Leave a comment

“Foggy Lakeside Town of Nebel…”

Kou had never heard that name before.

All he knew was that any player that logged in for the first time would be sent to the Starting City Wyndham.

As far as he could see, there were no other players nearby either.

Usually games would be filled with activity and players running around right after release, forming crowds everywhere.

“…I guess there really was some sort of bug and I started in the wrong place.”

That would also explain why the first monster he encountered was a very strong one compared to someone with starting stats.

He continued thinking of such things as they walked, and after a while he looked up again, feeling like way too many people were looking at him.

“Somehow I feel like I’m catching a bit too much attention…”
“Yes, I’m sure they’re all curious since it’s rare to see such a cute girl around these parts.”
“Cute…you said?”

Kou had never gotten to see himself yet, so he was perplexed by that description, asking with a tilted head.

“…I wonder if it was a good idea to bring a girl home when I have a son too…”

Hearing the man continue mumbling to himself made Kou tilt his head once again.

“…Oh right, I never asked properly, but what should I call you?”
“Ah…”

Somehow they had spent all that time without introducing themselves, and they only realized that now.

“Wait, sorry. I should be introducing myself first if I’m going to ask that. I’m Ludger. I manage the town’s apothecary and work various odd jobs.”
“I see, I…ahem, I’m Crim.”

Kou used the name he entered when creating his character…Crim.

“Crim, huh. Nice to meet you.”

Ludger patted Kou’s head once again, and they continued walking together.

Ludger guided Crim to a house, the first floor of which had been turned into a storefront while the second the floor was the living space. There was also a separate area inside which was used as a storeroom.

“Hey George, I’m back.”
“…Dad!!”

A small figure slams open the door and rushes outside.

“You said you’d be back in the morning! Mom and Juna were worried sick, why did you take so long, it’s already the afternoon…”

The figure, a young boy Ludger called George, starts by berating his father in a loud voice, but quickly lowers his voice as he notices Crim standing next to Ludger.

“…What’s up with that girl?”

The boy’s suspicion of Crim becomes evident on his face. Meanwhile Crim, the target of that almost accusing look, can only blink repeatedly in confusion.

“Ahh, I messed up a bit and got chased by a monster in the forest. But then she saved me.”
“Hmmm…really? This stick figure of a girl did?”
“Don’t be rude to our guest, at least greet her properly.”

Saying that, Ludger went to the shed located to the right behind the house, and vanished up the stairs attached to it.

In a way, she had been abandoned.

She slowly looked back to the young boy, who was around a head shorter than her. He was still staring intently at her, making her pull back a little.

That did not stop him from continuing to carefully inspect Crim, until he eventually raised his hand and pointed straight at her eyes.

“I don’t trust you one bit. I can’t see you carrying any weapons, so it’s impossible for you to defeat a monster!”
“Ah…ahahah…”

Crim did not feel like it was necessary to take a child like that seriously, so she tried to awkwardly laugh it away. But somehow as he continued to point at her, his face gradually turned red and his entire arm began to tremble.

She began to wonder if she had angered him even more. But all she could do was to tilt her head and try to figure out what had annoyed him so much.

Meanwhile he was getting beet red. And not long after Ludger returned from the shed’s second floor, and he looked baffled at what he saw.

“Really..? Try to think about it for a bit. You really should be a bit more courteous with her if you’ve got a crush.”
“Shut up stupid old man!!”

Ludger just shrugged and shook his head hearing that loud reply. Then he pointed at the shed’s second floor before talking again.

“Anyway. She doesn’t have a place to stay the night in, so she’ll be borrowing the empty room there for a bit. Try to get along with her.”
“…Huhhh?!”
“I’ve already cleaned the room, so you go show her around the town.”

Ludger said that, before shooing away the young George. The boy stayed there, trembling for a while, until he eventually…

“…Hmph. She can just follow if she wants to!”

He still sounded displeased as he sulked out onto the street.

“I’m not doing it for you or anything like that!!”

He turned around at the front door to shout at Crim again, then dragged his feet away.

Crim was still confused by all of it so she turned to Ludger in hopes for a salving grace, but…

“Oh well, my kid has finally reached that age.”
“What do you mean?”
“…And this girl is the opposite and is completely oblivious, huh. Anyway, I still have to prepare some things in your room, so just follow him for now.”
“Ah, okay!”

In the end Crim was shooed away as well, as she rushed to catch up to George.

“This is the grocery store. You should come here if you want anything unless it’s medicine.”
“This is the armory. Though it’s run by a really old man, and I’ve only seen him sharpening kitchen knives and things like that.”
“This is the church, if you’re hurt…wait, where are you running off to?!”

Even though George’s first impression had been rather coarse, he actually took his role of guide seriously and showed Crim the various key locations of the town.

There was a bit of trouble along the way, but Crim still managed to visit most of the important spots of the town, which gave her a good idea of the streets’ layout.

“…And that’s about it.”
“Alright, thank you George. You were a really good guide so I don’t think I’ll be getting lost now. Sorry for making you walk so much though.”

Crim spoke the way Kou would have spoken to a young child in the real world.

But unbeknownst to her, the selection of words she chose combined with her current appearance just made her seem like a normal girl.

“It’s…it’s fine, I don’t mind.”

His face was flushed red again, and he refused to make eye contact. That bothered Crim a little, but at least he did not seem to dislike her anymore which was a relief.

“I can tell you aren’t a bad person now, so I’m sorry I acted dumb earlier.”
“Hahah, it’s fine, it didn’t bother me.”

The young boy apologized while looking away, and Crim just chuckles happily in response.

She felt a bit refreshed to find out he did not mean any harm, and his intentions were not ill-founded.

“But hey, the way you ran away from the church was so funny.”
“Ah, yeah, that…”

He laughed heartily remembering that, but Crim looked pale just thinking of it.

So pale her face looked almost blue.

She had carelessly stepped inside the church, which instantly sent a paralyzing shock through her entire body while her HP began to get drained at a high pace.

It had been almost lethal.

Or rather, if she had not dashed away from there, the combination of paralysis and damage would have killed her a second later.

Churches were bad places.

And she had a painful and terrifying experience to remind her of that.

“This town is really peaceful though.”

They walked along the lake’s shoreline when Crim muttered that.

She had looked around a lot, but there were no traces of war nearby.

The town under the afternoon sun looked peaceful and languid, and the chirps of birds could be heard all along the lake.

“I guess so. We’re so out in the middle of nowhere that the wars never get close.”

There were many tall mountains surrounding that area, so it was not very accessible.

Only the northern area offered an entrance, but that location was covered by the dangerous Black Forest Schwarzwald where many monsters spawned.

It was hard to attack the town, and even if someone occupied it, it would not offer much positional advantage. It made sense why not many armies attempted to march in there.

But then she thought… It might not offer much to someone wanting to expand their territory, but would it not be the ideal location for someone who just wants a small area to call their own?

She was almost salivating at how perfect this area was, considering how there would be many wars over control of terrain in the near future.

“By the way George, what are those ruins?”

Saying that, Crim pointed at a decrepit log-house on a small hill overseeing the lake.

It was overrun with plants and crumbling down, but if properly renewed it would look like a proper mansion with a magnificent kitchen garden.

“Ahh, that? Apparently some rich guy built it to hide from the war, so it’s been there…”
“And..?”
“And then he was killed by bandits when he wanted to move here. It’s been abandoned since then. Why do you ask? Do you like that place?”
“Mhm… I just felt like it’d be a nice place to live in if it was properly rebuilt.”

From what she could see, it looked like a spacious building, and the view overlooking the lake was enticing as well. It would also make a nice gathering place once he created or joined a guild.

“You’re weird. There’s nothing out here.”
“Ahahah, I don’t really think so. I actually believe this is an incredibly good place.”

George did not seem to be very proud of the town, but Crim did not hesitate to reply with her honest thoughts.

“…Well, you can think so if you want.”

George did not seem too impressed, but Crim believed he was at least a bit proud that his hometown had been praised.

“Anyway, do you have any other questions about the town?”
“Let’s see… I’m actually curious about that island in the lake, and the castle there.”
“Ahh, that castle.”

There was an island in the center of the lake, with an ancient castle on it. Though it all looked like a small dot in the distance.

Crim had noticed it since she arrived at the town, and she felt like there had to be a story behind it.

“So…according to dad, that’s the castle where the first emperor lived. I don’t really know if that’s true or not though.”
“Hmm…”

That was enough to make Crim want to investigate its interior.

For now, all she did was make such vague plans.