Now that I had a real sword, it was time to train seriously, since the master would teach me to refine my skills even more.
But today wasn't the day for training. Our goal for today was just to explore the town and buy my sword.
And now that we had done that, it was time to continue with the original plan.
So we left the lands of the old merchant in the forest and returned once again to the town.
We walked all around, and I was happy, but I couldn't stop thinking about the sword I had obtained.
I just wanted the day to end so I could go train.
Today was truly a special day.
As we walked, children approached us one by one.
This town really had people, unlike the other one.
After exploring the whole area, night fell, and we had to return to the inn.
It seemed more crowded than last night; everyone was talking, eating, and drinking.
When we got upstairs, we found someone trying to force the lock of our room.
But it wasn't as serious as we thought — they had just mistaken the door because they were drunk.
Once inside, the master told us we should sleep immediately because tomorrow would be a tough day.
We went to bed, and the next morning, the master was already awake.
"Good morning, Master."
"You're awake. Let's move."
"Wait a little, that girl isn't awake yet."
"Don't worry about me, Grandpa. I'm already awake."
After Lilia woke up, we left the inn.
The master asked if I was ready, and I replied that I was.
Then he said the following:
"As you've seen, you can work for people and get paid.
Even though you are a prince, you are not in the palace and have nothing to prove it.
So if you have no money, you'll starve.
To survive, you have to do all kinds of work. Understand?"
"Yes, Master."
"Good. Let's go."
We headed to the place where they gave out these jobs.
The master explained that in big cities there are facilities for this kind of work.
Here in this town, it was a group of people who needed help, and they gave me a task:
To face some bandits in the deep forest who were robbing and killing people.
"All right, kid. You have a real sword now. Come back in one piece."
"Aito, be careful. I was going to go with you, but Grandpa said no…
Next time, I'll definitely go with you."
I approached her and patted her head.
Maybe because I was taller than her, but I liked patting her head.
"Don't worry. I'll definitely return safely."
"All right. We'll wait here. If anything happens, I'll come immediately."
And so I ventured into the forest toward where the bandits were.
I knew how to use the bow because I had hunted with the old man, so I had two weapons with me.
The deeper I went, the worse the forest became, and I tried to conceal my presence the entire time.
Then I heard them.
I knew exactly where they were.
At a distance, I counted them — fifteen people.
I couldn't fight them all at once.
I would have to take them down one by one.
I didn't want to think about killing people.
But the client had said they had killed many innocent people and even lost family members.
I don't know if it was true, but that was enough.
I couldn't forgive those bandits.
The hunt for the bandits began.