Chapter 4: Is That So?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 4: Is That So?
Auntie was the type of woman who could walk around perfectly fine with a basket the weight of a bag of cement hanging from her left forearm.
Judging by the way she was hacking away at those carrots, she must have studied the art of the mace at some point.
"I think my mom has taken a liking to you."
"It feels more like she brought in a stray dog from the streets to raise."
"Puhaha! No way."
This was Sera Otmarie, Auntie’s daughter. I hadn't known until now, but Auntie’s full name was Marta Otmarie. As I sat at the dining table eating after finishing the vegetable prep, Sera sat down across from me.
Of course, since I was sitting in front of the desk, it felt more like Sera was just at her post.
Her dark brown hair complemented her wide, sparkling lime-green eyes. Unlike some others, she had no trouble maintaining eye contact.
Apparently, she had arrived this morning. I hadn't noticed because I’d crawled back in around 1:00 PM, washed up, and headed straight back out.
"Have you had lunch yet, Sera?"
"Ah, not yet. Mind if I join you?"
"Make yourself comfortable. I’m basically a permanent fixture here now, so you don't need to treat me like a guest."
"Hmm... I see..."
From what I gathered, she had been out to pick up a Firestone magic tool. She’d sent it out for repairs, and since delivery fees were steep, she’d gone to fetch it herself.
Sera left the desk and took the seat to my left, continuing the conversation.
A Firestone was a rock that grew incredibly hot when mana was channeled into it; apparently, they used it to heat the bathwater. So that’s why the water had been lukewarm lately. I’d assumed inns in this world just used firewood for everything.
"Since Calax is a Labyrinth City, it’s fine if I can hitch a ride on a carriage with some explorers... but the way back is dangerous, so I waited for a caravan."
"A caravan? What’s that?"
A caravan.
In this world, a caravan usually referred to a literal train of merchant wagons that circled the vast continent in a counter-clockwise direction.
To the people of this world—who were still a bit primitive, with about thirty percent of them being little better than beasts—highwaymen and professional bandits were a common sight.
Merchants made a living by traveling from village to village, buying local specialties and selling them in other cities. Their biggest problem was, naturally, bandits and robbers. Encountering bandits while moving through forests or plains in a wagon full of goods was essentially a natural disaster.
If you were lucky, they’d just strip you of your goods and money. If you weren't, being killed or sold into slavery was a frequent occurrence.
Hiring mercenary escorts was expensive, and it wasn't unheard of for the mercenaries themselves to turn into robbers the moment the wagon entered a dark forest.
Thus, merchants chose to band together to increase their numbers, traveling from city to city in a long, continuous line.
"Ah, so you waited for a caravan coming from that city to Calax."
"Exactly. The reason Mom bought so many groceries today is because the caravan arrived and brought in a ton of supplies."
It was probably cheaper to buy directly from the caravan than to wait for the goods to go from the caravan to a grocer and then to the inn.
"By the way, do you mind if I ask you something?"
"Sure. As long as it’s not my bank PIN... actually, you can even ask for that."
"Bank PIN...? I don't know what that is, but... your eyes. Were they always like that?"
"Ah, these?"
Unlike Ravi, Sera had been staring into my eyes all day. It was only natural to be curious about the color.
"It’s a cursed Evil Eye. Your lifespan shortens the longer you look at it."
"What?! Give me my life back!"
"I’m joking. It’s just... something big happened. They only changed yesterday."
"Oh, really? So were they both yellow before?"
"No. They were both black. The yellow one is the one that changed."
"Heh, I see."
Sera kept leaning in, her face hovering between my plate and my face as she peered into my eyes.
Her high ponytail looked like it was about to dip into the food, so I slid my plate to the right.
"I like it."
"Like what?"
"The changed eye. It’s kind of... like a puppy."
"Cough...!"
I choked on my food at her comment. Startled, Sera rushed into the kitchen and brought back a cup of water.
"A-Are you okay? That’s a nasty cough..."
"Ugh, something just went down the wrong pipe. I’m fine. I’m not sick."
"Eat slowly."
She certainly had keen intuition. It wasn't exactly a puppy, but since it was a wolf’s eye, it was close enough.
While I cleared my throat, Sera brought her own portion over and picked up her utensils.
"What does Auntie see in me that makes her keep me around?"
"I haven't asked her yet. But I think I know."
"Why’s that?"
I was genuinely curious. From my perspective, Auntie was just a saint.
"Other explorers are so rough. They have no respect! Even when I’m just walking down the street... there are so many explorers who look down on people or try to hit on me. The men, I mean."
True, if I had power and talent... I’d probably want to hit on a girl like Sera too.
She was pretty enough to stand out in a crowd.
"You should have just punched them."
"Oh my, would that be okay?"
"You have my permission to do it in Auntie’s name."
—Whack!
"Who do you think you are, putting my name on the line?"
"Ow, my poor skull."
"Puhaha...!"
Auntie had appeared out of nowhere and smacked me on the head with incredible strength. It hurt even more this time—maybe because she used a metal ladle.
"Seriously, Auntie. Now there’s soup on my head."
"As if a beggar has the right to be picky. That's five bronze coins for a ladle of soup. Aren't you grateful?"
"Good grief. I don't think that even counts as a full ladle."
After finishing my meal, I placed a bronze coin engraved with the number 50 on the desk.
"What’s this?"
"I can't pay it all back yet, but this is what’s left after setting aside what I need."
"...Fine. Go up and get some sleep. You worked hard to get back."
"I’ll stay for a bit. It’s rude to leave while someone else is still eating."
At those words, Sera looked at me with her cheeks stuffed full of meat. Her cheeks stretched so much she looked like a hamster.
"Listen to him talk about manners. Manners don't put food on the table."
"Why not? Auntie, didn't you give me food because I have manners?"
"That’s enough out of you. If you have the energy to flap your gums, go dump the food waste into the pit before you go to bed."
"Wow, I’m suddenly feeling very tired. Better get to sleep."
After trading jokes, I sat by and watched Sera finish her meal. Since she was focused on eating, her bowl was emptied quickly.
She had a good appetite. If she ate three meals like that, I’d expect her to be a bit sturdier, but she was quite lean. Not sickly, just a very healthy kind of thin.
Once Sera was done, I took the food waste bucket to the pit behind the inn, dumped it, threw in a few of the usual leaves, and closed the lid.
Those leaves were like peppermint; they supposedly neutralized the smell of rotting food. Surprisingly, it really didn't smell at all.
"Ah! Thanks for the help, uh... what was your name again?"
"Yoo Eon. Surname Yoo, given name Eon."
At my answer, Sera pouted and turned her head away with a huff.
"Are you making fun of me?"
"No. That’s my actual name. Where I’m from, the surname comes first and the given name comes last. So, Yoo Eon."
"Hmph, really? It sounds like a lie..."
"Why would I lie about my name? It’s the truth. Don't you have a lie detector around here?"
Sera looked at me with narrowed eyes from over her shoulder before nodding as if she had no choice but to believe me.
"Fine. You said you just got back from the labyrinth, right? You must be exhausted."
"Yeah, well, I’ll sleep for a bit and wake up in the evening."
"I’ll wake you up. Go on, get some sleep."
"Much appreciated. I’m off."
* * *
"It’s not going back..."
I’d had a long nap and woken up around dinner time, but my eye was still the same. Well, nothing to be done about it. Since vision is constant while you're awake, after a day of looking through it, I was starting to get used to this half-colorblind perspective.
But wait, what was this?
"It’s like I’m wearing night-vision goggles on only one side..."
Had I heard somewhere that canines have good night vision? The dark hallway of the second floor looked bright through only half of my vision.
I wasn't sure if 'bright' was the right word...
"No, it’s definitely bright."
—Creeak.
I heard footsteps on the old wooden stairs at the end of the hallway. Judging by the fact that the floorboards weren't groaning in agony, it wasn't Auntie.
The light footsteps suggested it was Sera. She was probably bringing a Sunstone lamp to hang in the hallway. She climbed up to the second floor carrying a lamp in her left hand and a light, backless wooden chair in her right.
"Ah, you’re awake? Oh..."
"Sera? What’s wrong?"
"Your eye... specifically the left one. It’s glowing brightly even in the dark. It’s kind of..."
"Ah."
That was a bit awkward.
As Sera hid the lamp behind her back, my pupil dilated rapidly—a trait of beasts—and I adjusted to the darkness instantly. Seeing that, Sera gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.
"Oh my? Oh... oh my..."
Sera stepped closer and peered intently at my eye.
Was it really that fascinating? Well, I suppose I’d feel the same way.
"There’s... a story behind it. It’s not exactly a secret, but it’s a bit of a funny story, so I’ll tell you later."
"Ah, okay... Then, could you help me hang this lamp on that hook over there?"
"Sure. That’s my usual job anyway."
Inside the lamp, which looked like a small metal birdcage, were jagged pieces of stone. This was an ore called Sunstone, which absorbed sunlight during the day and glowed brightly at night.
Taking the lamp from Sera, I hung it on the hook protruding from the hallway wall, then walked back down the stairs with her.
"You’re really tall. You didn't even need the chair."
"For something at that height, yeah."
"Heh..."
I took the chair from Sera’s hand. It wasn't particularly heavy, but it was better for me to carry the load.
I usually helped out with the inn chores during the evening. Auntie had taken me in and said she wouldn't charge me for two weeks' worth of stay, but I wasn't the type to just celebrate being debt-free and slack off.
Auntie was essentially my savior. Even if I didn't get paid, I helped with the inn work every evening.
And so, the busy evening hours passed.
"Sera. Is the work really that hard today?"
"Ah, no."
"Your face says otherwise."
"It’s... it’s not that..."
Sera’s expression was troubled. I figured it must be tough helping out at the inn for the first time in a month.
She was too kind-hearted to complain out loud.
"Then what is it?"
"It’s just... there are more female customers than before."
"Hmm, is that so? I wasn't here before, so I wouldn't know."
I wondered why that was.