I glanced at my teammates. Kyle looked calm, as if the events of that day had evaporated from his mind, Uncle Jack momentarily pondered, as if comparing Surrik's mayor statements with those of the bear mayor, but quickly adopted his usual indifferent expression.
Adele looked towards the mayor with a questioning gaze, but quickly turned to look at me. I responded with an ignorant smile, pretending not to see any contradictions in Mr. Alan's words. Adele calmed down.
Jeanne didn't know the whole story, so she looked as if she accepted the mayor's words, but I knew she didn't believe.
After all, when I told her my wrong name, she immediately saw through the lie.
I looked at the mayor. He looked carefree, but occasionally scrutinized the expressions of those present.
Looking at me, he squinted slightly and smiled, making him look like a predator ready to strike its prey.
Tension filled the dining room, I could distinctly hear the beating of my own heart and the ticking of the clock.
This made the arrival of the butler and his people seemed deafening to me.
After retrieving our belongings, we were ready to leave the mansion.
"Well, dear guests, it was a pleasure to meet you," the mayor said with a smile, rising from the table.
Standing, he looked even more massive than when seated! Though slightly shorter than Uncle Jack, his bulky figure still gave the impression that a giant stood before us.
"Safe travels," he continued, "and don't go to bed. Victory Festival starts in the city center after midnight."
"And what awaits us at the Festival?" I asked eagerly.
"Dancing, drinks, free food, and new acquaintances," he smiled, winking at me, "perhaps a young man like you will find a future wife at this Festival."
His last words embarrassed me.
"Perhaps," I said. "Well, until we meet again, Mr. Alan."
After these words, we left the mayor and his entourage in the room, making our way through the long corridors of the mansion to the exit.
At that moment, I glanced at Jeanne; she seemed like she wanted to say something. We were already in the reception area on the ground floor.
"Stop!" a familiar voice shouted.
Behind us, the butler appeared with several men. One of them carried three swords in scabbards and a long dagger.
"Mr. Alan asked to provide swords to the men and a dagger to the woman as a gesture of goodwill," the black man said calmly.
Well, it was surprising that they decided to give us something, but the fact that it was cold weapons made sense. After all, neither among the lost items nor among ourselves, at the moment, there was any weapon other than the paladin's.
"Thank you, please convey to Mr. Alan that we are immensely grateful to him for such a generous gift," I replied on behalf of everyone, taking the sword in leather scabbard.
The cold leather felt pleasant in my hands. There were no patterns on it. I pulled the sword halfway out of the scabbard to look at my new weapon.
In the steel of the sword, I could clearly see my reflection. The hilt fit well in my hand, but I still had to learn the art of the sword in this by no means brave new world.
As we stepped out onto the street, we were once again hit by the awful stench. While we were getting used to the smell again, we had already passed the mayor's courtyard and the bridge.
Towards the end of the bridge, Jeanne decided to stop. She looked at each of us before saying:
"He lied to me and is definitely hiding something. Do any of you know anything?"
"Yes," Adele replied on behalf of everyone.
She then recounted the events of the forest judgement.
"So, they wanted to take you to court to see the Guardian of the Forest," Jeanne mused for a moment. "I'm not sure if the furries could have been under the strange influence of the forest or not, since they intended to send you to Her, but I should definitely inform the Order about the mayor's strange behavior."
I don't know why, but upon hearing the pronoun 'Her,' I immediately felt an unusual level of reverence, which was markedly different from the usual 'her.' Perhaps such pronouns are used for the powerful beings of this world? To those demigods Adele mentioned when talking about the system?
"Also, it would be good to consult with the local priest. By the way, where is the church?" Jeanne asked, addressing Adele.
"We only have the Order of the Tower God in our city," Adele replied honestly. "The church itself is located in the north of the city, it's the tallest building in Surrik, you can't miss it when you get there."
The church was in the north, and we were currently in the east. The forest was to the west, where the Adventurer's Guild was also located.
"Okay, I'll go there right away, and I wish you good luck. Hopefully, we can meet again someday," she said, leaving our group with these words.
"Well, I guess it's time for us too," Adele sighed. At that moment, Kyle took her hand.
"Sigh, see you later," I sighed in return.
"See you," Adele replied.
Kyle just snorted contemptuously in my direction and left with Adele in an unknown direction. What a jerk.
"Listen," Uncle Jack's tired voice came. "If you don't have a place to stay, come with me."
At his offer, I brightened up and smiled.
"Thank you so much!"
I had money that I found during the search in the furry village, but even so, I wasn't sure if I had enough to rent an apartment or a room in a motel. But Uncle Jack solved this problem for me!
No, really, I'm sincerely grateful to him for this.
...
Uncle Jack's house was located in the south of the city, right in the center of the poor district.
People in tatters scurried around everywhere, there were practically no drunkards, probably because there was no money for alcohol, but there were pickpockets sneaking around and charlatans inviting me to test my luck or fate.
Overall, this region of the city looked quite civilized – there were hardly any corpses, nor that terrible stench, but there was a different kind of stench, the kind that usually emanates from passing garbage trucks.
But even so, compared to what was in the center and in the east of the city, I was willing to put up with the southern smells.
"Come in," Uncle Jack said, letting me into his house.
The building was two-story, but Uncle owned only the first floor. A staircase led to the second floor, where his neighbors lived.
Entering the apartment, I immediately felt its lifelessness and emptiness. A light layer of dust covered every surface in the house, the bare walls were unwelcoming, there was hardly any furniture in the living room and kitchen, not even a dining table.
What I also noticed were what seemed to be traces. When furniture or some wall objects are in one place for a long time, they leave a mark, and there were many such traces here. On the floor from cabinets, stands, chairs, sofas, and on the walls from paintings.
"I need some rest," Uncle Jack said, entering the bedroom. "There's a bed in another room too, it's all yours."
Before I could reply, the man had already opened and closed the door to his room.
The day had been eventful, but I wasn't particularly tired, rather I was hungry, so I decided to check the kitchen.
There was a fireplace here, inside of which was a large black cauldron. It was dusty, there were no logs in the fireplace, and I didn't really feel like cooking anyway.
I pulled a yellow apple out of my food sack, wiped it with my sleeve, and began to eat. From my bag, I also took out that book of magic and started reading.
...
Time flew by unnoticed, and it was almost evening when drowsiness began to overcome me. The sun had disappeared from the sky, but the moon had not yet risen. Dim daylight seeped through the window into the dusty kitchen, providing rather mediocre lighting.
Heading to the bedroom, various thoughts about the future, my home world, whose contours were very blurry, and about the Festival swirled in my mind. If I think about it, it's only about 6-7 p.m., so if I go to bed now, I'll have time to show up at the celebration.
Entering my room, I was greeted by a lonely but neatly made bed. I brushed off a light layer of dust from it, briskly pulling the blanket. After that, I took off my boots and collapsed onto the soft, comfortable mattress, slowly drifting off to sleep.
...
At some point, I woke up from horrifying screams coming from the street. The fog outside was getting thicker, but the faint moonlight still penetrated into the room. It was clearly past midnight.