Finally, after a long struggle and a hard night, Ryan woke up from his sleep.
Carlos's appearance reflected the amount of frustration he had reached over this matter.
"Alright, now that you're finally awake, why don't you get up and prepare yourself to leave? We've been delayed because of you."
Carlos's reproach didn't change anything; Ryan refused to get out of bed even though he was awake. This behavior didn't please Rafan at all, so he decided to mess with him in his own way.
Ryan immediately noticed this, and as soon as he made a slight move, turning to the other side, he saw Rafan holding onto the bed. Ryan looked at him in bewilderment.
— "What are you doing?"
— "Just wait, and you'll see."
This answer didn't explain anything, but what happened next was more than enough to clarify the situation.
Rafan lifted the bed with Ryan on it. Ryan was shocked and screamed at him to stop, but Rafan didn't pay attention.
Ryan then tried to jump off the bed that Rafan was holding with his arms, but Rafan's speed and reflexes were faster, and what happened next was truly shocking—even Carlos didn't expect such an event.
— "Rafan, don't you think you've gone a bit too far?"
— Rafan: "Too far? Hah, he deserves more than this."
Rafan threw the bed with Ryan toward the window, shattering it along with the wall and the bed, but Rafan didn't care about any of that; he was laughing uncontrollably.
"Ahhhhhh!"
It was as if he had defeated his mortal enemy. Hearing the crash, the old innkeeper Mario hurried to check what had happened. He climbed to the second floor and saw the scene, one of his walls destroyed. He didn't know how to interpret it or what had occurred; he just looked at Rafan and Carlos standing nearby, then looked back at the broken wall in disbelief. But he quickly replaced his astonishment with seriousness.
— "Ahem, ahem… alright, it seems your little joke is a bit too heavy… well, never mind."
Then the old Mario shouted, raising his voice, unlike his previous calm tone:
— "Now, who's going to compensate me for this damned broken wall? You have to pay for the repairs!"
Upon hearing the mention of money, Rafan, still maintaining his composure, turned to Carlos and said:
— "Hey Carlos, give him the money he wants."
But it seemed Rafan had misjudged something. Carlos replied:
— "And who said I even have money?"
Carlos's answer hit Rafan like an electric shock.
— "Wait… you don't have money?"
Panic quickly appeared on Rafan's face. The demeanor of power and authority he had displayed moments ago transformed into that of someone trapped in a real problem, ready to do anything to get out of it. Here, Rafan decided to use Plan B and began flattering the old Mario.
— "Hey Uncle Mario, you're such a famous person. Can't you just overlook this this time? I'm begging you."
But Mario showed no sympathy for Rafan and was determined to make him pay the compensation.
At the same time, the sound of someone's shoes stomping rapidly and angrily on the stairs echoed—the sound of Ryan storming into the room, filled with rage. He quickly rushed toward Rafan, grabbed him by the neck, ignoring both Mario and Carlos standing nearby, and began roaring at him like a lion facing another lion.
— "Hey Rafan, you scoundrel! What do you think you're doing? How could you do this to your friend?"
Ryan's words weren't the problem that overwhelmed Rafan; the real issue was the money required to pay for the damages.
— Rafan: "Ryan, let's postpone this discussion for a moment. Now, how about negotiating with your teacher a bit? Look, he wants money as compensation for the damage we caused."
— "Ryan: We caused it? You caused this! Pay from your own pocket!"
It wasn't as if Rafan could have paid if he had money—he was already broke, just like Carlos. The only one who could possibly have money was Ryan.
— Rafan: "Come on, Ryan, don't you have some money? This time I'll owe you one."
With Rafan's emotional and peculiar tone, Ryan had no room to refuse—but the problem wasn't here. Ryan had lost all his money in a gamble with the old Mario the night before.
— "Ryan: Well, to be honest, I lost the money."
Ryan's words were a real shock to Carlos.
— "Carlos: What do you mean you lost it? Didn't you keep some money that Tala gave you before she left?"
It seemed Ryan was in serious trouble this time. They were now broke, yet they owed money to the old Mario.
Ryan answered Carlos's question about the money, which Carlos had already guessed.
— "Ryan: Actually, I lost it gambling with Uncle Mario last night, so don't make things harder than they are."
Even though Carlos had guessed the answer, Ryan admitting it made him furious. This time, he directed his anger not at Ryan but at the old Mario.
— "Carlos: You old fool! Aren't you ashamed of yourself for stealing children's money?"
Mario responded with similar indignation:
— "Huh? Children? You say children? Look what your friend did—what child could destroy a wall like this?"
— "No, I care, you have to compensate me for this damage!"
Mario's denial only worsened the situation. Ryan intervened as a mediator, trying to calm things down and find a compromise. He approached the old Mario, trying to earn some sympathy.
— "Uncle Mario, I beg you this time, why not let it slide? Think about yesterday—you won a lot of money; all that money was all we had, so this time…"
To be honest, Mario genuinely admired Ryan. Their relationship had grown closer to that of a teacher and student. Mario, the gambling legend who had reigned supreme in the largest economic center of this continent in Arka, had been extremely feared in his youth. He had never lost a gamble, which caused some nobles to hate him. Eventually, corrupt nobles conspired against him, and he was expelled from Arka. He saw in young Ryan himself—a love for risk and adventure, even if it meant losing everything.
Thus, the old man's affection overcame his greed.
— "Tsk… alright, you little rascals, don't you ever come back to this inn again!"
And so this problem ended on a good note. However, the plan Ryan had for their return journey was still in place, and now was the perfect time to bring it up.
When they reached outside the city, Ryan stopped for a moment. Carlos turned to him:
— "What's wrong? Why did you stop suddenly? We don't have time to rest."
That creepy little smile always preceded Ryan's words in such moments. Carlos realized a silly idea was brewing in his head, and before Ryan could speak, Carlos said:
— "Stop. I don't need to hear your suggestions; just keep walking."
But Ryan refused to stay silent; he insisted on mentioning the idea.
— "Alright, tell me what's on your mind."
Ryan clearly answered, asking to change their path toward the mountain range they were in. These mountains didn't just end in the Kingdom of Arkadia—they stretched extensively into the Kingdom of Valdaria, with eighty percent of the range located in Valdaria. This was the suggestion Tala had previously rejected outright, as rumors circulated of a seventh-rank dragon living atop one of these peaks.
This was the reason Tala had refused. But Ryan thought deeply; Tala was no longer here. They had already reached the capital and covered half the distance, so Ryan's suggestion this time was to take the shortcut, coinciding with the timing of Til and Tala's arrival.
At first glance, it seemed like a logical idea, but it was clear Ryan's true intention was not just to shorten the route—he was interested in the dragon.
Ryan's suggestion had been rejected previously, and even now Carlos refused it, claiming the terrain was rough and exhausting. Rafan didn't care much, and his opinion didn't matter.
Ryan tried every way to convince Carlos, or rather, to find the perfect argument.
— "Ryan: As I said, the path isn't as rough as you imagine, and it's much shorter. It's a better route than this cursed trade route, and why should we even go near Arka? I even hate passing by it—so why not go through it!"
Ryan's hatred for Arka was irrational; he simply hated the nobles there.
Carlos wasn't convinced.
Ryan tried to provoke him a little.
— "Ryan: Hey Carlos, don't tell me you're afraid of encountering a seventh-rank dragon? Are you that cowardly?"
Ryan's provocation somewhat succeeded, provoking an emotional reaction from Carlos.
— "Huh? Cowardly? Do you remember how I saved you from a ninth-rank dragon before? It was just an earth dragon, ninth rank, and it almost crushed you—and now you claim you want to face a seventh-rank dragon?"
This memory was the worst for Ryan. That cursed dragon had hidden in the sands and emerged without warning. Even though it was ninth-rank, it had humiliated him greatly.
— "Tsk! I told you, that damn dragon was fleeing, hiding underground, emerging without warning, and this happened a long time ago. I am now a third-rank transformed—do you think I would fear facing a seventh-rank dragon? You're saying you're afraid of this dragon despite your strength?"
Thus, the heated debate between Carlos and Ryan continued until Rafan stepped in to end it.
— Rafan: "Hey, both of you, calm down a bit. Let's look at this from a logical perspective. Ryan says the route is shorter than this one, and you, Carlos, argue that it's rough and mountainous. But I have something to add… do you know that we're broke now? I don't think you've forgotten, right?"
The mention of bankruptcy was very annoying, which escalated the problem. So Rafan suggested a solution.
— "I side with Ryan this time. As I said, we're broke—we have no money to rent a room anywhere, and we don't have enough resources for a long journey. If there's a shortcut, it's the best choice, even if it's a mountainous route as you say."
With that, Rafan settled the debate, and the decision was made. The team changed their direction toward the mountains again, crossing the border between the Kingdom of Arkadia and Valdaria, from where reaching the Kingdom of Calidora would be roughly half the distance of the trade route.
End of Chapter