I locked the door behind me after stepping out. The drunken revelry was still going strong based on the noise coming from downstairs. As I descended the stairs and entered the tavern room, scruffy men jeered at each other from across the room. It seemed all in good fun as they exchanged insults with each other. The men sitting closest to the stairs noticed me, and their gaze fixated on me as if I were an exotic creature. I tried my best to ignore the growing awkwardness and made my way to the bar, where the innkeeper was busy cleaning mugs while keeping an eye on the slightly rowdy room. He looked somewhat surprised as I approached.

"Little lady, I didn't expect to see you again tonight. I thought you might have gone to bed."

He said. I realized he was referring to his earlier knock, which I hadn't responded to.

"I wasn't paying attention. I was... busy reading."

I replied, coming up with the worst excuse possible.

"Reading? I didn't notice any books on you, little lady. Based on your attire, perhaps you're a thaumaturgist?"

He speculated.

"Yeah, something like that."

I confirmed, keeping my answer vague. The innkeeper nodded to himself as if he had made up his mind about something.

"Ah, sorry, little lady, I didn't mean to pry."

he apologized, seeming to understand my desire for privacy. At least he can take hints. For now, I prefer not to stand out, especially among the NPCs of this world. Gathering information was crucial, and I had very little at the moment. Anyway, why does he keep calling me little lady? I get it, I'm a tiny girl now, but you don't have to keep reminding me.

"Can you stop calling me little lady?"

I blurted out, unable to contain my annoyance. Taken aback, the innkeeper paused in his mug cleaning before continuing.

"I didn't mean to offend. I don’t know your name,"

he explained. He also had a point. I hadn't introduced myself. Should I give him my real name? No, that wouldn't work. I'll give him my character's name.

"Sorry about that. You can call me Ciel."

I replied.

"Ciel, is it?. Then you may call me Phen. I am the one and only temp of the Golden Mead Inn. It's nice to meet you, young... I mean, Ciel. I don't mean to keep you, so I will bring you your food. There's a table in the corner over there. You may take that one before the drunks pile around it."

Phen walked off into the kitchen behind the bar. His outer appearance makes him look intimidating, but he's pretty friendly. I suppose you have to develop skills like that to deal with customers. I chose an empty table and settled next to a particularly boisterous group in the tavern. I should finish eating fast, then hurry back upstairs. I'd rather not be down here longer than I have to be, especially looking the way I do around these drunks. Not that anything will happen, that is, but you can never be too careful. However, not everything goes as planned.

"Hey lass, you there! Why don'tcha come over and sit with us!"

"Yeah, don't ignore us, sweet cheeks! As long as you ain't a beast, we don't care what your skin looks like!"

"She's got a cute face, don't she?"

Behind me, a group of rowdy drunks began making a fuss. Where they catcalling? It's uninspiring and feels gross. Especially coming from other men. I'd rather it be a group of gorgeous women, but I'm guessing that's too much to ask for, isn't it? I'll just ignore them for now. Right on cue, Phen approached the table, balancing two plates of food in his hands.

"Here you are, buttery fish steak with pickled vegetables."

He announced, placing the plates carefully on the table in front of me. He then set a two-pronged fork and knife next to the dishes.

"Thank you, Phen; it looks delicious,"

I expressed my gratitude. The smile on his face reflected genuine happiness, though it faded faster than most smiles tend to do. When he delivered the food to me, the rowdy table behind me started to act up.

"What the hell, Phen? Why don't you bring us some food too!"

"Yeah, you old bastard, we pay good coin here!"

"Also, where's sweet Melda with the refill? You better not be hiding her away, Phen!"

I'd be pretty upset if I were in Phen's shoes, but he appeared unfazed. He gave the rowdy table a threatening side-eye toward the rowdy table.

"Hey, shut it, you lousy bastards! Pay your tab and the meal cost, and then you'd get some too!"

Phen boisterously responded.

Walking over to the table, Phen didn't hold back as he started laying into the rowdy group about their owed payments. I hadn't expected him to have such a tough, assertive side to his otherwise polite demeanor. But then again, handling drunk individuals probably required a certain level of toughness.

"Sorry, he usually doesn't lose his temper like that. Not unless some of these drunks get out of hand, at least."

A young woman standing in Phen's place commented. She watched with a smile as Phen grabbed one of the customers by the shirt collar. Taking a closer look at her, I found her quite charming. She had brown eyes and chestnut-colored hair. Although I wasn't well-versed in history, her attire resembled eighteenth-century bohemian clothing, particularly the gowns women wore during that time. Her gown featured a laced top that accentuated her figure, with a white undershirt adorned with frills just below the shoulders. The outer layer of the gown, reaching down to her ankles, was a dark green, with a white layer underneath.

"Excuse me for interrupting your meal,"

She said suddenly, snapping me out of my trance. She turned towards me, giving me a better look at her face, revealing a small dark spot below her right eye. A mole, perhaps? I hadn't noticed it before, but it added a certain allure to her appearance.

"Would you happen to be the cook?"

I asked, noticing her apron.

"That I am. Though, I don't often get to cook for anyone besides my father. These louts would rather drink themselves silly than eat good food."

She replied, glancing down at her apron and then smiling. She was right. The room was mostly filled with men. All of them busy gulping down mead or laughing their butts off about whatever old story someone at the table is telling.

"Although they're drunks, most of them are hard-working men who keep the city safe or provide it with crops. I've known them my whole life. If this is where they feel most comfortable, I don't mind the rowdiness."

She added, smiling as she surveyed the tavern. It was obvious that she took pride in her job. I suppose if you love what you do, it can show. Almost on cue, a voice from across the room shouted for a mug refill.

"Excuse me; I'm just rambling on here. Please, enjoy your food. By the way, my name is Melda,"

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

she said, politely introducing herself.

"It's nice to meet you too, Melda. My name is Ciel,"

I replied with a friendly smile.

"Well, Ciel, I'd love to talk with you more later. Enjoy your food!"

Melda retrieves two mugs of mead, then heads off to deliver them, leaving me to focus on the meal in front of me. The food looked unusual, but the aroma was enticing. I cut into the fish and took a bite, savoring the flavors. The seasoning was just right, complementing the fish's natural taste without overpowering it. The fish wasn't too salty, suggesting it was likely caught from the nearby river. Freshwater fish often allows for more versatile seasoning compared to saltwater fish.

Next, I tried the pickled vegetables. As I speared a few with my fork and plopped them into my mouth, I realized I had never had pickled vegetables before. They had a tangy, slightly sour, and savory flavor. It was different but not unpleasant, just unfamiliar. I could get used to eating this, for sure.

Although I'd like to eat quickly, I'm not a quick eater. I would rather take my time than inhale food like a vacuum. I knew a few people like that; it's a wonder they avoided choking. Taking my time, it took me around twenty minutes to finish the food. Just as I shoveled the last pickled vegetables into my mouth, Melda walked over.

"Was the food delicious, Ciel?"

she asked.

"Yes, I've never had pickled vegetables before this,"

I replied.

"Judging by your empty plate, I take it you enjoyed them along with the fish,"

Melda remarked, pulling out a chair and sitting across from me. She looked directly at me with a serious expression as if studying me intently.

"Ciel, I don't want to sound rude, but where are you from? I've seen my fair share of beastmen, but I've never seen someone who looks like you before."

Couldn't she tell I was human? True, my skin had a purplish-blue hue, but that was just a preset option from the character creation process. Specifically, I had chosen the dark elf preset. Although the skin preset was rare amongst players, I have seen NPCs with the same skin occasionally in the game. Perhaps they were less common in the region of Veinbor.

"Are you referring to my skin? I'm human, last time I checked,"

I replied, a bit confused.

Melda's head tilted to the side in surprise, as if she didn't believe what I had just said.

"Human? But your skin is purple?"

"Oh, that's because it's dark elf skin,"

I explained, hoping to clarify the matter.

"Dark elf? You're a dark elf, Ciel?"

Melda asked, sounding surprised. Where did she get that from? Based on her tone, it sounded like Dark Elves are rare in Veinbor. All I had mentioned was the dark elf skin tone. Then again, I shouldn't rely on game terminology and logic when conversing with people in this world. It could complicate the conversation. But then, how to explain it without confusing her further. Ah, whatever; I'll just be vague.

"Something like that... Um, are dark elves not welcomed around here?"

I asked, curious about her perspective.

"Oh! No, no, I didn't mean to make you worry. That's not what I meant. It's just that dark elves aren't very common in Veinbor. We do see light elves a lot, on the other hand. At least, that's what my father says,"

Melda clarified.

I realized that this wasn't part of the game's lore, so the history and context were different. The main questline for the dark elven region, Osyla Dorathor, mainly focused on the conflict between the light elves of Du'vwalden. Humans weren't mentioned in either of the storylines. Both races were playable in the game, so I had assumed they might've been the norm here.

"I see, so I suppose that's why your dad called me 'not normal' when I arrived,"

I replied, understanding the situation a bit better.

"He did? Sorry about that. I'll make sure to scold him later for it,"

Melda apologized.

"No, it's fine. I didn't think anything of it at the time. It makes sense anyway, considering that dark elves don't live in Veinbor,"

I said, trying to reassure her.

"Are you sure? If that's the case, I won't make a big fuss. I didn't know dark elves had horns; they are pretty,"

Melda commented.

Wait, horns? I unintentionally reached up, patted the top of my head, and poked my hand on something pointy. That's not right.

"Um, do you have a mirror I can borrow?"

I asked, suddenly curious about my own appearance.

"Sure, hold on one moment,"

Melda said, looking a bit puzzled. She rushed off towards the bar disappearing into a room. Shortly after, she returned, walking hurriedly.Since it was getting late outside, there were fewer customers, allowing Melda and Phen to have some spare time to chat with me. She returned quickly, still wearing a confused expression, and handed me the mirror.

"Thank you,"

I said, taking the mirror from her.

"Why do you need the mirror? Is there something I shouldn't have said?" Melda inquired.

"No, I just hadn't seen my face in a long time. I'm so used to being around humans that I've forgotten what I look like,"

I explained.

"Oh, is that so,"

Melda responded, seemingly understanding.

It was your simple handheld mirror. Nothing fancy about it. It had an oval-shaped wooden case with a mirror fixed inside it. After taking the handheld mirror in hand, I immediately brought it up to my face. Melda looked on with curiosity but jumped when I gasped out loud. I couldn't help but be shocked. I seriously outdid myself in creating my character. Honestly, cute is an understatement. I wanted to make her as attractive as possible, so I put in the time to do so when creating her.

My eyes were pink, in contrast to the darkness of my skin, giving them a certain intensity. As for my face, I gave her freckles because who doesn't like freckles? The lips were light pinkish-violet. There's an option to put makeup on in the game, but I prefer the natural look.

The next thing was my hair. It only came down to the end of my neck, just above my shoulders, and was slightly curly. It was strange having such long hair. I've always had short hair on Earth, mainly because it became annoyingly hard to take care of as it grew out. The hair color had two tones: black and platinum purple. The color change goes from the top down. Black is the root of the hair, and as it moves down, there's a gradual transition to platinum purple that seemed to glow in the candlelight of the tavern. When I first made her, I thought this added a certain etherealness to her.

As I looked into the mirror, I couldn't believe my eyes. There they were, two tiny red stubs sticking out of my head - horns. In the game, it was just a headband with horns called the [Devil's Temptation Headband]. It didn't have any special abilities or features apart from the regular stat enhancement. I reached up to remove one of the horns, but it didn't budge. Confused, I searched for the headband, but my hand only found the base of the horns, where they were directly attached to my head. What in the world was going on?

"Ciel? Is everything alright? You look shocked,"

Melda's voice grabbed my attention. She stared at me with intense curiosity, leaning over the table to get a better look at me fumbling with the horns. This wasn't the right time to be worrying about these horns. What should I say? It would be strange to admit that I didn't know the horns were there. She might think I was some sort of moron. How could a person go their whole life without knowing they have horns? Well, in my case, it had only been about three hours since I arrived in this world, so she would have to excuse me if I didn't know everything about this body within that time frame.

"Yeah, I'm all good. Here you go; thanks for letting me use your mirror,"

I said, returning the mirror to Melda. She slipped it into a pocket on her apron and glanced around the tavern, checking to see who was nearby. The place was practically empty except for a few passed-out drunks at various tables. Phen was currently dealing with one of them, trying to wake him up to kick him out. Melda leaned forward and spoke in a hushed tone.

"I have to admit, Ciel. You're unbelievably pretty. I think you've got me beat in the looks department for sure. By the way, how old are you?"

"I'm twenty-six, and umm, thanks?"

I replied.

"Twenty-six?! Seriously? Is that how old you are in eleven years? That would make you two years older than I am, and you look way younger than me!"

Melda slumped forward, resting her head on her forearms as she moped. I didn't understand why she was complaining. She was gorgeous herself. Even in another world, some people would always find something about themselves to be lacking, whether it's age or looks. To be fair, some men are the same way, but most don't care about either. Still, it felt nice to receive a compliment about my character's appearance, or rather, my appearance.

"You know, that's strange. Are you really twenty-six, Ciel? I heard from my father that elves live for hundreds of years."

Oops, she had me there. I had blurted out my actual age without thinking. By elf standards, I would be considered a child or the equivalent of an infant right now, right? Thankfully, I was saved from answering as Phen, now dealing with his third unconscious drunk of the night, called Melda over to help him kick them out.

"Looks like I've got to get back to work. It was nice talking with you, Ciel. We can talk again later!"

Melda said.

"Yeah, same. Thank you for the delicious food,"

I replied.

Smiling, Melda walked over to the next table and not so gently kicked it, waking the drunkard there from his sleepy stupor. Even she had an aggressive side like her father. I stood up from the table and made my way back to my room upstairs. After kicking off my shoes, I plopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling again.

"Today was... unbelievable. I'd say this was a dream, but this feels too real to be. I can cross out this being a larping event or prank too. Well, I guess I'll find out when I wake up,"

I mused to myself. Feeling drowsy as my eyelids grew heavy, and my body forced me to fall asleep.