, then took out his water bottle and rinsed his mouth. Elysia was doing the same, drinking a great gulp of water.

“Something to ask?”

The boy tilted his head. Kyle spoke briefly.

“As you can see, we’re looking for a ship.”

“Now that I look, you’re inland folks. Cadis always has plenty of ships. If you go to the docks right now, there should be a hundred anchored merchant ships alone.”

“I’m looking for passage to the Federation. Do you know anything?”

“The Federation?”

The boy looked up as if he had no idea what Kyle meant. At that obvious trick, Kyle let out a laugh despite himself.

“I’ll buy one apple. Keep the change as a tip.”

Kyle took out another silver coin and flicked it over. The boy snatched the money with quick hands, as if his earlier act had never happened, then grinned. Kyle picked up a bright red apple from the counter and split it in half with his grip strength. When he handed half to Elysia, she chewed the apple in small bites, just like before.

“Oh my. I wasn’t asking you to buy anything. You already bought two dates...”

“Stop talking nonsense and answer. Don’t test my patience.”

“Well, there’s not much to answer. If you mean the Federation, you’d be going north along the coast from here, right?”

Kyle, who was chewing the apple, nodded instead of answering. The boy continued.

“That side isn’t my specialty, so I don’t know the details, but if you look hard enough, you should find passage. I think going to the docks would be fastest.”

“The docks?”

“Yes, the docks. Passenger ships and trade ships in Cadis are usually owned by the heads of maritime trade companies, and if you go to the docks, you can hear all sorts of things about them. Go there and grab a few sailors or captains and ask. From the look of you, you seem to have plenty of money, so with just one silver coin, you could find out the color of a merchant head’s underwear.”

The boy explained everything else he knew in as much detail as possible. Maybe because Kyle had bought two dates and an apple, then even given him a tip on top of that, he was excessively friendly.

“So in the end, we have to go there to know.”

“That’s just how work at sea is. The situation changes every day, so it’s faster to go there and ask directly each time.”

Kyle turned to look at Elysia. Just then, Elysia, who had finished eating her apple, was also looking up at him.

“I heard you. That helped.”

“Did it?”

“Yes. The fruit isn’t bad either.”

Kyle took out another coin and flicked it over. The boy, who received the money with practiced ease, checked the amount and opened his eyes wide. A Large Silver Coin was in his hand. Kyle ignored the stammering boy, grabbed a handful of raisins from the counter, and turned away. A beat later, Elysia turned as well and moved to his side.

“The date is far too sweet, but the rest is delicious.”

“It’s probably because of the season.”

“What will you do now?”

Elysia asked. Kyle stopped walking. When he suddenly looked up, he saw an indigo sky that resembled the color of the sea.

“We’ll get an inn first.”

“Already?”

“There might be no rooms left after sunset.”

Kyle spoke. Elysia did not question him and readily nodded. A short while later, the two left the market and set out to find an inn where they would stay for the night. The black cloak and white robe blended into the crowded stream of people.

***

After asking passersby and walking around several parts of Cadis for thirty minutes, Kyle found the inn with the best facilities.

As expected, there were not many empty rooms left. That was how many people came and went through Cadis. Kyle quickly secured two rooms right beside each other. Then, without even eating, he went straight back outside.

It was late afternoon. The sun had not yet set. Since they still had spare time, Kyle headed to the docks of Cadis, just as the fruit-selling boy had suggested. The farther they moved from the city center and the closer they came to the coast, the stronger the salty smell in the air became.

The faint sounds grew clearer. Kyle noticed that Elysia’s steps had somehow gotten a little faster. The clothes and faces of the people passing around them were also slightly different from those in the city center. They were rougher, with darker skin. They had the typical air of seafarers.

And then.

“Wow...”

Elysia let out a gasp at the sight spread before her. With no buildings blocking the view, the open blue sea and the long horizon came into sight.

Caw, caw.

White seagulls flew overhead. The sound of crashing waves continued without end. At the docks, ships much larger and more majestic than they had seemed from the hill behind them were lined up one after another. Between the folded sails, the emblems of various trade companies could be seen.

“Amazing. So this is the real sea.”

Elysia’s eyes shone as she looked around. Rarely for her, she was extremely excited.

“Come to think of it, you said this was your first time seeing the sea.”

“Yes. My first time. In truth, everything I have experienced since leaving Archandia has been a first in my life. I almost never had reason to leave the capital. Even on the rare occasions I did, I traveled by carriage.”

“It must feel different.”

“Different does not begin to cover it. If there is one thing I have felt all this time, it is that reading about something in a book and seeing it with my own eyes are completely different. A place this vast, this wide, this vivid, truly...”

Elysia kept letting out sounds of admiration. As if entranced, she looked at the sea, the horizon, and the anchored ships. All of it was a precious experience and inspiration for her. A sight she had thought she would never know in her life, one she had only been able to see after letting everything go and preparing for death.

“I feel the same.”

Kyle muttered quietly to himself. Unlike Elysia, he was not excited by a sight he had never seen before. He was simply stirred by old memories. He had seen it often when he was on Earth.

Hailen had no port suited for trade. Because of that, most members of the Knights of Ash had never seen the sea. The same was true for most people living inland. Unless one was a mercenary traveling here and there, it was hard to see the sea. When people were busy surviving day to day, taking a long trip for leisure was out of the question.

Kyle was different.

Since childhood, he had traveled often and seen the sea many times. In Korea, no matter what region one lived in, the sea was only two or three hours away. That was why Kyle could look at the scene before him and sink into memory.

Many sailors were carrying heavy loads back and forth across the plank connecting the deck of a large ship to the dock.

Kyle walked around the docks with Elysia. As time passed, more ships began unloading.

Naturally, gazes gathered on them.

It could not be helped because of how the two were dressed. One was a male mercenary in a black cloak, and the other was a woman presumed to be a mage in a pure white robe. At a glance, they did not look ordinary.

Kyle ignored those stares and kept moving. A massive merchant ship stood right in front of them.

Elysia reflexively stopped and looked up. She seemed shocked that such a large ship existed. Kyle caught one sailor passing nearby. The sailor turned around and narrowed his eyes with an annoyed look.

“Who are you?”

“I have a question.”

Kyle took out a silver coin from inside his clothes and tossed it over. The sailor’s eyes widened.

“A question...?”

“It’s nothing difficult. I’m looking for passage to the Federation. Do you know anything?”

“The Federation, you say...”

“I want to go along the coast and disembark in southern Rustin Kingdom. I know there are always ships going that way.”

The Kingdom of Sarmaren had mainly built its wealth through trade with Azaril, but Cadis was different. Because the normal overland trade road was blocked by the Spina Mountains to the north, sea trade routes along the coastline had developed here. The crossroads connecting Azaril and the Federation were the very identity of Cadis.

“Did you just say Rustin Kingdom?”

The sailor’s reaction, though, was different from what Kyle had expected.

“Why, is there a problem?”

“Of course there is.”

The sailor clicked his tongue as if pitying him.

“You’ve got bad luck. The last ship to Rustin left a few days ago. There aren’t any now. Maybe the ships that departed from Rustin Kingdom sank in the autumn storms, because all routes have been cut off.”

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