It's been a month since I left the Adirondack Mountains. Since then, I've been on an endless adventure! In my journeys, I've discovered that [Explorers] who were brave and wise founded [Settlements] to develop civilization in the <
In addition, monsters, bandits, assassins, even the mafia. Everyone and everything seems to want a piece of me. That's right, just like what's happening right now.
"Hehehe, we've been trying to look all over for you. The Von Sigmunds put a hiiiiigh price on your head."
He's what you would call, "the common thug". I've seen this stereotype in anime and manga before but I never once in my life did I think that it will happen to me. Of course, as expected of a common thug, he brought his buddies with him, around eight total. Honestly, it was fun at first but when guys like this come at you almost everyday, it gets kinda tiring at some point.
"Hey now, do you really want to jump me in the middle of the street? In literal broad daylight?" I reply with a sigh.
That's right. These geniuses surrounded me in the middle of the day. This might be a small [Settlement] that looks like one of those Western Cowboy movies, but there's enough law and order that this type of behavior is frowned upon.
"You think we're scared of the Sheriff? We're the Cutthroat Gang! Ain't that right boys!"
"Yeah, what he said!"
Now they're causing more of a ruckus. Some passersby just look at us with annoyance while some are scrambling to call the authorities.
"Sigh... I have a patient to visit so I'll let you off with this."
[Basilisk Eyes]
After a flick of my finger, an image of a large lizard appears behind me and shines a dull yellow light at them.
"Wha- I can't move! What'd you do?!"
The rest of his gang also struggle in place as their limbs are frozen in place.
Ignoring his cries, I pat him on the shoulder and say, "Tell my beloved Sheriff that I'll get him whatever dinner he wants. I can't just send you guys to him without an offering after all."
"W-wait, Demain! You can't just leave us like this! Demaaaaain!"
Welp, better bounce before the Sheriff catches me. I honestly feel bad for bringing in all of these criminals in his [Settlement] but he should forgive me when all of these arrests lead to his promotion.
But enough about that! Today, I need to see someone in the [Settlement's] medical ward. Located in the heart of the community, this two-story cabin is the lifeblood of all [Explorers]. Got injuries? Almost dead? No problem! The staff here will take care of you. Well, except for the head doctor... She's a bit of a weird one.
"Oh, hello Mr. Demain!"
A cheery, young male nurse greets me. His name's Leonard. He has that cute tiny face and thin physique that would make you mistake him for a girl if you don't pay enough attention. Honestly, cute guys like him are all the rage before I got trapped. K-pop I think it was called? Many people tried telling him that he should just accept his appearance but he's really self conscious about it. In fact, right now, he's wearing his long brunette hair in a "man bun" in an attempt to appear masculine but I think that's just shooting himself on the foot.
"Hey, Leonard," I reply and give him a bag. "Is Dr. Kimberly in?"
He shakes his head.
"She clocked out this morning. Last night was terrible with all the emergencies after all. Woah! Are these oranges?"
"Don't eat too much of those. They're dense in mana."
"Thanks so much! It's been a long time since I had oranges!"
Sigh... the world has really gone to shit. Little luxuries like this aren't as widely mass produced like before so [Settlements] like this one don't get anything. Also, the government hasn't figured out how to build roads through this deadly forest so merchants aren't so inclined to trade.
"By the way, the patient you brought in the other day's showing signs of recovery. He should wake up soon," he says as he peels an orange excitedly.
"I'm on my way up there. If Kimberly comes back, tell her I'm not here."
"Roger sir!" he salutes.
That's right, I found some guy in the forest when I was hunting. I think his wife called him Francis? Tall, dark, and handsome, probably an Italian based on that goatee he's rocking. The lunatic fought a monster by himself with a shotgun that dislocated his shoulder and shattered a wrist. Talk about commitment.
I eventually arrive at his door on the second floor and knock on it slightly.
"This is Richard, the guy who brought you here," I say. "You awake?"
"Oh! Mr. Demain! Please come in."
His wife's awake it seems. Honestly, I should call this couple "Sleeping Beauties" because ever since they got here, both of them did almost nothing but sleep.
"Aren't you supposed to be resting, Mrs. De Santis?" I ask as I gingerly open the door.
The guy's still asleep. He was in terrible shape when I brought him here. Now, except for a couple of scars and the casts on both of his arms, he's relatively doing ok. Magical medicine is awesome.
"Oh, I've been resting since I got here," she smiles. "I want to be beside him when he wakes up."
"Well, suit yourself," I reply and hand her a bag. "Here's some peaches. Let's eat while we have a little talk."
"Wow! I've never seen peaches this huge before! Where'd you get them?"
"A [Lake Guardian] gave them to me," I reply.
"Hehehe you're so funny," she chuckles. "Let me cut it up for you."
She thinks I'm joking but I'm not. There was a reason why I specifically searched for those.
"So, Mrs. De Santis-"
"Oh, please Mr. Demain, call me Sylvia. You literally saved both our lives. There's no need for formalities."
"Says the woman who slapped me when I was feeding her husband a healing potion."
"Haha what else could I do? I thought you were a psycho who was drowning my unconscious husband."
"Haha then call me Richard. "Mr. Demain" makes me sound so old."
"Deal!" she says and hands me a slice.
"So, Sylvia. Tell me, where did you two come from?" I ask as I take my seat on a nearby stool.
"Oh, you know. We came from Portland," she replies. "Francis and I wanted to get away from relatives and start fresh in a [Settlement]."
[Divine Mind Activated]
[You know that everything the subject said was a lie, but it was done without malice]
Oh? That's interesting... She lies without breaking a sweat. I'm pretty sure that if I was a normal guy, I wouldn't have batted an eye.
"That sounds good!" I reply with a smile. "Oh man, but what bad luck did you have to meet a [Big Dipper]."
"[Big... Dipper]?" she cocks her head curiously.
"Yeah! It's a D-rank monster that usually keep to themselves. You guys must've done something to piss it off without noticing."
Her eyes shift slightly.
"Ah... yeah..."
It really WAS bad luck that they encountered that thing. When I got more information, I discovered that [Explorers] rank monsters from F to S here. The higher they are in the tier, the fewer they are in the wild. This system is the same in Garden of Days. It prevents people from dying to random encounters often.
"In any case, your husband was really brave to keep its attention off of you by being bait," I continue. "Not anyone could've done that!"
Upon mentioning her husband's selfless act, she gazes at the bed with sadness and love.
"He would..." she says with a teary smile. "That's just the kind of guy he is."
*GASP*
"SYLVIA RUN! COME YOU BEAR BITCH! HAVE A TASTE OF THIS!"
As if hearing us talk about him, Francis gasps for air and starts cussing. I guess he was having a nightmare of that day.
Sylvia immediately drops the knife and embraces him.
"Shh, shh, it's okay, amore mio. You're safe."
His eyes dart in confusion as every muscle in his body tenses up. Eventually, hearing his wife's comforting words and feeling her embrace calms him down a bit and his eyes eventually rests on me.
"Hey, look at you, you're finally awake," I say with a soft smile.