Chapter 80

As this was was a post town, there were many inns lining the road. I guess this was the main street. A road of inns. Very fitting for a post town by a forest.

“So, what inn should we choose?”

“Definitely a place with great food.”

“You’re staunch as ever.”

I chuckled at my partner’s unwavering attitude, when a certain building caught my eye. There was a large sign in the front that read: ‘Free Information Office.’

Information for what…

“Asagi, there is an information office. They should be able to tell us of a good place.”

“Uh, are you sure?”

“Hmm? We will not know unless we ask. It is already past noon. We should get an inn before it’s too late.”

“Too late for what…?”

Daniela looked at me with a worried expression. Her eyes were serious, they suggested something immense, that I had no clue of. I gulped and waited for her to continue.

“Yes, we have to find an inn now or…”

“Or…what…?”

Daniela closed her eyes and took in a deep breath before opening them again and shouting.

“We shall be late for dinner!!”

“…”

Oh, well that wasn’t too surprising. Even beautiful people had flaws. But you don’t have to yell like that on a busy street!

Leaving her there, I walked over to the free information office and looked at the advertisements that were nailed to their wall. After searching for some time, I found one that wasn’t too cheap and left the office. Daniela looked a little miffed as I sighed and told her that I had found a promising place, which she answered to with a big smile. We walked away, arm in arm. This girl seemed like she might just run off with anyone who offered her good food… I better be careful and not let her go.

We arrived at the inn that I had chosen, the Leaves in Sunlight Inn. It was an adorable looking building with a green roof. The advertisement at the information office said that this place was known for its dishes that contained fruits, wild plants and meat from the forest. Hearing the word ‘forest’ gave me flashbacks of goblins licking trees, and I had to quickly shake that frightening image from my head.

There was another inn with creative cuisine called the Flower and Nectar. And yet another one called the Red Beard, which served extravagant bandit food, but there was a risk to choosing such places, and so I had chosen this one. Creative recipes weren’t always the most successful, and who knew what kind undercooked meals would come out of the other place.

Well, they couldn’t be too bad if they continued to exist… But they do say that having a little prejudice will save you. Well, no one actually says that…

“How long will you stand their and moan? Hurry up.”

“Uhh, let’s go in then.”

There was no point in thinking about it. You should go straight in after choosing. That’s what men do.

We opened the door that was the same green color as the roof and looked inside. As was fitting for an inn with this name, the interior was full of sunlight from above. How did that work? Maybe it involved magic. The entrance hall was quite spacious, and there were several guests lounging on chairs. Hmm, nice atmosphere at least.

A woman in green clothing was standing behind a counter to the back. She bowed when she saw us. Daniela and I walked to the counter. I noticed that the floor was covered in a soft carpet that made your feet feel light.

“Do you want a room?”

“Yes. Um…Daniela. How long are we staying?”

Now that I think of it, we had not even discussed it. Daniela traced a finger over her lips and thought about it for a while, then raised three fingers at me. How about talking?

“Err, three nights, please. Two rooms.”

“Three nights and two rooms. Thank you. Will you be taking your meals here as well?”

“Yes. Breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

“Then we will prepare a dinner for you tonight.”

That’ll make her happy. We’ll have food tonight.

“How much will it be?”

“Five silver pieces per guest. Each meal costs one silver and forty coppers, so all together it will be forty-nine silvers and sixty coppers.”

“Can I pay in advance?”

Choose and push forward. Men should just do it and pay in advance.

“Yes, right here please.”

She offered out a wooden tray, which I then deposited forty-nine silvers into after pulling them out of a purse. I then placed the sixty coppers down, neatly in towers of ten coins, which made them easier to count. The old clerk in me was used to handling money. In fact, it would be nice to have one of those coin counters. You know, those plastic ones? Maybe I could make one out of wood…

“Oh, how thoughtful of you. Let me see… Yes, it is the perfect amount. Thank you.”

People really do open up if you interact with them nicely. This lady looked rather cute when she smiled. I couldn’t really help myself from smiling back.

Ah, Daniela, that hurts! Not the knee!

“So then, three days with meals. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Dorothea, and I run this place. I hope that you enjoy your stay.”

“I’m Asagi. This is Daniela.”

With that done, she handed us our keys. Hmm. I was on the third floor. Daniela the second. Different floors this time. We parted ways on the second floor.

“Are we disbanding for the day then?”

“I guess so? I think I’ll go wander around a little.”

“Then I will be resting in my room.”

And so we disbanded. Now, off to my room on the third floor. It was room 301, right by the stairs. I could already imagine hearing all the noisy people coming up and down…

“Now, what will it look like…:”

I pushed the key in and turned it. There was a satisfying click as the lock opened. I turned the doorknob and opened the door. A forest spread out before me.

“Woah, crazy…:”

The floor was brown and covered by a green rug. The curtains were a gentle, deep green. The bed was a vibrant yellowish green. The closet, table and other furniture were a unified brown color. It felt like you were in a forest. The lamps were covered in ivy, and the shadows of the leave were projected onto the walls. Quite dream-like. There were apple-like fruits painted on random objects all over the room. And on closer inspection, there were also security mechanisms as well. They were painted green, so as not to ruin the atmosphere of the room.

Haahh…I was satisfied. It was all very green, but still not an eyesore. In fact, it was very relaxing. We made a good decision. Even my clothes were green, so it was perfect…

That being said, I should take a look around outside. I took off the armor, poncho, and mantle and put them in the hollow bag. I would go in just the rough shirt and pants. But I would still take the sword. I felt like I needed to show that I was an Adventurer, to ward off troublemakers. Well, this town felt pretty safe, but just in case…

“Now, explore, explore…ah, money, money.”

I had forgotten to take out my wallet. I would not be able to make any ‘once in a lifetime purchases’ without it. Most people may brood over whether or not to buy that awesome thing they found. But I’ve decided that I would just buy it first and worry later. Unless the price was out of my reach, anyway.

I locked my room and returned to the entrance hall. I told Dorothea that I was heading out for a stroll and gave her my keys.

There was a large road as soon as you left the inn. Great location. This was a post town, so all the buildings I saw were inns, inns and more inns… But surely such a town would have some interesting stores. The spirit of exploration was screaming to me that this must be so, and so I put my trust in it and walked out. Hehe. What would I find?