V1C1 Part2

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Part 2

As I exited the royal palace, the iron gates closed with a loud bang from behind me.

It’s great that I was able to be free from that shady request, but…

What should I do now?

“I’ve really done it this time… But there was no other way, was there?” I muttered to myself as I walked along the streets of the royal capital. If I think about it, there could’ve been a better way to settle this.

I’ve had a bad habit even back in our original world. It stemmed from a trauma I got through a long string of shady jobs. It’s why I suddenly scrutinized the King, and fought with the President.

But still… the King’s request really was reminiscent of that job huh…

Ah shit… it’s all coming back.

One time before, I was roped in to doing a certain shady job. People were brought to the work site by wagon, and when they were done with their work, they were fired. If they wanted to be sent to the nearest station – which was two and a half hours away on foot – we had to forfeit half the day’s wage as payment for gasoline. Those were rough times…

Yeah, the King’s request felt like that situation. Well, this time I was fired before I even did any work, which is still bad in its own right.

I should harden my resolve… Let’s survey the situation shall we?

I’m currently in Rignadal Kingdom, the capital of Sabaras Continent. Said capital, which the King is situated in, is, of course, the biggest city in the country. Over at the distance, where one can see a white majestic building, was the royal palace that I was in earlier. Right now, I was at a plaza just ways off from the royal palace, where the wide cobblestone streets stretching out from all directions meet, walking by the area where big trees were planted.

Owing to this world’s fantasyesque setting, there were various races walking on the streets. There were the famous long-eared elves, and even the short-statured dwarves. That would leave the ones with the animal ears as the beastmen race.

The intersection I was at was the central hub, with different food stalls and shops all around. There were weapon shops, tool shops,and shops selling medicine and herbs among others.

However, even though I was flung into another world, I didn’t feel all that surprised.

I was neglected even since childhood. I was passed around between my relatives and was forced to change schools constantly as well; as a result, I grew numb to the changes in my environment. And since this world already has rules set in place depending on where you are… well, it just means I have to be numb on a bigger scale.

“Come get your Dengaradon Boar skewers here! It’s delicious!”

“I’d like one please.” I stopped in front of the food stall.

“Thanks for your patronage, that’ll be one Arshe.” The rough-looking uncle said as he handed me the greasy skewer. I, in turn, handed over one silver coin – one Arshe to be more precise – to the uncle.

“By the way, it’s my first time being here in the Royal Capital, would you know how much the inn costs for a night’s stay?”

“Hm? For 20 Arshe you can stay at the best inns, popular even to the nobles, but the going price for an inn is around 15 Arshe. If you’re reasonably skilled and have ‘friends’ you can ‘strike a deal’ and cut off the price by 10 Arshe for an overnight stay. Well, I don’t really recommend that.”

“Thank you very much, I’ll be off then.” I waved goodbye to the uncle and left the stall.

I go to a corner of the square and sat near a brush and started stuffing my mouth with the skewer. It was greasy, but it was still pretty delicious. Now that I think about it, I haven’t eaten breakfast yet.,

Now, the problem is, what do I do from now onward.

The King generously provided me a leather bag with 3 gold coins and 100 silver coins, which altogether makes for 400 Arshe. By that logic, it would seem a silver coin is equal to 1 Arshe, and a gold coin is 100 Arshe.

As expected, even they would feel ashamed of throwing someone out penniless, when they were the ones who summoned said person. They couldn’t just leave me out defenseless as well so they provided me with a short sword, a leather armor and some of this world’s clothes. They also gave me a backpack with some provisions such as herbs and 2 servings of bread and dried meat.

For now, this is all I have.

Well, I won’t hold back. In the first place, the King summoned us at his own convenience. With this, we’re even.

“So a skewer is 1 Arshe. If I add some side dishes to that, then a meal would cost 2 to 3 Arshe. So, if I take into account that a night’s stay in an inn is around 15 Arshe, then a day’s expense would be around 20 Arshe. Since I have 400 Arshe, I could probably survive for about 20 days.”

Right now, I need to somehow find a way to get some money… Will I really be ok?

Should I have just accepted the King’s request after all?

“Oof…” The moment I thought that, my skin crawled in protest. Yeah, I can’t, I just cannot. The King’s request was way too shady for my tastes.

Although, it might sound weird coming from someone who’s worked 5 shady jobs in senior high.

Let’s think calmly about this.

First of all, would this 400 Arshe be considered a lot or a small amount. Considering the contents of the jobthe King set for us, this most likely is a small amount. Sure, if you went along with what the King requested and get guaranteed food and shelter, you’d probably think it’s enough. But in the first place, you wouldn’t know how well they would provide for your needs, or if they’ll even provide for your needs at all.

They intended to send us to the front lines. I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t have enough supplies to provide for our needs there. And if ever anyone had some form of dissatisfaction about the conditions, they’d most likely strip you away of your 400 Arshe and leave you to fend for yourself.

On top of that, they were going to send us by transfer magic, meaning we wouldn’t even be able to retrace our steps. Considering that they were even thinking about using transfer magic, says that the distance between the frontier from here is quite a sizable one.

It’s also quite evident by how normal it was for the capital to be this busy. If the threat of the demon army was near, there’s no way that the denizens would have such a carefree attitude.

In other words, if we went to the front lines, there was no way in hell we would be able to find our way back here on our own.

How far would it be from here to the front lines? We wouldn’t even know if there was a road that leads back to civilization.

I doubt even a cheat skill can overcome such an obstacle, that is, physical distance. Well, that is unless one were to go wild and live off nature.

It just solidifies the fact that none of us knows about this world’s geography at all. Which would mean, if we go to the front lines, we would have no choice but to obey their every whim.

You want some money? Go kill some monsters!

You want food? Go kill some monsters!

You want to get some treatment? Show me results first!

To that end, even our return to our original world would probably be held ransom in exchange for us continually killing demons. I mean, there’s no way of telling if they even have the intention to return us back home or not.

They really are a shady company.

“Haaaa… maybe I’m just thinking too much about it.”

Either way, my skill is not really suited for being a hero., If I tried to fight the Demon Lord, I’d probably die.

“Now the question is, how can I use this skill for a living?” If I remember correctly, the King said that we hold skills that are only given to those who have been summoned from another world.

Then why is it that the skill that I got seems so useless in battle? Also, the level is so low. What the heck?

Unique Skill[Skill Structure: Lvl 1]Normal Skill[Sword Arts: Lvl 2]

[Smash: Lvl 1]

[Cleaning: Lvl 1]

[Analysis: Lvl 1]

[Other World Conversation: Lvl 5]

Especially this unique skill, [Skill Structure] I don’t have a single clue what it does.

I understand most of the normal skills as it’s mostly straightforward. I’m assuming that the [Other World Conversation] just translates everything I hear around me in real time. I just can’t picture what kind of skill [Skill Structure] is. A skill unique only to me…

“[Skill Structure], activate.” When I activated the skill, a small window floated inf front of me. No one flinched when it suddenly appeared, so I guess it means only I can see it.

Set a Skill in the Window.

It looks like I can just set it in my head.

What’ll happen if I try putting in [Smash: Lvl 1]?

[Smash: Lvl 1]A skill that <Deals> <Powerful Damage> to <Low Leveled Monsters>.

That’s what showed up in the screen.

That’s it.

…

“You want me to be a hero with this skill?” This was the main reason I didn’t want to go to the front lines. I have no idea how to use this skill. There’s no way of knowing if it’s an offensive skill or a support skill.

If I was sent to the front lines in such a state, I can’t reverse that decision.

So, it would be a better idea for me to look for ways or survive in town. If I was in town, I might be able to find jobs unrelated to fighting. The more options I have, the better.

So, before the 400 Arshe that I have runs out, I need to find a way to make a living.

At this point, returning to our original world comes down to luck. I’m not too attached if it doesn’t happen though. Right now, my only goal is to survive. If possible, maybe get a simple, happy life.

I’ll investigate every nook and cranny of this world so I know what kind of world it is, so that I won’t be used. I’ll be damned if I’m forced to work even in this world. It’s high time I take a break from all those shady companies. Never again will I be used by someone else.

I’ll live carefully so I won’t stand out and avoid trouble. And then, when all is said and done, I want to be able to live without working! To that end, I’ll-

…

“I’ll do what? What should I do?”

“You’ve shown us an interesting skill there. Would you like to join forces?” A voice came inside my head.

Could it be?

Telepathy?

You can often see it in games. It’s like when one of those situations where someone enters a shrine and a deity or a spirit speaks inside their head.

It wouldn’t be weird if said situation did happen, since it is another world.

I wonder where the voice is coming from. Even though I look around, I don’t see anyone looking at me.

It’s still pretty early so there’s still a lot of people walking around everywhere. There were also a lot of stalls to contribute to the traffic. There was the stall that sold me the skewer earlier, a stall that sold fruit, a self-proclaimed specialty stall that sold food that looked like meat-wrapped bread, also a stall that sold herbal and wound medicines.

Aside from the stalls, there were also the shops. There was the weapon and armor shop, a shop that sells crystal balls, heck, there was even a shop that had a sign that showed a collar and a key… Whatever that was.

The point is, there were way too many people to know where that voice was coming from. That means, even if I want to know who the person is behind the voice, there was no way of me knowing. So I guess for now, I have to focus on finding out what it wants.

Hooo… Don’t be afraid. Just gather information. You’re just starting out in this world.

“Join forces? I don’t quite get your meaning.”

“The only thing we can provide is information. You are a ‘Visitor’ are you not?”

“‘Visitor’?”

“People that come from a different world. We know that they were summoned here.”

“I have one question… Who are you?”

“We are without form as we are lingering thoughts. A ghost if you will.”

…what? A ghost?

It would have been cooler if it was a deity or a spirit. I mean in a world full of swords and magic, if someone introduced themselves as a ghost… Well, it doesn’t really come off as scary.

“So what you’re saying is that you still have some regrets and that you can’t move on, so you talked to me so that i can resolve them?”

“You catch on quick.” Though I can’t see him, the tone of his voice holds a friendly vibe, so I doubt the regret he has is related to a grudge. I wonder if this regret he has is such a big deal.

Whether I trust him or not is still up in the air.

“So uh ghost, what can you tell me?”

“I can tell you about this world’s rules, as well as how you can use your skill.”

“How is it that you know how to use my skill?”

“We’ve been living- no, had lived for a long time. In our years of living, we’ve borne witness to visitors such as yourself that possess skills that can turn this world’s rules on its head. Those were always the chosen ones.”

“I won’t change my mind about what I said to the King.”

“We are not asking you to defeat the Demon Lord. We are soon to be gone from this world. As we are just lingering thoughts, we cannot affect the world around us, but it is because of that that we can get a glimpse of everyone’s skills.” The ghost said after a pause.

“Why not let us make a Contract? We shall teach you how to utilize your skill, and with that skill, we request that you save a certain girl.”

“Contract?”

“In this world, a Contract is everything. Take a look at the shop that sells crystal balls at the edge of the square.”

I did as I was told and looked. At the front of the shop, there was a man interacting with the people manning the shop.

The man handed over a leather bag overflowing with coins to the shopkeepers, and in return, he received a crystal ball, which he then thrust into his chest. The crystal ball went inside while sounding like an inhalation of breath.

The man then ran away with a speed of someone with a haste spell casted on him.

“That is a store that sells ‘skills’.”

“Skills? You can even deal with skills in this world?”

“Only if it’s with the consent of the person. By extracting the skill, one can know what kind of skill it is. You can even sell it for some money. Look over at the shop next to it.”

“You mean the one with a sign of a collar and a lock on it?”

“That’s a shop that sells slaves.”

“!?” Wait a second. You can even sell people?

Then that means that this isn’t like a game setting where we’re supposed to be heroes and save this other world from the Demon Invasion. No. If it’s possible to deal with people and skills, then it’s not so far-fetched to make someone into a slave, to enslave them…

“It really was good that I fled from the King…”

“What?”

“They were going to make us fight, if we were useless, they were going to throw us out; and then for the sake of getting money, sell our skills, and at the end we’ll become slaves… I can see it happen just like that.”

“Ah. There have been cases like that indeed.”

The ghost then started talking about the rules of a Contract. A Contract enforces a promise that was made between two consenting individuals. With a Contract, you can exchange goods, buy and sell, or even do something in exchange for information.

In this world, there’s a god of Contract, so Contracts between people have a binding force. Those who do not uphold their side of the Contract, are inflicted with a Curse of Insomnia.

At first, it occurs every other week; then, every few days; until finally, every day would be a sleepless nightmare. No matter how much you want to sleep, you’re simply unable to. Even if your head is daze, even if your consciousness is blurry, sleep will always be out of your grasp. Even after all that, you still do not hold your side of the deal, it can even lead to death.

Those are the rules of Contracts that rule over this world.

“I bet the King wanted to make a Contract. Something like ‘if you defeat the Demon Lord, you’ll be returned to your original world.’” But if put in another way, ‘unless we defeat the Demon Lord, we won’t return you to your original world’. Just like that, our way home would have been held hostage.

That’s scary! That King is definitely shady!

As for the others… well, ever since the beginning, we were unfairly taken from our world, there should be at least one person with doubts. Let’s just hope that they’ll avoid making a Contract…

I regain my thoughts, and I looked at the slave shop. It was a brick building with window lattices, but I couldn’t tell what was inside.

“So the girl you want me to save is inside there?”

“Indeed.”

“Which one?”

“That shop’s most beautiful girl.”

“Something specific.”

“She’s short and has brown skin. Her name’s Cecyl Pharott. She is the last surviving member of the Demons that the humans destroyed.” Said the voice.

…Demons?

“What are Demons? Is there any relation between Demons and the Demon Lord?”

“No, it’s different. A Demon Lord is the Lord of demonic creatures – monsters – that poses as a threat to humanity. They’re beings unlike any form of humanity. We Demons are another race of demi-humans. Just another form of humanity.”

So, they’re not related to the Demon Lord huh?

True, the Demon Lord is waging war in the front lines. If they were related, then it really would be weird that they’d be in a slave shop smack dab in the royal capital.

“But then… why did you Demons go through such hardships?” They were as much of an inhabitant of this world as any of them were.

“Appearance-wise, demons look the same as humans, the exception is that we hold great magical power, which is why they were wary of us. They labeled us as ‘Demons’ and treated as abominations, until finally, they eradicated us; through War, through Demon Hunts, or by natural or man-made disasters to name a few.

“They endlessly accused us of different things like, ‘they must be the ones controlling those monsters’, ‘they’re definitely plotting revenge against humans’, or ‘the Demons definitely cursed us with this plague’.

“We were a peaceful race, we didn’t like fighting, yet in the end, we are survived by only one person.”

Wait a second.

This guy, he’s not just any ghost is he?

Why didn’t I notice before? He’s been referring to himself as ‘we’ all this time wasn’t he?

He’s no lingering thoughts of one person, but of something bigger.

This guy, definitely, is the whole race’s-

“We are the Demons’ lingering thoughts. Together, we are called ‘Astarte’. Once that child can stand on her own, and when we find a master that can protect her, we will vanish. Won’t you receive our daughter into your hands, oh visitor?”

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