Vol 2 Chapter 1: An Old Acquaintance

Hugo

It's not fair!

Not fair not fair not fair!

Why does it end up this way? Why God why?

I'm an isekai protagonist! I'm supposed to be overpowered as all hell while having hot chicks all fall over me!

But now, I'm still a weakling! And I'm traveling alone in this goddamn snow without any girls to warm me up! The childhood friend type girl is off on the other side of the world and my cute sisters hate me now! And my beautiful big-boobed mom is a chopped-up frozen corpse, because I failed to save her and Father.

Is this it? Is this how it goes? My life will decline once again after childhood, just like before?

It's not fair, goddamnit, it's just not fair!

Such thoughts swam inside my mind over and over again as I ran across the freezing taiga. With no one around, I didn't care that I was crying and wailing in the most uncool, unsightly manner. Not only that tears were falling down my face, snot was falling out of my nose as well.

Some snow wolves tried to chase me but they couldn't even keep up with my speed.

I was crushed. Completely and absolutely crushed.

I didn't even look where I was running, going off the road as I wished. I just knew that I was heading northeast, to where my destination was.

I traveled in that state of mind for a week, stopping in the occasional villages for food and shelter. I was lucky that Father entrusted me with quite the generous amount of money when we departed from home.

...No, it wasn’t luck, was it? It was him anticipating if something ever happened to him and/or Mother.

And it did.

My sleep was, naturally, nowhere near a good night’s sleep.

Every night I would have nightmares of Father and Mother, shattering into pieces right in front of my eyes. Their decapitated heads would then speak, telling me that I wasn't good enough, that I was holding them back.

And then I would see Erika, shouting to my face that she hated me. Marina would be there as well, giving me a look of disapointment.

I would wake up in cold sweat in the middle of the night, with tears in my eyes.

It got so bad that one night, I actually wet the bed from it. Imagine that. A ten year old that still wets his bed.

I shamefully admitted it to the innkeeper, giving her some extra coins before running away.

It's what I deserved really. I was a pathetic failure. I was nowhere near those cool fantasy protagonists I liked to read about. Might as well add bedwetting to my long list of failures.

Eventually, I saw it. Lake Nurion. It was a large freshwater lake near the border between the Marjoram Province and the Brine Province.

For the next three days, I would run around it. I might be in my reckless mindset right now, but I wasn’t reckless enough to decide to just cross it using magic. I couldn’t even see the other end.

And then, I finally arrived at the Town of Nurion proper. And thus, I had crossed into Brine Province at last.

I gave one last look back at the taiga plains I had left behind.

I hope Marina’s all right now. Maybe she’s already getting back home at this point.

And sorry, for being a coward who decides to run away from his failure.

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From there, I took the river cruise, going north where I would disembark at Loinavuta. And from there, it was just a short walk away from Tulpio, the port town where I could finally leave this blasted place.

Holy shit, that was close.

The ticket for the trip was much more expensive than I had imagined. I nearly wasn’t able to pay it.

Oh God, now how would I pay for the ship to the Holy Continent? The ticket there must be even more expensive!

...I didn’t think this through, did I?

I thought I could make it to the Holy Continent with just my current funds. But it seemed I would have to take jobs as an adventurer if I was to buy my passage there.

The ship simply employed the current of the river heading to the sea to propel it forward. I originally thought they would utilize water magic to just boost the river forward, but I realized no water mage would last that long constantly casting their spell. And if they had a bunch of water mages, I imagined the expense each trip would take would skyrocket enormously.

They did have a water mage onboard though—a pretty young lady with teal hair, tied in a ponytail. It seemed it was her job to make sure that everything went smoothly on our trip. In fact, she did just that, as she took care of a river octopus that blocked our passage. She was an Advanced-level mage at the very least, judging by the spell she used.

This is how you can get a stable job as a mage, I suppose.

In four days, I arrived at my destination.

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The trip from Loinavuta to Tulpio only took me three days.

Once again, I was running, though at this point, I believed I might have calmed down, if only just for a little bit.

I decided that I would register at the Adventurer’s Guild in Tulpio, hoping that I wouldn’t get in trouble by doing so.

After all, I just killed one of their heads of state. Surely they would put a bounty on my head sooner or later.

But I got no other option. Unless I smuggled myself into one of the ships…

You know, that might be the better option. I’m already a criminal after all. And possibly a big shot one at that. Being a stowaway is far less of a crime than assassinating one of the Council members, I imagine.

I’ll consider my options once I get there.

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Well, this place sure is a busy one.

After three days on the road, I finally arrived at the port town.

And it was absolutely bustling with activity.

Even though it was winter, the weather was mild enough that the usual business and commerce proceedings were not impeded in the slightest. I could see multiple big ships docking on its port, even from the entrance of the town, as the whole place was built on a slope heading down to said port.

That salty scent you would find in the beaches back home assaulted my nose here as well. Even in another world, an ocean is an ocean after all.

I decided to go to the docks first, just to see if there really was a way for me to smuggle myself in. Of course, I also had to be sure that the ship really was going to the Holy Continent though.

On the way, I passed through the town market. Like your typical open market, it was loud and crowded, with a lot of merchants inviting in customers with their shouts and yells. Some sold fishes and other aquatic animals like octopuses and the like, which I could safely assume was caught straight from the nearby ocean. Some sold miscellaneous curiosities—magic items and the like. I took a look at one and immediately determined that it was fake. No magic inside it whatsoever.

I didn't say anything to the shopkeeper though. I'm not some sort of hero of justice who can't overlook even the slightest evil.

I'm just a failed trash. That's what I am.

Hmm? What's that?

Is that merchant selling books?

I walked over to the stall. It was somewhat secluded from the others with the merchant just chilling with his own book up on his face.

I picked up one of his books. The title was "The Adventure of The Strongest Knight."

Probably just the usual fantasy fanfare.

...

Wait, t-this is…

It's a porn book.

It's absolutely, 200%, a porn book.

It was a story about the titular knight, bedding all kinds of women in his journey to save the princess, whom he bedded in the end as well. Every woman received their own graphic picture as they were conquered by the protagonist, from the innocent barmaiden to the haughty female dragonkin that had kidnapped the princess.

"You want that, boy? 1 gold coin."

I jumped, surprised by the shopkeeper who was now glaring right at me. Nice, he's probably mad I'm skimming through his book without paying.

"Hold on, that look… Boy, something horrible had happened to you, hadn't it?"

Huh?

"Those eyes… they look like they've seen death. And recently at that." He scratched his beard. "Fine. You can take some of my books for free. They don't really sell anyways. Bah, you're what, ten years old, yet you already have those haunted eyes? What is wrong with the world these days?"

"R-really?"

"Yes, really. I just hope they could be of comfort to you, boy. Though, take my advice. There's nothing better than a real woman, gahahahaha!"

Real woman? Does he mean prostitutes?

I'm not old enough for that. I haven't even hit puberty yet.

Not to mention that not only I'll be trash, I'll be cheating trash as well if I start going to such places.

But porn books are okay, r-right?

In the end, I took up his offer, though I couldn't fit much in my Bag of Holding. So I only took a handful.

"T-thank you, Sir!" I gave him a smile.

"Now move along, kiddo. You're traveling, aren't'cha? I wish you the best of luck." He grinned, his two missing teeth showing.

And with that, I'm all stocked up on entertainment for a good while.

----------

I continued drudging through the market, trying my best to keep my Bag of Holding close so no thieves or pickpockets would be able to steal it from me. At times like these, I wish I can use Marina's spatial magic thingy. Then I won't have to walk around with an obvious bag like I'm doing right now.

"Come! Come! Take a look! Our Bramblewood Company sells all sorts of magic items! And they're all guaranteed to work 100%! And if they don't, we'll return your money!"

Argh! That's loud! So high-pitched too!

My gaze naturally turned to the source.

That's… a lizardgirl?

She was indeed one, red-skinned and all scaly with a lizard head. She wore a simple white dress, with what looked like a necklace made out of some animal tooth worn around her neck. Like a professional salesgirl, she was all smiles as she tried to attract customers to come to her shop.

Beside her was another red-scaled lizardkin, only that they were a tall and buff-looking man instead. He wielded what looked like a halberd, wearing some leather armor as well. The bodyguard, I guess. Maybe he's even related to the lizardgirl. Brothers and sisters, maybe?

And then, behind the two of them, the person who actually sat inside the stall, was a Hobbit girl.

She casually sat on a lazy chair, leaning backward with her eyes closed with a pipe in her mouth. Smoke clouds would come out frequently from the other tip, forming a ring-like shape.

...Wait, have I seen her before? She looks familiar…

And then, it hit me.

She's that hobbit girl Marina saved all those years ago! What's her name again? Umm, right, she's Sophie! Sophie Bramblewood!

"Oi, you thief!"

Suddenly, a bald middle-aged man came forward and slammed what looked like a dagger on the counter.

The big lizardman immediately moved in, but hobbit girl raised her arms, opening her eyes in the process.

"Is something the matter, dear customer?"

"You lied to me, you little bitch! This dagger doesn't work!"

"Ho, this is the Dagger of Safe Cutting, isn't it? What might be the problem?"

"I still cut my finger, even though you say it can never happen if I use this dagger to cook! Look!"

He showed off his bandaged index finger. Sure enough, you could see how the white fabric was reddened.

She gave a good look at the finger for a moment, even giving it a sniff, before letting out a sigh.

"Sir, it's not nice to lie, you know. You're not really wounded, are you? That's just strawberry jam you slathered inside the bandage."

"What? How dare you, you shitty hobbit! You accuse me of being a liar? I'll have you know that I'm the owner of—"

"Take him away, Rudferd." She waved her hand. The lizardman immediately moved, lifting the irate customer mid-sentence and throwing him off the premises, straight to the dirt.

“And give him his dagger back.”

The lizardman then threw said dagger to him, landing right beside his face in quite the threatening manner.

“You’re no longer welcome in this establishment.” He finally spoke. “Don’t bother Miss Bramblewood anymore.”

“Y-you… you uppity—Gaaah! Mark my words, you shitty hobbit! I’ll make you pay for this!”

The man then ran away, but not without taking his dagger with him.

“Alright everyone! Please, don’t mind that! Take your time looking at my merchandise! Like Rina said, it’s guaranteed to work 100%! Here, at the Bramblewood Company, we only sell the real deal! We don’t cheat or lie or scam our customers ever! Your satisfaction is completely guaranteed, so feel free to spend your money on anything you’re interested in!”

Witnessing all this, my jaw nearly dropped.

T-this is… this is the same Sophie Bramblewood that Marina rescued just a few years back? The same timid and scared merchant girl that just started her business?”

Just a few years and she’s transformed completely like this?

If I had to make a comparison, it’s as if your usual moeblob had transformed into a mob boss. She even kinda acted like that, with how she ordered the lizardman around. Not to mention that pipe of hers… God it felt so weird watching a little girl smoke, though obviously, she’s a hobbit, so she would still look like that even if she’s an adult for a good while. Signs of aging on a hobbit only appeared much later in their life.

And then, her eyes rested on me.

And it promptly widened in surprise.

“Hey, you! Hey kid! You’re Hugo, right?! Hugo Greenwood!”

Oh shit.

I didn’t want to show myself to her. In fact, I was just about to continue on, pretending not to recognize her.

What would I do if she starts to ask about Marina?

A radiant smile appeared on the hobbit's face. She put down her pipe, most likely putting it in a cabinet underneath her. And then, without any hesitation, she jumped off her chair, did a somersault mid-air,  before running right towards me.

"You're him! You're really him!"

"U-uh, excuse me, Miss, I don't think we've ever met before…" I lied, pretending not to know her.

"Whaaat? Don't tell me that you've forgotten about me? I'm Sophie! Sophie Bramblewood! The hobbit girl your sister saved three years ago!"

"O-oh, really?"

"Really! What are you doing here anyway? And where's Marina, huh? Where's your big sister? You're on some sort of family vacation? Going to the Holy Continent? That's one heck of a vacation if that's true!"

"N-no, I'm…"

I averted my gaze. I couldn't look at her bright blue eyes.

"...O-oh no, don't tell me… you ran away from home because you did something stupid and you ended all the way here?"

Bingo. She read me like a book.

-------

I silently let her grab my hand before dragging me to her shop.

"Alright, everyone! I'm sorry but we're going to close now!" She shooed away her customers. They all left with disappointed looks on their faces, which made me feel even worse than I already was.

"H-hey, you don't have to do this, you know."

"Nonsense! I want to have a nice chat with you, over a cup of coffee! I can't do that when I’m attending my shop!”

Not listening to my complaint in the slightest, she then ordered her two servants to start packing up, telling them that they were closing early for the day.

“Miss, is he your acquaintance?” The lizardman named Rudferd asked, eyeing me up and down with suspicion.

“Yes, he is. Haven’t I already told you how I started on this line of work? It’s all thanks to his sister that I can be where I am right now!”

“Aah, he’s the little brother, isn’t he?” The little lizard girl then chimed in with a giggle. “I remember now!” She clapped her hands together, smiling cheerfully. She would be a very cute little girl, I imagine, if I was into lizard girls.

“I see. So you’re the little brother of Miss Bramblewood’s benefactor. Forgive me for my insolence.” He gave a little bow.

Ah, he’s the silent and loyal type. Perfect for a bodyguard. Or a knight, even.

Makes sense why she would want one of those. If not to guard her and her goods of monster and bandit attacks on the road, then to protect her from scumbags like the guy from before.

And besides, it looks cool as all hell to have one just hovering near you, obeying your command with just a single gesture.

They packed up quickly, seemingly well-trained in the matter. I still couldn’t run away, since Sophie kept her grasp at my arm while the two worked.

Why do I have the feeling she’ll know it if I make up a false story to her? She’s gotten way better at distinguishing lies from the truth all these three years, I think. The way she confidently exposes that baldie’s lie, that’s not how an amateur would do things. She has experience doing that kind of thing. A lot of experience even.

Heh, to think that a timid girl like her could mature this much in just three years… What have I been doing with my life in comparison? Just messing around with magic, only to fail miserably at protecting those I care about...

“Hey, what’s with that gloomy look? Something bad really must have happened, huh?”

Once again, she read my expression like an open book.

I sighed. This is going to be hard.