Chapter 4

"Hey Mum, I found us another guest!" The girl shouts as she leads me through the door.

"I told you earlier not to be so pushy, Martha," A well-built woman says as she watches us from behind the counter. "If you keep harassing people, you will get in trouble one of these days."

"But we need to fill our rooms after the Starfall scared everyone off." The girl replies, and I think when she says Starfall, she must refer to the meteor shower I saw after escaping from the cave.

It was no problem, so I hope she does not punish the girl for this. The only thing that was hurt was my pride when I felt the soft warmth on my arm. The woman behind the counter has a warm motherly air and a pretty face despite her prominent figure. She is the kind of person you cannot help feeling safe and comfortable around. I have no problem staying here if the place is run by someone like her.

The girl finally releases my arm and stands closer to the woman, and I really can see their family resemblance when they stand side by side. Same hair colour and pretty face even if the woman looks a little aged. I guess she is the inn's landlady, and after speaking to her daughter, she finally turns to me.

"So, are you planning on staying the night?" The landlady asks. "Do you have any luggage?"

"Well, I lost most of my stuff when a group of monsters attacked me," That seems like a good excuse. "I only managed to escape with my coin purse and sword."

"So, you must be one of those Mon-Hunters if you went looking for a fight," The girl I think I heard her mother call Martha says.

"We don't see many of your kind around here since the army does a good job keeping monsters at bay," The landlady comments taking out a large book. "You would be better off in another territory where their lord cuts back on monster suppression."

"Oh, I am not a Mon-Hunter anymore," I quickly tell them. "I was attacked on the road after the Starfall."

"That Starfall has been causing a lot of problems," The landlady sighs. "We had a customer check-in earlier who lost most of his belongings too." For some reason, both the landlady and Martha look closely at me. "You look like you could be related to him."

"Are you, his sister?" Martha asks.

"No," I quickly answer. I cannot have any relatives in this world. "It is probably just a coincidence."

"He never mentioned having any relatives either," The landlady comments before opening the book she got out. "So, as I was saying before, we got side-tracked. Are you going to be staying with us, miss?"

"Yes, I would like to," I nod stepping closer to the counter. "Can I book a room for ten nights?"

"You sure can," The landlady smiles. "That will be one large copper per night for a single room or one small copper for the large communal room. We will also throw in a free meal for you."

"I will take the single room please," I tried backpacking before and have horrible memories of staying in hostels. I stick my hand in my pocket and hand over ten large copper coins.

"Okay, now I just need your name, age and occupation for the book," The landlady says, taking out a feather quell.

"It is Kura Suou, and I am fifteen but currently unemployed," I reply, and Martha looks at me.

"I hope you enjoy your stay," The landlady smiles. "Oh, I almost forgot to mention, but we start serving breakfast at the first-morning bell and stop at the second. For dinner, it is the first evening bell until we run out. I recommend getting your dinner early. A lot of people come here to drink in the evening." I smile and nod my head. "Martha, please show our guest to her room."

"Certainly," Martha steps back to my side and grabs hold of my hand. At least she is not pressing herself into me this time. "Please come with me."

I have no choice but to let her guild me. The room she led me to was well looked after and consisted of a single bed and wooden chest. The view is nothing to write home about, but I can smell whatever is being cooked for dinner, and already I am feeling hungry. Before Martha leaves, I ask her about local shops where I could buy daily necessities and thank her with a large copper coin as a tip making her smile.

After that, she leaves me alone, and I act childish for a moment testing out the bed, which unfortunately is not as soft as I had hoped for. I check the chest just in case someone left something behind, but it is empty and dust-free. Once I am done goofing off, I head down, stare and head out to buy what I need.

I feel glad when I open my map it shows every part of the city. It does not mark the names of every building. Still, the ones Martha told me about are marked, so maybe I need to learn about the building beforehand to unlock this kind of information. At least I do not have to worry about getting lost as even the inn is marked on the map. I just wish it did not take so long to walk to these stores. My feet are going to be hurting tonight.

The first store I go to is a second-hand clothing store where I buy a few changes of clothes for three silver coins. The owner was a nice old man, and I had a good talk with him about local events and rumours while I shopped, but the only thing worth mentioning that I learned is that haggling is the norm in this world. They had underwear on sale too, but I do not want to buy second-hand underwear. I also found a coat in good condition, which I brought down from one silver to three large copper coins. I have my clothes sent to the inn and bid him farewell before moving on.

The owner was less friendly and hard to haggle with at the second store. However, I still brought myself a backpack to help hide my storage skill and the necessary things for travelling for only four silver coins. I miss my old world where things had a set price, but I enjoy getting a good deal for the things I am buying.

While shopping at the third store, I was grateful I had the appraisal skill as the woman tried to sell me a pair of boots at twice their worth. They are well made and sturdy boots that will be better for walking than my current shoes, but one gold coin is too much. I pay two silver coins for them and walk away happy in the end.

With nearly everything I needed checked off my list, I head back to the inn. I still need to buy underwear, but if I can only find second-hand pairs, I would have to think again. If Martha knows where I can get sewing supplies, I can try making some myself. I used to sew as a habit before I came to this world, and my first job was making Halloween costumes when I was eighteen. I have never made underwear before, but I think I can figure it out. But on my way back, I decided to make a detour when I saw what I thought was some kind of circus… only it was not a circus. It was a slave market.

I back away, unable to stomach this sight. I could not believe it. People locked in cages. Some with animal characteristics and others who were just human were locked in cages and auctioned off. There were not even appropriately dressed, only wearing rags and collars, with a few even stripped naked. How could people even allow something like this to happen?

That was too much. I feel like I am about to be sick even after I can no longer see that place. The worse thing is that there is nothing I can do. That guard that gave me my ID papers said that slavery is a punishment, so that auction must be legal. I would be the person arrested if I even attempted to set those people free. I need some air. I need to take a long walk before returning to the inn.

When I return to the inn, the sun is starting to set, and Martha is surprised to see me. She smiles, puts the tray she was carrying down, and quickly comes up to me.

"We were thinking you got lost, miss," Martha says when she reaches me. "The stuff you ordered has been put in your room, and if you want to eat, we are still serving."

"That's sounds great. I'll take something to eat then," I smile back. I feel a little better after my walk, but I still see those people in cages every time I close my eyes.

"The only space free is at the bar. Are you okay with that?" Martha asks, and she is not wrong. No matter where you look, this room is crowded.

"Sure," I nod, and it does not take long for Martha to start guiding me by the hand again.

"If you do not already have a dish in mind, then I recommend the wild boar steak," Martha says the moment I sit down. I agree to go with her recommendation asking for something light to drink to go along with it. "I'll bring it right out."

I thank Martha and watch her disappear into the kitchen before looking around the room. It was just as busy as the landlady warned me about, but at least none of the drunks seemed to be fighting or looking my way. If anything, someone else is in more danger than me as most of the men stare in envy at a dark-haired boy sharing a meal with a pretty blonde woman. He must be the person people keep saying looks like me, but apart from having the same hair and eye while looking Japanese, I do not think we have that much in common. I am glad the room is busy enough that we do not have to talk, as the way that blonde woman clings onto him makes me think he is a player.

It does not take long for Martha to return with a plate of meat and some vegetables as well as a wooden tankard full of some orange looking liquor that smells strong. I thank her again and watch her disappear into the crowd, dodge a few drunken attempts to grope her along the way with such ease it makes me think people try to touch her all the time. She seems okay, and I do not think anyone would try anything more than just touching her, so I turn back to my food.

It smells good. I have never had boar meat before, but if it tastes as good as it smells, then I am going to love it. I was only given a wooden fork to eat with, but the boar meat has already been cut up into tiny cubes, so it is enough. The meat is softer than I expected, but the taste is still as good as I hoped. It is cooked well, melts in my mouth, and the drink I have alongside it is paired nicely with me. I enjoyed every bite and even had seconds as well. I make sure to ask Martha to pass on my compliments to the chief that turned out to be her father before I retire for the night.

One of the outfits I brought earlier from the second-hand clothing store was a clean looking white nightdress that I quickly changed into before getting into bed. The blanket is not as comfortable as I am used to, but after days of sleeping in that cave, this bed is a luxury. It does not take long for me to fall asleep unaware of the event that will play out when I wake up.