Rain.
Yes rain. It rained for so long it felt as though the weather was trying to tell me something.
Or just get my clothes wet.
My clothes were absolutely soaked as I sat beneath a tree to shield myself from the rain.
Taking out the map, I tried to pinpoint where I was.
I had been walking for about a day and followed a path that led to the village.
Based on my estimates, the village was about a day and a half, maybe two, away from the mansion, so I should be quite close.
Honestly, I had never looked at a map besides the ones on a phone before this, so my estimates weren't the most credible.
"I'm probably about half a day away."
I got up, putting the map back in my bag, and continued down the path.
------
I walked for a while before the rain finally cleared up and the sun shone through, lighting up my surroundings.
I was in a small forest, and nature surrounded me.
Trees were all around, and flowers were scattered everywhere.
I could hear the birds chirp and bees buzz.
-BZZZZ
"...Huh?"
The buzz was too loud for a normal bee.
-BZZZZ
The sound grew closer until it was right behind me.
"Shit!"
I ran down the path without looking behind.
-BZZZZZZ
The bee or whatever it was followed me, its buzzing sound growing louder.
Channeling mana to my legs, I sprinted until I could no longer hear the sound.
Okay, I know I could've fought it or tried to, but I had luggage. And I was not going to risk any of the things I brought getting damaged or lost.
It's not like I'm scared of bees or something.
"Hel-"
"Ahhh! Bee!!"
"..."
Opening my eyes, I saw an old man standing next to me, looking at me with a pitiful expression.
"Ahem... Hello." I greeted the old man.
"Hello, young man." He smiled. "What brings you to this small town?"
"Town?"
Looking around, I realized I was out of the forest, and the town was in sight.
"Oh... uhh Im looking for a way to get to the Devel Academy."
I took out the application letter and showed it.
"Ohh, the academy."
"So you're looking for transport, yes?"
"Uhh... yes."
"Okay, follow me."
I followed the old man down the path toward the village.
Was I awkward? Yes, obviously!! I hadn't had a proper conversation in a long time.
Anyway, I reached the town entrance.
There stood two guards in leather armor with swords at their sides.
"Halt!" They spoke.
"State your purpose."
"Stand down." The old man spoke. "He's with me."
"Oh... yes, sir."
They looked surprised at the old man's words, but still obeyed, allowing me through.
'Who is this old man?'
I wondered as I stepped into the town.
The town was odd.
It looked like someone had mixed modern and medieval architecture.
The street was made of concrete instead of cobblestone. The buildings looked medieval but had modern touches, for example, the stores had neon light signs, and there were street lights all around.
'Are they powered by electricity or something else?'
I wanted to ask, but it felt a bit awkward, so I just observed.
People walked around in semi-modern clothing, and they all seemed to be carrying a device that resembled...
'A phone?'
"Beautiful town, isn't it?" The old man spoke.
"Yes... yes it is."
"I've lived here most of my life."
He waved at some people with a smile as he spoke, and they waved back.
"It's always been a peaceful town."
"Lots of people come here to retire."
I listened as the old man explained some history about the town. It was easy to tell how much he loved the town as he told me he met his wife there.
I followed the old man until we stopped in front of a rather large building with a neon sign reading...
-HERBERT'S HOTEL-
It was pretty small for a hotel, but it did look nice.
"This is where you can stay for a bit." The old man pointed. "The pricing isn't very expensive."
"Well then, goodbye for now." He began walking away.
"Wait!" I stopped him. "I need to get to the academy, not a hotel."
"Oh, right."
"You can go to the mayor's office tomorrow and ask for assistance then, but for now, it's best to rest."
He then walked away before I could say another word.
"Haa," I sighed and walked into the hotel.
The hotel's first floor was kind of like an inn. There were tables and people eating food I had never seen before. There was something that caught my attention, though...
The smell.
'Coffee?'
My heart raced at the thought.
I assumed I was never going to have coffee ever again, so this smell was...
Heavenly.
I walked up to the counter and immediately asked.
"Can I get a menu, please?"
The lady behind the counter handed me one with a smile.
I sat down at an empty table and looked through the menu.
There was a variety of options, but I had already decided on what I wanted.
I called the waiter and asked for an iced latte.
Yes, they had iced lattes.
In fact, it was surprising how many modern foods and drinks they had. I decided not to dwell too much on it and drank my latte happily.
Once I finished, I walked to the counter again and asked how much for a single bedroom.
"Oh, Mr. Hardt, you've been given a free stay."
"A free stay?"
"Yes, sir."
She handed me a room key, and another worker came to lead me to my room.
'Okay, this... is luxury treatment.'
I smiled and followed.
------
The worker led me to...
'An elevator?!'
At this point, everything was surprising, and I didn't know what to think.
I was led to the fifth floor, which was apparently meant only for high-ranking guests.
Now I was starting to get confused about what I did for these people to give me this kind of treatment for free.
"Excuse me," I spoke to the worker. "Why am I getting this room?"
For a moment, he just stared at me with a smile.
"...This is a gift from us, please accept it."
"...Okay."
I walked into the room, closing the door behind me.
Channeling mana to my ears, I listened for sound.
-step
-step
-step
The steps were soft and slow.
Once I could no longer hear them, I turned away from the door and scanned my surroundings.
The room was lavish to say the least.
The walls were a pristine white with golden edges, and the floor was white marble. I felt oddly uncomfortable with its vibe. A simple room fits me best.
I walked toward a balcony and gazed down at the town, a cold wind blowing over me.
I could see people walking down the streets, going about their everyday lives. It truly looked like a warm town.
I wanted to smile at the sight, but couldn't.
Something felt off. I couldn't figure out why, but something about the town felt...
Wrong.
I decided to take a shower and headed toward the bathroom.
The bathroom was also luxurious with a large shower and a massive mirror.
I looked into the mirror and saw myself.
You might be wondering how no one freaked out at my hair or noticed my lack of a mana core.
I was wearing a hood over my hair, but most importantly, I was channeling mana as best I could to my abdomen, trying to create a sphere, and it worked.
Even though the sphere was crooked, people likely assumed I hadn't even gained the ability to control mana.
I read about it. There were humans in this world who couldn't even become a 1-star or took longer to reach it. It was considered a very rare disability.
There was one problem, though...
'The old man saw me without the hood.'
I frowned.
I only put the hood on and began to gather mana in my abdomen right after meeting the old man.
Which meant he saw my hair.
'Why isn't he reporting me?'
It was odd if he noticed my demonic traits, he should've run from me or tried to attack me, but he did neither.
Almost as if I wasn't a threat to him.
Or he was just too old to realise.
The latter seemed more likely, so I went with that and got in the shower.
I really wanted to shower.