13 Toria Village
Soldiers guarding the front gate looked at Jack with mockery. Some of them giggled, even laughed when he passed in front of them. But Jack didn't care.
He realized that his current appearance was indeed weird. Skinny with rumpled long black hair. Jack also wore ragged clothes and carried a dirty hemp bag. The more he looks at himself, the more he feels like a real beggar.
But they didn't know that appearance is often deceiving. If the soldier could see what was inside his dirty bag, they would surely turn green with envy.
On the other hand, what made Jack very anxious right now is his Identity. He didn't remember sh*t about his body identity. His name, where he came from, or whether he is a wanted man or not. And this makes him nervous.
Jack was already grateful that he could pass the front gate easily, even when he was carrying a weapon. So he decides that he will just let their humiliation slide. For now!
Lack of inspection at the village gate guarded by soldiers means this world hasn't invented citizenship yet, which is good news to him. At first, he was afraid will be chased away when he tried to enter Toria village. But it seemed that his fear was unnecessary.
After entering the main gate, Jack could see many soldiers practicing with their weapons or with a tool, some of them even sparring with other soldiers. Judging from what they have been doing and how many they are, Jack is more convinced that this place is actually a stronghold than a village.
But after hearing Joran's explanation, Jack finally understands the reason behind it.
Because this village resides near Shadowless Forest, the southernmost of the continent of Palonia, The Avantheim Kingdom built this stronghold to protect the villagers.
That's the official excuse. In fact, the kingdom is just using this stronghold to train its trainee soldier before they moved elsewhere.
Behind the soldier quarters, Jack finally saw what an ordinary village should be. Simple house mostly made out of wood, with a thatch roof and a storehouse beside it. Every household had its own farm and animals to help them cultivate their land. They are farmers tending their farm diligently, even when the sun is about to set.
This scene reminds Jack of a tribe on Earth that leads a simple but meaningful life. He used to envy this kind of life, especially after his parents died in a car accident.
But he knows that the reality is not as sweet as it looks. The fact that they keep working even when the day is about to end is proof of how hard their life is. It means that they are struggling to make ends meet.
Who wants to work their a*s off from dawn to dusk? And for what? To feed the ungrateful politician that only care about their own a*es?
Turn out, the social gap in this world and Earth is not that much different. Jack could notice it at first glance.
Most of the farmers have black hair like him, and others are brown like Joran, yet, almost all of the soldiers have blonde hair. It proves that this world has its own racism. He could ask the reason to Joran, but it would be too rude.
When Jack arrived at the northern end of the Toria village, he could see a middle-aged woman with long black hair doing something in front of her house. When she noticed both of them coming toward her, she hastily put down the unfinished product in her hand and ran toward them.
"Are you okay, dear?" Said the woman with a worried face when seeing Joran's left arm hurt quite bad.
Joran laughed to convince his wife that he is alright. Before answering, "It's just a little scratch. Don't worry about it. More importantly, this is Jack, my savior.
"We will treat him to a feast tonight, so take this meat and cook the best dishes he will ever taste."
The woman looks embarrassed because she didn't notice that her husband was bringing someone else home. She bowed slightly before introducing herself, "How rude I am, hohoho… My name is Joana Winkinston, Joran's Wife. Thank you for saving my reckless husband, Jack.
After looking at Jack's thin body, she added, "You must be hungry. Wait inside when I cook Torian's special dish for you."
Joana walked briskly toward the kitchen while Joran led Jack to sit in the living room.
Inside, he only finds a square wooden table with four chairs with the same material lined up next to it. There is no cupboard or any other ornament in it, which tells Jack that Joran's family finance is far from enough.
This family must struggle to meet their needs, and here he is, planning to fill his stomach with the fruit of their hard work. Jack felt ashamed of his own thoughts.
On the trip to Toria Village, Jack confesses that he couldn't remember who he was beside his name and how he ended up inside the Shadowless Forest. Fortunately, Joran believed his story and didn't ask more about it. Instead, he told Jack a lot of information about this place, even giving him a few advice about how he could regain his memories.
Jack has two options. First, he could join the Avantheim military and receive a steady income. Here Jack could get information about his body's identities using the military connection easily. But he must climb the leader and get into a certain rank first to get it.
The second option is to become an adventurer. Adventurer Guild has many connections with other regions, and they have an excellent information network. But without any acquaintance, it will become a difficult journey for him.
When Jack ponders about what he should choose, Joran returns with a jar full of green substance in his hand. He smears those substances in his wound before wrapping it again with clean clothes.
"This exclusive medicine has been passed down from generation to generation in our family, and it works very well with minor injuries like this one. In a few days, my hand would be returning to where it was.
"So, what will you do from now on, Jack?" Ask Joran curiously.
