Chapter 242: I've Arrived at Serelirin
* * *
Let's go back in time a little and have a story from the protagonist's perspective.
<Ah! Look, Emi! A town! I can see a town!>
Seeing the cluster of light yellow buildings that started to appear small in the distance at the end of the highway, Extra-sama frolicked and cheered!
It's been a few days since I ran out of the base in the Zamago Forest, heading west without any particular meaning.
Finally, oh yeah, finally!
There were small villages and stuff, but I was finally able to reach a large town that could be called a city!
<It would be nice if there were delicious local specialties and such.>
That's true.
It's probably that, right?
The meat of that livestock called Mekena or something, there might be a lot of it, right?
<It seems likely, I'm looking forward to it!>
The highway I'm walking on now had been cutting through the forest for a while, but once I passed through there, what stretched out on both sides were vast pastures.
In the grasslands surrounded by wooden fences, where there were still green parts even in winter, large animals with yellow and black spotted patterns were huddling together and grazing on the grass.
According to Extra-sama, those unfamiliar animals with three pairs of legs and two pairs of wings extending from their backs are called Mekena.
Their bodies are heavy, so they can't fly, but they make futile efforts to fly, so the areas around the base of their wings are moderately trained and seem to be delicious.
<It's a livestock that is sometimes kept instead of cows. I saw it in the isekai reincarnation broadcast of the God of Animal Husbandry.>
Since such livestock is raised near the town, there's no way it wouldn't become a local specialty.
I'm looking forward to it!
"Muheeeh~~~..."
In the distance, a Mekena looked in my direction and let out a single cry like that.
"............"
I glance in that direction.
It's a Mekena with a particularly large and robust body.
It looks delicious.
"Muhe!? Muhee, muhee, muhee!!"
That Mekena, which I had sent a glance at, perhaps feeling a chill, made a warning cry to its surrounding companions to alert them, and ran off somewhere, taking them with it.
Mekena-kun, whose name I don't even know, that attitude is a bit rude.
Even I wouldn't think of hunting you down when it's clear that you are obviously being kept as livestock!
<It's not convincing. First, stop that drool overflowing from your mouth before saying such things.>
Extra-sama, shut up!
* * *
Now, even the townscape that looks small in the distance is right there if I run a little.
As I approached, I felt a slight sense of incongruity about this town.
This town has no outer walls.
Facing the pastures spreading around it, suddenly there are rows of houses with light yellow walls and triangular roofs.
<Ah, there are no demon realms nearby. It's not a region where wars are frequent either, so in such cases, outer walls are not built. On this Golden Continent, this type of town should be more common, if anything.>
Oh, I see.
Come to think of it, even the Trashy Village where I was born didn't have such a grand thing as an outer wall.
...I remembered something unpleasant.
<Don't leak your killing intent. It will stand out in a bad way. Use [Presence Concealment].>
Yes, yes.
Obediently following Extra-sama's advice, I sneak up to the town.
This town has no outer walls or gates.
Although there was a small building that seemed to be a guard post at the edge of the town, inside it, an old man wearing armor was resting his chin on his hand and idly gazing at the highway I was walking on.
Hmm, no, maybe he's not even gazing.
He's nodding off.
He's half asleep.
He's neglecting his duty!
<It's proof that public safety is good.>
But even such an old man, if he saw me now with [Black Arms]coiled around my body, he would surely wake up in surprise and rush out with a spear.
This [Black Arms] outfit is warm and has high defense, but the downside is that it is mistaken for a monster (at best, a suspicious person).
<You were aware of that, huh...>
If I look at the reactions of the people I pass by on the highway, even I would notice, Extra-sama.
But it's fine because it's warm.
Even I don't feel like walking outside in the cold while light snow is fluttering.
Well, there's no point in staring at the old man forever, so I hop and jump onto the roof of the guard post.
From there, I move along the triangular roofs while hopping.
<Oh, it's quite a prosperous town, isn't it?>
I also unconsciously nod at Extra-sama's casual remark.
Looking down at the town's main street from the rooftops, quite a number of people are walking.
Travelers carrying large bags, ladies walking in casual clothes, children running around and making noise, horse-drawn carriages running on the stone pavement making rattling sounds...
I'd get sick if I walked in such a crowded place.
<Emi is not used to crowds, after all.>
But here's one question.
There were hardly any people walking on the highway I came from.
Despite that, where did the travelers and carriages in this town come from?
I wandered around the town out of curiosity, and the answer was found relatively easily.
There is another highway running through this town, different from the one I walked on.
It's a clean road that feels relatively new, unlike the one I walked on.
Looking at the signboard, it seems that this highway leads to the royal capital of this country.
Several carriages were running out of town on this road, and many people who seemed to be adventurers were also walking.
I thought, "I see."
And by reading the signboard at the stagecoach stop, I learned at this time that the name of this town is Serelirin.