Thanks to Carol’s presence, I made good progress with Rodice’s family. Next in line was Chem. She would be easier to get close to than Gams. Chem respected me a lot and would never dream of talking back to me or disagreeing. While Gams wasn’t as devout as his sister, his faith in the God of Fate was still strong. He was silent at the best of times, but even more so when I was around. I guess I made him nervous.
Chem was usually in the church at this time of day, but that church was currently my quarters. Lyra said she might be doing laundry instead.
The villagers used to do their laundry at a spring inside the cave, but that had blown up along with everything else. I was worried they’d been going all the way to the river, but Lyra gave me directions and I followed them to that area surrounded by boards I’d come across earlier. The wooden hut’s door was open this time, and I went right in. Beyond the door were several shelves to the left and right, with another two doors between them. I knew what sort of place this was immediately.
“A bathhouse?”
The shelves had to be shoe racks, and the blue and red doors were meant for men and women respectively. The Japanese-style design of the place might have been influenced by the game’s players, since it was built recently.
There were four pairs of shoes on the shelves by the women’s entrance, meaning Chem wasn’t here alone. Lyra said this place was used for laundry during the day, so I could just go right on in through the women’s entrance. But that was just too awkward. I walked up to the door and cleared my throat.
“Hello?”
“Yoshio?”
A voice came from behind me. Shocked, I spun around. There was Gams, frowning at me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
Wait. Don’t tell me he’s here to perv on the girls. He always looks so serious…
“I came to get Chem. We’re going hunting and patrolling.”
That made sense. Though Chem wasn’t a fighter, she could use healing magic, dealing with any minor injuries in an instant.
“I see.”
“Why are you here?” Gams said.
“I’m…going around the village. I wanted to talk with everyone. I was just with Rodice’s family.”
“Oh. Well, I’ll hunt alone then.” Gams turned to leave, but I put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
“If you are going to fight monsters, you ought to be prepared for anything. I can speak with Chem another time.” The village’s safety was more important than me making friends.
“I see. Goodbye.” Gams opened the door to the women’s entrance and stepped in without hesitation. I followed him, resolving to be as bold as he was.
The inside was large, with an open-air bath and washing area paved with stone. The bath was big enough to hold maybe ten people, with stone spouts sitting at one end, one for hot and one for cold. Chem was doing laundry, along with Murus. I hadn’t realized she would be here.
“You have hot water here, too?”
“Yes,” Gams said. “The explosion opened up a hot spring beside the original cold spring. We can draw from both sources now.” It was rare to hear Gams say so much in a single breath. Still, they should have mentioned they had a bath! They keep bringing me buckets of hot water; it was starting to make me feel guilty. What I wouldn’t give to kick back in a luxurious hot spring!
“Oh, Gams. And—Yoshio?!” Chem, who had been washing with her back to us, quickly sprang to her feet and bowed deeply. Murus just glanced at me before continuing her work.
She really doesn’t like me, huh?
“You nearly done with the laundry? I want to go out.”
“Yes, I’ve just finished. Will you be coming with us, Yoshio?”
I wasn’t expecting that question and found myself nodding automatically. She must have thought that was why I was here, even though last time I just made a fool of myself. Still, I wanted to try again.
“Do you mind?” I asked. “I’ll try not to get in the way.”
I had to expose myself to the monsters at least a little, to try to lessen my initial panic response. I couldn’t afford to lose it in an emergency. I didn’t need to be able to fight them—just not end up paralyzed with fear when someone needed me.
Chem and Gams exchanged a doubtful glance.
“It’s fine if he just stays out of the way and watches, isn’t it?” I wasn’t expecting Murus of all people to stick up for me. She didn’t look thrilled, but I was grateful for her support nonetheless.
“If I get in the way, you can send me back at any time.”
“Well, if you insist. Gams?”
“Okay.”
I thanked them, and we agreed to meet at the village gates in five minutes. I quickly returned to my tent to sort through my bag. Just as I was about to set off, I caught sight of Destiny, curled up in the bed and watching me accusingly.
“Wanna come with?”
It nodded its head eagerly. I opened my bag, and it immediately dove inside. I still had a couple of disposable hand warmers in there.
“Your job is to guard me, okay? I’m sorry for relying on you so much, but you’ll protect me, won’t you?”
Destiny winked.
I’m glad I have such a reliable lizard.
I arrived at the gates to find the three from the bathhouse waiting for me, along with Kan and Lan.
“Kan and Lan wanted to come, too,” said Chem.
“Thanks for the tools.”
“We’ll guard you.”
They offered me their fluffy paws. I accepted their handshakes without hesitation.
They’re so fluffy! And their paw pads! Hnngh!
“You made friends?” Chem said.
“I had a chance to speak with them earlier.”
Though it was the gifts that won them over, rather than my conversational skills. Either way, I was grateful for their protection. With Destiny along as well, I shouldn’t be getting in the way of any battles.
I nodded as we passed the new villagers keeping watch at the gate. They stiffened and bowed at perfect ninety-degree angles. By now I was used to it. I just smiled and waved.
This was only the second time I’d stepped outside the village; I hadn’t been back since that run-in with those wolves. I readied myself, determined not to act so shamefully this time around. Out in the wilds, it was dangerous to let your guard down for even a second. This was a world swarming with ferocious monsters.
Before they’d found the cave, my villagers had slept in the open forest. It must have been terrifying. So much about a place couldn’t be conveyed through a screen. I needed to drink in as much as possible while I could, before I went back to playing the game normally.
We walked through the forest in silence. Gams took the lead, followed by Murus, Chem, me, and then Kan and Lan bringing up the rear. The formation would protect us from rear or pincer attacks.
I’d seen the area around the village enough times to know we were headed into the northeast section of the forest. Directly to the north was the “Forbidden Forest.” The villagers typically avoided that area, but it seemed they’d already hunted all the monsters close in.
“We’ve taken to going this way just recently, so we can cut down the monster numbers before the Day of Corruption,” Chem explained.
That made sense after the close encounter with destruction last time.
The monsters surrounding the village weren’t necessarily those summoned by other players. Many of them had been living here for a long, long time, and they rampaged on the Day of Corruption just as much as any player-controlled horde. Whittling down their numbers made sense.
We continued northeast, keeping our guard up. I took out my phone to give me a bird’s eye view of the area, which was when I noticed it. Movement in the southeast. I zoomed in.
“Gams. We’ve got green goblins coming from that way.” I pointed. Gams frowned doubtfully, but he put a hand to his forehead and squinted into the distance. Murus stared out attentively. She didn’t bother to hide the fact that she didn’t believe me.
Yup. She really does hate me.
“It does look like there’s something.”
“I hear footsteps.”
Their frowns were replaced by looks of surprise. Chem clasped her hands, looking at me with admiration. I felt more guilt than happiness. Really, it was the game that spotted them, not me.
I took a few steps back to keep out of the way. Lan stayed to guard me, and Chem stepped away as well. Kan stood beside Gams, the two of them readying their weapons. They glared through the many large trees and obstacles that blocked their vision. Gams hid behind a tree to the right while Kan took one on the left. Murus crouched and whispered something. The weeds there began to grow, concealing her.
“That’s a spell…” It wasn’t even flashy magic, but I couldn’t contain my excitement at seeing it for the first time. Just another reminder that I really wasn’t on Earth.
Lan, Chem, and I hid ourselves and looked on, staying quiet until we heard soft footsteps that grew slowly louder. Gams nodded at Kan as the green goblins appeared between the trees.
I managed to remain calm this time. I’d seen a green goblin before, even if it was an illusion. Who knew that encounter on the train would come in handy?
The goblins walked right past Kan and Gams, and a moment later, two of them had weapons in their backs. The third goblin turned at its allies’ groans, but it didn’t have time to scream before it fell lifelessly to the forest floor, a single arrow protruding from its skull.
The attack was perfectly smooth, a completely different experience from watching it through a screen. My skin prickled with nerves, and realizing I’d stopped breathing at one point, I took a huge breath. I was a little surprised at myself for managing to keep cool at the sight of three humanoid creatures dying in front of me. Perhaps all the stuff I’d been through had made me mentally tougher. That would be nice.
Still, the smells of the forest mingled with the stench of blood wasn’t something I thought I could get used to. I approached Gams, trying not to look at the dead goblins. “That was impressive.”
“Three goblins are nothing.” Gams’s tone was indifferent rather than boastful as he dealt with the remains. They piled up the bodies, doused them with oil, and incinerated them, taking all necessary precautions to make sure the fire didn’t spread. They’d done it loads of times in the game—burning the remains so other monsters weren’t attracted by the smell of blood.
“We’ll keep going, if that’s all right,” said Gams.
“Of course.”
He was offering me the chance to go back to the village, but I was fine. This was going way better than my first attempt.