Chapter 58
At the merchants’ guild, Kyden asked whether a woman had left for the capital with the merchants early this morning. The merchants responded that it was rare to secure a spot to the capital so swiftly.
Kyden entered several merchants’ guilds to check the lists of those who had left that day and surmised that she might still be in Mountain Goat Village. He decided to check the last guild before exploring Mountain Goat Village further.
“Hey, did a woman named Roel join a caravan to the capital today?”
Standing with his imposing figure blocking the desk, Kyden’s presence made Hermi gulp.
‘Was she fleeing from her husband?’
Hermi vividly remembered Roel, who had visited the Pumpkin Blossom Guild the previous evening. For a brief moment, Hermi’s mind raced.
A woman with a limp, a scar on her cheek, looking sad and somber. Desperately trying to go to the capital like being chased by something.
And now, a terrifying man was searching for her. Menacing in stature, handsome yet with a fierce look, a threatening deep voice, and a brutal large sword strapped to his back.
‘Domestic violence!’
The thought of a wife escaping domestic abuse surfaced naturally.
A sense of solidarity with another struggling woman and a moral duty to protect her from violence surged within Hermi.
“She did come to our guild, but there were no available spots, and she seemed to have been turned away at other guilds as well.”
“….Hmm.”
“And we usually don’t let people with unclear identities join the caravans, because of the risk they might steal.”
Hermi blurted out lies smoothly, and Kyden believed her, as they aligned with what others had said.
“If you see a woman named Roel, I would appreciate it if you could send someone to this address. I’ll make it worth your while.”
Kyden provided an address of an inn where he would stay while searching for Roel.
Hermi smiled and took the note. She thought to herself about how this supposed knight treated his wife. What a scumbag! A knight, indeed, who beats his wife. Absolute trash. While Hermi maintained a smiling face, inside, she was hurling curses.
After Roel and Kyden crossed paths, Kyden spent a considerable amount of time in Mountain Goat Village. Despite searching extensively and visiting the merchants’ guild frequently, there were no sightings or news of Roel.
Kyden even questioned the carriage drivers, but nobody seemed to know Roel.
It was clear she had been to Mountain Goat Village, yet no one seemed to have seen her, nor was there any indication that she had moved on to another town, as neither merchants nor carriage drivers knew of her whereabouts.
As a result, Kyden spent a week turning the village inside out, which only intensified his anxiety that something bad had happened to Roel, causing him to harass the innocent villagers.
Despite Kyden’s disruptive presence, the intimidated local guards did not dare to intervene.
Today, as Kyden appeared at the merchants’ guild again, the Pumpkin Blossom merchants who had just returned from the capital whispered among themselves.
“Who is that guy wandering around here?”
“Stay away from him, if you cross him, it could end badly.”
A merchant packing his goods frowned and waved his hand dismissively.
“Why is he behaving like that?”
“He’s looking for a woman.”
“His wife ran away? Why is he looking for her here?”
“Heard she went to the capital, but then she disappeared from here. Something about a woman named Roel….”
“Roel? Did you say Roel?”
“Why, do you know her?”
“Yes….”
The recently returned merchant from the capital grimaced with discomfort. The woman who had joined the last caravan to the capital was named Roel. It was undoubtedly the woman this man was searching for.
She was pretty but looked sad and gloomy. Yet she diligently took care of preparing meals, attracting the attention of the young men in the caravan.
“Would it hurt to tell if you know? He’s been turning the village upside down all day. Let’s just send him on his way.”
“That girl was really nice and polite… I hope I’m not making a mistake by saying something.”
Nevertheless, the merchant approached Kyden. Seeing such a desperate man searching for his wife, he felt it was only right as a fellow man to help him.
“Miss Roel went to the capital. I clearly remembered she joined the caravan going there a week ago. It seems she joined hastily, so her name might not have been properly recorded.”
Having missed Roel in Mountain Goat Village by a week, Kyden was taken aback. He widened his eyes in urgency and asked.
“Do you know where in the capital she intended to go?”
“She mentioned looking for a job. I warned her to be careful of employment offices that traffic women. But where exactly she went, I’m not sure….”
Hearing the mention of employment offices that exploited women, Kyden didn’t look back.
He immediately left the place and headed straight for the capital.
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