-A Warm Welcome and a Torrid Welcome–
I asked Russell about all sorts of things.
"I saw you talking with Gardo back there, was there a problem? Those two, they have foul mouths and… Well, they"re adventurers who drifted here. But they aren"t bad people."
"They were a little rough, but I know now that it was on your orders, so it"s fine."
They also gave me a strange nickname, but it wasn"t a big deal…I think.
There were more important matters.
"It"s my first time in this town, and I"m wondering if there is any place to stay."
“Ahh, in that case. Go straight down this road and turn at the second corner. There is a good inn over there. They may be a bit more accommodating if you mention my name.”
"Oh, are you big in this town then?"
"No, you stupid b.a.s.t.a.r.d. I"m just the captain of the guards."
That"s what you call big. He even proudly showed the star-shaped badge that was on his chest. I suppose it was the proof that he was the captain. Now that I think of it, so it was the captain that came out to help me first… How blessed I must be…
"So, you were a captain. That"s really impressive."
"Haha, if you say so! By the way, Asagi. Where are you from? I"d hardly call it normal for someone to be wandering around the forest like you were. Did something happen to you?"
Russell"s gaze fixed on me. How should I reply to him? I didn"t feel like he would believe if I just blurted something about coming from another world. I felt a little guilty about it, but decided to make up a random lie at that moment.
"From pretty far away, actually. I got chased by goblins along the way and lost all of my belongings… I was running without really thinking and ended up on this hill."
"A hill around these parts…you must mean the Hill of Mist."
Hill of Mist?
“Surely you"ve seen that hill sticking out in the middle of the plains. There"s a hill there. It"s a strange place it is, it becomes shrouded by mist in the morning, even if it"s not cold. I don"t believe there are any other hills around there?”
"No, it"s that place exactly. I was surrounded by mist before I knew it."
“Haha, I thought so. It would"ve taken you quite a long time to walk from there. You should rest up today.”
So saying, Russell handed over a small cloth bag. I accepted it and heard the sound of jangling. Was this…I looked inside and there was indeed money.
“Russell, I can"t accept this from you. You saved me, and even gave me clothes to wear already…”
"Asagi, you stupid b.a.s.t.a.r.d. I"m the one that suggested that inn. How would you rest without some coin?"
"But…"
"Ahh, don"t you get me wrong, alright? I"m not giving it to you. It"s a loan. You can make it back and repay me, alright? Whenever you can. When you have enough money, you need only hand it over."
"Russell… Thank you, for everything."
"It"s fine. Don"t mention it. You should also get registered as an adventurer, while you"re at it. It"s quite lucrative!"
According to Russell, there is a job known as adventuring wherein you kill monsters and explore ruins. Well, it was honestly something I already knew a lot about. Apparently, all you needed to do was go to the guild and get registered. G ranks were known as "Rocks." It had something to do with their value being little more than the rocks on the ground, or strength perhaps.
"It also means there are so many of them that they are disposable!"
According to Russell, anyway.
“But you know, even among rocks you might find precious stones known as "gems." With a little polish these guys will turn into impressive jewels. I pray that you prove to be such a rock.”
And with that, he hit me hard on the back. The breath was pushed out of my lungs, but I felt like I received a lot of spirit in return.
"Thanks, Russell. I should go now."
"Ah, get going!"
I waved a hand at him and then headed off to the inn.
The inn that he suggested was the "Spring Wind Inn," a two-story, seemingly somewhat luxurious inn. Also, there was something that had been bothering me for a while, but I could actually read the letters. I could even talk with people. It entered my ears with the familiarity you"d expect from a language that you"ve spoken for a long time. I had wondered about this since I was talking with Russell, but there was no answer to that question. I suppose there was no point in worrying about it now. And so I didn"t.
"h.e.l.looo. Is anyone in here?"
“h.e.l.loo. Do we have a customer?”
A large framed and middle-aged woman appeared from the back. She stood behind the counter and looked towards me.
"Um, I"ve come by recommendation of Mr. Russell?"
"Oh, Russell is it? Then we must treat you extra special!"
The woman was all smiles the moment she heard Russell"s name. Clearly, the potency of his name was no joke.
"I"m Maris. And you?"
"I am called Asagi. I"d like to stay for one week for now…is this enough money?"
So saying, I took out all of the money I had just borrowed and displayed it on the counter. I hadn"t had time to check properly, but I now saw that there were both silver and copper coins. And there were definitely more of the silver variety. That Russell…
“Oh, there will be change if you have this much. Good. Asagi, you will stay in the corner room on the second floor. Meals will be served for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The eating room is down there. The fee for your meals shall be free!”
“Do you mean it? It"s one week, that means you"ll lose money for twenty-one meals!”
"Well, you"re a guest that Russell recommended, so we must be sweet with you. You"ll eat well with us, you will!"
The effect of his name was tremendous. How would I ever repay him…
"Then I will accept your hospitality…Miss Maris. I will stay here for a while."
"Very good!"
I was happy for such a generous innkeeper.
After leaving all my belongings in the room I was shown, I decided to head for the guild house. By the way, the room in the inn was bigger than the one I used to live in.
I went out onto the main street and looked around like a country b.u.mpkin. Due to being a town inside of a forest, most of the buildings were made of wood. There was something very relaxing about walking through the peaceful road with its buildings facing each other.
There was an old man hollering in front of his fruit stall. A young butcher who folded his arms after arranging the meat in his store. There was even a flower shop. It was a lively little town. Along the way, I saw a weapons shop. As a boy, there was something incredibly rousing about it, but I held off for the moment. I needed to become an adventurer first. I controlled my eagerness and headed for the guild.
It was easily found. That large building. Also, there were was a constant flow of rough-looking men going in and out. They must be adventurers. Most carried swords and spears.
I pa.s.sed through the open gates, and inside there were several counters with signs that read: “Registration”, “Quest “, “Reward” and “Questions/other.” In the front, there were stairs that led to the second floor and stairs that led to the bas.e.m.e.nt. On the left, there was a bar. In spite of it being midday, there were men and women drinking and making noise.
"Oi, look over there. A shamelessly dressed boy"s come to visit!"
"Haha, I think they"re rather nice!"
What boring prudes. Of course, they wouldn"t leave me alone… This would turn sour regardless if I ignored them or shot back. It was a very predictable scenario.
"Ahh, I"ve just arrived in this town. I wanted to become an adventurer!"
I put on my part-timer"s face.
"Eh? Oh, so you must be the Black Rabbit!"
What the?
"Hey, look! The infamous Black Rabbit has graced us with his presence!"
"The black haired cowardly rabbit! Let me see him!"
"Buwahahaha! Just look at him! How stylish!"
A shower of ridicule. Pointing fingers. Drunks really were a merry bunch.
But it also seemed that I wasn"t quite welcome here.
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