Chapter 208
Thinking about all that made me want to walk . And so I did after telling Daniela . The only lights came from the moon, stars, and bonfires . However, there was also a warm glow from the city that spread up above . I gazed at it while I walked .
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“Ahahahaha!”
“Are you serious!!”
Huh? Someone was being very loud in the middle of the night .
I poked my head out and saw that three men who appeared to be Adventurers were sitting around a fire and drinking .
“Hmm? Who are you?”
“I was taking a stroll and heard your excited voices . ”
“What? So you’re just bored!”
Two of them began to laugh . Well, it was true . The other one was drinking and looked uninterested .
“What about him?”
I casually walked up to them and sat down before glancing at the other guy .
“Hey, listen here, brother!”
“This guy…ckkkk…no! I can’t stop laughing! Ahahahaha!!”
The two men started to laugh once again . The other looked even more annoyed than before as he sipped his drink .
“…What happened?”
With nothing better to do, I talked to the bored man…Boredman . Boredman glanced at me with an expression that seemed to question if I was going to start laughing as well . I shrugged and urged him to explain, and so he did, though it was in a very somber voice .
“I came out of the countryside just to enlist in the Imperial Sword Tournament . And then I…became infatuated with a certain prostitute while in an Usk inn . ”
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“And?”
“…And I told her . Told her that I was the man who would win the Imperial Sword Tournament . I would win and come back for her! That’s what I said . ”
He added that he had been drinking heavily before this declaration . The two men began to laugh again at this point .
“…So? What did she say?”
“…She laughed . ”
“Huh?”
“She laughed . Said I had no chance of winning . That I wouldn’t even pass the preliminary round . ”
He took another sip and sighed deeply .
“It’s impossible! Truly!”
“You’re just going to embarrass yourself! Hahahaha!”
Boredman seemed to shrink every time they started to laugh . I saw this and got up to my feet .
“That’s not true!”
“Huh?”
“Eh?”
“You just have to win! Beat their expectations and win . Then you can boast about it!”
I grabbed his drink and finished it off . It was nice and warmed my body .
“There’s no need to look down on yourself . Humans are capable of doing anything they set their minds to!”
“Uh, but surely winning is going a little too far…”
“There is no such thing as going too far! Men should talk big!”
I picked up a bottle and poured Boredman another cup . Then I slapped him on the back for good measure .
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“Well, I’m sorry to tell you this, but I’m the guy that’s really going to win! Ahahaha!”
“Hey, there stranger . Are you drunk already?”
“I’m not drunk, you dumb bastard . Look . It’s gonna me and him . It’s gonna be a vicious final fight . And when I win, Daniela will be impressed . ”
As I continued to drink, I could feel the effects of the drink . Or maybe it was just me?
“Daniela? You mean Lightwind?”
“Yup! My lover!”
“Wh, then that would make you Silvergreen! Asagi!?”
“Ah, are you serious!?”
“The real one…?”
I didn’t know if I was used to it now or it was just the drink, because for once I didn’t feel embarrassed . Yeah, I had probably just gotten used to it . I wasn’t drunk .
“Hahaha . Yes, I am Asagi . Silvergreen!”
“No way… It’ll be hard to win if Silvergreen joins the list . ”
“I think you should quit while you can . ”
“Indeed… I cannot fight against someone with an alias . ”
“What? Don’t you know that challenges are the spice of life?”
“That’s ridiculous!”
Somehow, I had managed to defeat three possible rivals without doing anything . That hadn’t been my intention…
“Well, uh… Don’t laugh at the dreams of others . I live with my own dreams . I think people are able to enjoy their lives if they have such important goals . ”
“That is true… A dream, eh?…”
“Sorry…for laughing at you . ”
“It’s fine . I do tend to dream big . But I don’t see it as a negative thing . ”
Yes, yes . They had reconciled . Well, it seemed like a good time, so I drained my cup and got to my feet .
“Well, then . I better be off . You guys take care . ”
“Aye . See you, Silvergreen . ”
“Let’s eat together if we meet in the city . ”
“Thank you for not laughing at my dream . ”
I bumped fists with each of them before continuing on my way . The night was still as dark as ever . I was feeling good after drinking, and so I decided to walk a little more .
Now that I think of it, I had forgotten to ask them their names…
The effects of the drink started to fade as I walked . It always happened rather quickly with me… I was also easily affected by the atmosphere .
Up until now, I had been walking along the line of campers, but now I turned to the forest, which seemed quieter . There was a light breeze and the rustling of leaves overhead . The chilly air felt nice on my heated skin .
The light of the moon and stars peeked between the cracks in trees, creating an elegant scene . Everyone I had met in this world might be looking up at this same view right now .
“That’s a nice thought…hmm?”
I heard a voice . What was it? Like someone crying… Damn it . A chill went up my spine .
“At times likes these…”
I was happy to have Presence Detection . Ghosts and any other nonscientific beings will be promptly exposed… I narrowed it down to the area where the voice was coming from . Narrowing it down made it more accurate . And I was able to detect the exact positions . There were two .
“Two… But there is only one voice…”
…Hmm, but it really was two . Maybe someone was being attacked . . ?
I moved towards them as quietly as I could manage . I didn’t know what was happening, but I couldn’t just jump into the darkness without thinking . What if it really was a ghost… Not that I was scared of them .
Night Eyes allowed me to avoid fallen branches as I moved . I stayed behind bushes as I got closer to the tree . The voice was getting louder .
“Uhhh…uuuhhh…hah…ahh…”
Hmm… Crying? …Is it really…?
Now I wasn’t sure . But I was quite close . The urge to leave and the urge to see were pulling me . But I inched closer until I was at the cluster of bushes I had made my goal .
“Hah…ahh…”
And then I looked .
“Hah…hah…ohh…”
It wasn’t crying… It was just someone panting . And Night Eyes left little to the imagination .
It was a young man and woman .
(This is bad…)
They’d probably try to kill me… Now that I knew who the ghosts were, it was time scram . It was a simple enough mission . But then again, they seemed like they would be finishing very soon . That will increase the risk of discovery . In fact, it was almost a miracle they hadn’t discovered me already .
(This was no time to be analyzing such things!)
I put all other thoughts aside and moved away from the bushes . I was even more careful than I had been when going . Sweat dripped down my forehead . I must not ruin their joyful moment .
I was so relieved about being able to return to Daniela unnoticed, that I ended up falling asleep right after . Of course, Daniela was furious .
Eventually, I would look at my status card and see that Presence Block had been added to my list of skills, but it would not happen for quite a while .