Ch.2121. Lindvale

“Once we cross this point, we’ll be in Lindvale. Everyone must be tired, but let’s push on just a little more.”

After emerging from the forest, Dunstan encouraged the group in front of a large hill.

“Wow…”

As the open landscape unfolded before them, Rex let out a soft exclamation.

The view of the city from the high ground was truly magnificent.

His heart fluttered with excitement, a ticklish feeling that made it difficult to look away. It was as if the scene possessed some magical power that held his gaze.

Countless houses stood packed together, and a short distance away, a massive castle stood proudly isolated atop a mound of earth that rose like a peak.

The city walls embraced everything, surrounded again by deeply dug moats, with dozens of people lined up on the drawbridge—the only passage in.

From the hilltop, people looked like tiny ants. Colorful dots seemed to move about randomly.

Rex couldn’t tear his eyes away from the city.

This was exactly why people who grew up in villages were shocked when they first saw a city.

The sight of such vast land with so many people living together in harmony was a refreshing spectacle.

Rex was precisely such a case. Even from a distance, the city’s grandeur gave him goosebumps, and he couldn’t even imagine how large it would be up close.

Dunstan stroked his beard and murmured in a relieved voice.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been to Lindvale.”

The carriage continued along the path, and before long, they arrived at the city.

The diverse crowd waiting in line to pass through the gate provided an interesting spectacle.

There was a family with all sorts of luggage piled high on a cart as if fleeing from something, a rough-looking man carrying a bloody bundle, a well-dressed young man exuding wealth, a woman with burn scars on her face suggesting some tragic story—each person had a unique appearance.

If there was one commonality, it was that no one attempted to cut in line.

With so many people waiting, one might expect someone to grumble, but no one voiced any complaints.

“Stop. Yes, you. Come here. No, you stay there. Are your ears clogged? You don’t understand what I’m saying? Stay put if you don’t want to get beaten.”

Of course, with heavily armed soldiers glaring with fierce eyes, it was natural that no one would dare to misbehave.

‘Will we even get in today?’

Rex stood on his tiptoes to look at the gate. The line was moving as slowly as a crawling beetle.

“I have something prepared for times like this. Follow me.”

Seeming to notice his concern, Dunstan grinned and walked forward, pushing through the crowd. The guards led the carriage and cart naturally, as if this wasn’t their first time.

Eventually, Rex hesitated but followed the group with Elin.

Those waiting endlessly for their turn frowned and glared at them, but no one stopped them.

In this situation, only two types of people could confidently leave the line and head straight to the gate.

Either those of noble status or those who had established connections beforehand.

Dunstan was the latter.

“Oh my, Brother Joseph. Have you been well? It’s me, Dunstan from the Pennibrook Company. Surely you haven’t forgotten me?”

The man he addressed was wearing an iron helmet pulled low and giving orders to other soldiers—apparently the person in charge.

Joseph turned his head at the voice calling him. His brow was deeply furrowed, though whether from some unpleasant incident or if that was just his usual expression was unclear.

His gaze was so fierce that Rex involuntarily flinched.

‘Is this really okay?’

Making his concerns seem foolish, Joseph immediately burst into hearty laughter upon seeing Dunstan.

“Well, who do we have here? If it isn’t my brother Dunstan. You look cheerful—must have made some good money this time, eh?”

“What are you saying? Haha, come on. You know I’m barely scraping by. You wouldn’t believe what happened to me. Whew, I nearly died out there.”

Dunstan and Joseph seemed to be on familiar terms.

However, it was clear their relationship wasn’t built on pure friendship alone.

When Dunstan whispered something in a hushed voice, the corner of Joseph’s mouth curled up.

“Let’s have a drink sometime later. I’ve acquired an exquisite white wine.”

“Sure. I’ll drop by when I have time.”

Soon after, Joseph let the group pass without any further inspection. He didn’t even check what was in the cart behind the carriage.

As expected, it seemed Dunstan had slipped him some money.

“Tsk. His greed grows by the day. Who knows what’s filling that belly of his.”

Dunstan clicked his tongue and grumbled quietly after returning to his place.

Rex looked around with a sour expression.

The soldiers were watching people with wide eyes.

At first, he had thought, “So this is a city, with strict discipline,” but now he saw it differently.

They were simply looking for opportunities to extort money from outsiders.

It wasn’t surprising. The same thing probably happened everywhere. People looking out for their own interests could be found anywhere.

In the end, no matter how strictly governed, any collective would inevitably have some corruption. Even in Oakbrook Village, the elites preying on each other was commonplace, so why would a city be any different?

“Enter. And don’t cause any trouble.”

The soldier guarding the entrance warned in a calm voice.

After passing through the passage, the interior of the city finally revealed itself.

A chaotic mass of people moved between buildings packed tightly together.

Though this was just one of the city’s streets, it was so crowded that it was impossible to even guess how many people lived in the entire city.

It was indeed worthy of its reputation as one of the most famous places in the region.

Rex stared at the city in a daze. Anyone could tell he had just arrived from the countryside.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah, nothing. Let’s go.”

Only when Elin nudged his side did he come to his senses. Rex scratched his cheek as he made an excuse.

Even as he followed the group, Rex kept looking around. Every scene that entered his vision was unfamiliar and fascinating. Unlike the always quiet village, here complex noises came from all directions.

Rex tried to memorize the maze-like, winding paths. This would be the place where he would live for a while.

‘Should I visit the Mercenary Guild first… It wouldn’t be bad to gather information first.’

Rex reached into his clothes and fingered his pouch.

The money his mother had given him for travel expenses was still sufficient. However, the cost of living in the city was high. Once he found a place to stay, he would need to find work, preferably something physical.

As Rex was thinking about his future plans, Dunstan stopped in front of a building. It stood out as the only stone building on the street.

“We’ve finally arrived. Rex, you’ve done well. You too, Miss Elin.”

“Is this your company?”

“Yes. Quite impressive, isn’t it? I commissioned the Stonemasons’ Guild to build it.”

Dunstan looked up at his building with satisfaction before sighing.

“I don’t know how many times I’ve said this today, but… thank you. Rex, I’m alive thanks to you. Anyway, I can’t keep doing this anymore. My bones get cold sleeping outside these days. From now on, I’ll have to send a representative instead.”

“So we’re parting ways now?”

Rex turned his gaze as he spoke. The guards were moving the carriage and cart to an empty space beside the building. Since their agreement to travel together was only until Lindvale, their business was technically concluded.

“No! Don’t go anywhere, just wait three minutes!”

Dunstan hurriedly blurted out and went inside the building, then returned with a pouch which he handed to Rex. Peeking inside, Rex saw at least twenty silver coins jingling.

“I can’t send my savior away empty-handed. It’s far from enough to repay a life debt, but I’ve put in as much as I could to avoid seeming stingy.”

Contrary to Dunstan’s words, twenty silver coins was quite a substantial amount.

One silver coin could feed a family for… no, that’s not right.

Rex shook off the random thought that had surfaced and pocketed the pouch.

Dunstan, who had been glancing at him strangely, added:

“The remaining payment… I’ll send it as soon as I find a buyer.”

He was referring to the monster’s corpse.

It was just after they had emerged from the forest.

Dunstan had casually asked if Rex would sell the monster to his company, and Rex had readily agreed to his proposal.

Since it would be difficult to drag around such a large bulk, and Rex didn’t know where to sell it anyway, he had no reason to refuse.

It was ultimately a beneficial deal for both parties.

Rex would be spared the troublesome process, and Dunstan’s company would open a new distribution channel.

The thought that he might be cheated out of his money briefly crossed his mind, but he quickly dismissed it. Being overly concerned about such trivial matters would be endless.

“Come to think of it, this is your first time in Lindvale, right? Then you probably don’t have a place to go.”

“Do you have any recommendations?”

“Hmm. There’s a decent inn nearby. Can you read?”

Rex shook his head. Literacy was the privilege of the upper class. Having lived his entire life in a village of illiterates, he had no opportunity to learn.

“I can.”

“Pardon?”

Suddenly, Elin interjected into the conversation.

“That’s fortunate. It’s a place called ‘The Night Fox.’ I’ll write down the location, so you can find it. If you mention my name, they might even give you a discount on the lodging. I’ll send the remaining payment there as well.”

Dunstan handed a piece of paper with writing on it to Elin.

Just as Rex was about to say something, Dunstan waved his hand and quickly disappeared into the building.

As Rex stared after him with bewildered eyes, Elin said:

“Let’s go.”

“Is that okay?”

“I’m heading that way anyway.”

When Rex asked, concerned about bothering a busy person, Elin shook her head. It was awkward to refuse when the person herself said it was fine.

Elin looked at the paper once and confidently set off.

As Dunstan had said, the inn wasn’t far.

“Here it is.”

“Thank you. Well, I should…”

“……”

Elin closed her mouth and silently stared at Rex.

‘Wasn’t this the moment to part ways?’

In the sudden silence, Rex awkwardly scratched his cheek.

Then suddenly, his attention was caught by the robe Elin had been wearing all along. It occurred to him that he had never seen Elin’s face until now.

Even now, a pitch-black shadow covered where her features should be. Perhaps because she was a mage, her robe had some magical properties.

He had been trying not to pay attention to it, but now that they were about to part ways, his curiosity surged.

“Your face. Can you show me?”

So Rex blurted out his inner thoughts. He immediately regretted it, but words couldn’t be taken back.

If she was deliberately hiding it, there must be a reason—just as Rex was about to apologize for his mistake with a flustered expression.

“Curious?”

Contrary to expectations, Elin tilted her head and asked back.

Rex nodded without realizing it.

Then, to his surprise, Elin pushed back her hood without hesitation.

“There. Satisfied?”

Rex couldn’t say a word.

In this world, there were beings who could brighten their surroundings just by standing still.

A rose blooming in a field, a painting so vivid it seems about to come alive, a lake sparkling in the warm summer sunlight…

Though impossible to list them all, these things had one thing in common: they evoked indescribable emotions in the beholder.

In this case, it was Elin.

Her long flowing hair was transparent silver. Emerald eyes reflected a hint of curiosity. Her flawless face reminded Rex of a fairy.

Especially those pointed ears that kept twitching… wait a minute.

“…Huh?”

“What?”

Rex pressed his eyelids firmly with his fingers and looked at Elin again.

Her ears were still elongated. Aren’t they usually round?

With a sudden realization, Rex asked incredulously:

“You’re an elf?”

“Yes.”

Elin affirmed with her usual calm tone.

Rex closed his mouth at her innocent gaze.

‘Really?’

He had heard stories about other races until he was sick of them as a child, but he never dreamed he would meet one like this.

Indeed, the world was vast. The monster, Elin—if he had stayed in the village forever, he would never have encountered them.

Whether good experiences or bad, change comes to those who take action. He finally felt the reality of leaving his hometown for a wider world.

“Done.”

When Elin pulled her hood back up, the faint shadow covered her face again.

“What will you do now?”

At Elin’s question, Rex paused.

What would he do next? He had no specific plan. But somehow, his heart felt light.

For now, he had achieved his first goal of reaching the city, so perhaps he would rest today and think about it slowly from tomorrow.

Rex looked up.

Clouds were drifting across the blue sky.

Chapter 1 – A Wider World (End)