...
After walking for some time, I finally arrived at Ortana. Yes, that's the name of this city.
Here, I work as a volunteer soldier. Well… technically still an apprentice.
Our duty is to protect this border, though sometimes we might be sent to the front lines. I didn't really listen carefully to the explanation, so that's about all I know.
-
I showed the necklace that also serves as the insignia of a volunteer apprentice to the guard at the gate.
Then I entered the city without any problems and began walking toward the market.
The market itself isn't too far from the tall tower whose name I don't know—the structure that seems to be the center of this city.
The streets here aren't very crowded.
Or at least, not as crowded as the ones back on Earth.
Most people are walking, though occasionally a horse carriage passes by.
After walking for a while, I finally reached the center of the city.
Seeing it up close, the tower was truly massive.
But I've seen bigger ones before, so it wasn't that surprising.
Without wasting time, I took one of the streets that led to the market.
And not long after, I finally arrived.
Rows of stalls could be seen lined up there, selling various goods—food, equipment, clothing, and probably other things as well.
People were busy buying and selling.
Well… it is a market after all.
"Now I just need to find a buyer willing to purchase my loot..." I thought, standing there while observing potential customers.
I started walking past the stalls.
Not far from me, I noticed a stall that looked rather promising.
So I approached it.
As I got closer, the person at the stall seemed to notice me and greeted me.
"Hello, is there something I can help you with?" he asked as I approached. His smile looked just like those merchants from the anime I used to watch.
"Ah, yes. I'd like to sell something, if possible," I said, forming an awkward smile.
He suddenly looked me up and down before speaking again.
"Hmm, are you a volunteer soldier?"
I nodded.
"Yes."
"I see. So what do you want to sell?"
I took out two items I got from that goblin—a silver coin with a hole in it, and a fang.
Then I handed them to the merchant.
He seemed to examine the items carefully before speaking.
"Alright. I'll give you 30 copper coins for the coin, and 1 silver coin for this fang. How about it?"
I nodded.
"Yes, that's fine."
With that, I earned my first income in this world.
Although… I still haven't made back what I spent.
Yesterday, I used up two silver coins to buy some equipment and rent a room at the inn.
And from joining the volunteer force, I only received ten silver coins.
Basically, I'll have to be really careful with money.
Not every hunt will go smoothly.
Yeah… that's life.
Sometimes things just don't go well.
...
After that, I decided to stop by one of the stalls to buy some food.
I approached a stall selling bread.
Yes, bread.
It's cheap, and more importantly, it doesn't have a strong taste—so it won't make me want to throw up.
"How much?" I asked the seller behind the stall.
The seller simply raised three fingers in response.
"…Three copper?"
"Yes." The seller nodded.
I picked the bread I wanted, paid for it, and left the stall as quickly as possible.
Honestly, that seller didn't seem very friendly toward someone like me.
I decided to return to my inn.
-
By the time I arrived at the inn, it was already late afternoon.
I looked up at the sky, now painted in shades of orange.
I stared at it for a while before looking away, opening the door, and entering the inn.
Inside, the place felt extremely quiet.
Which makes sense.
I'm the only one renting a room here.
Even though there were supposed to be twelve others.
Where did they all go?
Well… who knows.
Maybe they weren't as lucky as I was.
-
Inside my room, the bed was nothing more than a pile of straw.
But I didn't really mind.
Even if it felt itchy, it was probably just because I wasn't used to it yet.
I sat on the straw bed and began eating the bread I bought.
I only ate half of it, saving the rest for breakfast tomorrow.
-
After that, I left my room and went behind the inn to draw water from the well.
I poured the water into a pot, lit a fire, and started boiling it.
By then, it was already night, and the air felt cold.
Especially since I was outside.
But the fire warmed my body.
Once the water was ready, I filled my leather canteen.
I had two of them as backup.
The remaining water I used to wash my body.
Then I returned to my room and dropped myself onto the straw bed.
Hoping for a better day tomorrow, I closed my eyes.
...