The sky was approaching dusk, and the orange afterglow slanted into a somewhat noisy tavern by the roadside.
In a corner by the window sat a young man. He was about 177 centimeters tall, lean, and weighed roughly sixty kilograms. His features were quite regular on an oval face, with a straight nose and slightly messy gray hair.
At this moment, his blue eyes appeared somewhat unfocused and hazy due to alcohol.
His name was Otto Suwen.
The simple merchant clothing he wore, primarily in shades of green, matched his current 'drunkard' state quite well. At a glance, he looked like an ordinary merchant with no complex background.
"You must be Otto Suwen, right?" A voice rang out in front of him.
Otto raised his head somewhat unsteadily, squinting at the person speaking. When he saw the newcomer clearly, his muddled brain froze for a good while.
'This man... what's the deal with him? This outfit... it looks a lot like the style from Kararagi.'
The man standing before him wore a dark kimono with clean lines, a slightly loose fit, and a distinct silhouette. Underneath was a high-collared black neck warmer, with glimpses of black form-fitting clothing beneath it. On his lower body were matching joggers.
His overall attire was completely out of place in this ordinary tavern on the outskirts of the Royal Capital.
But what instantly sobered Otto up a little wasn't this exotic outfit, but the invisible aura radiating from the man. It was an extremely chilling yet commanding pressure. Just by standing there, he seemed to make the surrounding air grow several degrees heavier.
It was the presence of a 'strong person,' completely undisguised.
The man spoke, his tone direct, "Take me to the Flugel Tree. How about it?"
The Flugel Tree?
Otto was visibly stunned. He didn't understand why such a terrifying person would seek out an ordinary, half-drunk merchant like himself and there wasn't much to see at that place anyway.
Before he could sort out his thoughts, a brown cloth bag was casually tossed over, landing on the table in front of him with a dull thud.
Otto blinked and, filled with doubt, reached out to untie the drawstring of the bag. The moment the bag opened, the gold coins packed inside reflected an alluring metallic luster under the dim tavern lights. The heavy texture unique to gold hit him full force.
Otto's breath hitched for a second, and his light blue eyes widened instantly. The remaining traces of drunkenness seemed to be mostly dispelled by this golden light.
He jerked his head up to look at the man who still had no expression, his face quickly shifting into the specific expression of a merchant landing a big deal—a mix of excitement and resolve.
"Even... even though I don't know exactly what you plan to do."
His voice rose slightly with excitement, but his tone was decisive. "This job... I, Otto Suwen, take it."
—
After running through his first impression of the white-haired man in the carriage once more in his mind, Otto shook his head.
Perhaps because they were traveling at night, the wind on the open plains was cold, constantly hitting his face. His cheeks, which had been flushed and hot from drink, had now lost their color, returning to sobriety and even becoming a bit stiff from the wind.
The sound of wheels rolling over the dirt road rhythmically echoed, surrounded by an endless dark wilderness, with only the lantern hanging in front of the dragon carriage casting a small, swaying circle of light.
Inside the carriage, it had been very quiet, with only the howling of the wind.
Suffering a bit from the silence and the boredom of long-distance driving, Otto finally couldn't help himself. He turned his head slightly toward the carriage behind him and spoke, "Boss, there's something I'm quite curious about. Why did you choose to hire me? Around the Royal Capital, there should be many more experienced and sober drivers, right?"
There was a moment of silence in the carriage before Tsukasa's still steady voice came through. It seemed he had just been resting with his eyes closed and hadn't fallen asleep.
"Just intuition. I feel that though you look drunken and unreliable on the surface, you are surprisingly dependable at your core."
Tsukasa's answer made Otto feel a sense of bluntness that bordered on being cold. The smile on his face stiffened for a moment, looking somewhat awkward.
He gave a dry cough and quickly changed the subject, "Then... Boss, is there something you need to do at the Flugel Tree in such a hurry? That place actually isn't anything special, it's just a particularly large ancient tree, and the surroundings are very desolate."
"Because the White Whale will appear there."
Tsukasa's voice sounded from the carriage, his tone relaxed and casual, as if he were saying 'because there's a nice shop there.'
These words drifted into Otto's ears, the remaining awkward smile on his face instantly and completely freezing.
His pupils contracted sharply, reflecting the swaying lantern light, clearly showing the disbelief of 'did I hear that wrong?'
The next second, the realization brought a wave of immense terror that felt like ice water being poured over his head.
Otto's hands holding the reins began to tremble uncontrollably, and even his voice started to shake, taking on a clear sob. "Bo... Boss... S-sorry. I... I probably can't take this job anymore. I... can I turn back now? The money... I can return most of it. Please."
He was almost on the verge of tears, his mind completely occupied by the name 'White Whale,' which symbolized calamity and death.
A corner of the carriage curtain was slightly lifted by a hand. Tsukasa's face was half-hidden in the dim light.
Looking at the driver who was scared out of his wits, a trace of an interested smile actually curled at the corner of his lips as he extended a finger and wagged it at Otto.
"With that many gold coins, the accompanying risk is naturally equal. There's no such thing as a free lunch, is there?"
His voice remained unhurried. "But don't worry, the White Whale will take a long time to come out. At least, you'll be able to leave safely before it appears."
Hearing this, Otto's wildly heaving chest calmed down just a little bit. He looked down at the heavy cloth bag filled with gold coins in his arms.
At the same time, although the man in the carriage behind him was saying terrifying things, that sense of security, as if he could hold up the sky even if it fell, immediately caused a fierce conflict in Otto's heart.
A few seconds later, he gritted his teeth as if making a resolution and shouted toward the carriage, his voice still trembling but with an added sense of desperation, "Boss! I... I'm going to speed up!"