Chapter 11
Upon arriving at the inn's entrance, Izumi intended to go straight inside together with Nera.
However, before she could take another step, a familiar voice called out to her.
"Miss Rumi!"
Izumi turned around.
Nera, who was standing beside her, also looked toward the source of the voice.
"Do you know him?" Nera whispered softly.
"Hah..."
"He's over there across the street. Someone is calling you."
Izumi looked over and immediately recognized the person.
"Oh, him..."
From across the road, Tom walked toward them with a smile.
"I thought we would never meet again."
"What are you doing here?" Izumi asked.
Tom pointed toward a building across the street.
"My shop is over there."
Izumi nodded lightly.
"I see. I'll come visit sometime."
"Yes. I'll always welcome you anytime."
Tom's gaze then shifted toward Nera.
"By the way, who is this girl beside you?"
Izumi answered without hesitation.
"She's Nera, my friend."
Those words surprised Nera a little.
After all, they had only known each other for a few hours.
Yet the way Izumi said it made it sound as though they had been friends for a long time.
"Umm... yes. It's nice to meet you," Nera said nervously.
Tom smiled kindly.
"Yes. You can call me Tom."
"Alright, Mr. Tom."
Tom smiled awkwardly.
"So Miss Rumi will be staying at this inn."
"Yes, you're right."
"I was planning to recommend a better inn. But we ended up getting separated after the inspection at the gate."
"Oh, I see."
Nera muttered inwardly.
She answers everything so casually...
"But since Miss Rumi has already found a place to stay, I suppose that's no longer necessary."
Tom then bowed slightly.
"In that case, if Miss ever needs my help, please feel free to visit my shop across the street."
Izumi nodded.
"Yeah. I'll be counting on you."
Tom chuckled.
"Alright then. See you again."
After that, he returned to his shop.
Nera, who had been watching the entire exchange, could no longer hold back her curiosity.
"Ru... Rumi..."
"Hm?"
"Is that really how you talk? Even to people who are older than you?"
Izumi looked confused.
"Why?"
"Umm... no. It's nothing."
Nera shook her head.
"It's just very uncommon around here."
Izumi didn't think much of it.
To her, as long as someone didn't show any malicious intent, age wasn't something important.
The two of them then entered the inn.
As soon as she stepped inside, Izumi looked around.
The interior was simple.
But clean.
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And far more comfortable than the old house where she had awakened some time ago.
Hmm... not a bad place.
At that moment, a loud voice echoed from inside.
"NERAAA!! How did it go?!"
A girl came running toward them.
Her name was Berin.
The daughter of the inn's owner.
She was roughly the same age as Nera.
Nera immediately raised her adventurer card high into the air.
Ta-da... da-daaaan...
"I passed!!"
Berin's eyes instantly sparkled.
"Waaahhh! Congratulations!!"
"It's a good thing you didn't give up."
Nera smiled broadly.
"That's thanks to you and my friends who always encouraged me."
"Then tell the inn owner! Tonight we're having a party!"
Berin immediately clenched her fists.
"A huge party!!"
Nera's face instantly turned expressionless.
"Umm... no."
"We're just having a small celebration."
"Umm... right."
Berin laughed awkwardly.
Then she finally noticed Izumi.
"Eh?"
"You brought another girl."
Nera slapped her forehead.
"Ah right! I almost forgot."
Nera pulled Izumi slightly forward.
"Let me introduce her. Her name is Rumi."
"She's from outside the city. More specifically, from a village."
"Starting today, she'll be staying with me at this inn."
Berin widened her eyes.
"From a village? She came here alone?"
"Wow, that's rare."
Izumi gave a small wave.
"Umm... yeah..."
"H-Hello..."
"Nice to meet you..."
Berin replied.
"Yeah. Hello."
"My name is Berin. You can call me Berin."
"Okay."
"Eh..."
Izumi tilted her head.
"What?"
"No... it's nothing."
Berin smiled awkwardly.
"By the way, where's your luggage? I can help move it."
Nera suddenly realized something too.
She hadn't seen any luggage at all.
Izumi answered casually.
"I don't have any."
"Eh?"
"EH?!"
Nera and Berin stared at her at the same time.
"Hm?"
The same thought appeared in both of their minds.
She came all the way from a village without bringing a single piece of luggage?!
No way!
"Rumi..."
"Then how did you get here without carrying anything at all?"
Berin was curious too.
Izumi almost answered honestly.
But she quickly realized something.
Wait...
If I tell them about the dirt bike, they definitely won't understand.
Because of that, she made up a story.
"I wasn't comfortable living in the village."
Nera and Berin immediately fell silent.
"It was very dirty and gloomy there."
"So I decided to become an adventurer and live in the city."
"I-I see..."
"Wait," Berin said.
"How did you travel all the way here from the village?"
"I originally planned to walk."
"ON FOOT?!"
Nera and Berin shouted together.
"Yeah."
"But fortunately, I met Tom."
"Ahh..."
"The man from earlier, right?"
"Yeah."
"I owe him quite a lot."
"He even gave me these clothes and this small dagger."
Izumi pointed at the clothes she was wearing.
Berin began thinking inwardly.
Wait...
Then what was she wearing before that?
And she left her village without a weapon?
"Yeah..."
"We traveled a long distance."
"Almost seven hours."
Berin nodded.
"You must be exhausted after all that."
"Yeah."
"I actually wanted to lie down on a bed as soon as I found an inn."
"But luckily I met Nera, so I didn't have to look for one anymore."
Nera and Berin looked at each other.
She's really a barbaric woman...
A few minutes later, Nera guided Izumi to their room.
"Here."
"This is our room."
Izumi asked once more.
"Are you really okay with letting me stay here?"
"Of course."
"Don't feel embarrassed about it."
Nera opened the door.
Inside the room, a girl was sitting while reading a book.
She had long hair.
And a calm expression.
Her name was Welly.
As soon as the door opened, her attention shifted.
"Hm?"
"Nera! I'm baaack!"
However, Welly wasn't looking at Nera.
Her gaze was fixed on Izumi.
Nera was busy showing off her adventurer card.
Yet Welly's eyes remained locked onto the black-haired girl.
Naturally, Izumi noticed.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Welly stood up.
Then she ran.
Straight toward Izumi.
Izumi didn't move.
Because she couldn't sense even the slightest malicious intent.
When only one step remained between them—
Welly immediately hugged her tightly.
"You're definitely a village girl, aren't you?!"
"Ehhh...??"
"I can tell!"
"I can smell it!"
"There's no mistake! You're definitely a village girl!"
"Yeah..."
"You're right."
Izumi muttered inwardly.
Do I really smell like a villager...?
"WELLY!!"
Nera shouted.
"Don't do that!"
"I haven't even held her hand yet!"
"Ehh??"
Welly ignored her.
"Which village are you from?"
Izumi answered briefly.
"I don't know."
"?"
Nera hurriedly explained.
"Umm... she doesn't seem to know the name of her village."
Welly immediately became serious.
Her eyes narrowed.
She was famous for her extraordinary knowledge.
She had memorized thousands of kingdoms and hundreds of thousands of villages.
"Hmm..."
"Did knights regularly patrol your village?"
"Yes."
"Which kingdom did those knights belong to?"
"This kingdom."
"Oh."
"Then it can't be too far away."
Welly began thinking rapidly.
"How long does it take to travel from your village to this city?"
Nera answered first.
"She said about seven hours by horse carriage."
"Umm. Yeah, something like that."
"Hmm..."
Welly began listing village names.
"There are only three villages in the eastern region that are close enough."
"Werenty Village, Foogi Village, and Vesten Village."
"Werenty takes around six hours by horse carriage."
"Hmm, and Foogi is almost the same. Maybe six and a half hours."
Then suddenly her eyes widened.
"Wait..."
"You're from Vesten Village?!"
"Eh?"
"Why?"
Nera looked shocked as well.
"Isn't that village almost completely abandoned?"
"Even the three knights sent there ended up being killed by monsters."
"Do you really live there?"
Izumi answered honestly.
"I don't know."
"I lived in an old moldy house."
"The roof leaked."
"There was no food."
"There was no water."
"Everything inside the house was a mess."
Welly immediately nodded.
"No mistake."
"You lived in Vesten Village."
"Hm..."
"Is that so?"
"I don't know. I never really thought about it."
"I suffered memory loss because of some strange illness."
"An illness... I wonder... what kind was it...?" Nera muttered.
"Yeah."
"My head felt heavy and extremely dizzy."
"I only remembered my parents and my younger sister."
"Hmm..."
Welly hugged Izumi again.
"Ehh..."
"I understand your situation perfectly."
"That's really sad."
"Let me hug you a little longer."
Nera immediately grabbed Welly by the hair.
"STOOOPPP ITTT!!"
Izumi could only stare at them.
Then she muttered inwardly.
Is this really what female friendships are like...?
Far away in the western part of the world.
Within a floating kingdom belonging to the Angel race.
A woman knelt on the ground, her body trembling.
"There is no mistake, my lord."
"That being is extremely dangerous."
Her lips trembled.
Her eyes were filled with fear.
Because for the first time in her life, she had sensed a power of that magnitude appearing in the world.
Upon a magnificent throne made of holy light.
Sat a man.
The ruler of the Angels.
The strongest king of the Angel race.
Elion.
Elion rested his chin on one hand.
"Hmh..."
"So it is true."
"A power of that magnitude..."
"Has chosen the form of a human?"
His eyes narrowed.
"Has a god descended into this world?"
The entire hall instantly fell silent.
Then Elion spoke a single sentence that sent chills down the spines of all his subordinates.
"This will be a bad omen."