Chapter 14: [Let's Go to the Neighboring Village]
Opportunities always have a way of appearing out of nowhere.
I had been waiting for the right moment to visit the neighboring village, and a chance had just fallen right into my lap. Still, one must always be careful before making a move.
"Why? What is it? Did he not just leave after all?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"...Huh?"
'Wait, it wasn't Derek?'
Since he had said he’d be back, I figured he wouldn't have just backed off quietly. I even thought the suggestion to go to the neighboring village was a message from him.
"Never mind. What's going on?"
"It seems a traveler left something behind in our inn. The room is still empty, so go and fetch it."
"...A traveler? Do we even provide that kind of service?"
I tilted my head in confusion. Usually, left-behind items are just kept safe until the owner returns for them. If it belongs to a villager, we might return it directly, but for travelers, we simply hold onto it, sometimes for years. This kind of thorough after-sales service isn't really our inn's style. Plus, there's not much in it for us.
"It's... Kiheran."
"What? Why would he leave his belongings behind?"
"My thoughts exactly."
Even though he wasn't a peddler, Kiheran was someone who wandered from place to place. No one really knew what he did for a living. He looked too frail to be a mercenary.
However, since he didn't seem dangerous, we never pried. The only thing that mattered to us was that he was a regular at our inn. Furthermore, he always kept his room spotless and was polite to everyone. He had never caused a single problem.
"Well, I'd better get going then."
What are regulars for, anyway?
Since I usually escort the guests to their rooms, I remembered exactly which one he had stayed in. I walked straight in.
As expected, the room was so tidy it hardly needed cleaning. I scanned the interior and spotted an item sitting alone under the table.
"This must be it."
It was a small bag, seemingly packed with only the essentials. It looked like a grab-and-go bag for emergencies, yet ironically, it was the only thing he had left behind.
"Tsk, tsk."
When I came downstairs with the bag, my father was standing in front of the counter holding my backpack. Next to him, my mother, holding my bow and arrows, looked deeply troubled.
"Well, I'll be off."
I took my bag and weapons. Then, to make it seem like going to the neighboring village was as casual as visiting the house next door, I put on the most nonchalant expression I could muster.
"Cecil..."
Even so, my mother's expression didn't brighten.
"I heard he's currently at the inn in the neighboring village. You can find him there. And take this."
"Hm? What's this?"
My father handed me a small bottle filled with sparkling powder.
Since it was an item from the game, I already knew what it was. It was used to avoid annoying encounters, sprinkle it on, and monsters won't notice you unless you get practically right next to them.
"Stealth powder."
"I hate how this smells."
"Haha, are you a monster?"
The downside was that it had a bit of a stench. Maybe the monsters avoided it because they hated the smell, too?
My father forced the bottle into my hands as I tried to slowly pull away.
"Cecil, you have to come straight back."
"Have a safe trip."
"I know."
"Cecil! I'm going to starve until you get back!"
"Me too!"
The regular customers, who had been eavesdropping on our conversation, started chiming in one by one. Unlike my parents, they didn't look worried at all. Some were grinning as if teasing me, while others simply waved and wished me a good trip.
"I'll be back soon."
Of course, none of the people saying that would actually starve, but there were definitely some who came specifically to eat the food I cooked.
'I should finish this as quickly as possible and get back.'
I can't keep the customers waiting.
***
Because it was a small village, everyone I passed had something to say.
Since I was walking around with a bow strapped to my bag, worried gazes poured in from all directions. I had to explain to each and every one of them that I was just making a quick trip to the neighboring village.
"Cecil, going hunting again today?"
"No, I'm heading to the neighboring village."
"What? By yourself?"
"I'll be fine."
I brushed off the guard's concerned gaze with a smile and stepped out of the village.
I had lost count of how many times I had repeated the same thing today.
"..."
Still, the back of my head prickled. It seemed he was genuinely worried about whether I'd make it back safely. I didn't look back. I felt like if I did, he'd stop me and I wouldn't be able to leave at all today.
Only after I was quite a distance from the village did the prickling sensation fade.
"Hmm, it feels like a waste to use this."
Following the road would be a slight detour, but the chances of encountering a monster were low. Even if I did run into any, they would be low-level ones.
"..."
I looked down at the powder my father had given me.
A powder designed to let you travel without drawing a monster's attention. However, this is only really effective if my level is similar to or higher than the monster's. If the monster's level is higher, you can't expect much from it.
In short, it was an item for when you just couldn't be bothered to fight. Besides, it was surprisingly expensive, making it feel like a waste to use now. I had used it ignorantly in the past, but I didn't particularly care for the smell either.
"Let's save it for now."
I put the bottle back in my pocket.
Rustle.
And as if it had been waiting for that exact moment, a monster blocked my path.
-Boing!
Moving with an adorable sound was a large, mushroom-shaped monster. For something appearing in such a serious game, it was surprisingly cute and lacked any sense of tension. Well, most low-level monsters are cute, to be fair.
Thump!
However, contrary to its cute appearance, the creature attacked immediately. Its signature move was wobbling its giant head before slamming it down. a very simple attack pattern.
I stepped backward and drew my bowstring.
"Ugh... moving my actual body is definitely different from using game controls."
When playing the game, a single keystroke would make my character do a backward roll, but in reality, I had to physically move myself.
"Huh?"
As I drew the bowstring and aimed at the monster, I suddenly felt a strange sensation. I could see the monster's movements much more clearly than before. It was as if my vision had improved; everything was sharper, making it much easier to aim.
'Could it be... did I level up?'
Maybe I had just naturally gotten more skilled, or maybe, in terms of the game's system, I had actually leveled up. After all, I had contributed to taking down a field boss monster.
Twang!
The arrow flew, piercing the monster's body perfectly. While the hit monster staggered, I widened the distance even further and readied another arrow.
When the wobbling monster turned toward me again, I quickly planted another arrow right in its face. That was the end of it. The mushroom teetered left and right a few times before collapsing onto the ground.
"...Easier than I thought."
It had been a while since I ventured this far from the village, so my senses were a bit different from before. I approached the fallen monster and looked down at it.
"Hmm. I heard this is edible."
The defeated monster just looked like a giant mushroom. Its composition wasn't any different from a regular mushroom, which was why rumors circulated that it could be eaten.
"Hmmm..."
I crouched down next to it and gently touched the surface. It felt exactly like a mushroom.
"Still, I probably shouldn't serve this as an inn meal."
I couldn't serve food made from a monster to the inn's guests. Even as I thought that, I pulled a small knife from my bag and carefully sliced off a few pieces of the mushroom. The cross-section looked completely normal, too.
"...Well, I should at least give it a try."
I roughly cleaned the mushroom pieces and tossed them into my bag. If it's edible, might as well eat it. Looking at it like this, it didn't even seem like a monster. Finally, I retrieved the two arrows lodged in the creature and smiled in satisfaction.
At this rate, I could easily make the trip without using the stealth powder.
***
Just as I expected, the monsters that appeared near the road were all around the same level. Defeating creatures that weren't much different from that mushroom was a breeze, and I managed to reach the village right around sunset.
"Whoa... Seeing it like this is a whole new experience."
Unlike our small village, rows of sophisticated buildings lined the streets. It was so large and developed that it felt more like a neighboring city than a neighboring village. The roads were neatly paved, and some people were even using carriages as a means of transportation.
In our village, carriages were only used for moving heavy cargo.
Yet, there are plenty of cities even larger than this one. If I ever saw them in person, my eyes might just pop out of my head.
I shook my head. I wasn't here sightseeing. I had an important task to do and things to investigate. I had no time to get distracted.
"He's at the inn here, right?"
The fact that such a large town only had one inn was one of the game's mysteries. Whether there were simply that few travelers, or if people used separate accommodations, remained unknown.
This was my first time actually visiting this town's inn in reality, but of course, I knew the way. In the game, checking the inn's location was always the first thing I did.
"Here it is."
Since it was late, I came straight to the inn without checking anywhere else. It was a massive building, fitting for such a large town. The signboard hanging over the entrance read "The White Dove" in beautifully cursive lettering.
'Maybe we should give our place a real name, too.'
Our inn just had a small sign that said "INN," and that was it. To look a bit more upscale, it might be better to be called by a proper name rather than just "the village inn."
'Maybe something like The Wild Horse, The Green Hill, or The Wooden Bow...'
I tried to think of a name that could rival this inn's, but nothing I really liked came to mind. Even the last one, The Wooden Bow, was only thought up because I happened to look at the bow slung over my shoulder.
'I can think about that later.'
After staring at the fancy lettering carved into the impressive signboard a few times, I glanced around. I thought he might be waiting out front. There were people passing by, but no one seemed to be waiting for someone.
'Is he inside?'
I needed to gather information on the peddler, and since it was late anyway, I'd probably have to stay the night.
'Well then, shall I take a look at how inns in other regions operate?'
It was my first time staying at another inn. I had walked into this place countless times in the game, but I had never really observed it closely. It was a rival... no, more like a specimen I could learn a thing or two from.
Resolving myself, I pushed open the door to the inn.
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