“…Where are we?” He asked.

Vandread answered, “Elsia.”

“I thought Elsia was a city,” he replied.

“It is. We’re in its outskirts right now,” Vandread clarified.

Though he got an answer, the bountiful fog still made him uneasy as he sat back down across from the man.

“Have we been moving the entire time?” He asked.

“Yeah,” Vandread responded without looking up.

“…How? Isn’t that horse tired at all?”

Vandread finished sharpening his knife, tucking it back into its sheath as he looked up, “Don’t worry about Wexlo. He can go for another few days straight, if needed.”_.

“Wexlo”? Guess that’s the name of the horse…I already suspected it was something out of the ordinary as it’s just one horse pulling us along, but it must be pretty special, he thought.

Boredom was already at an all-time high and it was just the second day of what he knew would be a long journey. There was no library to choose from or anybody sociable to talk with–nothing except the mysterious, quiet man and the road ahead.

“Are we going to stop in Elsia? You know, for a break?” He asked.

“Do you want to?” Vandread asked, inspecting the same book he always read.

He didn’t think he had a choice, but he nodded, “…Yeah. I’d like to see it.”

“Alright, then,” Vandread said.

“Wait, really?” He asked in surprise.

Vandread looked up at him, “Is that surprising? I can pick up a few things while we’re there–besides, you’ll need a change of pace from being in the carriage all the time. Trust me.”

“…Alright,” he nodded, trying to hide his enthusiasm.

It was definitely a welcome surprise to be able to stop at the upcoming city, especially since Elsia is one he had read and heard quite a bit about. Mostly though, he was excited to cure his boredom, if only temporarily.

“–” Vandread glanced to the side towards the fog outside of the window.

“What’s up?” He asked.

“Nothing,” Vandread replied.

The entire day was spent within the interior of the carriage, with him having tiger meat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

By this point, the boredom was gnawing enough that he called it a night early, falling asleep and waking the next morning to almost the exact same scenery of mist.

There was definitely something obscure about the thick fog that clouded the road to Elsia, but that was only a thought in the back of his mind as they soon arrived within the famous city–rolling in through the front gates, which they were welcome into by a flash of Vandread’s adventurer insignia.

As the carriage pulled in, he looked outside of the window with a smile bubbling with excitement, seeing the bustling city with its streets filled to the brim with a diverse cast of people.

What mostly caught his eye were the people that possessed the traits of animals, mainly the woman that had fluffy cat ears and tails, but the shining beauty of human women. There were quite a high number of people like this; men and women that had the traits of animals.

I read about it in books, but it’s true…! Demi-humans do exist! Dwarves and elves, too! Elsia is close to the sea, so it’s the city in Milligarde with the highest mix of races since others come in through ships all the time! Cat girls are real! This is a dream come true! He thought.

A lot of the people roaming the streets, checking the markets and such, looked to be adventurers by their armor worn–whether of light-leather or heavy-plated steel, carrying swords small or enormous, spears, or staffs.

It was everything he had hoped for.

“–!” He leaned out of the window with dazzling eyes.

As soon as the carriage stopped, he was suddenly tugged away from the window as Vandread had pulled him out of the carriage.

“Gah!” He let out.

“Quite gawking. You don’t want to draw the wrong kind of attention,” Vandread warned him.

The carriage had been parked in some sort of area that resembled a parking lot, except for carriages and alike, with employees that watched over the transportation vehicles and the steed that pulled them.

“I was just looking around,” he huffed.

Vandread stared down at him for a minute before moving on, “Well, do what you want, but make sure get yourself back here. We’ll stay for two days, you got that? I might as well take care of some errands while I’m here.”

He didn’t know what inn the man was talking about before realizing that’s exactly what they were standing in front of: an inn.

“Oh,” he nodded, “Alright.”

“Just stay away from alleys and don’t bother anybody. I don’t have to tell you to stay out of trouble, do I?” Vandread asked.

He shook his head, “No. I’ll behave,” he gave an innocent smile.

Vandread didn’t seem amused, but accepted it, “Don’t get the wrong idea, kid. I’m only trusting you with some freedom because your father vouched for your capabilities. I’m just your escort to the Guild Foundation. You should be able to handle yourself around a city, at least.”

Just like that, he was left to his own devices within the bustling, flourishing city of Elsia. Though he had ventured into the town of Yullim alone sometimes, it paled in comparison to the grandeur of a huge city like Elsia.

The buildings were large and lavish in architecture; some of quartz, chiseled stone, and pale brick, and the aroma of the city was maintained well by the alluring scent of the many restaurants that occupied the city’s blocks.

Not only that, but the sheer amount of people, whether they were human, demi-human, dwarf, or elf, was simply astonishing.

As he stood in the street, looking up towards the buildings around, he truly felt independent in this fantastical world.

…Alright, what should I do first? He thought.

He had a good portion of money that he had brought along with him before setting off on this journey. Most of it was the portion he’d gotten from helping Julius with his more tame quests, which had accumulated to a respectable sum over time.

Of course, him being him, the first thought that came to mind wasn’t surprising:

I wonder what kind of brothels this world has to offer…He thought with a lecherous giggle.

But, as his stomach growled, the order in which he planned to spend his day changed as he shyly covered his stomach, looking around to make sure none of the passing by crowd noticed.

…Alright, first on the agenda: something to eat! He thought.