Three days had passed since I left the cabin, and it felt like I was walking in circles, with the scenery around me remaining stubbornly unchanged.
I wasn’t truly lost, but the vast mountain range offered no clear points of reference.
“Haah.”
According to the schedule, I was supposed to walk for another four days before reaching a village, but I was getting bored.
As of now, there wasn’t much lively conversation happening.
I’ve lived with Nameless for years, and since he’s always the one to start a conversation, our back-and-forths were just… nonexistent.
Plus, with no significant changes in the landscape over time, it made sense that there wasn’t much for Nameless to say either.
‘So boring, so boring.’
I felt like a change was needed.
The immediate thought that came to mind was to tell Nameless to come up with something to talk about, but I wasn’t looking forward to forced small talk.
‘It’s better to have a natural conversation.’
Trying to force a chat would just wear us both out.
Above all, it felt too much like being a grandpa.
People should live young!
As I pondered how to escape this boredom, a thought suddenly struck me.
‘This could be fun.’
The idea made my lips curl into a grin.
“Nameless.”
“Yes, Master.”
Nameless turned to look at me, and I could see cold sweat beginning to bead on his forehead.
“Running straight in this direction should get us to the village, right?”
“…Yes, that’s correct,” he said, but it was as if he wanted to deny his unease with an unnatural smile.
‘Even if you make that pathetic face…’
I was too bored to let him off the hook.
And it was definitely something I needed to check at some point.
“In that case, let’s see how my training has paid off after such a long time.”
I immediately began circulating my energy, getting ready to dash off.
“Whoosh—”
“Wait, hold on—”
Nameless reached out to grab me, but…
‘Not a chance.’
I stamped my foot hard on the ground.
“Try to catch me!”
If I maintained this speed, we’d reach the village before the sun even set.
A cool breeze brushed against my cheeks, and I naturally smiled.
As the sun began to dip behind the mountains, casting a rosy hue over the world, I arrived at a village.
“Hmm, so this is the village Nameless visited.”
To my surprise, the village wasn’t massive, contrary to what I’d imagined.
To be honest, if I set my mind to it, I could probably easily take over this place.
‘Maybe I expected too much.’
Even I, not fully grasping the power balance of this world, couldn’t deny that the village looked a bit shabby.
A dilapidated stone wall surrounded the village, and the guards, tasked with protecting it, were yawning and dozing off at the entrance.
‘Well, I guess it just means the village is peaceful.’
Good things are good!
I stopped looking at the walls and shifted my gaze beyond them.
Beyond the walls, it appeared that the village divided into four paths centering around a large building.
Since the sun hadn’t fully set yet, I could see people wandering the streets, their laughter mixed with the joyful sounds of children, and the living atmosphere that was hard to find in the mountains wafted through the air.
I stared at it vacantly; it felt strange.
It was clear that the world continued to turn fine without me, or in other words, it would still turn without me.
‘What was I so scared of that I locked myself away in the mountains?’
I smiled bitterly by myself.
In the end, it was my choice, and I had no regrets.
But I felt just a tad bit wistful.
I couldn’t just keep waiting for Nameless here, so I approached the wall that looked like the entrance to the village.
I wanted to secure an inn first so I could rest comfortably after he arrived.
Standing next to the half-asleep guard at the arched entrance, I lightly tapped my foot to wake him up. Only then did the guard finally realize someone was there, hurriedly putting on his helmet and shaking his head to wake up.
The guard stared at me, seeming not fully awake, before taking a moment to gather his wits and stepping forward with a “Ah.”
“Can you show me something that proves your identity?”
“Hmm, I don’t have anything like that. Does that mean I can’t enter?”
The guard began sweating profusely, scanning me as if to verify something, his face a mix of confusion.
‘Did something go wrong?’
Eventually, he seemed to come to a decision and nodded resolutely before speaking.
“What’s your name?”
“Hmm, it’s Cheon Ha-rang.”
Since he couldn’t confirm my identity, maybe he just wanted my name.
‘But why so tense just for asking my name?’
Upon hearing my response, the guard sighed in relief, his stern expression easing.
“Cheon Ha-rang…? Unusual name. Your last name is indeed missing, right?”
“Ah, my name is Harang, and my family name is Cheon.”
“Is… is that so?”
The guard’s expression tensed up again, and feeling frustrated, I frowned and urged him.
“Is there a problem?”
“N-no! Can I ask what’s in your bag? Um, it’s just a procedure…”
It seemed like he had some trauma from dealing with a troublesome situation.
‘Tsk, poor kid.’
There was nothing dangerous in my bag, and I had no reason not to show him, so I took it off and handed it to the guard.
“Hmm, I don’t mind.”
“Yes… then I’ll check it!”
The guard seemed unprepared for the weight of my bag and fell to his knees.
‘Seriously, if he’s that weak…’
I guess the village was much safer than I expected.
I couldn’t help but look at him with a pathetic expression; the way he struggled to lift my bag and glanced at me was quite a scene.
“How about just putting the bag on the ground and opening it?”
“Ah, yes…”
Finally, the guard opened my bag, and I couldn’t help but rub the back of my neck.
To think such a clueless person is a guard? Living here must really be easy.
After rummaging through my bag for a while, the guard looked up at me with a puzzled expression.
“Are you perhaps a seller?”
I had fourteen wooden swords in my bag, so I suppose it made sense he’d think I was a merchant?
“Hmm, nope.”
“Oh, wait.”
The guard rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, looking it over carefully.
“Are you the one supplying training swords this time?”
“Training swords?”
“Yes, it seems like the quantity is a bit low for a supply…”
I thought for a moment.
It’d probably be easier to just agree and go in, but the aftermath would likely be my responsibility.
So that was a no-go.
Nameless would be arriving soon, so being honest and staying as safe as possible was definitely the right choice.
“It’s not for supply; they’re my personal swords.”
“Excuse me?”
A sigh of frustration escaped me.
‘Nameless was savvy even as a kid…’
How did they end up as a guard with such a dimwit?
My gaze naturally turned cold towards the guard.
“…Do I need to repeat myself?”
“N-no! I’m sorry!”
In an instant, the guard hastily returned my bag and bowed deeply.
“You can enter!”
“? Thanks.”
I was pleased, but was it really okay to let outsiders in so easily around here?
I didn’t get why he was being so polite and bowing like that.
‘Does he even know who I am?’
From his perspective, I was someone he should be wary of, right?
‘Could it be…’
A startling thought crossed my mind.
‘Do I look that old?’
Well, I mean, I don’t actually care about being old at all.
But with all that extreme politeness, I felt oddly aged and became a little blue.
I started to sulk and pout my lips.
Once I passed through the entrance and stepped into the village, it felt like an overwhelming presence surrounded me.
I felt increasingly uncomfortable in my stomach.
‘Ugh…’
Having spent so long away, was I developing a bit of social anxiety?
This was a problem to resolve quickly, but already my head was starting to throb.
I held my aching head and looked around.
I needed to secure an inn for Nameless, but since I didn’t know my way around the village, I was at a loss.
But asking a passerby for directions wouldn’t be easy either.
‘This is complicated.’
The sun was about to set completely, resulting in fewer people on the streets, and the few who were out looked rather fierce.
While I sensed no danger, the harsh impressions of the people made it hard to approach them.
Even if a guy with scars all over his body was weak, it was hard to engage in conversation when they looked like that.
‘It’d be so much easier if someone just approached me first.’
A sigh escaped me as I contemplated my current situation.
