"Where are we going to stop?" Raiden asked.
"Don't dodge my question… Father has to report about the work, and you all need to be taken care of for a few days to regain your health fully; there is a free building that we have where you will be taken care of," Iri explained. "You will be able to live freely here for a month before deciding what you want to do."
That didn't look like the kind of place that would have slaves, so it seemed that everyone would be fine. The kids looked more lively now since they could eat as much as they needed to be healthy, and they looked quite excited since they hadn't seen anything like that. Raiden thought that he would recall some things naturally after seeing a city in that world, but that didn't happen… when he tried to access his memories, that annoying headache returned.
At the center of the village, the group stopped in front of two large buildings. One of them seemed like a dormitory with a bunch of floors and rooms, and the other seemed like a place where business and meetings would take place. Harth headed there alongside half of his soldiers while the others moved to the other building, where they helped the kids find rooms for them to use. All of them had beds, bathrooms, and some furniture… It truly seemed like a hotel.
Raiden felt weird having room for himself; he didn't know why, though even though he was certain that he had an apartment before.
In any case, later that day, some people came and gave the kids new clothes, and at night, some others came to prepare dinner. Iri was among them… she seemed to like kids a lot; maybe she wanted some siblings, but Raiden didn't know anything about her family situation. Maybe she lost her mother or something, but Raiden didn't look like that.
The kids all had dinner together in a large hall on the first floor of the building, and while they were eating, some people showed up and went to talk with the guys making the food. Raiden noticed that Harth was among them a woman that also looked a bit like Iri, redhead, green eyes, really pretty… it was probably her mother, and she was leading the group.
Raiden looked away when they looked at him; it was better to keep a safe distance from them. The next day, Raiden woke up feeling full of life, and he decided to do some training before breakfast. He needed to be able to fend for himself if he had to, and just increasing his parameters wasn't the only option.
"I am recovering my weight, so this should be fine…" Raiden thought while he grabbed the sword and began to swing it in his room.
(You learned the skill: Sword Mastery.)
Sword Mastery: it is a combat-focused skill that enhances your proficiency and effectiveness in using swords by one percent per level.
Pickpocketing: is a stealth-oriented skill that enables you to steal from others without detection. High levels and increased dexterity increase the chance of success.
Raiden resumed his training, and with each swing, he demonstrated a shape focus and an unwavering determination. The room echoed with the rhythmic swish of the sword as Raiden practiced his movements,
After just half an hour, Raiden was exhausted… he thought that he had gotten stronger to do that for longer, but it seemed that just strength wasn't enough. Just swinging the sword was enough for him to learn the skill, but not to make it level up even a bit.
Raiden took out his shirt, drenched in sweat, and let it dry in the window before he cleaned himself and put on one of the light blue robes that he had received on the previous day. Those were pretty comfortable and high quality. They closed in the middle with a belt that was also a part of it, so it made him feel pretty nostalgic.
In any case, Raiden had breakfast with the other kids as well but soon left the building to check the city. He wanted to make some money, but he didn't want to use Pickpocketing there… he still felt a bit hesitant toward the people of the place, but they helped him and the others. He didn't want to pay back kindness with such a thing.
"I bet there aren't many things that I can do here to make money… I am a stranger, after all," Raiden thought while looking at the largest building in the village where the important people would meet regularly.
After walking around for a while, Raiden found some people working. Still, it seemed that everyone worked on their family business, and they didn't need help. Although he was a stranger to them, the people still greeted him while showing their smiles. He could tell that the people there didn't suffer that much in the hands of newcomers or visitors in a while, even though they were used to free slaves.
Raiden had the chance to explore a lot of places before noon. They only explored the main street on the previous day, after all. During his exploration, he found something like a school on the west side of the village, but instead of learning how to read and write, the kids there were learning martial arts. Those who were his age were already using wooden weapons and training with each other.
"That explains why Harth's group won so easily against those pieces of shit. They learn from an early age," Raiden thought.
The village was peaceful, but they didn't slack off. Raiden only looked from a distance and soon left before the people there could notice him, but it seemed that at the school, the kids were split among their ages, and each class had around one hundred kids. It was quite a high amount. Maybe not so much if they produced only one hundred soldiers per year in a village of that size.
Or so Raiden thought. He found three more Schools like that in the afternoon… The place was peaceful, but they produced a lot of soldiers. Even when they were only fifteen, like Iri, they probably could fight against people of the level of the guards in the mine.
Speaking of which, Raiden saw her using magic, and he wondered if she learned that at school as well. It was probably something really hard to learn, but Raiden felt that it would be useful… he wondered if he was too old to learn it. Even if he had the mind of someone ten years older and he could learn better than kids, he came from a place that didn't have magic, anyway. It was something worth investigating.
At first, only Raiden left the dorms to explore the city. Still, eventually, the other kids saw him returning just fine and decided to do the same. Some of them got lost and had to be helped to return, but nothing major happened.
Around one week after they arrived there, Raiden felt like he was completely fine. He could train for one hour, and his swings were getting sharper as well. He felt satisfied with that, being that healthy, he wouldn't have a hard time finding a job.
"I should save some money and then try to open a business… that will be better in the long run despite the risks," Raiden thought. "If only I could recall things about my previous life without the headache, I probably could make a killing here."
While Raiden was thinking about that, he noticed that they had received some visitors. Harth, Iri, and the redhead that showed up the other day showed up in the dining area and then looked around the area, and they stopped when they found him.
"I tried to make myself as hard to find as possible, and I didn't do anything odd, but I guess my behavior stands out… I am not a kid mentally, after all," Raiden thought.
"Hello again," Iri said when she approached with the others.
"You look a lot better, kid, but it doesn't seem like you are interacting that much with the other kids," Harth said while looking around.
That was because Raiden had no reason to interact with them. At least, that was what he was telling himself… after walking around the village a bunch of times, Raiden didn't find anyone with black hair. While they greeted him normally, it seemed that he was an anomaly, and they were also just being polite, but they didn't want to interact with him.
"So it seems," Raiden said and then noticed the woman studying him with a serious gaze.
"Did you remember anything about your past now?" Harth asked.
"No," Raiden replied.
"What about the wound in your head?" Harth's expression got more serious.
"It doesn't hurt anymore," Raiden replied.