I Became a Foreign Worker Loved by Transcendents

Chapter 33: First Practice

"Ms. Merilyn."

After a long silence, my mouth opened again.

Perhaps I had fallen asleep.

The sunlight that had been shining on the forest path was now a sunset, dyeing the world in shades of red and black.

"Ms. Merilyn, why do you travel?"

"That's my job."

Merilyn answered as if she had been waiting, despite the lengthy pause.

Even with my head resting on her lap, she stroked my hair quietly, showing no sign of displeasure.

Her hand was as careful and dedicated as if she were playing an instrument.

"At our first meeting, you introduced yourself as a jester, not a minstrel."

Her proclaimed mission surely involved more than just playing instruments.

I sensed it vaguely, even if I wasn't certain.

Her hesitance came through the tips of her fingers even as she attended to me.

"Is there a reason you call yourself that?"

I wondered if she, so devoted to her mission, should be so absorbed in someone else.

As if to soothe my unease,

"...Because I have someone to serve."

She took a moment before answering my question.

Then, she began to whisper to me in a low voice.

"If it's about the person I serve..."

"They are someone to whom I've sworn sincere allegiance. They lifted me, a mere common beggar, into the world and showed me the glory that lies at its end."

This person had given more time and heart to her than I, who had directly said she was special.

The weight of her heart for that person was as heavy as the lifetime she had dedicated.

They must have provided her with the reason to journey through this harsh world.

"They were someone who could achieve what none of us following them could. That's why I swore allegiance to them. I hold the expectation that they will accomplish in my lifetime what I cannot, even if it costs my life."

Life, dignity, and the effort and passion invested in life...

But why did her voice tremble, even as she claimed it was true?

"But perhaps they too were intoxicated with glory for too long?"

Slowly.

The touch of her hand began to lose strength.

Then, she let my hand drop to the floor, turning her head away to look outside the carriage.

"As memories fade on a long journey, so does the one seeking glory lose their smile along the way."

"...Lost their smile, you say?"

"I wanted to make them smile again. That's why I left their side and wandered the world."

With the stories she had collected...

And if even those weren't enough, she fabricated tales just to bring a smile to their faces.

"But I've come to realize on my travels that if it's a problem a humble jester like me can solve, then anyone who serves them could..."

How much her heart must have twisted, repeating this endless journey over and over.