Val wasn’t surprised that they would be shell shocked to see her come out. Most citizens underleveled would feel the same way, especially those that don’t realize that one’s looks can be improved dramatically by simply advancing to a higher stage.
However, the swordswoman hasn’t lost her grip with her sword, and instead put herself into a stance in front of her. The mage behind her also sharpened, tensing his shoulders while keeping tight of the little girl behind his back.
All the while, the little girl nestled closely to the man. They certainly look like adults, but Val could only see them as children with their pitifully weak auras.
Yet they were able to handle a group of exhausted soldiers after a heavy fight was involved. They were surely able to keep up with them despite how horrid they looked.
Val tried to approach calmly, trying to be as least threatening as she could
“May I ask who you are?” Val asked, her tone implying no hostility to the best of her abilities.
The swordswoman, possibly the one in charge, hesitated slightly before responding.
“Just travelers,” The swordswoman answered, prompting a small nod from the man behind her. “We were just traveling when some bandits came around and stole our stuff. We’ve been lost in this forest ever since.”
“Oh my,” Val exclaimed. That was certainly bad luck, but it was clear she was lying through her teeth.
She didn’t have any skill to figure out a lie, but she could tell that the woman’s heartbeat was racing from her words. After a struggle, one can’t really contain their adrenaline well, so figuring out her lies was easy for Val.
So either they were lying about why they were hanging around in the forest for so long, or possibly someone stronger tried to kill them and left them as they were now. But at this point, Val just knew that these folks aren’t bad. After all, bad people wouldn’t try and fight a group of armed fighters to protect their young.
But she can’t just agree so easily. The soldiers at her back were highly charged, and if she doesn’t try to make amends as much as she could, they could wind up sparking another conflict again. Val kept pushing, ensuring a good path for everyone there.
“I see, and so you have been traveling around the forest looking for a place to stay, right?” Val asked, raising her hands. “But why did you end up becoming targeted by the soldiers here?”
“You tell me,” The swordswoman confronted. “We were just about to ask if we can be let inside, rest and of course pay for any fees before one of them shot a damn fireball at us!”
Val tried her hardest not to grimace. She was definitely not going to let that particular soldier off lightly. She also made sure that those who followed right afterwards would also get punished for this.
But that's besides the point as the swordswoman continued.
“And even though we tried to defend ourselves, they kept coming after us!”
“I get it, I understand,” Val raised her hands to console, but the young girl was just too adamant on being hostile. “I can see why that would set you off, but please understand. My soldiers here have just finished off a horde of monsters that have been plaguing our town for a while now. They kept fighting monsters wanting to invade our town and harm our people.
“Suddenly attacking you is disrespectful, but seeing your appearance made them believe that a new form of monster has come. I hope you can forgive us for our lack of awareness.”
Val lowered her head slightly, but not before raising it back up to properly introduce herself.
“My name is Valorie Mystio. I am the captain of the Eve Glade military fighting force. Oh, and Eve Glade is the name of the town we’re in.”
She made sure to give the name a proper introduction as well. Back when she helped make it, she couldn't help but be proud of the name given. It felt nice and offered solace for those downtrodden, much like the kids before her.
“Will you let me know your names? Of course, that includes the cute little one beside you.”
Val offered a friendly wave and a warm smile at the little girl beside the young man, and in return, the girl offered a wave back.
She reminds her so much of her sweet little Ana, she almost knelt in joy after seeing such a cute reaction. The swordswoman noticed the interaction, her eyes widening at the girl giving a wave.
After turning to find the young man staring at her back, possibly sending a message only they understood with a nod, the young woman finally put her sword away.
And by that, she made the entire sword disappear, surprising not just Val but also the watching soldiers as they gasped. She instantly noticed that they had extraordinarily well-fashioned packs at their hips.
Storage bags? These aren’t just regular people, Val assumed.
“...My name is Mikella. This is Zeke, and that is my little sister, Clara.”
She spoke the last name with a sense of warmth and love that only a family member would give. However, she was surprised. The man was introduced as though he wasn’t related to them.
Was he her husband? But they seem so young to be married. Was he perhaps a lover then? If so, it looked like her little sister clearly trusted him as she continued to tug harder at the man’s made-up fur.
Now that she took a closer look at it, they don't seem like proper clothing at all. If anything, it’s like someone melted half of the fur then forced them to each other to give the impression of clothes, but failed miserably.
But she put away the thoughts. Clearly they were so down in their luck they had little choice but to dress up this way.
“It is a pleasure to meet you three. While I would love to take you in and give you a proper introduction, I must take you in for questioning–this is something that must be done to every new citizen that enters Eve Glade. This is for the safety of the town, I assure you.”
That put them on guard as she expected. While the young man, known as Zeke, frowned at the idea, the young woman Mikella knitted her brows.
“What are you gonna question us about?”
Surprisingly, Zeke was the one that answered. Val was taken aback by his question. Or rather, his approach.
She tagged him as someone who was reasonably withdrawn , but his tone carried a bit of weight, of resolve, she imagined.
I figured the girl was the one in charge, Val could only shrug.
“Simple things, really. Where you came from, why did you come here of all places, and to ask for any records of you committing crimes in any other town, cities, or provinces.”
Zeke nodded at that. He seemed satisfied, and if anything, curious as to what she said. Meanwhile, Mikella went over to grab Clara’s hand as she stared at Val.
“Clara stays with me. I won’t be convinced otherwise.”
“I have no reason to refuse. Don’t worry–I won’t separate either of you. And thank you for your understanding.”
She was thankful, truly. She was glad that Eve Glade wasn’t so desperate to defend themselves that they would try and kill younger folks. She turned back to the group behind her, all waiting patiently. She also noticed the bit of shame crossing their faces.
“Everyone! I will take these kids for myself. Do not worry. I have things handled. For now, take a rest and cool yourselves off. Today was an example that too much fighting will cloud your judgment and make mistakes. Learn this well!”
The soldiers all responded at once, either with cheers or roars. Val still intended on finding the one that attacked to begin with. She knew he or she must have been scared beyond their wits, but if they hope to live longer in the future, she can’t let them get away without punishing them in some form.
Meanwhile, she brought the kids over to the gate, noticing from their steps alone that they were tired, weary, and exhausted.
They were more exhausted than they let on, tugging on Val’s heartstrings. She never liked the idea of anyone fighting to the death at a young age, especially if they had no choice.
I wonder if it’s better to bring them to my home… ehh, I’m sure Cloud will be fine with it.
Moving on with the plan, she smiled as she led the trio through the gate and into the town proper.
…..
It was a nasty experience just a few minutes ago, and now they were following a captain of the military force of all things.
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And even more, that captain was a gorgeous woman that had no reason to be so damn gorgeous. Zeke still couldn’t keep his head on straight after seeing Valorie for the first time.
If he had to comment on her appearance with one word alone, it would definitely be ‘crafted’. No sense of blemishes or flaws in sight, and all her… proportions are way beyond any Hollywood actress Zeke had ever known.
But there was also something strange about her. She seemed too beautiful, too perfect. It felt unnatural. He was certainly attracted to her, but on top of that, he felt more intimidated.
Intimidated and incredibly curious as to how that was possible. Considering this world had levels and stats, he wouldn’t be surprised if she, out of all the soldiers they saw while passing through, was the strongest. If anything, her aura proved just how powerful she was.
He couldn’t say for sure, but if it was enough to stump the battle-hardened Mikella, she was definitely powerful. He turned to Mikella as they walked through the town proper, seeing her hold the frightened Clara’s hand.
The town itself looked simple and pleasing to the eye. Cobbled streets connected one way or another. Several buildings were made up of clay and stone that were crafted to be a workable home, at least in Zeke’s mind.
It reminded him of those simple cottages in forests, except instead of being made in wood, it was made in clay and stone. There was a natural feel to them, though he can also pick up traces of mana left and right with Mana Perception. Thankfully, none of them were dangerous like back in the tower.
There were also street lamps that looked the same as the one in the tower, but rather than a bulb inside one of the glass panels, it was a crude looking crystal. He was sure that they would turn themselves on when night approaches.
He could see farm animals up ahead on one side as they walked. Those farm animals almost looked like farm animals with some clear differences. What looked like cows had two sets of eyes and horns jutting out of their heads. What looked like chickens looked like devil incarnates as they were brown-red and spikes flowing out of their feathers. Finally they had horses that were like the cows, except they were about double the size of an ordinary horse.
They looked tame enough, thankfully, as even a young looking woman was handling them with ease while staring at them.
Of course, everyone in town was staring at them. Not surprising considering that they looked like hobos that just murdered the entire tiger and boar population. Worse yet, they blasphemed their furs and hides to make this travesty of so-called fashion.
The further they reached into the town, the more he realized that the aura around everyone, at least compared to this woman named Valorie, was relatively weaker by a substantial amount.
It would surely be useful to have one of those highly overpowered eye skills that let him see other people’s statuses, but the only thing he can guess is by the aura and the mana they produce.
It was extremely strange to go through. He only learned how to read auras along with Mikella during the two weeks they’ve been hunting together in the forest.
It got to the point where it truly tested their patience, even getting to the point where they fought over where to go, and whether one was taking it seriously or just enjoying themselves. Zeke had to admit that he was having fun figuring out how to use his magic, but he can definitely say Mikella was also having fun beating monsters to death.
Eventually it got to the point that even Clara intervened, saying that they shouldn’t fight. That alone was enough to bring them to work together again, not wanting to make her upset anymore.
Thankfully, they learned quite a bit about combat. But despite two weeks of hunting monsters on a daily basis, they only leveled up once.
> Level up! You are now Level 9. You gain 2 free points (2 FP total).
…..
> You have gained +2 VIT from your actions.
>
> You have gained +2 END from your actions.
>
> You have gained +1 DEX from your actions.
In his experience with video games, it doesn’t make sense that they couldn’t level up to 10 after defeating so many monsters over level 10. It increased the likelyhood that the experience gained in the tower was higher than out here.
He wanted to know the secret to gain more experience, or if there was some sort of requirement. Then he thought that maybe it was better to find a way back home…
But somehow he could tell that Mikella and even Clara weren't really thinking about heading home.
Neither was he, if he was honest. He had more fun here with these girls than over by his lonesome in the real world. Uncomfortable memories wormed into his mind before shaking them off after seeing where they were being taken.
To his surprise, it wasn’t some desolate house to question potential invaders or terrorists, but rather the opposite. A large two story house built upon strong wooden and stone foundations.
The roof, tiled based and all, seemed different compared to the other houses. It was almost crafted with a noble in mind, and there was a pleasant earthy scent coming from the house that wasn’t nearly anything like the luscious forest behind them.
It was very serene, much to the comfort of the trio who had to make it through the forest with their lives on the line.
“What’s this?” Mikella asked, pleasantly surprised at the beauty of this home.
“This is my house. I figured that we can give you three a decent wash and a change of clothes. I’m sure all of you have been having it rough lately. Of course, that goes double for sweet little Clara here.”
The woman, Valorie, smiled gently at the little girl held tight by Mikella. Seeing the beautiful woman, her eyes glittered with a gaping jaw. She nodded profusely at her words, wanting nothing more than to have a change of good clothes.
Zeke let out a heavy breath after realizing that if nothing else, Valorie was kind to children. He wondered if perhaps Clara could sense auras like they could, but he put that idea aside. Valorie was just out of the ordinary, especially since nobody bothered interrupting them as they traveled from the entrance to her home.
“Oh, and don’t worry about formalities,” Valorie suddenly mentioned. “Just call me Val for short. everyone does.”
“Y-You sure?” Mikella asked, raising a brow.
“Of course!” Val gleamed.
Zeke couldn’t help but feel… put off by this. Certainly this Val wasn’t so accommodating to every stranger they meet, right? Not to mention, two strange adults and a child that…
Well, now that he thought about it, who wouldn’t offer to help a child in need? Sure, the parents can go fuck off, but the child at least needed to be helped.
If Zeke had something to say, there was also something about Clara that made people trust her.
On the way to her home, he noticed that their home was the only one with a field around it. A field of natural grass and… herbs? Thanks to his experiences traveling the forest, his nose managed to pick up any new smells to survive, and he was sure that he could smell the scent of herbs and natural greenery around them.
Val opened up the gate around the small fence surrounding the field, shocking the trio to find a whole array of plants and herbs surrounding their home. It wasn’t as though nobody else in this town had some form of greenery, but it was certain that this house alone was a whole greenhouse at this point.
As they continued on further, they entered Val's home and were amazed at the size of it. He figured, being in this almost medieval like era of a world, he would see just an old fashioned home.
Instead, he was bombarded with a sense of familiarity from the walls, floors, even the cupboards and furniture from a modern home. He swore he spotted something that looked like an appliance as well, but the major difference was that he could sense a strong source of mana somewhere within, though he can’t tell for the life of him.
Eventually, Val led the others to get washed up in their bathroom, shocking everyone even more which led them to nearly tear up.
Ever since they left the tower, the… needs to produce waste finally returned. While eating, drinking, and sleeping were necessary, apparently the tower granted them the mercy of losing the need to let their bodies exude waste.
Ever since coming out of there… It has been rough for them. So to finally see the washroom with a working toilet and even a shower there, the two adults almost teared up at the sight.
“I never thought I’d be so happy to find a toilet…” Zeke said, his voice almost cracking which led Mikella to nod in agreement as she patted his shoulder in consolation.
“What in Tarial have you been through to get so happy to find a toilet…?” Val said, almost in horror, not realizing just how bad they had it.
More than an hour passed as the trio took time to bathe and get rid of every single grime and muck off their bodies. The fact that there was even soap and other types of sundries to clean their skin and hair better was nearly impossible in this brand new world. What’s even more shocking was that there was a plumbing system as well.
After everything was done, the clothes were given to them by Val, his own clothes owned by her husband.
Somehow, he could sense many men around this era losing their will to live after hearing she was taken.
The clothes were just a simple white silk shirt with similar pants of the same color, albeit a little grayer. He wore no shoes so far, but at this point, he was thankful to not having to step over sharp pebbles and murky mud, his shoes being non-existent at that point.
After finding Mikella and Clara again, he noticed that they were extremely polished off, possibly with help from Val. Mikella looked quite good, wearing a simple long dress that reached her ankles. It was the sort one could sleep in a bed rather than to go out, but it still fit her well enough to travel around.
Clara, on the other hand, wore a simple blouse and skirt, perfectly fitted as she used the clothes of Val’s daughter.
So not only a wife, but a mother too? Zeke thought in surprise. I wonder what the family looks like?
The fact that she had all this on top of a family should make her older than she appears. And rather than looking like a veteran soldier or a housewife and mother, she was basically a guardian from some celestial realm, which probably would explain the immense pressure she gives off even while they were relaxing.
The trio were sent to the living room, a fairly quaint and quiet room with the lights already turned on, the same kind from the street lamps outside.
“Now that we’re all freshened up,” Val smiled, still wearing her armor but her weapon was put away. Possibly in her own pack that was put by her own hip, Zeke guessed. “Let’s get started.”
“Umm…” Mikella asked, finally showing hesitation after all this freshening up. “Is it really okay to treat us like this? I mean, I deeply appreciate what you did for us… but this feels like too much.”
Zeke had to agree. Not even in their society would someone let a group of strangers into their home without any worry. Even if this woman can erase them completely from the feel of the pressure she exuded, it was still a little suspicious.
“You think it’s too much. I think it’s not enough,” Val explained. “And how can I leave alone a child looking like some horrid monster from the wastelands? On top of that, you children had to go through so much as well.”
“What?” Mikella asked in surprise. Zeke caught that as well, and raised his brow as he asked.
“Umm… we’re not children,” Zeke explained, letting Mikella nod in agreement. “I mean, maybe we look young to you, but we’re around 20 years already.”
“So it’s like I expected,” Val said, seemingly not realizing what the issue was. “Children, all on your own. It’s really terrible to see it, actually. Tell me, where did you come from?”
Zeke and Mikella were taken aback by that. Apparently she refused to see them as anything else but children despite being over 20. Putting that aside, he decided to think about what to answer that second question.
“Umm… it’s a pretty far away place,” Zeke said, stumbling over exactly how to explain it. Unfortunately, Mikella didn’t help at all as she just shrugged, pleading for him to continue. “It’s… well, it’s kinda complicated to talk about…”
“Don’t worry,” Val smiled genuinely. “I’m all ears. I want to know exactly what happened.”
I wonder if this is the reason she gave us time to wash and clean clothes.
Just as Zeke was surprised by her incredible forward thinking to get them to spill the beans…
“Val?” A voice cried, out, catching everyone’s attention. “Do we have visitors?”