We somehow made it to the city walls. John and Lily were rubbing their thighs or squatting down but I was fine. I faced worse situations during my harsh training so I can still stand properly from all the running. Legs were aching a little but still fine~ *flips imaginary long hair
Anyway, saying that City Of Pines is big is a huge understatement. It is a gigantic city spanning about ten kilometres, enclosed in 50 metres circular walls in height that closed off the entire city from the outside world. This city can certainly withstand a war despite bombardments from all angles easily. There were four main entrances that you can enter the city. All of them were guarded by soldiers. And when I said soldiers, I meant a lot of them. You would think the common amount of soldiers for each entrance would be about two soldiers guarding them. But there is at least ten in this entrance alone. Are they expecting a war to occur in a moment's notice? Or did they perhaps made a grudge with some other neighbouring countries?
I gestured John and Lily to follow as we head into the entrance. I was obviously still worried about grandfather's safety who might still be fighting right now. I am fighting against my every nature to rush back there to ensure that he is alright, but I know that is a foolish action. Not only there is a chance that I might be running into a trap, I might be dead before finding out what happened to him.
I need some reinforcements or bodyguards to escort me back there. I am dying to get some answers from the aftermath of that battle.
We walked closer to the entrance where the soldiers were guarding. Upon reaching closer, I looked up and 'wow' were the walls imposing to look at. It is straight and steep, making it difficult to look without causing some form of vertigo. I doubt any assassins would be foolish enough to climb this wall without some sort of rope or tools.
"You three, come quickly. We are about to close the gates for the day!" shouted one of the soldiers.
We quickly rushed towards the entrance. It was late now and the sky was already darkening. I guess I can only return to where grandfather was tomorrow. Damn it.
"I take it you three are here to join the guilds, right? Head on inside. You might want to visit one of the taverns for a meal and some rest. Best to take your time in choosing your guild. A fresh start awaits you tomorrow! The closest tavern is straight ahead to your left. Look for the sign 'Sleeping Daisies' up front. You won't miss it," chatted one of the soldiers.
We just nodded to him and said thanks. He must be bored having stand guard the whole day. And the three of us happened to walk by, giving him an opportunity to talk to someone.
"Before that… none of you is a Hawthorn, right?" glared one of the soldier.
The three of us shuddered. Is John or Lily going to rat me out? Am I going to face another problem right after another? What is wrong with today?! Why nothing seems to go right? The stars must be so misaligned today that all these things happened on the very same day that I am forced to travel to the city to become an adventurer, saved these two kids, almost getting killed by a stranger and now soldiers are questioning me out of the blue?! All because I have Hawthorn in my name?! Bloody hell I should change my name soon and erase Hawthorn from my ID. Wait, what's an ID?
"Aww c'mon Earl, stop scaring the kids like that. There had not been a Hawthorn that came to the city for 30 years now. Chill out man," said a soldier next to Earl.
Earl, eh? I will remember you. Mark my words.
"Just doing my job. You know our duties are to question strangers coming in to the city. Queen's orders, y'know?" said Earl with a shrug.
We walked away as quickly as we could without replying them. Oh lord please, I want this day to end quickly. I want to fall flat on a bed and close my eyes. But before that, I need to find some mercenary or adventurer to escort me to the spot where grandfather was fighting. I need to go there tomorrow otherwise I will never be able to get on with my life. Not when I have no answers about grandfather's safety.
As we were walking towards the direction given by the soldier, a pinkish haired man suddenly appeared out of an alleyway and asked us a question.
"Hey, do you want to know… da wae?" asked the stranger.
He was wearing a knuckle-duster on one of his hand.
"No thanks, sir! We know where we are going!" I said and rushed quickly ahead.
"Who were you talking to?" asked Lily.
"Huh? Some weird guy was asking whether we needed some directions earlier. Didn't you see him in the alleyway?" I asked her.
The both of them looked at each other in a confused manner. Was I having a delusion earlier? Wow, I am certainly going crazy with all that had happened today.
We headed towards the tavern as quickly as possible. I let out a sigh upon seeing the sign 'Sleeping Daisies' located on top of an entrance. That certainly looked like a tavern alright. Lily ran ahead and slammed the door open. She quickly ran to the counter and asked for something from the female innkeeper. The lady pointed towards a direction where she followed. John and I looked at each other with a puzzled look. Was there somewhere urgent that she needed to go? Shrugging off Lily's odd behaviour,Tthe both of us walked closer to the counter.
"Ara ara, are you with the silver-haired elf? Did you three just reached the city today to join a guild? Onee-san have some information for newcomers but it might cost you," she winked at us.
Onee-san? She looked like she is almost in her mid-thirties or so. But something tells me that I should not be calling her Oba-san should I wish to see another day.
Seemingly read my mind, John decided to defy all odds and did it.
"Oba-san, what's on the menu today? I am starving and I want meat!" asked John.
Uhh… does he not sense the impending doom approaching us?
"Oh my, we have roasted purkette or boofette served with fresh vegetables and fruits along with some bread and soup," said the innkeeper as she held up her kitchen knife.
There was a death glare she was giving to John with a dark aura emitting behind her. Her knife was glimmered with a shiny *Twink!
Goosebumps appeared behind my neck and I can literally feel the hairs on my forearms standing. Lily came back to the counter oblivious about to the situation that is about to occur.
"What's going on?" she asked with an upbeat tone.
"RUN!" shouted John as he rushed for the exit.
Lily who was seemingly calmer now yanked on John's shirt, halting him in place as he tried to run away.
"I've had enough of running for today. Can we just sit down and eat, please?" asked Lily. She seems to be in a better mood now.
"Where did you go earlier, Lily? You seems to be in a rush somewhere," I asked her.
She made a surprised look and hesitated. She then placed her two index finger together as though she was trying to think of something. Alright, I think I knew where she went. Forgive me for my terrible perception once again.
"She probably went to the loo. It's been a crazy day for all of us with the thugs and stranger trying to kill us. Talk about an eventful day," said John casually.
THUNK!
Lily gave John a punch to the head. I chuckled at the interaction of these two. The compatibility of their chemistry is probably the reason as to why they agreed to travel together in the first place. Will they end up together in the future? If things took it's course then I'll step back. Now is not the time for me to be thinking about girls. Enough of fooling around, I have a task to fulfil before the end of the day. I sure hope I can find someone to tag along tomorrow. I turned to the innkeeper and asked her.
"Onee-chan, may I know where I can hire some mercenaries?" I asked her bluntly.
She was taken aback. She thought I would be asking her information about the guilds but instead, here I am asking her about mercenaries. She seemed to be hesitant in telling me. She even placed her index finger on her lips and she thought carefully for some time.
"How about.. you order something to eat and I'll tell you? Deal? I am certain the three of you have some money to pay for a meal, right?" asked the innkeeper cheerfully.
The three of us reached into our pockets to take out a coin. John took out a copper coin while Lily took out a silver one. John was shocked at seeing Lily's silve coin in her hand. It would appear the innkeeper was impressed as well. Lily raised up her head and placed both of her hands at her hips to show some form of superiority over John. Fu fu was the sneering remarks I heard from Lily. I reached into my coin pouch, took out a coin and placed it on the counter table.
"Is this enough for me to order a meal?" I asked honestly.
I don't know why but it felt as though time had stopped. None of them made any movements whatsoever as they stared at the coin I placed on the table. A couple of seconds later, the innkeeper broke the silence.
"G— g.. g— Gold coin?!" she shouted while placing both hands at her cheeks.
What's the matter with a gold coin? I turned to look at John and Lily who were baffled, impressed, confused and stunned at the same time.
"Umm.. Zen? I don't think a tavern can afford to provide enough change for you if you're going to pay with a gold coin. A meal usually cost about a copper or two depending on what you order," explained Lily.
I gave her a confused look as I did not know the value and currency of this world yet.
"Alright, never mind. Innkeep, food and drinks are on me for the three of us," announced Lily as she handed the silver coin to the innkeeper.
The innkeeper proceeded to take her silver coin and returned about 47 copper coins. Ah, it would seemed that a meal here costs only a copper. The innkeeper smiled and head into the kitchen to prepare our meals.
"Zen, you seemed to be confused about the value of your gold coin. Do you really not know the true value of it?" she asked me and I shook my head. Any financial related topics are completely unknown to me right now.
"I never left my house in the forbidden forest before nor did I do any trading or purchased anything before. Would you be willing to teach me?" I asked her.
Alright, ting ting ting. Education time by Lily sensei. Alright, let us put the value of 1 copper coin to be equivalent to 1 USD. In order to become a silver coin, you will need 50 copper coins. Everything clear so far? Now, in order to become a gold coin, how much silver coin do you need? 25 to be exact. So a gold coin is equivalent to 1,250 copper coins. And I have 12 gold coins with me. That would total up to 15,000 copper coins. That's 15,000 USD baby!
GRANDFATHER! Why did you give me so much money?!!
I immediately kept the gold coin back into my pouch and made a mental note to keep it extra safe inside my dougi. I will never ever let go of this pouch in my entire life.
The innkeeper came back to the counter with our meal. It was roast purkette that she mentioned earlier. I'll admit, that certainly looked appetising and smells good too. We began devouring our meals as our hunger kicked in. We literally ate at the counter table as we were too hungry to bother finding another table to eat at. Within minutes, our plates were squeaky clean. Wait, hang on, I take that back. Only mine were clean. Both John and Lily still had some leftovers.
"Lily, why didn't you eat the bread crust? It is bad manners to leave some leftovers on your plate," I explained to her.
"Oh, but the crust is too hard to chew and it's pretty tasteless anyway. I find it pointless to eat it when it takes so much energy just to chew," she explained her reasoning.
"Then why did you not dip it in the soup then? Wouldn't that made it softer?" I questioned her.
"But that would ruin the essence of the soup. Why would I ruin a perfectly good soup?" she questioned me back.
"D— don't be a Garnt!" I yelled at her and she retaliated back with a "Who is Garnt?!"
"Sigh, you will never understand the life of eating soups or stews. What about you, John? Aren't you going to eat your fruits?" I sighed.
"Hmm? Oh I don't like these fruits especially when there are oranges. Oranges are hard to peel. I prefer bananas to be honest," he replied.
I covered my face with both hands. How did I get stuck with these two pampered lords and their horrible trash taste. Oh dear lord, if only your everyday diet consisted of either stew or soups, you would be eating just about anything else that tasted good. I tried to hold myself back at my disappointment with these two but I just snapped.
"Eat your watermelon, damn it!!" I shouted at John.
The both of them were stunned by my sudden outburst. Realising my mistake, I immediately went back to normal and sat quietly at my seat. Both of them began laughing at my sudden outburst. The innkeeper who was looking at us started chuckling too. She probably found us to be some adorable younglings that just arrived to the city, waiting to discover the harsh reality of the world that awaits us.
"Rick? Do you mind coming here for a sec?" she called out a man who was seated at one of the table nearby.
He approached the counter brimming with confidence. He seemed strong and I can sense that he had some combat experience under his thumb. But I wonder, if I were to fight him, do I stand a chance at defeating him despite our size difference?
"Now, how can I serve our lovely innkeep lady? Finally asking me out? Please don't tell me I have to babysit these three kids tomorrow," asked Rick with a horrified face.
"This boy over here is looking for mercenaries. I was wondering whether you are interested in his offer? asked the innkeeper.
"Oh ho, mercenary work requires payment. Are you able to afford to pay in the first place, little man?" asked Rick.
There was no malice in his tone. I guess this is how the way he rolls. And I understand that nothing comes free in this world. I am certainly willing to pay if he is willing to escort me tomorrow.
"Is this enough for your service?" I flicked my gold coin and grabbed it.
I did not care whether I am overpaying for his service. I just need to secure someone to escort me. That is all I care about right now.
"A— gold coin?!" uttered Rick.
He was taken aback. Perhaps I am overpaying him.
"W— what are you asking of us for you to be willing to pay us a gold coin for it?? Hunting dragons? Or demons?" he shivered.
Wow. I did not know a gold coin is enough to hire mercenaries to hunt a dragon. Not too sure about demons though. The power of a gold coin is really painting me to be like some rich bastard ordering people around. But the value of coin is not important to me right now. I just needed him to say yes.
"I just need you to escort me to a location outside of the city. Think of it as bodyguard work. Protect me from any dangers that might entail. It is about a kilometre from the city heading towards the forbidden forest. A round-way trip, if you don't mind. Deal?" I asked him.
"T— that's it? Just an escort mission?" he was puzzled by my request.
I can see that he was baffled. Not only am I overpaying him for a simple escort mission, the journey itself would take like half a day at most. He scratched his cheek with his index finger and called over a female member that was seated at the same table. They whispered to each other and she peeked over his shoulder to glance at me. Ah, I think I heard some form of agreement.
"Alright— we'll do it. Meet me at the southern entrance in the morning and we will depart from there," said Rick.
I gave a sigh of relief. Finally good news today. We shook on it as a pact of agreement.
"Name's Zen. See you in the morning," I smiled at him.
"Rick's the name. And don't you worry, our party's motto is 'never gonna give you up' so you can bet your ass that you can count on us," he smiled with a thumbs up.
I swear I saw a sparkle from one of his tooth. The female member that he was talking to rushed over and gave him a smack on the head.
"You mean 'we will never give up'! Stop changing our party's motto at your convenience!" yelled the female member as she continued to beat him up.
Rick was beaten swollen on his cheeks as he was being dragged away by the female member. He was waving at me as he was dragged away. Umm.. okay? I definitely do not want a gung-ho female in my party. Lily is not like this, right? I wonder if mom and dad interacted in a similar manner?
Alright, now that that's settled, all we need is a place to rest our head for tonight. I head back to the counter table where John and Lily were talking to the innkeeper.
"I hope I didn't miss anything?" I asked them.
"Oh don't worry, I just secured our rooms for tonight and learned some information about the guilds. Rooms been paid. We can spend the night upstairs," explained Lily.
What? She had already paid? Is she some angel in disguised or something? Why would she even do that when we literally just met today?
"Y.. you paid for everything? I even told you that I'll buy you a meal as an apology. I'll pay you back after I've gotten change for my coins, I swear," I told her.
"It's fine, Zen. The both of you helped me out a lot today and you did saved my life. This is nothing really," she blushed a little.
This is not nothing to me. I will repay her for this. It just feels weird to have her pay for everything. I'm surprised that John did not tried to chip in.
"John, you alright there? You seemed quiet after dinner," I asked him who appeared to be sweating profusely. Is he holding back his poop or something?
"Oh erm, I'm okay, really. Just…" he trailed off.
Something is definitely wrong here. Lily and I looked at him curiously. He turned to face Lily while placing his hands together.
"T— thank you so much for paying for my meal and room. I do not have enough money to even last a few days inside the city. I am really grateful for this!" John bowed to Lily.
"How much do you even have with you?" asked Lily. Woah, how can you ask someone so directly on how much money they have?
"I have about— 10 copper coins?" answered John while he smiled awkwardly.
"Wow— you can perhaps survive about three days then you will be sleeping outside on the fourth," smirked Lily with her fu fu remark.
Her sense of pride is off the charts. I can see that John wanted to retaliate but he gave up knowing that she paid for his room. I chuckled at their funny interactions.
Alright, time to head up to our rooms. Lily passed a key to each of us as we headed upstairs. We went up two levels and were met with a row of rooms on either sides. And there were about two more levels right above us. Wow, I guess taverns really do earn their money through lodging and accommodations.
"We'll head out together tomorrow. Don't you dare leave without us, Zen. You won't be going alone," warned Lily as we opened the door to our room.
I nodded to her. I doubt Lily's sensitive ears missed out on my conversation with Rick earlier.
I headed in the room and wow, a proper bed, a cupboard and oh, a small wooden circular bathtub on the right side of the room. Now that is convenient. At least we can bathe in our room peacefully. Sadly, I will need to leave the room to find the restroom which is located outside of each floor.
I removed Inazuma and placed it at the side of my bed. The bed was really comfy compared to the futon that I slept on for the past 11 years. I can definitely get some sleep with this. I heard some rustling sound and I instinctively sat up. It turns out that Q was looking for me and he somehow managed to find me in this room. Why is he looking for me this late into the night? I rushed over to pick him up from his burrow and I noticed he had tears in his eyes. Ah, he must had missed his night belly rub that grandfather used to massage him with. Q must have been waiting at our hut for hours only to realised that grandfather was not coming back. Damn it, now I am even more worried about him when Q is here with me.
"Q, I will look for grandfather tomorrow. I will let you know when I find him. I promise you this," I told him as I rubbed his belly. He seems to be enjoying the rub and I knew that he understood what I told him. I placed him back on the floor and he burrowed away, once again leaving no evidence that he was ever here.
As I continued to lie on my bed, there was a knock on my door. I proceeded to open and saw John and Lily outside. I guess I better let them in.
"Is something wrong?" I asked both of them.
"First things first, we swear to never leak your H name to anyone in the future. We are friends now and neither of us will rat out a friend that saved our lives," said John.
"That was your grandfather who saved us, right? We will forever be indebted to him. I pray to the Goddess that he is still alive," said Lily.
Both of them were concerned about me. I guess they did noticed the change in my tone when I was spoke to Rick. I know very well that deep down, I am frustrated, angry and helpless. But I need to keep that in check as those emotions will not help me now.
"Thank you, for keeping my last name a secret. I really appreciate it. And thanks for checking up on me. I am fine, you don't need to worry," I gave a bitter smile to try and assure them that I was indeed fine.
John gave me a bro hug in an attempt to comfort me. We both gave each other a few pats on the back. He then proceeded to head out the door and left the room. Lily came and hugged me after John had left. I too gave her a few pats but there was no sign of her breaking the hug. Perhaps I was tired or not thinking straight but I spoke to her unintentionally.
"Lily, do you— like me?" I asked her without even realising that I spoke.
It took me a couple of seconds before I registered what I just said to her. I flustered and broke the hug by grabbing her shoulders.
"S— sorry, I shouldn't have said that," I said while looking away.
What was I thinking in asking such a question. What is wrong with me?
Silence engulfed both of us. Ugh, things are so awkward now.
"I— it's probably due to what happened today. I mean, you looked really cool when you saved me. Not to mention you were some distance away yet you were still able to save me in time," she explained.
"Wait, you knew I was hiding there? Then how did you not hear the stranger crept up on us?" I asked her curiously.
"Strangely though, the stranger made no noise whatsoever. I was surprised as well when he managed to crept up behind us. Very few things in the this world can crept up on elves without them noticing," she confessed.
I bet that is true. Their long ears are not just for show and tell.
"I'll get over these feelings, Zen. Don't worry about it. It is probably due to some saviour complex. It'll go away eventually," she smiled.
That was the saddest smile I ever gazed upon. But I am in no position to be chasing after her or accepting her when I had not accomplished anything in life. Not to mention I am still worried about grandfather right now.
***
"Wait, is this mommy? I don't remember.." asked my daughter but I shushed her before she could finish her sentence.
"Shhhh.. don't spoil the story" I told her.
***
Lily headed out the door but told me something before she left.
"Oh, did you know you have letter behind your back inside your clothes? I'm surprised you left it there," she said.
W— what letter? How did it even get there?
She left the room and I quickly stripped my dougi to find the letter. When did it get there and not to mention how? I got my answer after reading its contents. It was from grandfather.