Chapter 4: Cornelia

"Welcome to Cornelia, the city of dreams!"

After a brief chat, the villager in the green robe, whose name I soon learned was Johnathan, led me to a big, hustling village that was built at the foot of the mountain side I had surfaced from.

'That cave system spanned from one side of the mountain to the other?! No wonder it felt like I was down there for days!'

Brushing off that thought, it came to my attention that Cornelia was primarily composed of small, single-storey wooden houses.

A few buildings, however, had more special architecture. Some that caught my eye was a tall tower made of cobblestone, a wide cobblestone building that had a couple of furnaces and cauldrons on its porch, a wooden, two-storey building with a balcony and finally, a large, cobblestone building with a wooden, inverted V-shaped roof made of dark oak. All in all, it seemed like a well maintained and somewhat cozy place, despite its large size.

"What do you think, Steve? You seem a little spaced out."

"Huh? Oh, yeah. It's just that I've never seen anything like this before."

"Natural! After all, Cornelia is the greatest village there is!"

Johnathan asked me to follow them to a downtown tavern, so that they could introduce me to the locals.

I didn't really know what to make of all this. This Johnathan fellow sounded friendly and all, but also kind of weird. Also, suddenly meeting someone I could actually talk to was quite the sudden shift from fending off the undead. I guess this made me feel a bit on edge.

We soon reached that two storey building I had noticed earlier. Turns out, it was an inn with a well-lit tavern on the first floor. It had an open, breezy atmosphere. Inside, a bunch of townsfolk were dining and having a chat with each other, until Johnathan called out to them.

"Greetings, folks! Look at what I stumbled upon!"

Upon hearing their voice, the townsfolk turned their gaze towards us. To my surprise, outfits aside, they all looked identical to each other and Johnathan! And they were all looking at me, too! As we were walking towards a table for two near the center of the tavern, a few people began voicing their thoughts.

"Hmm, another one, Johnathan?" one of them asked. They were wearing a straw hat.

"Hmm, don't tell me that he's gonna stay here, too?" another asked in a distrustful tone. They were wearing a black apron.

"Hmm, can you fend off the bad guys?" a child villager in brown clothes asked me.

"Hey now, maybe we should give him some space first," Johnathan chimed in, noticing the discomfort painted on my face. I wasn't used to getting this much attention, and by strangers no less...

"This man is named Steve, and, as you've probably already guessed, he's an adventurer! He can mine, craft, and fight!"

A few 'woah's' resonated from the 'audience'. I guess that was the criteria for being classified as an adventurer.

After a while, someone who I could only assume was a waiter, walked up to us. Johnathan insisted on treating me with some rabbit stew and two pieces of bread, while they settled for some beetroot stew. It was the first time I had eaten rabbit stew, and it was delicious. All the while, the tavern was buzzing. After I thanked them for the treat and finished my meal, they turned to me.

"So..." they began, "do you have anywhere you need to be right now, Steve? If you don't mind me asking, of course."

"Why?"

"Well, I was just thinking that, maybe you could stay in Cornelia for a few days. You traveled quite a distance from your home, after all. You can sleep here, at the inn!" The tavern fell silent.

I had to admit, the idea was intriguing. Looking outside the window, I noticed it was about mid-day, so going back home at that moment would be risky. I'd probably not make it in time before the night would fall. However...

"I don't know. I have to go back home... Besides, I don't even know what I did to deserve such hospitality."

"Perhaps I wasn't being transparent enough... The truth is, we need someone to defend us now that our protectors are gone. You are an adventurer! You are the only person who can protect our town from hostile mobs! You are the only one who knows how to actually use weapons!"

"..."

"Please, Steve. If you protect us, even for a short while, we'll be eternally grateful. We'll even let you stay for free for as long as it takes."

Before I could respond, a villager in a white cloak cut me off. Their voice was monotone, and their expression was calm.

"Excuse me, Johnathan, but are you sure it is a wise idea to accept a stranger in our town? He may be an adventurer, but just because the previous one had good intentions, that does not mean that he has too."

"I know that," Johnathan replied sternly, "but we don't have a choice! Miss Rana hasn't returned, and we still can't summon an iron golem! This man is our best possible option if we want to survive the mobs!" The villager in white remained silent.

I felt overwhelmed with all that information. However, the desperation in Johnathan's voice and the worried look in the people's eyes told me that they were in quite the dilemma. Besides, this was the first time in this world where I was with people I could converse with. And so far, most of them were relatively welcoming to strangers, too. Taking all that into account, I started talking.

"Alright. I'll stay for a few days. I can't tell for how many, but if you guys need someone to keep the village safe from monsters, then I can help out for a bit."

"You'd really do that for us?"

I nodded.

"Sir, thank you so much. Our innkeeper will provide you a spare room, for as long as you plan on staying. Since today is your first day in Cornelia, your duties as a protector won't start until tomorrow night. You'll be given the details then."

"Thank you."

After wrapping up, a room was booked for me. The innkeeper gave me a stone button, explaining that placing it on a block adjacent to the iron door that led to my room, would open it. After following their instructions, I was greeted by the sight of what would be my room for the foreseeable future. It was quite a bit more cramped than the room back in my house, but still had just enough space for a bed with orange, wooly covers, a chest and a crafting table.

It was getting late. As I sat down on my bed, the exhaustion I had built up, rushed through me. Today's events replayed in my mind, and I began second guessing.

'Will I really be able to protect this town? How long will I be doing this for? Will there be a point in which my life will be at risk again? Sure, it wouldn't be the first time, but how many times will I be able to escape death's narrow grasp for?'

"..."

'It's fine. At least I'll be able to gain more levels this way. And, maybe I'll have the opportunity to put my crafting and building skills into good use! But, more importantly...

At least I'm not alone in this world anymore.'

With that thought, I felt comforted and soon drifted into unconsciousness.