Chapter 4

"Is there... Something special about the forest?" Evan Young asked. He had no idea how, but there's a feeling that this place is closely connected to him in a certain way. Furthermore, the name of this forest was the same as the one where his parents built their farmhouse.

"Special? I doubt it. Well, except for being the den of monsters, I think I heard nothing extraordinary from the forest. But honestly, all our lives depended on this forest. Because there's an abundance of mana in there, all things multiply greatly in there. From Flora to Fauna, it was said that the further you go in, the more you'll be amazed." Eins said.

There's a hint of rumors in his words. But this was something to be expected as what he was sharing was all heard from the others.

Since he's not someone who can control mana, he's incapable of going too deep into the forest.

His words made Evan Young ponder for a while.

And without himself noticing, they had been walking close to an hour without encountering anything else on their way.

"Hahaha! Look, big brother Evan! This is our Fang-Boar Village! What do you think?" Elric was jumping happily and sprinted towards the village entrance.

'I think it should be pretty safe from here onwards.' Evan Young guessed from how Eins allowed Elric to run towards the village. If this place were as dangerous as their route earlier, he would definitely stop the youngster from causing trouble.

"Young brother Evan, please allow me to express my gratitude for giving us a helping hand when we were attacked by the goblins. Without your help, it would be difficult for me to fight against four goblins on my own." Eins took the opportunity as they were all alone to speak privately with Evan.

"I'm just lucky to be around at that time. If the goblins were to notice my presence before I tried to help you, I might end up as another baggage for you instead." Evan Young humbly replied to Eins, and he knew that the latter was just trying to be nice to him.

"But if Mr. Eins don't mind, I would like to know why would you still travel this late while bringing a youngster with you? I'm sure that staying until the following day should be a safer option to return to the village safely." Evan Young also took the opportunity to ask what he had in mind.

Honestly, he finds it puzzling for a father and son to travel on foot at this time.

"Well, we would have stayed in the nearest town if there's a choice. But the cost to stay overnight was too much for a peasant like us. Furthermore, we couldn't even afford to rent a room in the inn." Eins said.

He had a hint of complaint while replying to Evan Young. But since they were about to arrive at the village's entrance, Eins quickly hid his earlier expression with a face brimming with a smile.

Elric was already disturbing the guards while he waited for Evan and his father's arrival. Without too many security checks done on him, and Eins was willing to vouch for his credibility, Evan was allowed to enter the village without a problem.

He was immediately greeted with a medieval-theme village with twenty or so wooden huts packed together on his left and right. The roofing of these wooden huts was still made of straws tied together and came in a triangular shape.

Looking at these buildings made him reminiscence about what he went through while Evan was younger.

His father was attempting to build their own stable for the horse at that time. Even the design of the building was similar to what they had here.

The memory made Evan Young smile as it was one of the few beautiful memories he had with his father before he passed away.

And from a quick glance over this village, this place was no different from his farmhouse. It even resembles some of the more historical buildings back where he came from. But while those were preserved for historical and tourism purposes, the ones here were actually in use.

And sad to say, for them to continue staying in a building like this was a representation of poverty.

Following Eins and Elric back to their home first, Evan was introduced to the two remaining family members and shared a table full of food. Although what he was served was considered too bland for his taste, it was still delicious, nevertheless.

He was taken by Elric after that to the male-only bath in the village. Feeling like he was reborn anew, Even Young followed Elric back to their family hut again to rest for the night.

Although the bed they'd be sleeping on was not what he had expected, it was still better than sleeping outside in the wild. And for an unknown reason, Evan Young felt that something like this was bliss to him, although it might just be for a brief moment.

Evan finds Elric amusing as the youngster keeps bombarding him with questions like what he likes and what he's been doing every day. The youngster even tried to introduce his younger sister to him, saying that she would be the most beautiful girl in the village when she turned eighteen.

'Looks like he finally fell asleep...' Evan Young chuckled as he looked at the snoring Elric. It was indeed pleasant for being young, as one would have so much energy in them to try and do everything while they could.

It was regretful that he arrived in this world without bringing along his box of cigarettes. He would have enjoyed that at this time while looking at the stars. Although the night sky from Rook Hill was just as beautiful as it was, it was incomparable to what he's looking at right now.

'By the way... Didn't I come here with my father's leather book? Where did that book go the moment I came into this world?' Evan Young remembered that he was holding the book in hand as he traveled to this world. But to his surprise, it vanishes right after that.

Simply putting his hand around his chest as he tried to rest his eyes, Evan Young soon found what he was looking for.

To his surprise, the book actually appeared out of nowhere as it beautifully rested on his chest.