[ Back to Evan's POV ]
After a bit of time, I pulled away from the hug, and, unsure what to do, I awkwardly smiled at Luke.
" I'm sorry you had to see that unsightly behaviour. Also, thank you for that, really. ". I said. Addressing my actions to Luke.
" Oh, no! It's okay! Everyone has feelings after all.. ". Luke said. Looking flustered.
⟨ It seems that Luke wasn't bothered by that, so that's good. ⟩. Feeling that this silence is uncomfortable, I changed the subject.
" Soo.. You said that we could get to Vansborough City by tracking this river upstream, right? ". I said
" Yeah, of course. ".
" So, what are we waiting for? Let's go! ". I declared.
" Yeah, Let's go.. ". Luke affirmed.
So, like that, we started to trek upstream. On the way, just like how Luke told me, there were absolutely no encounters with a Monster whatsoever.
For a couple of days we continued to trek, while surviving by eating fishes that were caught from the river, and drinking the river water, but, I secretly ate Magic Stones in order to not be found out by Luke, and, even though it wasn't necessary, I pretended to take care of my " business " or, " Nature's Call " as they say, so to avoid any suspicion about my physiology. Unrelated information, surprisingly, this body even has a " Little Brother " if you catch my drift. Although, its size was appropriate for my body's stature. Which is depressing.
But, by far, the most enjoyable thing to do in my opinion is teasing Luke, aahh~ his reactions are just gold. Like that time I suddenly stripped my clothes to bathe in the river, hahaha~ his face was soo red.
After a few more days, I became increasingly impatient, and asked Luke, " Hey, how much longer until we arrive? ".
" Well, judging from the width of the river, we should be pretty close, because the river gets smaller the closer we are. ". Luke replied, calmly.
" I see, the river did get narrower after all. But it also gets deeper huh.. That's kinda dangerous.. ". I said.
" Yup, that's why most people from nearby are able to swim. ". Luke explained.
Curious, I asked, " What do the people around here do for a living? ".
" Most people settle for a simple farm life, smarter people might become merchants or even government officials. And ambitious people become Adventurers, like me. ". Luke said.
⟨ So the job choices are kinda limited huh. Come to think of it, I don't know much about the city we're going to, or heck, I don't even know much about the world at large. Let's ask⟩.
" Hey Luke, explain to me more about this kingdom and Vansborough city, please? ".
" Where do I start.. Well.. This kingdom is, as you already know, named Ardria, and the current reigning monarch is Her Majesty the Queen Furia II. This kingdom is situated in the most southwestern area of this continent, the kingdom of Ardria currently possesses the most expansive shoreline and therefore, the most active trading and the strongest navy. " Luke explained, he paused for a moment, seemingly remembering something.
Then, he continues, " To the eastern border lies the United Kingdoms of Tillo-Terno, to the northeastern border lies the Wendar Republic, to the northern border, beyond the Magic Forest, lies uncharted territory. And across the ocean to the west there's some more Kingdoms I don't know the names of. ". Even though it's not complete, it's more than enough, so, I asked
" Who governs Vansborough? ".
" The current lord of Vansborough City is Count Markus of the Draculesti Count family. ". Luke said, nonchalantly
⟨ Draculesti?! Isn't that the guy who impaled people?! ⟩. Shocked, I immediately changed the topic again.
Like that, we continued to talk while trekking about random, stupid stuff, apparently, Luke is an ass guy, I thought he was a breast guy but I was pleasantly surprised. I feel like our bond deepened just from this one likeness.
When night came, we set camp on the river bank and I cooked some more fishes Luke had caught earlier, he was stunned for a while because I used << Void Blade >> as a cutting tool, but he came to his senses while muttering " As expected.. ". What is as expected Luke?
While " eating " a cooked fish, I admired the night sky, it was truly beautiful, because the sky is clear and there's no light pollution in this world, the galaxy along with all of it's stars were visible and is shining brightly. I certainly can't see this sky everyday back on Earth, it seems it is currently summer in this world, because there's little to no clouds in the sky. As I laid down on the ground, gazing at the stars, Luke also laid down beside me, we stayed like that for a while, when Luke asked me,
" Hey, Evan, come to think of it, I never knew where you came from.. Could you tell me? ".
⟨ Uh oh.. What should I answer with? hmm.. Let's say I don't know, yeah, let's do that. ⟩. Having decided that, I replied.
" I don't really remember.. I suddenly found myself stranded in the middle of the Forest.. I was alone for a few days before I met you.. Soo.. You're the first person I talked to after coming here. ". I said, shrugging my shoulders.
" So you don't know huh.. Don't you have an identification card? ". He asked again.
" I don't think so.. No.. I was empty handed when I regained consciousness. Maybe I was robbed or something.. ".
" I see.. This is going to be difficult.. ". He said to himself.
" Why? What is going to be difficult? ". I asked.
" Because you don't have anywhere to live currently. You have to stay in Vansborough. To stay in Vansborough, you need money. To get money, you need a job. To get a job, you need an identification card. But, since you're my benefactor, I'll pay for your ID card, we can make an Adventurer's Card, it serves the same purpose after all. And you can become an Adventurer just like me! That is, if you want to be an Adventurer, your magic is strong after all. ". Luke said, he is a really nice guy. I'm thankful for that.
" Really? Thanks! That'll be great! And I do want to become an Adventurer like you. ". I said, with a bright smile, Luke was flustered because of my smile, it never gets old.
⟨ Can I sleep in this body? I really want to sleep under the stars, until now, when I'm together with Luke, I just pretended to sleep, only laying down and closing my eyes, not really sleeping. ⟩.
As I thought of that, the electronic voice came back, saying " Would you like to activate sleep mode? Y/N ". ⟨ That's convenient, Yes please. ⟩.
" Sleep mode activated, wake up sequence will start at 05:30 hours. ".
As the electronic voice said that, my consciousness slipped after a long time and I went to actually sleep.
====[ Author's Note ]====
It's a small chapter today, I'm sorry for that, but next chapter our protagonist will finally arrive at the city, and maybe realize that this world he's in might be closer to home than he thinks ;)
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Please be informed that this is a Fictional work and any and all resemblance to a real Person or Place or Things or Ideas are purely coincidental and know that this humble author means no harm.
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