"All right. A friend of mine will pick these bastards in a couple of days, don't worry." The village's chief said.
"Now, who are you? I heard that you saved my daughter, so thank you."
"Your daughter?" Joshua nervously laughed. That man was scary. He wondered what would happen if he knew their plan about going into the capital together.
"She didn't tell you? Well, now you know. I'm Richard, a pleasure to meet you."
"I'm Joshua, nice to meet you too," Joshua and Richard did a handshake, and that firm grip almost crushed Joshua's bones.
"Well, you can ask me anything. I mean, not anything but I'll do you a favor for saving my daughter."
When Richard said that, Joshua didn't even think, and quickly said what he wanted.
"I want you to train me," Joshua said firmly.
"Oh, that was unexpected. Thought you would ask for money or my daughter's hand. If it was the latter you would be dead."
Joshua gulped. Richard seem like a scary dude, and Joshua couldn't even see his level, which was even scarier.
"The training starts tomorrow. You can stay at my house for a couple of days. But not forever, as you will need to build your own house, so I suggest you start today."
Aurora waved at him before leaving with her father. It was only Joshua and the three bandits who were trapped in a cell. He thought about his plans in this new world. Joshua wanted a peaceful life, but he also knew that without strength that wouldn't be possible. Even in the most remote village someday a monster could attack and end his life. He didn't want that, and there's also the fact that getting money as a weakling was harder.
'I should train and get a class with Richard. When Aurora leaves, maybe I go with her or maybe not, I don't know it yet.'
Joshua left the village's prison and went to the woods. The sun was still shining bright, so he wanted to use that to his advantage. He didn't have any idea how to build a house. That wasn't something he learned back on Earth, as he didn't think he would use it.
The first thing he needed to do was to find a suitable place. A place not too close to the village as he was still a stranger and people may get upset, but also not that far as it could be dangerous. After wandering for some time, he found a small waterfall, and plain ground suitable for a house.
'This place looks gorgeous. It's strange that no one builds a house here already.'
Before doing anything related to the construction, Joshua took his clothes off and jumped straight into the pool of water formed right beneath the waterfall. He was filthy after all the fighting and walking. Joshua took the chance to have a better look at himself. The reflection on the water showed a thin young man, with a handsome face and short hair. He was really similar to his Earth appearance, but he was now slightly more handsome.
'Of course, I'm more handsome. In this world, I'm blessed.' Joshua laughed out loud and enjoyed his bath.
It was getting dark, so Aurora went looking for him in the woods. It wasn't that far from the village, so she quickly found him. Joshua was laughing like a crazy man so it was easy to track him down.
The moment she got closer to the pool of water, Joshua got up from his bath. Aurora saw everything, and her cheeks turned as red as an apple.
"Hey, Aurora" Joshua waved at her, but soon he remembered something.
'Shit I'm naked!' He ran and grabbed his clothes, hid behind a bush, and changed.
It took him some time to get the courage to face Aurora, but he finally did.
"I'm so sorry about that," he apologized to her, and she nodded in response.
"It's okay. I shouldn't appear without warning, it was quite obvious that one would bath in this gorgeous waterfall."
Joshua was happy that she understood, but he also knew that it would take some time for her to fully be okay with that.
They walked back to the village, which took about five minutes. Most of the houses were simple, but they aimed towards the fancy house, which belonged to the chief of the village, Richard.
"Oh, you two are back. There's some food at the table, don't forget to eat. I'll go to bed, and Joshua, don't stay awake for that long. We will be starting our training in the morning, as early as the sun rising, so be prepared." Richard said and went upstairs to his room. It had been a long time since he woke up that early, he was retired after all, but now he would train this young man who saved his daughter.
'I'll uncover the truth about how you handled those three bandits." Richard thought.
Joshua and Aurora sat together and ate. It was a chicken, some vegetables and eggs. Pretty much all the things the village cultivated.
"Are you excited for tomorrow?" Aurora asked.
"A little, yeah. But the training shouldn't be that hard, right?" Joshua didn't think a retired military would destroy him that easily.
"Well, considering that my father was once the General of this country's entire army, I'm sure it will be easy for you."
"Huh? You're joking, right?"
"I wish." Aurora chuckled.
After eating and chatting, they both went to bed. Joshua slept in the guests' room and didn't take long for that, as he was really tired.
It was early in the morning, and Joshua's training would start. He didn't know if he would survive, but it was something he had to do.
"Wake up you sleepy head." someone knocked at his door, and Joshua already knew who it was.
"Isn't this too early for an old man to be awake?"
"Prepare to die, brat."