MNP Ch10

They were sharing the same room… Well, there was no real reason to get two rooms. They didn’t have much money. Eden’s financial situation was unclear, but he didn’t seem to be carrying around a lot of cash, so Seokha figured he was probably only slightly better off than himself.

Seokha washed his hands and sat down in a chair. Eden took out the notebook he had seen before and started writing something again. He didn’t seem like the type to take notes often, but he appeared to record things more frequently than expected. Losing interest in the notebook, Seokha stared blankly out the fairly large window. Where exactly were they?

He unfolded the old map he had taken from the truck. It seemed they had traveled about a third of the way into Haman territory. The path Eden was leading them on was towards the eastern edge of Haman land. Right after Haman territory ended, Nute’s land began. It was located exactly opposite from the desert. He would need to end this companionship at some point, but it was unclear why Eden was bringing him along.

“Well, shall we head out?”

Eden put away his notebook and stood up. Seokha followed suit, neatly folding the crumpled map and putting it in his pocket. Even though it wasn’t really the time for it, he felt a bit excited about seeing a village of a different race.

As they left the lodging tucked away in an alley, the surrounding area was still quiet. Following behind Eden, Seokha felt strangely thrilled to be out of the desert as he saw patches of green grass sprouting here and there in the village, in stark contrast to the sandy winds of the desert.

Soon they arrived at the marketplace they had seen when first entering the village. Eden turned to look at Seokha.

“Stay close so you don’t get lost.”

“I’m not a child.”

“…No, you’re not. But I’m still worried.”

Eden chuckled softly and pulled Seokha’s arm. They walked side by side into the market. Seokha’s head swiveled constantly as he took in the lively market. Then he stopped in his tracks at a horrific sight.

“What is that?”

“Which one?”

That…. Eden followed the direction of Seokha’s finger and trailed off, as if choosing his words carefully. There were several butchered pigs hanging from a sign, their insides clearly visible. Seeing slaughtered livestock for the first time in his life, Seokha’s expression froze at the reddish forms that looked like flayed human skin.

“Have you never seen a pig before?”

“A pig?”

Ah. Suddenly remembering that other races ate meat, Seokha laughed awkwardly. He had no idea they sold it like this.

“I know what it is. I’ve just never seen it sold this way.”

“I see. So it’s your first time…”

Want to try some? It looks freshly butchered.

As Eden started walking towards the butcher shop, Seokha hurriedly grabbed his arm.

“No thanks. Let’s keep going.”

Eden easily turned away, as if he hadn’t really intended to eat it anyway. Seokha had no idea how anyone could eat that red thing. Frowning as they passed the butchered pigs, Seokha’s attention was quickly drawn to other sights. He didn’t notice Eden covering his mouth to hide his laughter as he followed behind.

As they passed by shops, Eden stopped in front of one. He gestured for Seokha, who had gone ahead, to come back.

“What is it?”

“We should buy one, right?”

The place Eden had stopped was a clothing store. He went inside first. Although Seokha had gotten some clothes to wear, they were literally just picked up off the ground. The fit was a bit loose and baggy, but it wasn’t particularly uncomfortable. However, it seemed Eden didn’t think it was suitable.

“…I don’t have any money.”

“I figured as much.”

How annoying….

Unable to argue with that, Seokha stepped inside, following Eden who was already browsing the interior. In any case, Seokha wasn’t going to refuse if Eden was buying. The clothing here was so different from the desert that it was hard to tell what would be appropriate. As they looked through the store full of clothes, Eden shook his head at each item Seokha pulled out. Towards the end, Eden was shaking his head even before Seokha touched anything. Finally, an irritated Seokha grumbled.

“Is there anything you actually like?”

“Try picking something more ordinary.”

Seokha examined the bright colored shirt in his hands. It was a deep pink, rare in the desert. He had definitely seen quite a few men wearing similar colors as they walked through the market. Isn’t this ordinary enough? While Seokha was re-examining the shirt, Eden arbitrarily picked out a few items and completed the purchase.

“Looks like we won’t finish in one day at this rate.”

Eden hung a bag on Seokha’s arm, who was still deliberating between colorful t-shirts in both hands, and left the store. Seokha hurriedly put the clothes back and followed him out. Looking in the bag, he saw black clothes similar to what Eden was wearing. If this is what you wanted, you could have just picked it out earlier. Seokha pouted.

“Hey, handsome young man! Come take a look at this.”

As they were strolling through the market, a woman with her hair tied up at a stall beckoned to Seokha. His feet automatically turned towards the stall. Looking at the display, he saw bracelets, necklaces, and rings spread out. They all had blue gems embedded in them. Seokha’s eyes lit up, having only seen gems occasionally mixed in with trade goods before. No one ever took them, saying they were just useless rocks, except for Seokha who always picked them up.

“You look like you’d be popular. Girls would love it if you bought one of these for them.”

The merchant picked up a bracelet and held it against Seokha’s wrist, exclaiming exaggeratedly.

“Wow, it suits you well with your nice skin. Buy one.”

“It’s pretty. But I don’t have any money…”

“Ah, it’s not that expensive! I’ll give you a discount since you’re handsome. I’m generous to good-looking men.”

The gem on the bracelet placed on his arm sparkled in the light. Though he liked the blue gem he was seeing for the first time, he truly didn’t have a single coin. Just as he was about to put the bracelet down:

“There you are. I was wondering where you went.”

Eden, who had briefly lost sight of Seokha, walked up to the stall. The merchant’s jaw dropped. Wow…. An exclamation of admiration escaped their open mouth.

“What day is it today? Why are there so many handsome men? Look, it suits you well, doesn’t it?”

Eden lowered his head to examine the bracelet on Seokha’s wrist. Come to think of it. Seokha looked at Eden, then back at the bracelet. This is too similar to his eye color… Suddenly losing interest, Seokha was about to put the bracelet down.

“Do you like this?”

“Huh? Are you going to buy it for me?”

“Oh my. Are you two together?”

Seokha’s gaze, which had been on Eden, turned back to the merchant. His mouth fell open as he shook his head firmly.

“No. We’re not.”

“Don’t be shy. Buy this for him. Now that I look closer, it’s exactly the same color as your eyes!”

“We’re really not.”

“Oh come on.”

The merchant, having already shifted her target to Eden, paid no attention to Seokha’s stiff face. Eden, who had seemed like he would just pass by, willingly opened his wallet. At that, the merchant’s mouth split into a grin, exclaiming “How generous!” Before Seokha could protest, Eden had already paid and pointed to the next store.

“Put it on and come over there.”

Everything had happened before Seokha could come to his senses. The merchant fastened the bracelet on Seokha’s wrist and patted it twice.

“You’ve got a good boyfriend. This is precious.”

“He’s not my boyfriend…”

“Why are you being so shy? It’s not something to hide these days, two men being together.”

“But we’re really not…”

Seokha, too drained to argue further, just closed his mouth. The merchant, having made sure the clasp was secure, looked up at Seokha and continued:

“By the way, I thought your boyfriend was a Nute. He’s got quite the build.”

“A Nute?”

Seokha, now automatically filtering the merchant’s words, asked back. He wasn’t certain that Eden was a Nute either. The merchant, who had seen many people coming and going, might know the difference.

“Nutes don’t usually come to places like this… but that kind of body isn’t common, you know?”

“…Are Nutes rare to see?”

“Of course. I’ve only seen them once or twice. They’re all obsessed with war and fighting, so they wouldn’t come to a village like this.”

That’s enough. The merchant slapped Seokha’s wrist and grinned widely.

“Besides, Nutes can’t be with other races.”

“What? Why not?”

The merchant leaned in and gestured. Her grinning face looked lewd. Seokha leaned in as well, and the merchant whispered in his ear.

“Who could handle those creatures? Unless you’re a Nute yourself, it’d kill you.”

“…Is it that extreme?”

“Of course. You know why there are so few Nute half-breeds?”

The merchant then went on, cackling, about how someone they knew had tried to sleep with a Nute and ended up running away naked with a broken leg, limping.

“Their cocks are this big!”

The merchant raised their arm, made a fist, and grabbed their elbow with their other hand. ‘Ah, that’s a bit much.’ When Seokha laughed and responded, the merchant laughed too, saying it was hard to say for sure. Come to think of it, Nutes were close to being a single-race species. So that was the… reason. Feeling like he had heard something he shouldn’t have, Seokha awkwardly said goodbye and turned to leave. The merchant waved as she saw him off.

When he went to the next store, Eden came out carrying a large bag full of groceries. He seemed to have just finished paying. For someone who didn’t look like he had much money, he was spending quite freely. The bracelet jingling on his wrist felt awkward. Eden saw Seokha and walked over.

“Let’s head back now. We’ve bought everything we need.”

“…Okay. Let’s go.”

More time had passed than expected, and the sun was setting. The red sunset tinted Eden’s face red as well. The idea that Eden might be a Nute was gradually fading from Seokha’s mind. Come to think of it, he hadn’t shown the violent tendencies or lack of self-control that Seokha had heard about. The thought that he might just be a Haman with a large build was growing stronger.

The way back to the lodging was quick. Seokha asked as he watched Eden take a different route through the alleys instead of the way they had come:

“Have you been here before?”

“A long time ago, I stopped by a few times.”

For just a few visits, he knows the way pretty well… Not wanting to nitpick, Seokha just nodded. Soon the lodging building was right in front of them. The restaurant was bustling, seemingly timed with the dinner hour. Eden, laden with bags, turned to Seokha.

“Want to eat before we go up?”

“Eat?”

I wonder if there’s anything I can eat. Seokha reluctantly approached Eden, who was setting down his bags at an empty table. Eden handed a menu to Seokha, who sat across from him.

“The vegetarian options here only use Blue Land ingredients, unfortunately.”

“…That’s too bad.”

It was quite a coincidence. Seokha suppressed a smile as he started flipping through the menu. Whether it was cooked using Haman methods or not, there were many differences from the desert cuisine he was used to. The prices didn’t look cheap, but since Eden would be paying, Seokha felt at ease.

“I’ll have this.”

Since he was getting a free meal, Seokha chose the most expensive dish. Soon Eden called over a staff member and placed their orders. Only after ordering did Seokha realize how hungry he was. Come to think of it, he had been making do with just a few fruits recently, so it felt like it had been a very long time since he’d had a proper meal. He had a feeling this would be a satisfying meal.

Seokha struggled up the stairs, clutching his full stomach. He glared at Eden, who was climbing easily, and took a deep breath, his throat full of food. He wasn’t usually a big eater, so he had put down his spoon after eating about half, but Eden had urged him to take just one more bite. Thinking one more bite wouldn’t hurt, he had picked up his spoon again, not realizing it would continue until the plate was clean. After practically fasting and then overeating, he felt like he might throw up at any moment.

“Do you want to shower first?”

Seokha, slumped over the table with difficulty, waved his hand.

“Later. You go first.”

Eden let out a laugh as he went into the bathroom and closed the door.