[13 — Starting Town?]

>Year 338 — Kingdom of Lisarya: City of Blessom<

"Tch, these damn little letters only show up when I don't need them."

We passed through the gate and stopped in a dead-end alley. A bit of a creepy spot, but perfect for hiding the wagon.

I pushed the curtain aside and hopped down.

"Unbelievable..." I muttered.

"Uh, my poor little hand…" Sera complained right behind me.

"What is it, Sera? What happened to your hand?"

"N-nothing…"

"Hm? Then why—"

"Ruru! What the hell was that? Why did you throw the knife at the soldier instead of following the plan?"

"What? I did exactly what you told me to!"

"Huh?!"

"Where did you even get that crazy idea, Destroyer-sama? Do you realize if I'd missed by just a single centimeter, I could've killed her?"

"If you'd followed my instructions, you wouldn't have had to worry about that! The plan was perfect, flawless!"

"What are you talking about? I followed your instructions to the letter and nailed the elastic perfectly."

"No, you didn't! The elastic on the front cart was still—"

What did she just say? The elastic?

Now that I think about it… that thing in the girl's hand…

Suddenly, a flashback hit me:

'See that elastic up there? I want you to throw this knife at it… Throw this knife at it… elastic… knife at it—'

Tap! I smacked my hand against my face.

"Listen here, Destroyer-sama: next time you come up with ideas like this, give me a heads-up first. And what was that? 'Our fate depends entirely on you'? Do you know how nervous that made me?!"

…Sorry, Ruru.

Guess it's my fault for assuming you could read my mind.

"Ah, but I really don't know what to do with—"

"Eh… so…" Sera stepped closer, hands behind her back.

"What is it, Sera?" Ruru asked.

She glanced around nervously.

"Well… I guess this is it, huh? Our paths split here…"

"Sera…"

Even though she tried to use mature words to sound grown-up, I could still hear her voice trembling.

Maybe— no, no… this was probably for the best.

"T-thank you for everything you've done for me. I… just… thank you."

She closed her eyes and smiled.

What is this feeling?

"..."

I should've said something, but the right words just wouldn't come.

"..."

"I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for."

"Wait! Sera!"

R-Ruru?

Sera stopped, but didn't turn around.

Ruru walked over, grabbed her shoulders, and turned her around to face her.

"W-what is it?"

Her little eyes were sparkling.

"Destroyer-sama and I were talking… and… we remembered that eventually we'll be heading to the capital…"

Exactly! Eventually we'll—

…Wait, what? When did we talk about that?

"Capital?"

"Well, I know you can go anywhere you want now, but… if you wanted to tag along with us to the capital to look for clues on how to get rid of 'that' for good… I don't think it'd be a problem."

"..."

She lowered her head.

"A-are you sure?"

"Yes, Sera. We'd love to have you with us, right, Destroyer-sama?"

"...!"

Sera locked her eyes on mine.

Ruru was also looking at me, though her expression wasn't nearly as pleasant.

I scratched my head.

"Eh… well, if that's what she wants."

…This Ruru, deciding things on her own again.

"So, what do you say, Sera?"

"I-if it's just until the capital…"

*

With the wagon tucked away, I decided to do a quick bit of scouting.

Quick, because—aside from being starving—I didn't want to draw too much attention from the locals that I was a foreigner (even though I knew full well we didn't look like your average group).

I'd noticed it the first time, but this place really did have a gloomy vibe. Compared to the colors of nature, the buildings were mostly grey, drained of any saturation.

Maybe it was just my own bias, but this starter city was nothing like what you'd expect from a typical RPG.

Not only did it lack the charm you'd usually find in the architecture, but there wasn't a single creature in sight that wasn't human.

I mean, where were the elves, fairies, dwarves, dragons, vampires, and demons?

For a moment, I thought maybe this was a historically accurate medieval game, but I couldn't say for sure with just one observation.

"Hm?"

Some walls had posters plastered on them. Most of them were wet and faded.

"Licet ad—damn it, Latin again. I knew the system wouldn't translate it."

For some reason, I had the feeling I'd seen some of those words before.

"Destroyer-sama, what are you doing? Aren't you coming? I bought some things for us to eat."

Ruru was holding a basket filled with fruits and vegetables.

"Sorry, Ruru, but I think I'll pass this time. I feel like eating at that place on the corner."

"…I see."

She turned away.

Hm? What's with that face?

"Wait, Ruru!"

"Yes, Destroyer-sama?"

"So… how should I put this… You wouldn't happen to have some spare change, would you?"

"..."

*

After telling me where to find them later, Ruru disappeared with Sera into the maze of grey alleys.

"That Ruru! I know I shouldn't be asking for money, but did she really have to drop the coins on the ground?"

Every minute I spend near those two, I feel my sanity slipping away bit by bit.

"Well… whatever."

The moment I reached the place, I immediately felt like turning back. It was anything but inviting.

The benches were old and scattered everywhere, no two tables matched, and the few cloths covering them were stained with some kind of brown sauce.

I know I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but the look of the man running the place made me seriously question the hygiene standards here.

"Hey there, nii-san, hungry?" said the man, sporting a huge mustache and a cloth tied around his head.

"Yo! Ojisan! I am. How'd you know?"

"Haha! With arms that scrawny, I could tell right away."

"...Ha…ha."

Not sure if he was being friendly or insulting me.

"So, what'll it be, nii-san?"

"Well… do you have a… let's see… a menu?"

"Menu?" He scratched his head.

"I mean, what are the options?"

"Options? At this hour we only serve Toni's traditional soup. Nice to meet you, I'm Toni."

He extended a hairy hand.

"Ah… yeah, nice to meet you, Toni. I'll have the soup then."

"Good choice, nii-san!"

Choice? What choice?

"Hey, wait—"

Before I could even ask how much it cost, he turned and disappeared through a little door. A few minutes later, he came back holding a wooden bucket filled with yellowish broth and some chunks of 'meat' floating inside.

"It's ready, nii-san, but be careful…"

Is it really that dangerous?!

"...Once you try it, you'll never be able to live without Toni's soup."

"...Ah… Right. I'll be careful, thanks for the food."

I gripped the spoon tightly and peered inside the bucket. Immediately, my brain's warning systems froze my body in place.

"Gulp."

So this is what they mean when they say: stare into the abyss, and the abyss stares back at you?

"Hm?" Toni was staring straight at me.

Come on, hand, move! We can't know the taste unless we try it!

But my body wouldn't budge.

The soup was like a virus caught behind a firewall, and there was only one way to bypass it: close my eyes.

I dipped the spoon in and brought it to my mouth.

The moment the broth touched my tongue, a wave of sensation flooded my soul. This was…

…Delicious?

Another spoonful went straight into my mouth. I scooped up a piece of meat and chewed. It was boiling hot, but I couldn't stop eating.

"So, nii-san? How is it?"

"Thish ish amashing! Sherioushly, what ish thish?"

I bit into another piece of meat.

"Hahahahaha! I told you to be careful, kid! It's impossible not to fall in love with Toni's soup. Those are bull balls, properly seasoned, boiled, then deep-fried, served with this homemade broth that's been in my family for generations. A recipe that was almost lost to time, and requires patience and mastery to reach peak flavor!"

"Hahaha! I've never had anything like this! Just—sorry, I don't think I caught that first part!"

What did he just say?

"After one serving of Toni's soup, you'll feel an empowerment like nothing else, if you know what I mean." He nudged me with his elbow.

"...!"

Empowerment? That's exactly what I need right now. Other than my passive, I don't have any skills worth a damn in combat! Any help is welcome.

"Hey! Nii-san, what are you doing?! That's hot!"

I grabbed the bucket with both hands, tilted it, and poured it straight into my mouth.

"Gulp! Gulp! Gulp! Pwuaaaa! Delicious!"

"...Nii-san…"

"Toni! That was the best thing I've ever eaten in my life…"

"A-are you okay?"

"Okay? I feel like I could lift ten bulls with each arm! Look at this!"

I grabbed a few wooden benches, hooked three onto each arm, and started curling them.

"Hey! Careful, you might hurt yourself!"

"Hurt myself? Not after that soup, look at this—"

"Stop, stop! I get it, the soup gave you energy! Just please, put that table down before you break it…"

Tch, this guy really doesn't know how to have fun.

I put the table back and walked up to the counter.

"Still, Toni, I really didn't expect to find something this good so early in the day. You said you inherited this recipe from your family, right? I wonder how long this city's been hiding such a treasure."

"My family's been in Blessom for over 100 years. This place belonged to my grandfather, then my father, and thirty years ago, it became mine."

"That explains the skill. Thirty years? Pretty much your whole life in this city."

"Pretty much? No, I was born and raised here!"

Hoho…

"Incredible. And you've never wanted to leave? Share the recipe with other places?"

"..."

Touchy subject?

"I mean… it doesn't seem like the city gets many visitors, that's why I asked…"

His smile faded.

"After the inquisition started, visitors to our city slowly dwindled... not just here, but everywhere. Many are still too afraid to even leave their homes, let alone travel to another city."

…I still had my doubts, but the pieces of the puzzle were starting to fit together. If there weren't any visitors, then what about all those vehicles coming into the city earlier? Were those all farmers? Something's off…

"N-nii-san… your eyes… were they always like that?"

"Huh? What about my eyes?" I smiled.

"N-no, I must've been mistaken."