At some point, I must have fallen asleep, because I woke up in the morning with sunlight streaming into my room.
Some bread, a jug of water, and a note were left on a nearby table.
Yawning slightly, I picked up the note:
Dear Pax,
I have some work to do, but I'll be back for dinner.
Eat this bread and don't get into too much trouble.
Love,
Mom
It seemed my mother came back late the previous night then got up early to take care of some business. It wasn't any of my business, so I left it alone.
Wow, it is such a beautiful morning…
Stuffing a bit of bread into my mouth, I got up and walked outside. I needed to clear my head after everything that happened the previous night.
???: [Good morning Adam!]
An awfully cheery little girl assaulted me first thing in the morning. How long had she been waiting for me?
Adam: [Mornin' Charlotte]
Charlotte: [Ahaha yeah. Sorry about yesterday, I didn't mean to upset you like that.]
If I had a nickel for every time this girl apologized… Maybe I might have been able to afford a hot dog. Not that hot dogs exist in this world... Actually, they might. It's not like they're particularly complicated or advanced.
Pushing thoughts about cuisine out of my head, I answered Charlotte's thinly veiled worries:
Adam: [No, it's fine. You did nothing wrong…apart from trying to kill me, I mean... I was... I just had a bad day yesterday. Sorry for leaving so abruptly. I'm not mad at you or anything. What brings you here this wonderful morning?]
Charlotte: [Well, I'm glad you're not mad at me. I just happened to be walking by your place this morning and admiring the new cracks in the buildings. Aha… It's not like I have no one else to talk to you know? I have plenty of friends.]
Damn she's desperate. And what was that attempt to hide it? It's not like I even pried too hard or anything and she just spilled everything.
Adam: [Well, since we happened to run into each other this morning, do you mind showing me around town?]
Her face lit up like a child's on Christmas Day. Damn, I'm such a good person.
Charlotte: [You'll find no better guide than me in all of Guileva. I know all of the good spots! And the bad spots too!]
Charlotte puffed out her chest as she said so. It seemed she even acted like a child too.
I wonder how old she actually is…
Though I had originally planned on just practicing my blood magic, I decided that this would work just as well. Actually, Charlotte seemed to be pretty strong herself, so I figured I should ask her to teach me some things at some point. I'd forgotten due to more pressing matters, but she had pulled some strange moves on me the previous night.
While thinking such thoughts, we began our tour of the town...
It seemed like a pretty standard town to me, though I hadn't seen many towns in this world for reference. A couple restaurants could be found here and there, as well as a blacksmith, a square in the center with a market, and a guild hall. It appeared that adventuring was a common profession around these parts. Charlotte said that there were a lot of monsters due to our proximity to the Dragon mountain range, and that she is the guardian of this town.
Adam: [No offense, but why exactly do you guard this town specifically?]
Charlotte: [Hehe, that's a secret… But I'll tell you a little bit because you're such a nice guy. My masters built me and this town to protect something really important–That's all you'll hear from me.]
Adam: [So you're saying that you're as old as this town huh? How old exactly would that make you?]
Charlotte's cheeks reddened and I saw her rage for the first time.
Charlotte: [How rude! You should never ask a lady her age! I'm 11 years old I tell you!]
Adam: [haha. Well, I guess we're even now then.]
Charlotte's face instantly softened into a warm smile.
I guess she had still been feeling a bit bad about what happened yesterday. Damn, I'm a good person. Though the thought of being eternally an 11-year-old is rather disconcerting to me.
In any case, Charlotte and I continued walking around while chatting. Nothing much happened until I stumbled upon another suspicious little girl.
Adam: [Oh look, another suspicious looking little girl! It's my lucky day.]
Charlotte: [hmmm. I don't really see what's so suspicious about her…]
Adam: [Well Charlotte,] I smiled, activating my detective senses while pushing up my (nonexistent) glasses. [Upon looking at her, what do you see first?]
Pausing for a moment, Charlotte and I observed the little girl from a distance.
Charlotte: [Hm, I see what you mean… Firstly there is the suspiciously sword-shaped cloth on her back. Secondly, the sword inside that cloth is definitely too big for her, the cloth itself looks pretty shabby... she must be trying to conceal the sword for some reason.]
Adam: [Those are all great observations Charlotte. Next, note her overall demeanor and the state of her equipment. Her clothes have holes, her cheeks are sullen, and her boots are almost completely worn down. But if you look closely, you'd see that those were all once high-end articles and equipment. Also, the only thing she is carrying with her is that cloth wrap that is clearly holding a sword.]
Turning around to face Charlotte, I continued my detective monologue.
Adam: [She is clearly starving and tired yet she is still holding onto the cloth-wrapped-sword. Thus, we can safely conclude that the sword held inside the cloth has some sort of significance to her, beyond that of a simple weapon. Perhaps it is some sort of heirloom. She must not have any money because she would be at some restaurant or market buying food otherwise. Thus, the conclusion that I have come to is that this little girl is on the run from someone and only had enough time to grab the sword before fleeing her house. Most likely she was from some sort of noble house (due to her expensive equipment), though she may also be the daughter of some merchant. Moreover, the sword she carries must be one that is easily recognizable or clearly valuable. She must have found some random cloth to wrap around it so she wouldn't get robbed or–]
Charlotte: [Adam, your suspicious little girl just collapsed on the floor.]
- - - - - - -
???: [Hey are you alright? Oh shit-- I mean, obviously, you're not alright. Anyways, here is some bread and water.]
Looks like I collapsed at some point. Dammit, I need to keep running. I don't have time for this.
Raya: [Gimme some meat and I'll be on my way, stranger.]
Yes, meat would be good right now. I just need to get some energy.
???: [Hey who do you think you are? If I had meat I would bring some here and eat it right in front of your face, you ungrateful!… Oh, so water and bread works just fine after all.]
I stuffed my face with all of the consumables laid out in front of me. This much would have to do for now. This boy must be a gift sent from the heavens. I'll make sure to return here and thank him properly someday. Actually, I haven't gotten a good look at his face yet, so I need to thank him properly.
Raya: [Th-]
Huh?
Badump
Hold on, Isn't he literally the most attractive, most handsome, most amazing, most manly man in the world actually?
Badump. Badump
I wouldn't mind falling in love with someone like this…