In the end, they all left the inn. On their own legs.
By this time, the sky was already darkening and the sun was getting closer to beneath the surface.
"Now what?" One of the four teens, Andy, asked aloud. Even after the many 'beatings' and losses he suffered, his mentality and behavior did not get dampened at all. He had a springy character, one that can bounce back no matter what setbacks and challenges he face. This was one of his good points. His disadvantage was that he still behaved a little like a kid, with ignorance and naivety. He's also easy to fool with low IQ.
He was like a bright ball of sunshine. It really makes people unable to think why such a silly and good kid would be a mugger.
Though, of course, he knows now that he really shouldn't mess with people stronger than him unless he wants to be beaten up. Hint, the guy who beat him and his friends up countless times till they passed out, though to be exact they weren't hit, they were beaten mentally---Xing Liyun.
"Are you an Erebus?" Robby asked out of the blue, breaking the previous standstill silence between all of them.
'Depends on what an Erebus is,' Xing Liyun answered, but did not voice it out. For he had an inkling that it was supposed to be common sense in this world to know what "Erebus" was. And he didn't want others (people of this word) to know that he does not belong here. Just then, a whisper came into his ears.
"Yes," Xing Liyun replied back to Robby's question after a brief moment of silence, as he stared unblinkingly straight into Robby's glowing eyes without flinching. The heavy pressure of expectation and admiration from his fan not affecting him one bit.
Before Robby could react, the three people behind him were already squealing and jumping in excitement and joy with one another. Just short of hugging each other. Especially Andy who was the loudest, not ashamed at all of the weird glances he was getting from passersby.
Robby, who thinks himself the most mature among his peers, wanted to facepalm himself in embarrassment for the scene his friends were making. Although in truth, he too wanted to scream and jump in great elation with them together. But that would be too embarrassing to do and say.
He was just too rational-minded to actually do it.
During the time when Xing Liyun was stuck in a moment of silence from speechlessness owing to Robby's innocent, yet fatal (for him), question, Ying had inconspicuous leaned over next to Xing Liyun's ear without being noticed by the four teens---not that they were even looking at Ying in the first place to notice him since all their attention at the time was focused on Xing Liyun---and whispered what an 'Erebus' was to him. By the way, he also informed Xing Liyun of the way Erebus were viewed by the people of the world. This helped Xing Liyun to connect the dotes by himself and understand why they were forced out.
Now, to Xing Liyun, he found Erebus to be similar to, or more like, exactly the same as assassins in his old world. In which case he was.
He could've hidden this fact and denied it to the four teens, however, he decided not to in the end. The reason being that they were already kicked out of the inn due to his identity being "found out," so he saw no reason to lie about his real occupation when it's already out in the open and he just needed to confirm it. Even if he did deny it, how could he explain why they were kicked out?
That they were mistaken?
He doesn't think so. He deduced that the matter on the streets of him killing someone must've spread and the way he killed the other guy must've also spread along with it, and since the inn owner despises Erebus, they got kicked out. The news that reached the inn owner's ears might've also included his appearance, and since he has not seen anyone else remotely similar to his outer appearance, it was save to say that the other party was not mistaken.
The kids in front of him weren't that smart or intelligent, but they were definitely not stupid. And since Xing Liyun wants them to work for him and have his back in the future, he would need to be honest with them, at least with what he does or will do since they'll be a part of it in the future.
However, if their attitude was really terrible, Xing Liyun might have to consider getting rid of them. He doesn't have a very warm heart after all. He even had an ulterior motive for taking them in.
That aside, right now, he didn't see the same disdain and disgust in the four adolescences as in the eyes and face of the inn owner.
Though in the first place he didn't understand why him being an Erebus---or rather, he likes to call himself, an assassin---would make him and his group be driven out of a lodging establishment. Xing Liyun gets that there are some people who don't like Erebus, just like how many disliked and feared assassins in his old world, but isn't this too extreme?
He wondered if in this whole town only this inn owner and some others are like this or if the entire town reacts the same way if an Erebus was in front of them.
He gets that people don't generally like Erebus, but why would it be to the point where he would be booted out? Even in his previous world people did not like assassins, but assassins also had a notorious prestige among people, people were more afraid of them than anything else while the opposite is true here, it seems.
Xing Liyun exhaled slowly as he looked up into the nighttime sky that was still somewhat light out as it was the summer season currently in this world.
'Before I came here, it was winter in my world when I died. I remember that I died lying on a field of snow, with snowflakes falling down continuously onto my body before I lost consciousness. I think there was supposed to be a blizzard that day, an extremely severe blizzard. I wonder if my body got buried underneath that large amount of snow?' Xing Liyun thought to himself as he suddenly got nostalgic as he felt the slight warmth in the summer night on his originally cold and lifeless body in winter time, although there was nothing to miss. Nowhere for him to return to. He has no family.
Switching to a different subject, they needed to find someplace to spend the night at soon. At night it was dangerous no matter in which world.
So with that as priority on their agenda, Xing Liyun and co. went from one lodging establishment to the next yet none were willing to take them in once they saw Xing Liyun and recalled how the rumors said the Erebus looked like. Not willing even when offered extra money for a room.
The door was slammed harshly in their faces.
Along the way, the crew also heard bits and pieces of the rumors floating across the entire town.
It's true that the person in the news of the incident spreading around was him. The description was extremely accurate.
Just like this time passed and the sky became completely dark. The street lamps powered by mana lit up at the right time as if it had a life of its own, sensing that the dark streets needed a little lighting. But that won't last for long since the townspeople of this town only had the street lamps on for a short time of the night to make sure people got back safely, usually lasting for an hour before they go out. In a way, the street lamps acted as a reminder.
"Urghh.... We've been walking and going from inn to inn for so long already! I want to rest!" Owen complained. He stretched out his arms over his head and flailed them wildly in the cooling night air as protest and to show them he meant what he said.
Out of the three friends, Owen was undoubtedly the one who complains the most and the most easy one to complain. His whiny attitude often makes his friends want to kick his butt and slap his face to shut his mouth up.
"We might have to spend the night out on the streets," Robby commented. "But then again, we've spent literally our whole life until yesterday sleeping in the streets so this is nothing new."
Then he added as an afterthought to comfort his three forlorn friends, "We can consider yesterday sleeping inside an inn, in an actual room---although on the floor---as a once-in-a-lifetime novel happening. Don't think too much."
Taking a second look at Robby and then at the kids, Andy, Owen, and Evan---whose names he found out while they were searching for an inn---Xing Liyun reassessed his impression of the four teens who're only one year younger than him.
It seemed like fate had by chance given him boys who are not bad in nature.
Xing Liyun's eyes clouded over.
Just then, one of the boys, Andy, bumped into someone.
While the rest of the group was walking at a steady pace, Andy had been goofing off and going ahead of them, and because he was not being careful of where he was going, he ended up knocking into someone.
"Ow!" exclaimed Andy as he was bumped back a few steps from the accidental collision.
"Oof!" the person he bumped into let out a surprised sound as he, too, was pushed forward a little, as Andy had bumped him in the back, from the unexpected "encounter."
When Andy came to after stabilizing himself, he realized his mistake and apologized immediately to the other, "S-Sorry!"
The person Andy bumped into was a middle-aged man in his forties. He was a native person and farmer in this town. He lives outside of the town and where the planting fields are. Today, he had come into town to visit some of his old friends and relax a little thanks to the Festival of Fiz.
This middle-aged man was not an unreasonable man. Seeing that the one who bumped into him was only a child and that the other side clearly looked embarrassed and had already apologized sincerely, he did not make it hard for him. He grinned warmly to help relax Andy and uttered in a light voice, "No worries. This old bag of bones is still sturdy enough to take a hit or two let alone a mere light bump. You just gotta be more watchful when you walk in the future."
Andy nodded his head, his face still flushed with embarrassment.
Then the middle-aged man suddenly asked, "Where're your parents? Aren't they accompanying you this late at night? You know, this late at night is usually when bad guys come."
Hearing the last part, Andy blushed. But since he was already blushing in the first place, it wasn't apparent.
He thought to himself, 'I am one of those bad guys.'