Adventuring in Another World. Chapter 1: Contact and Contracts.
~}I{~
Sumino Tsugiyoshi was suspicious the moment these strange people called him and his classmates 'Heroes From Another World'.
Come on, what were the actual odds of a class of 15 teenagers being Isekai and all of them having the powers to be Heroes in this world? Well... Tsugiyoshi had his 100 Paths ability, but that's something only he had and it wasn't exactly useful for saving the world.
'But not like anyone would know that,' The grey-haired teen thought as one of the cloaked weirdos started using some kind of magic mirror to gunge each classmate's Abilities and Special Skills... Wait a minute... 'Oh, Shit! That's bad!' Tsugiyoshi realised as he heard the cloaked man with the 'Appracial Mirror' read one Over-Powered Ability after another. Seriously, what were the odds of this entire class having such stats?
The grey-haired teen could feel himself going through the thought process of, 'Of course, this would be like these Isekai Animes and mangas…' He then wondered if he could somehow break that mirror before it could reveal his 100 Paths. He needed to make it look like an accident.
The grey-haired teen carefully counted how long it took for the Appracial Mirror to do its reading before the cloaked man went to the next person. He discreetly glanced around the immediate area, seeking out something or anything he could use to aid in his plan.
However, it was too late. The weirdo in the cloak already had the Appracial Mirror on Tsugiyoshi and he announced, "Sumino Tsugiyoshi... Your unique skill is... Online Shopping?"
It took a few seconds for those words to sink in... "Eh?" was all Tsugiyoshi could get out before he asked as his classmates made their annoying comments, "Is that all?"
The weirdo with the Appracial mirror looked at the glass to read what was on it before he said, "Other than the Online Shopping...There isn't anything else of note other than the defaults and above-normal stats for a starting level…"
Tsugiyoshi blinked in confusion as the weirdo continued his task. The grey-haired teen placed a hand on his chin to review what he had learned. Even though he was deep in thought, he saw how quickly the other cloaked people served his classmates drinks inside goblets on top of silver platers. Tsugiyoshi narrowed his eyes at this when he thought, 'So... either I lost my 100 Paths or…'
Nezumi tested that theory by doing 10 paths. All 10 of them were identical, which was how he noticed that he was the only one who wasn't offered a drink, which was rude and suspicious. However...
'I still have my 100 Paths... Hm, perhaps that mirror can't detect Abilities that the person already had before being Isekai,' Tsugiyoshi concluded before he glanced around, trying to take in as much information as he could get without calling attention to himself. Everything he could see looked new, and expensive, and told him that he and his classmates were in some kind of palace. Hm, nothing looked broken or damaged and the place looked pristine, so why was there a need to Summon Heroes?
The next thing everyone knew, the cloaked man with the Appraisal Mirror suddenly said, "Since you've been summoned, all of you need to meet with His Majesty." Somehow, that didn't seem like that much of a surprise.
}I{ Roughly an Hour Later }I{
Tsugiyoshi most certainly couldn't miss the favouritism that was being showered on his classmates. All of whom were wearing either armours, robes, or a combination of the two and kneeling before the King, Queen, and Princess.
The King made his little speech to the teens when he said, "The Demon King occasionally invades my Kingdom of Reijseger. will you lend us your strength, for the sake of our kingdom's peace? The Demon King should know how to send you back home."
Tsugiyoshi narrowed his eyes as he looked over the Royalty when one of his male classmates said, "There is no way we can allow the existence of a Demon King that brings suffering to the people." Tsugiyoshi raised a brow at that statement, wondering when his immature classmate suddenly gained a Jiminy Cricket. To the grey-haired teen's confusion, the rest of his classmates agreed to that.
"Oh! That means..." The king got out in glee.
Through narrowed eyes, Tsugiyoshi thought at the scene played out before him, 'This is too suspicious! It's all way too convenient. Something is up and I don't know what it is… I don't like this at all… Which means that I need to get away from this place, fast.' He stood up when he got out, "Excuse me," Once everyone's attention was on the grey-haired teen, he said, "Since my skill set isn't any good for fighting, I would like to go live a peaceful life here in this new world."
It was surprisingly easy to leave. Only one of his classmates spoke up, the seatmate that always tried to have conversations with him, asking if he was sure about his choice. Tsugiyoshi told them he was sure. As he was seen out by one of the attendants with a bag of 20 gold coins, the grey-haired teen asked them about anything important regarding this world.
The attendant just told Tsugiyoshi the basic layout of the kingdom of Reijseger, which the teen thought was weird, and the currency system, which was probably the most useful thing.
There were six types of coins; iron, copper, silver, regular-sized gold, large-sized gold coin, and platinum. Iron was the lowest-valued coin while platinum was the highest. That made sense. It takes 10 iron coins to equal one copper coin, it takes 10 copper coins to equal one silver coin, it takes 10 silver coins to equal one regular-sized gold coin, it takes 10 regular-sized gold coins to equal one large gold coin, and it takes 10 large gold coins to equal one platinum coin. However, the large gold coins and platinum coins are so rarely used that some people have never seen either in all their lives, in fact, the people of this world preferred to only use regular gold coins even if there's more than enough for a large gold coin or a platinum coin, and just refer to them as Gold Coins. Tsugiyoshi made sure to write all that down. Oh, yes, this information was much more important.
So once Tsugiyoshi was out of that oversized castle, he quickly assessed what he needed to do before he would leave this kingdom. Clothing to blend in, food, supplies, and a place to bed for the night. As much as the grey-haired teen wanted to leave as fast as possible, he needed the energy to do that, therefore, he needed to sleep for a few hours.
Tsugiyoshi was quick to find a clothing store. Luckily for him, the seamstress was interested in his school uniform, so he got a decent barter for it. He wasn't going to need the uniform anymore, so he had no qualms about trading it away. He got a simple, neutral green shirt with matching brown slacks and got a basic satchel as a bonus that was perfect for the teen. Plus a profit of three silver coins. Tsugiyoshi kept his shoes since they were cheap yet comfortable pairs that he was certainly going to need. The satchel was big enough to snuggly fit his school bag so he could hide it before figuring out what he could do with it. His cell phone was in the same category.
Next was a place to sleep.
Tsugiyoshi asked around and found a decent inn. A silver coin for one night, and that included a meal. That was almost a steal for the teen! So he paid the clerk the silver coin, ate his meal, and then went to his room for the night.
Tsugiyoshi happily flopped on the bed with a smile. It was nice to sleep on a bed after a solid month of camping out in the forest near the city he and his parents. The teen never understood his parents or their weird actions. They opted to camp in the dense forest near the cities they went for their jobs. Jobs that required them to travel a lot apparently. It was never because they were poor or lacked money, Tsugiyoshi's parents always had money on them, always cash though.
Tsugiyoshi opened his eyes and sat up. 'Meh, I should figure out how my Online Shopping skill works,' the teen thought as he rubbed his head. Tsugiyoshi looked forward when he shrugged before saying, "Status open." Much to Tsugiyoshi's amazement, a blue status window popped up in front of him, just as that cloaked weirdo told him it would. "Oh, wow, it's just like in the Mangas, Anime, and Novels," the teen said to himself in fascination. He read the data on the decent-sized window. It looked like a standard data sheet.
[Name] Sumino "Nezumi" Tsugiyoshi.
[Age) 16
[Job] Accidental Other-Worlder
[Level] 1
[Health Points] 250
[Mana] 250
[Attack] 190
[Defense) 189
[Agility] 191
[Skill] Appraise, Item Box.
[Unique skill] Online Shopping.
[Hidden Skill] 100 Paths of Nezumi- Kun.
Tsugiyoshi blinked when he got to the Skills before thinking, 'Ah, so my 100 Paths is a Hidden Ability in this World. Those must be super rare here or something.' He placed a hand on his chin when he thought, 'That also means that that mirror thing isn't programmed to detect those kinds of things...'
Tsugiyoshi looked at the Regular Skills line when he thought, 'Appraise and Item Box. Oh, so I don't have to worry about lugging things around. That's useful.' He tapped his right index finger on the word Appraise to see if he could get more information on it. A smaller window opened and gave the teen a basic summary of that skill. Satisfied with that, Tsugiyoshi then went to figure out what the Online Shopping really does.
Well, Since it worked on the Appraisal...
Tsugiyoshi tapped on the word 'Online Shopping'. With that, a brand new window opened. The teen blinked before he rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. It looked just like a normal shopping website!
Tsugiyoshi read the basic information that he could see right away. The site was called AEON, and it sold items needed for everyday life. Mostly consumables though.
Tsugiyoshi looked at the 'recommended items' page as he thought about what he could need for his trip. The teen tapped on the image of a 550ml bottle of water and added one to his 'cart' when he thought, 'Water is the first thing I need. Not only will it help with stomach problems, especially when travelling internationally, but it's the most important thing the body needs.' He then looked at one of the food items that you could eat right away. Tsugiyoshi picked a stuffed pastry with extra cheese filling. The snack was more to test the acquisition of the different types of items from the website.
'Not bad so far,' Tsugiyoshi thought as he went to 'Checkout'. He saw his total, which was one copper coin and 8 iron coins. Not a bad deal. When the teen pressed the 'Purchase' button, he got a tiny window that read 'Insufficient Balance' and another smaller white window that had the words 'Please Add Funds' over it. Tsugiyoshi placed a hand on his chin to think before he pulled out a silver coin from his coin bag and slid the coin into the little white box like it was a vending machine. the little 'Add Funds' box vanished and then the teen pushed the purchase button. A little window saying that his purchase went through.
Tsugiyoshi belatedly wondered how he was going to get these items. That question was answered a second later when a small shipping box suddenly appeared in a flash of white light. The teen blinked at what he was seeing before he slowly opened the box. Inside was the bottled water and the snack he had just bought on the AEON Site!
Tsugiyoshi's tired eyes brightened as he took the items out of the box. He opened the water and took a small sip. The water was cool and refreshing, perfect! He then opened the snack and nibbled on it. The pastry tasted great!
As Tsugiyoshi took a bigger bite of the snack, he thought, 'Those Higher-ups brushed this aside since they didn't know what it was and my classmates thought it was lame. It may not be a fighting skill, but it is majorly useful. As long as I have money, I won't go hungry or thirsty.' the grey-haired teen took a nice gulp of water before he decided to see what else he could get from the Online Grocery. As he scrolled and munched, the teen thought, 'I can also use this to make money.'
Tsugiyoshi glanced out the window to see the sun setting in the distance when he thought, 'But first, I need to get out of here as soon as I get up.'
He bought a few more things, tested out his Item Box Skill, placed his school bag and cell phone into it, and then went to bed with a plan in place. The teen belatedly thought, 'I wonder if these guys are going to realise they're being used...' Soon, he fell asleep.
~}I{~
The moment the sun flooded the room, Tsugiyoshi was up and ready to head out. After double-checking to make sure he had everything of his and ate (then paid for) breakfast, he left the inn. The teen quickly found a caravan that was about to depart, lucky him, there was one seat left. However, he did have to lie about his age to get aboard. Thankfully, the driver seemed to believe him when he said he was 18. Tsugiyoshi figured that his age might be a problem when travelling, but as long as he said he was 18 and not 15 he should be fine… Maybe…
Tsugiyoshi glanced around the covered wagon to see who was there. The guy next to him looked like a merchant, maybe the teen could get some information out of him. The teen glanced at the man when he asked, "So, what are you going to sale in Kiels?"
The travelling merchant smiled when he said as he patted his oversized pack when he said, "Oh, I managed to get my hands on some soap."
"Soap?" Tsugiyoshi asked curiously while wondering what kind of merchant would sell soap.
The travelling merchant kept smiling when he said, "It's a very luxurious item!"
"Wow!" Tsugiyoshi got out in amazement when he thought, 'So, soap is a rare and expensive item in this world.' He looked at the oversized pack when he asked, "Do you have all your soap in there?" The Travelling Merchant nodded as he patted the pack. This was a good time to pull information, Tsugiyoshi thought before he said in an off-handed manner, "I bet you would be able to carry around a lot more with an Item Box."
The Travelling Merchant let out a chuckle when he said, "Ah, yes, that is the Skill that every merchant dreams of. Even the smallest Item Box can hold ten times this pack." He let out a dreamy sigh before he said, "But alas, only about one in a thousand people can obtain the Item Box Skill."
"Wow, that few people can get that Skill?" Tsugiyoshi asked, which caused the merchant to nod. The teen then wondered why the Appraisal Mirror guy only commented on the Unique skill and not his regular skills. Surly the Item Box Skill was worth noting if one in a thousand can get it… Unless those Skills are Defaults he mentioned… Hm, it might be risky, but...' Tsugiyoshi thought before he asked, "I'd bet the Appraisal Skill would be extremely useful for merchants too."
The Travelling Merchant contently agreed with the grey-haired youth before saying, "All merchants have dreamt of having the Appraisal Skill at least once in their life." He sighed before saying, "But, as you know, only Heroes from Another World and the Royal line of the Demon Kingdom would ever have the Appraisal Skill." The travelling merchant sighed before adding, "Since Magic Appraisal tools are so precious, only guilds and countries are allowed to own them."
"Damn, those people have to be the luckiest to have that Skill," Tsugiyoshi commented, faking a tone of envy.
The travelling merchant told the teen, "I understand how you feel." Then he and the grey-haired teen laughed about the whole thing.
During this, Tsugiyoshi thought, 'I knew it! Both of these are majorly rare skills! Guess that Appraisal Mirror must be programmed to only guage Unique Skills, it's old and losing its magic, or Other Worlders get both Skills by default.' That was when the teen realised, 'But that means that there's almost no chance of running into anyone else who could use Appraisal on me."
The grey-haired teen almost missed the Travelling Merchant asking, "Why are you travelling to Kiels?"
Tsugiyoshi didn't see anything wrong with answering, and even if he did he could make a different choice with his 100 Paths. So he said, "Oh, I was thinking of crossing the border and entering the neighbouring country to find my own way in the world."
That was when the Travelling Merchant leaned over to whisper to the young man, "That's a wise decision." Tsugiyoshi leaned closer when he heard, inviting the merchant to continue by saying, "Trouble is brewing in the kingdom of Reijseger. There's even a rumour going around that the country might close their borders soon."
Tsugiyoshi narrowed his eyes when he asked, "What's the story behind that rumour?"
The Travelling Merchant dropped his tone when he said, "From what I've been able to hear, the King of Reijseger is trying to prevent the people from leaving for some kind of political reason. That's all I could find out, but you might be able to get more information in Kiels."
That was something Tsugiyoshi needed to do.
The caravan continued on its way towards Kiels. The Guards following the caravan kept the Goblins and wolves at bay during the ride. It was fascinating for Tsugiyoshi to watch. The teen couldn't help but think, 'I'm going to have to learn to use a sword if I'm going to be travelling on my own in this World.' But that was his secondary priority.
}I{ Roughly Three Days Later }I{
By the time the caravan arrived in Kiels, all travel over the border was suspended.
Tsugiyoshi narrowed his eyes at the sign as he thought, 'So, the rumour was true...' He placed a hand on his chin when he wondered, 'But why?' He looked around the immediate area, observing everyone and everything around him.
Every person he could see was going about their day, apparently unaware of the travel ban. That meant there wasn't any kind of emergency going on. Something else had to be going on. The grey-haired teen needed to find people who would know the status of things.
}{
It took 37 Paths, but Tsugiyoshi found a nice bar full of people who were more than willing to give him the information he needed, even if they didn't know it.
"I see... All the carriages have stopped to prevent citizens from leaving the country..." Tsugiyoshi summarised as he talked to two Adventurers at one of the tables inside the bar.
The Adventurer with sandy blonde hair in a side shave said as he placed his mug of ale on the table, "Yeah. If the population drops so does the number of soldiers and the money from the taxes."
The Adventurer with radish-brown hair that was pulled back in a low ponytail then added, "The Higher-ups in Reijseger are trying to start wars to expand their territory all over the place." He nudged the blonde when he stated, "We're planning to high tail it out of here soon."
The blonde Adventurer turned back to the teen when he said, "We're better at hunting monsters than we are at fighting wars."
The brown-haired Adventurer looked at the teen when he said, "You and your family should get out of here while you still can, kiddo." He then took a swing of his ale.
Tsugiyoshi nodded when he said, "I'll pass along the message and we'll get started on packing up." He took a sip of his water when he thought, 'I'm glad I decided to leave this country so quickly."
That was when the blonde Adventurer then stated, "But still... Why do the Higher-ups wanna expand into the Demon King's territory? That's practically a suicide mission."
Tsugiyoshi raised a brow when he asked."How do you know that's what they're doing? And why would it be a suicide mission?" The teen was asking these questions since the King mentioned the Demon King invading his kingdom, but from what he's hearing right now, that's not the case.
The brunette Adventurer looked past his buddy when he said, "Ah, right, the regular folks don't know about that skit." He placed his ale on the table when he explained, "The lands that the Demon King rules over are rich in a lot of rare resources, high-ranked monsters, and some amazing farmland. Understanding so far?"
Tsugiyoshi nodded when he replied, "Yeah, the region is prosperous but also dangerous." He narrowed his eyes when he asked, "I take it that the Higher-ups want that for the Kingdom of Reijseger?"
The blonde Adventurer nodded when he smiled and said, "Correct, kid, but what these Higher-ups fail to understand is that Demons, in general, are ten times stronger than humans and they can gain difficult Skills easily. It takes a party of 15 to 20 warriors to take down one Demon. So an army of demons would be practically impossible to defeat."
Tsugiyoshi let out a hum before saying, "Dang, I bet the neighbouring countries would be in trouble if the Demon King wanted to invalid them."
The blonde shrugged when he said, "Yeah, they would be, but thankfully neither the Demon King nor the Demon Prince are interested in expanding their territories." He took a swing of his ale before saying, "Though if Reijseger keeps up these invasion attempts the Demon King may be tempted to do so to stop those invasion attempts."
Tsugiyoshi couldn't help but comment, "Can't blame the Demon King if he decides to..." The two Adventurers agreed, drinking their ales, as the grey-haired teen thought, 'So the story about the Demon King invading Reijseger was all bullshit to goad my classmates into thinking the demons are bad, and fighting the Demon King for them.' He finished his meal and paid for it before he left the bar, going over the information he'd gathered. Tsugiyoshi knew he would need some kind of weapon to fight off any monsters he came across, a map, some basic necessities, some rope, and possibly a cloak that could double as a blanket for the nights.
Tsugiyoshi let out a sigh before he thought, 'Urg, shopping... Then I'm going to have to get some information on what kind of monsters are out there and then camp out on the way across the border.'
Well, time to explore.
}I{ Four Hours Later }I{
Tsugiyoshi couldn't remember the last time he lied that much in a day, or used his 100 Paths once per task to create a lie so he could get the things he needed. The teen wasn't sure what bothered him more, the fact that he had to tell the person selling the supplies that he was getting a gift for his father or older brother, or the fact that the sellers followed him throughout their stores the entire time he was there until he paid for what he was getting.
The last store he was in was a clothing store for a decent cloak that could double as a blanket. To his surprise, the store also sold kitchen supplies like cutlery, plates, cups, cooking knives, and cutting boards. He asked the store clerk about this and got an answer that made him go, "A little sexist, don't you think?" The clerk's reaction to that was hilarious. He would've left, but he figured that getting some cheap kitchen supplies in case he needed to use them. Since he had the Item Box Skill, it wouldn't weigh him down during his travels.
Tsugiyoshi looked over the wooden bowls and plates as he thought, 'Hm, I should get at least one of each item, but since I'm going to be travelling and might not have time to really wash them... Maybe I should get six of each...' He glanced at the store clerk, who was trying, and failing, to pretend he wasn't watching the teen. The grey-haired teen rolled his eyes as he grabbed a nearby basket and started carefully stacking the six plates on top of one another before stacking five bowls on top of them, then piled in the cutlery, and finally looked through the cloaks. He would've checked out the chopsticks, but his durable and easily cleanable pair of travel chopsticks were still in good condition so he didn't see a need to get more pairs.
When he found the type of cloak he was looking for, he took it off the rack and dropped it over the basket he was using. As Tsugiyoshi made his way to the check-out, he noticed an odd item and asked the store clerk what it was.
The clerk walked over to see what the grey-haired teen was talking about when he saw the item, he said, "Oh, that's our convenient stove." The item in question looked like a simple stone square with a magic circle connected to some kind of tube thing. The clerk then explained, "Also known as a Magic Stove. We have single and double burner types!" He pointed at the ones in question, indicating the items to the teen. The clerk hovered his right index finger over the single magic store, activating it with a glow of blue, and said, "Just ignite with magic and the fire would burn like this," demonstrating how it worked. He then deactivated it and handed it to the teen to look at it.
Tsugiyoshi looked it over when he said, "Wow, pretty cool. I can see this being useful for travelling." The teen wondered if he could use this to cook more types of food during his travels.
The clerk nodded when he said, "Oh, yes, that's what it's meant for." He then took the magic stove from the teen and put it back in place when he stated, "It is convenient and easy to use, but it's one of our most expensive items. 50 gold coins for the single burner and 55 gold coins for the double."
Tsugiyoshi couldn't stop himself from grimacing when he stated, "That price tag isn't convenient. Why is it so expensive?"
The clerk explained that the materials needed to make the magic store were semi-rare, then the crafting of it, and then carefully infusing it with the magic needed to make it work.
Tsugiyoshi couldn't help but think, 'Hm, the process and materials make some sense for the price, but 50 Gold coins seem a little too much for something made from semi-rare materials... Unless the process is more complicated than I believe, it should probably be closer to 8 to 10 gold coins.' As he paid for his items, he wondered if he could get a portable stove on the Online Shopping.
}{
After finding a secluded spot to store his purchases in his Item Box, he went to the town's Adventurer's Guild to see if they might have a map for him to use and find out what kind of monsters he needs to watch out for.
Tsugiyoshi couldn't help but look at the 'Request Board' to scan the missions that people were requesting. He was relatively surprised at how many escort missions were posted for border crossing. The grey-haired teen concluded on the logic of it made sense since all the transportation out of the country had been suspended. The rewards for the escort missions were surprising, but he had to admit it made sense. As Tsugiyoshi walked to the woman behind the desk when he thought, 'But 7 Gold coins... Meh, I guess that's the asking price for that task right now.'
Tsugiyoshi Locked In his save point before he asked the woman behind the counter if there were any maps for sale. Lucky for him, there was a map available, though admittedly, it was outdated in terms of building structures, town borders, and was a little faded. He asked if the forest section on the country border was the same on the map and what kind of monsters he might run into in the forest.
Of course, the woman did ask why a teenager was inquiring about such things. Tsugiyoshi told her that he and his family were planning on crossing the border to the city of Feehan and they needed to prepare accordingly for the trip. The clerk placed a hand on her cheek when she said, "That's pretty brave of your family, but maybe your parents should hire an escort to be on the safe side."
That would be a problem for the teen. He doubted that he could hire anyone without the question of where his parents were, not to mention he was crossing the country's border...
That was when Tsugiyoshi said, "We were planning on taking the caravans, but those got suspended. As for escorts..." He looked at the mission board when he added, "My dad would've hired some, however, the price for that request is way outside our budget right now..."
The Adventurer Guild's clerk looked at the mission board when she said, "Ah, yes, we've gotten a flood of escort requests ever since they suspended the transportation over the border. The payment for those missions also increased because of the extra supplies needed."
"So I've noticed..." Tsugiyoshi commented before he turned his attention back to the clerk when he asked about the map and the information on the monsters.
Since the map was technically very outdated in everything but the forest on the border, it was worth five copper coins. As for monsters, mostly wolves and goblins, there were a few Giant Red Boars and Rock Birds dwelling in the forest. The former was a low C-Rank monster that was relatively easy to beat but was aggressive, while the latter was a B-Rank monster that was difficult to take down despite its milder temperament but their parts were worth a lot of money. All very good information for the OtherWorder.
Tsugiyoshi paid the nice, helpful clerk the copper coins for the map and thanked her for all she did. The clerk happily waved the teen off and wished him and his family luck on their travels.
As Tsugiyoshi left the Guild with his new map tucked under his arm he couldn't help but think, 'Urg! I told too many lies to too many people in this town. I need to get out of here now.' He quickly moved to the edge of town and used the map to find the section closest to the border.
On the way to his start point, Tsugiyoshi came across a man trying to pull a rather reluctant horse along. The horse was small in size, looked like it could be a Fjord horse if the grey-haired had a guess, had black fur with some small white spots on the flank, dark grey hooves that had some feathering around them, a white muzzle, and had blonde hair for both the mane and tail.
Tsugiyoshi blinked in confusion as he watched the man trying to force the horse along while the horse dug its hooves, refusing to move. After debating on the pros and cons, the teen walked over to the man and asked if he could buy the reluctant horse. The guy just shoved the reins into the grey-haired teen's hands before storming off, grumbling something along the lines of not wanting to deal with a horse too stubborn to move anymore. Once neither could see the man, Tsugiyoshi and the horse glanced at each other, questioning the sanity of the man. The teen shrugged before he gently led the horse along. The horse happily followed without any fuss. When they got to the edge of the forest, Tsugiyoshi hauled himself onto the horse. He was thankful that the man left the saddle on the horse, it was one less thing to worry about. Tsugiyoshi nudged the horse to move forward and the horse complied as he happily walked into the forest.
'Guess those horseback riding lessons my parents forced me to take are actually coming in handy,' Tsugiyoshi thought as he rode his new companion into the forest. The teen then thought that he needed to give the horse a name.
}I{
By the time Night started taking over the sky, Tsugiyoshi had made some good progress. He and the horse already made it to the first landmark in the forest section they choose to travel through. The teen tied the horse to a tree before he made a fire so he could read the map.
From what he could tell, the major landmarks on the path he was following were roughly the same distance apart. 'There are three more landmarks to pass by, so by that logic, it should take three more days to get out of this forest and enter the city of Fenner,' Tsugiyoshi thought as he read the map. The teen figured that if he could keep that pace, then everything should be fine. As far as he could calculate, they should only stop for meals, water, and to avoid monsters. Should be easy, especially with his 100 Paths locked and ready to go.
Tsugiyoshi yawned before he tucked the map in his Item Box before he rolled himself up in his cloak like a burrito and said, "Goodnight, Navi. After breakfast, we'll continue on."
The horse, Navi, snorted in understanding before both nodded off to sleep.
}I{ The Next Morning }I{
Tsugiyoshi ate a simple breakfast of toast topped with two sunny side eggs with two slices of melted mozzarella cheese, that was made at the portable travel stove the teenager bought on the Online Shopping for seven silver coins. The pan was two silver coins on the Online Shopping. As he chewed, Tsugiyoshi thought happily, 'Damn, this skill is amazing! I can get whatever I need whenever I want as long as I have money. Those Higher-ups and my classmates completely underestimated this.'
Tsugiyoshi glanced at his little meal as he decided to test his Appraisal Skill. A little practice never hurt. When the teen activated that skill, he had to pause at what he was seeing. There was a blue information box floating over the breakfast, telling the teen the name of the item, what was in it, and what kind of boosts it gave to whoever ate it. That last bit made Tsugiyoshi rub his eyes to make sure he was seeing things right.
The Information Box was telling the grey-haired teen that his breakfast would give whoever ate it a 10 to his strength and a 5% boost to his Attack. Tsugiyoshi Stared at the box before he opened his status window to see if it was true, and it was.
Okay... That's kind of weird...
Tsugiyoshi then glanced up at Navi, who was happily munching on the grass. the teen activated his Appraisal.
[Named Navi
[Age] 1 year
[Species] Sturdy Horse
[Level] 4
[Strength] 150
[Magic] 125
[Attack] 130
[Defence] 140
[Agility] 203
[Skills] Strength Recovery, Speed Boost.
[Unique Skills] None
'Hm, not bad for a year-old horse,' Tsugiyoshi thought as he finished off his breakfast. The teen licked the crumbs off his fingers as he stored all his things in his Item Box. After making sure the fire was completely out, Tsugiyoshi got on the horse and they headed off towards their next landmark.
}{
Over the next two days went exactly as Tsugiyoshi expected. And thanks to his 100 Paths, he avoided all the monsters' attention. This did allow him to get a good look at the size of the monsters, which made the teen go, 'Yikes! there big!" and was glad that he was avoiding them.
Tsugiyoshi was also noticing that all the food he bought from his Online Shopping gave some kind of temporary status boost, nothing big though, usually a 10% to 15% boost. It made the teen wonder if all food from his original world gave boosts to everyone in this world.
Tsugiyoshi decided to test this theory on Navi. Nothing complex or give the horse food he shouldn't, just two carrots and an apple from the Online shopping for lunch. Navi liked the apple more than the carrots, which is handy information for the future. After the horse finished eating, Tsugiyoshi checked his stats.
[Named] Navi
[Age] 1 year
[Species] Sturdy Horse
[Level] 4
[Strength] 150 + 10
[Magic] 125
[Attack] 130
[Defence] 140 + 10
[Agility] 203 + 40
[Skills] Strength Recovery, Speed Boost.
[Unique Skills] None
Tsugiyoshi blinked at what he saw before feeling a little satisfied that he confirmed his theory. then the teen realised that he needed to be careful with this unexpected discovery. Oh, Shit! Tsugiyoshi could see what could happen if the wrong people of this world were to find out about this, on top of his Item Box and Appraisal... The teen shuttered at those images.
Navi nudge the teen as if asking if he was okay. Tsugiyoshi sighed as he patted the horse's muzzle when he said, "I'm fine... Just... Thinking that I have to avoid having too much attention on me when we are in towns and cities..." Soon, the teen got on the horse and then headed off to their final landmark.
}{
The two arrived at the landmark about an hour before sunset, Which was earlier than expected. Tsugiyoshi Suspected the apple's speed boost had a hand in that. The teen figured he could set 'camp' up early and make something a little more complex than what he's been making so far. This also made Tsugiyoshi realise that he would have to find out what is and isn't edible in this world so he didn't have to risk using his Online Shopping in populated areas. 'Not to mention I need to figure out how I can make money so I can learn to live a little better in this world,' the grey-haired teen thought as he lit the campfire. Navi was nibbling on some of the tree leaves, taking advantage of being tied to a tree.
Since Tsugiyoshi was deep in thought, mostly trying to figure out how this world truly worked and what could be worth what, he didn't notice that something was getting closer to his little campsite. At least, until Navi started making a fuss.
Before Tsugiyoshi could move to try to soothe the horse, something launched at him. The teen leapt out of the way and quickly locked in his path. That was when Tsugiyoshi realised that the something was actually a someone.
The person was a man with snow-white skin in his 20s or 30s with short black hair and ears which resemble those of a dog, he had black sclera with blue irises. He has very sharp claws and fangs that poked out slightly in an annoyed manner, he has a long knife placed on his belt. He was wearing a grey cloak of fur with a black shirt and white pants with a black design in the middle paired with grey leather boots. He also has bracers on his arms.
'A Beastman?' Tsugiyoshi thought as he took a step back as the person in question growled and took a step closer. The teen needed to think of something, and fast!
He was cut off from Navi. The Beastman looked a little too ready to attack. 'Shit!' Tsugiyoshi thought before he concluded that he was going to have to fight, and it was unavoidable!
The Beastman launched himself at the teen, who managed to dodge and take a few steps back. This pattern kept up for a minute or so. And as much as the teen would have liked to try to untie Navi and high tail it out of there, he knew he didn't have the time to untie the horse.
It took 79 paths before Tsugiyoshi managed to manoeuvre to the right position to use a karate move that used the opponent's weight to throw them to the floor. The teen couldn't help but thought, 'Never thought that those karate lessons my parents made me take would be used on a Beastman.'
From what Tsugiyoshi could see, the shock from hitting the ground knocked the Beastman out cold. As the teen sighed, a white glow emitted from the unconscious Beastman's neck. Before the teen could do anything, the light shot out at him. Sure, the grey-haired teen reacted by covering his face and chest, but once the light hit him it covered him. Almost as fast as it happened, it dissipated.
Tsugiyoshi blinked in confusion before turning to Navi and asked, "Uh, you saw that too, right?" The horse let out a whinny as he nodded his head, clomping his front right hoof.
A low rumbling noise was suddenly heard. The teen and horse turned their attention towards the sound, only to realise that it was coming from the unconscious Beastman. But... He was out like a light... So why was a rumbling noise coming from him? It took hearing the sound again to realise that it was the Beastman's stomach.
If Tsugiyoshi wagers a guess, he'd guess the Beastman hadn't eaten in a while... 'But, what was that light about?' the teen thought as he took a cautious step towards the unconscious Beastman. He was able to see a simple collar wrapped around the Beastman't neck, barely visible above the section of the cloak he wore.
That where looked out of place...Tsugiyoshi got a little closer, which made Navi nervous, to get a better look at the collar. It doesn't look like it goes with the clothing the Beastman was wearing or had any practical use... Tsugiyoshi placed a hand on his chin before he activate his Appraisal to get some information on the collar. A light blue rectangle appeared over the collar, for the 'teen's eyes only.
The information tab read as such,
[Item] Contract Collar
[Effect] Creates a bond between the controller and the wearer. The current Effect is that the wearer must obey any and all orders from the Controller.
Tsugiyoshi had no idea what this info was telling him. He looked at the unconscious Beastman, wondering who he was and what was happening. The teen needed more information.
The Beastman's stomach growled yet again.
Well... Tsugiyoshi had a plan that could work... maybe... If the Beastman can talk...
}{
'Should I find it weird that some of these lessons my parents forced me to learn have been coming in handy in this world?' Tsugiyoshi thought as he dumped the chopped ingredients into a travel-sized pot, now filled with everything for a light stew. Navi nuzzled the teen's shoulder as he looked over at the now tied-up unconscious Beastman. Tsugiyoshi sturred the stew so it cooked all the way through and didn't burn as he simultaneously patted the horse's side.
Tsugiyoshi opened his Status Window to see if anything changed, out of curiosity since he technically defeated an opponent. Once the information box was open, the teen read it. Tsugiyoshi had to blink and rubbed his eyes to make sure he was seeing things right.
[Name] Sumino "Nezumi" Tsugiyoshi
[Job] Accidental OtherWorlder
[Level] 5
[Health Points] 550
[Mana] 550
[Attack] 390
[Defense] 386
[Agility] 397
[Skills] Appraise, Item Box.
[Unique Skill] Online Shopping.
[Hidden Skill] 100 Paths of Nezumi-Kun.
One of Tsugiyoshi's brows twitched as he took the pot off the fire while he continued to stare at his Status Box. 'Okay, I expected a few levels, but...' the teen thought as he carefully placed the pot on a circle of rocks he made earlier to keep the pot off the ground. He looked at his stats when he thought, 'How the hell did my stats more than double after gaining four levels?!'
Unless the levelling system was very different from what the teen figured, his stats should be between the 200 to 220 range with his Health points and Mana being closer to the 300 range. 'But if that isn't the case... Then why are my stats this high so quickly?' Tsugiyoshi wondered, trying to figure this puzzle out.
That was when the teen heard a groan. He turned towards the sound to see the Beastman stirring. Tsugiyoshi watched as the Beastman's eyes slowly opened and blinked to clear away any blurriness that still lingered.
As the Beastman tried to move, he realised he was tied to a tree. 'How?' The Beastman thought before he noticed that Tsugiyoshi was staring at him. The Beastman also noticed that the only other living thing was the horse and whatever was cooking smelled so enticing. The Beastman's stomach grumbled at the scent of food.
"I'm guessing it's been a while since you ate," Tsugiyoshi said as he used a ladle to pour some of the stew into a bowl. The teen then commented, "A long while judging by the sound."
The Beastman's cheeks turned a vivid shade of pink before he strained against the ropes. But he was indeed starving, he was low on energy, and he was tied up better than he would want to admit. The pain from his grumbling stomach and the fatigue cut that effort off almost immediately. The Beastman panting, trying to catch his breath.
"You done?" Tsugiyoshi asked as he gave Navi a carrot as he stirred his portion of stew. 'Hm, could use some cheese, but...' The teen thought after eating a spoonful of stew. He glanced at the Beastman, who was staring at the stew.
The Beastman then glanced around, looking to see if there was anyone else around. 'No one...' the Beastman thought before he spotted a second bowl sitting on a rock with a flat top. He glanced at the teen before he asked, "Is... It just you and the horse?" He looked around again, trying to figure out where he was.
Tsugiyoshi watched the Beastman's actions before he said, "You were pretty out of it earlier. I saw that your eyes were pretty dilated and you were acting wild." This got the Beastman's attention back on him. Tsugiyoshi ate another spoonful of the stew, listen to the Beastman's stomach complain about not having food, and then asked, "What happened to you before you ran into me?"
The Beastman glared at the teen before snapping, "Answer my question first!" He tried to sound tough, despite his current situation, but his growling stomach killed that attempt. The Beastman turned pink again.
Tsugiyoshi sighed before he put his bowl down and moved to fill up the other bowl. The Beastman watched, both unsure about the teen and wanting the food. "Here's the deal," the teen stated as he stirred the stew in the bowl with the spoon and then said, "You answer one of my questions and I'll give you a spoon of the stew I made, but you have to answer the question."
The Beastman's ears pressed against his skull in uneasiness, very unsure about this ordeal. But his stomach seemed to disagree, making an even louder rumbling sound. With an even redder face, the Beastman said, "Fine... But, you have to answer some of mine too..." He glance at the teen when he asked, "I take it you're not going to untie me, right?"
Tsugiyoshi was blunt when he stated, "You attacked me not even an hour ago! Like hell I'm untieing you."
That got a reaction from the Beastman when he almost squeaked out, "Wait, you took me down and tied me up?!"
Tsugiyoshi walked over to the Beastman when he said, "Yeah, it wasn't easy though. But tieing you to the tree was once you were unconscious." The Beastman just stared at the teen, baffled by this information. Tsugiyoshi sat next to the Beastman and spooned out some stew when he asked, "First question, what's your name?"
The Beastman snapped out of his little daze before he said, "Oh... I'm Dotsuku... Your's?"
Tsugiyoshi held the spoon in front of the Beastman's, Dotsuku's, mouth when he said, "Most people call me Nezumi." That wasn't a lie per se, whenever he enrolled in a new school due to travelling with his parents' job all his classmates ended up calling him by the nickname Nezumi.
Dotsuku let out a disbelieving hum before he took the offered food. The stew was delicious! Easy to chew and it felt good going down his throat! 'Damn, did the kid make this?' Dotsuku thought as he kept his eyes on the teen.
Tsugiyoshi dipped the spoon back into the stew when he asked, "Next question, what happened to make you go all feral?"
As the question sank in, Dotsuku thought back to the last thing he remembered. A rocky seaside with the ocean 'a sapphire blue, there was a town or small city in the distance, a sky with only a few scattered white clouds, and a forboding cliffside looming over the waves. 'But..." He looked past the teen to see the trees of the forest when he thought, 'There weren't this many trees anywhere close to where I was before, wherever it was...' And that was it, he couldn't remember what happened after the seaside.
So how did he get here and was apparently acting wild?
"So what happened?" Nezumi asked, both staring at the Beastman waiting for answers and somewhat mindlessly sturring at the stew.
Dotsuku looked at the teen when he said, "I... I don't know..." He didn't have any other thing to say.
Nezumi narrowed his eyes at what he heard 'before he stated in a serious tone, "Tell me the truth."
The collar Dotsuku wore glowed a soft shade of white, which Nezumi couldn't miss. Suddenly a surge of energy courted unpleasantly through Dotsuku's body before he blurted out unwillingly, "That is the truth! I don't know what happened! The last thing I remember was standing on a rocky seaside!" The wolf Beastman was utterly confused by his own actions. Why'd he tell this teen that? And... What was that energy I felt before saying that?
Nezumi took note of Dotsuku's reaction and what had happened before he asked, "Okay, What's with that weird collar you're wearing? It glowed right before you said that..." The teen wasn't sure what was going on.
"Collar?" Dotsuku questioned, a little more cluelessly than he wanted to admit. He doesn't wear any collars, never did and never will... So why did this kid... Dotsuku shifted his head to see if he could feel anything on his neck except for his cloak, and low and behold, he was wearing a collar. A collar that he certainly doesn't remember having let alone putting on. Dotsuku paled when he put the facts together before he slowly looked at the teen, who still looked confused over this whole thing. 'No! There's no way this kid wouldn't have the Mana needed to activate any Contract Collar,' Dutsuku thought, trying to think of some kind of logic regarding this whole thing.
Nezumi watched the other, seeing the gears turning in his head. 'What the hell was going on? 'The teen wondered before he finally asked, "Do you know anything about that collar thing?" Dotsuku kept his mouth shut, he wasn't telling the kid what he knew about the contract collar. He sure as hell not calling this teen 'Master' in any way. Annoyed, Nezumi told the Beastman, "Answer my question."
The collar glowed a soft white and forced its energy through Dotsuku. 'shit!" The Beastman thought before the energy pulsed in an unpleasant way before he gave in and spilt everything he knew about contract collars. The unpleasant energy dissipated as he adhered to the order, but that was the only good thing to happen. Dotsuku clenched his eyes closed when he finished and grind his teeth, already filled with dread as to what was to come.
After half a minute of complete silence, Dotsuku cracked his right eye open a bit, to see what the delay was, only to see the teen staring back at him with a shocked expression clearly on his face. Nezumi blinked, took a deep breath, and asked, "Are you telling me that... You have to obey any order someone gives you regardless if you like the order or not?"
Dotsuku somewhat shrank when he said, "Not any order by anyone, just the person the collar designates the Controller... And somehow the damn thing decided that... You're the Controller to it..."
Nezumi said nothing as he spooned some stew out and moved it closer to Dotsuku's mouth. The Beastman was a little confused by this action. The teen stated, "You answered the questions, so you get stew," as he urged the other to eat. Dotsuku did, keeping an uneasy gaze on the grey-haired teen. Nezumi thought about this new information, waited for the other to finish the portion of stew, and asked, "What qualifies for one to be a Controller to a Contract Collar? Not to be pessimistic, but I don't think I qualify."
Dotsuku looked around again to see if there were any traces of another person. Seeing none, the dog-like man said, "Given the minimum requirements to activate and keep using it... Yeah, you shouldn't even be considered." His eyes were back on the teen when he explained, "The Controller should be at least level 50 with a magic speciality in Wind, Fire, and Water while having a Mana Status no less than 2000" He narrowed his eyes when he asked, "So who else is with you?"
Yup, Nezumi didn't fit the qualifications... However...
The teen gave the Beastman another spoonful of stew when he said, "It's just me and Navi." He nodded his head towards the horse at the last part. 'And since I can technically 'order' him not to tell anyone,' Nezumi thought before saying, "I think that Contract Collar is either not working correctly or someone changed the settings on it. I'm nowhere close to being Level 50, I can't use any magic, and my Mana Stat isn't even close to 1000. Therefore, I shouldn't even be considered a controller. The only thing I did was take you down when you weren't yourself, but it did glow afterwards..." That last part came out in a more thoughtful tone. Nezumi gave Dotsuku another spoonful of stew when he added, "If what you say about Contract Collars is true, then my best guess is that whoever put it on you must've made the strange alterations. Give me a second to get a better Appraisal on it."
Thankfully, Dotsuku already swallowed the stew by the time Nezumi said what he had because he would have choked. "Appraisal?! How do you have that skill?!" The Beastman practically shouted.
Nezumi ignored the question to activate his Appraisal as he stared at the Contract Collar. Now that he knew what it was, he could get more information. He tapped on the word 'Order' on the Information Box to see if he could see what Orders are in place and if there were any other than what he made.
[Item] Contract collar
[Effect] Creates a bond between the controller and the wearer. The current Effect is that the wearer must obey any and all orders from the controller.
[Ongoing Orders]
Answer all questions of the Controller truthfully.
Seek out a True' Hero from Another World to serve.
Forget everything about the original Controller.
… ... ... Oh... That's why Dotsuku doesn't remember anything regarding how he got in the contract collar and why he was 'out of it' earlier…
Yup... Defiantly going to have to come clean about who he is... Thank goodness Nezumi can order Dotsuku not to tell anyone about this...
So, Nezumi did just that and Dotsuku reacted as expected. The teen did take advantage of his Controller status by giving the Beastman the order to 'Never attack him in any type of way' before proceeding to untie him. Before Nezumi gave Dotsuku his portion of stew, he ordered him to eat the stew slowly so he wouldn't upset his stomach. Dotsuku was okay with those orders but still wasn't happy about the situation.
While they ate, Dotsuku couldn't help but say, "I've heard that Heroes from Another World were young, but I thought it was more along the lines of them being in their twenties not their teens."
Nezumi shrugged when he said, "I wouldn't know about any of that stuff. I just know that one moment I was in school with my class waiting for the day to start and the next we're in this palace, being called Heroes from Another World by the Royalty of Reijseger." He sighed before saying, "The whole situation was super suspicious so I left as fast as I could. Later learned that the whole "the Demon King invading the kingdom" was a bunch of crap to make a bunch of displaced teens do their dirty work to expand their territories..."
Dotsuku let out a hum before he said, "Yeah, that sounds like something the current King of Reijseger would do... But..." He ate a spoonful of the stew before saying, "The Hero Summoning Ritual was supposed to be used in a crisis to bring peace, not to use for a land grab... And you said your entire class was summoned. How many were in that group?"
"Including me, 15 teenagers," Nezumi said before he took a spoonful of stew and ate it.
Dotsuku blinked at this before he said, "That's... A rather large group to summon... Normally, the Hero Summoning calls upon one to three Heros, sometimes four but that's quite rare."
Nezumi swallowed what he had in his mouth before he asked, "So, Reijseger altered the Summon to bring in more "Heroes", huh? But is it really all to take over the Demon Tribe's territory? I mean, my personal issues aside, that's a lot of people to displace that may not be able to return to the world they originally came from."
Dotsuku hummed before he said, "That is rather true, teenagers aside, and a group that size is going to be hard to miss... Unless..." He thought about that for a bit before asking, "If memory serves me right, OtherWorlders tend to have Powerful Unique Skills, Strong Regular Skills, and very high Stats, so what were your classmates' skills?"
Nezumi frowned when he said, "Lots of Holy skills, meh, I think there was at least one of each type of Magic and weapon. A powerful Healing. Some kind of barrier or Sheild, maybe both... But yeah, a lot of Unique Skills that excited the guy with that Appraisal Mirror." He paused to think about the other things before he finally said, "And I'm pretty sure all their stats were over 1000 or so."
Dotsuku narrowed his eyes when he said, "That sounds about right with what I'm aware of regarding other workers. Overpowered at level one."
Nezumi scoffed when he said, stirring the stew in his bowl as he did, "And completely favoured. Not complaining too much, but the Higher-ups of Reijseger gave all my classmates refreshments and all the gear needed for their so-called 'quest'. All I got were some gold coins and a send-off when I asked to leave."
Dotsuku raised a brow at this when he asked, "Really?" Nezumi nodded as he ate a spoonful of stew. The Beastman stared at the teen before him when he asked, "I take it your Skills and Stats weren't on par with your classmates?"
Nezumi shrugged when he said, "My stats didn't even reach the 200 mark aside from my Health and Mana, and my regular Skills are just the default Appraisal and Item Box. Those Higher-ups didn't know what my Unique Skill was and my classmates laughed at it."
Dotsuku placed a hand on his chin when he said, "So that's why you were able to leave without much trouble. Reijseger didn't think they could use you. And thanks to that you were able to find out what they told you wasn't the truth." Nezumi nodded as he ate another spoonful of stew. That was when Dotsuku asked, "Did you... Try to convince your classmates of this before you left?"
Nezumi stared at his bowl when he said, "Maybe if I had known them a little longer, but I only know them on a surface level. I wouldn't know how to tell them my suspicions, and even if I had, they all seemed to believe the Higher-ups' story without question, oddly enough..."
Reading the other's body language, Dotsuku asked, "And them not realising that they're being used is bothering you?"
Nezumi shrugged when he said, "Maybe, but all of them did seem off when we were in that castle. As I said before, I only know them on a surface level so I don't know any of them personally."
Dotsuku's eyes were on the stew when he said, "It's okay to worry about people you see every day. Sure, you may not know them on a personal level, but they are a part of your life." Nezumi glanced to the side before he took another bite of the stew. After taking a bite of his own stew, Dotsuku asked, "Well, since I have no choice but to follow you, might as well make sure we don't run into any unneeded problems. So, how much do you know about this world?"
Nezumi huffed before saying, "I wasn't told much. Just the layout of Reijseger and the money system." He then grumbled out, "The latter being the more useful information."
"That's it?" Dotsuku asked with a raised brow.
"That's it," Nezumi stated as he rolled his eyes. He scoffed before saying, "I'm not an idiot, I know there's more to this world than one country and money."
Dotsuku frowned when he said, "You got that right, but I can't say I'm that surprised Reijseger's Higher-ups didn't tell you much." He took a breath when he asked, "So, what's your plan right now?"
Nezumi took the map out of his Item Box, which Dotsuku stared at with wide eyes. The teen opened the map, and said, "Getting out of Reijseger is my priority. Fariell is the closest city on the other side of the border, so that's where I'm heading. I figure I'd apply to the Merchant Guild to earn money while I travel."
Dotsuku sighed when he said, "That's not going to happen." Nezumi looked up at the other when he asked what was wrong with his plan. The Beastman smirked when he said, "The youngest you can be when applying to either the Adventurer's Guild or Merchant's Guild is 21. No one is going to believe you're older than 18."
Nezumi only raised a brow when he countered, "I can always order you to apply for me."
Dotsuku huffed with that smirk still on his face when he said as he fished for something in a pocket, "I'm already a part of the Adventurer's Guild." He flashed a silver card with a drop of blood in the upper right corner with his name in the middle and the words C-Rank right under that. Nezumi stared at the card when Dotsuku stated, "I can join the Merchant's Guild, but people are going to ask about you when you tag along on my ward." He shoved the card back into the same pocket he pulled it from when he said, "However, I can register you as my apprentice for both Guilds as a way to bypass all that. Youngest for those are 15 for the Adventurers and 14 for the Merchant."
Nezumi narrowed his eyes at this when he asked, "What's the catch in all this?"
Dotsuku shrugged when he said, "No real catch other than you acting the part of apprentice and ward." He spooned out a portion of stew when he said, "At least in front of other people." He then ate the food, still a bit impressed that the teen made a tasty stew. Although he wasn't sure if he was thinking that due to him being starving earlier.
Nezumi couldn't help but say, "Meh, I guess that's fair in a way." The teen narrowed his eyes when he added, "Besides, I can always control you if I notice anything shady coming from you."
That got a flinch out of Dotsuku.
Nezumi narrowed his eyes again when he said, "In fact, how about I add a few more Orders so I don't have to worry about you pulling anything."
Oh, Dotsuku could feel his stomach sink at those words.
}{
After a good while, Nezumi had added his orders and was currently looking at the list via his Appraisal.
[Item] Contract Collar
[Effect] Creates a bond between the controller and the wearer. The current Effect is that the wearer must obey any and all orders from the controller.
[Ongoing Orders]
Answer all questions Nezumi asks truthfully.
Never attack Nezumi in any type of way.
Never betray Nezumi.
Don't lie to Nezumi.
Don't tell anyone that Nezumi is from Another World in any way.
Don't withdraw information from Nezumi.
Seek out a True Hero from Another World to serve.
Forget everything about the original Controller.
Dotsuku grimaced as those orders sank into the contract collar. Glowing white and sending out a minorly unpleasant feeling through the Beastman's body for just a second.
As Dotsuku adjusted the collar to be easier to hide under the part of his cloak wrapped around his neck, Nezumi noted, "Looks like I can't override or remove these two orders from whoever put the collar on you." The teen let out a hum before he added, "Wonder what they were thinking when they made those..." The teen then wondered, 'And what's this about a True Hero thing? I'm no Hero.' Nezumi couldn't help but wonder what the prior Controller was thinking when they put those orders on the Bestman.
Dotsuku clicked his tongue when he said, "Not to mention how long I was in that state while 'seeking an Otherworlder'. There's also the fact that I don't remember being any were close to the Kingdom of Reijseger." He sighed before he said, "But, seeing that my Adventurer's Guild card is still good, it had to have been less than 6 months..." He glanced at the teen when he said, "You mind if we stop at the Aventurer's Guild first so I can accept a Mission Request? Nothing complicated, but I need to do that so I can keep my Guild card. I can also register you as my apprentice when we're there. It'll save us some time."
Nezumi shrugged when he said, "Sure, but..." He yawned before he added, "How about you fill me in on the Guild things as well as other information about this World in the morning on the way to Fariell." After they finished eating, Nezumi tucked everything into his Item Box. Dotsuku had a feeling he was going to have to get used to that.
Soon, Navi and Nezumi were asleep. The latter wrapped in his own cloak to keep warm. Dotsuku just watched as the fire died down. The Beastman glanced at the teen before he sighed, not particularly liking the situation he was currently in. Worst yet, he had no clue how or why he was in this whole thing.
Dotsuku sighed when he thought, 'Might as well make the most of it...' Soon, he too fell asleep.
~}I{~
After a good night's sleep, Nezumi made breakfast as Dotsuku watched the process. Navi was munching on the grass. The teen didn't seem to mind this as he used one portable stove top to cook the eggs (scrambled) in a pan while he used the other portable stove top to cook some chicken strips that he sliced earlier in the prep. He had the rice cooker going so he could have some rice with his meal.
Nezumi glanced up at the Beastman, who was still watching, before returning his attention to his cooking and said, "Don't worry, I'm making a portion for you too."
Dotsuku hunched a bit when he said, "No, it's not that... It's just... I've heard tales that people from Another World aren't... Uh, so well versed in outdoor cooking..." He motioned to the cooking stuff being used when he added, "You seem to be the exception. In fact, it looks like you're used to it."
Nezumi shrugged when he said as he continued cooking, "My family camps out a lot. My parents claimed it to save money when we were travelling, but they always had enough money for the day-to-day and still have a lot left over. So I've learned how to cook in the outdoors." As he placed the food on the bowls that he pulled out of his Item Box, the teen said, "Though I wish the Item Box Skill was a thing back in my world. It's super useful and we wouldn't have to limit how much we could carry from place to place."
Dotsuku raised a brow when he asked, "Are your parents Travelling Merchants or Adventurers?" Even though he had a feeling that it wasn't either, he figured he had to ask to be sure.
As Nezumi handed the Beastman his portion, he said, "They told people that they were Travelling Merchants, but that's not what they did. Sure, they sell some of our homemade things to ensure people thought that but I knew it wasn't how they were earning money." Nezumi sat with his portion in hand when he said, "Don't know what they really did, and every time I asked, they'd tell me that they'll tell me when the time was right." He sprinkled cheese on the eggs and chicken when he added, "Guess I'm never going to know. Oh, well." The teen breathed in the aroma of breakfast before saying, "I wonder if there's a big fuss back home about me and my class going missing?"
Dotsuku forked a strip of chicken when he said, "I would think so if it was a large group." He blew on the food piece to cool it down a little faster before he said, "I'm not sure how fast news travels in your world, but I would think that an "entire class" of teenagers would spread a lot faster than if it were a group of adults."
Nezumi shrugged with a 'Meh, fair' vibe before he and Dotsuku took their first bites of breakfast.
'This is good!' the Beastman thought as he let the flavour of the chicken fill his mouth. He scooped some of the 'rice' and a bit of the egg up then ate them. As Dotsuku let the flavour of the combination mix in his mouth, he thought, 'Damn! This is amazing! This 'rice' stuff bridges the egg and the chicken together seamlessly!' Dotsuku swallowed what he had in his mouth before he ate another forkful. His tail wagged happily without him realising it.
Nezumi, however, did notice when he thought, 'I know he's a Beastman, but it's still surprising to see that move.' He continued eating breakfast.
Navi flicked his tail as he munched on the grass.
}{
After storing the bowls, cutlery, cooking supplies, and the leftover rice in Nezumi's Item Box, the people got ready to continue on their way. Since their destination was just a few hours away, they walked with Navi trotting right behind them.
~}I{ In The Demon Territory }I{~
A demon Harold flew into the castle of the Demon King and made a beeline towards the Royal study.
Meanwhile...
"These are filled out correctly," a demon that looked like a ferocious mix between an Eastern Dragon and an Ox said as they looked over a magic tablet made of stone with the words glowing purple. The creature towered over the only other person in the room by the length of a full body with onyx scales. The four legs that the creature walked on were that of cloven hooves, much like an ox, and they appeared to be able to crush a skull with a single step should the creature choose to do so. Had a long dragon-like tail with oxen hair at the end that could swipe away at any enemy with a single swish. Had a dragon snout with a pair of long whiskers under their nostrils that was as long as a full-grown man's arm. Flowing black hair that cascaded over their body like flowing water. Their hands appeared to be that of articulated dragon claws that worked similarly to humans. The ox-dragon demon looked at the one who handed them the tablet when they said cheerfully, "You are growing up so fast my little Ushii! You're already demonstrating excellent leadership and you've only had the platoon for just a month!" The black scales with a slight red highlight shimmered under the light of the study while light reflected off of the blackened ox-horns that grew out of the temples of the dragon-ox's head.
The one by the name of Ushii was a tall and lean man, having long dark brown hair with red inner layers that reach down to his calves, having one long strand of hair across his face. He appears to be middle-aged and has dark grey eyes with dark circles, giving him a perpetual look of exhaustion. He also has a lightly tanned complexion and a large nose that curves down. He wears a short black jacket with various golden accents. Underneath, he wears a black and gold waistcoat and also wears a white button-down shirt with a red tie. He had long, black horns that extend from the sides of his head and pointed upwards. Ushii sighed when he said, "I am only applying what you and Father had taught me."
The ox-dragon demon happily lowered their body to the other's level to they could wrap an arm around the long-haired man when they said, "Aw, Ushii, you are just too modest~."
Ushii let the other hug him for a few more seconds before pulling out when he said, "Mother, I would appreciate it if you would not do that so often."
The herald burst into the study when they said, "My Lord, your Highness! The Kingdom of Reijseger has Summoned Heroes from Another World and has roped them into their invasion scheme!"
Ushii narrowed his eyes as his mother growled out, "Again?"
~}I{ Back with Our Main Cast }I{~
"Ah! There's the gate to the Feehan Kingdom," Dotsuku said as he pointed to a man-made guard gate that was cradled between two mountains. It was easy to see from the hill that the small group was on top of right now.
Nezumi placed a hand on his forehead to block the glare from the sun so he could see the gate a little better. He let out an impressed whistle when he said, "Wow, that's imposing." He looked at the Beastman when he asked, "Do all the borders have those guard towers?"
Dotsuku gave a shrug when he said, "From what I've seen, yes." He motioned for the teen to follow when he added, "Let's get going. I want to get all the Guild registering done and over with before dark. Plus I need to accept a mission request."
Nezumi nodded as he gently tugged on Navi's reigns to get him to follow. The horse clumped along as the two passed through the checkpoint, Dotsuku didn't have to pay the 'traveller's fee' when he presented his Guild card, but Nezumi had to since he didn't have one. Five silver coins were pretty pricey, but the teen had the money to pay. Thankfully, no charge for the horse. Though, if Navi had been a Familiar, it would have been two silver coins.
As they entered the kingdom of Feehan, Nezumi asked Dotsuku about the border tolls. The explanation was simple, it was a type of travelling tax for regular citizens. People who are a part of the Guilds are exempt from that toll since they travel for their occupation, but they still have to pay the Guild fees, so it balances out.
When they got to the town of Farrell about 30 minutes later, it cost Nezumi three silver coins to enter the town. As he and Dotsuku walked into the town, the teen asked the Beastman, "The towns have entrance fees too? Is that the law of each kingdom? Or each region?"
Dotsuku made a tendering motion with his right hand when he said, "It depends on the means of transportation from location to location. Most of the towns and cities have entrance fees if you're coming in on foot or by horseback, but if you're coming in via any carriage or any country-run transportation, it's free." He then waved a hand when he added, "However, the fee amount differs from region to region rather than kingdom to kingdom."
"Hm, that's interesting," Nezumi commented before they asked around for the Adventurers Guild. It wouldn't be long before their next Adventure.
~}I{~
To Be Continued.
~}I{~