Chapter 41: Chapter 41 - A Feeling I’ll Never Take For Granted Again

"Wow...I hate to say it, but you did a great job with this," I admitted, as I checked out my reflection in a stream.

It really does look my scars have completely disappeared, I can’t tell that there’s makeup on my face at all.

"Why, is it that hard for you to accept that I was helpful?" She frowned indignantly.

"Oh, yeah, like you wouldn’t believe. So, this won’t get all runny when I sweat, will it?" I asked her.

"No, I checked the bottle, it’s waterproof, so it won’t get smudged easily. You should be fine," She informed me.

Let’s test that out. I cupped my hands and dunked them into the water, before lifting my hands out and splashing the water onto my face. I then stared at my reflection while poking at my scars...looks like she was right, the makeup isn’t getting smudged, though it does feel like it might a bit if I give it a firm rub or push. Eh, good enough.

"Alright, good. Now, then, the town’s within sight, time to get in," I remarked, as I opened up a portal into my Pocket Dimension, "I’ve put some food and water in here. If you need to, you know, take care of anything, go do so now."

"What do you mean?" She responded in confusion.

"Do I really have to spell it out? Fine, I’ll be blunt...if you need to take a piss or a sh-..."

"O-okay, I got it!" She interrupted as she turned red, "I-I’m fine, I don’t need to g-go!"

She always gets super awkward about bathroom stuff. Sometimes when she wanders off and I ask her where she’s going, she gets super fidgety and weird about it. I don’t really see why, though. I mean, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about, everyone does it.

"You sure? Because I better not find a puddle or a pile of turds in there when I let you out," I warned her.

"Wha-...!? I’m not a toddler, I wouldn’t do that!" She exclaimed indignantly as her face turned a bit brighter red, before adding, "But if you’re so worried about that, then you better make sure you let me out soon."

"Yeah, whatever, just get in there already."

"Fine, I’m going...," She grumbled, as she dragged her feet into the portal and entered my Pocket Dimension.

I then closed my eyes and focused, moving a bottle of water and some fruits from elsewhere in my Pocket Dimension into the section she’d just headed into, before shutting the portal with a sigh. Time to get to the town.

I decided to go with hair dye instead of a wig, coloring my hair red and putting in green colored contact lenses. I also changed up my hairstyle, I usually push it back, but I combed it off to the side this time. Even I barely recognize myself like this, so it should be an effective disguise.

Now, then, if anyone asks where I came from, what should I say? Need a convincing backstory...alright, I think I got it. I’ll just say I have a really sick mom, who’s a single mother, and I’m heading for the capital to buy medicine from a pharmacy there, and have been saving up by doing random jobs.

Yeah, that works. After all, the pharmacies in the towns have a pretty limited range of medicines. You can’t get good, high quality medicine outside the capital, the same goes for hospitals as well, all the best doctors work in hospitals located in the capital.

As I’ve mentioned before, only Nobles have access to proper education, so Commoner doctors don’t always know what they’re doing, as they simply don’t have the knowledge to do so.

The capital only intervenes if it looks like a serious disease is starting to spread, otherwise they couldn’t care less how many Commoners die of illnesses that’d otherwise be easily treatable.

Commoners are allowed inside the capital, but it’s very risky...catch the attention of the wrong Noble, which is the majority of them, and your life is basically over.

On another note, I should make sure not to show off any abilities that’d be strange for a Commoner to possess...namely, my Magic. I should avoid casting any advanced Spells in front of others unless I have no other choice.

I plan on registering at the Adventurer Guild in this town, maybe stay for a couple of days to rest up and relax before heading out again. I’ll ask around to see if anyone matching Argent’s description has been seen.

I’m also interested in taking on some quests, to see what it’s like to be an Adventurer. I’ll have to rely on my physical combat skills, my Soul Weapon and my Skills, and avoid using any Magic.

Alright, then, it’s settled. Once I get into town, I’ll first look for a cheap inn to stay in. I can let Prysm out for a bit once I get a room. After that, I’ll head for the Adventurer Guild and register.

Getting into town won’t be a problem. Towns do have fences and guards at the entrance, but that’s mainly to keep Monsters out. People can go in and out freely, there’s no entrance fee or anything like that.

The guards might search you if you’re carrying a bunch of goods or something, but I’m empty-handed, so-...wait, no, that’s not good.

It’ll be suspicious if I show totally empty-handed, and I can’t say that I’m from a nearby village, because if I run into someone from one of those villages and they don’t recognize me, I’ll draw unwanted attention to myself.

Let’s see, I think I’ve got a backpack somewhere in my Pocket Dimension...there it is, found it! I’ll just add some water bottles, fruit and a bag of money in here, that should do the trick.

I also added the t-shirt that got cut earlier, plus a few more clothes...the clothes I’m wearing right now are in good condition, I should carry some clothes that are a bit more worn out. If anyone asks, I’ll say that I’m from the town near my old village.

What was the name of that town, again? Oh, right Marri Town. And my village was called Juana Village. If I’m not mistaken, this town’s name is Kieph Town.

I then began making my way through the final stretch to the town, and it wasn’t very long before it came into sight. Alright, just act natural, stroll through the entrance like I own the place.

I approached the entrance with a nonchalant expression, keeping my pace and breathing even to appear calm and relaxed. As I reached the entrance and began to walk through...

"Hey!" Suddenly called out one of the guards.

"Uh, yes, what is it?" I responded with an innocent expression.

"Haven’t seen you before, kid, this your first time visiting Kieph Town? Welcome, hope you enjoy your stay," He replied with a friendly smile.

Well, that was misleading. But since he’s being friendly, I’ll respond in kind.

"Thanks a lot, mister!" I grinned cheerfully in response, before giving him a wave as I headed inside.

Been a while since I put on the kid act, good thing I’ve had plenty of practice. Now, then...let’s go to an inn first. Sleeping outside hasn’t been great for waking up well-rested, and I’d be having several sore spots all over my body if it wasn’t for my Super High Speed Regeneration Spell.

I can register at the Adventurer Guild later today or even tomorrow, there’s no real rush. As I made my way through the town, I halted and gulped as I caught a whiff of a tantalizing scent, my mouth watering.

Oh, that’s right, I...I haven’t had any warm, fresh food in a very long time. I followed the scent without hesitation, coming across a food stall with various meats being grilled and wrapped up in thin flatbreads.

"E-excuse me, how much for one of these?" I inquired as I gulped again.

"Good morning, young man, you look like you have good taste! It’s three coppers for two, regardless of filling!" Grinned the vendor.

He sure is upbeat, huh? Guess being friendly is a good way to attract customers.

"I see, and what fillings do you have?" I asked him, my stomach rumbling and my mouth watering.

"We have beef, chicken, mutton, rabbit, lamb and pork. Well, we also do a veg-only filling, but it’s not exactly popular. What would you like?" He responded, as he took out a pair of carving blades.

Who would go for a solely vegetable filling when there’s so much variety of meat?

"Could I get one of each of the meat fillings?" I requested, as I took out nine coppers.

"Sure, you got it!"

He then used the carving knives to slice up the grilling meats and then wrapped them up in the flatbread, after adding a bit of vegetables and some sauce to it.

He then placed the six wraps in a brown paper bag and handed them to me, after I gave him the money. I want to eat these while they’re still nice and hot, but I don’t want to stand around while eating.

"Could you tell me where the nearest, and cheapest, inn is?" I asked him, as I took the bag.

"Sure, there’s one fairly close by. Just head that way and take the second left turn. It’s right opposite a big, fancy hotel, you can’t miss it."

"Got it. Thanks a lot!"

It’s only now starting to really sink in...I really did it, didn’t I? I...I regained my freedom. Until getting here to this town, my mindset was still that of a captive, I didn’t truly feel free. But now, casually strolling around in public like this without any real worry, I just feel so free...and I’ll never take this feeling for granted ever again...

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