We spent a few days on the road. It was quite uneventful, thankfully. I say that because it was mostly just walking and maybe greeting fellow travelers. At night, we'd camp out on the side and set up a fire. Tents were surprisingly a thing, but it was a little less advanced than Earth's. Mainly because they don't have zippers to close it. There was a cycle of night watch as well, just in case since it wasn't uncommon for monsters to randomly attack us.
("Ah, here they come again.") [Solace]
It was always when I was on shift that we'd be attacked. This time, there were only two wolves.
("|Wind Edge|.") [Solace]
WIth a single spell cast, I felled the beasts.
("Guess I've got dinner for tomorrow.") [Solace]
It became routine for me to use the monsters I caught as meals. Turns out, no one here could cook except for Fina and I. When Wilharrow tried it went like this:
"Uh… Solace?" [Wilharrow]
"Yeah?" [Solace]
"Is… the bottom of the pot supposed to melt through?" [Wilharrow]
"Excuse me?!" [Solace]
I ran over to Wilharrow, eyes widening as I saw an empty pot with a gaping hole at the bottom. It appeared that the entire pot had turned red hot, which is strange since it was only over a regular open flame.
"How did you do this?!" [Solace]
"I left it on." [Wilharrow]
"I only told you to heat up the pot!" [Solace]
"...You didn't specify how hot." [Wilharrow]
Immediate ban from cooking duty. Then came Raon.
"Here's the steak, guys!" [Raon]
I was handed what I could only consider charcoal. There was also a problem with seasonings with Leon.
"Let me cook." [Leon]
"No." [Solace]
Is what I said as I held her back from adding poison to our soup.
"It will make it tasty!" [Leon]
"Maybe for you! Some of us won't survive!" [Solace]
"Hold on there. Is that a challenge?" [Raon]
I promptly shut him up. Don't remember how, but it was most likely via physical means. Either way, it all ended in me switching with Fina in cooking.
("Thank the gods that there is someone else I can rely on.") [Solace]
After a few days like this, we arrived at Grace Village by dawn.
"Hey, looks like someone is here to greet us." [Raon]
There was an old couple standing at the village's entrance. It was odd to see elderly people still have vibrant hair instead of gray and white hair.
"Welcome! May I have your identification?" [Elderly Man]
Wilharrow took out his hero's medallion.
"Ah, the Hero of Metus! It's truly an honor!" [Elderly Man]
"Please, stay in our humble village for the night." [Elderly Lady]
Wilharrow slipped his medallion back into a hidden pocket.
"I'll gladly take you up on your offer. May I have your names O kind villagers?" [Wilharrow]
The elderly man chuckled.
"There is no need to know the name of this humble one. Just call me chief." [Elderly Man]
"As you say, chief." [Wilharrow]
As we began to follow the elderly couple, I started to have doubts. How can these strangers trust us so quickly? Why are they so willing to accommodate us? I was plagued with many questions, in which I didn't ask.
("I might as well enjoy the scenery.") [Solace]
I observed my surroundings. From as far I can tell, the entire village was surrounded by wooden fences. Not too tall, but high enough that some wild animals can't get in. There weren't really any roads in the village. I assume it's because everyone knew where everyone was.
("This… is pretty fantasy-esque.") [Solace]
The housings were similar to cottages, which was pretty in tune with the medieval-ish theme. I saw farm animals… I think; and plenty of children running around. Like, a LOT of children. So many more in comparison to the amount of adults walking around.
"Here we are. Please enjoy your stay." [Elderly Man]
We stopped by a two story house, built kind of like a mushroom. It honestly looked like it was built entirely out of clay, minus the straw roofing.
"This guest house has six rooms. If you'd like, we can also serve you breakfast." [Elderly Lady]
Wilharrow shook his head.
"Thank you for the offer, but we'll handle that ourselves." [Wilharrow]
The elderly couple bowed a little and left us.
"Alright, I'm sleeping on the second floor." [Raon]
"...We haven't even seen the rooms yet." [Solace]
"It doesn't matter." [Raon]
"Is there a specific reason for this?" [Solace]
Raon puffed out his chest.
"A noble must be above others, even in their sleep." [Raon]
Weird philosophy this one.
"Ooookay…" [Solace]
Surprisingly no one else fought him for it. We entered the house to find a homely feel. Everything was made out of carved wood or materials from animals. Mostly wood though.
"It's getting quite late. We should eat dinner and sleep. We must get up early tomorrow." [Wilharrow]
"...Any particular reason for that?" [Solace]
"We will be passing over a river during low tide. The bridge built over it gets swallowed up when it reaches high tide." [Wilharrow]
"...How do you know this? I thought you never set foot outside before." [Solace]
Wilharrow tapped his head.
"I studied." [Wilharrow]
"Uh-huh." [Solace]