Chapter 16: Druhwood, the Town of Woodcraft (3)

In the short time span we were standing in front of one another, it took me far longer than it should have to notice that we were both silent and motionless. I couldn’t help but be overcome with shock over the status of the woman named Eru. Not only did she have an almost similar title to that of the First Princess of the Elven, Marna, but she held a separate, disconcerting title and Unique SKILL on top of that.

Name: [Eru]
Rank: [Human, Other]
Level: [21]
Class: [Spellbinder]
Alignment: [Neutral Good]
INFO:
Unique SKILL - [Spatial Rift]
Titles - [Bearer of the 4th Heavenly Virtue],
[Bearer of the 2nd Deadly Sin]

Despite bearing that title similarity, even Marna didn’t have a Unique SKILL. A small part of me believed that a Unique SKILL was exclusive to the summoned Effigies or even just a gift from the Goddess herself. Since out of the handful of statuses I peeked at in Dormou, there wasn’t a single person with one after all.

Not only that, she’s a bearer of a Deadly Sin...? I feel uneasy just by looking at it. And what in the world is “Other” in her rank...? If she was an Aberrant, it’d say exactly that like it did in MO, wouldn’t it? Or does that status rank not reflect as such in this world? Dammit, I feel so lost! This woman—Eru—just who in the world is she...?

Amongst the several different races in the world, one was labeled as Aberrant. It was apparently a rare mutation that took shape in humans—and only humans—while only applying to the people of Aerith. In MO, that rank was inaccessible to players and other races due to it being attached to the overall story of the game. The royalty of Nefra was also headed by an Aberrant in MO. That being said, those with such a rank were rumored to be especially sparse.

It’d probably be best to assume that’s what “Other” means for now. And if she really is an Aberrant, then maybe there’s something important I can learn from staying here after all. In the meantime, I should just try and act as natural as possible.

Her expression and body language were rather telling, making it feel as if I were holding her hostage or something. I was starting to feel a bit in the wrong for keeping quiet this whole time.

“Um, excuse me?”
“YETH—nnng!”

Oh boy, did she just bite her tongue? Isn’t this for the second time too...?

The woman before me was now holding her mouth with even more force than prior. I could see a renewed surge of small, watery beads begin forming along her closed eyes now. She then started making short stomps with her feet in quiet agony. For whatever reason, she was seemingly a nervous wreck.

That nervousness is rubbing off on me now! I’m not really sure how to handle this...

Searching around, I immediately tried to think of a way to calm her down. My attention was shifted back to the sacred concoction that rested on the counter across from us. Looking back at her, I then realized she was carrying what seemed like a coffee mug herself.

“Ah! Coffee! I was wondering if you’ll allow me a cup? I could get a whiff of the smell from even outside. Just by that, I can tell it’s a pretty top-grade mix. So, how about it, hm? Then we can talk a bit more afterwards, if that’s okay with you?”

With the peak of her eyes from under her bangs, her gaze almost made an attempt to meet my own. Stopping short, she slowly nodded, turning toward the counter in a mechanicalized manner. As she reached the opposite side, I took a seat at the counter. Her way of preparing a cup was quite meticulous—yet rigidity in transitions.

I know I shouldn’t stare, but...

It was as if she were simply functioning on muscle-memory at this point. From pulling out a clean mug from underneath and placing near her own, to pouring—she was completing the tasks with no real issues so far. Yet, her expression was still a mess, one that was explicitly blaring an indirect, “I really don’t want to be here right now!” cry to me.

“...H-here you go. P-please enjoy...”

In very slow manner, one that matched her speech, she then gently pushed the filled mug my way. I took a long whiff of the brew as its circular rim met my lips. It truly felt as if a lifetime had sped by since my last cup of coffee. It was almost nostalgic, arousing a dwelling warmth within me.

“Thank you. This really does have an amazing scent and taste to it! The guard by the southern entrance directed me to this place, and it seems like that was the right call after all.”
“P-Palvo did...?”

She took a slow sip from her own mug, seemingly attempting to hide behind it as her eyes and nose were perched above the rim. Her words felt a tad bit more lucid—or even natural—as if she was gradually beginning to ease into a state of unwinding.

“Yes, I believe that was his name. I wasn’t planning on staying in this town for too long, but he said that the food here was quite delicious—so I wanted to check it out for myself. He never said anything about the fact that you serve coffee here as well though. That alone would have won me over pretty easily.”
“...Well, that’s because Palvo really isn't one to drink this. He...complains that it’s far too bitter for his tastes. Even if it could help him and his inability to stay awake at the gate...”
“Pfft. I see, so that wasn’t a one-off sort of thing, huh? I was able to walk by him at first without him even noticing.”
“Ugh. That guy, he...”

Somehow, we had finally began normally chatting as we took short sips from our mug in between. The taste had matched the fragrance perfectly and that wave of nostalgic repose continued with every additional sip.
She spoke about her own experience with catching him half-asleep on the job and then some, from there, we moved on to talking about the ties between the Enheim Forest and Druhwood after I had mentioned seeing some treants on the way over.

“Hmm. So, due to having this pact with the Spirit of Enheim, it provides protection through the treants as well as some resources?”
“Mhm. In return we prevent anyone from hunting them for materials and deal with a variety of requests given by the Spirit of Enheim itself. That’s how we found out about these particular plants that provide the beans to make this delicious coffee. An absolute treasure, isn’t it?”

The relation between the two—Enheim and Druhwood—was completely different here than in MO after all. I would have never guessed that the town had created a contract of sorts with the Spirit of Enheim though.

Spirit of Enheim—the Celestial of Temperance, huh? If I recall correctly, it was a hidden NPC summon from the Arcana series.

The Spirit of Enheim, in MO, was a Celestial invocation that was bound to the forest in the lore. In the same way weapons had an Empyreal-tier, the peak of equipment—the same applied for summons via the Arcana series. With that being said, no player had ever summoned a Celestial and nor could they no matter what quest or Class build they attempted. The few tied to the world of Aerith in MO had already been either NPCs or certain and rare Special Beasts. The others were said to be long gone, dead or still completely unknown.

Now that I think about it, it never occurred to me until now. Would I be able to call upon a Celestial in some way? Like maybe with that idea of converging all three main power sources? Probably not, right? I still don’t even know if successfully converging three at once is even possible outside of this...

Clutching at the left side of my chest, I could feel a small ring in my breast pocket. It was the ring given to me by Marna and the only thing I knew that currently contained all three main power sources. Regardless of whether I could or couldn’t, the idea itself would be worth looking into though.

“Um, is something wrong, sir...?”

Lost in thought, I was pulled back by the sudden voice of the woman in front of me. Her was expression was seemingly shifting back into that nervous-mode from earlier.

“Ah, sorry, I was thinking about something. That’s right, I haven’t introduced myself yet, have I?”

I stood from my seat, and in a slight bow I addressed myself.

“My name is Albel. I’m a traveling Conjurer from the Outer Region. But please, don’t be too alarmed by that last part. I lived on the southern shoreline, disconnected and isolated, from most of what makes the Outer Region what it is in the first place.”
“...I s-see...”

Hm? Did I make a mistake somehow? Was it too soon to introduce myself? Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything yet...

With that short introduction, Eru’s posture and movement had once again stiffened. It was as if she suddenly realized that she had been talking to a complete stranger this whole time. A series of rapid tapping sounds were now coming from her direction as her finger seemingly tried to pierce through her mug. She then suddenly spoke up once more.

“...Did Palvo say anything peculiar when you arrived...?”
“Hm? I don’t recall him saying anything. His reaction was pretty telling though. I guess this town doesn’t get many travelers from the south—if at all, huh?”
“...It’s very rare apparently. And everyone here fears the Outer Region after all. Oh... I forgot! Sorry, Eru is my name... And welcome to our Mirth Oak Inn, Mr. Albel...”

She tried her best at beaming a natural smile as nervously as she could in the middle of a slight bow toward me. It seems that the cup of coffee and chat didn’t calm her down as much as I had hoped though. I could tell she was thoroughly forcing herself to act properly. I couldn’t help but chuckle slightly at the sight.

“There’s no need for you to be so formal or nervous. Just Albel is fine. That being said, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Eru. Since I’d like to stay here for some time, I’ll be in your care for a bit.”

I decided to drop the formalities on my end as well, hopefully making it easier for her to do the same. As I extended my hand over the counter, her hesitancy was still rather apparent on her face as she eyed my hand with suspicion.

Well, there’s no helping these sorts of reactions if I’m going to keep saying I’m from the Outer Region. Maybe I should just start saying I’m a traveler from the mountain side or something next time? Though, I don’t think I’ll meet anyone as expressive as this one here.

Eru had seemed like the kind of person in whom would often unintentionally portray her thoughts with her facial expressions. Even so, I knew she didn’t mean any offense in her appropriate caution. It’s understandable given that the Outer Region is a place where—aside from monsters—very few reside and none of which are human at that. If anything, overall, this was a lesson learned for myself. I should have realized that saying anything about the Outer Region would just work against me.

“Ah...”

In had happened so suddenly. As if she finally mustered up her courage, she immediately had closed her eyes and went for the hand shake. Surprisingly, with a reach that missed my own hand by a long shot.

“Pfft. Ahaha! I’ve never seen...someone actually miss a hand shake in such a way...before! Ahaha! I’m sorry, but why...would you close your eyes...?!”
“...”

The sight of her missing, along with her mixed expression dejection and shock, tickled my entirety as I erupted in laughter. One in which I could barely stifle even slightly. My head slumped into my arm that now remained on the counter. In addition, her hand remained sitting to the far right of where mine had originally been, now in a fist as she slightly shook in embarrassment.

“...”

Seconds went by as she remained quiet and at a downcast. As I collected myself from my laughing fit, I adjusted my posture and tried to bring a more serious tone instead.

“Well, I understand your caution—your nervousness—and I don’t blame you for it. When I say I’m a simple traveler, I do in fact mean that though. I have no real destination in mind, nor any concrete objectives. For now, I’m just someone that wants to experience what this world has to offer. So please, I won’t ask you to completely trust in me or anything like that. At the very least, I only hope that you’ll give me a chance to show you I’m not someone worth being fearful of.”

I once again laid out my hand toward the woman named Eru. A short display of hesitancy once again peeked through her changing expression, but this time, she finally reciprocated my attempt at friendship. With her eyes opened, we shook hands as I nodded and continued.

“I appreciate the chance given to me. And good job on not missing my hand this time around.”
“Geh. Just please...forget about that already!”

In was a minor step forward, but I was more than satisfied with the results. Nothing would come from having Eru distance herself away from me. She was someone who held the most unique and puzzling status I had seen so far in this world after all. But most of all, she also just seemed like a rather interesting and genuine person at that.

“Oh, that’s right...”

After hopefully putting her fears to rest, I decided to finally discuss the payment amount for my stay. I was planning on staying for a whole week for now.

“...Then it’ll be 50 Silvers. That includes the coin for the meals too.”

It was rather cheaper than I thought it would be. During my stay in Dormou, Marna insisted on accommodating me—free of charge—and due to that I didn’t need to spend any of my own coin. She had also given me a weird emblem of sorts for when I wanted to go out into the town. With it, I was allowed anything I wanted by just showing it off.

"Mm! I won't have a guest of ours spending out of their own pocket! So, take this with you. I won't take ‘no’ for an answer either! Okay? Make sure you do NOT spend your own coin, Sir Albel!"

In saying that, she shoved the emblem onto me. I didn’t have it in me to turn her down though, but it’s not as if I went on a wild shopping spree with it either. Surprisingly, the prices were pretty high in Dormou as well. Some fresh fruit had gone for several Silvers there, individually, whereas in comparison, I had seen fruit being sold at one Silver for a few in Druhwood on my way to the inn.
Comparatively, 50 Silvers had felt like pocket change for a week of lodgings and meals. I didn’t have any financial worries regardless, since I held several hundreds of Gold coins to begin with currently. 100 Silvers equaled one Gold, thus I wouldn’t have any problems in the long run if these prices were the standard.

“That sounds perfectly fine to me. I’ll take it.”
“Okay, then I’ll show you to—”

I had pulled out a bag of 50 Silvers from my “pocket” and handed it to her, but before she could finish what she was trying to say—someone else arrived at the sound of a bell ringing. Walking through the entrance far behind me, I could hear the displeased voice and complaints from where I sat.

“Tch. That damned merchant. Taking up all of my time just to spout some ridiculous idea to me! This is a bad headache in the making. Eru! Pour me a cup, would ya—hm?”

An older man was now making his way to the counter as I turned around and met his eyes. He seemed rather familiar with Eru, and due to that, I immediately came to one conclusion as to why.

“Grandpa! What took you so long?”
“Hm? Oh, it was that merchant from earlier, but forget about em for now. Who is this lad here? Someone on a pilgrimage? Wait, black-priest garbs...? Is this—”

A loud thud from the opposite end of the counter started me as Eru’s hands met the fine-wood in front of her. She then immediately raised her voice for the first time, only further making me jump in my seat.

“AAAAAH! His name is Albel, Grandpa. Apparently, he’s a traveler from the Outer Region! He’ll be staying with us for the next week and has already paid upfront.”
“Hmm.”

The older man began to stroke at his beard, starting at me once more. It seemed as if he wanted to say something. Yet, he quietly continued scanning my entirety—possibly forming some sort of initial assumption of me based on looks alone. His stature was quite large, but nowhere near on par with Vaalyun—let alone Lorcan. He resembled the appearance of lumberjacks from my own world, having a thick beard with a short head of brown-whitish hair. He had a scar that made its way from the right side of his forehead, down his sideburns, and toward under his right ear. His demeanor was telling me that he hadn’t always been a lumberman or keeper of an inn.

“...I see, well met then, lad. You can call me Torrel. I’m Eru’s grandfather and the owner of the Mirth Oak Inn. The people of this town often refer to me as the “Chief” of Druhwood as well.”