Chereads / An Engineer's Guide To Another World / Chapter 5 - Going to a village

Chapter 5 - Going to a village

"Hahaha, no problem, happy to help" (Adam)

I just risked my neck, I'm not going to let that go to waste just because it was unintentional. Maybe she'll offer some form of compensation? Or, information at the very least, that's what I need the most right now anyways.

"Oh, so you really were volunteering? I was wondering whether you were or not. What's your name? It's not often that I meet others of our kind."

So she did realize! And she still used me as bait!

"My name's Adam, what about you?" (Adam)

"Adam? What a strange name, I've never heard it before! You're not from around here are you? My name is Lily, it's nice to meet you." (Lily)

Lily?! That's a totally normal name! You had me thinking that names were different here!

**sigh**

Oh well, it's simplifies things since she guessed I'm not from around here. I wouldn't want to scare her off by asking strange questions about the location. Hold on, did she say 'our kind?' What's 'our kind?' Does she mean human? Are people uncommon around here? Or does she mean white? Is she a white supremacist? I sure hope not!

"What do you mean by 'our kind?'" (Adam)

"Our kind? Oh, light elves of course! Are they more common where you're from?" (Lily)

"Light elves?!" (Adam)

So she really was crazy! No wonder, that explains her actions up to this point. She's obviously a human! No, I can't assume based only on that, maybe I'm at some desolate part of a cosplay event? But, where did the wolves come from then? This makes no sense! I guess I'll just ask as gently as I can.

"Ummm, why'd you assume I'm a light elf?" (Adam)

"Oh, I'm sorry! Did I assume wrongly?! Are you perhaps a beast-kin?" (Lily)

**Choking noises**

A beast-kin?! Do I look like an animal to you? I'm obviously a human! She's looking at me innocently with her head tilted, but she must be kidding.

"Haha, very funny. I'm obviously a completely normal human." (Adam)

She squints her eyes and pulls her head back in confusion, but quickly recovers.

"What? That's impossible! Humans can't have light skin, blonde hair or blue eyes! You're making fun of me!" (Lily)

She makes a slightly pouty face, but the light in her eyes shows she's enjoying my company.

Can't have light skin, hair and eyes? That makes no sense. I guess I'll just play the fool for now. It would be a waste of time to point out the flaws in her statement.

**Sigh**

"Yeah, I'm a light elf. Can I borrow your phone, or if you don't have one, can I follow you back to the city?" (Adam)

"Phone? I've never heard of such a thing before. But, I'd be happy to guide you to the village!" (Lily)

As I thought, she's a very dedicated cosplayer. She even pretends to not know about modern conveniences. Oh well, this should get me to the nearest city.

As I prepare to follow her, she reaches down and tosses the wolf's body over her shoulder. Then, she casually jogs over to the other two corpses and adds them to the pile. Lastly, she turns towards me and waves.

"Okay, ready to go?!" (Lily)

Alright, more abnormal stuff. I'm going to take back what I said before, this is definitely a dream.

"Yeah, lead the way." (Adam)

"Ahhhh, this is nice! There aren't any other light elves in the village, so I don't have anyone I can talk to." (Lily)

I raise an eyebrow, doesn't she have any friends? Well, not that I can talk, my social life is a zero out of ten.

"Huh? Don't you have any friends?" (Adam)

"Friends? Me? Do you really think any human wants to socialize with a light elf?" (Lily)

Again, this light elf thing, but even if she is a little strange, I don't see why people would completely avoid her.

"I don't see why not?" (Adam)

"You really don't get it, do you? The Demon King is suspected to have been a light elf. If it weren't for the equal rights laws in this kingdom, I wouldn't even be able to stay here. And my village is actually one of the more lenient ones, in some, they wouldn't hesitate to ignore the laws. If your not careful in them, you'll end up either dead or a slave." (Lily)

"What?! Really?! And hold on, isn't that backwards of how it's supposed to be? Isn't light usually used to symbolize good and dark for bad?! How could the Demon King be a light elf?!" (Adam)

"Haha, I don't know where you're from, but those are some far fetched ideas! Isn't it obvious that light would be bad? Light is produced by fire and the sun, which can burn and kill you, they symbolize death. While darkness is produced by shade and the night, which are calming and protective. As for the Demon King, it's a well known fact that he had light hair, skin and eyes, which is why he was probably a light elf." (Lily)

Sorry Lily, but your cosplay doesn't fit into any universe! I thought you were a diligent cosplayer, but you obviously didn't do your research!

As we walk a clearing comes into view. Inside it I can see an approximately seven foot tall wall. Beyond the wall, I see the roofs of numerous wooden buildings. Lily guides me to a gap in the wall and opens the small wooden gate which is erected there. As I proceed forward, a startling scene appears before me.

A busy village, filled with women at their work and an occasional man retrieving food, tools or some other necessity for their work. Children play in a space between a couple houses. But, what surprised me, was that every single person had dark hair, skin and eyes. Regardless of the neighborhood there's usually at least someone who has light hair, skin or eyes, but not here. If I had to say, this place seems to have a mix of African and Asian ethnicity's. Contrastingly, the architecture and clothing here seem to be ancient European! I've never heard of anywhere that fits this description! Was I sent off to another country for medical treatment? No, if anything, the medical care here would be worse than the US. How did I get here?

As I puzzle over my circumstances, I notice that many people are glancing my way. Every time I look back they quickly avert their eyes. Like anywhere, people that are different aren't wanted. Oh well, as long as no one bothers me I'm fine. Just then, someone I hadn't previously noticed approaches me. His skin seems more tanned then dark, he has bulging muscles, a bald head and a luxurious long black beard. His strides are long and with purpose.

"So another one, eh?" (????)

Another one? Is he planning on beating me up? I swear, I'm no threat! I'm innocent of all wrong doing! What do you want from me?!