Black-haired demon (part 1)

Not too long after the meeting in Zorivia's room, the trio descended the staircase and left the inn while the trio of guards watched them keenly.

Only when their carriage left did the guards manage to breathe out a sigh of relief and approach the innkeeper.

"Fuuuu... that cost me years of my life... Henry, give me my part for protecting them upfront; I need to treat myself."

The white-haired man sat by the counter and laid on it face-down while reaching up his hand expectantly.

"Sure."

The innkeeper nodded and reached out to his pocket before placing a single coin in the white-haired man's hand.

"Alright, with this, I... huh..?"

The white-haired man breathed out in relief and straightened his back, clenching his fist around the coin before freezing up, sensing something wasn't right.

"...huh...?"

When he opened his palm, his doubt became a reality as instead of the small silver coin, he was looking at a small copper one instead.

"Oi. Henry, what the hell is this supposed to be? The deal is twenty percent for each of us and forty for you!"

The woman with a scar approached the counter, too, and placed her hand on the stunned white-haired man's shoulder before comforting the innkeeper.

"...the servant..."

The innkeeper lowered his head, looking away in embarrassment, and muttered in shame.

"Henry?"

The large man stepped up to his comrades and glared down at the cowering man.

"...it is the twenty percent... the servant of young lady Zorivia Rotteloss haggled down my prices into the dirt..."

"YOU LET HIM HAGGLE DOWN THE PRICE FOR PROTECTION TO JUST ONE BIG COPPER?!"

The innkeeper confessed, greatly ashamed, which caused the white-haired man to regain his voice and shout in disbelief.

"It was the best I could do! I was literally fighting for my life! He used big words like fame and increasing the status of the inn because someone as important as the fiancee of the royal prince will be staying while also hinting about the grave consequences of sending them away! So for the lodging, they only paid one small copper coin!"

"...!" "...!" "...!"

The innkeeper called out in desperation, which made the three guards look at each other in complete shock.

"Wait, but... but those brats he beat up and forced to apologize...! They GAVE him two big silvers that should be the cost of lodging and security...!"

"Yeah!"

"That's right!"

The woman with the scar raised her hand and said after swallowing her saliva, and her coworkers nodded their heads vigorously in confirmation.

"Do you think that I managed to miss that?! But what did you expect me to do? Go back on my word after agreeing to the transaction with aristocracy?!"

Henry clenched his fists and slammed them against the counter in powerless anger.

"That black-haired...! Demon...! Instead of spending money in our inn, he ended up leaving richer! Where did Rotteloss people even find him?! Hell?!"

"..."

He spat the curse addressed to Medea, unintentionally matching what Battllorran's forces christened the black-haired individual while the three guards watched him in silence.

------

The carriage with Medea, Zorivia, and Charlotte didn't move straight to the main road to venture towards the capital of the Wondalandor but instead stopped by a rather unsightly house with a decrepit barn that looked a lot better in the darkness and faint moonlight.

Interestingly enough, although originally the carriage was being drawn by two horses, now there were three, with a new addition being a rather uneasy mare with beige hide and whitish mane.

"...!" *thump*

A middle-aged man in patched clothes who was sweeping the steps to his home dropped the broom at the sight of the carriage and the well-dressed black-haired coach person looking at him, opening and closing his mouth while his brain could not figure out what to do.

"Good man, a man named Timothy said informed me that you have a horse for sale. I will grant you the honor of selling it to the personal attendant of the young lady Zorivia Rotteloss."

The black-haired man, with a serious expression, nodded his head up at the stunned man and informed him while taking out a big copper coin and showing it off.

"Y-your excellency want to buy Cow?"

The villager picked up his broom and asked while trembling.

"...no... I want to buy a horse."

The black-haired man took a deep breath and repeated himself a bit slower, this time as if he was talking to a very young child.

"I-I didn't mean any disrespect...! Th-the horse...! The horse that Timothy told you about is named Cow...! My youngest son started calling it that, and it just stuck!"

The villager flinched and started bowing down, fearing that he might have somehow offended the servant of an aristocrat.

"Timothy said that you sold a part of your field to send your child to a school in the capital, and you no longer need the horse. Sell it to me then."

Medea's expression didn't budge, and he said while slowly moving the big copper coin from side to side like a pendulum to attract the villager's attention.

"A-at once!" *thump*

"..."

The man dropped his broom once again and hurried to the barn, leaving Medea taken aback.

| We're... not going to haggle...?|

The black-haired man stared after the villager, who showed up a few moments later, leading the spotted horse that Medea borrowed during the night.

"Phish!"

"Easy now, Cow!"

The animal recognized the black-haired man instantly and raised its head, neighing as a greeting, but it was misinterpreted by the villager as rowdiness and made him try to hold it back.

Medea slithered down from his seat and approached the man, pushing the big bronze coin in his hands and taking out the rains he had prepared beforehand, and putting it on the animal.

Then he led the horse towards the carriage and placed him next to the beige mare that hoofed in unease for a moment but wiggled her ears and sniffed the air, trying to catch the scent of the new companion.

With the transaction done and the preparations complete, the final part of the travel to the royal castle could commence.

"Do you have any objections about being called Cow?"

While on their way and with no one around, Medea leaned forward and raised his voice so that the spotted horse could hear him.

"Pshh."

The animal neigh dismissively and kept trying to increase the peace as the speed that the rest of the horses were going at must have been really disappointing for him.

"So be it."

Medea nodded in agreement to the statement that wasn't said and seated himself comfortably with the rain in one hand and his eyes on the capital city on the horizon.