Chapter 106: The First Outing of the Outsider

The late evening should have been a time when everyone was asleep, but the pier where the airship had docked was as bright as day.

“This is…”

I looked beyond the brightly lit airship. A long, straight avenue and countless lanterns hanging above it filled my vision.

It was not the Western civilization I had seen until now, but a sudden, Eastern-style civilization unfolding before me.

The buildings also strongly reflected an Eastern image, with long, extended eaves and strangely shaped animal decorations adorning their ends.

Of course, it only resembled what I remembered; it wasn’t exactly the same.

“We’ve finally arrived.”

Just then, Wendy approached me without hesitation.

She came with the wind swirling around her, looking at the scenery beyond the pier and smiling as if she were familiar with it.

“It seems you’ve been here a few times?”

“Yeah, this is my third time.”

As the airship came to a complete stop, the mages began to move busily.

The scene was similar to when an ordinary trading ship docked, except the people moving the cargo had been replaced with mages.

Mages like Wendy and I, who didn’t have much luggage, gathered their belongings and began to descend from the airship.

I rode Nightmare down below.

A cool night breeze brushed against my cheeks.

A unique scent, along with the strong smell of grass, rode on the wind.

Strange air wrapped around me on this unfamiliar land, as if congratulating me on my visit.

“Those people are…”

Just then, people in flowing robes poured out of a large building in the corner of the pier.

The material of their clothes all looked soft and smooth.

The unusual clothing was one thing, but their appearances were far from ordinary humans.

They had horns sprouting from their heads, pointed ears, and furry tails that swayed gently from below their buttocks.

Some even had tails covered in scales.

If I had been dropped here alone, I might have mistaken them for monsters and brandished my sword.

Their blue eyes gleaming in the dark night streets made them look just like monsters.

“They’re beast-people. The inhabitants of this land.”

Wendy gave a brief explanation.

She said this land belonged to the beast-people.

I knew nothing here. Everything was a new world. I had become a stranger in a strange land.

Unsurprisingly, I couldn’t communicate with the beast-people.

They spoke a different language.

Fortunately, Wendy could speak their language to some extent, so simple communication was possible.

“It’s an amazing place.”

“Everyone who comes here says that.”

Wendy and I walked through the brightly lit night streets. Lanterns hung in a long line, illuminating the street.

The stalls under the bright lanterns were fun to look at.

They sold things like spinning tops and kites, and there were also masks made to look like animal faces.

“Ah, Wendy.”

“Yeah?”

“Where can I exchange money? I want to buy something, but I don’t have the local currency…”

I pointed to a small fox mask and asked Wendy. She chuckled lightly.

“Really, you don’t know anything, do you?”

“I told you, it’s my first time here.”

“Don’t worry too much! Just trust me!”

Wendy smiled like a cool breeze. She bought the fox mask for me. It was the first souvenir I had purchased here.

A week had passed since I set foot on this land.

Wendy had stayed with me and helped me with so much.

She had even found a teacher to help me learn the beast-people’s language and showed me where to exchange my money.

Of course, she couldn’t stay with me all day.

She had her own business to attend to in this land, so after a week, I could only see her late in the evening.

[Seris. This is Sobaek.]

I turned my head from the window and spoke.

“Come in.”

As soon as I finished speaking, the door opened, and a fox beast-person with a neat appearance appeared.

Her pointed ears perked up constantly, and her luscious tail swayed subtly from below her waist.

Sobaek was a teacher who taught writing and culture to the mages who came here.

Wendy had assigned her to me. I was used to studying with Sobaek.

I naturally unfolded a small table and opened a book.

“Seris is □□.”

“Pardon?”

I tilted my head at Sobaek’s words. There was an incomprehensible word mixed in with the familiar language.

Sobaek often mixed the local language, “Suo,” with the language I used, “Kalim.” Sobaek smiled slightly and continued.

“Ah, I’m sorry, that’s a word you haven’t learned yet, right? It means ‘diligent.'”

“Are other mages different?”

“Sometimes, people run away.”

Studying with Sobaek was a pleasure. I often lost track of time while watching her luscious fox tail dance.

“You’re learning so fast. Were you perhaps from here?”

“Um, no.”

“That’s strange… I somehow feel a familiar aura…”

We were studying for a while with the book open.

Sobaek, who had been skimming through the book, smiled lightly and stood up.

I belatedly realized that the time was up.

The sun, which had been high in the sky, was slowly setting; it was time for Sobaek to return.

“Ah, thank you for your hard work today.”

“I’ll see you again tomorrow.”

After saying our goodbyes, Sobaek smiled gently and walked away gracefully.

I was sad to see her luscious tail disappear from sight.

I smiled lightly and looked at the street dyed with the colors of the sunset.

Even though I had arrived in a strange land, I felt very stifled being cooped up in my room for a week.

I was roughly familiar with the local culture and Suo, so it felt like it was time to leave.

I put on the red robe I had bought at the market. It was a rather flashy garment with golden flowers embroidered on it.

Staying in one place for too long didn’t suit my temperament.

The fact that I had endured for a week, even though a new world was unfolding before my eyes, was a testament to my great patience.

I packed my bags roughly and left the room.

“Ah! Where are you going?”

As I came down the stairs and passed through the first floor, I heard a man’s voice from behind.

I turned my head slightly and saw one of the employees I often encountered during meals.

“I’m going to a strange place.”

“A strange place…?”

Although I had been learning Suo from Sobaek for a week, there were still awkward aspects.

It seemed my words hadn’t been properly conveyed.

But it didn’t matter. I smiled lightly and waved my hand.

The employee blankly opened his mouth and waved back in response to my greeting.

“Goodbye.”

“Ah, yes…”

When I arrived at the stable, a large figure stood up abruptly. It was Nightmare.

He began to complain about why I was so late.

He snorted roughly and started kicking the stable with his hooves.

Thump-! Thump-!

The stable shook as if there were an earthquake from the heavy stomping.

I put my hands on my hips and scolded Nightmare with a stern look.

Whinny…

He lowered his head with a sullen expression at my gaze, but then he smiled brightly at my next words and burst out of the narrow stable.

“Come on out. We’re leaving here.”

I rode Nightmare and started walking down the road.

The street, where the sun was setting, was dyed with the colors of the sunset.

People strolling through the market stared with wide eyes at the appearance of the large horse, Nightmare.

The red robe fluttered slightly in the wind.

I waved the flowing sleeves of my robe back and forth as I left the large city with Nightmare.

I felt a pang of guilt for leaving without saying goodbye, but this was the life of an adventurer.

Meetings were spontaneous, and farewells were light.

After passing through the long avenue and out of the large city gate, a dirt road unfolded.

Nightmare lowered his long snout and sniffed the ground, as if checking the scent of the strange land.

His tail began to sway. He seemed to be in a good mood.

Come to think of it, Nightmare hadn’t been able to run for quite some time.

He had stayed at the Magic Tower for a long time, and even after coming here, he had been confined to a narrow stable for a week.

“Shall we run for a while?”

Whinny-!

As if he had been waiting for those words, he snorted roughly and began to paw the ground. He was ready to go, just waiting for the word.

“Let’s go!”

I pulled on Nightmare’s reins.

At that moment, his legs kicked off the ground, and he shot out like an arrow.

The surrounding scenery stretched out into long lines.

I hadn’t bothered to bring a map. I wasn’t familiar with the geography here either.

I was heading fearlessly towards a place I knew nothing about.

The long dirt road led towards a large forest.

The moment the strong smell of grass intensified, a tall bamboo forest unfolded.

Swoosh-

A cool breeze shook the bamboo.

The clattering sound of the hard bamboo colliding created a strange rhythm with the wind.

Since it was close to the pier, there were quite a few people walking through the bamboo forest path.

However, Nightmare avoided everything in his path, even while running very fast.

Whoosh-!

The moment we emerged from the bamboo forest, a vast world dyed with the colors of the deep sunset unfolded.

The sound of the wind blowing from all directions shook the grass and trees, creating a pleasant sound.

Clatter-!

Nightmare’s wildly galloping legs leaped over a small pond.

The sunset reflected on the surface of the water shattered.

The golden embroidery on my clothes absorbed the light and scattered a dazzling glow, and then Nightmare’s legs stepped into the air.

Crack-!

Sunset-colored dust scattered beneath Nightmare’s hooves.

The transparent crystal stepping stones shattered, reflecting the sunset.

It looked as if the sun was breaking apart.

As always, there was no destination.

Going aimlessly, wherever my feet led me.

That was what adventure was all about.

A smile spread across my face with the anticipation that the strange land brought.