The Frontier Village Part-1

I slowed my pace and checked time once again. It was about to be 6:30 PM and the sun was starting to hide behind the trees in the west.

I reached the border of the village which was blocked by a decently large wooden fence made from moderately thick tree stems. There was a gate in the middle which was made of similar but polished hardwood tied together with fibrous ropes.

In front were two young men standing and chit-chatting. They stopped when I approached closer and one of them, a tall and decently built man came in front and asked me.

"Heya. What brings you to the Balha Village? Are you a traveling merchant? And why were you coming from the dangerous forest? You do know there are monsters there right?"

Great. They are both humans and they can speak the same language as me, of course, their accent is different but it's no big deal.

"Hello. My name is Rio. I was lost in the forest after being left alone in the middle and have been looking for a settlement to make contact with my family."

"Oh, that's quite unfortunate, brother. You seem like you need help."

He made a sad face after hearing of my circumstances.

"Yeah... It's been a rough journey."

I encountered some monsters on the way and had to fight with me but luckily I managed to get out of it unscathed. But I avoided the dangerous ones and after hours upon hours of running, I reached this village.

"If you don't mind, can I please stay here for a little while? I don't have any money with me right now but if you guys fancy, I can give you some Wolf and Goblin meat I have with me."

"You traveled through that whole forest like this?"

The other guy who had also come closer to us spoke in a surprised manner after looking at my casual dirty clothing and nothing else.

I guess it made sense that he was surprised.

I took out my sword from Inventory and showed it to them.

"I did have a weapon with me. So I wasn't empty-handed. Haha. I can't imagine going through that forest without any monsters."

"Ooh! How did you do that?!"

"Was that magic?! Are you a magician?!"

Both of them were astonished at me taking my sword out of thin air and asked if I could use magic.

Well, to be honest, I didn't know how to use magic. I had a bunch of magic-related abilities but I had no idea how to activate them yet. I should have tested them out when I was resting on that rock but at that time I just wanted to quickly find a human settlement.

"Uh, yeah. I guess you can say so. Though it's nothing fancy. Just basic stuff."

"Oh boy! That's amazing! You're the first magician I have seen in a while. Nobody in the village can use it."

"The old granny uses alchemy using magic but no magician. To think I would meet one like this."

I see. I guess not everyone can use magic.

From both of these reactions, I knew magic was not common here.

"Ah, by the way, I didn't introduce us. My name is Jack and this skinny guy over here is my partner, Hawk. We guard the gates of the village in the morning and afternoon. Good thing you came this time. It was about time for us to change shifts with the night shift pair."

He signaled me as they both moved in and opened the wooden gate to make an opening for us to pass through. Inside I saw a very rural scenery with houses made up of stones and mud, with tops being covered with thatches made out of straws, rushes, leaves, and the likes. Children were playing around on the dirt road in the center which led to a relatively bigger house.

Everyone here had very simple clothing made out of some sort of rough fabric. Their attires were dull-colored tunics for men, while women wore long gowns with sleeveless tunics and some wore wimples to cover their hair. They were, by design, loose and easy to move in. Assuming the temperature and humidity, it seemed like appropriate clothing.

The two guards met another pair of 2 guards and had a little exchange, probably explaining my circumstances.

Then, they joined me and gestured for me to follow them as they headed straight to that big house in the center. The village wasn't that big. There were no more than 20-25 houses in total.

The villagers had already noticed a new face among them and many of them were looking at my side.

By reflex, I would smile at anyone if our eyes met.

Well, I was feeling a bit out of place too since my clothing was different and I had blood stains from before which didn't go away even after washing. They must be wondering why I was in such a state.

The children were a bit more daring and were tailing us from behind. They must have found their new entertainment in me.

They must be wondering who this strange individual was. It was probably nothing more than the curiosity of childhood so I focused my attention on the big house which we had reached after walking less than 5 minutes from the gate.

The tall guy, Jack, ran out to the gate and called out to someone.

"Chief! A lost traveler has come to our village! Come out!"

"Aw shut up, brat! Why are ye' shouting so much? You can just say so normally!"

"Ah, sorry. You know my voice is on the louder side. Haha. Anyway, meet the guy. He's standing there. Oh, he can even use magic! I and Hawk saw with our own eyes! It was amazing!"

"Magic, eh? Seen some before. Don't get yer pants on fire for just that."

The old man who was apparently the village chief came out and glanced at me.

His eyes brows twitched a little as he noticed my strange appearance. But he didn't show any signs of wariness and called out to me.

"Ye' there! Come on up 'ere. I'll hear ye' out."

"Ah, yes. Thank you."

"What did you say your name was again?"

"Rio. My name is Rio."

"Rio. Right. Come inside. It isn't much but it's my home and I dare say it's the best and biggest around here. Hohohoho!"

"Y-Yes, thank you very much."

I entered the wooden house and was greeted by an old woman and a young girl who seemed to be in her teens. She was hidden behind the old woman. She was probably shy of strangers so I didn't try to forcefully talk. I was an introvert myself so right now I was also out of my comfort zone.

After entering the house, I was taken to what seemed like a living room where a low-height table and some rugs were arranged properly. I was not expecting a proper guest room in a rural village so this was beyond my expectations.

I sat on one side and the old chief sat in front. The old lady went to the kitchen and brought us water in an earthenware glass. I wasn't particularly thirsty but I drank it anyway. It seemed to be from a clay pot they use in such areas with a lack of modern appliances and electricity to keep the water cool.

I thanked the lady and she nodded with a smile and went back after taking the glass.

"So, I heard from Jackey you were lost in the woods. It's a scary place. Ye' got lucky that you managed to come out alive.

Around that area—he pointed in the direction I came from— there's a massive Viper monster that can even swallow entire livestock and people. And there are even rumors of a Bear monster making its den nearby. And there's your usual wolves and goblins which serve as those big monsters' meals."

Apparently, this village often got some stray wolves so the villagers had to put people on guard to fend them off but everything would be in vain if the big bad ones come out.

Should I tell him I saw both the Viper and the Bear? ... Nah. Let's not say anything unnecessary.

"I did encounter wolves and a few goblins. Guess I should thank my luck that I managed to survive. Haha."

"Indeed you should. Life out there in the wild is unforgiving. One wrong step and ye' face a gruesome death. Death is the only certainty out there. That's why nobody goes inside near the Forest of Demise of their own volition unless they want something. Since it's a place you find rare gems and medicines."

He stopped for a little and continued after a short halt.

"… Leaving that aside, what are yer plans? Do ye' have a place to go to? It's getting nighttime so I say ye' stay here in my house. I have a free room. Ye' can rest your fatigue and then get some thinking done. Ye'r quite young-looking. How old are ye' anyway?"

"20 years."

"Ah, ye'r a full-fledged adult then. Ye' looked a bit younger to me."

Could it be that to these people my face is uncommon? I don't suppose I've seen anyone who wasn't fair-skinned and had lighter hair color, though some had tans like that Jack person.

My face was yellowish-white with black eyes and my hair was black which was pretty common in my hometown so it must have been the difference in our common sense that he couldn't decipher my age properly. Maybe Asians like me were rare here. Well… that was obvious I suppose.

"Ah, by the way, on my way I got some wolves. Is it possible to eat their meat?"

"Wolf meat? Sure. It tastes good when grilled."

"Then as thanks for you letting me stay here, please allow me to offer some. I have a bunch. I wouldn't know what to do with it."

"Hoh? That isn't necessary but I'll always welcome monster meat."

"Yes, please do so."

With this, I had made a give-and-take relationship and was not living off for free.

The old man stood up and went to call his wife to inform her of the arrangements and preparation of a meal for one more.

He seemed happy when he told that they'll get to eat meat. I guess meat was a rare food here.

Well, I was glad to be in a house by the night.

I'll rest the day's fatigue and think about my future as the old chief said.

Living alone with no knowledge in this world wasn't going to be easy. Honestly, I was nervous.

But if I had to go back home, I had to travel to a city with more resources and books and research my whereabouts.

Ah, now that I think about it, what country or continent is this? I should ask the old chief when he returns.

As I was thinking that, I noticed someone peeking from the kitchen door that was attached to the living room. It was the girl whom I saw hiding behind the old lady. She noticed my gaze and went back inside. I guessed she was still not comfortable around me.

The old chief came back and beckoned me outside. I followed as instructed.

He gave me a pair of clothes which were a dull green tunic and grey loose pants. It was similar to what the other people in the village wore.

"Is it okay for me to have them?"

"Sure, sure. Go ahead and keep this pair. I'll give ye' one more. These 'ere my younger son's clothing. He hasn't come back home in years. Must have met an incident out there. Foolish boy… He was filled with adventures in his heart and wanted to be an Adventurer in the town so he left the village when he was around 18; never came back since.

… It's been nearly 3 years now. Sigh. Don't make the same mistakes he did. Cherish your life more. Out there is harsh and unforgiving. And I'm not just talking about the monsters. But some of the people are also scary creatures who would do anything for their benefit. Lives don't matter to them."

It was heavy but it seemed like an important piece of advice so I took it to my heart.

I was also sad for his missing son, but my sadness would not comfort him, nor would it return his son.

"May I ask the name of your son?"

"Tor. His name was Tor."

He used "was" and not "is" so he probably had already accepted that his son was dead. Or perhaps it was his way of coping with the anxiety and uncertainty. I was unsure.

"It may sound presumptuous but… If I ever meet your son Tor, I'll tell him his family misses him and that he should visit his hometown."

"That'll be appreciated."

Said the old man with a short smile that was covered with his white mustache.

"Now, go ahead and clean yourself. Your clothes are smeared with blood. I can't have you stay like that."

Saying that he pointed to a well that was beside the house within a somewhat closed-off region for privacy. He then also gave me a thin but rugged towel to wipe myself with.

***