People came and went through Gran City as usual. Bustling yet peaceful—it was the kind of life everyone longed for.
A steady clatter of hooves came from beyond the city gates and along Gran City’s main road, shattering the peace and quiet.
Before long, a fast horse burst in from outside the city.
“That Lord has returned! That Lord has returned…”
The soldier on horseback began shouting at people in the road to hurry up and move aside.
The people nearby took the hint and moved aside of their own accord. At the same time, they all turned their eyes toward the city gates.
A minute passed, and sure enough, a figure appeared at the city gates. Judging by their height, the person was about 1.8 meters tall. But with the light as it was, there was no way to make out their face.
This stretch by the city gates faced directly into the sunlight, and the sun was shining straight down just then. From this angle, all you could see was a dark silhouette slowly approaching from outside the city.
By now, the people nearby had started shouting. Their words were excited, but all they said was the same thing.
“That Lord, welcome home in triumph! You’ve finally returned!”
“Welcome back, That Lord!”
“That Lord!”
…
As the figure slowly drew closer and finally stepped into the city, bathed in sunlight, their true appearance was at last revealed…
The person wore a light gray cloak with several large holes in it, wrapped all the way around them, face included. Through the holes in the cloak, you could see that their clothes weren’t much better: simple, dark gray homespun garments.
When the people lining the road saw the cloaked figure, they suddenly felt that something wasn’t quite right.
The person stopped and looked around, clearly a little puzzled.
“Huh? What’s going on? Are people here always this welcoming to visitors? A whole crowd lining the road to greet me!”
As he spoke, he slowly reached up and took off the hood. At last, his true face was revealed.
He was young, no more than seventeen or eighteen. Short black hair, a sharply chiseled face, thin lips, a high nose, charming eyes, long, fine brows—handsome as hell. He had all the makings of a great man.
The young man slowly walked forward, looking from side to side as he waved with his right hand.
“Hey, hello, everyone! Thanks for the welcome! Thank you!”
When the people lining the road saw his face, they fell silent. The young man, meanwhile, didn’t realize anything was wrong and kept grinning, thoroughly enjoying himself.
“Oh, you really didn’t have to go to all this trouble. I’m just a visitor, and you’ve welcomed me so warmly. I’m truly blessed! Thank you, thank you, everyone!”
The young man wanted to say more, as if he’d be letting such a grand reception down if he didn’t.
But before he could continue, some unidentified object suddenly flew toward him. His vision went black.
“Ow!”
The young man yelped, then reached up and pulled the thing off his face. It was a cabbage leaf. Before he could figure out what that was supposed to mean, more objects came flying at him from all around, striking him without mercy.
“Shameless jerk! You got my hopes up for nothing!”
“What the hell is this? You idiot!”
“You stupid piece of shit! Drop dead!”
…
The cheers were followed by a nonstop barrage of curses, each more colorful than the last.
The young man didn’t have time to think about this sudden turn of events. He took off running, not daring to stay another moment.
He was lucky to make it to the side of the road, though people were still chasing him from behind. Then a fierce horse’s neigh rang out from the city gates. His pursuers stopped and hurried back, all turning to look toward the gates.
“Everyone, look! The real That Lord is here!”
As soon as someone shouted, everyone focused even more intently on the gates.
After the neigh came a steady clatter of hooves. A burly, square-faced middle-aged man with a full beard and magnificent golden armor charged into the city on a powerful warhorse, kicking up a cloud of dust.
“Haha! It really is That Lord!!!”
someone shouted.
The middle-aged man rode his warhorse into the city. Seeing the crowds lining the road to welcome him, he yanked the reins. His horse swung around in a stylish, sweeping turn, then came to a stop.
“My good people, I’m back! Haha!”
The people around him answered, shouting in unison.
“That Lord!”
“That Lord!”
…
At that moment, the people’s excitement reached its peak. The whole place was wrapped in a feverish atmosphere.
Watching this unfold, a dejected figure slunk out from one side. Without a doubt, it was the young man from before. He curled his lip and muttered disdainfully, “What’s so great about that guy?”
As soon as he said that, someone beside him suddenly turned to look at him.
The young man jumped, then ducked aside, afraid they’d recognize him and chase him down again.
With the cheers still ringing out, the young man didn’t look back. He pulled up the hood of his cloak and disappeared into the crowd.
The young man’s name was Jiuye. He was seventeen, a traveler who liked to wander, and his background was unknown.
Getting to Gran City hadn’t been easy. He was broke, with no money for a carriage or anything like that. He’d had no choice but to slowly make his way there on his own two feet.
He’d spent half a month “sleeping rough and eating whatever he could find” on the road. When he finally reached his destination, he couldn’t have been happier. If he hadn’t run into this mess as soon as he entered the city, he’d probably have gone straight to an inn for something to eat.
Jiuye was exhausted and starving. He wanted a proper meal, a nice hot bath, and then a good night’s sleep.
But…
That was completely impossible, because he was broke.
At this point, Jiuye had only enough money left for a bowl of noodles with not a drop of oil in the broth.
Every place had its own customs. In Gran City, eating out was a fairly particular affair. Most places were street stalls, while only the wealthy dared go into the inns.
Jiuye took his last few copper coins to a lane devoted to food stalls. He looked over the menus beside each stall, paying special attention to the prices.
In the end, he sat down at a noodle shop at the far end of the street.
With a self-satisfied air, he called out to the owner.
“Boss, one bowl of beef noodles! Hold the beef!”
The other diners snickered and stared at Jiuye with the same look. They’d probably never seen such a wonderfully odd character before.
The owner looked at Jiuye with open disdain, too.
“Look, if you want plain noodles, just order plain noodles. Why make it so complicated?”
Jiuye grinned.
“Don’t you think it sounds more impressive when I put it that way?”
“…”
