The village was quiet, as if nothing had happened under the cover of night. However, if you listened closely, you could detect the friendly voices conversing and subtle vibrations.
“Hoo, I haven’t eaten until I was about to burst in a long time. Alterra, how about you? Did you enjoy it too? You seemed to really like the meat.”
“…Yeah, it was good. If I can eat it again, I’d want to.”
Compared to the old days when we ate meat that smelled of urine, or half-cooked monster meat with burnt outsides and raw insides, or bitter grass just to survive, those meals could never satisfy me anymore.
Because my taste threshold has risen considerably. Even dishes made from herbs were excellent, almost matching the quality of the meat, but somehow the meat was irresistible and required less effort.
“What’s your problem? Of course, it was delicious, right? Yeah, that’s how it should be. Even that picky eater said it was good and asked for more; no bad ingredients could ruin that.”
“Hey, they said it was delicious and even mentioned wanting to eat it again. How about becoming a cook instead of a magician while you’re at it?”
“Hahaha, jokes aside, side jobs are only fun when they remain side jobs. Seeing you talk nonsense means sleep must be coming over you; you fool.”
“I’m feeling a bit sleepy too. But I’ll endure. By the way, Alterra, is there anything special you need to take care of? Yuna needs to periodically visit dwarf villages to maintain her arm and bow, and restock arrows.”
While reminiscing about the taste of the meat and watching moths fly into the ceiling lamp, Myungho asked me if there was anything he needed to consider for me.
There…is one thing, but it’s not a big issue. It’s something I can handle on my own by resting briefly and dealing with it secretly.
“Not really.”
Even now…I can feel something stirring in my stomach, but since it’s still early, it won’t be a problem immediately.
“Is that so? Then, it’s settled. We’ll be walking quite a bit starting tomorrow, so it would be best to get a good night’s sleep now. I’ll turn off the lights. Everyone, sleep well. Yuna… already seems to have fallen asleep. Hmm. Me too…”
The lamps went out, and soon after, the number of animal-like breathing sounds increased, indicating everyone had fallen into deep slumber.
I wasn’t sleepy. Not only did drowsiness not easily come, but staying awake didn’t make me tired either.
So, I recalled the gazes of the humans I saw today. Their eyes held fear but no desire, caution but no hostility. Unlike the people from the towns I used to visit frequently, these people lacked any trace of greed. Although their living conditions didn’t appear affluent, why?
It was hard to understand. Shouldn’t lack lead to greater greed?
No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find an answer with the knowledge I currently possessed, so I stopped pondering this question. Thinking about it was like banging my head against a wall.
Instead, I considered a more realistic question: Where is my father? The target of our journey and the enemy I must kill—where is he?
I don’t know. Realizing this, a small sigh escaped me. Right now, I know nothing—not about this world, its language, nor the location of my enemy.
Feeling suffocated, I wanted to go outside. Carefully getting up from the bed and confirming everyone was deeply asleep, I quietly opened the door and stepped out.
…Will this wooden roof hold my weight? Carefully climbing up the wall and testing it with my foot, I found it sturdier than expected, allowing me to lie down quietly.
Looking up at the night sky seemed to clear my complicated thoughts somewhat. Or maybe the night sky was just beautiful enough to prevent me from thinking about other things.
I hummed the song Mother used to sing for me. Though I don’t remember the lyrics, I recall the melody.
Was this it? The melody is hazy too. It’s been so long. Still, I tried hard to remember and continued singing until I accidentally met Myungho’s gaze outside.
“…Hmm… Oh, Alterra? What are you doing up there on the roof?”
“…Thinking about Father.”
He probably didn’t hear the song, which was fortunate. His face clearly showed he hadn’t fully recovered from his nightmares yet.
“Oh…? No, I came out because I heard some sound, but I guess I imagined it… Um. What will you do when you meet your father?”
“I’ll rip off his head and throw it beside Mother’s grave. Then, Mother can finally rest peacefully. Ah, yes… Before that, I’ll beat him until I calm down.”
I am not the powerless person I once was. I am not the child who had to cower in the bushes and tremble. I will definitely kill him with my own hands.
“That… That’s great… Um… Anyway, try talking to him once… There might be… uh, never mind…”
Myungho quickly covered up his slip of the tongue. Talking it out? That opportunity passed a long time ago.
“…Go back inside and sleep. I don’t need sleep, but you humans do. I’ll stay here to watch for suspicious movements and think a bit more.”
That guy said “got it,” stretched widely, and went back inside.
Thus, I spent the night on the roof until dawn, gazing blankly at the starry sky. Chewing on iron ore pulled from nearby ground while watching the sunrise wasn’t bad at all.
—
Alterra must have stayed awake all night. Her bed was empty.
…Was she embarrassed about singing? She sang pretty well, but I don’t know why she’s acting this way. Maybe she really doesn’t need sleep since she’s different from us.
We can figure that out later; there’s something else to do now. I got up from bed and gathered my equipment. All I had was an old leather armor, a sword that barely looked like one, and another blade I used more often than the holy sword.
When we reach the next city, I should buy the best gear there. Thanks to Alterra joining the party, our finances improved, so we don’t have to compromise with reality anymore.
The village chief rested peacefully and greeted me with a bright smile.
“Oh, hero! You’re already awake?”
“Yes. We plan to leave early in the morning. Also, it wouldn’t be right to impose on you all further.”
The chief waved his hands, saying there was no burden, but even if they seemed fine, it must have been tough for a village that recently suffered an attack to host a celebration.
“By the way… Have you ever seen a dwarf? Even rumors would help, so please let me know if you have any information.”
“Dwarf… Dwarf? Those small humanoids, right? Hmm, I’ve never seen them with my own eyes… However, the hunters in the village say they’ve spotted small figures in the mountains beyond. They weren’t sure if they were dwarves or goblins.”
If they were goblins, they would have surely attacked humans, so they’re likely dwarves. Beyond those mountains… The information was vague, but I wasn’t worried.
With Alterra here. With her incredible detection abilities, even a hidden village would be easy to find.
Regardless of the size of their settlement, every dwarf community has a forge.
She can catch even the faint sounds of ancient relics. Surely she can detect such loud noises.
“I see, thank you very much for your help.”
“No, we are the ones who should apologize for not being able to repay your kindness.”
It seemed the conversation would continue endlessly, so I ended it at an appropriate time and returned to where my companions were.
Yuna had already woken up and was doing a quick maintenance on her steel arm. Judging from her expression, it must have loosened significantly.
“Is it looser than yesterday?”
“…Yes, I’ll soon need more than my skills alone.”
“There’s some good news. The chief informed us that hunters saw something resembling dwarves beyond those mountains. They’re likely dwarves. There should be a village nearby.”
Dwarves may have extensive underground territories, but their above-ground range isn’t vast. Therefore, spotting one above ground practically guarantees a nearby village.
“If that’s true… I hope the Forge Master there has a better personality. The last one we visited smelled worse than miners’ work boots.”
“I’d prefer that too.”
Akashi was still asleep, so I shook him awake, telling him we’d leave soon and to prepare. He fixed his messy hair and got up immediately.
This guy doesn’t need much preparation anyway since I’m holding onto his only personal item, his grimoire.
“Acting busy, huh? So, did you find out where those creepy mole creatures live?”
“Yeah, beyond that mountain. We’ll need Alterra’s help to pinpoint the exact location though.”
“Only been part of the party for less than a day, and you’re already using her so much?”
That’s…true, but she’s just too competent. I don’t know what she thinks of us yet, but to me, she feels like an army of thousands.
No, she’s even better than that.
Ignoring Akashi’s comment, I gathered Alterra’s belongings and headed outside.
We hadn’t announced our departure for long, yet the villagers were already outside waiting to bid us farewell.
Well, it wasn’t necessary to this extent.
“Altera, it’s time to come down. We’ve decided where we’re going.”
“Is that so?”
She jumped down effortlessly.
Once we reach the city, we should also buy some clothes for her. For her safety, considering there are quite a few people whose lust surpasses all other desires.
Especially someone as beautiful as her, combined with the rarity of being a Half-Dragon…
Hmm.
There might be someone willing to start a war just to snatch her away.
“Then, we shall depart.”
“Thank you for protecting our village, Hero!”
“Thank you for saving us!”
With heartfelt encouragement and cheers warming our hearts, we set off on our journey again.
