Chapter 147

“Alright, Daniela. The first thing is cutpurses.”

Several hours had passed since we left the village and walked towards the east. The sun had gone down and our stomachs were full from dinner. The only thing to do was wait until morning. And so we started to discuss what we would do to beat this dangerous town called Nicora.

“Hmm. Cutpurses. Yes, most of the times they just take what is in your pockets.”

“Right. I think that if you’re not careful, they bump into you with an, ‘oh, pardon me,’ and then rob you blind.”

That totally happens. I say this as if I’ve seen it happen many times, but I never have. But I knew about it, so it was fine.

“But Asagi, do you not put your purse in the hollow bag?”

“Hmm? Oh… Well, yeah.”

I was afraid of dropping it, so I always kept it in my bag… So it couldn’t exactly get stolen.

“And no one would dare steal my bag right? So it will be fine.”

“No. That is careless, Asagi.”

Daniela said as she threw some wood into the fire.

“I myself had had my bags stolen in the past.”

“What?”

Was she really that dumb…?

“It was a long time ago. I had been searching for an inn. And this child appeared and claimed to be the child of an innkeeper, you see. And then he said he would carry my bags and lead me to the inn. It was as I was appreciating the thorough service, that the child disappeared into the crowd and I lost him.”

“Woah…”

“These things happen. So you must take care of your belongings.”

That was the kind of mistake tourists make on their first trip abroad…

“There are other things that can happen as well. For instance, you are so happy to be in a new town and you are taking in your surroundings. And before you know it, your backpack has been opened up…and robbed of its contents.”

“Ohhh…”

That’s something an amateur traveler who is too used to peace would… No, no, no. I couldn’t let my guard down either. After all, this was a different world. And so I decided to hold my bag in front of me.

“But Asagi, advertising the fact that you are being cautious like that can lead to trouble as well. They will see that you are scared, so be careful.”

“What the hell do you want me to do…”

I can’t do this. I can’t do that. So there was nothing I could do to prevent it.

“It’s easy. Always be aware, and if someone confronts you, strike them immediately. It does not matter if they are in a group or it is an ambush. Fight back, head-on and annihilate them. Then they will not bother you again.”

“I’m not sure if the town is what I should be worried about…”

When in Rome, they say. But I didn’t see the point in lowering ourselves to that level of barbarism. We were classy Adventurers. You know, smart, elegant resolutions were my style.

“You say that, but force can only be conquered with force, you know? They will not be moved by mere words.”

“That seems a little harsh. But then again, even if they do understand your words, sometimes people seem to hear them through some mysterious filter. It’s the same no matter where you are.”

I thought back to all the customers that were like that during my night shift. I laughed.

“So you have experience, Asagi?”

“Sort of. In the other world, that is.”

“I see… So they are everywhere. You did of course, annihilate them?”

“I of course, did not.”

I would get arrested.

And with that, the fruitless discussion came to an end. I was not sure that we were really going to be okay…

□ □ □ □

The following day, we were forced to march through the rain that started in the morning. It was difficult to see, and the road was muddy as hell. I missed asphalt dearly.

“Is there nothing to stop the rain from hitting you on these days?”

“Hmm… There are umbrellas, but they take up so much space. And they are expensive. Most people put on a hood and bear it.”

Huh… I hated getting wet, but there was nothing I could do besides pulling down my hood, which I did. Very deeply. At the convenience store, we stocked those cheap umbrellas…

I pushed my damp hair out of my face and paid attention to my feet for the next three hours. It was just as I was feeling very sick of all of it, that the clouds started to thin. It seemed like the rain would stop soon.

“Asagi. Monsters.”

“Are you serious…”

Things were just about to get better. Horrible timing, guys. At least have the decency to appear where it isn’t muddy.

I pulled out my sword. I had been keeping Presence Detection to a very limited range because of the rain, but I spread it out now. And then I immediately sensed something to my left. It felt like…goblins.

“Are these special rain goblins?”

“No, just ordinary goblins. But do not let your guard down because of that.”

“Do I ever?”

“Often.”

“…”

That’s a bold-faced lie! It was just as I was going to claim complete ignorance towards this accusation, when we were attacked by several goblins wielding filthy weapons. They seemed awfully energetic in spite of being under the rain in their underpants, but they were a nuisance to me and would, therefore, have to go. This would be an easy job. Block, find your opening, chop off head.

Of course, I was also staying cautious of my surroundings, so any such stupidity as getting ambushed from the back was impossible. After all, Daniela was covering me. And I was also covering Daniela. But then again, by the way she moved, it always seemed like she didn’t need anyone to cover her. I was catching up to her in terms of level, but my on-field experience was still lacking. But it was important to slowly and diligently work your way up.

“Hey, Daniela.”

“What, Asagi.”

“Up until now, I only thought of goblins as a resource for getting ironware.”

“Well, that is certainly horrible to hear…”

“So what do you need for proof of the hunt?”

Yes, up until now I just took the weapons and left the rest. Taking their body parts to the guild might have made me some money, but not as much as taking the iron.

“Ah, goblins… I have not had to gather anything from them for so long, but I believe that it is the ear. But I do not remember which one.”

“Ears, huh?”

Well, I wasn’t going to start collecting them now, anyway. I was very much alright with some stingy Adventurer coming in and taking them after we left. I’m sure the goblins would appreciate their remains being put to some kind of use. That Adventurer will probably not be the most capable, but that was nothing to me. You could not grow without a fight. It was the trick to living as an Adventurer, and I could not forget that.

I gathered their weapons and then we moved the goblin bodies to the side of the road so they would not get in the way. We also put our hands together as a small sign of respect, and then returned to our journey.

The rain had now stopped, and beams of light were shining through the cracks between the clouds. What did you call that again? I forgot.

The thick clouds were pushed away by the wind, and by the time the sun was visible again, it was already about to set. Our progress had been hindered because of the rain, and we would not arrive at the town. In fact, we could actually see it from where we were, but the gate would likely be closed by the time we got there. I could have used Legs of the Forest Wolf, but this was one time that making a showy entrance into a new town was ill advised.

And so we decided to search for a place to set up camp for the night. However, it was muddy almost everywhere, which put me in a gloomy mood.

“What should we do?”

“Hmm… These are the times that fire magic would be useful. We could dry the ground…”

Unfortunately, there were no users of fire magic nearby. Me? Nope. I’m crap. That being said, this was not a good time to do nothing and wait for it to get dark. We could get attacked by monsters.

“Surely there is something we could…hmm?”

“What is it?”

“Uh, over there…”

It was hard to see from here, but there was a small cabin near the trees. Maybe we could borrow it?

“I would not advise that.”

“What do you mean?”

“…What if it is used by bandits?”

“…”

I would not like that. But you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.

“Let’s just go and take a look.”

“And what will you do if there are bandits? Will you kill them?”

“It would be pretty barbarous to cut people’s throats from the side just because they are bandits. I’ll step back and do what I can with fire magic.”

That was one egg I wasn’t going to break easily. Unnecessary killing was wrong.

As Daniela’s skill with Presence Detection was higher, she concentrated on the front. I took the rear and sides. …Yes, there was no one around.

Tap. I tapped Daniela on the shoulder once and nodded. We slowly made our way forward, careful to not make any noise. Of course, I wouldn’t do anything so clumsy as step on a twig. We would explore most carefully.

After we had advanced to a certain point, Daniela stopped. The cabin had entered the reach of her Presence Detection. As she silently checked inside, I continued to scan our surroundings. There was still nothing. As there weren’t many trees here, I didn’t have to use it above our heads. But that also meant that we wouldn’t be able to hide. Not us or any potential enemies.

“…Asagi. It seems to be fine.”

“I see…we should look inside then.”

Just because there was no one there, it didn’t mean it was a normal cabin. Maybe it was used by bandits and they happened to be out now. If we found weapons, food or stolen goods, we would leave immediately.

We remained cautious as we stood in front of the door. Thankfully, there were no traps.

Daniela also checked the door, and it did not contain any tricks.

“I’m going to open it.”

“Yes.”

I slowly reached for the doorknob and pushed. The door opened slowly. Then I held up the lantern I had prepared in advance. It was the magic lantern I had swiped from the orcs.

Unsurprisingly, there was no one here. There were roughly stacked boxes, but no weapons or stolen goods. No corpses either. There were some coats, bows and daggers. I suppose those were weapons, but they were for hunters.

“Hmm…so it was a cabin for hunters then.”

“What a relief…”

In any case, it was probably safe. That didn’t mean we wouldn’t have to stay up and stand watch, but it was still a relief. There seemed to be a small kitchen as well, so our last night on the road would be accompanied by a nice hot meal.