Chapter 325

Interestingly, bird-type monsters were quite rare. This was because there were not many large birds that lived on flatlands. And smaller birds usually did not turn into monsters. In general, it was just the larger creatures that changed.

So in other words, running through the sky meant that I was rarely attacked. Though, it would probably be more likely if I was near highlands, the sea, or the mountains. That is, unless some stray wyvern popped out of nowhere…

And so we looked at the open sky as we rushed through the air. I could occasionally see Grass Wolves and goblins below, but there was no reason to pay them any mind.

We arrived in the trading city of Usk before sundown.

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Usk was a town where all of the buildings were made with white bricks. It was like some kind of European seaside town that I’ve never been to… That was how I felt. Of course, it was just an illusion.

“We are finally here. Not that it took too long.”

“I may be faster than a carriage, but my damn legs…”

I massaged my sore thighs and calves. After all, I was essentially running the whole time. So it was no wonder that my legs were sore. I was able to do this thanks to the status boosts, but the old me would have collapsed.

“First, we must find an inn.”

“We should go shopping too.”

It was a trading city. There would be so much to buy. And so we decided to go to the inn. We already knew which one. It was the Babbling Brook, which we had stayed at before. It was run by a beautiful innkeeper called Karamus. The woman that Bacon was in love with.

“However, there is something you must do when first entering a city. Isn’t there?”

“That’s true… Huh?”

I had agreed and then realized that it wasn’t Daniela who was talking. Tap. Tap. I felt something on my shoulder and I turned around.

“Ohh, it’s you. Bacon.”

“I told you, it’s Yacon!”

Bacon hadn’t changed at all, and he grabbed my shoulders with an angry expression.

“Ouch.”

“How long will it take you to remember it… Damn you. Oh. So, why are you here?”

And so Daniela and I took out our status cards and explained it to him.

“We want a boat. So we can go downriver.”

“A boat, huh… Well, this town is overflowing with things. So, I’m sure you will find one.”

“Do you have any recommendations for places to go?”

Bacon handed the status cards to a guard who was behind him. Then he folded his arms and thought about it.

“It can be a small one. And we’re willing to pay a decent amount for it.”

“Hmm… In that case, ah… Yes, I know where.”

Apparently, he had a store in mind. That was a good sign!

“I’ll take you to it.”

“Ah!”

“However, it must be tomorrow.”

“Ah…”

Well, I suppose it was to be expected. The sun was coming down. And we wanted to go to the inn as well.

“We’re planning on staying at the Babbling Brook. You can come and meet us in the morning.”

“Aren’t you supposed to say that you’ll come and meet me at the guardhouse…? Ah, well. Fine then. It’s peaceful and I’m bored.”

Yes, yes. Peace was good.

Besides, Bacon was enamored with Miss Karamus. I wonder what happened after that?

“So, how are you and Miss Karamus doing?”

As I was thinking about it, Daniela suddenly brought it up.

“Heheh…”

“Wh-what does that mean…!?”

“It was just yesterday. She rejected me again.”

“…”

Well, that was no surprise.

And so this time we had no recommendation -also known as a love letter- from Bacon. But we arrived at the Babbling Brook all the same. As we stood in front of the building, we could hear the babbling of the brook coming from behind. It was such a relaxing sound.

I would have liked to have listened to it longer, but we had to check-in. And so we entered the open door. And like that, we stepped into a very familiar entrance hall that was made entirely of wood. It felt nostalgic and I almost got emotional.

“Ah.”

I heard a voice from the counter. When I looked towards it, I saw her. The owner of this inn. Miss Karamus.

“Hello, Miss Karamus.”

“My, my. It really has been a while. Mister Asagi. Miss Daniela.”

“We were hoping that we could stay here again. Will that be alright?”

Daniela said. And that was quite unusual. Well, it was someone that we already knew. This was her time to shine. And so I decided to stay quiet.

“We do have rooms that are open. We don’t get many people during this season.”

“Then we’ll take a single room. As for how long…”

Daniela glanced at me. Oh, we hadn’t decided on that yet. Hmm. Thanks to Bacon, it seemed that we would be able to find a boat very quickly. Other then that, there was some shopping to do…

“Maybe about three days…”

“Oh… Can you not stay here longer?”

It was clearly not a business concern. It seemed that she really wanted to see more of us. However, we were in a rush. We couldn’t stay too long.

“Sorry. We really wish that we could…”

“Hehehe. I really shouldn’t have asked. In any case, that is three days… Yes.”

She jotted it down in her record book and then took out a key from a shelf near the wall.

“Please use this room. Room 116. It’s in the far back.”

“Thank you very much. I’m happy that we can stay here.”

“While it will be a short stay, thank you for having us.”

“Yes. Please enjoy your stay here.”

Miss Karamus said with a sweet smile. In spite of appearances, this was the person who enjoyed turning Bacon down repeatedly. She had a sadistic streak. One must be careful around her.

“Oh? Is there something wrong, Mister Asagi?”

“Not at all!”

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We arrived at the room that was at the end of the hall. This inn was two stories and was very long. That meant we were very far from the entrance. But on the other hand, it was a lot quieter.

I opened the door and was once again met with a feeling of calm familiarity. Though it was also a different atmosphere from the room we got last time. It was a room where you lived on the floor.

“How interesting…”

Daniela looked curiously at everything as she entered the room. I immediately went over to one of the chairs and sat in it.

“Ahh…it’s great. Floor chairs.”

“A chair without legs. How very strange.”

“Daniela. Come on and sit down.”

“Hmm…”

She copied me and slowly settled in the other chair. Of course, outside, we sat on rocks or sheets laid out on the ground. But otherwise, it was rare to sit so near to the floor like we were now. Because of this, Daniela seemed to feel a little awkward about it…

“…It is not bad.”

“Right! They had chairs like this where I came from. They’re really comfortable.”

“When sitting like this on the ground, my back tends to curve and I become tired. But as this has a backrest, it is much better. And my legs feel very relaxed.”

Well, I was pretty sure that normal chairs were better from a health perspective, but I still had a fondness for these chairs.

Aside from the chairs, there was a low table in the center of the room. When I looked around, I saw that the bed was also at a pretty low height. There was even a side table that had its legs cut short. It was kind of cute.

The lights in the room were soft and warm, which went well with everything else. And since the sun was just coming down, the overall atmosphere was magical. When I closed my eyelids, all I could see was orange.

“Hey, Asagi. It is too early to fall asleep.”

“Hmm…aahh. I’m just tired, I guess…so sleepy…”

“But we have not eaten yet!”

“My desire to sleep is winning this one…Daniela, you go and eat…”

“As if I could do that without you…”

The fatigue was coming in hard, and I just wanted to fall asleep. However, if Daniela was going to say such things to me…

I got back to my feet and pulled out a new pair of clothes from the hollow bag. Daniela was happy to see my new-found enthusiasm, and she also got dressed.

After we were finished changing, we went out into the town. The vast sky was a mixture of orange and deep blue. Below it, the city lights started to flicker on, and a warm glow seeped from the windows of the buildings.

And so, side by side, we stepped onto the illuminated, paved streets and began to follow the appetizing smells.