In a Strange Town

Kael couldn't help the smile on his face as he put on his new clothes. Not only that, he had bathed!

He had been in such a bad state for a month that just two minutes under water and new clothes made him feel like he had stepped into paradise. He was extremely satisfied and happy.

The clothes he was wearing were a bit too big for him, but he couldn't complain because he couldn't find anything more suitable here. It was a brown colored, plain outfit. It was also a bit thick. So, he would be less affected by the cold weather.

And that was it. He had no further business with the orphanage. It was time to go his own way.

With a smile on his face, he was about to head towards the stairs leading down when he suddenly paused. His lips flattened and his eyes narrowed slightly as he slowly turned to his right. Then... he looked into one of the rooms, the door of which was already closed.

Through a very thin crack, he could see a few eyes looking at him.

He lowered his guard as his eyebrows rose slightly. He had reflexively searched for some animal or creature to attack him as he felt himself being watched, but... it was only a moment before he remembered that he was no longer in the forest.

Kael sighed again. Ignoring the children who were shying away from him, he made his way to the stairs. He went down in silence. He expected to go out, to go his own way, to pay no attention to anyone.

But... he paused when he saw the tiny crowd standing in front of the door. Seven children were blocking his way.

His eyebrows raised even higher as the one who seemed to be the oldest of them took a step towards him. She was a girl with dark green hair and brown eyes, about a year or two younger than him.

She smiled slightly, then held out her hand towards Kael.

"I'm Miny, the oldest child in the orphanage. Although... I guess I won't be anymore."

Kael looked briefly at the outstretched hand. He shook hands with the girl without saying anything, and then she spoke again.

"The other children are a bit... shy. Forgive them."

Kael tilted his head slightly to the side. He didn't really want to spoil her mood. But... he had no intention of continuing this misunderstanding.

In any case, the desire to get out outweighed the desire to deal with his peers.

"Thank you for your concern. But let there be no misunderstanding. I... will not stay here."

He saw her frown slightly, then look surprised. The other children watching behind her had the same reaction.

"Oh... you know someone in town?"

"No."

"So... your parents are alive and you're going to go to them?"

"No."

"Do you... want to die, then?"

"No."

She asked nothing more. With each question, her brow furrowed more and more, and she looked at Kael as if he were an enemy.

"I will only go my own way."

And with that one sentence from Kael, she finally paused, as if the pieces in her mind had fallen into place.

"Oh, then you'll be back again soon..."

She spoke so confidently that this time it was Kael who frowned. But before he could respond, she retreated to the side of the road she had blocked. The other children, who had been watching in surprise, were a little delayed in their reaction, but they did the same.

"See you soon!"

Kael looked at the smile on the girl's face, at how confident she was, and for some reason... he felt his nerves breaking down. But he didn't say anything, didn't answer. He walked out of the orphanage with quick steps and closed the door without looking back.

He was coming back, huh...

No, he had no such plans. Her words weren't even something he should care about, frankly.

Still, he couldn't stop his eyes from twitching slightly. He clenched his fists lightly as he started walking randomly in the still drizzling rain.

He was absolutely annoyed that she was so sure of herself!

It was as if... as if... she was sure that he couldn't survive in this town on his own! And with all this attitude, she had killed Kael's mood.

He had managed to get out of a palace that had ended a kingdom, he had talked to a dying king despite being a slave, he had survived for a month despite the constant threat of his heart stopping... and he had many more achievements.

Would he be afraid of a town like this...? Would a town like this make him go back to the orphanage...?

'She doesn't know anything.'

And as the thought crossed his mind, he paused, his furrowed brow straightening again as he stared straight ahead in the drizzle.

Now, just thinking about it... why was he so angry?

Just as he had said, the girl knew nothing.

No one knew anything about him.

It was quite normal for them to believe that a scrawny person like him would have difficulty surviving...

'That's why that old woman was so calm, isn't it? She's also sure I'll come back, just like that girl...'

He inhaled deeply, then exhaled the same way.

He was calm now.

And yet... he couldn't stop a certain thought from passing through him.

'Challenge accepted.'

He would show the woman and the girl that he could survive without the need for an orphanage. He would knock on their door for the last time before he left this town and thank them for the clothes and the shower. He would appear in front of them in brand new clothes and show them that he had not failed to survive at all.

His lips curled up slightly as he started walking again. This time, however, instead of moving randomly, he studied his surroundings.

The reason he was looking for a town in the first place was simple. To earn some money, to be able to provide for himself before moving on to bigger cities.

And there was one simple thing he could do to do that. Something that would also help him satisfy his curse permanently.

Becoming a mercenary.

Even as a slave, there were certain things he knew about the world. For example... merchants often used mercenaries for protection. And mercenaries were not that rare. It was a job.

Well... it was a job usually taken up by the extremely weak in an effort to survive. People like those with a blessing or a curse would join guilds, become recognized by their country, and become much more important... like real knights. Mercenaries were therefore often made up of people who were used to be put to death.

However, if they survived, they were still paid.

And that was Kael's only option.

Of course, there was only one big problem with that...

Kael did not know how to become a mercenary. He couldn't read what was written on the buildings because he was illiterate.

That's why he was observing his surroundings carefully. He wanted to find a building where someone who looked like a mercenary had entered or exited, so that he could continue with his plan.

And as he kept looking around, he was also learning more and more about the town.

For example... it seemed to be a bigger town than he thought. It didn't look like it from the outside, but once inside... he couldn't help feeling like he couldn't reach the end.

And he no longer felt the strange stares. With clean clothes and a cleaner body, he looked like one of the locals. So, he was much more comfortable.

The only problem was...

'This is... strange.'

As he continued to watch the town, he began to feel really strange.

He had never felt anything like this in the mansion of Musthar, the king's brother, nor in the palace. The people here were... strange.

'For some reason, there are very few people who communicate, no... who interact directly with each other.'

When he thought of the guard named Ahkan talking to the others, of the children in the orphanage, he thought it was the opposite. People were nicer than he thought, there were even some who wanted to help him...

But was it not like that for everyone, perhaps?

Was it just coincidence or luck that the people he met were good?

He kept looking around, paying attention to people.

But it was still strange. They... almost seemed to ignore each other completely for the most part.

Still, after a short time of thinking, he didn't dwell on this strangeness too much. After all... he used to be a slave who knew very little about the world. Well, even if the first part was no longer true, the last part still remained the same. He had no idea how much normal people talked to each other, or how seriously they took each other.

So, as hard as it was, he tried to immerse himself in this strangeness and kept looking for what he wanted.

And after a short while... his lips curled upwards.

A group of three men caught his eye. As he looked at them, wearing light armor and weapons, with obvious wounds on visible parts of their bodies and carrying sacks with a slightly red bottom, Kael could only think of one thing.

They were mercenaries.

Kael tagged along behind the group. He walked with them to the other side of the city and then saw them enter a building.

He focused on the sign on the building. Even if he couldn't read it, he at least tried to memorize what it looked like. Then, he nodded to himself, took a deep breath, and walked slowly into the building.

The first thing he encountered when he entered... was the smell of blood and alcohol mixed together. And the eyes of countless people, sitting at countless tables, turning towards him at once.