[14 — An Inn?]

While wandering through the city's back alleys, trying to find my way to the inn, I thought about what Toni had said—that people avoided going outside—and compared it to what I'd seen so far.

Everything pointed to that being true.

Not that the place was completely deserted, but there wasn't exactly a crowd roaming the streets either. (At least, not at this hour.)

If I had to point out one spot that might be an exception, it would be in front of the shops scattered along the main road.

People of all ages were going in and out of the small stores: men, women, adults, children.

It wasn't enough to call the place lively, but at least it kept the city from feeling entirely morbid.

I crossed the third avenue after the fifth red sign, and finally arrived at the street I was looking for.

"Well, looks like this is it."

The entrance to the place Ruru had mentioned wasn't very eye-catching. No sign, no markings, nothing to indicate it was an inn. It was unsettling how every building on that alley looked exactly the same, like the devs had just reused the same medieval asset: plain wooden doors with no ornamentation, rough stone walls from top to bottom.

I hate to say it, but the longer I stayed in this city, the faster my love and curiosity for the Middle Ages was evaporating.

Knock, knock! I rapped on the door.

After a few seconds, I heard the clanking of chains and rusty locks. Then, a small gap opened, releasing a puff of pink smoke into the air.

"Yes?" A raspy, tired female voice.

"Uh… hi, how are you? I'm here for a room."

"Fffpph…" She took a slow drag from her pipe. "A room?"

"Cough, cough! Y-yeah… yeah."

…What is that incense smell? I'm feeling weird…

"Sigh… How old are you?"

It was dark, but in the back I could make out some colorful lights blinking.

"Huh? Do you really need that?"

"No age, no room—"

"Wait! Wait… I think you misunderstood. There's already someone waiting for me inside."

She opened the gap a little wider.

"A girl is waiting for you?"

"That's right! A girl!"

"Hm…" She scanned me from head to toe. "Well, come in, let's talk about it inside."

Phew, at least this is the right place.

Again, the sound of chains and multiple locks clicking open. There were so many, I couldn't help but question how 'safe' this city really was.

"If you'll excu—"

"Destroyer-sama!"

I felt someone tug my arm.

"Ruru?"

She was out here?

"Haha… please forgive my friend, he's still not used to the area and keeps mistaking the buildings."

"Hm..." The woman bit down on her pipe. "Fffpph… be more careful next time."

"Sorry for the trou—"

BAM! The door slammed in my face.

"..."

Okay. Definitely not the inn.

*

"Ah, finally, somewhere to lie down!"

I jumped onto the bed.

It felt like lying on a pile of cardboard, but hey, still a bed.

"A pillow!!! Oh, how I've missed you! Hahaha!"

"..."

Ruru stood silently in the doorway.

"Thank you, God! I couldn't take the bugs anymore."

Looking around, the room wasn't much… but for someone who'd been in the forest, barefoot and freezing, this was paradise.

Not that I wanted to badmouth it, but I could think of hundreds of ways to improve this place without breaking a sweat.

Still, instead of listing flaws, I decided to do the opposite and point out the good things about it.

I mean, aside from the uneven walls, flimsy doors, rock-hard bed, and dim lighting... there was a balcony near the window with a decent view of the city center.

"Destroyer-sama, could you behave yourself, please?"

"What's wrong, Ruru? I'm just checking if there's a hidden weapon in the bed or pillow."

Tch, forgot she was still here.

"You don't have to worry about that, Destroyer-sama. I've already inspected the room and can assure you there's nothing hidden. In fact, I already asked the owner to bring the other bed here."

"I see, Ruru. Thanks for the confir—Wait… bring the bed here? Isn't this one enough?"

…I like my space, but do I really need two beds?

"W-what are y-you talking about? You mean sleeping together in the same bed?!"

Ruru's face turned bright red.

"What? Who said anything about that?"

"Y-you literally just suggested it!!!"

"Ugh… Ruru… what I meant was that there's no need to bring another bed. This one's fine for me."

"..."

What's with her?

"A-and where am I supposed to sleep?"

"Hm? Where else? With Sera, in the other room."

"Huh? B-but Destroyer-sama, you'll be defenseless that way…"

…Not sure how I'm supposed to take that.

"Eh… you don't have to worry about that, Ruru. Your room's right across from mine. I know you can get here in time if anything happens."

She lowered her head.

"Alright… just… promise me you'll shout if anything suspicious happens."

"Sh-shout? Ah… fine, I promise. Now you should go, it's getting late." I pushed her toward the door.

She dug her heels in and turned to face me.

"...What?"

"Good night, Destroyer-sama."

There was a subtle smile on her face.

"G-good night, Ruru…"

Bam!

The moment she left, I locked the door. I knew the lock wouldn't stop her if she wanted to get in, but it didn't hurt to have the placebo of security.

"I really don't get this Ruru… but… at least she doesn't seem to mean me harm." I muttered.

And even if I didn't want to leave my fate in her hands, for now she was the only one who could help me learn more about myself and this world.

"Ah…" I sighed.

In the corner of the room, there was a steaming bucket of water, with some cloths laid beside it. Next to that, some folded clothes on a flat stone. They weren't fancy, but they looked warm enough.

My debt to Ruru just kept growing.

"Well… I'm not about to waste it."

I walked over to the bucket and began undressing.

"This Ruru really goes overboard. The cut was just on my hand, but she wrapped my entire arm."

I started looking for the end of the bandages, but the task turned out harder than I expected. Except for my head, I was basically a walking mummy.

I seriously considered grabbing a knife and slicing through them all at once, but just before I committed, I finally found the end tucked under my left foot.

"There you are!"

I began unwrapping and checking if everything was in place.

No fractures, no cuts on my legs. The few wounds I could still feel were on my back and shoulder, but they were already starting to heal.

Then, as I removed the bandages from my arms, my whole body froze.

"T-this…"

A shiver ran down my spine.

On my right arm, seven crosses were tattooed in a vertical line, running from wrist to forearm.