Chapter 100: When the snow melts (2)
2Hg4tS2Before.5qYN
skKunjbNot long ago, Vlad had a conversation like this with members of Jorge’s organization.EpdYc6
ph8Y“Ah. I just wish I had 100 gold coins.”0G8e
ZbCQ8vTCommon conversations that men usually have when they get together.1wGzGx4
FZUVF5IA story about alcohol, women, and anything special.md1SE
0dYiCeAnd as these conversations unfold, there is a story that naturally emerges.tcK
BXj1Wv“What should I do if I have 100 gold coins?”AEp
VcpiL“If you have it, instead of doing this, buy some land somewhere and settle down right away.”uLwa
SXfZ“I’ve lived here all my life and I guess I’ll make a living by farming.”iqZOM
7myOA story about money.DXXs
M7L38NtThey are stories that can only be imagined because they cannot happen exactly.5k733
D2r7m1A“Look boss. After all, it’s about business more than agriculture. Let’s look for a nice building…”o4lM7
PDE“And then it collapses completely. I think doing business is easy.”yKO
7sDLife is sad when you can clearly see the future.KYfqk
vp9rKeuThat’s why sometimes trivial stories like this were necessary.gb7a
QogiLBecause you don’t need any qualification to imagine and talk.z4Pv0
zzSow“…”UmZ2
UR9ItNYou have to buy land, you have to buy a building, no, you have to start a business.jPi7Sf
4pkFzcIn a conversation that made no sense but was still passionate, Burleigh looked at the boy who was alone in the distance.yPFZ
heCld“Hey junior. What would you do if you had 100 gold coins?”TVyw5
EodClMFThe youngest member of the organization, silently watching as he listened to the useless stories of his elders.CkG4TUr
HozXb“Who gave it to me?”ZYoL
5qK“You can talk about that, right?”QuNgXS
kAyUOThe blond boy stopped pushing for a moment and silently pondered Burleigh’s question.Ao1smkV
WGhWhat would you do first if you suddenly had money?RKHgS
EODhx“…If I have 100 gold coins, I must pay off the debt first.”6q40
GTN“What? Do you owe me 100 gold coins?”5ERaq
b6A“That’s strange. Have you been gambling or something?”OYK4C
LR6gmjIt was unlikely to happen, but he could imagine it, and even in that imagination, Vlad thought he had to pay off his debt first.qKNUrP
9MU4“It’s not a gambling debt, but I still have some things to pay.”7ghLQ9
dV56XFThere was always a list of people he had to pay in the back of Vlad’s mind.IowKqT
JXmpa2Most of the list was about people who held grudges, but there were also people who actually owed money and had to be paid, and the same person’s name was always written at the top of the list.KuXR
utbkLMi“…328 gold coins.”q83V
I1ouAnd now Vlad, who had to leave Soara, had over 100 gold coins in his hands.i0T
1sbsrWhat would you do if you had money?7Rgofnd
EDrvYJAlthough Burleigh was no longer there to hear his answers, Vlad decided to do what he had always thought of doing.lUU
oTbfThere is not much time left to leave.z8TEN
elIDgSo now is the time to repay the money.dzjwX
CXbZT***e8u
5dj1“I guess something isn’t right with us.”mvE1O0
heLz“Yeah, I know.”iuXA06O
eezd8wTwo people pouring themselves beer amid the noisy crowd of customers.hE9V
o9uROGGregory, who had been released on probation again, and Vlad, who had been punished with expulsion, looked at each other helplessly, excluded from their duties.3HxkCs
yMPTl4“When are you leaving?”OfxU
UeCX“About five days?I’ll leave as soon as I’m ready.”0Y1mp
3KQeDJoseph gave Vlad a week.PpLPEV
YbMA7Although it might seem like a long time, it was also a subtly difficult moment from Vlad’s perspective since he had to leave the city where he had lived his entire life.F2Hsl
Rsgg00J“…But everything we planned is over.”GoIeg6
SYlX2bRThe intentions were good, but the results were not.Z2Sa
cjGojcSomehow, Gregory, who was the cause of this incident, wanted to be considered in his own way with Vlad, who had to leave the city because of the job he had proposed.XkdooJm
nGQ“Soon, the people from the Kannor family will come to Soara.”6C4O
Dz7qIn any case, Black Bear and his organization disappeared from the alleys, and an area in Soara was created where the Kannor family could occupy.7uba
NL9SB9E“This is a business that cannot fail. It has already been coordinated to some extent with Mr. Joseph.”LdvX
LMZ“…”xh1dm
aStZcAs Bordan said, knights are not people who save money through salaries.F5yt
30wThe advantage of having a close relationship with powerful people was enough to attract knights to the shining gold coins.xj3b
EzPao0g“Invest at least a nominal amount. Then I’ll take care of it so you don’t have to worry.”XoX
TjVBThe Kannor family advances toward Soara.dJFcso
qLvkzyOther merchants would do their utmost to participate in this business, but Gregory was saying he would open a corner of the door just for Vlad.PrL8Cl
7MeAVcmBecause the knight in front of him was someone who fully deserved it.vWpDix3
WC9CWzA“How much does it cost?”8qX
6el“I don’t know how much I received as a special allowance, but I only contributed what I can afford.”NUNh
24oA5Gregory’s eyes looked beyond the beer glass at Vlad.w7M
R4YOriginally, the plan was to slowly take root in the alleys with Vlad, who knew the situation well.Om1hrx
4D7u4u7“Mmm.”hrzG810
oGdv0At first glance, it sounded like the typical trick of a scammer, but the person sitting across from Vlad was a Bayezid knight whose name alone could prove his reliability.HJFY
CYe7Cq“Are 50 gold coins enough?”iuwdOXR
210xKbH“That’s enough.”l8BrqqW
Ws1YKSIt was a ridiculous amount, but it would be enough to make a name for oneself.xcGx
lNNxEtKAnd since the Kannor family was already one of the families supporting Vlad, they would definitely take care of it without any regrets.ektkTo
zlB23“Please take care.”CU34yb4
wtl“Please take good care of this while I’m away.”9G7Pi
JSwD“Understood.”VgxUmM
DGpGuGregory said he was sorry, and Vlad replied that he should take care of it later, please.WvLyLWT
qWErdkcNow that we’ve said everything we had to say to each other, all that’s left is to drink.Hh2z
ztY“…”AHUSXH
jOHbAs Gregory raised his beer glass, Vlad looked indifferently at the snacks in front of him.h6rbnv2
DDbbSFMature red sausage.YzqUs6C
RK0lRsM“It wasn’t tasty.”ivPt3
fp7iF1Before seeing the world, nothing seemed as delicious to Vlad as this sausage.xK9XpT
2H7But Vlad decided he would no longer be satisfied with the poor sausages produced by the black bear.0Tri9MO
Y8p2gQ***bOj1F
hQi“What’s this? I don’t need inn fees.”rx1LP
turn“I can’t stay here anymore. There’s also a part the old Ramund didn’t pay for.”BcMqmA6
WfGvWD5Vlad jokingly handed Marcella 50 gold coins.8PcT
K1nTUI don’t think she’ll accept me if I don’t do this.nrOiHOF
GWiFfpB“…Our inn doesn’t charge that much, does it?”1dFNS
drhDAlF“This is an investment. I’ll return the profits later.”FVn
8aXVlad tried to convey to Marcella exactly what Gregory had said.22E
I6KeMb“I think Rose’s Smile Inn will do well once it overcomes this crisis.”vBhO
vTo5m2“Is that so?”nxSQ
ZeYkMarcella was investing her money to turn Rose’s Smile into an elegant inn.ofU8Ri
uke2pHowever, no matter how much money she had saved, most of it was lost due to One-Armed Jack’s interference, and although she didn’t show it, Marcella was currently struggling with financial difficulties.gZk3WC
9yEHqT“…Thank you. You won’t regret this investment.”d4VDv
kJS“In return, from now on, the sausages must always be from the Kannor family. If possible, we should promote that too.”9BcFNmg
gIhu“Hehe. If you’re asking for those terms, I’ll accept.”71nF3Q
8oo1RIf it were simply to show sympathy for her young heart, she wouldn’t have accepted. However, Vlad was proposing his own business venture and giving gold coins in exchange for an investment.0MODFK7
CaH9As they looked at each other as equals, not as adults and children, there was no reason for Marcella not to accept.yEVmoFh
19gZe“Please take care of Zemina while I’m away.”dffpGXp
0o8Ac“I can’t promise that.”3ymblP3
xPeXQHSeeing Marcella make a subtle expression, Vlad could only smile bitterly.DmUN
wZ6XwtAfter learning that she would be expelled from Soara, Zemina stayed in a corner of her room and didn’t come out. Her sense of loss was something only Vlad could fill.AX8EtPH
pxa“Where are you going?”tX3tnyh
LUUu1“I’m a bit busy.”tQL
VGvVlad, descending the stairs to do his next job, paused for a moment and turned his head.4wc8
DXNVmHOThere was Marcella holding the bag of gold coins he had given her.UN85RJ
Rv2GHI“Thank you.”Xgv
oLa“Huh? What for?”5mDx
Gt2l6Jorge picked it up, but she wiped it.SODVCQr
mPMijBefore Marcella washed his hair, Vlad’s hair was gray and dusty. Now her inn would receive high-quality meat from the Kannor family, and she had enough money to not worry about deficits for the time being. So Vlad decided to erase Marcella’s name from the list in his head.f2X
yDjbjqb“I’ll be right back.”FQTG5
mii0Now, there are only a few days left for the time Joseph gave him.N91
Nb2jVlad hurriedly left the inn and went to the monastery’s graveyard to clean the tombstone of the old blacksmith.UdV
EKJHe felt like his hands would freeze in the cold weather, but he decided to do it anyway.Czz
GD7QYMb“Thank you.”W8GS5a
CWPBecause he wanted to bid farewell to the old blacksmith he wouldn’t see again for a long time.lx8Gp4a
JG8With his final greetings to him, Vlad crossed off the old blacksmith’s name from the list in his head.6fm6QOj
U9XpIv“I just paid for my life.”6C4RP0
3xAC“But I really wanted to thank you.”wr4YBBu
cjZkoVlad went to the town hall and bowed to the knight who protected Rose’s Smile on his behalf.I1fuPa
QTo85Although he said he had paid his debt, Knight Maxim volunteered to face the bishop’s soldiers.1jP9
1ldeVlad bowed to Maxim, who had avenged him, and when he saw the man who had accepted his greeting, he crossed another name off the list.S3l
2dfHe brought his favorite snacks to Bordan, who had issued the order in his name.IvL
DND8I1yHe bought a nice axe for Otar, who believed in him and followed him.pWC5
HRYWkoEvery time he gave something to someone and bowed in gratitude, the names in Vlad’s head were erased one by one.460i9cJ
rIzN6BK“…”Yjxp5X
2AUThere were also people I didn’t dare to pay, like Joseph, Jager, and Priest Andreas.yEm9RGh
9iN7WdZVlad wasn’t in a position to say anything to them yet, so he decided to wait until later.mNvtJ
ezywA9And now there was only one name left, the oldest on the list.CnhC
VTP“Why did you ask me to come here?”978Mi3u
8K9zCEW“To settle a debt.”91vbPn
MToDXz“What debt?”VxHc
bwOpHarven, who followed Vlad with a limp, soon saw a large building leaning against the icy riverbank.ylH8
WuTzvll“This is a shipyard.”K9Y
bPObv2H“Yes. This is the shipyard.”9Gi
fJxi2bThe harsh northern climate caused vital rivers to freeze for about half the year, but Soara, the southernmost city in the north, managed to escape some of the effects.47t5E9N
gziRXkaThis shipyard was proof of that.TRQ
m8yRXls“But why did you bring me here?”F8j4M
rX69“I’m paying my debt.”sG5MRSd
mMAneA shipyard wasn’t just a place to build ships, but also a place to sell them.8gHy
cHbYGOf course, the process would require difficult procedures, but this didn’t apply to Vlad, the knight.4jDeq
muPn“Huff… Look at that. It looks like a boat’s leaving. Are they stuck by the river? The captain’s going to have a hard time.”VdE
iMqi4X“That was too expensive.”v03xd
sQOvi“Huh?”r0o16
hh6Gk7SHarven entered the shipyard with Vlad’s guidance and started looking around happily, like a child.iHP00
gpfjxA“I always wanted to come here at least once.”01xA0
k1GDUJ“…”W0v
kPCHarven had loved ships since he was young.P8KAM6
yUDIThey used to talk about how someday they would buy a boat and sail down the river, escaping the alleys.2BSO2Uc
cYokZuZAs if it were a promise they would never forget.8O202ZN
dSnAnd young Vlad learned to look at the stars by looking at Harven.wih
fK1fb“Do you still want to travel by boat?”SDn
XFwO“Yes.”LuXd8l7
DMx6“Do you want to leave Soara?”3Ho
eo3RO“Of course… Why are you asking that?”l8Za
1xkjHarven said he would definitely go to sea before he died.4Tvw
8H2ofHhHowever, Harven ended up trapped in a dark alley protecting Vlad and Zemina.Yi7tT
EF9f“That was 200 gold coins.”IzQHW
Mp3There was a day when he carved a rudimentary cane for Harven, who was sitting thoughtfully by himself.g5d
YC9dIThat day, while squatting somewhere in an alley, carving wood, Vlad made a decision.1sH
S8tbyUBHe would definitely pay his debt to Harven.B8q1K
9DMdqSo, he engraved his name deeply in his mind.HZD
4M4X“What?”lL7J
Thg8X8kWhere Vlad pointed.foE
EDlJemOA small boat trapped in a corner of the shipyard.esY
u5fAh0yStill, the boat with a horizontally stretched sail, as if to indicate it was a sailboat, was a zipper boat more commonly used by merchants sailing the river.XCyyt5
PY6“It’s a bit cheap. So I bought it.”mrXn0
NWqNf“Huh?”KpE3Ie
eQmHarven, who didn’t understand what had just happened, made strange noises and responded, but Vlad simply waved his hand and called over the shipyard worker.mrek
Mqgr“It’s yours now.”a8p
g5r07a“…”VUjll8
5mLBZVlad said, handing a piece of paper brought by a shipyard worker.r94Slr
DfD“Sign it. With your name.”qQsU
ZdLA piece of white paper in the hands of a shipyard worker.bL1CKh
QVQ9xhKIt was a ship certificate accrediting ownership of the boat.FkYb75y
9xx“No, this is, this is now…”LQhb3e
W5z0EfHarven felt embarrassed by what had suddenly happened and stammered, but soon felt something cover his head and stopped stuttering.mTchj
6lqGYP“From today, you’re Captain Harven.”rzt
rOriWhat the shipyard worker brought wasn’t just a pending signature certificate.HLFUg
jbULIspA triangular-shaped, stiff-feeling hat.Xq8jBx
Ip6wXOIt was a captain’s hat that only boat owners could wear.A4g
BwqT4lLimping refuge.ca3H
a8CHtBut from today, he abandoned his old alley name and received a new one.O3P9
QUMZu“…Captain Harven.”xtza6
oeNjAs he looked at the smiling Vlad, a dark moisture spread from his trembling pupils.VvRU3
Y98VNWWhat would you do if you had 100 gold coins?BXg
gozZVd7There was no one left to listen to that, but Vlad was now answering the question.bDll
IqMCFn“Captain Harven, Captain…”M9j6t
5gaSEvery time Harven’s name was carved into the blank, empty space, it disappeared from Vlad’s mental list.c3pPF
h36There was a day when Vlad cried while carving a wooden stick for Harven.zU8
bJ22But the one shedding tears now was Harven, and in his hands was a boat with wood for sails.GdAu
t5TYUAlthough Harven limped when walking, he would be braver than anyone on the sea, where it wouldn’t be land but sails that would move him. That was the world where sails moved, not feet.HWgA2j7
mWwTranslator’s notes:Ia8Ycz8
rkUAnd with this, 100 chapters have been translated. Honestly, for it to be the 100th chapter, it was spectacular.HfiByF
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