Journey to a Mysterious World

When I came to, I didn't know where I was or what I was doing there.

Grassy hills stretched all around me. The sun was still high in the sky, so it must have

been a little past noon. Wind blew across the vast sea of green, creating waves of grass

that flowed toward where I sat on a rock. The breeze carried with it the scent of fresh

vegetation and moist earth. Behind me, I could hear the wind rustle its way through a

forest as it moved between the trees.

I stood up from the rock and surveyed the expanse that lay before me. A city dweller

most of my life, I'd rarely been exposed to such a tranquil scene. All I could do was

stand there and take it all in.

That was when I finally noticed my body.

I was covered from head to toe in silvery-white armor, accented with exquisite blue

and white detailing. Such impressive armor was usually reserved for the knights you

read about in fairytales. My cape, black as the night, whipped in the wind. Its lining

glimmered slightly, making it appear as if the fabric had been ripped straight from the

star-filled sky. On my back was a large, round shield decorated with an elaborate

design and, below that, a sheath that contained a massive, two-handed sword that

gave off a mysterious aura.

Despite this being a rather extreme departure from how I usually looked, I was

actually quite familiar with my appearance. The last thing I remembered was playing

an online game and falling asleep in front of my computer, which was something I

often did.

The next thing I knew, I'd woken up here as Arc, my in-game character.

"What's happened?!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. The voice that echoed from

my helmet was far deeper than my own.

Considering how desolate the location was, I didn't exactly expect a reply. However, I

couldn't suppress the desire to shout something, anything, any longer.

On a whim, I drew the sword from the sheath on my back. It was a double-edged sword

that emitted a pale azure light, reflecting the sun's rays. The blade itself was at least a

hundred centimeters long and quite wide, giving it a rather hefty presence. I brought

the sword up to eye level and slashed down in a powerful sweep.

"Whoa!" I shouted again.

It was so incredibly light, I could hardly believe the object I was holding was truly a

metal sword. The weight of it defied my expectations, and I was able to easily swing it

around repeatedly.

Next, I tried swinging the sword around with one hand. Despite being outfitted entirely

in armor, my body felt light, allowing me to move around gracefully, unimpeded by the

armor.

"Wyvern Slash!" I shouted the name of an in-game attack as I swung the sword.

The blade released a blast of energy straight into the forest. A moment later, a tree

with a trunk as wide as a child began falling, making a rustling sound on its way down

as its leaves brushed against the trees around it. The birds nesting in the surrounding

branches took off flying, and, a moment later, the tree hit the ground with a dull thud.

"I guess this is actually real…"

I finally started to calm down, though I still had no idea what was actually going on.

Still somewhat drowsy, I considered the possibility that this may all be a dream. After

all, here I was, a Holy Knight outfitted in the weaponry and armor from the in-game

character I had been playing moments ago.

This mythical-class, silvery-white armor I was wearing was from the Belenus Holy

Armor series, which could only be worn by Holy Knights. Made up of five pieces—

head, torso, arms, waist, and legs—the armor reduced light and fire attacks by half,

restored my health at regular intervals, boosted defense, and increased attack power.

It was pretty overpowered.

On top of all that, the cape billowing in the wind behind me was the Twilight Cloak,

also mythical-class. In addition to reducing the effect of dark attacks, it also restored

my magic at regular intervals.

Attached to my back was the mythical-class shield, the Holy Shield of Teutates. Not

only did it offer a high defense stat, its resistance to status effects increased with every

level I gained.

Many users were highly critical of the incredibly high stats of the Holy Knights'

defensive items, leading to the developers of the game making a few changes.

However, rather than changing any of the items' stats, they decided (oddly) to make it

so Holy Knights were unable to equip accessories. With this restriction on modifying

their abilities, the already limited number of Holy Knight players began dwindling.

These days, they were incredibly uncommon.

The last of my equipment was my two-handed sword, the Holy Thunder Sword of

Caladbolg. It boasted a high attack stat and provided an agility boost. Each mythical-

-class weapon also came with its own attack skills, but these were really just

additional buffs on top of the rest.

Upon sliding the sword into its sheath on my back, I held my right hand up to the sky,

summoning Fire. Just like in the game, a flame engulfed my right hand, and fireballs

began shooting out of my fist.

Actually, no. This wasn't quite like the game.

I knew for a fact my main class was Holy Knight and my sub-class had been set to

Priest before I went to sleep. Fire was a base Mage skill, and Wyvern Slash was a midtier Knight skill. If this were just like the game, I shouldn't be able to use them with

this class setup.

So why could I use both Mage and Knight skills?

Still uncertain if this was just an incredibly realistic dream, I banged on my helmet.

However, I wasn't any closer to waking up. That was when I forced myself to ask the

question I'd been dreading: What if this wasn't a dream, or even a game, but reality?

The very thought seemed absurd, even to me, but as I took in what lay before me, all

five of my senses providing additional information, I started doubting this was a

dream. It all seemed too real.

If this wasn't a game, then that may explain why I could use all of the techniques I had

learned, regardless of class changes. After all, it wasn't like a judo practitioner would

lose his ability to use all the judo techniques he had learned the moment he started

practicing boxing.

In that case, I wondered if this meant I could use the top-tier class skills I had learned.

Before becoming a Holy Knight, a top-tier class, I had previously leveled up nine other

classes. In order to become a Holy Knight, I needed to have the top-tier classes of

Summoner, Sacred Knight, and Priest. To get those, I needed the mid-tier classes of

Magus, Knight, and Bishop. Those required the base-tier classes of Mage, Soldier, and

Monk. After those nine classes, that made Holy Knight my tenth.

I didn't learn every skill from every single class, but I had still acquired quite a large

number of techniques.

With all these skills at my disposal, I just may be able to survive in this unknown world.

The fact that I wasn't limited to my main class would alone be a huge help.

To be honest, the Holy Knight class was basically a love letter from the developers.

Holy Knight Swordsmanship was the only ability available, but it allowed you to equip

a two-handed sword in one hand, then gave additional attack bonuses if you equipped

one in both. With its ample equipment options and high attack and defense stats, the

class seemed perfect for tanking. Unfortunately, it was difficult to use as a main class,

since it lacked any ability to attract enemies.

The romanticism and the Holy Knight name itself were what drew me in. Having gone

through all the effort to attain this top-tier class, I felt a certain affinity for it. Though,

even I had to admit it was hard to use. But, on the other hand, the class was certainly

more than powerful enough to win in a straight-up fight with its weapons alone, no

special techniques needed.

I slowly exhaled while I thought this over. I realized I couldn't just keep idling my time

away on top of this hill. I needed to find a person, a town, something. I began thinking

about what I would do next.

Even though I found myself in this impossible situation, I was a little proud of how

calm I was.

I summoned another spell, just as I had done earlier. This time, it was Transport Gate,

a Magus support magic skill, which caused a three-meter-wide, pale blue column of

light to appear at my feet. This spell allowed players to instantly transport to any town

they had previously visited.

In the game, a prompt would typically appear that allowed you to select the name of

the town you wanted to transport to. However, the space in front of me remained

blank. I thought for a moment about what I should do. Suddenly, the world around me

grew dark. The next moment, I was greeted with the same scene I had seen just

moments ago. Looking down at my feet, I guessed I had moved ahead maybe three

meters. It seemed the spell wouldn't work without me having a distinct image of

where I wanted to go in mind.

I wasn't sure where I was in this world, so perhaps I wouldn't be able to travel very far.

It wasn't like I knew any areas other than where I currently stood.

"Well, this sucks," I muttered as I looked up at the sky.

Though, there may be other options. I punched my fist into my open palm as I

remembered a different transport skill I could use: Dimensional Step, a supplemental

Mage skill. After executing the skill, players could move to any location of their

choosing with a click of the mouse. Often used in the early game to get out of range of

an enemy's area-of-effect attack or to make a quick escape from hordes of enemies,

the skill became mostly useless around mid-game. The area of effect of attacks by large

monsters and bosses was simply too large to escape. The skill was basically only useful

for adjusting your position, or for consuming MP as you darted across the screen.

I focused on a location in front of me then executed Dimensional Step. An instant later,

the world around me began moving. Looking over my shoulder, I could see where I

had been standing just moments ago; it was quite a distance away, maybe about 500

meters or so.

In the game, the skill would only allow you to teleport as far as the edge of your screen.

Here in the real world, however, the spell made it possible for me to instantly travel to

any location I could see. It was pretty convenient to be able to fly about like an esper

without needing to put a bead against my head each and every time. Plus, the short

recharge time between uses made it a pretty useful transport spell.

I alternated between waiting for the spell to recharge and using Dimensional Step to

teleport. My mood started picking up the farther I traveled.

The day wore on, and the sky began taking on a crimson glow as the sun drew ever

closer to the horizon. Assuming the sun was west of me, that meant I was traveling

southwest.

As I progressed from one grassy hill to the next, a large river came into view. I

teleported down to the riverbank and looked across to the other side. The river

seemed to be about 200 meters wide. The only sound was the gentle flow of the water,

its glass-like surface reflecting the deep orange sheen from the setting sun. The river's

water was clear, giving me a view into its depths, where I could see schools of fish

swimming past.

I suppose it's about time I take a break and drink something, I thought as I unclasped

my helmet from my armor.

Now that I thought about it, it was a bit odd that I didn't feel any weight—or even

warmth—from the armor, despite the fact that I was completely encased in metal.

With that in the back of my mind, I leaned over the surface of the water.

My face… was completely white.

"What the…" The words escaped my lips before being quickly drowned out by the

sounds of the burbling river.

I locked eyes with the face staring back at me from the river. Well, that wasn't entirely

accurate. There were no eyes in my reflection. Nor was there a nose, or even skin.

Light blue flames flickered deep within a pair of dark, eyeless sockets, gazing back at

me emotionlessly. The skeleton reflected in the water's surface was wearing the same

exquisite armor that I was.

It had completely slipped my mind. If my abilities here were just as limited as they had

been in the game, I probably would have noticed sooner. However, without this

reminder, I had completely forgotten which avatar I was playing.

My usual in-game avatar was based on a humanoid that I had customized down to the

last detail. The system allowed players to make all sorts of customizations to their

appearance, even inventing your own species. You could give your avatar elongated

ears to make an elf, or maybe a pig-like nose to make an orc, just to name a few.

For a fee, you could gain access to even more avatar customizations, one of which was

a skeleton avatar.

My friends had criticized me for choosing such a meaningless customization. It may

have been a paid avatar, but it wasn't like anyone would be able to see it, since I was

covered in armor.

Even I hadn't noticed until I removed my helmet and saw my reflection in the water…

I shook my head and tried clearing my thoughts to refocus myself, though the shock

was more emotional than anything. I was surprised at how calm I continued to be,

though that provided little comfort considering the situation I found myself in.

This is going to be a pretty big problem, I realized.

There was no way I could remove my helmet in front of people, not looking like this.

Someone may think I was some sort of monster and try to kill me.

I also wasn't sure where I stood in terms of strength in this world. Considering that

my appearance in the game had transferred over here, it was almost certain there

were other monsters out there who'd transferred as well—monsters I wouldn't be

able to defeat alone.

I glanced around at my surroundings as the weight of the situation finally began

settling in. As far as I could see, nothing but a serene expanse lay in front of me. I didn't

see anything that may pose a threat. Knowing that I had a spell like Dimensional Step

to escape any dangers at least provided me with some comfort.

But now I needed to think about my next step.

I decided I should lie low and try not to stand out. That was really my only option.

Considering my appearance under the armor, it didn't really seem like a good idea to

go near any populated areas. On the other hand, it wasn't like I could just wander for

the rest of my days, hiding out in a world I knew nothing about. Perhaps I wouldn't

need to take my armor off right away, even in populated areas. But even if that were

the case, the armor itself was far too extravagant; it would draw plenty of attention on

its own. And, again, it wasn't like I could just take it off.

The only things I truly had in this world—a world I didn't even know the name of—

were my armor and weapons. I'd lost all my in-game items and money. So, first and

foremost, I needed to find a way to start earning money and put together some sort of

lifestyle.

I could feel my head heating up the harder I thought, so I stuck it into the river. The

chilly water immediately began cooling me as it flowed past my exposed skull.

I hesitantly took a drink. I could feel the water flow down my throat and spread

throughout my body. However, when I brought a hand to my throat, all I felt was the

vertebrae that made up my neck.

How was a skeleton able to drink water, and where did it even go? And how was I able

to taste it?

I figured it was best not to worry about the little things right now. I could feel my head

starting to overheat again.

First, I needed to pull myself together and begin looking for a village or town. If I

followed the river downstream, I was bound to find some sort of human settlement.

I took my helmet from under my arm and put it back onto my head, resuming my travel

with Dimensional Step.

There was a road running alongside the river, so I figured I couldn't be far from some

settlement or other. Even at my most charitable, I couldn't call the road nice, or even

well taken care of. It consisted mainly of compacted dirt, and I could see where carts

had passed through from the ruts etched into the ground. Judging by the road, and the

surrounding environment, whatever civilization lived in these parts didn't appear to

be very advanced.

As I continued using Dimensional Step to travel downstream, parallel to the road, I

spied a horse-drawn carriage and several horses stopped around it. I should have been

excited about finally encountering some people from this world, but something about

the situation felt very disconcerting.

I transported to a spot above the scene with a good vantage point, where I could watch

over the carriage and its surroundings.

I saw a hulking figure clad in leather armor stab another man—one of the carriage's

guards, it seemed—straight through the mouth. Around them, five other men who

appeared to be guards lay motionless on the ground. There were also a few unkempt

men sprawled out among them. The hulking man who'd stabbed the guard and five

other men clad in similar clothing—mercenaries, bandits, or something similar—

were all that remained. There were also two women, whom the bandits were handling

roughly.

Judging by the looks—and the lecherous smiles—the bandits were giving these

women, it was apparent where things were going next.

The whole scene further reinforced my impression that I was in a distinctly nonmodern world. Horses and carriages were still being used as a means of

transportation, and the men's clothes were straight out of a medieval play. What's

more, they were just casually killing people with swords in the middle of the day.

But, I thought as I glanced down at my gleaming armor with a sigh, others would

probably say the same about me.

The gleeful laughter and shouts of the bandits tearing away clothing mixed with the

screams and pleas of the pinned-down women.

I couldn't simply stand by and watch. But to save these women, I'd have to take on six

bandits, and I'd already seen them kill without hesitation. It wasn't like I could just

walk on up and tell them to cut it out.

Assuming I had the same strength and abilities that I did in-game, I was sure I could

take them on in a straight fight. But I had no idea if I was stronger—or possibly even

weaker—than I was in the game. If I was weaker, well, it could all be over for me the

moment I entered the fray. Either way, if I wanted to ensure my victory, I would need

to make a plan and get the drop on them.

First off, I needed to take out as many bandits as possible in my initial strike. I hoped

the odds were in my favor. After all, attacks made right after Dimensional Step were a

nearly instant deathblow; in the game, at least.

The most basic step in any good strategy was to take out the most powerful enemy

first. My target was the hulking man currently pulling down his pants. His backside

was facing toward me, and he was right in my line of sight.

I pulled my sword out of its sheath. Though I may not have been able to use it with

finesse, the mythical-class Holy Thunder Sword of Caladbolg shouldn't have a problem

performing here, especially considering the power it had shown earlier when it

cleaved through that tree with a single slash.

No, I couldn't worry about things like finesse right now. Those luxuries were reserved

for seasoned soldiers.

I took a deep breath and squeezed the sword tightly in my hand. These people were

murderers. There was no need to hesitate. Still not totally believing the situation I'd

found myself in, I tilted my head to the side, and I focused my gaze on the hulking man.

In the next instant, I used Dimensional Step transportation spell to teleport myself

behind the group of bandits and swung my sword at their unprotected backs.

The surprise strike was a massive success. Overpowering, even.

Before they were even aware of my presence, four of the bandits had already been

taken out of the fight. As the remaining two attempted to run, I finished them off

effortlessly. I hadn't originally intended to kill the escaping bandits, but as I got swept

up in the flow of battle and saw the men turn and run, my body moved before my mind

had a chance to catch up.

You often hear that showing your back to a bear will entice it to attack you, but this

experience made me wonder whether the phenomenon was limited to bears. Until

today, I couldn't have imagined actually striking a man down with the Wyvern Slash.

Still, I didn't feel any strong emotional or physical reaction to having taken human

lives. It was, after all, for the sake of saving the women.

Was this due to my new form?

I felt as if I was on the brink of catching a glimpse of some deep and bottomless

emotion lurking within me, only for it to be replaced by an emotion equally lacking in

significance. I couldn't tell what the hidden emotion was, but it was hardly the time

for introspection. Now that I'd dealt with the bandits, I needed to help the women.

Hopefully, they could show me to the nearest town.

I turned my gaze to them. They both looked as if they'd seen better days, so I decided

to say something to put them at ease.

"Are you all right?" I spoke just as I would have in the game.

That's right. Just as if this were all a game.

The way I spoke when I played this character came out naturally, like a long-formed

habit. Whenever I typed out in-game conversations in front of my PC, I'd mutter the

words aloud to myself. Maybe that's why it didn't feel strange when I spoke the words

here.

According to my character's backstory, he was an all-around nice guy in his early

forties who'd been certified as a Sacred Knight before a curse was placed on him,

turning him into a skeleton. He was now on a journey to wander the land in search of

a cure.

The two women—actually, the one with the chestnut-colored hair was still a young

girl—gazed ahead blankly, drenched in the bright red blood of the bandits.

They must have been through a lot.

The girl in chambermaid clothing looked to be in her twenties and wore her curly, red

hair short, cut off at the nape of her neck. Her strong, determined, green eyes stared

back at me. She held an arm across her chest, where her clothing had been. She'd

somehow avoided much of the blood spatter.

"You should go get washed up at the river. I'll stay behind and take care of any

remaining bandits."

"Th-thank you… Come with me, madam."

The chambermaid responded to my suggestion with a slight bow before running over

to the carriage and pulling out a large cloth from their bags. She walked over to the

girl—the one she referred to as "madam"—and wrapped the girl in the cloth, then

escorted the little madam toward the river.

After seeing them off, I surveyed my surroundings.

In all, there were nine dead bandits and six more bodies that appeared to have been

guards. It was a gruesome scene.

In addition to the four horses hitched to the carriage, there were another twelve in the

vicinity. Judging by the gear the horses carried, six of them had belonged to the

bandits. Horses were probably a luxury in this place, akin to a passenger car in my

own world.

Since I was trapped in a world I knew nothing about, I figured money was the first

thing I needed to take care of. No matter what time period—or world—we were

talking about, money was a universal necessity to life. Whether I planned on heading

into town with the women or just wandering the lands as a vagabond, I'd need to get

some other resources together as well.

First, I decided to take the bandits' horses and sell them in town. That would hopefully

give me a fair amount of coin. I could probably take the weapons from the dead bandits

and sell those too. I'd guess that blades in particular were pretty expensive in this time

period, seeing as they were big chunks of metal.

The leather armor didn't seem like it'd net me much on the open market, so I decided

to leave it all behind. It was all pretty roughed-up and drenched in blood, so I wasn't

even sure I could sell it.

As I knelt to search the nearest bandit, I noted how difficult it was to tell the bad guys

from the good. A wry laugh echoed from deep within my helmet.

I found a leather pouch tied to the bandit's waist. Inside, there were four silver,

hundred-yen-sized coins and fifteen more that looked similar in size and color to the

old ten-yen coins. They all bore the same mark on them and appeared to be the local

currency. Silver and copper? They were poorly minted compared to the coins used in

Japan, but they certainly fit with the rest of the world. I went about collecting money

from the rest of the bandits.

The man with his backside sticking out—the leader, I supposed—had six gold-colored

coins approximately the size of one-yen coins. The gold, or at least what I believed was

gold, was surprisingly heavy for its size.

All told, the nine bandits had six gold, thirty-one -silver, and sixty-seven copper coins.

Whether this was a significant amount or not, I couldn't say yet. I didn't know anything

about the cost of goods here.

After that, I collected a total of six swords, one mace-like club, and three short swords.

I tied them all together and put them into a burlap sack tied to the back of one of the

bandits' horses. Then I piled all the bandits' bodies up in the grasslands next to the

road. I was surprisingly calm about the whole thing. Maybe all those foreign medical

shows I'd been watching had desensitized me to seeing bodies like this.

Figuring that the bodies would just start rotting if I left them like this, I cast Fire.

Flames burst from my right hand, bathing the mound of corpses in a continuous

stream and incinerating the bandits' remains.

I moved upwind of the flames and smoke to watch the scene unfold. As they burned, I

thought about how even miserable excuses for humans like these could eventually

become fertilizer and provide some sort of benefit to the grass and flowers once they

were reduced to ash.

The two women returned from the river, and their complexions were notably better

now. The chestnut--haired girl was wrapped in a large cloth and supported by her

chambermaid. She was still somewhat pale as she made her way toward me, bowing

her head slightly when she arrived.

"Th-thank you for saving me from such… dire circumstances."

Tears formed at the edges of her eyes. She must've been absolutely terrified. Despite

all that, the very fact that she could approach a mysterious, armor-clad man and

express her gratitude made it clear to me that she wasn't some simple, young girl.

"You have certainly met with a great deal of misfortune here. Though my words may

ring hollow, I am -relieved that you are safe."

After hearing my response, the chambermaid next to the girl bowed her head and

spoke up. "Please allow me to also express my gratitude. Now, madam, let's get you

into the carriage. I will bring you a change of clothes."

With that gentle prompt, the young girl walked to the carriage and climbed inside.

The chambermaid stepped behind the carriage, removed one of the leather bags tied

to the luggage rack, and began searching for spare clothes.

"I've burnt the bandits' bodies. What would you like me to do with the guards?"

She stopped her search and thought for a moment.

"Put them to the side of the road." She bowed her head daintily as she replied. "We will

send soldiers to collect their bodies. The weapons and horses will be coming back with

us. I would greatly appreciate your assistance in gathering them together."

"Understood." I tilted my helmet curtly in reply and began moving the guards' bodies.

The chambermaid took the change of clothes inside the carriage and pulled the

window curtain shut.

I gathered together the guards' weapons in a separate burlap sack, which I then put

into the carriage's luggage compartment. The harnesses on the guards' horses seemed

sturdy enough, so I used some rope the bandits had been carrying to tie them to the

back of the carriage, hoping it would be able to pull them along. Then I tied together

five of the bandits' horses and mounted the sixth, the sturdiest-looking one.

It'd been awhile since I'd ridden a horse—probably not since I'd taken a few lessons

at my friend's riding school—but I felt comfortable at least getting the horse to walk.

Running would be an entirely different story, as I'd never tried that before. Nor was I

sure I could lead the other horses all the way into town.

All the horses were massive, nothing like the thin, streamlined thoroughbreds I was

used to seeing. The muscles in their legs and throughout their body were thick and

round, and the one I sat astride had little difficulty supporting my nearly two-metertall, hulking frame. It just looked back at me and my heavy armor as if I was some sort

of annoyance.

A short time later, the chambermaid stepped out of the carriage in a new set of clothes

and approached me.

"I would once again like to express my gratitude to you for rescuing us from that awful

situation." She clasped her hands together at her waist and bowed her head deeply as

she spoke.

"No thanks needed, I simply happened across you. However, I will gladly accompany

you to the next town." I spoke with a slight air of arrogance as I redirected the

discussion to my actual goal—getting to the next town.

"Thank you!" The chambermaid didn't seem to notice anything amiss and was rather

cheerful as she thanked me before moving up into the driver's seat. She gave the reins

a light snap, causing the horses to once again resume their march down the road.

Once the carriage had begun its silent procession forward, I brought my own horse

alongside it. The horses tied together behind me dutifully clopped along in stride.

Looking up at the sky, I could see that the sun was now low and night was rapidly

approaching. The horizon to the west was bathed in a deep burgundy, meaning we

probably had another hour or so until it was completely dark.

"It seems I've forgotten my manners." The chambermaid, now driving the carriage,

looked over to me from where she sat and bowed slightly in introduction. "My name

is Rita Farren, chambermaid to Madam Lauren Laraiya du Luvierte, of the Luvierte

family." Rita's green eyes were locked on my helmet. She seemed to be waiting for me

to introduce myself.

"Hm." I cleared my throat once to give myself an air of importance. "They call me Arc.

I'm but a simple wanderer." Of course, I opted to use my in-game name. Clad

completely in armor like this, I found it much easier to put on an act and play someone

other than myself.

The girl in the carriage was apparently the daughter of some type of nobility. It seemed

my plan to lie low had failed right out of the gate. If I didn't get back on track soon,

things could slide even farther downhill.

"What brings you to Rhoden, Master Arc?"

Rita's question broke me out of the introspective train of thought I'd drifted into, lulled

by the gentle sway of the horse. It also brought many more questions with it, which

floated about inside my head.

Was Rhoden a region? Or maybe a kingdom? It certainly wasn't a name I'd ever heard

when playing online. My mind continued racing.

"I am simply wandering wherever my feet take me. I have no specific destination."

It was an answer I came up with in the spur of the moment. However, considering my

character's backstory about traveling the land in search of a cure to his curse, it made

sense for me to gloss over the specifics.

Looking ahead to the horizon, I could see that night had already settled into the hills,

bringing with it a -solemn atmosphere. Doubts were also rising from the darkest

corners of my mind. What was going to happen to me? It wasn't like I had a particularly

strong attachment to my life in the real world, but it'd also be rather difficult to live as

a skeleton in some world I knew nothing about.

I'd gotten caught up in all the magic manipulation and sword wielding, forgetting

about the harsh reality of my situation. But with things beginning to calm down a bit,

the fear of uncertainty edged its way in.

Thankfully, Rita didn't seem to pick up on any of this. She simply nodded.

"Is that so? We're currently on our way to the town of Luvierte, which is controlled by

Miss Lauren's father, Master Buckle. I'm confident he will be overjoyed to hear that

you have done away with the bandits. I'd be honored if you would accompany us to

his residence."

She must have picked up on some of my uncertainty, because she punctuated her

invitation with a warm smile.

Alas, this wasn't an invitation I could accept. Meeting with someone of high status, like

a land-owning noble, was simply out of the question.

First and foremost, I would have to take off my helmet; you can't just meet nobility

with your helmet still firmly on your head. In modern terms, that'd be like meeting

with the prefectural governor while wearing a motorcycle helmet. Nowadays, you

can't even go into a convenience store with your face completely covered like that.

In any case, I needed to avoid that situation at all costs.

"I appreciate the offer. However, I do not need a reward. Your gratitude is enough."

I tried ending the conversation there, but her face only clouded over as she continued

insisting.

"After having saved Miss Lauren and myself like that, I couldn't imagine not providing

you with a reward. Perhaps you should speak with Master Buckle."

Well, this was making things difficult. It didn't look like refusing a reward was an

option she was willing to accept. Maybe if I just told her something that I wanted, we

could end it there. I wracked my skull as I tried thinking of something to request.

"Very well then. I'd appreciate it if you could provide me with something that would

ease my passage as I continue my journey."

Assuming I'd need some sort of papers to travel about freely, I tried suggesting that. I

highly doubted they had anything as advanced as a passport in this world, but I figured

they might have something similar.

In response to my request, Rita furrowed her brow and looked ahead at nothing in

particular.

"Provide you with… Ah! I think I know just the thing. Please, take this. It is my copper

travel pass. Only the noble family themselves possess silver passes. So long as you

show this, you should be able to travel anywhere you like throughout the domain."

She pulled a copper medallion, just slightly smaller than a business card, from her

breast pocket and reached out from the driver's seat to hand it to me.

I took the medallion and looked it over. In the center was a crest—the noble family's

crest?—as well as a number of symbols I'd never seen before etched onto its surface.

It seemed well made, and could probably even be used as a decoration.

"Much appreciated."

After thanking her, I put the travel pass into the burlap sack on the back of my horse,

with all the goods I'd liberated from the bandits.

Rita called out to me again, this time with a more cheerful tone in her voice. "Up ahead

is the town of Luvierte, Master Arc."

I glanced ahead of the carriage, and, sure enough, I could see a town down the hill from

us. The outskirts were marked by a moat approximately three meters across, filled

with water from the river passing along its perimeter. An expanse of farmland

surrounded the moat, grains rippling about as the wind blew across them. Beyond the

farms was another moat, to provide an additional layer of protection.

The stone wall around the town was probably five meters in height and appeared to

be well constructed. It would have been woefully short for a castle, but it seemed good

enough for a town.

Luvierte appeared to be somewhat on the large side, considering the time period.

Ahead of us on the road lay the town's gate. Approximately five meters across, it was

flanked on either side by guard towers built directly into the wall. I had no doubt the

towers housed numerous guards keeping a lookout. Immediately in front of the gate,

a stone bridge crossed the outer moat, quite a departure from the drawbridges usually

found at in-game towns.

The toll of a bell rose from somewhere inside this town that had appeared out of the

darkness, the winds carrying each peal all the way to us.

"Master Arc, that bell marks the closing of the gates. We should hurry."

It seemed like the gate wasn't going to be shut immediately after the bell finished

tolling, but Rita still wanted the carriage to reach the town before it did. Considering

that the carriage held a noble's daughter, I was almost certain they would have opened

the gates up for her regardless, but she was probably worried about making extra

work for the gate guards.

We seemed to be approaching the east gate, in front of which stood several guards

with spears. We'd been noticed.

One of the guards' demeanor changed instantly when he recognized Rita.

"Miss Rita, what happened?!" He ran over. "Where is Sir Maudlin and the other guards?"

Upon hearing his cries, the other gate guards also made their way over. The first man

to approach was the only one wearing a helmet, perhaps their captain.

"We were ambushed by bandits about an hour up the road. Master Arc here defeated

them, but, unfortunately, Sir Maudlin and his fifteen-guard contingent were all

murdered."

"That can't be!"

The captain of the gate guards exchanged looks with Rita, utter bewilderment etched

upon his face. The other guards began murmuring among themselves as they heard

the news.

"We put the bodies of Sir Maudlin and five of his guards in a safe place. I'd like you to

go collect them. Now, I must take the madam back to her estate and -notify Master

Buckle of what has happened."

"Understood! I will form a group to recover the bodies at once. Please secure

permission for us to depart from Master Buckle."

The captain offered Rita a swift salute before taking off in a run to give orders to his

men.

Rita dropped down from the driver's seat and approached me, bowing her head again.

"Master Arc, I'd like to once again express my gratitude to you. If there is anything I

can ever do, please call on me, Rita Farren, chambermaid of the Luvierte estate. I

promise I will do my utmost to assist you."

"Well, there is one thing… Could you tell me where I could sell these?" I gestured to

the horses I'd taken from the bandits. Traveling around with six horses would be an

incredible hassle, so I wanted to sell them as soon as possible. The only problem was

that I didn't know where to do that.

"Enter the east gate then immediately turn right. There you will find Dando's stable.

He will buy your horses. I'm sure he'll work out a deal quickly if you mention my

name."

"Much obliged."

I thanked Rita and walked the horses through the east gate. We parted ways at the first

junction, her turning left while I headed right, waving goodbye to them before

continuing on.

The stable Rita had mentioned was made of wood, and beside it stood a sign with the

image of a horse on it.

I tied the horses to a nearby pole and entered, where I found a stable hand. Though

only 160 centimeters tall, he seemed a strong man with a stocky build, judging by the

arms that bulged out of his rolled-up sleeves. He was bald, with a bushy beard that

extended down to his chest. Assuming this was the shop owner, I cut to the chase and

told the man what I wanted.

"Miss Rita of the Luvierte estate told me to come here. I'd like to sell some horses."

He looked surprised for a moment, but after giving me a quick once-over, his expression

changed to a gentle grin as he approached me.

"Well, well. I be Dando, the owner of this fine establishment. Do ye have a letter of

introduction, kind sir?"

"I have no letters, but Miss Rita told me this was the best place to sell horses. She

wasn't exactly in a position to put pen to paper."

The stable owner raised an eyebrow, as if trying to unravel the meaning behind what

I'd said. I didn't know if I could discuss what had happened with the bandits, but, in

any case, I had an introduction from a person working for the estate. Since Dando

almost certainly had some form of relationship with Rita, he should be able to trust

me.

"The Luvierte daughter came under attack earlier this evening from a group of

bandits. I happened to be nearby, so I lent them a hand. You could say the six horses

are my loot from the bandits. Will you take a look?"

"Attacked? Miss Lauren?! This is certainly all news ta me. And six 'orses ye say… Well,

I suppose we should go check on them."

Dando raked his fingers through his beard as he exited through the front of the stable

to inspect the horses. He grabbed a lamp hanging next to the shop to get a better look,

inspecting them one by one, stroking their coats as he went. He appeared to be

running the numbers in his head.

"I can offer ye forty-five sok for the big one 'ere and thirty sok each for the rest. For

the saddles… 'ow does one sok for the lot sound?"

I still had no idea how much anything cost, or even the units of currency, but I assumed

this would at least cover my initial travel expenses. Figuring he probably wouldn't

make an unfair offer to a man fully clad in armor—though this was probably an overly

optimistic outlook—I accepted.

"Glad ta 'ear it! Wait right 'ere, I'll be back with yer money. 'Ey, boys! Come get these

'orses an' bring 'em inside!"

With a quick nod of his head, Dando turned toward the shop and yelled inside. Two

young boys came running out and went immediately to the horses, moving them to

the stables.

I passed the time watching the boys move the horses until Dando returned, this time

with a cloth sack. He began arranging the contents on a nearby table, stacking up the

one-yen-sized gold coins in groups of ten. Apparently, gold coins were known as sok.

In total, there were nineteen gold towers and six coins.

"That'll be 196 sok in all. Feel free ta check."

At Dando's prompting, I gave the coins a quick count before taking a few into my hand

as if inspecting them. I couldn't really say either way, but there didn't seem to be any

issues.

I put the coins into my small leather coin pouch, which quickly took on some heft.

Despite how tiny the coins looked, each weighed about as much as a five-hundred-yen

coin. They didn't look to be pure gold, but whatever metals they were made of were

pretty heavy.

"Thank you. You don't by chance know of a place where I could spend the night?"

"An inn? Well, there's Marla's in the center of town, off the main thoroughfare. But I'm

not sure if there's any place in these parts where a person like yerself could stay."

Dando once again glanced over my armor, then gave me an apologetic look.

"I am but a wanderer. All I need is a place where I can lie down, out of the wind and

rain."

After thanking the stable owner, I made my way toward the town's center.

The sun had now completely set, blanketing the town in darkness. I encountered

several people walking quickly along the roads, but it seemed that few townsfolk went

out after dark. Each time I passed someone, they looked taken aback when they saw

me. I imagined it must have bene pretty terrifying to see an armor-clad man roaming

the streets at night.

In the center of town, I found a thoroughfare about ten meters across. It seemed the

town of Luvierte only had gates to its east and west, though this road connected the

town's center to its southern part, meaning there was no direct route from the gates

to the road.

Two-story, wooden houses and shops lined the thorough-fare, spilling light from their

windows onto the road. In front of one shop hung a sign with the image of a barrel on

it, which I assumed to be a bar. Loud, male voices could be heard echoing from within.

I approached and called out to a man stumbling around near the bar's entrance.

"I am searching for Marla's inn. Could you tell me where to find it?"

"O-over there, S-s-sir Knight, sir!"

The drunk man stared wide-eyed at me as he slurred his words, pointing to a building

across the road. I thanked him and made my way toward it. A bell rang as I stepped

through the door, prompting a surprised--looking middle-aged man to hurry over

from behind the counter to greet me.

"Ah, Sir Knight! What brings you to our humble establishment?"

"I'd like to stay the night."

"Here?! You want to stay here, in a place like this?" The innkeeper's voice squeaked,

betraying his surprise.

I imagined I looked like a mighty knight from some far-flung region. But I confirmed

my intention, and the innkeeper handed over a room key, his hand shaking ever so

slightly.

A night's stay cost one sek—a silver coin. Firewood for cooking cost an additional sek.

It must have been some sort of discount inn if people had to bring their own food, buy

firewood, and cook their own meals in the kitchen. To be fair, the concept of a meal

coming with your stay had only started around the Edo period in Japan. In the west,

food was still typically a separate charge, so I supposed it made sense here.

Next to the counter, a flight of stairs led up to the second floor. The stairs creaked

under the weight of my armor as I ascended. Once at my room, I turned the knob only

to find that the door wouldn't budge. Maybe it was just poorly made, but I heard a light

thud as I pushed. It felt as if the door was caught on something. Putting a little more

force into it, I heard a snapping noise as it came right off its hinges. The door was now

suspended in the air, held up only by the doorknob in my hand.

"Wha?!" I gasped in surprise.

After checking to see if anyone was around, I began picking up the nails that had held

the hinge to the door. I pushed them back into their holes, hoping to make the door as

good as new. I opened and closed it a few times, and it seemed fine.

While I was glad to learn I was strong enough to push nails in with just a finger, it

would have been nice not to have knocked the door off its hinges in the first place.

Ultimately, though, I decided it was better to have more strength than less.

The room consisted of a small, wood-framed window next to a simple, wooden bed

covered by a large, thin blanket. I set the oil lamp I'd been given on the window sill

and sat down on the bed to relax.

What today lacked in physical exertion, it made up for in emotional exhaustion, I thought

to myself.

Despite not having eaten anything all day, I still wasn't hungry, nor did I feel

particularly tired. It seemed there was so much left for me to learn about my skeleton

body. I wondered if I might be able to function without rest.

I decided to sleep anyway. Not only did it seem pointless to wander the town while

everyone slept, it wouldn't do much to help my reputation as a wandering skeleton,

either. What's more, I'd seen few lanterns in the street when I was out earlier. Only

faint moonlight illuminated the town. Even though the sun had just set, it may as well

have been midnight as far as the town was concerned.

It was time to get some healthy, restful sleep. Whether or not a skeleton body needed

a healthy, restful lifestyle was a question for another time.

My biggest issue for now, however, was whether I'd be attacked in my sleep. The inn

didn't appear to have any form of security, so I'd decided not to take off my armor. I

extinguished the lamp's flame and sat on the bed, resting my back against the wall.

The wooden frame creaked in protest at my weight, but I ignored it and crossed my

arms, letting my eyes fall closed.

How did I close eyes that I didn't even have anyway?

This question continued repeating itself in my mind as I lost myself to the darkness.

***

After parting ways with the armored knight, Arc, at the east gate, Rita directed the

carriage down the road toward the estate at the center of town. The sun had already

set, and there were few people milling about.

She could see the estate's large gate in front of her. The estate was surrounded by a

four-meter-tall stone wall, at the center of which was an iron-reinforced wooden gate.

Three guards stood watch out front.

Upon seeing the family crest on the carriage, one of the guards waved the gate open.

Rita guided the carriage through and brought it to a stop in the garden next to a large,

stone-built manor.

She could tell the guards were shaken. And why wouldn't they be? After all, the

carriage returned without a driver or its accompanying guards. If that wasn't enough,

the six horses tied together and trailing behind it would make anyone wonder what

happened.

But it seemed the news had made it back ahead of them. No sooner had Rita stopped

the carriage in front of the manor than the Luviertes' head butler came rushing outside.

"Rita Farren, just what happened here?!"

The head butler had thin white hair, complimented by a white mustache. Though

usually a calm man, he was frantic as he pressed Rita for information.

Before she could answer, the carriage door opened and Lauren stumbled out. The

daughter of the great Luvierte family looked as if she had seen better days. All the

servants who had followed the head butler outside stood speechless, shocked at what

they saw.

Not only was Lauren's face pale, but all the makeup that had been finely applied when

she'd left earlier that day was now a mess, her hair in disarray.

Rita dropped down from the driver's seat and came to Lauren's side, supporting the

young girl as she walked.

"We were ambushed by bandits. Miss Lauren and I were barely able to escape with

our lives. Sir Maudlin and his contingent of guards fought valiantly, but they were

struck down. I'd like to report the events to the master at once. Please hurry and make

the necessary arrangements."

Upon hearing her report, the head butler went white and the other servants fell silent.

But the head butler soon came to his senses and began issuing orders.

"Rita, go inform the master. He is in the study, as usual. The rest of you, look after the

madam! I will notify Master Boscos of what has happened."

Despite his age, the head butler took off at a run toward a house separate from the

main manor, but still within the estate.

Once the head butler was out of earshot, Lauren turned her gaze to her chambermaid.

"Rita, I… I would also like to go see Father."

Rita hesitated for a moment before nodding her assent. She took Lauren's hand and

led the girl into the manor's entrance hall.

Rita and Lauren climbed the stairwell up to the -second floor, passed through the

central reception room, and took a left down the corridor. From there, they -proceeded

along the west hallway before stopping in front of an elegantly-carved wooden door.

Rita knocked lightly and waited for the person on the other side to give permission to

enter.

The two slid silently into a room illuminated by several magical lanterns. Tall

bookcases lined each wall, leading up to a large desk at the end where the master of

the study sat, writing on a piece of paper.

The man had thinning brown hair styled with oil and a well-manicured mustache that

complimented the soft, round features of his face. His eyes, however, carried within

them that sharpness that often marks nobility. Those eyes drilled into the very souls

of those he spoke with.

The man was Viscount Buckle du Luvierte, Lauren's father and the owner of this

domain. He set down his quill pen. After inspecting Rita's face with apprehension, his

eyes widened in utter bewilderment as they fell on his daughter, stepping out from

behind the chambermaid.

His surprise was understandable. It was typically not Rita's responsibility to notify the

viscount of his daughter's return. This would usually be done by a guard or Sir

Maudlin, either reporting to the viscount himself or to the consul, Boscos, who would

then relay the news. What was more, Lauren's expression was devoid of its usual

graceful smile.

"Rita, Lauren, did you just get back from Diento? What happened to the two of you?"

Buckle attempted to contain his shock as his eyes moved between the two women,

though a hint of it could still be heard in his voice.

Rita took a step forward and told him what she'd told the head butler.

"What?! Lauren, are you all right? Are you hurt?"

No sooner had Rita finished making her report than Buckle sprang up from his chair

and rushed over to his daughter, pulling her in close. Hardly any man could remain

calm upon learning that his daughter had just been attacked by bandits.

"I'm sorry for causing you to worry, Father. Someone came to our rescue right when

the situation was most dire." Lauren struggled to end her response with a smile, trying

to not upset her father.

"Whatever do you…?"

Before he was able to inquire further into what his daughter had just said, they were

interrupted by a knock at the door. After Buckle gave permission, a middle-aged man

quickly entered the room.

The man stood around 180 centimeters tall with a slim build. His salt-and-pepper hair

was cut close to his scalp, his face accented by long sideburns. Deep wrinkles lined his

forehead, making him appear ten years older than his forty-or-so years of life. This

was Boscos Futran, consul to the Luvierte family.

"I just heard the news from the head butler. Attacked by bandits… What sort of

insolent fool would attack the viscount's carriage…?! But I am pleased to hear that

Miss Lauren has returned safely."

Boscos furrowed his brow, causing the wrinkles to deepen even further as he stroked

them with his right hand. He bowed deeply to Lauren, who responded in kind. The

consul's words softened the expression on Buckle's face. He turned back to Rita and

spoke. "Tell us more about what happened, and the events leading up to it."

"We were first ambushed shortly after we left Corna by a group of around twenty

bandits. Nine guards stayed behind to hold them back while we escaped with Sir

Maudlin and the remaining guards. However, we were ambushed once again by a

group of nine bandits the moment we stopped our horses."

"You were ambushed twice?!"

"That's correct. I suppose the first ambush may have been meant to draw our guards

away."

Upon hearing this, Boscos crossed his arms, and his face contorted into a scowl. He

cleared his throat before speaking. "Sir Maudlin and the five remaining guards were

killed in the second ambush by just nine bandits? These men must have been highly

skilled."

Rita responded, to the best of her ability and memory, as Boscos asked for more details

on the attack.

"I can't believe it. A traitor in our midst?! Boscos, I want you to find out everything you

can about this Causdah. If he has any family, I want them brought before me!" Buckle's

veins bulged as he gave the order.

"Y-yes. Understood." Boscos gave a quick bow and left the study.

Returning to his desk, Buckle dropped back into his chair and let out an exhausted

sigh. "A gang of bandits with six horses… I've never heard of any groups like that in

this region."

The viscount groaned slightly as he looked out the study's window and into the

darkness. The idea of mounted bandits was unbelievable to him. In addition to food

and water, the bandits would also have needed shoes, saddles, and even training to

prepare each horse for combat, all of which would have cost great amounts of money.

A small-scale gang would have had a difficult time supporting six horses, but if a large

group had moved into his domain, he would have at least heard rumors.

"It seems the bandits' objective was to kill Miss Lauren. It's possible they had been

hired by someone."

Rita spoke her theory to the viscount's back. He continued groaning lightly as he

glared out the window in front of him.

It was dangerous for bandits to attack a carriage belonging to a noble family. Though

rare, abductions and ransoms did occur, but bandits generally wouldn't go out of their

way to commit murder and make an enemy of the nobility. The noble society within

the kingdom was a surprisingly close-knit group, and if bandits were to draw attention

to themselves like that, they would be pursued across the entirety of the Rhoden

Kingdom. They wouldn't do such a thing unless they had some sort of ace up their

sleeve.

"Perhaps… this is a shake-up by the supporters of the second prince?" Buckle's round

features contorted into a mixture of shock and anger as he hit on this possibility.

Behind the scenes, a vicious battle raged in Rhoden over who would succeed the

elderly king. Dissent was spreading among the supporters of the three major factions:

the first prince born to the king's second-class wife; the second prince born to his firstclass wife; and the second daughter born to the actual queen.

Considering how far away Luvierte was from the capital, up near the northern border,

the viscount had believed this battle had nothing to do with them. Rita tilted her head

at Buckle's theory, but, being a simple chambermaid with little knowledge of political

affairs, this was beyond her area of expertise. Lauren looked over at Rita and cocked

her head to the side as well, also ignorant of the political world.

Sensing the confusion from the looks on the girls' faces, Buckle turned the

conversation back to the man he heard about earlier, the one who saved them from

the direst of circumstances. "And this armored knight who saved you from the second

attack, did he make any specific demands?"

"We offered him our sincerest thanks, but… all he would accept was my copper travel

pass. What shall we do?"

"If he says that's all he wants, then we shall leave it at that. I am eternally grateful to

the man who saved my daughter, but I can't shake the feeling that anyone who would

come at such an opportune time is somehow in consort with the supporters of the

second prince."

The viscount couldn't overlook the possibility that this knight, who had appeared by

the road at exactly the right time, had done so in order to build favor with the noble

family. It all just seemed too suspicious.

Of course, Rita, who had interacted directly with the knight, insisted passionately that

this was not the case. However, she was unable to change Buckle's mind.

"Rumors will spread once we collect the bodies of Maudlin and his men and begin

sweeping for the remaining bandits. Please, take your leave and get some rest."

Rita and Lauren both bowed.

Once out of the study, Rita let out a sigh as she recalled the knight, his image etched

into her memory. The knight—a self-proclaimed wanderer who spoke with a low,

despondent voice—didn't strike her as being aligned with any particular faction.

However, his magnificent armor reminded her of that worn by the guardians of the

nearby Revlon Empire. Its overbearing presence made him feel like some sort of

warrior deity.

Though she'd never actually seen his face, she hoped the fates would smile upon them

and grant her a chance to meet him again. When she mentioned this to Lauren, the

young girl's expression softened a bit, and she nodded firmly in agreement.

"You look happy, Rita."

"S-sorry, madam. I just feel like I've met a knight straight out of a fairy tale."

Seeing Rita's excitement wither under the belief that she had been chastised, Lauren

apologized and bowed her head repeatedly. However, as she continued watching Rita,

the edges of Lauren's lips turned up in a peculiar grin.

"Well, as punishment, I suppose you will be sleeping with me tonight."

Rita stood there, blinking at Lauren's response. The girl had never made a request like

this before. However, considering the events that had unfolded earlier, it was no

wonder that she was scared.

Locking eyes with Lauren, Rita took on a serious demeanor and nodded. She took the

girl's cold fingers into her own, in an effort to warm them, and led the way back to

Lauren's bedroom.

***

The next day, I awoke to find the morning sun straining its way through the gaps in

the wooden shutters, faintly illuminating the room.

I stood and stretched my body in an attempt to loosen it up after spending a night with

my back against the wall. Since I didn't have any muscles to loosen, it was more a habit

than anything else.

After twisting the vertebrae in my neck left and right, I stood up from the bed and

opened the window, filling the room with bright sunlight. The window faced the

thoroughfare, and, outside, I could see the town below me already bustling, despite

the early hour.

At the center of the thoroughfare sprawled a morning market, where many people had

gathered. Customers milled about among a variety of merchants, including farmers

offering up fresh vegetables, vendors hawking roasted meat, and craftspeople selling

beautifully dyed cloths and other goods.

I checked the money in my waist pouch and the contents of my burlap sack, then made

my way out of the room.

Down on the first floor, the check-out counter was empty, the other guests nowhere to

be found. I guessed that would make sense, considering we'd all paid up front. Strange

way to run a business, though.

Out on the thoroughfare, I threw the burlap sack over my shoulder. All eyes were

instantly on me, making me feel more than a little uncomfortable. Maybe walking

around fully clad in armor wasn't the norm in this world. No, that couldn't be it; I could

see a few others similarly outfitted. Maybe it was my rather ostentatious armor that

was drawing attention.

Time to get myself together. First things first, I needed to find an armory to sell my

loot.

I walked a ways to the west before spotting a shop with a sign bearing a crossed sword

and axe. Inside, the shop was dimly lit, its cramped interior covered wall to wall with

metal weapons and armor.

As I was browsing, a middle-aged man, who I assumed to be the shop's owner, stepped

out from the back. At first, he was startled by my appearance, but he then flashed a

cheerful smile.

"And what can I do for you, dear sir?" the shop owner asked, rubbing his hands together

as he spoke.

"I'd like to sell these. What are they worth?"

I lowered the burlap sack from my shoulder and undid the cord holding the flap shut,

placing all the items I'd plundered from the bandits—six swords, one mace, and two

of the three short swords—onto the counter. The third short sword seemed like it

might come in handy, so I left it in the bag.

The shop owner inspected each of the items, removing the swords from their sheaths

so he could examine their blades. Finally, he placed his hand to his chin, as if signaling

that he'd settled on a purchase price, and turned back to face me.

"I'll give you fifteen sok for the curved blade and five each for the straight swords. The

mace'll get you seven sok and five sek, and I can pay one sok and five sek for each of

the short swords. I can sell the curved blade straight away with a little sharpening, but

I'll need to hammer out the rest of the swords to work out the imperfections. No one

around here really uses maces, so that's the best I can do."

I was satisfied with the shopkeeper's explanation and agreed to his offer. "That will be

fine."

"Fifty sok and five sek it is then."

He pulled fifty gold coins and five silver ones out of a cabinet and set them down on

the counter. I put the money into my leather waist pouch.

Between the money from the horses and the money from the weapons, my pouch was

feeling pretty full. Last night's stay had cost me a silver coin—one sek—and each of

the gold coins seemed to be worth ten of the silver ones, meaning each one would

provide me ten nights with a roof over my head.

However, I didn't know when or where I might need money in this strange world. It

would probably be best for me to find a way to earn more while I still had some

financial stability.

The shopkeeper was facing away from me as he busied himself putting away the

weapons he'd just purchased.

"Apologies, but do you perchance know of a way to earn some good wages to fund my

travels?"

The shopkeeper stopped what he was doing and turned to look at me, tilting his head

to the side slightly.

"Wages? Well, if I were to make a suggestion based on your magnificent armor there,

I suppose I'd go with the mercenaries. Then you could enter and leave town without

paying taxes, too."

So, there was a mercenary guild in town. If I registered with them, I'd receive a

mercenary license I could show to the guards. I had no idea taxes were levied just for

coming and going through the gates, since I'd entered the town with the Luvierte

family's carriage.

By the nature of their job, mercenaries enter and exit towns often, so it'd be impossible

to make a living if they had to pay taxes every time. Shopkeepers who registered with

the merchant guild also fell under the same system, but they still had to pay taxes on

the goods they sold.

I thanked the shopkeeper and left.

The mercenary guild office was right across the thoroughfare from the weapon's shop,

next to the merchant guild. It was a plain, two-story, timber building, its only

distinguishing feature a sign depicting a sword crossed over a shield. Upon entering

through the double doors on the first floor, I found myself at a counter completely

fenced in by iron bars that went straight up to the ceiling, like a cage.

Inside the cage sat a lone bear. Not actually a bear, but a man who could pass for one.

Sporting short black hair and a face that hadn't seen a razor in some time, the man

wore a black eyepatch and had a large scar that ran across his forehead. Muscular arms

protruded from his shirt, and tufts of black hair pushed out around his open collar.

So far, the only people I'd seen at reception desks or in shops had been burly men. I

guessed women's rights hadn't yet advanced all that much in this world.

The eyepatch-wearing bear glared at me as I approached the counter, but this was

understandable, considering I was completely decked out in weapons and armor.

"I'd like you to issue me a mercenary license."

The corners of the bear's mouth twisted into a grin when he heard my request, though

he continued to glare at me through his cage. I supposed this was his best effort at a

smile, something he wasn't quite used to doing, but it was still off-putting.

"Judgin' by yer equipment, ya don' seem to be in any need of money. Besides, if ya want

a mercenary license, ya need to pass a test. A test of strength, basically. All ya need to

do is bring back proof that ya killed three beasts, monsters, or bandits. Which ones

and the order is up t'you. Real simple, yeah?" The bear guarding the reception desk

shot me a bold smile.

Beasts sounded normal enough, but apparently there were also monsters in this

world. I'd noticed herds of animals out in the grasslands and on the hills as I made my

way here, but I hadn't seen anything like a beast or monster. It had all struck me as a

rather tranquil scene.

What's more, bandits were also included on the list. Would severed heads serve as

proof, then? I'd already cremated the corpses of the bandits I'd killed yesterday, so

those wouldn't do.

"Understood. I'll be back with my three bounties."

I made a mental note of the test criteria before thanking the bear and leaving the

mercenary guild office.

Despite how crowded the thoroughfare's sprawling morning market was, the path

immediately in front of me was surprisingly clear. I walked easily through the crowds

and headed toward the west gate.

On my way, I stopped at a stall selling a variety of leather goods, ranging from small

coin pouches made from hardened leather to leather carrying cases. I picked up a large

leather waterskin in the shape of a gourd, with a cork pressed into the top to serve as

a stopper. This was an absolute necessity for any traveler. I handed the stall owner

three silver coins and received five copper coins in change. Considering how full my

coin pouch was already, I knew fishing out copper coins would quickly become a

hassle. Pretty soon, I'd have to start sorting my coins into different pouches based on

their denominations.

At another stall, I purchased a large leather sack for one sek, so I'd have something to

put my upcoming bounties in. This time, I opted to pay in copper coins to lighten the

weight of my coin pouch.

As I continued, I passed a stall whose delightful aroma filled the thoroughfare. A

simple fire pit in front of the stall displayed roasted meats covered in finely-diced

herbs. The smell made me quite hungry.

My interest piqued, I turned to a man smoking a pipe in front of the stall. "Shopkeep,

what type of meat is that?"

The man seemed to have swallowed some smoke as I spoke to him. His eyes swelled

red and he coughed as he offered up his response. "Hyack! Th-this is herb-roasted

rabbit meat, Sir Knight."

What I'd assumed was chicken was apparently rabbit. I'd heard it was a staple of

French cuisine, but I'd never tried it before.

"I'll have one then."

The man skipped past the selection of cooked, leaf-wrapped meats lining the front of

his stall and instead grabbed some fresh meat. He began cooking it in front of me, but

the flame in the fire pit was already dying down. The man obviously wanted to offer

me something freshly cooked, but I couldn't help getting annoyed at how long it was

taking. I'd stopped by the stall because I was hungry now. One of the cooked meats

would have been fine.

I decided to be appreciative and wait. As I let my eyes wander, I watched the old man

stretch out his hand toward the wood in the fire pit and begin chanting quietly. "Fire,

heed my call and burn. Fire!"

A fireball erupted from the man's hands and set the firewood ablaze.

"Wha?! Are you a magic user?" I could hardly contain my surprise. The sight was even

more impressive than when I'd used magic myself.

The man rubbed the back of his neck, his pride barely concealed by his attempt at

modesty. "Well, it's just a little fire magic, nothing special."

"That's right, Sir Knight. A magical fire rod would be just as useful as him and his

magic," a woman selling dried beans one stall over poked fun at the man.

"You don't need to be so blunt, Ma. Besides, this is much more convenient. Unlike

magic rods, I don't need any rune stones."

"Why, even a goblin's rune stones would last a while in a fire rod. I hardly see a

difference."

It seemed like the woman one stall over may be his wife. He objected weakly, but she

just cackled as she continued without mercy.

Magic was evidently a relatively normal occurrence in this world. It sounded like even

people who couldn't use magic were able to use magic-imbued items. From those used

in day-to-day objects to ones made for use on the battlefield, I could only imagine the

wide array of rune-stone-powered items that must be out there. Hearing popular

monsters like goblins brought up in normal day-to-day conversation also made the

fact that I was in an alternate world feel all the more real.

The man, now hunched over after being so thoroughly browbeaten by his wife, handed

me the freshly roasted rabbit. I thanked him for the meat and paid. It looked to be a

whole rabbit's worth of meat, but it only cost me two copper coins. The smell of it was

overpowering, but there was no way I could take my helmet off and eat here. I'd need

to take my lunch outside the town limits while I searched for my bounties.

As I made my way west down the thoroughfare, I took a detour to look at some of the

houses and soon stumbled upon a small, open area in front of the west gate. There, I

found a stone waterway that poured water out into another aqueduct below. The

water appeared to be drinkable, as I watched peddlers entering the gate fill their

flasks. Women from the surrounding houses came and went as well, filling various

bottles and jars with water.

Downstream, in the lower aqueduct, people washed vegetables and the like, and even

farther down, women washed clothes. The east gate probably had a similar setup, but

it had been night when I arrived, which was why I hadn't seen anyone.

As I approached the aqueduct, the people fell quiet and spread out to make way for

me. I gave my water skin a quick rinse before filling it up, then popped the cork in it

and returned it to my burlap sack. I then made my way toward the west gate.

Merchants stood with their horse-drawn carts at the west gate as their goods were

inspected by the guards. I also spotted the occasional man in leather or metal armor

milling about, likely serving as hired protection for the peddlers. There were

surprisingly few people lined up at the gate, possibly due to the taxes imposed by the

town.

As I approached, a guard—obviously terrified out of his mind by my appearance—

slowly approached me.

"S-sorry, sir, but if you're leaving town, you'll need to pay the exit tax of three sek or

show me your travel pass."

The guard was young. Behind him, I could see several older guards talking to each

other as they watched. It seemed like they'd volunteered him to come over. The

guard's voice squeaked as he spoke.

I reached into my bag and pulled out the travel pass I'd received the night before and

handed it over. As soon as he saw it, the young guard quickly saluted, then handed the

travel pass back. Apparently, this was my permission to leave, so I made my way

through the west gate.

Crossing the stone bridge over the moat, I saw a vast field, much like the one at the

east gate, sprawled out before me. I continued following the road west, spying the

occasional farmer tending crops as I went.

I would've preferred to speed things up using Dimensional Step, but I wanted to avoid

doing anything too flashy while people could see me. I stood out enough as it was.

Magic may be regarded as a relatively normal part of life in this world, but it was

unlikely that spells involving zipping through the air were a common occurrence. If

they were, then people wouldn't need horses. No, I decided to walk on my own two

feet.

The road sloped gently uphill. When I made it to the top, I was able to get a good look

at my surroundings. To my left, a massive river meandered across the country-side to

the southwest. A little farther down the hill in front of me, the road branched off into

two directions. One continued following the river, and the other stretched off to the

northwest. The fields I'd walked through ended at the hill, and there were no signs of

-human habitation in the distance.

I figured I could use my teleportation magic to travel along the northwest road.

However, since I didn't have a map, and there weren't any buildings to use as

landmarks, it was best not to stray from the roads, lest I get lost.

Dimensional Step was quite convenient. When I had a good view of the countryside, I

could easily travel up to a kilometer or so. On the other hand, the better my view, the

more easily I could be seen.

After moving along the northwest road a ways, I came across a small forest just off the

path. Figuring I may be able to find some sort of beast there, I teleported to the tree

line and entered the forest. But my search may prove more difficult than I'd

anticipated. In addition to the sounds of my footsteps as I walked through the

underbrush, the birds were chirping noisily.

Plus, if I ran across any dangerous monsters, my only real option was to retreat.

I continued my search through the forest, teleporting as I went. My vision was far more

obscured here than it was on the plains, so the distances I teleported were naturally

shorter.

I proceeded through the forest with care, ever vigilant of my surroundings, so as not

to get lost in the forest. But, being a novice hunter, I knew finding any sort of beast

wouldn't be easy. The fact that I was wearing gleaming, silvery-white armor also didn't

help matters. While I lacked a hunter's stealth, I made up for it by providing a huge

target to other hunters.

At the very least, my armor meant that I still had a chance even if a wild animal caught

me in its jaws.

I finally found two small, boar-like creatures near a stream a little ways off. They were

around a meter long and covered in short, grayish-brown hair. Two long tusks arced

out their mouths. The animals weren't moving much; they were probably resting. I

watched them from a distance through the gaps between the trees as I drew the Holy

Thunder Sword of Caladbolg from its sheath on my back.

The sword made a slight scraping noise, unleashing an azure glow as I drew it. The

boars didn't seem to notice, though their ears perked up slightly. Sword firmly in hand,

I used Dimensional Step to move right up next to them in an instant.

As soon as I reappeared, I hacked at the boar closest to me. The sword easily severed

two of the boar's legs—one front and one back—the bones offering no resistance. I

then teleported to the second boar and again chopped off the front and back legs on

one side.

The boar-like creatures collapsed next to the river, squealing as they fell. As soon as

they hit their sides, I pierced their stomachs. The squealing grew even louder as blood

poured from their bellies and severed limbs. The water in the creek took on darker

and darker shades of red as the boars' cries began to weaken.

These boars were undoubtedly edible, so I figured I could turn a decent profit by

taking them back and selling them somewhere after I passed the trial for my

-mercenary license.

I remembered hearing someplace that leaving blood in a body would make the meat

smell bad, so you needed to cut the animal's stomach open while it was still alive and

drain the blood. As such, I lined the boars along the incline of the creek to allow the

blood to flow away.

I knew it'd be pretty cold-hearted to enjoy a hunk of meat now, surrounded by the

boars' ever-weakening death cries. Yet, for some reason, looking down at them

reminded me of the herb-roasted rabbit I'd bought that morning. I sat on the rocky

bank of the creek and, after a quick check to make sure I was alone, took off my helmet.

The only sounds around me were those of the rustling trees and the quiet burbling of

the stream. After taking a deep breath of the fresh air and stretching for a bit, I pulled

the package of herb-roasted rabbit from my bag.

"Bless this meal." I put my hands together in thanks for the rabbit I was about to eat.

I unwrapped the leaves and grabbed the meat with my hand, taking a big bite out of

it. I had no complaints about the smell of the herbs or the slightly salty meat, and,

actually, it tasted pretty good—much like chicken, though the texture was a little

rubbery, which I could definitely get used to.

In no time at all, I'd eaten an entire rabbit's worth of meat. I then pulled out the leather

waterskin I'd purchased that morning to bring some moisture back to my throat after

all that salty meat. It was still a mystery to me where all the food and water actually

went, but I was happy enough that I could eat and drink.

"Thank you for this gift." After putting my hands together again in thanks, I washed

them in the stream and sat down on the rocky bank to rest.

I propped my head up in my hands as I let the sounds of the wind rustling through the

leaves and the water flowing over the rocks wash over me. I looked around at the

forest around me. I'd assumed this was a parallel world, but it lacked most of the

hallmarks of a fantasy setting. But it didn't feel like I'd traveled back to the Middle Ages

either.

There were no floating continents, no dragons, and I hadn't yet encountered any

fantasy staples like ogres or elves during my travels. I'd heard there were goblins and

other such monsters, but the beasts lying in front of me next to the creek looked like

nothing more than boars with larger-than-average tusks.

Up till now, the most fantasy-like thing I'd encountered was myself. A skeleton that

could eat, drink, and even use overpowered magic. It made the magic the man at the

food stall used look like nothing more than a cheap card trick. I grumbled to myself

that until I truly saw a monster, I still wouldn't be totally convinced about where I was.

Right at that moment, I sensed something approaching from deep within the thicket

on the other side of the creek. As it drew nearer, I could hear heavy footfalls and a

sound akin to that of a screeching pig.

Out from the thicket came three large pigs, each around 160 centimeters tall, walking

upright on two feet.

They had hunched backs and massive arms, each holding thick, crudely constructed

clubs. Their skin was a ruddy color, and they wore no clothes. The pig-like creatures

stumped toward the stream on tiny legs, their protruding bellies wobbling as they

moved.

That right there was all the convincing I needed. This was definitely a fantasy world.

Though similar to the orcs I was accustomed to in video games, these were slightly

different. They were completely naked—possibly due to limited intellect—and lacked

any type of armor or metal weaponry. In the game, these would be your typical, runof-the-mill monster, probably somewhere between Level 20-40.

I was sure I could easily dispatch them. After all, I'd leveled up my current character

to Level 255, the maximum achievable level. Level 250 was the maximum with normal

experience points alone, but the game offered a system that would increase the limit

by one every time you completed certain massive player events. Each unlocked level

beyond 250 granted the same amount of benefits as ten normal levels, meaning I was

actually equivalent to Level 300.

I also had the mythical-class weaponry that I'd just used in my encounter with the

boars, which made me quite formidable in combat.

The three orcs made snorting noises, apparently communicating with each other. It

looked like they were pointing at the boars lying next to the creek and saying, Looks

like we found a great catch.

Just then, one of the orcs noticed me sitting on the rocky embankment and let out a

high-pitched squeal.

"Squeeeeee!!!"

"Hroink?! Hraffa oink froogrho!"

The other two orcs responded in kind with their own menacing cries. They lifted their

clubs and ran toward me, footfalls thundering as they approached. Rather, to call what

they were doing "running" was probably an overstatement. Regardless, waves rippled

across their protruding bellies as they moved.

I put my helmet back on and teleported behind the orcs. Pulling my sword from its

sheath, I jammed it into the back of one of their necks, right through the cervical

vertebrae.

"Hruaugh?!"

The orc I'd stabbed died instantly. Just like in the game, it seemed they weren't all that

much of a challenge.

The remaining two looked around desperately for a moment, still surprised that their

foe had disappeared right before their eyes. Slowly, they became aware of my presence

behind themselves.

I twisted the wide blade from side to side, effortlessly slicing through the dead

monster's meaty neck and sending its head tumbling down. Blood burst out of its huge

body as it fell, hitting the ground with a massive thud.

"Froink?! Hroooink!"

Upon witnessing the death of their comrade, the two remaining orcs let out terrified

squeals and stumbled over themselves to escape into the forest.

I didn't bother pursuing them, since the two boars and the one orc I'd already killed

satisfied my three-bounty requirement.

I took the orc's severed head to the creek and washed away the blood. Even though I

knew it was an orc, it looked just like a normal pig without its body. I put the head into

the bag I'd bought for my bounties. Hopefully it'd serve as enough proof. I then tied

the hind legs of the boar creatures together and threw them over my shoulder. They

must've weighed at least a hundred kilograms together, but I had no problem carrying

them, thanks to my leveled-up strength.

Alternating between walking and teleporting, I made my way out of the forest. I got

lost, albeit briefly, but eventually made my way back to the main road.

I wasn't very good with directions, so I needed to be careful here. Otherwise I'd never

make it back to town. It wasn't like there was anyone around for me to ask for

directions, or even a police box.

Back on the road, I let out a sigh and looked up at the sun. It looked like it was around

three in the afternoon.

Keeping an eye out for any people nearby, I made my way back toward the town of

Luvierte using short teleportation jumps. When I reached the place where the road

forked, I began seeing other people heading into town. It looked like I'd need to walk

the rest of the way in.

About an hour later, I arrived at Luvierte's west gate.

The people I passed looked surprised when they saw me with two animals hanging

over my shoulder. I imagined it was uncommon to carry that much weight so

-effortlessly, and over one arm at that.

I stepped through the open double doors of the mercenary guild office. The place was

empty except for the eyepatch-wearing bear manning his cage at the counter and

another man deeper inside doing administrative work. As I approached the counter,

the corner of the bear-like man's mouth twisted up into a sneer as he glared at me

through his cage. I was sure the bars around the counter were meant to protect the

employees from ruffians, but from where I stood, it looked like this man was a

dangerous caged animal that couldn't be let loose.

"Back so soon, huh. Didja get anything?" The bear called out to me with that awkward

smile still on his face.

In response, I took the bound animals off my shoulder and set them on the ground. I

removed the orc's head from my bounty sack.

"That makes three. Will you be issuing me my mercenary license now?"

The bear's eyes widened slightly, and a low noise emanated from the back of his throat,

possibly out of admiration.

"Well, I'll be. I never expected ya to get all three in jus' a half days' time. Two bull boars

and an orc, huh? What'd ya do with the orc meat and his rune stone?"

Apparently, the boar-like creatures were called bull boars. As for the orc, I was

surprised to learn the meat was edible.

The man went on to explain that orc meat was worth five sek—the silver coins—and

since orcs were monsters, there was a black stone in their hearts called a rune stone.

When I told him I'd never taken a rune stone before, the man laughed.

"Well, ya certainly aren't hurtin' for money, are ya?"

The rune stones found inside orcs were the size of a pinky finger and were only worth

around one silver sek. Even so, it seemed like such a waste when that same amount

could buy me one night at a cheap inn. I decided from then on to do my best to get

those stones.

After his inspection was finished, the man placed a gold medallion around the size of

a dog tag on the counter between the bars.

"Here's your mercenary license. That'll run ya three sek. Also, I need yer name."

"My name is Arc."

I pulled three silver coins out of my wallet and paid the man before taking my gold

mercenary license in hand. On the license was a five-digit number followed by a string

of unfamiliar characters. It also had three stars etched into it. I stared at the characters

for some time until suddenly, despite not having seen these characters before, the

translation popped into my head. "Luvierte Mercenary Guild, Rhoden Kingdom." It was

a peculiar feeling.

Thinking about it, I realized I'd been able to converse with those around me this whole

time. I couldn't believe I hadn't thought about this before. But there was no downside

to being able to understand the language at least.

"What are these?" I pointed to the three stars etched into the right side of the mercenary

license.

"That's yer skill level, assigned to you by our staff. Being able to single-handedly take

down an orc puts ya at three stars. The highest level is seven stars, but there ain't too

many around like that." The eyepatch-wearing bear flashed a toothy grin, giving the

impression he might be one of those rare few.

Three out of seven wasn't bad at all. I hadn't been aiming for a rank, but "average" was

fine with me.

"Roaming mercenaries usually look for jobs on the hiring board over on that wall."

He pointed over toward a board hanging next to the entrance. Several wooden tags

with letters written on them hung from it. At first glance, they looked like the picture

tablets hung up for offerings at shrines. I took one of the tags into my hand and stared

at the letters. The words slowly began translating in my mind, and one by one, I was

able to understand what they meant.

It seemed like each of these tags was a work order. Judging by the difference in color

between the sides and surfaces, once a request was completed, the surface was shaved

clean and a new order was written on it. It seemed paper was probably still a luxury

in this world. I took a look through all of the hanging tags and read the requests.

"These are pretty much just chores."

Most of the requests were boring tasks, like ridding fields of vermin, helping cultivate

farmland, transporting rubble, or cleaning the aqueducts. Not only that, but the pay

was bad too. Was this a mercenary guild or a help-wanted one?

"A town's mercenary troupe gets first dibs on the really good jobs and those that'll

need a lot of men. If yer looking for somethin' on the higher end, you'll wanna join a

troupe. The folks who take requests from the guild office are members of the troupe

with some downtime trying to earn extra pocket money or wandering mercenaries

like you."

Joining a mercenary troupe and taking on job orders with other members was out of

the question. I wouldn't be able to hide my identity forever in that case. On the other

hand, it would be difficult to spend the rest of my life never interacting with people.

I decided to take on a random job, just to get a feel for how the system worked.

I looked through the job board again and grabbed a request. It was from a person in

the village of Rata who wanted someone to stand guard while they picked medicinal

herbs. The pay was low—just one sek—but I wanted to see what herb-gathering was

like.

In the game, picking medicinal herbs was a common fetch quest. Here, however, I'd be

protecting those doing the picking. It made sense when I thought about it, since it'd

be tough for someone without any knowledge of herbs to go out looking for them.

Mercenaries wouldn't know how to tell the difference between herbs and similar-

-looking grasses, or even where they typically grew.

When I took the job request to the counter, I was met with a confused look from the

bear-like man.

"Are ya serious 'bout takin' this one? The pay is low for what they're askin'."

"That's fine. I'm interested in the process."

This was entirely a flight of fancy on my part. In addition to the low likelihood that I'd

encounter any notable danger while watching over someone searching for herbs, this

also felt like the most quest-like job of the lot.

"Yer a strange one. Be sure to treat the requester nice, yeah? Not that that'd be a

problem for the likes of ya." The smile pulling at the corners of the bear's mouth looked

much more natural this time around.

The man was a pretty rare breed. How many other people in this world would have

treated me normally if I stood in front of them fully outfitted in armor?

The bear finished registering the job to me and handed back the tag. He said the

requester was a thirteen-year-old girl living in the village.

"After ya finish the request, be sure to have her give ya a completion tag. Ya get paid

by submittin' the request tag together with the completion tag."

I asked the bear how to get to Rata, thanked him, and left the guild.

My next stop was the merchant guild office next door. The bear told me they'd buy the

boars and the orc's head off of me.

The merchant guild office was much larger than the mercenary guild, and even

included spaces to park carriages out front, as well as a vault to store merchandise in

the back. It also had far more staff members than visitors.

Much like in the mercenary guild, the counter was surrounded by iron bars. However,

unlike the mercenary guild, there were many people bustling about behind the

counter. I called out to one of the receptionists, a middle-aged man, as I approached

and asked to sell my loot. He told me that purchases were made by the vault in back

and pointed out where to go.

The inspection went quickly, and I was able to sell the bull boars for seven silver and

five copper coins each and the orc's head for a single copper coin. I put the coins in the

leather pouch, thanked the staff member, and was on my way yet again.

When I stepped outside, it was already dusk. I decided I'd stay here for another night

and make my way to Rata tomorrow.

***

The town of Diento was built to serve as a strategic point on the road leading to the

capital, which was located at the center of the Rhoden Kingdom.

Travelers from the northern border had two routes available to them when making

their way to the capital: the western route which wound its way through the Calcut

mountain range that spread to the south of the capital; or the eastern route.

Though the western route offered a shorter journey to the capital, it was bordered on

the western side by the vast Hibbot wasteland. Due to the difficulties in securing water,

and the limited number of towns along the road, traveling with large groups was no

easy task.

By comparison, the eastern road was longer, but it ran parallel to the Lydel River. The

river flowed all the way down the eastern side of the Calcut mountain range and

straight into the capital, providing a vast water supply along the way.

The relatively flat land also provided for larger towns along the eastern route. Though

travelers from the Furyu mountain range would need to cross the Lydel River twice,

both up- and downstream, it was still the easier of the two.

The town of Diento was on the eastern route and stood in front of the expansive, threehundred-meter stone bridge that crossed the Lydel River upstream, leading straight

to the town's east gate. Due to Diento's strategic importance, it also served as a

fortress, and was surrounded by two stone walls.

Marquis Tryton du Diento was the ruler of this town. His well-constructed castle stood

at the center of Diento and doubled as its military fortress. In addition to the two walls,

it was also surrounded by dual moats.

In one of the rooms of the castle stood a desk, behind which sat Marquis du Diento,

who was busy shuffling through assorted papers. This was his study, where he spent

many of his days. Sporting a mane of white hair that flowed down his back and a bushy

white mustache, Marquis du Diento was a plump, older gentleman, dressed in the

finest of clothes.

A hollow knock echoed at the study door. Without looking up from his work, Marquis

du Diento gave permission for the person on the other side to enter.

"Pardon me, sir."

Celsika Dourman, consul to the Diento domain, entered the room. Celsika was a thin

man with a nervous, pale complexion. He wore his hair long, combed over on top to

hide the fact that his hair was thinning. After a slight bow, he made his way over to the

desk, brushing his drooping hair back into place as he did.

"The Luvierte… matter… ended in failure…"

Tryton raised an eyebrow in response to Celsika's report and looked up from his

papers, breathing a heavy sigh. He slumped back into his chair. "I seem to recall you

saying you had entrusted this to someone most skilled."

"Apologies, sir. My man was skilled. He slayed all the guards. However, fates turned,

and a wandering mercenary killed him and his bandits."

"So, they were just bandits after all. Your plan was lacking in the most important of

details. And what of the monsters we received from the east to set loose in Luvierte?"

"I've yet to receive any reports. However, since the first plan has already failed, it's

unlikely the second will shake Viscount Luvierte. The odds are even better now that

he will handle the monsters."

"Damn!" Tryton's face contorted. "Well, even so, I imagine two giant basilisks will at

least rack up a hefty number of casualties."

Celsika nodded in agreement. "But why would His Highness Dakares want to cause

turmoil in Luvierte?"

"Who can say? Perhaps it's a demand from the east. They're protecting His Highness's

back after all. If Luvierte were to fall in line with Dakares' faction, it would reinforce

the east's position and allow him to focus his attention on Revlon to the west. We have

so much trade with the east, so it would benefit us as well."

"True. Luvierte currently supports the west, putting him in His Highness Sekt's camp.

We haven't yet publicly committed to any position, so it's doubtful they know about

our involvement in this incident."

"If no one knows, then we shall leave it that way. It's more important that you secure

the products. We need to send them out soon. For now, focus only on nobility within

the kingdom that we're certain are paying attention to us. No matter what, we need to

ensure that Her Highness Yuriarna does not learn of this."

Tryton shifted his heavy frame, pulled a cigar from a desk drawer, and lit it. Smoke

billowed out of his mouth with each exhale. Between puffs, he asked Celsika about the

status of the products.

"We currently have four of the elven… products… in the basement of the shop. We have

a group out looking for more now."

"It's growing harder and harder to get our hands on them it seems. Perhaps they're

finally becoming suspicious. I want you to speed up your efforts. And where is that

idiot son of mine? I haven't seen him around lately."

"Master Udolan? When I checked on him this morning, he was wearing his sword. He

may have accompanied the group to acquire more elves."

A vein bulged in Tryton's forehead when he heard this response, and he pounded his

fist down on the desk. "That idiot! This isn't a game! He can hardly use a sword as it is,

he'll be nothing but a hindrance in the elf forest! I've heard enough. Leave at once."

Celsika responded by bowing courteously and quietly slipping out of the room.

Tryton took a deep pull on his cigar before aggressively extinguishing it in his ashtray.

He glared down at the papers splayed across his desk.