With ax on my back and Lia on my side, I am ready or perhaps not. "Liaaa, I can't walk that long." I began complaining to my companion as I learned the trip would take at least three hours.

"Please, Lex, you are not a child." Lia didn't even look at me and kept on walking.

"But what if I got too tired, and the wounds before cause a problem! My body used to the modern world is fragile and unprepared for this harsh world." I added a little drama by closing my forehead with the back of my arm while slowly looking away from Lia.

"Lex, please, I am not informed about your, quote on quote modern life, but if you can survive falling from hundreds of meters, then kill a werebeast, I don't think you are that fragile, and it is just a jog. How hard it can be for you!"

I looked away with shame. "Well, I won't call myself good with physical activities." I never joined a sports club or took sports lessons, but my body is still somewhat in shape.

"Then from today, be prepared for it. Weren't you talking highly about your capabilities just an hour ago? What happened to that wood-slaying paladin?"

"I got your point." I made a hand gesture where I zipped my mouth.

Lia smiled. "Good. Now back at walking, we still have a long distance we must walk, the doors of the town are not always open."

That sparks a question in my head. My clothes! Well, thankfully, I was wearing simple clothing before being transported. On my top, I have a white shirt with no printing on it, and on the bottom, gray sweatpants with no logo, but wouldn't that be too absurd for a medieval town? "Lia, about my clothing and my background. What we will tell the townsfolk?"

"Welllllll." Lia stopped, almost like a computer program crashing. "I never thought about it. Wait! I never thought about it! If I tell people you a summoned, they will swarm you with questions or kill both of us thinking we are faking it."

I shouted with anger coming from the shocking words. "WHAT! Why didn't you tell me that before! Do you people seriously execute ones claiming to be from another world. Why!"

"Soooo..." Lia began avoiding direct eye contact. "Let's say people from other worlds are summoned here by gods, and gods are important for us people, no matter the race. So, when summon gets summoned, they get a gift from gods, and that is a big deal for us."

I slapped my forehead and grabbed Lia from the shoulders. "And why were you so casual about it! Damn it! Because of you, I never even thought about that in the first place."

"But because of all the shock we endured on the first day and how you perfectly speak our language, I forgot you were from another world! That is also your fault for acting like you are from here!"

"I've been on sleep and half paralysis from my wounds for the last three days! How can I act like I am from here when I literally cannot act!"

Drops of tears began appearing in Lia's eyes. Man, I shouldn't shout at her, but it isn't like she forgets about something small. "Okay, okay, we need to stop screaming at each other. So, do you think we can sell this ax for some clothing in the town? Copper recruit already has weapons. So we wouldn't need it (not like I can properly use it anyways.."

Lia nodded. "That can work, and I can just tell people that I saved you from a half-dead state, and you saved me from that werebeast, which would be true, and we can just lie about your memory if anyone asks about you!"

"Yes!" I raised my arm to the sky. "Now, let's go to that town!"

***

After a walk that felt like an eternity, I finally saw our target on the horizon, a town! Surrounded by long wooden walls and watchtowers, but a proper human settlement! Like ones, I see on fantasy games.

"You see, Lex, that wasn't that hard. Now, come one, I want to visit the temple before the ceremony starts."

Lia began cheerfully running towards the town gate.

The guard that saw Lia coming greeted her and took a step back from the gate for her to enter.

But when I slowly arrived, he pushed me away and shouted. "I don't have time to deal with bandits, show papers, or no pass!"

"But you didn't ask her any? And I am with her!"

"Do I look like an idiot from there?" Guard began pushing even further away from the gate. "Papers or no pass!"

"That's madness!" I shouted. "What do you mean by I can't enter the town? You can't act like everyone who carries an ax is a bandit. That's not even mine. I got it from a monster."

A guy in chain armor who works as the gate guard shook his head and directed his spear towards my neck. "I am sorry, sir, but I must warn you! If you keep your attitude like that, I will see your actions as aggression. Now getaway, please."

"Lia, say something." I looked and turned towards my companion. "You said they knew you and wouldn't create any problems!"

Lia jumped with freight because of my sudden, then began stuttering. "W-w-well! Sir, you know me. I occasionally visit this town and perform healing rituals, and this boy next to me is someone I met several days ago. He saved me from a werebeast, a wolf type, and we've been together since."

"Werebeast, in Emerald Forest? I heard the recent sightings of dangerous creatures, but if even you are saying that, I suppose the rumors are real. Now can I ask something more, miss Lia, what this boy does with you?"

"Oh, he." Lia looked at me. Her eyes were concerned about something. "I found him wounded in the forest, he was still conscious, but his wounds, caused by blunt damage, made him lose his memories. So, I carried him back to my cabin for better medical treatment, but the beast I told you about ambushed me there. Thankfully, the boy you see has magical abilities and saved me from the beast."

Guard raised an eyebrow. "Magical abilities, you say." He began inspecting me. "Perhaps you want to show your trickery to me."

I nodded. It is not like I have any other chances anyways. I need to get into this town because there is no way I am walking that way back or staying outside with all those beasts and bandits!

"Recruit, I call you for the duty." I altered words a little to make them sound a little cooler. Recruit listened to my order, and liquid metal began coming out of my skin and dripping to the ground. Then the metal warrior formed itself from the puddle.

"What witchcraft is that!" Guard gasped and took a step back.

"Cool, isn't it." I made a smug face.

"No!" The guard shouted. "Well, it is actually. I did actually see an adventurer with a creature as their battle tool once, but storing that in your body! Doesn't that hurt you or anything?"

"No, it doesn't." I pointed copper recruit. "Come back." And the whole process happened in reverse this time. "It actually even relives me a little when I store this thing, but even I am not sure how this works. I don't remember when I got it."

"Oh yeah, that whole amnesia thing, well since you are the bodyguard of miss Lia, I can give you a pass for today, don't cause any troubles." Guard took a step back and opened the way to the town.

I shook the man's hand and entered the town right after Lia.

"Look at this place!" I opened my arms and greeted the town.

"Look at where?" Lia looked at me with a confused face. "This place is quiet and half-dead as always."

Now she is indicating it, and yes, this place is quiet. I can't feel the charm of a fantasy town from here. People are just walking down. There are no shopping stands. I can't see packs of adventurers walking around with their hunts.

Town barely has any sound! This place is depressing.

Lia smiled. "But you are right, I like this place, always far from trouble and always open to me. Like a second home, well, my first home actually, I grew in this town's temple." She began moving in a direction, and I followed her.

We passed through streets, old couples walking, and a group of children playing a weird game with sticks and arrived at a large stone structure with a statue of a woman in front.

"This is the goddess I worship." Lia kneeled before the statue and closed her hands. "And the divine who showed me the ways and gifted me the powers I now use to spread her light."

I watched Lia pray silently until a priestess exited the temple. At first, she didn't notice us, but she suddenly gasped and hugged Lia when she saw her.

"My dear, I was so scared that something happened to you." Lady began violently hugging and shaking Lia, but violent wouldn't be the fitting word, more with extreme care.

"Head priestess Merry!" Lia barely said, but her voice was happy. "I am so happy to see you again, but please spare my fragile body. I cannot handle care this powerful."

"Oh, you worried me so much. Do you know how scared I was when I couldn't see you for the last two days? All the townsfolk were talking about monster sightings nearby. Gods above us know how much terror I felt with the thoughts of your death!" The older priestess suddenly stopped and glared at me. "And who this boy would be?"

"Well, my name is-

"He is my bodyguard." Lia cut my sentence and jumped into the conversation. Her voice was a little anxious. I think that's because of the old priestess, but is it really okay for her to tell me I was her bodyguard so randomly.

The older priestess's eyes opened wider. Snd she began inspecting me, and from my perspective, a random guy with no proper clothes and a weapon used by beasts is not a good first sign.

But suddenly, she gasped and smiled. "So, that's why. Now my dear Lia, what do you know about this boy?"

Lia looked at me. "I found him almost half-dead in Emerald Forest. His bones were broken, but he was still alive. I decided to help him and healed his bones to an extent where he could move with my support, so I could take him to my home and properly finish the treatment." She stopped for a second, perhaps to think something. "On our way, I asked him several questions, but he didn't have answers, possibly amnesia coming from damage to the head."

"So, why did you decide such a stranger to be your bodyguard?"

"Well." Lia pointed me. "When we arrived at my home, I got ambushed by a werebeast, but thankfully, he saved me. Perhaps you wouldn't believe it until you see them, but he has magical abilities." She looked at me.

I nodded and raised my arm. "Recruit!" The process is the same. Metal comes out of my body, then takes the shape of a warrior.

"You see." Lia smiled. "He uses this metal warrior to fight, but it isn't limited to fighting. He not only saved me by risking his life by charging towards the beast side by side with his warrior, but he also helped me with some chores."

"So he stays with you until he gets his memories back?"

"Sort of."

"Good, now if you both don't have anything to do, we have an after the ceremony. Would you both want to join us?"

Lia began nodding her head with excitement, and according to this behavior, I suppose these ceremonies are important, at least for Lia. I guess I can play along for her sake. Still, there is a problem. I don't have proper knowledge about the religion of my home planet, let alone the ones of this world!

The old priestess suddenly looked at me and said. "Oh, and you don't need to attend if you are afraid of worshiping a god you normally don't. That's acceptable in our little temple since we all believe in the unity of twenty." That's almost like she read my mind! But what is the unity of twenty? I suppose I can learn it later on.

We all began climbing temple stairs until we arrived at the main entrance. Lia and the priestess knocked on the door three times, and it opened.

They both entered the structure simultaneously, and I followed them from behind. After passing through several corridors through the building, Lia turned to me and said. "You can wait here if you want. I will attend the ceremony in the room next to this."

I approved it with my head, sat on a bench placed in the corridor, and found something embarrassing. I forgot to call the recruit back, and the metal warrior followed me through the whole temple.

"I suppose we both are waiting here, friend." I smiled at the thing. "Unless you want to join them on their prayer, you are free to go if you want."

Of course, it didn't respond to this poor joke attempt, and we began silently waiting for the ceremony to end.