Of course, time would tell, but I couldn't help being curious.
Especially these days, I was beginning to feel something extraordinary from my son.
And he was still only fifteen.
In any case, with such exceptional ability, there's no way he didn't know the path to Gangseo Province was treacherous.
"It'll be hard with all the snow piled up on the way to Gangseo, won't it?"
"It's fine. Walking in the snow is part of the experience."
"No matter how much martial arts you've learned, snowy roads have their own dangers."
"Still, if not for this break, when else would I have a chance to go to Gangseo?"
"There isn't much time. Even if you go, staying a day would be the most."
"That alone is enough."
Eun Gil-Sang felt his son wasn't revealing the real reason.
So, recalling something, he said to him,
"Then let's do this."
"Yes?"
"There's a delivery leaving for Gangseo carrying goods from the Eunhae Merchant Group. Go along with that escort."
***
I was taken aback by my father's words.
Join the escort?
The reason I made the excuse about wanting to look around the market in Gangseo without revealing my real goal, was because I had no way of explaining that I already knew where to find the artisan who crafted the artifact.
I planned to pretend I met a talented artisan by chance at the Gangseo market, and then recruited him.
But now Father was telling me to accompany the escort.
"You're okay with that, Pavilion Master Yeon?"
At my father's question, Yeon, the Pavilion Master of Sunset Pavilion, nodded.
"Of course. The trade negotiation is already done. This escort simply needs to deliver the goods."
As soon as Pavilion Master Yeon finished speaking, I interrupted.
"But, I've only just started with actual duties."
"I know. But you've already proven your talent, and Chief of Internal Affairs Yoo has acknowledged you. So, there's no need to worry."
I tried another reason.
"An escort takes several times longer than my break. What about my absence...?"
To that, Chief Yoo, who had been sitting next to me, spoke.
"Please go."
"Pardon?"
"Thanks to all the help you've given, we have some breathing room. And it's time for you to start gaining escort experience."
"I'm still only fifteen…"
Pavilion Master Yeon added,
"You can't call yourself a real merchant without experiencing an escort."
Chief Yoo continued with a smile,
"Don't worry, just go."
My father spoke again.
"The real reason I told you to go on the escort is for your safety."
"..."
I had no rebuttal to that.
Escorts are always accompanied by many guards to protect the cargo.
"But, Father, I'm using my vacation to do this. Isn't using the Merchant Group for my personal time a bit...?"
My father smiled and replied,
"I'm sending you to work."
At those words, I tilted my head in confusion, but he just chuckled and continued.
"I'll make sure you get your vacation later. Just go this time."
"Ah!"
At that, my mood suddenly brightened.
Honestly, I had felt a bit regretful having to sacrifice my break just to bring the artisan, but now that he promised me vacation later—
Then something came to mind.
"But the escort... isn't it tomorrow?"
Pavilion Master Yeon replied,
"To be exact, it's departing at dawn tomorrow."
There was no time to waste.
.
.
.
The next dawn.
I finished circulating my internal energy through my breathing.
My master said he'd be gone for the escort today.
So he told me to review yesterday's lesson on my own, but to make sure I trained with one of the Silver Wind Squad warriors.
But since the escort was leaving early today, there would be no martial arts training.
Right after eating a simple breakfast brought by Palgap, I told my grandfather and parents I'd be off, and headed to the carriage yard with Palgap.
"It's Young Master's first escort! This Palgap is so nervous and excited!"
At Palgap's words, I gave a small laugh.
"I'm the one going, why are you nervous?"
"Well, it's the first time I'm attending to you during an escort."
"Don't be nervous. Escorts are long journeys. If you collapse from nerves, I'll have to take care of you."
"Gasp! Th-that can't happen!"
"I'm not a little kid. You don't need to hover over me."
At my words, Palgap stared at me.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Lately, Young Master seems to forget his age sometimes. You're still fifteen. Even if the nation considers you an adult, you're still young. Most young masters from other families are reckless brats…"
He continued,
"There's no need for you to grow up so quickly."
"Hahaha."
I gave an awkward laugh.
He wasn't wrong, but it couldn't be helped.
This body may be fifteen, but my mind was already thirty-nine.
"I was just trying to say, go with a light heart, like you're going for a stroll."
Soon, we arrived at the carriage yard.
It was a building with only a roof to protect from rain and snow, ensuring the goods on the wagons wouldn't get wet.
Since wagons always came and went, it was called the carriage yard, and it was where shipments departed and arrived.
When we reached the spot where the goods for Gangseo were being loaded, the porters working diligently there quickly bowed their heads.
"Greetings, Young Master."
"Thank you for your hard work."
I acknowledged their greeting and went to meet the Pavilion Member from the Finance Pavilion at the agreed spot.
His name was Lim Kyeongbin.
A Rank 5 Pavilion Member, and one of the members I often ran into at the Finance Pavilion.
With a fairly decent rank, he was a well-experienced Pavilion Member.
"Looks like I'm a bit late."
"Oh! Young Master, you're here? I just came early. No need to worry."
"Thank you for being considerate."
"I've been assigned to attend you directly."
"If it's Pavilion Member Lim, I can trust you. I'm in your care."
There were a few familiar faces besides Pavilion Member Lim.
They were dispatched from Breeze Pavilion and Sunset Pavilion.
"Greetings, Young Master."
"Nice to see you."
After exchanging greetings, I walked over to where the goods for Gangseo were piled.
To those who looked puzzled at my presence, Pavilion Member Lim explained,
"Young Master Eun Seoho will be accompanying this escort."
"What?"
Those around us were startled, but soon nodded in understanding.
"Well, it's about time Young Master Seoho joined an escort."
"It feels like just yesterday he started toddling around…"
"To think he's grown so much already!"
Seeing the workers' emotional expressions made me feel a bit embarrassed.
Pavilion Member Lim, who was beside me, spoke up.
"Ah, the escort leader and guards who'll be accompanying us this time are arriving."
At that moment, I was slightly surprised.
The escort chief for this journey was none other than my master.
I quickly offered a martial bow to my master.
I was about to greet him, but my master spoke first.
"I'm Gwak Myung-Hyun, escort leader of the Prosperous Escort Agency. You may call me Escort Leader Gwak."
His intention was clear.
He didn't want anyone to know that I was his disciple.
Then I had to follow that lead.
"I'm Eun Seoho, third son of the Merchant Lord of the Eunhae Merchant Group. I currently work in the Finance Pavilion, so you may call me Pavilion Member Eun."
"I shall do so, Pavilion Member Eun."
I spoke to everyone.
"Please address me as Pavilion Member Eun as well."
"Yes."
I asked Pavilion Member Lim,
"Then should we begin the inspection?"
"Pardon? Ah! Yes, of course, Pav… Pavilion Member Eun."
"Yes, Pavilion Member Eun."
I began reviewing the situation, looking over the documents I held.
"An escort, huh…"
Father told me to go and gain experience, but I already had plenty of experience with escorts.
When the Merchant Group entrusted goods to an escort agency, I didn't just stand around watching after handing the cargo over.
Of course, someone from the Merchant Group accompanied it.
For handling various miscellaneous affairs, two people from Breeze Pavilion were necessary; for overseeing goods and managing trades, two people from Sunset Pavilion were needed.
Then, for administrative tasks, documentation, and financial records, two people from the Finance Pavilion were assigned.
So a total of six members were essential.
In addition, two guards from the Silver Wind Squad had been selected to serve as my personal escorts, and one full squad from the Silver Wind Squad joined to protect the goods.
This time, the squad from the Silver Wind Squad was Squad Three, led by Squad Leader Jeong Chung.
Normally, only a few guards would be assigned to escort a representative from the Merchant Group, but this time, an entire squad was participating.
It was clearly for my protection, being the Merchant Lord's son.
Originally, the vice-leader was going to lead half the squad, but given that Squad Leader Jeong Chung had suddenly joined yesterday, my guess was likely correct.
Squad Leader Jeong Chung and Master were finalizing discussions about this escort mission.
Meanwhile, we completed our final inspection of the goods.
The items bound for Gangseo were silk brought in from Sichuan.
Upon arrival in Gangseo, they were to be exchanged for tea from Fujian and sugar from Guangxi.
Because silk was sensitive to sunlight, it had to be transported in boxes.
And since it was also vulnerable to moisture, it had to be rolled with moisture-absorbing paper.
Once everything was confirmed to be properly packed, the Sunset Pavilion member gave the order to close the boxes.
Pavilion Member Lim spoke to Squad Leader Jeong Chung.
"The inspection of the goods is complete. We're ready to depart."
"Understood. Then we'll finish loading and depart in one quarter-hour."
Just then, the bustling workers all turned to greet someone approaching.
"Greetings, Young Masters."
Hearing the commotion, I turned around to see my first and second brothers entering the carriage yard.
I'd already told them last night that I'd be going, so I was surprised to see them here.
"Oh? What brings you two here?"
"What do you think? We came to send you off on your first escort."
At my second brother's words, I smiled.
"Well, that's really nice of you."
My eldest brother handed something to me.
"Take this."
It was a small, sharp dagger.
"We figured you'd need a weapon to protect yourself, so the two of us got this for you together."
"Oh… thank you."
I expressed my gratitude and held the dagger, gently feeling its surface.
A familiar sensation.
My first escort in my previous life had been later, in spring, and my brothers had given me this same dagger then too.
Back then, it felt too precious to use, so I kept it hidden away in my room.
Only later did I learn that my brothers had been a bit disappointed about that.
They thought I didn't carry it because I didn't like it.
This time, I'll carry this dagger with me every day. That'll make them happy.
I tucked the dagger carefully into my robe.
"I'll use it well."
"Alright, travel safely."
And just like that, I departed for my first trip, even earlier than I had in my previous life.
.
.
.
Winter travel had distinct pros and cons.
The advantage was that narrow rivers froze over, allowing us to cross without boats or bridges.
But the disadvantages were overwhelming.
It wasn't a problem on well-traveled paths where the snow had been packed down by many feet, but on roads where snow piled up to the knees, the path had to be cleared for the wagons to move.
And those areas were mostly mountain roads.
When too much snow fell on a mountain road, it became hard to tell where the path even was.
So the snow had to be cleared just to find the road.
The escort agency's laborers took large wooden snow shovels and led the way, roughly clearing enough for the wagons to pass.
Naturally, the pace slowed, but it couldn't be helped. It was better than losing cargo or lives by rushing.
"Sigh…"
I let out a sigh without realizing it.
Watching the laborers clearing snow up ahead reminded me once more—I had truly returned to the past.
After a long while of traveling,
"Well, it's been a while."
At a sudden voice, I looked up ahead.
Two burly men in thick fur coats stood before us.
Mountain bandits—or rather, Green Forest Bandits.
Despite their sudden appearance, Master and Squad Leader Jeong Chung didn't seem surprised and approached them calmly.
"It's been some time."
"Looks like you're heading to Gangseo?"
"Yes, that's correct."
Then one of the two Green Forest men spoke.
"Traveling the snowy mountain paths must be exhausting, so our Chief sends word to come rest at our stronghold and enjoy a cup of warm tea."
An entirely unexpected, surprising offer.