“There! I can see it!” My mother said with excitement. She was hugging me very tightly… 

 

“Neeeeigh!” Blanca was also excited. 

 

Blanca neighed proudly as we were approaching the town of Alorari.

 

We departed quite early in the morning. Only Arrat, Elise, my mother, Nozomi and I are currently traveling on the wagon. Everyone else returned to Norvek via teleportation to return the things that the bandits stole. Mainly, the wooden chests filled with gold.

 

We got to keep a lot of weapons and armor that will get us some good and very needed money!

 

“Hehehe! I can’t wait to show you around my hometown!” Elise said with excitement… She was also hugging me very tightly.

 

“This is pleasant. It has been a while since I traveled like this.” Arrat said happily.

 

“Ah… T-T-This is the first time that I travel like this…” Nozomi stuttered.

 

This time Blanca was taking it easy on us… We were moving at a slow but nice pace. That gave us the opportunity to take a good look at the town of Alorari and its surroundings.

 

The town is surrounded by a very large stone wall. Outside the walls there are farms as far as the eye can see. Both sides of the dirt road that we are currently traveling on are completely filled with wheat. I can see some wooden houses and several windmills in the middle of the fields of wheat.

 

We are the only ones traveling on this road. If I had to guess why, it would be because of the bandits. Elise told me that very few people have used this road since the bandits became active. That is something that is going to change as soon as we deliver those guys to justice.

 

“Ah… I will never get tired of this view.” Elise said with a bit of nostalgia.

 

“Coming back to your hometown is always a nice experience, right?” Arrat asked with a smile.

 

“That’s right!” Elise smiled warmly.

 

“Does it feel like returning to the cave after hunting?” My mother asked.

 

“Umm… This is the first time that I am far away from my home, so I don’t know how it feels…” Nozomi said shyly.

 

I guess I should talk about the adorable but shy mousekin, Nozomi. You see… Junko and I did our best to make her feel better yesterday...

 

I was very worried about her… I mean, I am not very smart or anything, but even I know that experiencing what she has experienced would cause some sort of trauma… I was doing my best in order to not trigger her trauma…

 

Well… That was apparently a bit unnecessary… Arrat used some sort of magic on her and erased her trauma…

 

Yep, you heard that correctly. Her trauma was completely erased… I'm gonna start calling that spell: "Instant Therapy."

 

Arrat told us what she did after Nozomi fell asleep again… Apparently, she would have developed a phobia towards men and caves… 

 

If Arrat didn’t use that spell, Nozomi would have screamed as soon as she saw me…

 

What an unbelievable spell… 

 

On one hand, I was glad that she didn’t have any trauma… On the other hand, my blood was boiling because I remembered what happened to her. I was furious!

 

I ended up joining Elise and Silvia and we had some nice interactions with the bandits!

 

Don’t worry... They are alive.

 

“Arrat, are you sure it was fine intervening on that matter?” I asked Arrat without being specific because of Nozomi.

 

“I didn’t use any of my powers as a Goddess, so it is fine! I used magic that even mortals could use!” She replied with a smile.

 

“I see… So if it was me, would you intervene in the same fashion? I mean, the two of us are married, so… Is there some sort of exception to your divine rules?” I asked.

 

“In that case, I could intervene with my divine powers and save you or even bring you back from the dead. I would be heavily fined though. So it is better that I help you in ways that even a mortal could do.” Arrat explained.

 

Ah… So I can be revived… That’s convenient! I don’t wanna die though… So let’s hope that we don’t need her to revive me…

 

“Let’s not talk about such a depressing topic… I don’t want to even think about such a scenario…” Elise said with a sad expression.

 

“T-T-T-To think that I would meet a genuine Goddess… I-I-I wonder how my mother would react…?” Nozomi stuttered again.

 

“We’ll find out soon enough~!” Arrat said with a mischievous smile.

 

Ah… That bad feeling has returned for some reason… My whole body is trembling… Something terrifying is going to happen today…

 

“Ru, are you cold? That’s not good! I’ll warm you up!” My mother hugged me even tighter than ever before.

 

No, Mom… I’m not feeling cold… I have a bad feeling that is making me very worried…

 

After a few minutes of traveling on the road, we finally reached the gatehouse of the town of Alorari.

 

There were at least a dozen guys wearing plate armor that started running around as soon as they noticed us.

 

(So they are real knights huh…) I thought to myself.

 

Blanca stopped a few meters away from them.

 

I could see the insides of the town from here… The roads were paved with stones in very beautiful patterns and the houses were made out of bricks and wood. Buildings are decorated with a great variety of flowers. I could see something that could only be described as a castle or a fortress in the distance.

 

This is not a town… This should be called a city…

 

Just when I was thinking of that, a middle aged man and a young woman approached us. 

 

The older guy had the ears of a wolf, a tail and a big scar on his forehead. He’s at least 2 meters tall. His hair is dark blue and his eyes are brown… There’s a longsword hanging on his hip. He also has some very sharp-looking claws. His plate armor looks heavier than what the rest of the knights are using.

 

The young woman has dark skin... She also has short white hair, blue eyes and pointy ears. She’s at least 1.70 meters tall. She’s walking while using a strange wooden staff with an emerald attached to it. Her armor looks lighter than what the other knights are wearing. I think she must be a Dark Elf.

 

The two of them had grim expressions when they approached our wagon… Elise had the same expression as them.

 

“Elise… I didn’t think I would see you so soon here.” The woman spoke with a flat tone.

 

“Yeah… I heard that the other two guys died while you were looking for the bandits… Did you even clear the request?” The wolfkin man asked with a harsh tone.

 

I… I don’t like where this is going… Was the bad feeling I was having about this…?

 

“Yeah, I didn’t think I would return so soon… It is a shame what happened to those guys.” Elise closed her eyes.

 

“Then, did you complete the request?” The elven woman asked.

 

I was going to say something, but Arrat suddenly covered my mouth…

 

“Just watch.” She said with a teasing tone.

 

There was silence for a few seconds… Elise then opened her eyes and smiled from ear to ear.

 

“You fucking bet I did!” She said with excitement.

 

The harsh-looking wolfkin knight and the elven knight were now… Laughing?

 

“Hahaha! I fucking knew it! You fuckers owe me 100 Yutz each!” The elven woman turned around and laughed at the other knights.

 

“No way! She really made it!? Fuck! I won’t have any money to eat this month then! What a terrible day!” One of the guards at the gates suddenly yelled with frustration.

 

“Sigh… I told you that it was not wise to bet against Elise... Are you dumb or what?” The wolfkin man had a smile on his face.

 

Elise suddenly jumped off the wagon and ran towards them.

 

“Hahaha! You guys seriously were betting against me? I’m gonna tell Mom to raise the price of your daily lunches, assholes!” Elise shouted playfully.

 

“That’s not fair! Our lunches are sacred! Please don’t do that to us!” Several of the knights yelled in unison.

 

I guess my bad feeling was not about this then… I’m kinda glad...

 

“Uuuu… Too many people…” Nozomi hid behind Arrat.

 

“There will be more people inside the town though.” Arrat said to Nozomi with a playful tone.

 

"Uuuu…." Nozomi didn't seem particularly enthusiastic about it...

 

“Oooh! Ru, how do those guys move while wearing something so heavy?” My mother seemed genuinely curious.

 

“Neeeeigh!” Blanca was a bit impatient…

 

I then noticed that Elise was beckoning me to come towards her and the two knights.

 

I jumped off the wagon like Elise and walked towards her.

 

“Ru, Allow me to introduce you to this pair of assholes!” Elise smiled warmly at them.

 

“Elise, where did you find this cutie~!” The elven woman suddenly crouched and started to look at me very intently…

 

“He has a strong smell… There’s also the smell of his pack… They are not nearby, but I feel like they are near us for some reason…” The wolfkin said with his eyes closed… He was completely focused on my smell…

 

“Laura, Rob, this is my husband, Ru. Ru, these assholes are some long time friends of mine!” Elise said very enthusiastically. She also crouched and kissed my cheek.

 

“Nice to meet you, I’m Ru.” I extended my hand to greet them.

 

“Ehh?” The two of them looked at me and gasped in shock.

 

“WHAAT!?” The other knights also yelled while looking at us with shocked expressions.

 

Umm… I feel like I’m being judged for some reason…

 

I looked at Elise with a questioning look… She simply smiled in response.

 

“No way… One of the Ten Unreachable Roses of Alorari has been conquered! People must know about this!” A female knight said before running away at full speed towards the insides of the town.

 

The other knights were still in shock to even acknowledge the disappearance of their companion.

 

“E-Elise… Could you please repeat that?” Laura, the dark elf asked Elise.

 

“He’s Ru, my husband.” Elise said happily.

 

“So that’s why Elise smells like him…” Rob, the wolfkin had a difficult to read expression.

 

“Rob, I know it is because of your species and all, but you sound like a creep when you talk about the ‘smell’ of a girl…” Elise got a bit pissed off.

 

“Elise… Did you really get married!? When? I mean, how!?” Laura seemed extremely dumbfounded.

 

“A few days ago. It was a small ceremony in the church of Norvek. It was beautiful!” Elise looked at me and smiled.

 

“Details! I want details! I need details! Come here!” Laura suddenly dragged Elise away from me.

 

“Ah! Wait!” Elise shouted as she was being dragged away.

 

The wolfkin Rob and I were left standing awkwardly in silence…

 

Hmm… This silence is a bit uncomfortable… Maybe I should say something…

 

I then looked at him in the eyes and asked:

 

“Tits?” I asked with a serious expression.

 

Rob nodded vigorously.

 

“Ale?” He asked.

 

I nodded vigorously.

 

“Hunting?” We both asked at the same time.

 

We nodded in agreement at each other.

 

There’s no need for words… This guy is already my friend!

 

“Sheesh… You really must be a good hunter huh… The way you move is proof of that.” He suddenly said while examining me.

 

I don’t wanna boost too much but I killed a Liger on my own, you know?

 

"I should be the one saying that about you…" I replied with a bitter smile.

 

"Well, hunting is in my blood. It comes as naturally as breathing for us wolfkin." He replied proudly.

 

Rob looks kinda strong… I wanna ask him for a spar later.

 

Just as I was thinking of that, I heard a familiar voice.

 

"Oh! That was quicker than I thought!" It was Silvia.

 

I turned around and saw Silvia, Electra, my sisters, Lara, Mara and Junko coming out of the wagon.

 

Arrat, Nozomi and my mother had gotten down the wagon as well.

 

"Oh! So this is how Elise's hometown looks!" Gi looked impressed.

 

"Right? It is amazing! A city surrounded by a wall made out of rocks!" My mother said with excitement.

 

"My home city is all made out of stone. I think you would like it as well! Ah! How are you feeling, Nozomi?" Junko said with a smile. She then asked Nozomi as soon as she noticed her.

 

"T-T-T-Thank you very much! I-I'm feeling good!" Nozomi bowed and stuttered.

 

"Ah, I'm so glad then!" Junko seemed relieved.

 

I then noticed that Xi and Ra were carrying some bags… The bags looked a bit heavy.

 

"Alright! We will buy a lot of candy with this!" Xi said with excitement.

 

"Let's buy some clothes as well!" Ra nodded in agreement.

 

So the bags are filled with money… Where did they get the money?

 

(Orella gave us some money as payment for your services. Since the guild and the kingdom are going to pay Elise's, Orella, Timothy and the rest of the inhabitants of Norvek decided to support you for a bit on your journey.) Electra explained via telepathy.

 

Electra was smiling warmly at me.

 

(Oh! So we are not broke anymore! That's good!") I thought.

 

"Hey! Hey! Let's buy some meat!" Ya said happily.

 

"We should get some ale while we are at it!" Mara smiled from ear to ear.

 

I think the money might not last long thanks to our large numbers… Ah, well! Money was made to be spent after all!

 

We should start making some more money soon though...

 

(By the way, how much did we get?) I asked.

 

(1000 Yutz. It should be enough to sustain our group for a month if we live humbly.) Electra replied.

 

"Don't you think we should get a house or a place to sleep? I think that should be a higher priority." Lara seemed to be deep in thought.

 

"I agree. A place to sleep is a must." Mi nodded in agreement.

 

Umm… Why don't we just stay at the Castle?

 

"Where's your sense of adventure, Ru? Yeah, the castle is comfy and all, but the fun part of visiting a new place is staying in that place." Arrat hugged me from behind. She had read my mind...

 

Well, that makes sense...

 

"Where can we find a place for our large numbers though?" I asked.

 

"Ah… That's certainly a problem..." Arrat said with a flat tone.

 

"I would like somewhere quiet…" Wa also hugged me and whispered in my ear.

 

"I don't know if that will be possible, Wa. This place seems to have a lot of people." Na said with a bitter smile.

 

"..." Wa was visibly sulking...

 

"Wa, don't feel bad! Just think of all the fun we will be having exploring each and every corner of this place! Maybe, we can find a quiet and dark place for you to meditate!" Da instantly tried to make her feel better."

 

Wa just nodded in response and hugged me tightly.

 

"Ah… So that thing in the distance is a castle? It looks different to what I read in that book… It resembles our own castle, but I think our castle might be smaller than this one..." Ta was absentmindedly looking at the castle in the middle of Alorari.

 

"Oh! I wanna go there! I wonder if the insides look the same as our castle?" Gi seemed excited.

 

"I want to see the stores! They must have lots of shiny things! I'm looking forward to it!" La seemed like she was about to dance from the excitement. Her eyes were also sparkling…

 

The atmosphere was quite merry after that. We spent a good few minutes introducing ourselves to Elise's friends.

 

It took longer than it had to because they were still a bit shocked about our marriage.

 

They also had to examine our carriage because of their protocol but we were let inside the city.

 

We were all walking as a group. My sisters and Nozomi were on the front seats of the wagon, guiding Blanca towards the place we were heading to.

 

We were witnessing the Town of Alorari in its full glory.

 

Most buildings were made out of bricks and wood. Every part of the road was paved. 

 

This part of town was a bit deserted. It is apparently because it is already lunch time.

 

"So, what happened at Norvek?" I asked Silvia.

 

"Nothing much... Orella just cried in happiness when we gave her back her precious money." Silvia said with a smile.

 

"Sheesh… That woman loves her budgets more than she loves us." Lara said jokingly.

 

"Well, she was also talking quite a lot about you." Mara said to me with a grin.

 

Me?

 

"Is that so?" I tilted my head.

 

"Yeah! She said that…-" Mara didn't finish her sentence.

 

"Granny! That talk should only stay between us!" Lara got pissed off and interrupted Mara.

 

"Indeed. What we talked about during that reunion must be kept a secret." Silvia nodded in agreement.

 

"Whoops! My bad! Forget about it, Ru." Mara smiled at me.

 

I wonder what Orella was talking about me…? Speaking of which!

 

"Mara, how's your son?" I asked.

 

Both Lara's and Mara's expressions turned sour.

 

"Dad has been acting a bit weird…" Lara said with a blank expression.

 

"Basically, Rigant is an idiot. His addiction to those stupid sticks has gotten out out of control and has not talked at all in the last day or so." Mara looked very annoyed.

 

Oh shit… That's kinda my fault... What should I do to fix that situation...?

 

"Don't worry about him! He'll come around eventually!" Mara said with her usual easygoing attitude. She surely noticed what I was thinking about...

 

We continued to enjoy our pleasant walk on the streets of Alorari. After a few minutes, Elise, Laura and Rob stopped in front of a two storied building.

 

The building is made out of bricks and wood, just like the rest of the buildings in this town. The building has some windows with stained glass.

 

There's a sign that has the word 'INN' written on it. It is hanging on the wall above the entrance of the building.

 

"Welcome to the Crescent Moon Inn & Tavern!" Elise said with excitement.

 

Oh! So this building really is the inn of her family… I don't know why, but it looks just like what I had imagined!

 

Elise ran at me while still being very excited.

 

"So? What do you think?" She was looking at me very intently.

 

"I like it! Do you think you will have enough room to accommodate us?" I asked with a playful smile.

 

"The Crescent Moon will always have room for tired travelers!" Elise seemed very happy that I liked her home.

 

The two of us were smiling at each other. It was such a blissful moment, but sadly… The bad feeling returned… This time, it was way stronger than before.

 

I immediately started trembling… I noticed something in the corner of my eyes…

 

I noticed a woman with black hair who was riding a gigantic white… White… White S-S-S-S-SP-Spider!

 

"Ru?" Hey! Are you okay!?" Elise was looking extremely worried.

 

I could only look at the white spider… My whole body trembled in fear… Cold sweat was streaming down my back...

 

My instincts were telling me to run as fast as I could, but for some reason, my legs would not move at all.

 

"Here it comes." I heard Arrat whispering...

 

The woman and the spider jumped towards us…

 

They quickly managed to push me to the ground…

 

As soon as I saw the body of that gigantic white spider, I could only think: "Ah… I'm gonna die again…"

 

"Meet you! So happy!" An unknown voice said with a very strange pronunciation…

 

I didn't care about that… I was already at death's door… 

 

The white spider had returned to make me her lunch…

 

Someone save me!

 

Unfortunately, everything got dark for me at that moment… I think I was really about to be eaten...