By the afternoon, when San reached the garrison, he noticed that the cloaked man was still sitting on the bench by the fence.

  That struck him as rather suspicious.

  Curious, he walked over and sat down beside him.

  "Good afternoon," the man greeted.

  "And to you as well," San replied.

  For a while, they sat in silence.

  Then San decided to speak.

  "Sorry for the question, but… why have you been sitting here all day?"

  The man looked up briefly.

  "I like it here.

  The garrison is such a beautiful building.

  It feels like standing on the border between the rich and the poor."

  "What do you mean by that?"

  "Well, the soldiers in their garrison look like wealthy, noble people, while the citizens seem like impoverished, dirty peasants.

  …

  At least, that’s how it appears to me.

  I hope I haven’t offended you by saying that."

  San thought about his words for a moment.

  In a way, he had a point.

  It did feel a little like a divide between rich and poor.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  But it still felt wrong to him.

  That wasn’t how he was raised.

  That wasn’t how things were taught in the capital.

  "No, no. It’s fine.

  I don’t exactly agree with you…

  But I appreciate that you can voice your opinion freely without being attacked for it."

  "Not everywhere is like that."

  "What do you mean?"

  "…

  Be honest.

  When you first saw me sitting here, you thought I might be a spy watching the soldiers, didn’t you?"

  San flinched slightly.

  The man was right.

  That thought had crossed his mind.

  "…

  A little, yeah," he admitted, feeling ashamed.

  The man let out a hearty laugh.

  "Ha ha ha! I thought so!

  You formed an opinion about me without knowing me, and now you’re trying to find out if your suspicion was right.

  Ha ha ha!

  I don’t hold it against you.

  I probably would’ve done the same…

  But to put your mind at ease—I’m just a traveler.

  I come from Karuni.

  I used to work at the harbor there.

  But the constant presence of pirates in the area started making me question things.

  Do I really want to keep living in fear without seeing more of the land I call home?

  No, I thought.

  I decided to change that.

  So I gathered my savings and started traveling across Kasaka.

  I’ll keep going until I’ve seen enough and return home."

  San was impressed.

  He hadn’t expected to misjudge someone so badly.

  Then he remembered the bartender from earlier.

  Now he felt a little guilty.

  But something else caught his attention.

  "You said you’re from Karuni?"

  "Yes."

  "Why are you afraid of pirates when the army has such a strong presence there?

  I’ve heard they protect the people from them."

  "Well, they do.

  But we pay a price for that protection—just like the people here pay a price for their security.

  I don’t know what the cost is for this city, but…

  In Karuni, most people live in fear of what will happen to them if they can no longer afford to pay that price."

  "A price?

  What do you mea—"

  Just as he was about to ask, he spotted one of his comrades.

  His fellow soldier pointed at his arm, signaling that it was time for their patrol.

  "Oh. Damn!

  Sorry, but I have to go."

  "All right then.

  Have a good evening!"

  "Thanks, you too!"

  With that, he joined his comrade, and together they made their way to the museum.

  But the entire time, one question lingered in his mind—

  What price was the traveler talking about?

  What cost did the people of Kasaka have to pay for their security?