Chapter 140

Chapter 140

Episode 140: A New Beginning Emily Artion was gazing at the wine glass on the table with a quiet look. The fact that her gaze wasn’t directed at the person across from her might have been her own way of expressing her apologies. “…” However, she couldn’t just keep staring at the table forever. She shifted her gaze slightly forward, focusing on the glass across from her. Unlike the delicate glass in front of her, the one opposite was rough and large. It looked like it should only hold beer, but it was filled with whiskey that exuded a strong alcoholic scent. Drinking strong whiskey in such a large glass was something only a serious drinker could do, but Emily wasn’t particularly surprised. The person in front of her was more than capable of doing it. “Are you not feeling well?” “No, it’s not that…” Kurun Charka. The name of the skilled guard from the Letilla Adventurer’s Guild, an orc who had often been involved with Emily, even in a physically intimate way. Although the relationship wasn’t exactly healthy, it didn’t change the fact that the two were connected by some kind of bond. That’s why Emily couldn’t help but give a apologetic smile as she looked at the orc in front of her. “I’m sorry. For telling you so suddenly…” The ‘sudden thing’ was, literally, a story about a sudden farewell. Farewells weren’t unfamiliar to Emily. Originally, Emily had left her village and experienced a sudden farewell with everyone she had known for 16 years. However, the situation was slightly different now. Unlike back then, when she couldn’t leave if she was caught, she could leave whenever she wanted now. Perhaps that’s why she was giving more meaning to this farewell. The bitterness lingering in her mouth probably wasn’t just from the alcohol. “I’m leaving tomorrow.” “Hmm…” Even though their relationship was a bit tangled and perhaps even promiscuous, Charka was, strictly speaking, her first man, and even if it was less so than Lyla, Emily couldn’t help but feel a little special about him. Therefore, Emily’s feelings were quite mixed as she announced her departure to Charka. And those feelings changed into something even more intense the moment she heard Charka’s reply. “You don’t need to worry about it.” “…” Charka maintained a very calm demeanor as he said that. His attitude, as if he really didn’t need to worry, made Emily feel even more complex emotions. ‘…What, am I not important to him anymore?’ Before her reincarnation, she might have thought Charka’s attitude was cool. No, she definitely would have. To be honest, she still thought it was a little cool in her heart. But Emily Artion, as a woman, not as a man, felt a hint of regret at Charka’s words. It was as if he was saying that his relationship with her wasn’t that important. The moment she realized her feelings, Emily sighed inwardly. It seemed she could no longer call herself a man, even jokingly. She had become too sensitive to simply swallow and shake off the sadness of farewell with a glass of alcohol. “If you say so, that’s a relief.” Objectively observing oneself is quite difficult, especially when it leads to a torrent of swirling emotions. However, Emily naturally managed that difficult observation and picked up the glass on the table. What she said was sincere in itself. At least, a clean break was better than being held back and told not to go. Still, she couldn’t help but have a question in her heart. “But…aren’t you sad?” When Emily asked, Charka chuckled softly and replied. “There are times when you regret meeting someone and look forward to saying goodbye. But you don’t fall into that category.” It was an ambiguous statement. Emily pondered his words for a moment before asking again. “Does that mean you’re sad?” But Charka didn’t answer her. He had a soft smile on his rough face as he quietly raised his glass. Emily also had a puzzled expression, but soon she had a gentle smile on her face as she raised her own glass.

-Clink.

In the noisy atmosphere, the sound of glasses clinking echoed softly. // There were two days left until I decided to head to the Tybon County. And that time wasn’t very long. Now that I had the magic tool and had withdrawn money from the bank, I prepared enough food and water to last at least four days in the worst-case scenario, learning from the Mesatria incident. This should be enough to deal with any unforeseen circumstances. …As an aside, withdrawing money from the bank was easy. Since my name itself was registered with the Adventurer’s Guild, my adventurer’s plate served as my identification. It would probably be similar when passing through the gates of Karaldin. Since identity verification wasn’t easy in this world, there were more than a few loopholes. But from the perspective of someone taking advantage of those loopholes, I was grateful. Anyway, after wandering around the streets preparing for the trip, I returned to the inn. “…Ugh…” “Hng…” The sight of my two friends sprawled out on the bed came into view. It was a bit of an overstatement to call the sight of grown women lying on the bed in grotesque poses beautiful. Still, they were all good-looking, so it didn’t look too bad. “Haa.” I sighed softly and sat on the edge of the bed where Emily was sitting. “So, did you all have a good farewell party?” Because my appearance had changed quite a bit, I couldn’t say goodbye to the people I had met here. Even if this was a country with demons, I couldn’t go around telling people that I was a doppelganger. Just thinking about explaining it made my head hurt. But Emily and El were different. So, they had gone out to sort out their relationships while I was preparing for the trip. It seemed that the ‘sorting out of relationships’ was quite messy, as the two of them, who had left the inn around yesterday afternoon, only returned after the morning sun had risen and the bells had rung. And they had been sleeping ever since, only waking up just now. “U-Uh…” El was the first to answer. She nodded with a hesitant attitude. She was even blushing. It was a familiar reaction that I could tell at a glance, so I decided to ask her directly. “…Did you have sex yesterday?” “N-No! It’s, it’s not like that!” El strongly denied it, but that attitude was as good as strongly agreeing with my question. I had asked as if testing the waters, but I couldn’t help but be quite surprised inside. From her reaction yesterday, I had guessed that there was someone she cared about, but I didn’t think it would go that far. Did Emily know? I turned my head and looked down, but she didn’t seem surprised. It seemed she knew as well. “Haaam.” And as for Emily, who was yawning softly now, there was no need to ask. She had returned in the morning, just like El. I didn’t need to ask what she had done during the night to know. “…” Suddenly, the face of the gruff orc warrior came to mind. He was much better than most humans. It was a little disappointing. It wouldn’t have been bad if I had joined in, but I couldn’t now that I looked like this. “…Actually, you’re right.” While I was lost in thought, El belatedly answered my question. I only realized that it was a denial of a lie that wouldn’t work after thinking about her words for a moment. “Yeah, I thought so.” What had happened while I was staying in the underground plaza? A week or so was a short time, but the length of time wasn’t that important when it came to people changing. I gave a wry smile as I looked at El, who was giving an awkward smile. If her change was due to my previous actions…I would feel a little heavy-hearted. El had made the choice, but my influence in making that choice wouldn’t have been small. “Ugh, how did this happen?” “I can’t tease you for being a virgin anymore.” I looked at El, who was grumbling, and spoke to her with a bitter and subtle feeling. Then she gave a seemingly relaxed expression. It was hard to find any regret in that expression. “Whatever, I never cared about that stuff anyway?” “…Yeah. If you say so, then that’s how it is.” “N-No. I really didn’t care!” …Even if I was like this, these two had become quite promiscuous while traveling with me. In the past, I would have been happy without thinking, but now that I could look at it from a slightly different perspective, I couldn’t just be purely happy. I felt like I had corrupted the two of them. No, I had corrupted them. It would be a bit of an overstatement to call teaching them the pleasures of love corruption, but considering my mental state at the time, I was qualified to use that word. …Even so, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I put the complicated problem into a corner of my mind and said to the two of them. “I understand. Rest a little more. The preparations are all done, and we just need to leave tomorrow.” Then Emily, who had been sprawled out on the bed without saying a word, suddenly raised her upper body and asked a question. Because she had raised her body, her red hair slipped and covered my hand. “How long will it take?” “Well, if we take it easy, about a week?” It wasn’t that far in terms of distance. Rather than not being far, the roads were well-maintained, so the journey wouldn’t take that long. Of course, Mien had said that if we were unlucky, we might have to walk along the way, which could take longer, but that was something to worry about then. There was a limit to the information that could be obtained within Karaldin. It’s so inconvenient that there’s no internet. // And the next morning. We left the inn dressed too lightly to be travelers. There was no internet, but there was subspace. The magic tool, which had the capacity of a small attic, could hold everything needed for the trip. The only sad news was that we didn’t get a refund for the long-term stay. But we had made the contract that way in the first place, so there was nothing we could do. The fact that there would be almost no money to return when we roughly calculated it also played a part in making that decision. After a long time, the three of us walked together through the streets of Karaldin. The streets of Karaldin, which we wouldn’t be seeing for a while, were still lively. Even though entertainment and gambling were rampant in the city, it didn’t show on the surface of the streets. Moreover, after seeing the shocking things in the underground plaza, even the outside world seemed pious and sincere. At least there weren’t any naked statues made of people, so that alone was great enough. Passing through the gates was simple. “Three adventurers belonging to the Letilla Guild.” I said confidently and showed the plate hanging on my necklace. The guard checked the plate without any suspicion and wrote in the entry log. I had a different appearance than ‘Lyla’ now, but the guards didn’t remember the faces of all the adventurers. In Karaldin, a person’s identity was proven not by complex data, but by a thin piece of iron. Any woman with a similar height to Emily, black hair, and black eyes could become Lyla Freeman. The soldier who wrote in the entry log let us pass and bowed lightly. “May the goddess bless your journey.” Did they say that to all the adventurers who passed by? Or was it just a courtesy because there were three pretty women? Either way, it would be a pretty interesting sight.

Free from the long line, as we exited the city gates, the small village outside the gates and the distant Mesin River greeted us first. Unlike the city’s interior, which was always surrounded by walls and buildings, the open plains beyond the horizon and the small hills scattered here and there gave a vast feeling just by looking at them. “It must be disappointing. That everyone couldn’t say their goodbyes.” “It can’t be helped. Not in this state. I’ll have to go back and see them when enough time has passed.” “Oh, then take me with you next time! He said he’d come to find us, but who knows if we can wait until then.” The three of us walked side by side, chatting. First, we had to walk to our first destination, Larkard.