24 - The Last Village.

5.5 weeks remain.

The usual happened. Buffet, drinks and some meet-and-greet session. This is the last village, and I hope to hire someone for a change.

“I’ve never been this far.” Marty comes up next to me, making small talk as the crowds gather for the usual party.

“Well, now you have. Hopefully someday, we can go further, for leisure.”

Once again, I give a speech, this time nothing fancy, the usual one, and then proceed to meet with all the village elders and the guards, later, the rest of the villages. This village’s niche is actually flexible woods, harvested from a special forest nearby that has a type of tree known as the Bow-tree, simply because their wood is incredible for bows. Sara’s bow for example, is made from Bow-tree.

“See anyone you’d like to recruit?” Marty asks, and I shrug.

“Unfortunately, not yet.”

“You’ve got a skill, isn’t it? I hear a lot of leaders and senior people have similar abilities to spot ‘talent’.”

“Well…”

A young man walks up to me, and bows. “Prince Carlos, I’ve heard from the elders that you’ve been visiting all the other villages, to hire people.”

I pause, “Well, yes.”

“Can you hire me? I’m a good fighter.”

I look at him. Rank 2, farmer. Looks like this is one of those trick questions, and frankly, I’m not sure I want to take a chance. “Really?”

“...Yes. I’m really good at fighting.” He tries to put up a brave, fierce face, but it’s crumbles under a bit of pressure.

I take a step closer to him, and touch his hand. “My young man, I can tell when a person has not seen combat before.”

And his face changes, his act crumbles. “...I… I’m sorry.”

“Can you tell me why do you want me to hire you?”

“My friends in this village all say I’m average at things, and I’m destined to be a farmer. You know, maybe I think I am a farmer, but at the same time, those words from my friends really hurt me. So, I’d like to try working as a soldier, and see whether I can be something more.”

I glance at Marty, and Marty nods in agreement. What, seriously he thinks I should hire him? “Let me ask you again, and this time, answer me honestly. Do you have any experience with any kind of weapons?”

“...no.” He looks down, afraid.

I take a deep breath. Well, things like this happen. “I see, well, I admire your guts for coming up to me and asking me to hire you, but unfortunately, the royal guards are looking for experienced fighters to fight… bigger, nastier things, things, even I am afraid to fight alone. If you’d like a taste of fighting, I recommend that you travel to Loom and join as a regular soldier. You can speak to Adam or Anne, they can guide you on how to enlist as a part of our guards, and the guards have regular trainings and practice sessions, so that you are better prepared before you actually taste any combat.”

He frowns, but then, a while later, he nods. “I see. Thank you Prince Carlos. I will try that.”

Marty looks at me after the boy walks away. “You’d have to tell him that?”

“He’ll die if I put him in front lines against whatever I think we’ll end up facing. I’d rather not have my people die senselessly out of silly bravado.”

Marty pats me at the back.

[Marty’s affection +10%]

“Prince.”

Ah, I soon speak to a few more other villagers, but nothing really catches my eye. So I end up walking out and buying some bow-tree wood for the archers back home.

It is then I hear a noise coming from one of the houses in the village. It sounds like a snort. Wait, no. It’s not, so I draw my sword and carefully approach the house.

I’m no master fighter, so I look around and notice a few soldiers walking as well, so I signal them over.

Carefully, we open the door.

A loud growl. And a wild boar runs out, and somehow quickly leaps into the woods. All the soldiers jump, but at the same time, equally relieved that it’s just a damn wild boar.

“Fuck that scared me.” A soldier says. “How’d that hog get inside the house anyway?”

We look inside, and well, it’s actually not a house. It’s more of an abandoned storehouse, and clearly, it’s so abandoned that there’s an unpatched hole in the wooden wall. The commotion caused by the hog causes one of the village elders to come over.

“Ah, sorry about that… it’s one of those old warehouses that’s disused. We’ve not touched it in a long while…”

I walk in to see, well, it’s really old. There’s some crates here and there, and well, rotten corpses. Of rats. So it stinks. “Ugh.”

But then, a part of my intuition kicks in. My [eye of affection] tells me there’s something here.

“May I have a look at the crates?”

“Oh, help yourself. It’s unclaimed, so do whatever you want with it.”

Well, that’s music to my ears, so I use my sword to yank one of the crates that’s triggering me. Inside the crate is a few things, but my eyes are drawn to a small wooden container, and a small wooden ring next to it, and I pick it up to inspect it.

[Scented wood container]

[A special perfume within increases your attractiveness to the opposite sex. Has 10 uses. When applied, is extremely effective on green and white. Used to trigger 70% and 100% scenes with shy characters]

Oh.

[Enchanted wood ring]

[Grants defensive passives].

I’ll need that, so I dusted it a bit, put on the ring and kept the container inside my magical bag.

“Well. I guess it’s time we return home.”

[1 Skillpoint gained!]

I decide to level up my Prince level, since that job makes me better at fighting, and makes me tougher.

Level 6 Prince (+)

Level 1 - Eye of affection Level 3 - Crafter of gifts (+) Level 2 - The power of love (+) New skill - Level 1 Prince’s Titles.

Level 1 Healer (+)

Level 2 - Heal (+) New skill - Level 1 Remove status effects