Chapter 113 – The Quiet Lakeside
The third day of rest.
I woke up earlier than usual. It was still too early even for the merchants to begin their day. The air in the room was cool, the window still tightly shut, and the sky outside a deep blue with a hint of orange at the eastern horizon a sign that the sun would rise soon.
But today... was not a day to stay within the city.
Today, I wanted to go fishing.
I couldn’t remember the last time I truly sat still, cast a line into the water, and simply waited. In my old world, that had been my hobby. The one thing that allowed me to forget everything work, pressure, anxiety. There was peace in watching the water, patiently waiting, and feeling that faint tug at the end of the rod before the first bite.
And now, after two full days of walking, cooking, and interacting with various races that I had once only known from fantasy stories, I felt... the need to feel that again. Besides, in this post-apocalyptic world I was reincarnated into, I wasn’t sure what kind of fish I’d even catch.
I put on the new clothes I’d bought yesterday: a light top with a leather vest and adventurer’s trousers, flexible and comfortable. I left my black dress behind for once. I also wore the wine-red long coat not because it was cold, but because I liked it. And as it turned out, even when I wore other outfits, the effect of the Dress of Death still lingered. So now, I could enjoy wearing various clothes.
After preparing some light food and water in my storage, I left the inn. The city was still quiet. Only a few people were out an old street sweeper, an elderly demon opening his shop too early, and a stray dog barking for no reason.
My destination was a large lake, marked on the map as about a thirty-minute walk from town, down a narrow path winding through trees and fields.