07.34 cycle twenty-two, Ca’thir, of calendar Moonrachia
The moment we left the guild building, we headed straight for the horse-drawn carriage service
One thing I realized about this small village was that there weren't many mages or knights around here, even the strongest people here are somewhere around Vein-Level, but then again, I know well that I'm still Sigil-Level
But I guess it's real, huh? That people on Vaelthoria are mostly adventurers from outside the kingdom, or was I perhaps too quick to assume so?
On our way to the transportation service, I passed an inn and a tavern; perhaps I hadn't noticed them before because we hadn't walked far enough
We have at least walked for 10 minutes, and the building arrangement changed
Now, I could see there's a Blacksmith, a Carpenter, a Peddler, and lastly... a luxurious church in this village on the edge of the continent? How weird, well I know well that those people are insanely rich
But still... isn't this too much? Even the guild building looked like a regular building compared to this
And — I noticed, inside that church, there's the previous girl that I saw at the foredeck of the ship before
I was too focused on the church and on her to the point I didn't realize Kiara was already a few meters away from me, so I quickened my pace a little to catch up to her
"Huff... Where's this transportation services you were talking about?"
Kiara stopped and slowly turned toward me. "It's just a few more minutes of walking," she said, then tilted her head, "I think?"
Why are you looking at me as if I should know that?
When I reach beside her, and we both continue walking once more, "This is quite a nice village, don't you think so?"
"I guess? This village has almost everything a small city would have, besides, I don't think this should be called a village."
Kiara held her chin and pondered, "Really?"
"Really — really."
After a few more minutes... We finally found transportation services...
Kiara already went inside and handled it by herself, honestly? I feel like I lost my pride as a man a long time ago...
I really should've started doing many things once we arrived at our destination, I can't live like this
Shortly after, she emerged with an old man in formal attire, and a few more people came out from the other side of the building, with a horse and its carriages
Then a heavy sound echoed behind me — the main gates? The main gates? just opened
I guess he must be someone important in this village? I mean, I hadn't seen anyone else in this area wearing a white shirt and a black blazer
Besides, why did I feel he was someone who even wore them during his sleep time...
I guess, the more you grow old, the more wisdom and aura you earn, huh?
*****
08.49 cycle twenty-two, Ca’thir, of calendar Moonrachia
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At least half an hour should've passed, or perhaps even more
I can't be sure since there's no way to be sure of the exact time right now
So far, the only scenery outside the carriage is mostly forest, and I don't want to ask Kiara again how long before we reach our destination
I feel like I was being childish, like only a little kid asking and wondering about them
"Here you go." Kiara is offering the paper information she brought before
"Thank you." Slowly, I take them from her hand
Let's see... is there anything interesting?
- Sykorn, a V-Level monster, wreaked havoc near the main continent before flying away
Isn't Skykorn that dragon-looking monster? I thought it was their hibernation season?
- Luminara Kingdom, once more protecting its citizens from a continent-level scale incident perfectly
- The merchant guild will stop holding any auction for a few months, the after effect from the summoning accident made them lose significantly...
...Last one
- Each of kingdom, every race, sends a representation to the main continent. The reason was unknown for the moment, but one thing is for sure: something big will definitely happen soon
Then a light from outside the windows fell and lit the paper in my hand. When I lift my head, I can see a meadow that stretches until the very end of my vision
And at the left window, a few tall mountains could be seen
"It's beautiful, right?"
"Yeah, insanely even."
When I turn to face Kiara, she's just staring at the outside scenery, the soft morning light showering her face, and enhancing her beauty in a hundred ways I couldn't describe
Her grey bangs turned slightly golden in the light, which made her look more like a painting that was carefully painted in love and advanced technique
But it's the little smile of hers that made me completely stunned
It was the first time I saw it, her genuine smile
When she turned her face toward me, her smile disappeared, replaced by her usual expression
"Something wrong?" With another head tilt of hers
I shook my head a little, "Nothing."
"I was just seeing something rare."
"Rare?" Kiara once again looked at the outside of the windows, "Hmm, I guess it is quite rare scenery, since the capital city of the Arnentia kingdom doesn't really have a mountain nearby."
Once more, the silence covered us, in a comfortable way, and even slightly warm
But somewhere deep in my heart, I have uneasy feelings that I couldn't describe, as if I had just forgotten something important
It's like a feeling, where you know you're going to be late to catch the bus, but still not prepared enough to leave
*****
13.11 cycle twenty-two, Ca’thir, of calendar Moonrachia
We finally reach the first city...
After stopping a few times on few villages, we passed along the way to rest a bit
And, yeah
Vaelthoria Kingdom actually looked like a proper kingdom now that I see this, their first city
Is it not really that far, actually, huh?
If someone reaches Halo-Level, they could just fly away for a few minutes to reach the harbor from here
And one thing that actually surprised me here is that the guards don't bother checking our Id's, they just check our bags and things, in case we brought something dangerous
If this were the Capital of Arnentia, we would have been thrown in prison by now
Guess... Kiara knows this kingdom really well, huh
Kiara said, "We're going to stop here for today," And stepped out of the carriage
So I followed her shortly, the moment I stepped out, I could see a variety of races other than humans
A thin figure with long ears, another figure with cat ears and its tail, a few big and furry-looking figures that you could often see in the forest, but actually could talk on here...
A finger poked into my side, "—Ackh!" When I turned to my side, I could see Kiara and her usual expression looking at me, but this time, I could feel that she somehow looked at me as if I were a little kid
"What are you doing?" Asking Kiara, while caressing the side of my stomach that she poked before
"We should go."
"I thought we were going to rest in this city for a day?"
"I never said that?" Then she pointed somewhere, "We're just going to eat, and then continue our journey."
"Ahh.. Okay."
While following her from behind, I couldn't help but look around at my surroundings, especially since I've never seen any other race in the capital city
Isn't this a dream of every human back on earth? Who wouldn't love to look at them?
A girl with owl ears...
A lizard man with real scales that shine like armor
And a real cat girl!
Ahhh... A questionable thought surfaced in my mind, I really want one
Should I kidnap one at night? But I could sense a lot of Horn-Level knights around here...
When Kiara entered the restaurant, I took a deep breath and let them out slowly
I shouldn't have that filthy thought, and — shook my head, I would be satisfied to just touch them, I mean, the ear, okay?
But not for now, I should focus on our journey first
I wonder how long it's actually going to take us. We haven't really gone that far, though
Then I entered the restaurant, the smell of grilled meat easily reached my nose, closely followed by the sweet scent of fruit
---END---
