31 Lunch

It didn't take long for me to arrive at the Tiger Lakes. I could only feel disappointed when I did find them, though. They looked more like large ponds. I was hoping to see some massive expanses of water. I had never been to the ocean in my last life. I had never actually seen a body of water bigger than a pool. It was a bit discouraging.

I let Sandy out of the item pack. In the sunlight I could finally get a proper look at her. She was caked with filth and blood. I was cuddled up to that last night? Just how exhausted was I?

[Solution: Data not found.]

How could that data be not found?! You were with me all of last night, RED. Are you hiding something from me?

[Solution: Data not found.]

I groaned as I walked up to Sandy.

"Sandy, get in the water. It's time for your bath," I said, pointing at the pond. The dog, in response, took off running in the opposite direction.

"What?" I asked aloud.

[Solution: It seems the user's pet Sandy, due to the tamer link, can understand the user's words. The word 'bath' appears to have intimidated her.]

Seriously?

[Solution: Yes.]

Putting my hand to my temple, I took off running after the four ton dog. I was amazed, when I caught up to Sandy, to find her with her tail between her legs hiding at the top of a large tree. The poor tree was bending under her weight and it looked like it was ready to snap.

"Sandy, get down here and come take your bath." I demanded.

Sandy howled in a pathetic tone while looking at me with puppy eyes. I don't think I've ever been in a situation this absurd. What do I do?

[Solution: This guide recommends tricking the Omega Hound into getting clean. Playing fetch with a stick and throwing it into the water should get her into it. From there the user could just forcibly clean her.]

Uhhhg. If I was going to have to use force either way, I might as well just use it from the start.

"Fine, you don't have to take a bath, Sandy," I said in an offhanded tone. The dog's reaction was immediate. She leaped from the treetop, launching a poor bird stationed on one of the branches as the tree snapped back into shape. The Hound bounded towards me with her tongue out, looking to show her appreciation.

I couldn't help but smile a bit. Sandy seemed to notice my evil grin, but it was far too late for her. She couldn't stop her momentum in time.

I reached my hand up, grabbing the dog by the neck.

"NOW TAKE YOUR DAMNED BATH!" I screamed as I rotated my body and threw the four ton pooch over my shoulder towards the nearest pond. She flailed her paws in the air and her eyes had the cutest look of betrayal stamped on them.

RED, I need a way to get her clean.

[Solution: There are Norsop trees nearby. The Norsop sap is a natural cleaning agent. This guide recommends heating the water of the pond with -Fire Blade- and scrubbing the Omega Hound with Norsop leaves.]

I quickly found the tree RED was guiding me to, and I cut the entire top off by using -Wind Blade- on my hand. I didn't have much time until Sandy would land in the water.

RED, how hot can I make the water without hurting Sandy?

[Solution: The Omega Hound has an incredible heat tolerance. There are even stories of them swimming in volcanos. The user can make the water as hot as needed without worry.]

Neat.

I quickly poured mana into my -Fire Blade- and heated the pond up to near boiling point. Sandy landed in the water then and created a tidal wave sized splash. I didn't pay the rushing water any mind and ran straight through it towards the dog, holding the Norsop branches in my left hand.

Cleaning Sandy was more like a wrestling match than anything. Thankfully I didn't hurt her too much, though I did make it painfully obvious I wasn't going to tolerate this kind of behavior any more.

After a solid hour of wrestling a muddy Omega Hound, I dragged Sandy's near limp body out of the water. She was finally clean. I didn't have any good way to dry her off, but I assumed that letting her run a bit would work well enough. I was soaked to the bone as well, but the Heaven's Demon Garb took care of that easily.

I hopped on Sandy's back and her eyes regained their usual vigour. She shook herself once, spraying water everywhere, but I managed to not fall off. I was certain, though, that James would have died if he were in my shoes just then. Not bringing him truly was for the best.

Sandy took off running in the direction I pointed her. Her movements were terrific. She possessed a nearly unmatched agility when compared to the other magic beasts I had seen in this world. I had the Garb lower my hood in order to let my hair flow freely behind me.

We avoided the major highways. I didn't want to scare the devil out of some poor farmer hauling a load of hay. The wind howled past us as we ran through meadows and woodland. Nature in this world was truly outstanding. The beauty overawed me.

I rode Sandy's back for a few hours like that. This was far different from my haste filled run the first time I passed through here. Now, I could finally take in all the surroundings. Now, I could fully enjoy the world at large.

My stomach began to rumble around midday. Sandy and I started searching and quickly found a small village. It felt nice to find it on our own instead of having to ask RED. I dismounted and returned Sandy to storage. I didn't need to terrify any poor people here with a rank 4 beast.

I quickly jumped to the main highway and made my way towards the village. I grabbed a walking stick and had the Garb take a more weather worn look and I pulled the hood up like a normal walker would for the sun.. I wanted to be just another traveler, for now.

A large sign was posted on the outskirt of the village: "Welcome to Sorten Village". I smiled a bit at the homeliness of it all. The village houses were made of wood and thatch. Children ran about with sticks in their hands, pretending to be knights. I could see a migration of farmers coming in from the fields.

"Ho, traveler. How be the roads?" Asked one farmer as he neared me. The man was stocky in build with a terrific brown beard hanging to his belt. His hair was long and tied back in a ponytail. His outfit was ragged and marred with dirt from a hard morning of harvest.

"The roads are lovely," I replied, pulling back my hood to show my face. I even gave him a smile. "There was little traffic."

"Ey, where do you be coming from, Lass?"

"I am coming out of the Capital on my way south. I bear a letter for Fort Clyfton," I replied, deciding a bit of truth would make my words more believable.

"The Capital, eh? We've heard of dark tidings from there. My name's Phillip. How about you come and have the midday meal with my family? We could use for some news."

"That sounds lovely," I replied with a nod. "My name is Callie."

I followed the farmer to his home. It was a small one-story house. Inside it was rather cozy, though. A small boy, probably around eight, ran to the farmer and hugged him.

"Daddy's back!" Cried the boy.

"Now now, let your father take off his shoes," Said a woman's voice. The voice belonged to a tall woman, easily holding a few inches over the farmer. She walked up and gave Phillip a quick kiss. "I see we have company, too. I'll go set up an extra place at the table."

"Aye, this Lass is called Callie. She's from out of the Capital," said Phillip as he quickly took his boots off. I wiped my feet on the small mat, but since I wasn't asked I wouldn't take off my shoes. They were part of my Heaven's Demon Garb, so I wasn't sure if I could 'take them off' normally anyways.

I was quickly led to a dining room. A table was set up and in the center was a pot filled with a stew. Slices of bread were laid out and every one of the four spots had a big wooden bowl set down in front of them.

I followed the family's lead and sat down at the table with them. The little boy looked particularly excited to have a guest, since he kept staring at me.

"Allow me to introduce my family. This here's Sadie, my wife, and that's my boy Tristan. We have a daughter too, but she's off studying in the Capital. Her name's Selina."

"Selina? Your daughter doesn't dress up in a strange gray tunic with an odd bowler hat, does she?" I asked.

"Yes, she does. Do you know her?" Asked Sadie in turn.

"I'm in a class at the Royal Arms Academy with her. I didn't know she was from a small village like this, though," I replied honestly.

"Ahaha! So she doesn't talk about her family much, huh. I'll have to give that girl a proper lesson when she gets back here. Just because some knight recruited her to the Academy she's getting too big for her britches…" Said Philip with a serious tone.

"Is she doing well?" Asked Sadie.

"Yes, she's level 25 last time I checked. She's near the top of the students there," I replied.

"Are you two friends?" Asked Philip.

"I don't know what she thinks of me, if I'm being honest. We ate lunch together, but I haven't been at the Academy long enough to get to know her."

"Well, even if you aren't friends, I'm thankful to hear news of my daughter. Now, messenger birds have been flying out of the Capital since last night, talking about the city burning. Have you heard anything about that?"

"I haven't heard much, sorry." I replied, deciding that it was a bit unreasonable for a girl traveling without a mount to have been in the Capital last night. For most normal folks it was outright impossible.

The discussion didn't move much from there. Sadie served the beef stew and I was able to enjoy a nice meal. I asked the couple what I owed them after, but they insisted I didn't have to give them anything. They were quite nice. I would definitely make Sell go home to visit her family the next chance I got.

I left a gold coin on the table as I got up to leave. The three didn't notice, thankfully, until well after I was gone. I heard the commotion as I left and Philip came sprinting out of the door behind me, most likely looking to give me my money back. He wouldn't be able to find me, though. A gold coin wasn't much for me, but I guess it was for them. From the distance I could see the wife Sadie crying.

It was a good lunch.