MNP Ch5

Nute’s fortress. Seeds from the Blue Land.

Since the hunter was a Nute, the story had some credibility, but judging by his behavior, it seemed more likely he had heard a baseless rumor somewhere. For now, Seokha would have to tell the teacher about it when he returned. As always, he didn’t want to act rashly.

Just as the crowd seemed to thin out, the sun was setting. With poor night vision, Seokha found himself in a situation where he might have to sleep outdoors and searched for an inconspicuous spot. From the truck owner to the hunter, Seokha had too many people to avoid.

It seemed he had reached the outskirts of the village, but there was no suitable place to park the truck. Thinking he’d go just a little further, he only turned off the engine when the sun had completely set. Today’s sleeping spot, with trees obscuring the view, was good for its lack of people, but also scary for the same reason.

He reclined the seat and curled up his body. It was a bit uncomfortable but bearable. Seokha closed his eyes and organized what he needed to do when the sun rose. With little fuel left, he needed to get gas first. He might manage until reaching the desert, but crossing it with this small truck would be impossible. Should he steal again? Seokha felt self-loathing at turning to crime as soon as he left the village. He should have been careful, as the teacher said.

Knock knock.

He’d have to kneel down immediately upon return. Barn would already be kneeling, though…

Knock knock.

Seokha opened his eyes at the sudden sound. He gasped involuntarily. Blue eyes were reflected in the driver’s side window. Though it was dark all around, the blue eyes shone brightly, staring at Seokha. When did they follow him? Seokha couldn’t take his eyes off them as he slowly reached for the passenger seat. His fingers barely brushed the revolver, unable to grasp it.

Knock- knock.

Through blurry vision, he saw fingers tapping on the window. Just as the revolver came into his hand, the blue eyes drew closer. When their gazes met through the glass, Seokha lowered the window instead of aiming the gun. It wasn’t the hunter. The blue eyes were identical, but the rest of the features differed from the hunter’s. The window slowly descended.

“…”

Seokha didn’t speak first and kept his eyes on the blue ones. Unlike the naive hunter’s, the eyes of this unknown man were deep enough to be unsettling. Forcing himself not to look away, Seokha maintained silence. The man’s long eyelashes fluttered each time he blinked.

“My car suddenly broke down… Could you give me a ride to where I’m going?”

“…It broke down?”

After maintaining silence for a while, the man spoke. His low voice resonated in Seokha’s ears. With upturned lips forming a bow shape, the man was picture-perfect. His disheveled black hair swayed gently in the cool breeze against his pale skin. Seokha stared at the man’s face for a moment before coming to his senses. The man suddenly turned his head, and following his gaze belatedly, Seokha saw a jeep.

“It hit something slightly.”

Seokha carefully got out of the truck. With the revolver hidden behind his back, he followed the man heading towards the jeep. Even though he had confirmed it wasn’t the hunter, Seokha couldn’t relax. The man’s back view matched the description “of imposing stature” perfectly. One wrong move and he might not even leave bones behind. Seokha strongly felt the need to play along.

Reaching the jeep, the man leaned into the driver’s seat to start the engine. The car that was about to start quickly stopped, leaving only a lingering vibration. The man sat on the driver’s seat and let out a small sigh.

“Of all places to break down, I waited a long time for someone to pass by.”

Seokha examined the jeep. The bumper was badly dented, and with such an impact, it seemed unlikely the driver would be unharmed. The dented bumper seemed to have affected the engine as well. Seokha glanced at the man but saw no signs of injury.

“Where are you headed?”

The man’s blue eyes turned to Seokha. For a moment, Seokha hesitated on how to answer. He couldn’t be certain that this man, who exuded an aura similar to the hunter’s, wasn’t a Nute. But with the war intensifying recently, it was unlikely for a Nute to be in a place like this.

“My journey is long, so it might be difficult to give you a ride.”

“You don’t seem to be from around here.”

The man’s eyes slowly scanned Seokha’s attire, smoothly brushing off his refusal. Ah. Seokha looked down at his clothes, following the gaze, unable to hide the surprise in his voice. Seokha’s outfit, with layers of loose fabric, was out of place here, away from the desert. If he had been walking around like this, he must have stood out. Ignoring his pounding heart, Seokha forced a smile.

“I’m heading to the desert.”

“The desert?”

The man raised his thick eyebrows. Seokha’s mouth moved on its own.

“My job is catching Almas.”

“Oh… a hunter?”

Seokha nodded in affirmation to the man who smiled with understanding. The revolver was still in his hand, but he couldn’t aim it at the man. With this being his only possession, he had to conserve bullets. He just hoped to part ways with the man without incident.

“But why are you going in the opposite direction of the desert?”

“Yes?”

“Here.”

The man took out a map from the jeep and unfolded it. The desert is here. His finger pointed to a brown-covered area, and we are here. Then he pointed to a place far away. Seokha’s mouth fell open involuntarily.

He had gone the wrong way. Completely in the opposite direction.

“I saw the direction you came from earlier, and I thought you were heading to the Nute’s land.”

“Ah. I must have taken a wrong turn.”

“I guess you’re not in a hurry?”

The man smiled mischievously. Feeling the conversation was oddly off, Seokha took a step back.

“I’d like to borrow your car.”

The man’s lips curved into a bow. Is this person doing this on purpose? Seokha wanted to grab his head at the incomprehensible situation. Ignoring Seokha’s response, the man started unloading luggage from the broken-down jeep. Seokha couldn’t take his eyes off the object sticking out between the bags as the man approached carrying two black bags. The man strode over and tossed the bags into the truck’s cargo area.

Leaning quietly against the driver’s seat watching this scene, Seokha put his finger on the revolver’s trigger. The man’s skill at ignoring Seokha’s clear body language of unwelcome was quite impressive. It seemed there was no way to communicate. The man was much more unreasonable than expected.

“Wait a moment.”

Seokha tried to stop the man who was moving another bag. The man approached Seokha, pausing his luggage transfer. His head was so high that Seokha had to tilt his neck back. Seeing the man’s threatening build, Seokha regretted not staying in the truck, though it was too late for that now. The cold metal handle of the revolver grew hot in his hand.

Before Seokha could aim the revolver, a gun barrel was suddenly pointed at his chest. Seeing the gun aimed near his chest, Seokha let his arm drop without even raising his own weapon. Standing just a step away, close enough that their bodies would touch if he moved forward, the man completely blocked the faint moonlight. In the darkness where even expressions were invisible, Seokha’s lips parted. A small voice escaped.

“You carry a lot of guns.”

“Selling weapons is my job.”

Echoing Seokha’s earlier response of “My job is catching Almas,” the man put the gun he had aimed back inside his coat. Seokha unconsciously let out the breath he had been holding.

“As a ‘hunter,’ you shouldn’t be uncomfortable with an arms dealer, right?”

The man then leaned into the truck window to check the dashboard, and even brought over a gas can from the jeep. The fruit truck had suddenly become a weapons truck. The man opened the passenger door and asked as if he had just thought of it:

“Ah. May I get in?”

He seemed ready to shoot without hesitation if refused and drive off with the truck. Seokha couldn’t voice his refusal and could only grimace as he watched the man climb into the truck. The situation seemed to be getting worse and worse. He had a feeling this would be a longer journey than expected.

As he sat in the driver’s seat and closed the door, a quiet air filled the interior. The man leaned back in the passenger seat, staring at Seokha. His gaze was so unnerving that Seokha’s cheeks stiffened involuntarily. He’d drive him a reasonable distance, then ditch him during a break. For now, that was the best option.

“Aren’t you going?”

“…I’m going.”

He started the engine, and the rumbling vibrations felt incomparably more uncomfortable than before. Between the anxiety of carrying a suspicious person and the accumulated fatigue, Seokha didn’t notice the man observing the truck and him. He didn’t notice that his own strange clothes looked dirty, as if they had been dragged through a market, or that the truck lacked even a gas mask for the desert, or even that the truck itself was completely inadequate for crossing the desert.

The headlights cast a long shadow beneath Seokha’s eyelashes. The man, propping his arm up and looking at his pale face, thought he was lucky. The jeep had been making noise since last night, and when he gave it a little kick, it broke down completely. He was wondering what to do when this lying companion appeared, and he was quite pleased.