A way to go travel

The sun slowly began to rise, and the sound of birds chirping filled the air. As I heard their calls, I gradually woke up. Sitting up in bed, I turned my gaze toward the window, where the sunlight streamed through.I got out of bed and walked toward the window. As I looked out at the beauty of Carfey Lane's morning scenery, a sense of serenity filled me.

Last night, after our previous lodging was destroyed, Vanniez and I searched for another place to stay. Eventually, we found this inn and rented a room for the night.

I turned to look at Vanniez’s bed. As expected, he was already gone.Maybe he woke up early and was wandering around the city.

Suddenly, Vanniez entered the room, carrying several bags. I looked at him in surprise—he had brought even more stuff.

"Wow, you sure can shop… Do you have a ton of money or something?"

Vanniez looked at me and said, 

"My clothes got burned during the fight last night, so I can't wear them anymore. Also, I bought some supplies we'll need for our journey to Matorix."

I realized that he was seriously planning for our journey to Matorix City, and excitement rushed through me.

"Huh?! Are we really going to Matorix?! You can’t take that back now!"

Vanniez Smirked, then he turned to me with a serious expression.

"And you! Yota, change out of that clothes from your world right now! Didn't I tell you last night? You have to blend in and look like someone from this world!"

Ah... Last night, I tried on the clothes Vanniez gave me, but I ended up changing back. Why? Because..

“ I can't pretend to be someone from this world. I don't want to see myself as a person of this world."

Vanniez let out a sigh and said,

"That doesn’t really matter, but if people see you dressed like that, they might think you’re strange. And also... to be honest, there’s something I forgot to tell you when we first met. Some people in this world not only know about the existence of Metorize stones, but they also know about uninvited people from other worlds."

“Eh?”

“As far as I’ve heard, about 50 years ago, there was someone who arrived in this world uninvited—just like you. But for various reasons, that person completely disappeared without a trace”

“...How do you even know about something from 50 years ago? There's no way to be sure if that's even true!"

“You idiot, I didn't find out on my own. Someone who took care of me told me about it. Anyway, do you get what I'm saying? If you keep going around like this, it'll be dangerous for you. Listen to me—I’ll make sure you get home safely.”

I had no choice but to accept what Vanniez said in the end. 

Vanniez... Is he from a rich family? He bought quite a lot of supplies. But... why would someone so wealthy dress like this?Honestly, I don't know much about Vanniez yet, but I do know that I can trust him.

In the east of Carfey Lane, there is a small shop where the Jin family lives—Jin Rolan and his two grandchildren, Jin Sero and Jin Ramy. Jin Ramy, an 8-year-old elf girl, is the younger sister of Jin Sero.

The room, bathed in sunlight, was filled with paintings of landscapes and other artwork on the walls. This was Jin Sero's room. She loved traveling, and her dream was to visit all the places in this world. Ramy entered Sero's room and woke her up, shouting

“Sister!! Wake up!!”

Sero woke up startled by Ramy's loud voice.

"Huh?? What is it... What time is it?"  she asked, still half-asleep.

"Sis, you're going to be late for training! Grandpa is waiting!"

Sero suddenly remembered her training and quickly got out of bed. Then, after preparing for training, she headed to the training grounds where her grandfather was.

The Jin family has passed down enough power through generations to protect the city. Jin Sero’s parents lost their lives in a war 50 years ago, and since then, her grandfather, Jin Rolan, decided to train his two grandchildren daily. The training grounds were not publicly accessible; only the city's protectors and high-ranking officials were allowed to use them. Since Jin Rolan was once a guardian of Carfey Lane, he had the privilege of using this training ground.

"Sorry, Grandpa! I woke up late."

Sero arrived at the training ground. When she looked inside, she couldn't see her grandfather.

"Grandpa? Are you not here?"

She walked around the training ground, looking for her grandfather. Suddenly, something came toward her, but she noticed it in time. Instinctively, she reacted with her powerful hand and struck it down.Sero looked up and saw her grandfather. It turned out that he was the one behind the attack. 

“Not bad. Your reflexes have improved compared to before.”

"Grandpa! Why did you do that all of a sudden? That scared me!"

"Hahaha, sorry, sorry. I just wanted to test your awareness. And remember—enemies won’t always attack from the front. Surprise attacks like this happen too. That’s why you need to train for them."

…

"Alright, are you ready now? The fight we didn't finish yesterday”

“Yes, today, I’ll win against you, Grandpa!"

Vanniez and I changed into new clothes, and even though I didn’t want to throw away my school uniform, I had to because of Vanniez. Afterward, Vanniez led me to the dining area of our inn, where elves and other travelers were already having breakfast.I looked around the dining room. The design was nice, and it felt like we had arrived at a high-end restaurant. I turned to Vanniez and asked, 

“So, is it certain that we can eat here?”

"Yes, this is a place where travelers staying here can eat for free. Come on, let’s go." 

 I followed Vanniez, amazed, and we sat down in an empty spot.

 "Ah, I want you to eat something," Vanniez said.

Then he ordered food for me, and soon, it arrived at our table. The plate had an elegant design, and on top of the meat sat a jelly-like substance. Beside it, there was a golden-yellow sauce. The whole presentation looked like a truly high-class meal.

I picked up my fork, tore off a small piece of meat, dipped it into the yellow sauce, and took a bite.

Suddenly, I felt like I couldn’t even breathe—my mind surged with energy, and I was overwhelmed by the flavor. My mouth kept chewing uncontrollably, unable to stop.

Then, I tried eating the jelly and the meat together, and my whole body buzzed with excitement. I couldn't even put my feelings into words as I kept eating nonstop.

“Ah… If I could eat this for the rest of my life, I wouldn’t complain. It’s just so, so, so incredibly delicious!!!”

Vanniez watched me eat nonstop and smiled.

Vanniez smiled and said

"That’s the signature dish of Carfey Lane. It’s called Cafrey-Jelly. And also, that thing—"

I was too focused on my food. My attention was completely taken over by the taste, and I barely heard a word of what Vanniez was saying. As soon as my plate was empty, i immediately ordered another serving. Since it was free for travelers, there was nothing to worry about.My heart was filled with pure joy.

After a while, we finally left the place. My stomach was completely full, and even walking was starting to feel like a challenge.

Halfway down the road, Vanniez was walking ahead of me, but I was struggling because of how full I was.

"Vanniez, wait a sec... I don’t feel so good," I said.

Vanniez let out a sigh and replied, 

"That’s exactly why I told you not to eat too much Cafrey-Jelly! If you overeat, your stomach gets too full, and if you’re unlucky, your body could absorb too much jelly and make you pass out!"

"P-pass out?? How?" 

Vanniez smirked and explained,

 "The jelly inside Cafrey-Jell is actually made from the flesh of semi-living Slimes. If you eat too much of it, your stomach won’t be able to digest it properly, and the jelly will start blocking your insides. Some cities even ban it completely. But Carfey Lane? This place is famous for inventing and producing it. They even export it as a luxury product to other cities. In short, Carfey Lane is one of the top cities known for its unique cuisine."

He spoke proudly, clearly enjoying sharing his knowledge.

..

I looked at Vanniez’s proud face, my frustration boiling over. 

“So you fed me food made from Slimes?! Something that's banned in other cities?!'"

Vanniez looked at me and shrugged.

”That’s not my fault! You’re the one who ate too much!'" 

he said, completely unapologetic.

"This is your fault!! What if I actually pass out?! Are you going to take responsibility?!"

Vanniez let out a deep sigh and said,

 "Don’t worry so much. Like I said earlier, it only happens if you’re really unlucky. I’ve never actually seen anyone pass out from eating Cafrey-Jelly before… Hmm, but you might just be the first.

His words only made me angrier.

“You can still joke around?! Ugh!! Seriously!”

I was so frustrated that I ended up blaming myself instead. Suddenly, I felt a hand tap on my shoulder. Annoyed, I turned around angrily.

“What?”

I turned around and saw the elf girl I met last night. I quickly wiped the angry expression off my face and looked at her. She was smiling at me, uh, what is her name again?.. Oh, it's Sero!

“Eh, Sero?”

『 Sero 』: "Yo! We meet again!”

“Yeah.” (Eh? Why is she here?) 

 I was walking around the city shopping and I heard you guys arguing, so I was curious and came over.

“I see..”

..

Vanniez paused for a moment and then asked, 

“Hmm? When did you two meet?”

 Vanniez’s question made me uneasy because I hadn’t told him about sneaking out of the room last night. Before I could respond, Sero cut me off and said,

“Oh, Yota and I just met last night. We got to know each other. He was looking at the river like a puppy, so I went to speak to him. Then, I even offered him some bread because he looked hungry.”

I heard what Sero said, and I just wanted to disappear.

(“Alright, thank you for explaining everything from Chapter 3.”)

Vanniez looked at me with a scary expression and said.

"Yota?? Can you explain this to me? What did I say to you last night?"

Later, the three of us went to sit down on a bench under a shadowy tree. Sero was sitting between me and Vanniez, looking awkward. Vanniez, on the other hand, looked a bit angry because I hadn’t listened to him yesterday.

Our conversation fell silent, and then Sero suddenly asked,

“Ah, Yota, is your stomach feeling better now?”

"Huh? How do you know about that?" I asked. 

Sero chuckled and replied,

 "Have you never met elves before? Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised since you're a traveler. Among elves, there are three essential abilities—enhanced hearing, enhanced vision, and a heightened sense of spirits. Every elf must be born with at least one of these."

"I see… then what happens if an elf is born without any of those abilities?" I asked.

Sero seemed a little troubled by my question, while Vanniez listened curiously to our conversation.

"Ah… I don’t think that has ever happened… at least, not that I know of," she said hesitantly.

It seemed like she didn’t want to talk about it. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked.

I changed the topic.

 "What do you mean by 'a heightened sense of spirits'?" I asked.

Sero looked at me and explained, 

"Every person has tiny guardian spirits within them. These spirits help with healing, fighting, and even enhancing abilities. Most elves are skilled in healing, so we can sense a person's spirit and understand their condition. But…"

She hesitated for a moment before continuing, 

"It’s strange… I haven’t been able to sense your spirit at all, Yota."

Vanniez and I were a bit startled, and just as we were about to give her an explanation, Sero spoke up.

"Hmm… maybe my sense just isn’t developed enough yet," she said, shrugging it off.

Vanniez and I let out a sigh of relief, glad that she hadn't noticed anything unusual.

I looked around at our surroundings. Under the vast blue sky, people walked by, merchants guided their carts, and birds fluttered about. It all felt so peaceful.

Then, Sero spoke up.

“You know, there's a place I've always wanted to go. Of course, I want to visit Matorix City the most, but there's another place too. My mother used to tell me about it when I was little... though I can't quite remember its name. She said it was a beautiful land, filled with towering mountains, clear rivers, and endless fields of flowers. She had planned to take me there one day... but because of the war, that dream never came true.”

“That's why, someday, I’ll make sure to go there myself.”

Vanniez and I listened to Sero's words, and an idea suddenly came to my mind.

“Then why don’t you come with us?” I suggested.

Vanniez immediately turned to look at me with a “Are you serious?” expression.

Sero was surprised by my words. Then, she smiled and said, 

“Thank you for saying that. But I can’t leave this city just yet. Like I mentioned last night, there are still people I need to take care of. So, I’m not ready to leave right now.” 

..

"Ah, I've been talking for quite a while now. My grandpa might be worried, so I should head out. I’ll see you later, Yota, and... Yota's friend."

Sero left us, and Vanniez looked at me and said, 

“Did you really ask her to come along?”

“Yeah, why? When you're traveling, it's better to have more people for the fun, right?”

Vanniez let out a small sigh. After a while, we headed back to our inn.

The day passed by quickly, and as evening fell, the city came alive with lights, glowing brightly under the night sky. Sero was preparing to open the store, alongside her friend and sister, Historia. Despite her usual lively demeanor, Sero seemed a bit distant, her mind still on the conversation with Yota from the previous morning. Historia noticed her unusual mood and asked,

 “Sero? What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

 Sero looked at her and replied, “Oh, it's nothing.”

Historia didn’t say anything further and continued with her preparations. Sero, after a moment of thinking, spoke up, 

“Hey, sis, do you think the enemies might come and attack this city? Things seem different now. There are some pretty rough heroes here, so they won’t dare to attack, right?”

 Historia listened to what Sero said and, looking worried, asked, 

“Sero... did something happen?”

Sero continued.

 "Is daily training really necessary like this?" She paused for a moment, then spoke again,

 "I want to travel, to see all the places in this world, to open up new adventures."

『 Rolan 』"I see."

a voice came from the entrance of the store. Both Sero and Historia looked toward the door, where they saw Jin Rolan standing with sero's younger sister Jin ramy.