TLSSBTD CHAPTER 10

Episode 10

“Master Guest? Absolutely not.”

It wasn’t only Gahwa who was startled. Yeong-yeong adjusted his slipping spectacles and stepped forward.
Stumbling and flustered, he looked rather pitiful.

“It will be done.”
“It’s too much for you.”
“I said it’s possible.”
“Even if you say that— The food will barely be enough to stave off hunger and will taste terrible. Most of the journey will be on foot, so your legs will feel as heavy as a mountain. Even if you ride in a carriage, the bumps will make your backside ache. As for sleeping with silk blankets, you’ll be lucky to count such nights on your fingers — you’ll be camping on the road most of the time. And still you insist on going?”

‘And what’s so hard about that?’

Listening silently, Gahwa narrowed her eyes.

Yeong-yeong’s attitude was like that of someone fussing over a child by the water’s edge.
The dragon had yawned more times than the combined years that Gahwa and Yeong-yeong had lived.

“Even so, I will go.”
“It’s absolutely unreasonable.”
“I said it was possible.”

The long back-and-forth ended in the dragon’s victory.

Yeong-yeong, shoulders drooping, turned his head to Gahwa.

Gahwa flinched.

His expression was one of sincere pity. For some reason, it made her uneasy.

‘It would be better to go alone after all.’

She resolved inwardly and looked at the dragon. She found his company uncomfortable for different reasons than Yeong-yeong did.

Their first meeting hadn’t exactly been pleasant.

Whatever the dragon thought of it, Gahwa had tried to kill him to survive. By chance, their goals aligned, and they ended up in the same boat. Nothing more. She knew nothing else about him. To travel together with such a person was unbearable.

‘Strictly speaking, isn’t he just my employer? Not to mention his twisted personality.’

The memory of everything from Shindang Mountain to arriving at Yeonhwa Pavilion flashed through her mind.

Even now, she still fumed.

The way he spoke in riddles, nitpicking at every little thing, constantly testing her — just thinking about it was exhausting.

Finding all the fragments he mentioned would require a long journey. She had no intention of spending that time waiting on him hand and foot.

‘As long as I gather the fragments, that should be enough.’

“If you fear I might run away, you needn’t. I will collect the fragments no matter what. So I’ll be fine on my own.”

She stepped forward and spoke. The dragon replied indifferently.

“That’s not it.”

Where had he dropped the subject this time? Gahwa silently recited the character for endure (忍) and glanced at Yeong-yeong.

He seemed to catch on immediately.

Alone, she couldn’t keep up with the two of them. Little things like this just didn’t mesh. She sighed inwardly.

“Then why insist on coming along?”
“Because you’d struggle to find them on your own.”

Couldn’t he just tell her where the fragments were? What was so hard about that?

“What do you mean by that?”

When she asked, Yeong-yeong answered in his stead.

“Even if you memorized the locations and set out immediately, the political situation changes by the hour. Especially now.”

The king had changed, and who knew how that would affect things.

From what she’d heard earlier from the dragon, only about half of the Nine Clans still held fragments. These were influential houses, with great power in the nation.

“You mean the locations could change depending on shifting alliances?”

Yeong-yeong nodded.

“Yes. They’ll change according to the new king’s actions. Records show that a century ago, fragments were confiscated from clans who betrayed the throne, then awarded to other families. There are even records of fragments being exchanged as dowries when two houses merged through marriage. At present, a marriage is being discussed between the royal family and the Dan clan. Their situation could alter things again.”

“But even if the locations change, you could just pass on the new information, couldn’t you?”

“That’s why I’m needed.”

The reply came from her left. The dragon spoke quietly.

“I can sense the aura of the fragments. I can respond immediately, like a geomancer’s compass.”

Only then did Gahwa understand his reason for joining. If he could instantly locate any shifted fragments, they wouldn’t waste time chasing dead ends. That would save a great deal of time.

There was no way to refute that.

But it was still awkward. Lips pursed, she tried to swallow her discomfort — when suddenly, the dragon shoved a bundle of luggage at her.

‘Why is he handing this to me?’

When she only stared, he plopped it directly into her hands.

He expected her to carry it.

Gahwa narrowed her eyes at him.

‘First he hogs the compass, now he wants me to be his pack mule.’

And the load was heavier than before, apparently added to during his talk with Yeong-yeong.

She looked closer at what she was holding.

On top were soft, luxurious, and heavy silk robes. Understandable, she supposed. Spare clothes were necessary for travel.

Beneath them were maps and other essentials, which also made sense.

But—

“Yeong-yeong.”
“I thought it best to prepare just in case…”

At the dragon’s gesture, Yeong-yeong sighed and pulled another massive bundle from under the desk. He lugged it over, straining under the weight, and set it down with a thud beside her.

She looked at him in disbelief.

‘Surely he doesn’t mean for me to carry all this, does he?’

Her eyes asked the question. Yeong-yeong wiped his sweat and gave her a look of pity.

That was his answer.

She stared blankly at the enormous bundle.

‘Placing it before me means… yes, he wants me to carry it.’

Absurd. This was worse than when she’d carried him piggyback down the mountain.

‘So testing my trust wasn’t enough, now he wants to test my strength?’

The theory seemed plausible. She couldn’t read his blank expression.

‘Haah.’

She sighed. Whatever his reasons, the luggage had to be cut down.

Crouching, she inspected the bundles. Inside was everything imaginable.

Luxury bedding despite having no servants, silver bowls and spoons, even unused inkstones and brushes.

Piece by piece, Gahwa set things aside. The dragon caught her hand.

“I cannot sleep without silk blankets.”
“Walk long enough, and you’ll sleep on pebbles or sand without knowing the difference.”
“I cannot eat without my silver spoon.”
“Planning to set up a household on the road?”

She rebutted each protest as she pared down the load. No matter how much she pulled out, there was always more.

Finally, she began uncovering small but ornate items: decorative fans, embroidered shoes, even a brazier.

She preempted him.

“If you don’t want to draw attention, you’ll be better off in commoners’ clothes. So these gaudy trinkets are unnecessary.”

Removing the silks and ornaments made his brow twitch upward.

“I wear nothing but silk.”
“Then consider this an opportunity for a new experience.”

In the end, she emptied the bundles completely. The dragon openly showed his displeasure.

“I told you everything was necessary.”
“Then you should hire a merchant caravan. Or perhaps take him instead.”

She suddenly pointed at Yeong-yeong.

He flailed his hands in protest.

“He doesn’t want to go with you.”

“……”

Gahwa silenced the dragon and sighed deeply.

The sorting was finished, at least. She then asked Yeong-yeong for some plain clothes and shoes.

Plain, though only in embroidery — the dragon stubbornly insisted, and they compromised on simple-embroidered silk garments.

She folded them neatly into the bundle, along with a purse of money, the compass, and finally her identity plaque.

Yeong-yeong produced another plaque from his sleeve.

“I thought you might need this too. By the way… may I call you Lady? Someone might overhear otherwise.”
“It’s fine. I’m as good as dead already.”

She checked the plaque. It belonged to a commoner.

She tucked it into her clothes and bowed in thanks. With this, there would be no problem passing through the city gates.

All that remained was water and some simple food. Before leaving the capital, they could buy supplies at the market. If there was a kitchen, she could even make rice balls.

With that in mind, she finished packing and handed the bundle to the dragon.

He only stared at it. She showed him how she carried her own.

“See, you sling it over your shoulder like this.”
“I know how to carry it.”

His look implied, Why tell me that? She slung the bundle onto his shoulder anyway.

“Everyone carries their own baggage. By the way… are you really going to travel looking like that?”

She gestured at him.

He looked like a boy of ten. There was not a shred of dignity about him — more like a petulant child throwing a tantrum. That was the only reason she dared to talk back so easily.

“That is my plan.”

She groaned, clutching her forehead.

Traveling alone was one thing, but with a child in tow? Impossible. A lone traveler might join a caravan, but no caravan would take on a man and child.

Even just the two of them, a frail-looking man and a child would be easy targets for bandits, beasts, or demons.

So she hinted, cautiously.

“What about… your true form?”
“I’m comfortable like this.”

He didn’t budge. Desperate, she turned pleadingly to Yeong-yeong.

He sighed heavily and shook his head.

“He’s sent out a clone by exploiting the weakened seal. His power is limited. The larger the body he takes, the more energy it consumes, so he chose the form of a child.”
“If you insist on larger, I can manage about this much.”

Perhaps moved by her desperation, the dragon snapped his fingers.

Clack.

His body flared with white light. Gahwa watched, eyes filled with expectation.