Yuma and his party crossed the border into the Barbarian Nation Pineon without any issues. They breezed through the border guards like they owned the place.
Once they had entered Pineon without a hitch, Yuma tossed his red cloak into the Spatial Pocket. Although Pineon was known for its barbaric identity, at the end of the day, it still was a nation at its core.
Ordinary citizens who had nothing to do with the war obviously had no idea who Yuma was.
He slipped the lion-emblazoned token that had helped them through the border guards into the pocket of his black coat.
Hestia, dressed in robes, and Cloney, wide-eyed, gazed at Pineon’s landscapes, which were clearly distinct from those of the Empire.
Unlike the refined designs of the Empire’s buildings, Pineon was marked by a rustic charm, still utilizing materials like straw and leather.
“First, let’s eat.”
As soon as Yuma finished speaking, Cloney and Hestia, who were secretly starving, nodded enthusiastically.
“Sniff… What’s that? It smells delicious.”
Sniff sniff.
Hestia raised her head as if tracking some scent, swaying back and forth.
“Risotto… It’s the smell of cream risotto!”
What a funny world it was.
In a world with sweet red bean bread, there was no rule saying there couldn’t be risotto.
“Alright, let’s go there.”
Yuma decided to head straight into the restaurant Hestia, using her Cat-Folk’s acute sense of smell, had identified.
Restaurant [Russo].
“Welcome!”
A cheerful little boy’s voice greeted them.
The place was pretty packed with customers.
“Cream Risotto!”
Hestia chose her dish without a moment’s hesitation.
Cloney ordered Tomato Pasta. Yuma also went for pasta.
‘This is delicious.’
As Yuma twirled his fork into the Tomato Pasta and popped it into his mouth, he could feel his mind racing, possibly because he was finally eating food that tasted like food after so long.
Cloney watched him slowly savor his Tomato Pasta.
“Yuma-sama.”
Her golden eyes captured Yuma’s aristocratic face.
“Is there someone nearby who is like me?”
Cloney clearly understood what role she played in relation to the First Princess Brigitte.
A being chosen by prophecy.
[The daughter of the witch who fell into the hell of the Black Abyss].
[The swordswoman with blue hair].
When the two fated beings met, the First Princess Brigitte was destined to awaken as the hero who would save the world and become the Emperor of the Empire.
That was the content of the prophecy.
Yuma slowly nodded in response to Cloney’s question.
“We’ll pass through a forest. One of the people from a tribe beyond that forest is likely to belong to your kind.”
“Wasn’t it mentioned by the First Princess… that there might be a resonance when beings chosen by prophecy meet?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s right.”
I definitely said that.
“I guess I’ll need to focus to feel that resonance.”
“Since there seems to be a tribe after passing one forest, I should probably start paying attention from then on.”
“Yes, understood.”
“I’ll find a guide and head to the forest. If we’re done eating, shall we get up?”
The three who filled their bellies stood up from their seats.
‘Information Guild.’
The two options to find a guide mentioned by the great warrior Martes.
Either hire from a mercenary group or find someone at the Information Guild.
Since we only need to make it to Gelpiel Forest, we didn’t need reinforcements in terms of strength. Literally, it would suffice to just find someone who knows the area well.
Yuma concluded that looking for someone at the Information Guild was more appropriate.
The location of the Information Guild was clearly marked on the map.
It seemed to prove that they weren’t operatives of the underworld.
After pulling out some coins from the pouch Martes had given him to pay for the food, he stepped outside.
He had received enough of the kingdom’s currency, ‘Kurf,’ so there were no worries about finances.
The Information Guild was located three blocks away.
Thud thud
Yuma decided to walk leisurely toward it.
“Heeey.”
Hestia’s green eyes sparkled.
Hestia and Cloney observed with fascination the strange architectural styles and the kingdom’s citizens predominantly dressed in fur coats.
Yuma stopped walking two blocks ahead.
He spotted a weapon shop with weapons boldly displayed on the shelves.
Is this the display method of the Barbarian Nation?
Yuma was captivated by two items hanging on the display shelf.
One was a silver gauntlet.
The other appeared to be a small shield used for weight distribution on the wrist and back of the hand.
“These would be convenient for parrying against martial artists or fighters.”
With his fist wrapped in energy, he could still parry the punches of martial artists just fine with [Black Dragon Bernac’s Tooth].
Close combat with energy can easily become a parrying point. However, establishing a parrying condition with bare-hand attacks can be quite tricky.
Although he wasn’t entirely unconfident in the skill called ‘Bare-Hand Parrying,’ there was no need to leave risk that could be minimized just hanging around.
“Who knows what kind of enemies might show up.”
Among humans, it’s rare to find someone who fights bare-fisted without energy enhancement, but a day could come when he might have to face monsters like ogres or ogres.
It’s better to be prepared for all possible scenarios.
With that thought, Yuma pointed toward the inside of the weapon shop.
“Let’s just pop in for a bit.”
“Yeah!”
“Uh-huh!”
Cloney and Hestia didn’t really know why Yuma suddenly wanted to stop by the weapon shop, but since Yuma mentioned it, they just nodded.
As they entered the weapon shop, a man who appeared to be the shopkeeper approached Yuma.
He was a bald guy who somehow naturally inspired trust.
“Is there anything you’re looking for?”
“Durable gauntlets. Just the size of a fist. And a small one-handed shield that’s not too large.”
Since the order was clear, the response came quickly.
In the shopkeeper’s hands were a silver gauntlet that perfectly matched Yuma’s thoughts and a small dark-colored shield.
Silver Gauntlet, [Storm].
Small Shield, [Cold Buckler].
While these items were notably inferior to the numerous legendary swords in Aksion’s spatial pocket, or the first item he received, [Black Dragon Bernac’s Tooth], they still belonged to the A-class weapons category.
“Good, I’ll take these.”
“Thank you.”
After immediately putting the purchased items into his spatial pocket, Yuma looked at Hestia and Cloney, who were gazing at the jewelry display.
At the end of their line of sight was a necklace embedded with violet gemstones.
“This is the only accessory in our weapon shop. It’s made from a mineral called Seltrel, which can only be found in Pineon. Isn’t it beautiful?”
Seeing the two showing a surprising amount of interest in something they usually didn’t care about, it seemed they really liked it.
“I’ll buy two.”
At Yuma’s words, a bright smile appeared on the shopkeeper’s face.
“An excellent choice!”
The two girls, who received the gemstone necklaces as gifts from Yuma, stood there with their mouths agape, staring intently at the necklace and the gemstones in the center.
“Sis, I’ll help you wear it.”
“Uh-huh, I want to wear it too!”
They took turns putting the necklaces on each other, beaming with satisfaction.
“Thank you, Yuma!”
Cloney, as always, bowed politely.
“Indeed, a strong person should know how to take care of those around them…”
Swoosh.
Yuma tilted his head as he saw Hestia scribbling something in a small notebook.
“What are you writing?”
As Yuma’s shadow suddenly loomed over her notebook—
“Heeek!”
She let out a strange sound and hurriedly closed the notebook.
However, in that brief moment, Yuma caught a glimpse of the words written in it.
– A strong person should have a generous heart toward the weak and be able to concede the first strike.
– A strong person should occasionally spend their own money to take care of their subordinates…
What on earth is she writing that for? What purpose does that serve?
What purpose are you using this for?
Yuma decided to pretend he didn’t notice the Cat-Folk Swordsman’s gloominess.
Yuma gazed at the gray building that came into view after another block.
On the gray building was written in quite elegant common language of the continent.
< Lantern >.
The name of the Information Guild was Lantern.
Yuma stepped inside that lantern.
Both the exterior of the building and its interior felt like a cocktail bar.
At the place that looked like a counter, there stood a man in a shirt.
“Welcome, customer. I am Hans, the manager of the Information Guild Lantern.”
The man with a very common name greeted politely.
“I need a guide.”
“Do you have anything to prove your identity?”
Thunk—
Yuma pulled out the lion medallion he received from Martes and placed it on the table.
“Oh….”
A gasp slipped from Hans’s lips.
“The most famous person on the continent has come!”
“It seems you know who I am.”
The most famous existence on the continent.
Yuma indeed was the most famous existence at the moment.
The chatty storytellers from the Empire were already spreading rumors all over the continent.
Hans spoke lowly.
“Oh, don’t worry. Outside, I’m the only one who knows the guest in this lantern. Only the heads of the Information Guilds in Pineon know. Martes the Great Warrior has ordered us to assist you with whatever request you may have.”
Hans laid everything out honestly.
Yuma nodded slowly.
“I need a guide to the Gelpiel Forest. The vastness of the Barbarian Nation’s plains seems quite intimidating for a first-timer.”
“That’s correct. The plains of the Barbarian Nation are indeed vast. Even if you look closely at the map, you can’t distinguish between the forests. We usually divide them by trees, but….”
There was no way a newbie could do that.
“Please wait a moment.”
Hans bowed deeply and moved away from the counter, calling someone right away.
It was a man with brown hair.
“My friend has gone to the Gelpiel Forest countless times.”
“…I-I’m Masek. Nice to meet you, esteemed client.”
Masek, who couldn’t share much details about Yuma with Hans but heard he was someone of immense stature, greeted Yuma while sweating nervously.
“I just need to go to the front of the Gelpiel Forest.”
“Let’s set off right away.”
There was no reason to drag things out, so he planned to depart immediately.
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