Chapter 199

While I was no longer subject to abnormal hunger pangs, eating was still very important for my body.
I had to eat while I could, or I would regret it. Especially now, when I didn’t know when I might be summoned.

“Old man. I need something to eat. Something heavy. What do you have?”
“Aye. You should have meat then. We have some wild boar. Should I cook it?”

These wild boars were incredibly vicious, and were strong enough to skewer Goblins.

Just imagine something that’s several times larger and more dangerous than an American buffalo.
Hunting them alone was a difficult task. And I happened to find them rather delicious.

“I like the sound of that. Three servings…”
“Hey, get me the usual.”

Someone cut in.
Of course, I was not so short-tempered to get angry over that.
When it came to personal matters that concerned me alone, I could be patient.

However, I would not have minded a short apology.

“Sorry. I told you this morning, but we’re all out.”
“But I told you to prepare some!”

“The market isn’t open today. It won’t be open until the day after tomorrow.”
Apparently, this customer’s favorite food was out of stock. It happened often.

This customer who argued with the old man was a Shadow Ape.
They were of the higher ranks and were known for being huge and having especially long fur on their arms.

The Shadow Apes were evolved Heavy Apes.
And Heavy Apes were a special type of Fierce Ape.

I didn’t like how he was picking on this poor innkeeper.

“I’ve been waiting in my room all of this time. I’m starving. I don’t care how much you have to run around the town to find it! If I don’t get my meal, I’m going to break your neck.”
It would be easy enough to do, for a Shadow Ape.

The old innkeeper was trembling.
In the first place, it seemed like this Shadow Ape wasn’t from this country.
Perhaps he was here as some merchant’s bodyguard.

“I’m terribly sorry. I will go right now…”
But I stopped the old man as he was about to leave.

“Why are you getting in the way!?”
The Shadow Ape’s attention turned to me.

“Don’t you think you’re being a little too self-centered? I understand that you’re annoyed, but it’s not good to take it out on those who are weaker than you.”

“You. You think you can lecture me? If you’re going to come at me, do it with fists!”
Oh, are you sure?

Well then. I grabbed the back of his neck with my left hand, fixing him so he couldn’t move. Then I slammed my right hand into his stomach.

Recently, I had gained an understanding of how to use my body. And so I unleashed a shock wave the moment before my fist made contact with him.
Was it a sonic boom? Did I surpass the speed of light?

Normally he would have broken through the walls and flown out of the inn like some kind of cartoon character. Thankfully, I was holding him by the neck.
On the other hand, his neck did bend back. Might have even broken a little.

“Old man. This guest is tired and would like to rest. Which one is his room?”
“Y-y-yes. U-upstairs. The third room to the right!”

“Got it. I’m going to put him in bed. In the meantime, I’d like to order three plates of that wild boar.”
“Ce-certainly!!”

The old man was shaking like a leaf, though the threat was now gone.
He must have been really scared.

And so I carried the Shadow Ape up the stairs.
“Uhh, third to the right…here it is.”

The room was a lot cleaner than I expected.
There were weapons strewn around the floor, but the laundry was all hung up neatly.
Perhaps he had a surprisingly methodical side to him.

“Oh, look. He has the same kind of bag next to his laundry. Is he a baggage carrier in spite of being a high-ranker?”
If that was true, his master must be incredibly powerful.

I decided to push it out of my mind as I headed back down the stairs.
The old man must have been cooking in a hurry, as my food was already on the table.

“This looks delicious.”
As I started to eat, someone sat right in front of me.

“…You. Are you a merchant?”
Came the sudden question.

I didn’t know what race the man was. It was hard to get information on the more rare types.
Also, he was an outsider, just like me. Was this inn a place that attracted people like us?

“A merchant, eh? …Well, sort of.”
I accepted challenges, but I didn’t antagonize others. And so I decided to give him a vague answer.
Also, I didn’t want him to pry if I told him that I wasn’t a merchant.

It did not look good if you were wandering around in a foreign country when you weren’t a merchant.
The man looked a little relieved when he heard this.

“So it is you. Well, thought it would be. How many outsiders can there be here…? No, more importantly, I’m sorry. The roads have been temporarily closed.”
“The roads? Why?”

“Because the army will be passing through. And since there’s no guarantee that there won’t be spies around, they do not want people to see them marching.”

There was a war happening somewhere, and they had clashed with enemy reinforcements.
Because of this, they had to stop for a few days.

However, I wasn’t sure why he was telling me this.
“That’s unfortunate.”

“Indeed. Anyway, sorry that I’m late… That being said, I think you’re drawing too much attention. If you’re going to hang it, do it near your own laundry. Besides, normally you would hang it on the side of the back road.”

Hang?
“You mean the bag?”

“Yes. We always walk down the road behind the inns when trying to find the place you’re staying at. I was just going to start looking when I saw it hanging out in the front.”
“…”

Could it be that he thought I was someone else?

I continued to eat my meat silently. The man looked around and continued in a hushed voice.
“Hurry up and take me to the room. It’s too dangerous to talk here.”

“My room?”
I asked with an annoyed expression. He lowered his voice even further.

“Were you not also hired by Lord Nehyor? Now hurry up. Take me to your room.”
He demanded.

Next Chapter

Makai Hongi