Chapter 35
The forest is boring, stuffy, and uncomfortable.
Coming from someone who's lived in the forest for 12 years, that statement would be hard to refute.
The fact that Yor has all these weird hobbies like sewing, tanning, and grinding is just a product of trying to shake off the boredom.
Sure, the scenery is nice, but seeing it for 12 years straight was too much.
While you can eat meat often, there's only so much you can do with cooking.
There's simply nothing fun to do in this forest.
It was only natural that he felt stifled.
"What?"
At first, Ha-neul expressed concern.
"Is it okay to go outside? If we get caught, it'll be a huge problem."
While illusion magic can deceive sight, it's not invincible.
Not only was there a risk of being discovered, but the consequences of discovery were far too severe.
"Don't worry. I'll be as careful as possible."
Of course, Yor had considered this too.
Going outside the forest meant taking an unnecessary risk.
But people can't always live rationally, can they?
He wanted to have an adventure just once.
And he wanted to see how the world had changed over the past few years.
Sure, Chae-rin regularly brought information... but there's a difference between hearing and seeing.
Actually, forget all that - Yor just wanted to go out.
After being in the forest for 12 years, wasn't it reasonable to want to do some city sightseeing?
He wanted to watch people, eat some bread, things like that.
Fortunately, Ha-neul didn't strongly object.
While she was worried, changing appearances with illusion magic wasn't particularly difficult.
"Wait. I'll expand the skill range a bit."
Saying that, she drew out more mana.
She planned to change not just the tattoo but his appearance as well.
After all, Yor was somewhat famous in his own right.
Judging by how his photos occasionally circulated in the community, everyone probably knew his face. It would be troublesome if people crowded around.
As the magic began, Yor's appearance gradually transformed.
His black hair changed to a common brown, and his brilliant amber eyes were changed to an inconspicuous blue.
Blue eyes were common in this Western-style world after all.
She also slightly altered the proportions of his nose and face.
Mostly toning things down.
While it was a shame to hide such handsome features... well, that could remain their little secret.
"Oh."
After changing his appearance, Yor's original look was almost completely gone.
Of course, his basic build couldn't be completely changed, but at least no one would recognize him from this appearance.
Looking at his transformed self, Yor smiled with satisfaction and said.
"Good. Let's go."
And so they left the forest.
*
Perhaps because they went early in the morning, the sun was still bright when they left the forest.
The weather was absolutely beautiful. The clouds fixed in the sky like a painting only added to the atmosphere.
Yor had changed his clothes to go outside.
Obviously, he couldn't go to a crowded downtown area wearing just a tank top.
In medieval times, that could get you arrested for public indecency.
So to avoid standing out, he wore long pants, a short-sleeved shirt, and even added a brown cloak.
While it might be a bit hot, at least he wouldn't draw attention.
After leaving the forest, the first thing they saw was a vast plain stretching to the horizon.
Though there was a large city nearby, it would take at least an hour of walking to reach it.
For Im Ha-neul, it was a somewhat pleasant yet awkward time.
While Yoo Chae-rin could probably chatter excitedly for an hour, conversation was quite burdensome for someone as unsociable as her. Moreover, even Yor was a loner who had barely met anyone in 12 years. It was truly a party of socially awkward introverts.
Still, they managed to maintain some small talk with effort.
'...Wait.'
As they walked for a while, she suddenly realized something incredible.
'Come to think of it, isn't this a date...?'
A man and woman going somewhere together to have fun. At least by her common sense, this was a date. What's more, the "man" was the one who suggested it first. This was far too progressive for her conservative self.
Good lord, she'd never even been on a proper blind date in real life, and now she was suddenly on a date with a man!
'Calm down, he's just an NPC... this is virtual reality...'
She tried to comfort herself to regain composure.
Still, it was a bit sad to get excited about virtual reality...
Ironically, she was the one who told Chae-rin to maintain emotional distance.
At this rate, she might become a modern-day Pygmalion.
"Hm? Are you hot? Your face is kind of red."
"Huh? Ah, no..."
Anyway, after walking diligently, they reached the city.
"Good. You may pass!"
Creeak!
After a brief inspection, the guard opened the gate.
Thanks to the illusion magic perhaps, nothing particularly caught their attention.
As they entered the city, Yor looked around and said:
"Wow, this is my first time entering through the main gate since I was 10."
"......"
At those pitiful words, Ha-neul wasn't sure whether to laugh or feel sad.
*
To be honest, I don't have many good memories of the city.
I lived in a small orphanage on the outskirts, and being an orphanage, we didn't live very abundantly.
Still, looking at the young slaves in the back alleys, I used to think my situation was much better than theirs.
Ironically, even that life was completely destroyed when my demon's blood manifested at age 10.
A major criminal at age 10. Not an easy achievement, that.
Anyway, because of that, the city could only be a painful memory for me.
But coming to the city after so long, I had to admit something.
Civilization really is unbeatable when it comes to entertainment.
"Wow..."
People everywhere you look.
Otherworlders and Gaians walked the streets in harmony.
Some buildings even seemed to be built in a modern style, perhaps influenced by the Otherworlders.
There was even a well-endowed noona right next to me.
Thanks to all this, I walked around the streets with Ha-neul with an excited heart.
"Holy shit, they have pizza bread?"
While walking around, I saw something absolutely shocking. In this medieval era, they actually had pizza bread!
I remember occasionally buying it in my past life, but I never imagined I'd see it again in this world!
Seeing my surprised expression, Im Ha-neul explained.
"Oh, this? They started selling it at some point. I think some Otherworlders shared the recipe... but how did you know it was pizza bread?"
"Ah, um... Chae-rin told me about it."
After making that rather poor excuse, I continued my amazement.
This was truly an incredible development. Is this the positive influence of the Otherworlders?
At this rate, we might even get to eat chicken pizza here someday.
I prayed that day would come quickly. And if I'm being greedy, hopefully I could return to civilization too.
Of course I bought the pizza bread. Though the price was a bit more outrageous compared to my past life, I couldn't pass up such an amazing opportunity.
Fresh out of the oven, it greeted me with a warm and chewy texture. The taste was, needless to say, a pass.
Just this alone made my city adventure worthwhile.
That's when it happened, as we were walking happily down the street.
"Stop! Please halt for a moment."
Suddenly someone blocked our path.
Thin chain mail and a slim spear in hand. A city guard.
My heart instantly sank. Guards weren't exactly friendly figures to me, then or now.
'Did they discover us?'
Feeling slight anxiety, I fidget with the dagger on my back. If things go wrong, I plan to cause a commotion and escape.
"What seems to be the problem?"
Before I could step forward, Im Ha-neul asked.
Responding to her wary reaction, the guard gave a casual laugh and said:
"Haha, no need to be so cautious. It's just a routine inspection. There's been talk of this Lemegeton or whatever causing trouble lately."
"Ah..."
Phew, I let out an internal sigh of relief.
So this was a thing. Well, makes sense - the country must be desperate to catch those guys. Understandable that security would be tightened.
The problem was that it happened right when I came to play.
Still, trying to act natural, I asked them.
"... So what kind of inspection are you planning to do?"
"Oh my, sir, you have quite a nice voice. It's simple. Just show us your ID tag."
"Ah..."
ID tag. Simple enough.
Normal people living in the city would naturally have an ID tag. Just need to show something, whether it's an adventurer tag, merchant tag, whatever.
'But I don't have anything like that?'
The problem was that I'm basically a credit defaulter.
How could someone treated worse than back alley kids have something like that?
'Well, fuck.'
It was kind of funny that they're checking now when they didn't check at the gate. Are these guys doing their job properly?
Should I just run now?
Since my face is hidden anyway, fleeing wouldn't really hurt me. Though Ha-neul would have some trouble... but she has proper ID so she could escape, right?
While I was contemplating how to get out of this, a voice came from beside me.
"What are you doing? Hurry up and take it out."
It was Ha-neul's voice, not the guard's.
I questioned her with my eyes. How am I supposed to take out something I don't have?
"What do you mean? You had it when we left. Isn't it in your back pocket?"
"Hm?"
That's when I realized she was plotting something.
"Ah, oh. Right, I did."
I decided to play along with her act.
I pretended to search my pockets while looking for the non-existent ID tag.
Of course, searching wasn't going to make a non-existent ID tag appear.
"Ah, damn, I can't find it, where did it go?"
As I continued my awkward acting, Ha-neul, who had been watching with an impatient look, started to move.
"... Wait, let me look for it."
Her expression was filled with determination.
Swoosh!
And so her hand reached into my pocket.