A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 55

55. Conditions for Escort (2)

The Saryang Escort Agency was located in Junyi, a small city near Chongqing.

Thanks to a schedule bordering on a forced march, the Soeun Escort Agency’s group barely arrived on the promised date, stopping just before entering Junyi.

Sonbin was puzzled as to why they were wasting time in such a place, since Junyi was just around the corner.

However, the moment Eun Chobin, who had disappeared somewhere, reappeared, Sonbin understood why the procession had to stop.

“Hoo-ooh.”

“Whew, not bad?”

Low exclamations escaped the waiting porters. It was because of Eun Chobin’s appearance right in front of them.

Eun Chobin was fully dressed up.

Unlike her previous appearance in light martial attire and an overcoat, she was wearing feminine clothes with sparkling accessories and full makeup.

At first glance, she looked like a young lady from a prestigious family out for a stroll.

‘Indeed.’

Sonbin admired Eun Chobin’s appearance. She looked completely different from her confident and brave self until now.

‘So, when they say escorts should know how to keep their hair neat, this is what they meant.’

An escort needing to hang a pot and fix shoes is because of the long journey.

But needing to keep their hair neat is because meeting people is also the purpose of the escort mission.

“Let’s go.”

Eun Chobin said as she got into the carriage.

What seemed like a small baggage cart was quickly transformed into a decent outing carriage by erecting a roof and draping cloth.

“It’s the Soeun Escort Agency’s procession!”

The escorts started shouting at the top of their lungs, and the procession became noisy.

Thus, the Soeun Escort Agency’s group entered the small city of Junyi.

∴

The Saryang Escort Agency was, at first glance, a small escort agency no different from the Soeun Escort Agency. However, in terms of actual escort scale, it was much larger than the Soeun Escort Agency.

This was partly because no one dared to touch the Saryang Escort Agency’s processions in areas influenced by the Sichuan Tang Clan [a powerful martial arts clan], but also because the Saryang Escort Agency, backed by the power of the Sichuan Tang Clan, had established a complete monopoly in this region.

“Welcome. We’ve been waiting for you.”

The head of the Saryang Escort Agency, with his white hair, greeted Eun Chobin with a bright face.

Eun Chobin responded to the welcome with a graceful bow. And the process of receiving the consignment seemed to end without any problems.

“Oh dear, weren’t you informed by your father?”

The head of the Saryang Escort Agency clicked his tongue and said.

“The details regarding the consignment are inherently confidential, so I specially sent someone to explain the details…”

It is basic not to reveal what the consignment is to the outside. So, the statement that they sent someone separately to explain secretly was quite convincing.

“My father heard everything, fully understood the contents, and even signed and sealed the agreement himself.”

“Signed?”

In response to Eun Chobin’s question, the head of the Saryang Escort Agency showed her a lengthy document as if he had been waiting for it.

Rattle.

At the end of the document, her father’s familiar handwriting was clearly visible, along with the seal of the Soeun Escort Agency.

After confirming her father’s signature, Eun Chobin carefully read the contents written on the paper. Soon, Eun Chobin’s face turned pale.

“The consignment is a bit unique, but it’s not uncommon for an escort agency, is it? As long as you complete the escort safely, just like Soeun Escort Agency has always done, there won’t be any problems.”

The head of the Saryang Escort Agency said with a benevolent smile.

As he said, although the consignment was unexpected, it was not that far from the general escort missions of an escort agency.

However, the bigger problem was this one document with her father’s clear signature.

“What will you do? If you wish, young lady, you can still entrust it to another escort agency. Of course, you will have to pay compensation for damages and breach of contract as agreed…”

“No.”

Eun Chobin raised her head and said in a firm voice.

“I will take over the consignment.”

The head of the Saryang Escort Agency smiled as if he expected it.

“I believe Soeun Escort Agency can do it. Since you are so confident and reliable, your father will recover soon. Hehehe.”

The head of the Saryang Escort Agency said, bursting into a benevolent smile.

A slight suspicion that he already knew about her father’s misfortune flashed through Eun Chobin’s mind, but her gaze could not leave the document in her hand.

Too many things had changed from what Eun Chobin knew, and her father’s signature and seal were clear on the document that she wanted to deny right away.

‘Now, I can’t back down.’

Eun Chobin bit her lip without realizing it.

The realization that she was truly cornered, with no choice but to succeed in the escort mission, strongly weighed on her heart.

∴

The escorts and porters of the Saryang Escort Agency were skilled. They stacked various boxes neatly on the baggage carts brought by the Soeun Escort Agency.

They not only tied the consignment tightly so that it would not move, but also did not forget to insert wood so that it would not be damaged even if it shook.

The process was so orderly that even the escorts of the Soeun Escort Agency who were watching were impressed. And Sonbin was the only busy person among the group.

This was because he had to accurately record the consignments received from the Saryang Escort Agency and identify and record the quantities.

“Can I open the boxes to check the contents?”

The answer from the Saryang Escort Agency to Sonbin’s request was firm.

“No way.”

“No, we also need to know exactly what the consignment we are receiving is…”

“Please speak to your head escort about that.”

The attitude was polite, but in the end, it meant just take what they give you. In the end, Sonbin had no choice but to write down the size of the boxes and the color of the cloth covering them.

As a result, there was one record for each box, and the record became long. The porters loading the luggage were not waiting for Sonbin’s record, so his hands were also busy.

It was almost the end of stacking the consignment. The escorts of the Saryang Escort Agency brought a small carriage.

It was a small carriage with all sides blocked and small windows, for people to ride in, not luggage.

‘What is it?’

Sonbin was momentarily puzzled. The gazes of the Soeun Escort Agency people who were watching also turned to the carriage.

“What is this?”

The escort of the Saryang Escort Agency who was supervising the work answered Sonbin’s question.

“It’s the consignment.”

“The carriage?”

The escort chuckled.

“How could that be? Of course, it’s the person inside.”

‘Inside?’

That meant someone was riding inside the carriage.

Nothing could be seen through the small, dense windows, so Sonbin unconsciously tried to approach the carriage.

However, the escort immediately blocked Sonbin.

“Don’t get close.”

The escort’s eyes were quite threatening. Sonbin knew that he would never back down.

“I understand.”

There was no point in protesting, as the answer would be obvious anyway.

“Can you at least tell me how many people are riding inside?”

The escort looked at Sonbin.

“Ask your head escort about that.”

The answer was exactly what Sonbin expected. Sonbin wrote down ‘One small carriage. Person inside. Number and identity unknown.’

‘A person…’

Sonbin tilted his head. He was well aware that the escorts of an escort agency sometimes provided protection.

However, it felt strange to have a person included in the consignment.

‘Well, I’ll find out soon anyway.’

The escorts of the Saryang Escort Agency were blocking him now, but he would eventually find out once the escort mission started.

So, the actions of the pompous Saryang Escort Agency escorts seemed to Sonbin to be nothing more than useless bluster, and he didn’t even feel anything.

Thud.

Sonbin closed the book. With that, the takeover of the consignment was complete.

And it was a short time later that Eun Chobin reappeared in front of the group.

“Is the consignment takeover complete?”

“Yes.”

Head Escort Jang answered her.

“But they didn’t tell us any of the exact details. Besides…”

Head Escort Jang’s gaze turned to the small carriage. He seemed to be asking for an explanation, but Eun Chobin raised her head and looked at the group.

“The real escort mission starts now.”

She said in a determined tone.

“We’re leaving right away.”

Disappointment flashed across the eyes of the group. Even though it wasn’t difficult, they had come a long way over several days.

They couldn’t feel good when their expectations of taking a day off were shattered.

However, Eun Chobin ignored the atmosphere of the group and approached the small carriage. It was the very carriage that the Saryang Escort Agency escort had blocked her from approaching.

“Head Escort Jang, let’s depart.”

With those words, Eun Chobin got into the carriage.

Click.

The moment the door opened, the eyes of the group turned to the carriage all at once. The carriage door closed the moment they saw that one person was riding inside and a long skirt was slightly visible.

‘One person, and probably a woman.’

That was Sonbin’s judgment. And he quickly opened the book and wrote it down. Meanwhile, Head Escort Jang spoke to the murmuring people.

“Alright, everyone, let’s get moving. Don’t you all want to rest soon?”

Voices of grumbling leaked out from among the group. But everyone knew that there was nothing they could do.

“It’s the Soeun Escort Agency’s procession!”

Head Escort Jang shouted loudly.

“It’s the Soeun Escort Agency’s procession!”

The other escorts also raised their voices together, but the sound was not very loud. Thus, the Soeun Escort Agency’s procession left Junyi.

The difficult escort mission, where most of the porters had to walk while guarding the consignment, had begun.

They were beginning to realize why they said they had to be able to fix their shoes.

∴

The escort procession arrived at the inn quite late at night.

They had passed by several large inns along the way, so the grumbling among the people was growing louder.

It also didn’t help that the inn they arrived at was a shabby and narrow place that was a bit difficult to rest in.

However, the moment they arrived at the inn, people’s interest was focused on who was riding in the carriage.

Click.

The carriage door opened and Eun Chobin came out. And following her, a petite girl of small stature revealed herself.

However, the petite girl was just a guess.

The tightly woven white veil that was draped under the wide-brimmed hat completely covered her face.

“Head Escort Jang, organize the luggage and let everyone rest. Don’t forget to set up the watches.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Setting up watches to guard the luggage was essential. The same reason was why they chose a shabby inn with almost no other guests.

According to the rules, they would rather have camped out than stay in an unknown inn.

However, there was someone to protect. Considering various factors, the inn was safer.

Rustle, rustle.

The petite girl followed Eun Chobin and moved almost silently.

After the two disappeared into the room, people began to whisper to each other about her identity and the face they had not seen.

“Alright, everyone, hurry up and move. Don’t you want to rest soon?”

Head Escort Jang began to assign watches and take care of the remaining work. But Sonbin was still looking at the side where the two had disappeared.

‘Something’s strange?’

If you ask what’s strange, he can’t pinpoint it.

However, the moment he saw that petite girl, and the moment he saw her movements, Sonbin felt a strange feeling, like a sense of discomfort.

“You’ll have to stand watch too.”

Sonbin turned his head at the voice of Head Escort Jang that he suddenly heard.

“Just guard the luggage and shout if anything happens. It’s a simple task, so you can do it too. An escort will be on watch with you, so don’t worry.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Since it’s your first time, I’ll specially give you the very last watch.”

“If it’s the last, is it dawn?”

“Yes. It’s the best order. Just think of it as waking up a little early.”

Sonbin thought for a moment. It seemed that people would prefer the first or last watch. Waking up in the middle is a difficult task.

But Sonbin’s case is different.

“Wouldn’t it be better to do it in the middle of the night?”

“In the middle of the night?”

“Yes. As much as possible, in the very middle of the night.”

“That’s going to be a bit difficult?”

“I prefer that.”

“Really?”

Head Escort Jang had a suspicious expression. He seemed to think that he was saying that without knowing anything. But there was no reason to stop him if he wanted to do it.

‘Well, tomorrow he’ll ask me to set up the first or last watch again.’

“Then we’ll do that. Ah, and…”

Head Escort Jang, who was about to turn around, said as if he suddenly remembered something.

“I’m just saying this in case, but don’t have any other intentions towards the head escort. And don’t stare at her so openly. Unless you want to die unnoticed during the escort mission.”

That was almost a threat. But Sonbin could rather see Head Escort Jang’s sincerity in caring for Eun Chobin in that appearance.

Sonbin smiled.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Head Escort Jang coughed in vain because Sonbin’s reaction was quite different from what he expected.

“Ahem. I hope so.”

After Head Escort Jang left, Sonbin looked again at the room where Eun Chobin and the petite girl had disappeared.

‘I don’t know.’

There’s no answer to be found by looking at the closed door, and it’s easy to cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

Sonbin shrugged his shoulders and went back to his room. He had to go to bed early to wake up in the middle of the night.