In the midst of a packed arena, a thunderous cheer erupted from the crowd, all chanting a single word: "Hero". I turned to see who they were cheering for and spotted a very good-looking teenager in shining armor. He held a sword in one hand and was casting fire magic with the other.
Suddenly, he dashed towards me and swung his sword in my direction. I was baffled, Why is he attacking me? Somehow, I managed to dodge his sword just in time. I tried to fight back but before I could react, he shot a powerful fireball at me. The impact was so strong that it sent me flying several meters, crashing into the arena wall, causing it to crack.
As I lay there in pain, I saw the cracked wall behind me, it resembling a spider's web. It was clear that his fireball had immense power. Despite my pain, I noticed him coming at me again, raising his sword high above his head, ready to strike like lightning.
"Please, just wait—" I tried to speak, but before I could utter another word, he brought his sword down like lightning.
*Clang!*
A metallic noise rang out, and as my vision dimmed, I struggled to make sense of the sound. Everything around me grew dark.
*Thud*
I jolted awake, a bit confused, realizing I had fallen out of bed during my slumber. Looking around, I saw that I was still in the Inn in Random Town.
*Sigh*
I sighed, pushing myself to stand, and then noticed something had fallen from my blanket.
*Thud*
It fell to the floor with a thud. Curious, I looked down and saw it was the pocket watch named 'Lucid' that I had received from old man Owen just yesterday. How did it end up here? Was I so tired yesterday that I slept with it accidentally? I wasn't sure, but for now, it didn't seem important.
I decided to put it aside and started getting ready for the day, but...
*Thud!*
I stubbed my pinky toe on the bed.
"Goddammit, what a lousy way to start the day," I grumbled, more frustrated with my luck than anything else.
I held my pinky toe, sitting on the bed and waiting for the pain to gradually subside. After a few minutes, the pain finally faded, and I let out a sigh of relief. I stretched out on the bed once again, feeling more comfortable.
*Sigh*
"I should go to the capital city today," I said to myself.
After getting ready, I went downstairs. I was wearing the new clothes I had bought yesterday because they were the only regular clothes I had in this world. My other outfits were my delivery uniform and battle armor.
As I walked down the stairs and headed towards the diner, someone accidentally bumped into me.
*Ouch*
We both fell to the ground and to make things worse, the person who bumped into me was carrying a pot of scalding hot soup that spilled all over me.
"Hot, hot, hot, hot! Goddammit, can't you see where you're going, you idiot? Do you have eyes in the back of your head or something?" I angrily snapped without even looking at the person responsible.
It turned out to be a middle school girl, probably the teenager's sister. My angry words frightened her, and she started crying while apologizing.
"Eek, I-I'm really, really sorry. I didn't notice you. P-please forgive me," she stammered through her tears.
As a result of the commotion we had caused, a few people began gathering around us. Among them was a man who appeared to be in his late thirties or early forties, with a sturdy build that, while not as extreme as old man Owen's, had an athlete's look to it. He noticed the situation and hurried over to the girl, trying to console her.
"What happened, sweetie? Why are you crying?" he asked her with a concerned expression.
"Daddy, I accidentally spilled hot soup all over that customer," she replied, tears streaming down her face.
The girl's father glanced at me and offered an apology, saying, "I'm very sorry about that, sir. If possible, I'll cover the cost of your clothes." He was willing to compensate me he looked quite anxious and started to leave to get something, but I didn't want to make a big fuss over a minor accident.
*Sigh*
I let out a sigh and stopped him and reassured him, "No, it's fine, as I said earlier, it was just an accident. I don't blame your daughter. But I would advise her to be more careful from now on."
Luckily, the soup was some kind of clear broth, so there were no stains on the clothes. If washed properly, they could still be used. I finished speaking, and suddenly, the area where the soup had spilled began to hurt.
*Ahaa*
I let out a pained cry, realizing that I had suffered some burn injuries from the accident. The girl's father noticed and immediately said, "Sir, is it still burning? Just a moment, let me call my wife; she knows healing magic."
He turned to his daughter and said, "Sweetie, could you please call mommy for me? The kind customer got hurt because of the hot soup."
She was still teary-eyed, but upon hearing her father's request, she stopped crying and managed to respond, "O-okay."
The girl went off somewhere, and after a few minutes, she returned with a woman who appeared to be around the same age as the girl's father. She was attractive, though not as stunning as the women from the Firebrand family. The woman had blond hair and blue eyes, while the girl's father had brown hair and green eyes.
The woman looked at her husband with a puzzled expression and asked, "Honey, what happened?"
The girl's father proceeded to explain the entire situation to his wife. Afterward, the woman turned to me and offered her apologies, saying, "Oh my, sir, I'm truly sorry for my daughter's actions. Please allow me to heal you."
She extended her hand toward my chest and uttered some words.
"Hydro Heal," she said. As she uttered those words, my entire body felt cool for a while, and a gentle light blue glow emanated from me. After a few minutes, the burning sensation I had felt completely disappeared.
"What...what did you do? All the pain vanished instantly," I asked the girl's mother, my eyes wide with surprise.
She offered me a small smile and explained, "Sir, I used a higher-tier blue healing magic on you. The lower-tier one could heal it, but it would take some time, which is why I opted for the higher-tier magic."
I was curious about this 'Blue Magic,' but I hesitated to ask. It seemed like common knowledge in this world, and I didn't want to appear ignorant and gather more attention. Instead, I simply thanked her.
"Thank you, I feel a lot better now," I expressed my gratitude. But the girl's father began talking to me again.
"Sir, about your clothes..." He started, but I cut him off.
"No, it's okay, as I said earlier, it was just an accident," I reassured him. However, he persisted.
"I understand, but do you have any other clothes to change into?" he inquired, looking curious.
As I pondered, I realized I didn't have any regular clothes from this world. I looked at him and replied, "Honestly, I don't have any. I'm a traveler, and I usually don't pack many clothes." I told him a made-up story.
"I see. In that case, I can give you some of my clothes. Your size seems similar to mine, although they won't be as fancy as the ones you're wearing. But these are new clothes I bought for special occasions," he offered me some new clothes.
Honestly, something was better than nothing, so I accepted his offer.
"Then I'll accept your offer," I said with a small smile.
After a few moments, he handed me the clothes—a simple light brown tunic and some grey pants. I went upstairs to change my clothes, also packing all my belongings in preparation to leave.
Once I descended the stairs, the girl's father was waiting for me, with the girl hiding behind him, looking frightened.
"Sir, it suits you well," he remarked with a slight smile.
"Thank you, and by the way, I'm leaving this town today, so I'm planning to vacate my room," I expressed my gratitude and informed him.
"I see, that's a shame, but I understand. If you ever return to this town, please consider staying at our inn again. I'll let you stay here free of cost," he kindly offered.
"Thank you for your offer," I replied, glancing at the girl who was still hiding behind her father. She seemed frightened and darted behind him again when she saw me.
I gestured for her to come closer. She glanced at her father, who gave a small smile and nodded his head in approval. With his support, she slowly approached me. I raised my hand, and she let out a small shriek out of fear. However, I patted her gently on the head and said, "Everyone makes mistakes, but we need to learn from them and make sure not to repeat them, alright?"
She stared at me blankly for a moment, then nodded slightly, offering a smile and replying, "Okay, mister, I'll make sure not to repeat my mistake today." I returned her smile with one of my own.
After bidding farewell to the father and daughter duo, I left the inn. However, I suddenly realized that I had forgotten to have breakfast. So, I turned back and reentered the inn. The father and daughter duo looked at me with a puzzled expression, and the father asked, "Sir, did you forget something?"
"Well, because of all the commotion, I forgot to have my breakfast," I explained with a straight face.
The father and daughter duo stared at me blankly for a moment, and then the father said, "Please, have as much as you want. It's on the house."
I thanked them, enjoyed a hearty breakfast, and bid them farewell once again. This time, I was determined not to go back and spoil my grand exit.