The night was far too te to be called safe.
The streets were almost silent—not because the town was asleep,but because there was no reason to stay awake.
Oil mps stood far apart, their weak fmes trembling,as if they could go out at any moment.
Lily walked slightly ahead of Rendara.
Her voice was low, almost a whisper.
“It’s not a fancy inn…but I’m sure. It’s clean, and the owner is kind.”
Her tone wasn’t trying to convince him—it sounded more like someone who had trusted this pce for a long time.That was what Rendara felt as he watched her.
The building finally came into view.
Old wood.Slightly crooked boards.Faded paint.
No guards.No rge sign.Just a small wooden board, the writing barely readable.
Yet strangely, the pce didn’t feel wrong.
No suspicious aura.No sense of rejection toward outsiders.
Just silence.
Rendara noticed Lily pause in front of the door.She knocked—three times, soft but firm.
Not the knock of someone hesitating.The knock of someone who had been here before.
Rendara spoke quietly.
“Are you sure?”
Lily turned and gave a small smile.
“If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t bring you here, Mr. Rentaro…let alone walk you here myself.”
There was tiredness in her eyes.But also determination—the kind Rendara could clearly see.
The door opened, warm light spilling out.
Not luxurious light.But the kind that said—
You can rest here.
Lily stepped inside first,as if making sure Rendara wouldn’t be alone,even on a night this quiet and hard to expin.
And for the first time that night,Rendara felt that this simple pcewas safer than any grand inn he had ever stayed at.
“Alright then… I’ll stay here.”
When the door opened wider, Lily greeted an elderly man inside with a bright smile.
“Hi, Grandpa! Look, I brought a guest, hehe!”
The old man looked confused.
“Who is this, Lily?Don’t tell me you robbed him?!”
Lily puffed her cheeks.
“Of course not, Grandpa!!!He’s clearly a customer!”
The old man froze, then realized.
“Oh!!! A customer?!It’s been so long!!My apologies, sir. I’m the owner of this inn. Please, stay as long as you like!”
Rendara smiled warmly.
“Ah… of course.In that case, I’d like to stay forever.”
Both Lily and the old man froze, speechless.
After a brief pause, the old man cleared his throat, trying to stay professional.
“You must be new to traveling, young man.How about staying for three days?I’ll give you a special price—just two iron coins.”
Lily’s eyes lit up.
“Wow, Grandpa! That’s really generous!”
The old man ughed proudly.
“Of course. We help each other here.And take this as a lesson for you, Lily—learn from your grandpa, hahaha!”
Rendara, slightly confused but nodding anyway, handed over the coins.
“Alright, Grandpa. Here you go…but honestly, staying forever sounded nice. Isn’t that possible?”
The old man ughed cheerfully.
“You don’t need to exaggerate like that, young adventurer.If you want to stay again, just call me—and I’ll give you another discount.You can call me Suunka!”
Rendara blinked.
“Sunka?”
Lily frowned.
“Since when was your name Sunka, Grandpa?”
The old man chuckled.
“Haha, it’s a secret word between past customers and adventurers like him.If everyone knew it, I’d be the one losing money!”
Rendara smiled.
“Then how about you learn my name too?Just call me Rentaro—your future loyal customer!”
Old Man Sunka smiled widely.
“Alright, Rentaro.Here’s your room key. From now on, you’re officially my customer!”
Seeing everything settled, Lily smiled.
“Then I should head home. Bye…”
As she turned to leave, Sunka called out.
“Lily… it’s very te.Should I walk you home?”
Lily forced a smile, though her body slightly trembled.
“I-It’s okay… hehe…I can manage on my own.”
Rendara stepped forward.
“Then how about I walk you home instead?Your house is pretty far, right?”
Lily looked a bit awkward.
“Ah… Mr. Rentaro, doesn’t that mean all my effort bringing you here was pointless?I really am unreliable, huh… hehe…”
Rendara shook his head with a smile.
“Nothing was pointless.You showed me a pce worth staying—that’s more than enough.And if it’s far, there might be wild animals around.”
The moment she heard that, Lily stiffened, trying to stay calm.
“Y-Yeah… you’re right…Then we should hurry, Mr. Rentaro…”
Rendara smiled calmly, as if danger didn’t exist.
“Yeah, let’s hurry.Want me to carry you?”
Lily’s face turned red.
“N-No! That’s too much…I may be young, but I’m strong, you know… hehe…”
Rendara just smiled and shifted his focus back to the region he now called GETERDS.
In his mind, he analyzed quietly.
“Yeah… this pce is low-quality in many aspects—security especially.Starting here really was the right choice.Now all I need is a proper map of this regionso I can fully begin my pn.”
Before he realized it, they had arrived at Lily’s home.
Lily turned, smiling—serious and sincere.
“Thank you so much, Mr. Rentaro.I owe you my life.I swear, I’ll repay you someday!”
Rendara smiled back.
Lily closed the door.
Rendara then rose into the air effortlessly.
“Ah… I see now…GETERDS—a nd of vast pins,cold even in summer,completely opposite of the royal regions…”
He flew farther out—and confirmed it.
“This pce is near high titudes.In my old world, this would be close to the poles—north or south.No wonder there’s no fried noodles here… damn it…”
He sighed.
“I’ll continue tomorrow…that’s enough for today… hoaammm…”
In a blink, he was back at the inn.
He knocked.
“Knock… knock… knock…”
But instead of Sunka—
A knife flew straight at his face.
Rendara caught it barehanded with ease.
Inside, several suspicious figures stood.Sunka y unconscious.
One of them shouted.
“Who are you?!”
They attacked one by one—and this time, Rendara felt it clearly.
“They all have mana…”
He dodged calmly.
“How…?They speak like locals…They’re from GETERDS… but they use mana?”
With a thin smile, Rendara chose not to fight back.
“Interesting…”
One of them snapped.
“Damn it! Frisa, hit his blind spot!Fefe, chant your strongest spell!Juna, back me up—I’ll buy you your favorite food ter!!”
The four moved in perfect coordination.
Still, Rendara avoided everything effortlessly.
Frisa growled.
“Tch… then take this—physical enhancement!!”
She charged—and Rendara blocked her casually.
Frisa was sent flying.
“Ugh…”
“Frisa!!”
“That’s impossible…!”
The st one shouted.
“Damn it… how are you this strong?!Retreat!!Fefe, open a portal!!”
“O-Okay… almost done…”
Rendara simply watched, letting them escape.
