Reassurance

*Chirp Chirp*

It was just an ordinary morning for a certain forest bird. Scouting for insects, worms, or perhaps small fish that would come to the riverside's shallow waters. It thought its life was as normal as it gets...until it saw a huge shadow that was approaching its location at a fast speed.

*Thud Thud Thud Thud Thud Thud Thud!*

*Shaaaaaaa!*

[Arriving at the next destination, Mantrel River] (Ronin) That figure just whizzed past the bird, and it was a huge metallic being that sprinted across with a speed of 80km/h. Dropping the worm it had on its beak, it was in a daze looking at the figure that was now becoming smaller as its distance becomes further.

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For a practical person, not as a car person, but as a general person, what is important when it comes to a vehicle? Top speed or acceleration? Well, for me, my answer would be that it should be something with two legs, metal in body, and can wield a sword and a 3-barreled shotgun.

[Arriving at the next point of destination, Mantrel River] (Ronin) Its monotonous robotic voice resonated within the cockpit, the smooth and quick ride across this path along the Mantrel Riverside is the path Nene told us to follow as this will lead us into the first place for civilization before Miruzo City.

Tanya still at the usual spot, is just sitting on my lap looking at the screen with excited eyes.

[Wow!!!!! Mister Golem is going at speeds I can't imagine!!!!] (Tanya)

Well, no normal human can run at 80km/h or more unless you're that Us**n B*lt or someone with speed-enhancement shoes. Other than that, Ronin is leaving quite the size of footprints.

Each step Ronin took causes the earth to shake around us, thus our travel was quite an easy one since monsters have purposely avoided us. As if you would want to face something this huge and sturdy, it's just stupid.

[Won't this cause trouble later on? Like rumors about a huge monster walking or running within the vicinity of this forest?]

[Well, I bet something like that will come. However, there are always rumors about new kinds of stuff so we're just adding new ones to the current list ahahahaha] (Nene) I gave up on becoming unnoticeable with this, with Ronin around, it is impossible to conceal the fact that it exists.

As for the wyvern hydra's remains and its entire corpse, I stored it over my INVENTORY...surprisingly it was able to take it all in without any problem, except of course as it is making me remind myself that my INVENTORY now has a huge dead ass monster corpse in it. Other than that, there is not much to discuss in this trip because only Tanya and Nene were awake during the entire run throughout the forest.

When talking about villages and towns, in the records even on Earth, especially during the medieval period, it is far common for people to settle down in places near bodies of flowing water such as a river or near the sea for they can hunt and cast lines for fishing. Trading too is also commonplace for towns and villages in that kind of place.

[Huh????? What do you mean you want to sell the hydra corpse? No one could buy that thing you know?] (Nene) And here I am, asking her about ways of disposing of the corpse in my INVENTORY. All hope got shattered when she revealed that the guild in Miruzo City has no money capability of buying the entire corpse.

[If you want to sell it for money, Miruzo City won't be the best place to do so. For starters you must learn first what are its most valued parts. For example its poison glands, the fire-producing organ, and the ice crystal found in its lungs. There's also its hide, the bones. Its meat is a total flop so it's thrown away, except, of course, you can give it to the people of the slums for free and they will accept it] (Nene)...I am completely unsure whether I should feed its meat to other people though considering how toxic its attack was in the first place.

There's also this, according to Nene, monsters are classified by a ranking system similar to how adventurers are ranked according to their strengths just like how it is in games and in light novels, god sure loves the D==>S rank system.

D, which is the weakest by far that even new adventurers can beat the shit out of it. S, of course, is the rank where monsters can wipe out an entire kingdom if left alone.

Ehem, now where were we again?

Ah right, just now a few green markers have now appeared within a 3-kilometer radius around us.

[Carriages? Supposedly who in the world would be brave enough to use this road?]

[Ah, that would be merchants who hired high-ranking adventurers for an escort mission. Did this guy sense some?] (Nene)

[Kind of, what do you think? Should we avoid them?]

[Hm...now that you asked it, we might get unwanted attention] (Nene) So it is kind of annoying huh.....

[Follow the original point of next destination, but set the waypoint using off-the-road path.]

[Affirmative. Selecting a different route to take. Formulating a new waypoint. Route to be taken has now been adjusted] (Ronin) A yellow line with an arrow appeared on my tactical map. Ronin then side-stepped out of the road and then took the off-road within the forest once again.

Ronin sprinted as soon as we reached a huge and long clearing in the forest. From what I could see, there seems to be huge patch of grass and other plants ahead of us.

As for what is needed to be put in mind, for now, that would be how to enter the city. How do I conceal Ronin's existence when he is just utterly humongous?

[Wait...couldn't you just store it just like how you stored the Hydra???] (Nene)

[Right? Big brother made the bad monster vanish with a single spell!] (Tanya)

[....Space magic? Huh?] (Rikka)

Well..... I did not think of that, at least they were here to give me suggestions.

I can just store Ronin, but the thought of that gives me mixed feelings about it getting mixed in with the remains of the hydra.

[Fine, I guess that can do] I sighed inwardly.

Ronin traversed the forest pass with ease, more than what I can imagine, it then starts to run in a sprinting manner befitting for its light frame. The sun was up, and the skies were clear. Clouds were occasionally floating still in the clear blue sky, and the migratory birds from Mantrel River flew over in a "V" formation.

[Wow!!!!] (Tanya) Of course, the girl who was always mesmerized by the colours of the birds called Mantrel Bird, Tanya, leaned in towards the screen to look at the birds in the distance. Haaaah. If only I was this happy in my childhood days...maybe I wouldn't have ended up in a bad working environment....wait...why am I reminiscing again?

[Jack, we're near the village of Fors. I think we should avoid going there for now since the people there seem shady....] (Nene)

[Right? A lot of them seem so] (Rikka)

[The innkeeper and some guards there are one of those bastards] (Ema)

[...] I have no comment, but wow, if the girls say that it is a must avoided place then I can only comply.

[So we're going straight to Miruzo City to report this incident?]

[Yes, it is a must so that their wrongdoings would go to light] (Nene) Not just her, but everyone looked at me.

[Fine, I'd rather bring you there myself anyway, otherwise, things might just repeat again] I reassured myself, nothing bad will ever happen again now that I am here.

.....

.....

.....

[We're back...Mama...Papa] (Tanya) She was bawling her eyes out as we all looked at the screen.

What defines the word home? Is it the existence of 4 walls supported with 4 pillars while being covered with roofing and flooring? Is it the place where you grew up with your family? Or is it a place filled with memories cherished for a lifetime?

Home is defined by many, and many have their own interpretations of what a home truly is.

Time check, it is already 4 pm in the afternoon and the skies were quite orange.

I asked myself as I stared at the excited and teary faces of these girls, maybe home is where your family is.

Haahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I just realized that when I reincarnated into this world, my home where my family is present, is now long gone as I am dead in that world. It just made me think, perhaps I could start a family here too, and find the place I can call home.

[Pilot, sensing multiple presences at the gate ahead] (Ronin)

[Urk] That made me bring my mind back to my head after daydreaming. Ronin's reticle zoomed in and focused on the gate, in there I saw quite a long line of people as well as guards.

huh.

We really arrived just before it was night. That shows the traveling capabilities of Ronin on land, it's definitely a monster for sure.

[We're going to walk from here on out, we can't let other people see Ronin because some are just..]

[Down bad, right] (Emma)

[We understand, but you.....are you going with us?] (Nene)

[Big brother?] (Tanya)

....To go or not to go, should I even in the first place? Well...

[Fuuuu. You guys, didn't you remember that I will bring you back to your parents?]

[!!!!! Yay!!!!] (Tanya) I wonder why, but these individuals here that I shared a few days with now hold a place in my heart.

[Fine fine, but let's go out now. We can't let Ronin's presence be known now do we?] I smiled as I looked at Ronin's figure.

[Pilot, are you going to be fine from here on out?] (Ronin) It asked as it kneeled in front of me. All of us faced it one last time before I store it on my INVENTORY.

[I will partner]

[I see. See you later pilot] (Ronin)

[Mishter Golem... bye-bye] (Tanya)

[Tanya, we will see it again so don't cry okay?] (Nene) After the rest of them said their temporary goodbyes

With that, it vanished into light.

{RONIN HAS BEEN STORED, REPAIRS WILL SOON BEGIN}

{ESTIMATED TIME OF REPAIR...1 DAY}

Just now, the towering metallic giant that was as big as the trees here vanished in an instant...wow...just wow. Magic sure has its way around things that physics and science can't explain.

[Mister golem is gone....] (Tanya) I know that everybody already agreed to hide Ronin's existence, but seeing the downcast expression of the girlie made me feel guilty...I wonder why.

For now, since I am wearing strange clothing in the eyes of this world's citizens...

It was decided that I should also change outfits.

[Ugh.....this feels awkward, it's airy] It was made of cotton for sure, but the fit was just too loose.

[You just look like....a hillbilly from a farming land] (Nene)

[PFffffttt!!!! Ahahahahahahaha] (Rikka)

kuhhhh....damn it. I had no other clothes with me, so I had to use these rags.

It was just a sad moment some time ago, and now I am currently being laughed at as we walked in the road by these girls. For some reason, my pride as a man wants to slap them, but my pride's other half does not allow me to do so because of morals and ethics and the good rules and conduct integrated into my head...

Jack, fuuuu, calm yourself down, embarrassing moments like this only pass by the moment.

As soon as I get into a clothing and tailoring store, I will immediately buy plenty amount of ordinary clothes.

After that...

What do I do?

...

....

....

I honestly have no idea at all.

I looked at the excited faces of the girls...and then the idea about what needed to be done next may have been just my overthinking tendency.

[Yep, I should at least enjoy my life a little bit instead of thinking too far ahead]

[?? Is something in your mind?] (Nene)

[Ah nothing, nothing] And with that, the view of the city's busy atmosphere then greets us.

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In the Inn and Diner somewhere in Miruzo City...

The atmosphere within the entire inn seems grim for someone to enjoy a meal, the food was warm, but the faces of the people eating in the diner aren't.

[Is there any news about them?] (??)

[No...nothing as of now. The adventurer's guild already dispatched silver-ranked adventurers to search, but no word from them is out by now] (??)

[Haaaah....the heck is happening] (??) The city folks who were eating at a table whispered as they chatted. They did not want to put more stress on the owner of the inn, who was currently experiencing the hardest time of her life.

In the kitchen...a woman is cutting vegetables, her movements were sluggish, and her hair was a mess.

[Marie...] (??)

[Huh? Ah....yes dear? What is...it?] (Marie) Her black hair swayed as she turned around to see who called her.

[Are you okay? Should we close the diner temporarily? You don't look good at all] (??)

[Ah no, I am fine] (Marie) Her husband who is currently managing the inn is concerned about the mental health of his wife.

He is as well just biding his feelings, swallowing them down as he needs to stay strong for her...and for their missing kids.

Just a week ago, news about the disappearance of multiple girls spanned across the city. Among the missing ones were their children, who mysteriously vanished after school ended. He, along with other people who had their children gone missing filed a report at the adventurer's guild for a search team to find them...but no, no sort of that information reached their ears now.

[Just rest, okay? Our patrons understand what is going on] (??)

[But what about the Inn? I can't let it go down just because of me....ow!] (Marie) just now, she cut herself with the knife.

[See? That is what I am telling you, for now, let us treat that wound shall we?] (??)

[Ugh.....fine] (Mary) Not just them, not just her, but multiple families across the city, be it commoners, the rich merchants, the nobles...all of them are currently experiencing the same dilemma.

5 kids and all of them are girls. She already has a 20-year-old daughter who has now started assisting her in raising the other girls...and she hopes that her eldest daughter is staying strong at this moment.

[I just pray that they will find their way home...] (Mary)

[They will dear, they will] (??) They could only look at the sunset in the distance and the skies becoming dimmer by the second. Hope is there, and hope is not yet lost.