Volume 2 Chapter 4 End Of The First Day
"Ouch..."
I was caught off guard, and my vision was shaking. It seemed like a significant force was applied.
I tried to lift my head, but a sword was pressed against my neck. Even the slightest offense to her might result in my head separating from my body immediately.
"I have already 'transformed.' I won't do as you wish."
"What are you talking about?"
"What happened to your arm?"
"I was born without it. It has never been there from the beginning."
"I see."
The woman lowered her sword and slowly stepped back.
"Are you adventurers from Voljanath?"
I think she should explain why she slapped me first, but the atmosphere wasn't right to say anything.
"Yes, we just registered today."
"I thought so."
She spoke as if she had known from the beginning.
It's not difficult to speculate since there are not many humans who set foot in the forest.
"By the way, why are you here?"
Now it's Leanne's turn to be questioned.
"I am his childhood friend. We live together."
"I don't care about that. Where did Allen and the others go?"
"I don't know anyone named Allen. I think you have mistaken me for someone else."
"That's a shame. I was planning to render everyone irrecoverable."
An unsettling atmosphere begins to fill the air between them.
I can somehow understand that Leanne and this woman don't get along.
"We appreciate that you saved our lives, but we only came here to pick herbs. We don't intend to fight."
After conveying that there is no hostility, the woman look at the others.
"What should we do?"
"Leave them alone. They can't do anything anyway."
The woman takes a lantern from another beastman and hands it to me.
The surroundings are completely engulfed in darkness. I don't know what's happening, but having light is significant.
"If you want to return to town, just keep going straight ahead. But don't forget, there's no such thing as a convenient story where you can throw away your past and be happy."
With those words, the woman and her companions disappeared into the depths of the forest.
"...What do you think she meant?"
"You can't possibly know what the beastmen are thinking. But we should hurry back to town."
"Yeah, Eric must be waiting too."
In the distance, we could hear a howl that sounded like a wolf, causing us to exchange glances.
To escape from the night forest, we ran as fast as we could. Somehow, we managed to sneak through Voljanath's gate and successfully made it back to the Adventurer's Guild, barely clinging to our lives.
"You're too late. What took you so long?"
As we rushed into the guild, Eric expressed his dissatisfaction.
During the day, there were many adventurers around, but now the building was mostly empty, with only a few lights still on. It seemed like he wsd getting ready to finish today's tasks.
As I walked to the counter, Eric looked at the lantern I was holding.
"You've got (steal) something good there. If you want to apologize to the owner, I'll help you."
"It's a misunderstanding. We were in big trouble with a monster."
"A monster? I told you to keep it nearby."
"A man from deep in the forest chased me, then turned into a big wolf."
"That's intense. It's the biggest thing to happen in this town."
"After escaping, I met a really strong female beastmen. She gave me this lantern."
After I finished explaining, Eric, who had been talkative, became quiet.
"So, where's the herb?"
"It's right here."
Leanne said, handing him the sack. Eric took it, peeked inside, and then started writing on some papers.
"Who is that beastmen?"
"She's quite famous around here. Don't go into the depths of the forest anymore."
"Ah, thank you for introducing me to the job."
"I introduced you because no one else would take it. Here, this is your reward."
There was a loud sound as eight copper coins were placed on the counter.
I understand the value of copper coins, so I felt complicated about it. It's okay if I'm alone, but it's tough to live with two people.
"Did you think silver or gold coins would come out?"
Eric seemed pleased as it showed on his face and he laughed.
"Well, reality is tough."
"Good stories don't come around easily. If you want to earn, use your head more. You should have learned a lot just today."
I couldn't even come up with a word to say back at this point.
"Well, we're closing the shop. If you want to eat, look for a place in the back alleys. If you want work, come back tomorrow."
"Thank you."
We left the guild with our first reward in my hands, feeling a little worried.
Maybe there were many people coming back from work, but as I walked onto the busy main street, I couldn't help but sigh.
"It's okay if you're feeling sad."
"Eight copper coins won't be worth all that effort."
"I understand how you feel, but I'm glad we survived."
"It's a good thing."
"If you don't believe that, you won't succeed."
"Well. Let's eat some food for now."
We looked for a restaurant in the back street. We found a small tavern with a decent number of people inside, so we decided to go in.
Two of us sat next to each other at a big long table in the middle and ordered a meal that cost five of the cheapest copper coins.
After waiting for a while, they brought us a piece of bread bigger than my fist and a light brown soup with hardly any toppings.
Although it clearly wasn't enough, we decided to share half and eat.
We were having our meal when suddenly, another plate of food was placed in front of us.
We didn't remember ordering it, but the stubborn-looking man who brought the food quietly said, "Just this once," and returned to the back of the restaurant.
"Let's take it anyway."
"...Yeah, you're right."
After finishing our meal at the tavern, we started looking for a place to sleep.
Since it was spring, it was warm outside. We thought about sleeping on the side of the road to save money, but Leanne seemed unhappy with the idea, so we decided to find an inn.
It was extremely difficult to find a place to stay for three copper coins.
We searched tirelessly for a cheap inn, and somehow managed to negotiate and rent a room, but it turned out to be a storage room with no bed.
Wrapped in a single blanket together, we stared at the ceiling.
Various thoughts raced through my minds, even though I needed to sleep, they kept swirling around, unresolved, and fading away.
That werewolf, why did he know my name?
It's not just a coincidence.
And that female beastman, too, encountering strange events in just one day.
Will similar things keep happening in the future?
I survived today, but what about tomorrow?
The day after tomorrow?
Will we even survive a month from now?
It's impossible.
We'll definitely die soon, whether it's being eaten by a monster, starving, getting sick, or succumbing to the cold in winter.
We need to use our heads more, as Eric says.
At the very least, gathering herbs won't work.
Even if we gather all day, two bags is the limit. Sixteen copper coins won't change the situation much, and we can't use the same tricks at the tavern or inn as we did today.
I have no choice but to do profitable work, even if I take risks.
And for that, I need weapon.
I must find a way to get them, maybe borrow some money from someone...
At least, there could have been another way if I hadn't failed the Skill Appraisal.
"You're troubled?"
"Well, yeah, wouldn't you be?"
I gently stroke Leanne's cheek, relieved that she's still alive.
It should be obvious, but it gives me a sense of comfort.
"Don't pull any more dangerous stunts."
"When was that?"
"When you stopped in the middle of our escape."
When we were running away from the werewolves, Leanne suddenly stopped in her tracks.
If that beastmen woman hadn't appeared, we would've been goners.
"I was hoping."
"What?"
"'Someone to protect me, to show up.'"
"If wishes were enough, we wouldn't be hungry or sleeping in storage."
"But someone actually showed up."
"It's just a coincidence. So, what? Are you saying you summoned that beastmen woman?"
I couldn't deny it, even though it was my own idea.
In fact, something similar had happened before, and it almost felt like I had witnessed it myself.
"Hey, let's save the thinking for tomorrow."
"Yeah... I understand."
I decided to stop thinking about it and just closed my eyes to get some sleep.
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