Chapter 94

◆4-06 Mysterious Young Man

The young man with gray hair, who lives in the house where I crashed, says again.

"Who are you?"

"…Well, don't think too deeply about it. Just think of it as if you suddenly got a little sister."

"You have a past, huh. I have a younger brother, but no sister, and I don't want one either."

The 'little sister' plan seems to have failed. I thought it was a brilliant idea, targeting the psychology of men who would be delighted if a cute little sister suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Judging from the atmosphere, this person seems to be quite cautious. If it were a regular guy, he would probably be cheering, "Yay, a cute little sister!" by now.

Well, while I'm buying time with this empty conversation, I need to think about my next move.

First, how will he react? The repair costs for the roof and furniture will likely be charged, and I might be handed over to the guards.

And, where am I? Inside or outside the Kingdom of Balshain? It would be troublesome if it's a foreign country. As a count, my sudden appearance in another country could lead to international issues.

"You don't want a little sister… Then, you can call me 'big sister' if you like."

"Hmm… Why were you on my roof?"

"I didn't come here for any specific reason. I was just moving from roof to roof and ended up here by chance. I don't even know where I am."

"Such a dangerous thing to do… It's a miracle you weren't injured. There's a bell in the western market, right? From there, go west and turn right at the second street… Can you understand that?"

He explains the location in detail without mentioning the name of the place. He probably didn't expect me to come from outer space and not even know the name of the city.

If I asked for the name of the city, I might not even know which country it is, which could be a problem.

I don't want to ask, "What country is this?" as it would be too suspicious.

I'll try to get some information naturally.

"Ah, sorry. I've never been around here before, so I'm a bit lost."

"I see. Where do you usually stay in the capital?"

The capital? Did he just say 'capital'? From what I could see from above, this wasn't the capital of Balshain. I couldn't have mistaken it.

So, this must be the capital of a foreign country. That's dangerous. It's even more dangerous if it's one of the neighboring countries of Balshain. The existence of Yumiera Dorkness is well-known, so there's a high chance that important people in the country will panic.

It might be better if this is a different continent where they don't know who Yumiera is. It would be troublesome to get back, but at least it would be less of a problem.

The worst-case scenario would be the Kingdom of Remrest. When I visited Patrick's family, the border baron's house, I had a run-in with their army.

Trying not to show my inner anxiety, I probe further.

"I've never been to the capital before. I came from quite far away."

"Far? You're not going to say you're from outside Remrest, are you?"

"Of course not. I've never been to a foreign country in my life."

Unfortunately, my fears often come true… This seems to be Remrest, and it's the capital.

This is bad. Should I cross the border under the cover of night? I can probably run all the way back to Dorkness without stopping.

He seems to be unsure about how to handle me, a clearly suspicious person. He looks at me and thinks for a moment.

If necessary, I'll use the move where I tap the back of the neck to make him sleep and then escape. I've never done it before, so I don't know how much force to use. If it's too strong, he might die, and if it's too weak, he won't sleep.

How does that move work? Does it stimulate the nerves at the back of the neck? Does it leave any aftereffects?

I might be able to escape without making him sleep, but I'm afraid of failing, so I'll save that move for another time.

While I'm planning my escape, a loud voice comes from outside. It seems to be from outside the house.

"Are you okay!? I heard a loud noise!?"

It seems a neighbor heard the sound of my fall and came to check on things.

I don't want to be seen by too many people. Of course, he'll say a strange person broke through the roof, and they might call the guards and send me to jail.

I've always wanted to wear a black and white striped prisoner's uniform, but it would be bad for a noble to be captured in a virtual enemy country.

The young man with gray hair clicks his tongue and says in a low voice.

"Don't move and stay quiet."

He then turns away from me with an unhappy look and leaves the room.

I can hear the sound of him going down the stairs, opening a creaky door, and talking to the neighbor.

"Oh, are you okay?"

"I'm sorry for the noise at this hour. I accidentally dropped some luggage while moving it."

"It's a relief you're not hurt. …But, don't do such heavy work at night."

"Sorry. I'll come by tomorrow to apologize."

"No, that's not necessary. You're a solid young man."

"I'm in charge of the house for a short time, so I can't cause trouble for the neighbors."

While they were talking, I was preparing to escape through the open roof. But I couldn't help but listen to their conversation.

The young man's politeness is scary. Sure, people react differently, but where did the nervous and unhappy young man from before go? From the conversation, he seems like a model good young man.

Moreover, he even lied to hide my existence. Why? It's too convenient for me.

Putting aside the reason for hiding me, breaking into someone's house and escaping feels wrong.

I can always escape later. For now, I'll sincerely apologize to him.

It seems the situation outside is calming down. The conversation is in low voices, probably to avoid disturbing the neighbors. I wouldn't have heard it if I wasn't me.

"It's okay, it's okay. If you have any problems, let me know."

"Thank you for your concern. Good night."

"Good night. Once it gets dark, it's best to go to bed. You should get some sleep too, young man."

The sound of the door closing. The neighbor walking away. The young man's click of the tongue.

…Scary. He's putting on such a good act for the neighbors. If the neighbor knew he clicked his tongue right after they left, he might become distrustful of people.

I decided to apologize, but I'm getting a bit scared.

It's embarrassing to say, but I tend to joke around even in serious situations. I often think of things to do and act on them immediately.

I just thought of something. The next level up from a dogeza (kneeling and bowing deeply) is a reverse dogeza, where you do a handstand to show your sincerity. I would have really done it if I were in my usual state. I would have greeted him with a handstand when he came back to the room.

But today, I think I'll hold back and try to be serious.

I think I can beat him in a fight, so I'm not nervous in most situations.

Why is it? He's a stranger from a neighboring country, and I'll probably never see him again, but my usually inaccurate intuition is telling me I shouldn't be seen as strange by him.

He's coming up the stairs. I can tell by the sound of his quick steps.

The door opens quietly but quickly. The young man with gray hair, who kind of looks like Patrick but isn't really, checks on me and clicks his tongue again.

From his reaction, he seems unhappy that I'm still here. I think he should be relieved that I didn't escape, but he definitely clicked his tongue when he saw me.

He should be asking for compensation for the broken items, but it seems more convenient for him if I disappeared.

"You're still here?"

"Sorry. I wanted to compensate for the damage I caused…"

"Don't worry about it. The only thing you can do is leave."

"But I can't just…"

"Don't worry. And don't come back here again."

It's too convenient for me to be allowed to leave without any trouble.

There must be a clear reason why he's being so nice. …But, I don't feel like thinking about it right now.

I'll escape quickly before he changes his mind.

I bow deeply. No reverse dogeza.

"I'm really sorry. I'll take my leave now."

I lift my head and start walking briskly.

As I try to pass him to go to the front door, he blocks my path with his arm.

"Wait. Do you have a place to go?"

"I'll be fine. Things will work out."

"You don't have a place to go, do you? …It's dangerous to be out at this hour. If you get involved in an incident, it will be troublesome. …How about this… You can stay here for the night."

"…Thank you?"

Why is he suddenly being nice? My head is full of questions, but I thank him anyway.

His actions are inconsistent. He hid my existence, told me to leave, refused compensation, and now says it's dangerous to go out at night and invites me to stay.

Until now, I thought he was treating me like a troublemaker. Maybe he imagined I was being chased by a mysterious organization.

No one wants strangers' pursuers coming to their house. That's why he didn't want to reveal my presence and told me to leave quickly, without even asking for compensation for the damage.

It makes sense up to that point. But now he's worried about me going out at night.

He was willing to lie to the neighbors and give up on the expensive repair costs to get me out of the house. If I had left, he would have let me go.

It doesn't make sense. What kind of person is he?

But, it would be more troublesome for me if my identity was revealed. I'll try not to pry too much.

I should probably leave and return to my country right away, but I'm a bit tired from my space travel. It's a relief to be able to rest here.

"Thank you. By the way, about the earlier matter…"

"You mean the compensation? I already said not to worry about it."

He immediately refused, but I think I should still pay for the damage. The hole in the roof that I made is going to be a lot of work to fix.

There's also the furniture. Some just fell over, but the shelf I used as a cushion is completely broken. Including other small items, it will add up to a considerable amount.

I'm rich, but I came out without any preparation and don't have any money on me. I have a few coins in my pocket, but they're for emergencies like sudden cravings. A few silver and copper coins won't be enough.

It's embarrassing to say I can't pay for the damage I caused.

He will definitely dislike it if I say I'll pay later. I don't want to risk crossing the border again. Asking a traveling merchant to help… might also be dangerous.

"I don't have any money on me right now…"

"You're not getting it. I said I won't charge you anything."

I look at my body, searching for something I can sell.

My left hand. A ring infused with wind magic, a precious engagement gift from Patrick. I can't sell it.

I look around my body for something else but find nothing. For the first time, I wish I wore jewelry regularly.

I don't usually carry anything… Ah, I have this. I can sell it and it's something I can part with.

I'm hesitant to give it, but I have no choice. I have a spare, but not a spare of the spare.

I take out the crystal I always carry to measure my level.

"I can't let it go. Here, take this. If you sell it, it should cover the roof repair costs."

"…Where did you hide it? Where did you get it from?"

"Don't worry about the details."

"And this is…?"

"A magic item to measure levels. Most shops that deal with magic items should buy it."

He probably didn't know what it was since it's not commonly available, but he shakes his head.

"I know what this is. Why do you have such a thing? Are you obsessed with your level…? And that black hair, could it be you!?"