Became a Medieval Fantasy Wizard chapter 20

20 – Episode 20

# 20

“There’s one thing I’m curious about.”

“What is it?”

While moving to the inn, Lucy tossed a casual question.

“Why does Ian show respect to commoners? What’s the deal?”

In Lucy’s eyes, Ian’s behavior seemed strange.

The empire’s wizard was as noble as an aristocrat, so why did he show respect to mere commoners?

Lucy had only seen a wizard once in her life, but he only showed respect to her lordly parents and looked down on the servants.

Ian might have looked odd.

And indeed, he was odd.

“Whatever. I’m just an ordinary person. Farmer’s son, Ian.”

“You’re a wizard.”

“So what?”

“…”

Due to his nature as a wizard from a commoner background, Ian was an outlier from the typical societal norms. It doesn’t matter whether one shows him respect or treats him normally.

“I don’t have a specific reason. I’m just following my mentor.”

“You mean your mentor, Eredis?”

“Damn it. Call him Master Eredis. Be a little respectful.”

“… I’m sorry. Master Eredis said that?”

Wizard Eredis had a casual and polite personality.

He was so informal, that he even showed respect to Ian’s peasant parents. Ian admired this character of Eredis. And because he was still not entirely part of the modern society, it wasn’t comfortable to look down on commoners.

And of course, it will become casual when you get soaked in the imperial atmosphere.

“And why can’t I speak in honorifics? I want to.”

“No… it’s not a problem.”

If a noble person uses honorifics to a commoner, they’d probably be considered a bit crazy. It was against the universally accepted rules of this world.

Like Lucy’s reaction, a wizard using honorifics was peculiar.

But it’s acceptable for the wizard. Rather, it was good.

The more unusual a wizard seems, the more highly valued they are!

As long as they behave like ordinary people, people disregard the wizard’s abilities. They say ‘Tut-tut. They’re acting humble because they’re incompetent.’

However, the quirkier their behavior, people exclaim, ‘Wow! Just how great they must be to be acting like that madman!

From the point of view of the wizard, that was nonsense as silly as ‘you will die if you sleep with the fan on’.

In an era where superstition and rumors were indistinguishable from truth, it was often necessary to accept even false tales as though they were reality. Consider the mage Eredis. She was courteous even to commoners, due to her modest nature, but no one really took offense or asked why. It was seen as something extraordinary that would only elicit exclamations like, ‘Wow, she’s showing respect to a commoner! That’s really strange!’

Lucy decided to not pay too much attention to Ian’s way of speaking. If the mage herself wanted it that way, well…

“It seems like this is the inn.”

“Oh, it does look like a real inn.”

The inn at River Ville was similar to what Ian associated with a medieval fantasy setting. Walls made of bricks, wide open windows, and even a second floor. Upon entering, the welcoming warmth of a combination of a fireplace and stove greeted visitors. Western architecture could build up to a second floor, mainly thanks to the presence of such fireplaces. When a fire was lit on the first floor, the heat would rise up and warm the second floor as well, making multistory buildings feasible.

However, in the East, specifically in the Chosun architecture, this was unachievable. The heating system there relied on outdoor furnaces, unable to effectively warm floors other than the first. Therefore, while Chosun inns might be wide and flat, Western fantasy inns usually had two stories.

“Welcome!”

The innkeeper greeted Ian and his party.

The innkeeper was not the stereotypical scruffy-bearded man, to Ian’s slight disappointment. The innkeeper was a middle-aged woman.

“Are you staying the night?”

“Yes, for a day or two…”

“The beds are upstairs. Be careful of thieves.”

The innkeeper gave a practiced rundown of the inn’s layout.

River Ville was located by a river, attracting a fair share of outsiders. External traders would come, much like the rabbit’s ball shop. To the innkeeper, travelers were nothing new.

“Ma’am, may I take a bath?”

“A bath? Well, it’s not impossible…”

When Ian requested a bath, the inn owner naturally asked for an additional fee. The inn did not typically provide bathing service. The place didn’t even have a bathroom to begin with. Their version of a bath was to fill the laundry boiling pot with water and instead of laundry, a person would be put in.

It was reasonable to charge a fee as they needed to fetch water and consume firewood.

“For baths, accommodation, meals – two of each.”

Ian had plenty of money. He had enough of the travel expenses that Eledis gave him, and he hadn’t even spent the gems given by Longtail. By the time Eledis’s travel money ran out, he would be able to supplement it by selling the gems in the city.

“Ah, yes! I’ll get it ready!”

After confirming the money that Ian had given, the inn keeper’s face brightened. It was a capitalist smile made of gold.

“But what about that lady?”

Lucy, who had been listening to their conversation, protested.

“I won’t take a bath!”

Ian was half confused and half upset.

“Why? Even if you’re not spending money, is our water dirty to you?”

“There’s that too!”

She wouldn’t say no. Ian was even more baffled.

Blushing, Lucy shouted in an aggrieved voice.

“Do I have to spell it out for you?”

The bath had to be taken in the backyard of the inn.

And the backyard was outdoors and fully exposed.

A person in rising steam from the water – and a good-looking girl at that?

Spectators would gather like clouds.

The inn owner would not refuse a crowd. She rather liked it.

“Ah.”

Ian finally understood what Lucy meant.

Bathing in this era was a kind of public humiliation play. For a man like Ian, well, it was just a mere trifle to be laughed off, but for Lucy, it was impossible even in her wildest dreams.

“I shall do it myself.”

It seemed that she understood why the people of this era wandered around without bathing. They wanted to, but there was nowhere suitable…

Very few people were willing to pay the exorbitant fee just to experience public humiliation.

“Why on earth would anyone bathe here?”

“It’s disgusting, isn’t it?”

“That’s really odd. Is it because you’re a wizard?”

“…”

To Lucy’s eye, Ian’s actions seemed like a spectacle. But since it was the spectacle of a wizard, it was not unusual.

Ah! So wizards enjoy getting naked in public where everyone can see! (Or not)

“Alright, let’s eat.”

“Great!”

Lucy giggled and removed her robe.

Her beautiful black hair, as bewitching as the night sky, cascaded down like a waterfall.

In that moment, the gaze of nearly every man at the inn was drawn to her.

“Darn.”

Ian rushed to cover Lucy’s face.

“Lucy. Put your robe back on.”

“It’s not Lucy, it’s Kassi. And why the robe?”

“Quit your nonsense and wear it.”

“Nope. It’s stuffy.”

Lucy grumbled with a pout on her lips.

She looked extremely adorable, and it made my insides flip just seeing her. Was she aware she was a fugitive?

“Do we need to cause trouble unnecessarily?”

“Hmph. Who’s going to recognize me here? Besides, I’ve got you, Ian. Surely, you can handle a gang of thugs, right?”

“You’re so damn smart. No, I can’t handle them.”

“… Really?”

Lucy asked, not seeming to believe him.

Of course, Ian didn’t have a problem dealing with a few thugs. However, he could only handle two or three people with magic at most. If anything more substantial occurred, Ian would be unable to cope.

He’d have to resort to powerful magic or request the help of the nobles…

Drawing unnecessary attention resulted in unpleasant consequences.

Hence, he indirectly admitted his inability to handle the situation.

“There’s no helping it…”

Lucy, still pouting, pulled her robe back over her head.

“My escort is a weakling.”

“…”

She didn’t forget to tease Ian, who was deeply contemplating.

Should he just give up on her entirely?

He felt like he was looking after a rebellious little sister who refused to listen to him.

…

Engrossed in his scrutiny of Lucy, Ian failed to notice something. He failed to register the fact that several men were casting appreciative glances her way.

#

In a dimly lit alleyway.

River Bill’s troublemaker, Bully Willy, was in animated conversation with his friends.

“Are you spinning tales again?”

“No, for real! That woman, she’s damn pretty!”

“However pretty she is…”

Bully Willy was a troublemaker. In other words, his occupation was being a troublemaker.

Most of his time was spent idly, reveling in lethargy. He never worked, nor helped anyone. The only decent thing about him was his ability to fight, leading him to make some money roughing people up for a fee. Having stirred trouble with fights since his early days, seldom had he beaten someone up to the point of being taken into custody by the guards, thus his customer satisfaction was quite high. Thanks to this, he managed to earn enough to cater for his needs. Although those around him nagged him endlessly to grow up and work properly, the inherently lazy Willy, if ever he packed up to leave the village, would simply do so, he was not cut out for farm labor.

From Noble mtl dot com

“That woman, she’s traveling alone. With some idiot who seems like a novice.”

Willy recalled the traveler he had seen at the inn.

The woman with hair as deep blue as the night sky was more beautiful than any woman Willy had ever seen.

It felt as if he was seeing a royal beauty in person!

On the other hand, her male companion was an unfortunate looking novice. Judging from his black head, he seemed to be related to the woman.

However, despite being a man, his face was as pale as flour, appearing as a weakling who hadn’t seen sunlight.

How frail must one be for his face to pale, as if they’d never done hard labor?

It was clear, the jerk was a deadbeat.

“But it wasn’t a pleasant feeling to linger for too long.”

A traveler without a job or journey had no reason to linger long in a village.

Within a day or two, the woman would leave.

Thinking that the woman might disappear tomorrow, Willy couldn’t suppress his restless heart.

“So that’s the word…”

As Willy’s eyes sparkled, his friends understood the meaning.

A tacit understanding, an understanding before words.

“Shall we attack?”

“Exactly that!”

Snap!

A high-five like a blossoming fire. There was no strong opposition like Hwang Baekho or Seo Taeyoung.

However, in terms of passion kindled instead of agriculture, it could not be said that the scoundrels were lacking.

The slim beauty with dark hair, Lucy Talia, was in Willy’s position, fiercely attractive and deliciously tempting.

First, she was a foreigner. She had no back to watch, no one to turn to.

Of course, it was possible that a backer might appear late. But by then, it would have been too late. In the medieval age, to Willy, a man of a highly noble profession, betrayal meant nothing.

Even if he handled a woman from a village like a roughly treated rag, her father, brother, relatives, friends, or the owner of the local pub would come out like a swarm to settle the justice of this land (River Ville).

The beauty (Lucy) was a foreigner.

If he dragged her to a secluded place and attacked, who would blame him for it?

Or would they pity her and try to eat with her? To Willy, even in ordinary times, nonsense was nonsense.

Furthermore, there was no reason for the woman to yell, ‘I’ve been assaulted!’ and run around.

In a world where the whole 21st century was civilized, even if a woman entered a brothel alone, it would be a conscious decision.

It’s not wrong to warn girls who naively venture into bad foreign lands (like India) to be cautious.

“Ha ha. If she’s so pretty, shall I try once?”

As his friends passed by, Willy burst into laughter.

“Indeed, my friends!”