Adventurers

A pair of ruby-red eyes opened.

Pandora sat up and looked around the area after she woke up.

She found her and Regis's things nearby.

However, she noticed that Regis was nowhere to be found.

"Hmmm?" 

She let out a sound as she groggily rubbed her eyes with her hands.

"Brother?" 

She called out but was met with no response.

Pandora felt nervous whenever she was not with Regis, it was also one of the reasons why she liked being in the same room with him.

Therefore, now that he was nowhere to be found, she felt uneasy.

She kept looking around, until her eyes wandered around the entrance of the Goblin Forest ahead.

'Is he there…?'

Pandora knew that it would be dangerous if she were to enter the forest now.

However, she couldn't help herself.

Just as she was about to take a step, she saw a young boy coming out of a forest.

"Oh! You're awake already?" 

Regis smiled as he walked towards her with a dead wild boar slung over his shoulder.

Due to his small stature as a kid, the sight of him carrying a huge wild boar seemed unnatural.

Pandora's eyes sparkled at the sight of Regis. "Why did you leave me?" 

Looking at her pouting, Regus felt his heart melting, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to prepare something to eat for when you wake up…"

'I'm sorry…' He said in his heart as he lied straight to her face.

After all, he couldn't possibly tell her that he transformed into a demon and was only able to revert to his human form.

"I'll make up for it with this wild boar…"

"Make up for what??"

"F-For leaving you alone…"

The two of them conversed as Regis started to prepare the wild boar meat.

He decided for the two of them to eat it here as dragging a corpse of wild boar in the village didn't seem nice.

The two of them shared a meal near the entrance of the Goblin Forest.

***

"There's something that's been bothering me?"

"What is it?"

"Why didn't we meet any goblins when we stayed near the entrance of their home? Aren't they innately curious and aggressive?"

"W-Well, I wonder about that too…"

Regis and Pandora conversed as they entered the village.

Along the way, Regis had been having a hard time dodging her questions as to what he did inside the forest.

Although he knew that she might have some suspicions, there was nothing he could do.

"By the way, how does it feel forming your first star?" He asked, hoping to change the topic.

His question made Pandora's eyes light up with excitement, "Oh!! I don't know how to describe it but I feel more powerful!"

"Really?" Regis raised his brow.

"Yes! I think I can cast the magic spell I copied from the bandit without collapsing!"

Her words surprised Regis.

After all, the Fireball that she copied from the robed man was powerful.

'If a low rank magic was that powerful… then I wonder how powerful the higher ranks of magic are…' He thought in wonder.

"Can you show me tomorrow?" 

"Mhm!" Pandora nodded enthusiastically in response.

Originally, Regis wanted her to demonstrate her magic spell now but it was already late as the sun was starting to set.

As he was once a demonic human who roamed at night, he knew the danger that accompanied the absence of the sun.

It didn't take long before the two of them reached their inn.

As they were still full from the wild boar meat that they ate earlier, they skipped dinner and went straight to their room.

"Let's brush our teeth." Regis said to Pandora as he pulled a wooden toothbrush with fiber as its bristles.

It was one of the personal hygiene tools he bought earlier in the market.

He also experienced the effects of the toothbrush as he used it earlier.

"Ehhh…" On the other hand, Pandora was not a big fan of it. In short, she was lazy when it came to brushing her teeth.

"Come on, what if we went to the capital and the guards won't allow us in because you smell bad? Then I will have no choice but to leave you alo-"

"Ugh, fine! Just don't leave me- No, never leave me, okay!?" Pandora said as she grabbed one of the toothbrushes in his hand.

Regis smiled at her reaction. He bought a few more things earlier in the market which he was excited to use.

He really felt thrilled at the thought of buying and using things that were new to him.

Well in short, he really liked shopping.

'If a small village like this already has these interesting things, I wonder what the cities have in store…'

He thought as the idea of visiting various cities in the future excited him.

***

The next day…

Regis and Pandora had just woken up and finished brushing their teeth.

They then went downstairs in order to have breakfast when they heard a loud noise from the dining area of the inn.

"Hmmm? What's happening?" Regis muttered as he led Pandora.

"Wow! Did you really slay a Two Star Ogre!?"

"Then you must be really strong!"

"Hey Brother, would you like to spend the night with me…"

…

The two of them could see a crowd surrounding a group of three men.

Not minding them, Regis and Pandora sat on their usual position at the leftmost barstool away from the commotion.

Mara noticed them and immediately approached, "Good morning! This is our menu for today…"

She greeted them as she handed them a wooden plaque with engravings.

"Just call me when you're ready to order, okay?"

However, before she could leave, Regis asked, "Sister Mara, What's going on there?"

"Oh, there? Once a while, the village will send a request to the Adventurer Guild Branch in the nearby Corelli Fortress in order to keep the monsters in the Goblin Forest under control."

She then pointed at the three men, "They are the adventurers that took the mission. That's why the villagers are enthusiastic."

"Oh??" Regis raised his brow in interest as he gave a silver coin to her.

A smile crept up on Mara's face as she winked, "Little Brother, just call for me if you ever have questions, okay?"