My routine of training with a whip was, in a way, strange.
Lívia came up with a plan to train even during the trip, having me hit stones on the road through the opening in the back of the wagon.
As the other passengers stared at me strangely, I had no choice but to swallow my embarrassment and keep going, since it also helped pass the time.
— ...Am I really going to start using a whip in the future?
That was one of the questions constantly popping into my mind, but I kept up with the training. Although it’s a relatively strange weapon, there are also advantages to using it.
— The whip is used for attack, defense, restraining, pleasu… Aham… Various purposes! — the girl explained, watching my progress.
— …I feel like your true intention almost slipped out.
Seeing the girl turn her face away, I just let out a sigh and hit another rock. Ever since this training started, only Lívia has been talking to me.
— The old woman and those two must be trying to keep their distance from me…
At least this way, I’m not disturbed while I train, and time passes slowly with nothing significant happening.
— I wonder if I’d get there faster if I had a bike…
I get the impression that this wagon is only slightly faster than walking.
— That must be why this trip takes a week… Or this continent is huge.
There’s also the disproportionate road that makes the trip difficult, with holes and poorly constructed curves.
— At least we’re almost there…
Although I can’t really see it, the driver told me we’re close and he can already see the city.
Thinking about everything I’ve done during this time, I decide to quickly check my skills.
— Show panel.
═══════════════════════════════════
| [Name]: Rafael | | [Race]: Human |
| [Level]: 02 | | [Magic Power]: 325 |
───────────────────────────────────
[Skills]
| [Armorer]: 09 | | [Weaponsmith]: 09 |
| [Hunter]: 10 | | [Whipper]: 55 |
| [Gatherer]: 15 | | [Builder]: 10 |
| [Cook]: 22 | | [Determination]: 53 |
| [Stabber]: 50 | | [Toolmaker]: 05 |
| [Scythesman]: 08 | | [Immunity]: 53 |
| [Spearman]: 07 | | [Fisherman]: 55 |
| [Magic Attunement]: 73 | | [Survivor]: 51 |
| [Tolerance]: 55 |
───────────────────────────────────
[Magics]
| [Connection]: 81 | | [Protective Membrane]: 63 |
| [Remembrance]: 69 | | [Trail]: 62 |
═══════════════════════════════════
— …This isn’t normal.
I’m growing much faster than I expected, especially when it comes to magic.
— That’s a good thing… right?
It’s good to be growing fast, but not knowing why worries me a little. Maybe it’s because of my connection to the core, but it still seems a bit strange.
— Am I missing some detail in the story?
Besides, the flower on my chest hasn’t caused any further reaction, it just sits there, nestled in the middle of it.
— I wonder if it has a magic stone…
If it weren’t for the fact that I could die if I tried to cut it out, I would’ve gotten rid of it a long time ago.
— Hmm… I just hope this doesn’t complicate my life.
[…]
Finally, after a long week of traveling, we arrived in Fortunia, the commercial city.
— I believe it’s also called the City of a Thousand Routes or something like that…
Glancing briefly, I see in the distance an old tower with a bell at the top, which is used to signal when night is falling or when morning has come.
— That must be the bell tower… The center of Fortunia.
I observe the wide streets of uneven stone intertwined with alleys, bridges, and hillsides, along with large structures like three- or four-story buildings that share space with enormous warehouses, inns, workshops, and markets.
The air is heavy, a mixture of spices and smoke. Cargo vehicles circulate nonstop, pulled by horses, deer, and other creatures I can’t even name.
I’d love to look around and learn more about the city, but I don’t have much money, and I’m still far from my goal.
— …I have to travel even more.
Just thinking about it wears me out, but I’m basically halfway there.
— Now, there must be an inn nearby… There.
I look around and see that the people who came with me are already gone, without even saying goodbye. As soon as the wagon stops, they just grabbed their things and disappeared while chatting among themselves.
It’s as if I’ve become a nuisance, someone they wanted to get away from at the first opportunity.
— All because of one sentence…
During the trip, the conversations always revolved around trivialities like food, monsters, fashion, rumors about the Noctis Royal Academy, and things like that, until one of them mentioned, somewhat awkwardly, that her breasts seemed to be growing even at her age.
Seeing that, for some reason, the others didn’t seem to understand what was happening, I mentioned that the female body goes through various changes, especially during pregnancy, and that breasts enlarge to produce milk.
Since then, they’ve all started looking at me suspiciously.
— What can I do when they barely understand their own bodies? — I muttered, frustrated. — I just explained the basics… but I guess it sounded bad.
Now that I think about it, given the lack of men in this world and the way they’re treated, many women don’t even consider getting pregnant.
— Just how low is the birth rate in this world?
That question flashes through my mind for a brief moment, but I quickly refocus on what’s important: renting a room at the inn.
The wagon to the Gate of the Abyss doesn’t leave until the next day, and I don’t feel like walking with my aching body.
With that in mind, I head to the inn and take the cheapest room, which has only a bed and a bathroom.
Luckily, no one questioned why I was alone, I just got a few strange looks from the landlady and some women nearby.
— At least this room has a bathroom… I’m finally going to take a nice shower.
A major advantage of this world over my old one is that, thanks to magic and magic stones, water is abundant. As long as you have a little magic in your body, you can use it to produce water.
— What would I do if I didn’t have magic… — I think to myself as I activate the magic stone that sprays water onto my body.
That reminds me of a girl who had no magic, just like me when I first arrived in this world.
— I'll probably never find her, since she's a noblewoman.
After a long bath, washing away all the exhaustion and dirt from the journey, I head downstairs at the inn to get some food.
Sitting quietly at a table in the corner after buying some bread with some strange jam inside, I listen to the conversations of the women around me.
Of all the rumors I hear, only one catches my attention.
— The Saint… didn’t go to school?
I’m sure that, at the beginning of the story, the Saint was at school and even briefly met the protagonist.
— What could have happened? — I wonder, but there’s no way for me to know.
If it’s just a delay in enrollment, maybe it won’t change much. She only comes into the spotlight after the protagonist emerges from the dungeon, anyway.
— But still… I hope nothing else has been changed.
As I listened to a few more rumors, I realized there were some that were relatively useful. One of them is about a man who enrolled in school alongside the princess and seems to be extremely talented. Many are even speculating that he must be the hero of an ancient prophecy.
— At least he’s following the story as usual…
Another interesting rumor mentioned the arrival of several influential figures at the Noctis Royal Academy this year.
— I may not remember them all, but some names sound familiar…
Even though it was a novel I’d picked up by chance, there were characters I’d like to meet someday.
I kept listening to the conversations around me while biting into my bread.
Most of it consisted of complaints about prices, delayed shipments, and dishonest merchants. Nothing too different from what you’d expect in a trading city.
Realizing I won’t get any more useful information, I finish eating and head toward my room, wanting nothing more than to flop onto my bed and sleep.
— What I’d give for a healing spell…
As I was lamenting, I end up running into Lívia.
She stopped in front of me, looked at me for a while without saying anything, before her cheeks turned red and she glanced around as if to make sure no one was paying attention.
— ...H-How much?
— Hm? How much what? — I ask, confused.
She looks away, blushing even more.
— How much… for one night?
— …
Now I finally understood why the women on the trip had been looking at me strangely.
It seems they’d misunderstood my profession, even though I’d said I was going to become an adventurer. And even more surprising is that someone actually came to try to buy my services.
— I’m not doing business right now. — I reply.
— ...I see.
Lívia gives a slight nod before turning and walking away.
I don’t know exactly what she understood, but she seemed a little down. I have a slight suspicion that she thinks I have questionable tastes, just like hers.
— It's not my fault she thinks I work in that line of work... — I thought, as I headed back to my room.
I might even have considered it for a moment, but my body is so worn out from the trip that I just want to rest.
Lying down on the bed and sending a “Buh!” through the [Connection], I realized something about Livia.
— …Actually, looking like a 15-year-old boy, I should really call the guards.
[To be continued…]
[ ]:
— …Ei, what are you watching so intently?
[???]:
— Hm? Boss, I’m just looking at the life of a certain human.
[ ]:
— What’s so interesting about a human’s life? Actually, why did you come here on your vacation?
[???]:
— It’s just something that’s been on my mind for a while… And now I’m seeing how it plays out.
[ ]:
— As always, I can never understand you.