Unexpected Farewell (3)
It had belonged to the Demon King, so it was probably some expensive artifact. Without giving it a second thought, Rian hung it around his neck and set off. First things first: he needed to figure out where he even was.
Dusk was settling over the forest. Plants he'd never seen in the great canyon he'd called home crowded the undergrowth on every side.
"Why does this scenery feel so damn unsettling?"
Rian studied the trees and brush with a careful eye. Thanks to Audria's teaching, he had the world's flora memorized cold — he could glance at the vegetation around him and roughly pinpoint where he was standing. Even the same species varied from region to region in color, shape, and size. Lowlands, alpine slopes, the equator, the polar reaches, tundra, rainforest, wetlands, arid country... temperature, sunlight, and moisture all sculpted a plant's appearance differently, even within a single species.
Drawing on that knowledge, Rian arrived at a conclusion that was both astonishing and utterly devastating.
"You've got to be kidding me."
He dropped to the ground where he stood.
"This is a joke, right...?"
The plants in this forest were species found only on the opposite side of the continent from the great canyon he'd lived in. In Earth terms, it was like going from Korea straight to Argentina. The ground beneath his feet was the Wertyanyu Empire — a place he'd only ever heard of from Audria's lips and the pages of her books.
"Demon King, you son of a bitch!"
Rian pounded the dirt, cursing at the top of his lungs.
"I should've pissed on his face before he vanished!"
Two hours had passed since the crushing reality had sunk in. An unexpected life goal had taken root in Rian's heart. Namely... make a fortune, fast, and get back to the home where Audria was waiting.
"We're too far apart. Princess won't be able to find me. So I'll just have to find her."
Getting home from here was going to cost a fortune, which meant he needed to take whatever work he could get, starting now.
"How am I supposed to make money? Farming's out — I've got no land, and it takes too long anyway."
He sighed and sank into thought, and while he was at it the day finished dying around him. He found a decent spot and stretched out. Lying on a bed of fallen leaves, his back went cold, and homesickness hit him hard.
"I miss you, Princess..."
Audria's warm laughter drifted through his ears.
"I'm too sad and anxious to sleep tonight..."
A snore tore out of him. He was out cold in seconds. He slept so soundly he never even noticed the wild animals that passed through in the night.
The next morning, after a proper night's sleep, he felt fantastic.
"Man, sleeping in for once actually feels amazing."
He laced his fingers together and stretched long and hard. Back at the farm he'd always had to get up early to match Audria's arrival. Today, after sleeping his fill, his mind was clearer and his body lighter than usual.
"One, two. One, two."
Mid-stretch, his bright expression crumpled.
"I miss you, Princess..."
His stomach growled loud enough to echo through the quiet woods.
"Anything around here to eat?"
Rian rubbed his belly and poked around. Knowing plants the way he did, the forest was basically his personal grocery store. Fresh air. A forest gloomy enough that a ghost might pop out at any moment. In the thick morning fog, he foraged mushrooms and wild greens and stuffed them raw into his mouth. Bitter, flavorless — but he forced them down for the sake of his body. He had to keep moving.
After a meal that barely counted as one, he hit the road at once. First he needed to find people. Money, food — none of it was going to appear out of thin air.
"Hmm-hmm, hmm~"
Humming under his breath, he stepped out of the forest — and a vineyard greeted him. A village was visible in the distance, too.
"I'm a lucky guy."
He'd been worried he might not find a settlement before nightfall. The relief pulled a smile onto his face. Maybe because he hadn't eaten a proper breakfast, his feet refused to leave the vineyard behind. Thinking he'd at least take a sniff, he wandered in among the vines.
"Anything I can sneak a taste of?"
But the grapes hanging on the vines looked thoroughly unappetizing. He glanced around, tilting his head.
"Why are the berries so small? And there aren't even that many of them."
He crouched and ran his fingers through the soil.
"Looks like poor quality."
Sniff, sniff. The dirt even had a faintly sour smell.
"Something's off here."
He shaped Lagreanir into a hoe and started digging. That was when it happened.
"Who the hell are you?!"
At the sudden shout, Rian returned Lagreanir to its original form and wrapped it around his left forearm. Then he stood and looked toward the voice. Five men in straw hats were charging toward him. They quickly surrounded him, brandishing the farming tools in their hands.
"Look at this one. He doesn't look like us. You're a demon, aren't you?!"
"Aye, that's right, that's right. He's a demon for sure."
"I'm a demon?"
Rian let out a disbelieving laugh. A heavily freckled boy brandished a sickle and shouted.
"Look at what he's wearing! A bloodstained ragged T-shirt and nothing but underwear! He might've crawled out of a grave as an undead!"
Rian decided to mess with the boy.
"GRAAAH! I'm gonna eat you!"
"H-huuuh?!"
The zombie impression made them flinch and stumble backward.
"L-look! That one's a demon!"
"Sh-should we stab him?!"
"I am not a demon!"
Rian spread both hands, his face turning serious.
"I think there's been a misunderstanding. I'm human."
"Don't lie! What kind of human looks like that?! Where are you from?!"
"Just from far away. Think of me as a stranded traveler."
"Stranded?"
"See that?! He can't even answer properly! He's got some scheme, that's why he won't talk!"
Rian couldn't understand why they were so excessively wary. Trespassing in the field was definitely wrong, but he hadn't even stolen any grapes. A scolding should've been enough. Being threatened with farming tools felt a bit unfair. After a brief silence, he spoke up.
"There's a village chief, right? Let's go see him. I'll explain everything properly."
He'd already decided to spend the night in the village right in front of him. If they ran him out, there was no telling how long it'd take to find the next one. He wanted to meet the chief, clear up the misunderstanding, hear how the world was doing, and maybe cadge a meal while he was at it.
"That's a good idea! Let's take him to my father like he said!"
"Aye, the chief ought to have a look. This fellow might've poisoned the field, for all we know."
The freckled boy took the lead, and Rian followed with both hands raised over his head. The others trailed behind, farming tools pointed at his back.
He'd been marched off like a prisoner, but Rian was in no hurry. Four years since he'd come to this other world. He'd spent nearly all of them cooped up in the great canyon, so everything he saw now was simply interesting, simply new. Chatting with people who looked like Westerners and watching their reactions was actually fun.
"Hey, kid. Can you hear me okay?"
The boy walking ahead glanced back with a look of bored irritation.
"You think I'm deaf?"
"I mean, does what I'm saying make sense in your head? Does it sound like your language?"
"The language you're speaking IS our language. What, you think it's rat-squeak if it isn't?"
"That so?"
Rian smiled, satisfied, and let the conversation drop. The language he was speaking was Draconic. Apparently, no one had noticed he was using a different tongue at all.
When they entered the village, Rian's foreign looks and outfit drew every eye. Simple, honest-faced people of every age stared at him with open curiosity.
"Where's that one from?"
"Look at him — tall, well-built. Looks like he'd be good at work."
"A leftover from the demon army, maybe?"
The village chief was standing in front of his house, talking with a young woman.
"When are you going to bring Mr. Peter around?"
"I told you, soon. You keep asking. Don't you trust me?"
"Trust or no trust, he's the man who does business with our village. He ought to show his face at least once. Tell him to come have a drink sometime soon."
"Don't worry, uncle. I'll pass it along properly."
"And don't let him make some excuse and skip out again."
"I know, I know. I got it. Here — take the payment for the grapes."
At that moment, the freckled boy shouted with the pride of a conquering general.
"Father! We caught a guy doing weird stuff in our vineyard! Pretty good, right?!"
The chief and the woman both looked at the boy, then at Rian standing behind him with his arms raised in surrender.
"What's going on?"
When the chief asked, the eldest of the boy's companions stepped forward.
"We caught him doing something suspicious in the vineyard."
"Suspicious how?"
The chief, who looked to be in his fifties, met Rian's eyes.
"What were you doing in our field?"
Rian, who'd been standing with his hands up like a man being punished, lowered his arms and rubbed his shoulders.
"The field looked to be in terrible shape, so I was just taking a look to see what was going on."
"That's not something that started yesterday or today. It's all because of the demonfolk."
The young woman cut in with a smile.
"Wow, look at this guy. Nice body."
Her gaze ran over Rian from head to toe, not even trying to be subtle. A young woman with a lime-green bob. From her traveler's clothes, she didn't seem to be from this village. She had a lively, distinctly sexy air about her.
"My eyes are having a feast for once. But is he a pervert? Why's he wearing nothing but underwear? And what's with the bloodstained T-shirt?"
Her curious gaze sought Rian's eyes, but Rian's were fixed on the chief.
"I was just looking at the field as I passed by. I didn't do anything worth being suspected of. After a quick look around, I was planning to stop by the village and pay the chief a visit."
"Me?"
"I was hungry. I wanted to cadge a meal and have a chat."
The chief seemed to think it over, then looked at the others.
"Was there anything strange about the field?"
"We checked thoroughly. Nothing unusual so far."
The freckled boy shouted.
"We don't know yet! Lock him up first and wait, Father!"
"Hold on."
The chief clasped his hands behind his back and looked at the woman.
"What's your take? Does this fellow seem like an ordinary person?"
"Not ordinary, no."
The young woman used casual speech with the chief, who looked older than her, without the slightest hesitation, and grinned at Rian.
"Sexier than any man I've ever seen."
"Don't joke around. You've met a lot of people — I want a merchant's eye on this."
"Honestly, I don't know either. But looking at the outfit, he is pretty suspicious."
What she said next was absurd.
"Maybe he's a shameless demon? An incubus who seduces women in his underwear?"
"That's the craziest thing I've heard all year."
Rian was so flabbergasted he answered flatly. The woman burst out laughing, thoroughly amused. Then she said to the chief,
"This is village business, so I don't care — do what you want. Anyway, I can't tell if he's human or a demon. Might as well lock him up for now."
The chief nodded.
"Best to keep an eye on him, then."
He faced Rian.
"We won't treat you roughly. Just stay locked up for a few days. If anything strange happens to the field, we'll hold you responsible. If nothing happens, we'll let you go."
"Nothing's going to happen. I didn't do anything."
Rian insisted on his innocence, but no one believed him. Even the young woman, who looked like an outsider herself, regarded him with suspicion.
"As you well know, people everywhere are hostile to outsiders these days. It's all because of the demonfolk. Just bear with it for a few days."
Rian didn't put up a fight. He didn't see the need. Broke as he was, any place that would feed and house him was fine, and he needed a quiet space to think.
Might as well eat a few days of free meals and figure out how I'm going to make money.
If he felt like it, he could break out of this backwater village anytime he wanted. He had Lagreanir, and on top of that, he possessed monstrous strength — enough to sling an ox over his shoulder and run around like it was nothing.
He wasn't sure when the superhuman strength had started. He could only guess it had come from living with Audria. Maybe she'd been secretly feeding him some kind of elixir all this time. Either way, Rian was strong as an ox. Almost like a dragon.