Chapter 70: Staying at the Inn
“Well, with this, I can finally build a somewhat elaborate house without it going to waste.”
I had been building and breaking down houses repeatedly, but with this, I could gradually improve my home. It might not be very large, but I could definitely focus on functionality.
“That’s not the issue here!”
As I indulged in my daydreams, Frist stepped forward to voice everyone’s thoughts with a sharp retort.
“Isn’t expanding the entrance of the Dimensional Box going to consume quite a bit of Magic Power?”
“Rio can use quite a bit of magic, huh?”
Unlike Frist, Milka and Emily seemed genuinely impressed.
“Ahaha.”
I chuckled awkwardly, but I couldn’t help but feel pleased that Rio was being praised.
“Oh, we’ll be departing shortly, so please get ready!”
While I was busy storing the house and chatting, it seemed like quite a bit of time had passed. After quickly finishing breakfast, we boarded the carriage and set off from the campsite.
Before long, the Heavenly Wolf Forest appeared on our left, and the path began to narrow. The carriage continued its steady journey southward.
“By the way, I heard that Heavenly Wolf Mushrooms are a local specialty. Is there anything else worth mentioning?”
At the Guild, I had only heard about the mushrooms. It was best to ask someone knowledgeable about the area if there were any other interesting things to see.
“Hmm, well, there are some legendary tales, I suppose.”
“Are there really?”
“Considering the village’s name, there must be some truth to it.”
“Could it be that a monster called Fenrir appears?”
As I voiced my guess, Frist, who was sitting next to me, and the girl in front of me both looked surprised.
“Do you know about Fenrir, big brother?”
Well, it’s a pretty famous name. Depending on the game or manga, it’s sometimes referred to as a divine beast. And since it’s the name of the village, there must be some backstory to it.
“No, I’ve only heard the name before.”
“Well, Fenrir appears before naughty children and gobbles them up!”
The girl spread her arms wide to illustrate Fenrir’s size, and it was incredibly cute.
“Wow, that sounds scary.”
Rio chimed in, pretending to be frightened.
“So, does Fenrir really appear in the Heavenly Wolf Forest?”
I asked again, but Frist just shook her head.
“That’s just a legend. Apparently, there haven’t been any sightings for over two hundred years.”
“But there are Silver Wolves that appear deeper in the Heavenly Wolf Forest. Individually, they’re C Rank, but in packs, they become B Rank. We wouldn’t stand a chance, so we’d have to run away.”
“Wait? Are there such creatures in the forest, and is the village safe?”
From what I gathered, it seemed that Silver Wolves had never ventured into the village. The forest was rich and abundant, providing plenty of prey. Adventurers occasionally encountered them while searching for the wild Heavenly Wolf Mushrooms that grow deep within. It was said that the deeper the mushrooms were found, the better their aroma and taste.
Hearing that made me want to go gather some.
“Ah, we’ve arrived.”
That evening, we safely reached the Village of the Heavenly Wolf, Fenrir. Surrounded by wooden walls about three meters high, it was a village with a surprisingly sturdy structure.
After going through the usual checks at the gate, our carriage entered the village. The wooden houses were plentiful, giving off a quintessential village vibe.
“It smells so much like mushrooms…”
The first thing I noticed was the rich aroma of mushrooms wafting through the village. Just being here made my stomach growl.
“Hahaha, well, it’s a type of mushroom that’s commonly eaten in households.”
“Really? I thought it would be a luxury item.”
“Not all harvested mushrooms are for sale, you know.”
I see. It must be the ones that are misshapen or too small.
“Well then, we’ll be on our way.”
“Bye-bye, big sister and big brother!”
“See you later.”
Once we arrived at the shared carriage stop, we parted ways with our fellow passengers.
“Alright, shall we go?”
“The inn should be that way.”
We headed toward the recommended inn that Frist had told us about. With the sun having set, there were fewer shops open, so we had no choice but to head to the inn. Since this village thrived on its specialty mushrooms, there were several decent-looking inns lined up. We stepped into the largest one.
“Welcome!”
Behind the counter stood a calm-looking woman. She had an air about her that felt more like a high-end hotel than a village inn.
“We’re two people. Do you have any rooms available?”
“Would you like a twin room?”
“Yes, please.”
“Please wait a moment…”
After checking, she informed us that there was a standard twin room and a more luxurious one available, so we opted for the latter. The price was 2000 Fron, which was no problem.
“How would you like your dinner? We also have a full course featuring Heavenly Wolf Mushrooms.”
“Then I’ll take that.”
“Understood.”
“Eh!?”
I immediately replied, and Rio shot me a look of disbelief.
“Come on, it’s a full course featuring Heavenly Wolf Mushrooms! It’s been smelling so good since we entered the village, and can you really resist, Rio?”
“…But you didn’t even ask about the price before deciding.”
Her response came after a slight pause, but it didn’t seem entirely negative. Surely, Rio couldn’t resist the allure of the aroma either.
“Since we’ve come all this way, we should indulge in the local specialties.”
“…You’re right. It’s not like I don’t want to eat it, so I might have ended up ordering it anyway.”
“Then let me show you to your room.”
The woman, who had been watching our exchange with a smile, led us to our room. By the way, the full course was priced at 15,000 Fron per person.