Chapter 3

Drakkel took the lone dirt path surrounded by slightly arched trees, surveying the scenery along the way. The main path to most of the towns on the outskirts weren't as busy as for the inner cities, but they at least had a few people using them. However, the main route to Shadowy Ridges was devoid of anyone.

It was so quiet that only the sounds of animals rustling in the bushes and trees could be heard along with the sound of Drakkel’s footsteps.

As the sky turned an array of orange and purple hues and the buzzing of cicadas began to fill the air, Drakkel finally arrived at his destination..

The town was surrounded by a tall barrier made of stones and formed in a rectangular shape. Its entrance was unguarded but a sense of dread leaked through it, creating a depressing atmosphere. When Drakkel entered through the ominous front gate, he could see why.

An eerie quiet enveloped the atmosphere as the occasional person walked past. The sunken eyes of those present reflected a deep misery.

On the cracked stone path leading through the small town, minimal stalls were set up. The number of open businesses present in the town could even be counted on one hand. There was hardly anyone who looked comfortable enough to afford a living walking around.

Instead, many sick and poor elderly and children were strewn about the streets, laying their backs under the eaves on building walls or taking shelter under abandoned stalls.

Their heads were bowed in despair and their hands were cradling their bellies.

When some of the kids saw him, their eyes brightened up. Those who still had the energy, rushed over, begging for food and money.

However, Drakkel was poor himself.

Remembering Reila's leftovers, he took them out. He didn’t want to draw attention to himself, but he also couldn’t leave the kids to starve.

When he unwrapped the papers, the tantalizing smell of cheese, jerky, and bread wafted out. He was originally given two loaves of bread, two blocks of cheese and a handful of jerky, but he had eaten some on the road, leaving only half of each amount.

At first, he only planned to give it to a couple of the kids, knowing it wouldn’t be enough. But when the rest saw this, they went crazy, finding the energy to show up and almost tearing each other apart trying to get it.

However, their actions were fruitless.

There were a large number of children and Drakkel could only do so much.

“Stop fighting!” He said. “I’ll split it so there is enough for each of you.”

He looked down at the food sadly, carefully splitting the pieces into smaller bits. But he knew it wouldn’t be enough. After dividing the food, the amount left for each child only amounted to a bite.

After some of the children ate their pieces and others stored them away, they looked at him expectantly.

Their dirty faces gazed at him expectantly as they held their bellies.

Drakkel looked down at the empty paper and then up at the kids.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “That's all I have.”

As he addressed the group of kids that gathered around him, he felt someone softly tug at his robe from behind.

It was a young girl.

She seemed to be the youngest amongst the kids, likely no older than 6 or 7. As her stomach growled, she gazed up at him with her watery round eyes.

“Please sir. My grandmother needs food. Please…”

Drakkel saw the girl's thin physique. Her bones showed in her collar and her figure was too small for the clothes she wore.

He shook his head. “I’m sorry. But, I really don't have any more.”

Seeing their situation, Drakkel actually planned to buy them some more later, but he didn't want to reveal this fact. After all, if something were to happen and he couldn’t fulfill this promise, he might only give them false hope and incite hostility.

One of the older kids yelled, “You must have some more! Give it!”

Many more of the kids joined him in yelling.

“There really is nothing left!” Drakkel repeated.

He gently brushed off the hand of the youngest child and pushed through the crowd of children blocking his way as they dragged at his robe and shouted in his ears.

As he went he was reminded of his early days of poverty when he was losing his sword skills and didn't dare return to his Swords Clan. He sold everything of value that was on him and used the money up in a couple of months. Afterwards, there wasn't enough to keep him fed.

Eventually, he had to beg on the streets and ended up much the same as these children. But he was lucky. His sword energy kept him sustained, making it so he could survive off far less than a normal person. The same couldn’t be said for these kids whose malnourished and thin frames barely supported their weight.

He frowned.

There were poor people in every place, but none he had ever seen were as bad as this.

He had finally made up his mind. He owed it to the kids and other people of the town to try and help.

After the kids stopped following him, he asked someone where the inn was located. Most people weren’t receptive to him, but he eventually found someone who answered his question. He decided to stay at the only open inn left in the town which was situated near its center.

The inn was in poor condition. Its foundations were worn and held together by temporary repairs. In addition to this, not many people were present. This would have made sense for a place like Waterfall's End where the number of denizens could be easily counted, but for a place like Shadowy Ridges which was really only one step away from an inner town and a few away from an inner city, the same should not have held true.

Stolen novel; please report.

A place such as this actually should have had more inhabitants, but the conversation at Fairy Lake had revealed a few things.

If it was true, the reasoning for the businesses being few and far between was because of the taxes that were mentioned. But, the reason for all the poor elderly on the streets still was not revealed.

So, Drakkel intended to find out.

He was at an inn now with a good amount of people and he was determined to find out the truth. So, he looked for opportunities to do just that.

As Drakkel surveyed the place, he saw that several tables were laid around. Some people sat alone, their faces bored as they ate or drank while others sat in pairs, huddled together in deep conversation.

Within the room, besides the pairs and people sitting alone, there was only one table in which three people sat; and this was most likely where the most amount of conversation would take place.

The check-in desk was manned by a scrawny man whose clothes were a few sizes too large for his body. Drakkel calmly walked over to him and greeted him with a smile.

“Table for one, sir,” he said.

The man looked him up and down, his mouth forming a scowl. “We don't serve your kind here! Can't you see we don't give handouts?! There are already too many of you!”

Drakkel knew why the man had said so. Although he had cleaned himself, it didn't fix the tattered clothing he wore nor the badly woven sandals on his feet. Because he understood, he was able to ignore the man’s obvious disdain while maintaining his smile.

“I know, Sir, but I actually have some money here.” He shook the bag and the crisp sound of coins bumping into each other rang through the air.

The man’s eyes glimmered as he stared at the bag.

“How much for a room for three nights?” Drakkel asked.

The man’s whole demeanor towards Drakkel instantly improved as he politely said, “It’ll be ten copper coins for your esteemed self.”

Drakkel's mouth twitched. “Ten copper coins? Shouldn't it be two?”

The man’s demeanor switched back to one of disgust just as quickly.

“You can't pay?”

Drakkel shook his head. “The amount is a little high… How about the stables? Is there any space there?”

The man, still scowling, crossed his arms. “Two coppers a night. You can afford that, right?”

Drakkel gratefully smiled. “Yes sir. Thank you.”

He added, “Also, can I get one table served with just greens and rice?”

“That’ll be four coppers,” the man said.

Drakkel nodded.

After confirming his order, he gave the man the coins and the man left the desk. As the man headed to the kitchen, he was still in a foul mood. His lips were fully turned down and there was an annoyed expression on his face as he walked.

Drakkel found an empty table situated next to the table seated with three people and took a seat. As he sat, he listened to the hushed whispers of the three men that sat behind him.

“We can't stay here anymore. The Town’s Lord has gotten greedy.”

“Yeah, I’m starting to lose more money than I'm gaining. I’m thinking of going to Lunala Isle to do business instead.”

“I might do the same. The taxes are too high and no one can afford to pay them anymore. Maybe if you go to Lunala Isle, you can report it to the Swords clan there.”

“Ssssh! Are you crazy? The Thousand Petals Swords clan has minimal care for this area and the Lord himself hasn't requested their help. Besides, they have other problems to deal with. How can we report ours without any proof?”

“True! Also, if they were going to do something, wouldn’t they have done it already?”

One of the men sighed. “You’re probably right. Best to abandon this town and search for other places to make money”

He paused. “I just feel sorry for the people here. The lands aren't good for farming and almost all the businesses have been taxed out .”

“Yes and people still need to be fed. You heard it too, right? The only work that has been available for the past few years if you aren't an independent merchant is to work for the town lord. But all the young and middle aged men and women who went there haven't come back! If anyone dares to speak of it, they are executed by the Town Lord. The men and women left the elderly to look after the children, but look what has become of them. We don't even know where the people were taken!”

“Forget about it. It isn't in our interest to find out. We should just work on protecting our own and get out of this dangerous place.”

After voicing their agreement, the men began speaking about business ventures they were undertaking in other locations.

By then, Drakkel had tuned them out, still ruminating on what they had said before. At the very least, his questions were answered. He now had an idea of what caused the current situation, but he still needed to know more.

Still waiting on his food, he was suddenly broken out of his thoughts by the sound of the door to the inn creaking open.

When he glanced over to find out who did it, a man with golden robes and a greatsword at his back came into his view, followed by a small entourage of people who were dressed similarly.

Just as quickly as he looked at them, he looked away.

The golden robed disciples were adorned with simple yet expensive accessories and walked in confidently, capturing the innkeepers attention.

Wanting to avoid them, Drakkel shot up from his seat and hurriedly said to the innkeeper who was eyeing the people hungrily, “I’ll just head to my room now, innkeeper. Please bring my food over later.”

The innkeeper nodded, only waving his hand in a gesture for Drakkel to go. He was still staring at the golden-robed sword fighters, nearly drooling at the mouth.

Drakkel made a swift getaway, not wanting Rillian Adore to notice him.

When no one called for him as he followed the path to the stables, a wave of relief washed over him.

At the stables, he found an empty spot in the middle of the horse's pens and laid down on a stack of hay.

Since he was in a comfortable spot and had some time, he decided to check on his cultivation. When he found out his level, he wasn’t surprised. He was still at the beginning of Sword Hero.

He sighed and placed his hands behind his head before leaning his back onto the wall behind him.

The troubles in the town were worse than he had imagined and the people were powerless to do anything about it.

Although he wasn’t that strong, he had to investigate it.

While he was still deciding on his next day's activities, the innkeeper rushed to the stables.

He left a bowl of rice, greens, and meat in front of him.

Drakkel looked at the food questioningly.

“I think this is the wrong meal, innkeeper.” He said. “I only ordered the rice and greens.”

Wiping sweat from his forehead, the innkeeper answered, “I just realized that I should be kind to others if I'm able to. After all, good deeds will accumulate merits. Please sir, if you need anything else, just let me know.”

Drakkel thought something seemed off about him, but his stomach growled and he pushed these doubts aside.

He knew he would need all the strength he could get for his future undertakings, so he thanked the innkeeper and picked up the wooden utensil that was provided for him.

The innkeeper bowed his head in response and immediately hurried out of the stables as if he didn't want to stay a minute longer.

Looking at him leave, Drakkel was surprised that he even bothered to walk in instead of knocking on the door and having him come out. He again wondered what caused the innkeeper's sudden change of heart.

He gazed down at the food. He was hungry but also wary. Yes, he accepted it, but it didn't mean he wouldn't take any precautions.

Just in case something was amiss, he monitored his body for a few minutes after taking the first bite. Only after seeing that nothing was wrong, did he proceed with eating the whole thing without worry.