"Sorry, sorry, I'm really sorry!"
Julius stood at his room's doorway, apologizing to someone outside. The room door was still open.
Saya was sitting on the bed, and both of them were fully dressed.
"Yes, it won't happen again."
Julius scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he spoke.
He then closed the door behind him.
SIGH
"We were a bit too loud, Saya. The owner and probably everyone else heard us."
"Yes, Master."
There was a moment of silence… and then both of them burst into laughter.
Julius stretched his arms above his head with a big yawn.
"Alright, let's go complete that quest now."
"Sure, Master."
The two of them headed downstairs to the ground floor. As they descended, they could feel every pair of eyes in the inn turn to look at them.
Without saying a word, they casually walked out.
As they left, Julius noticed the innkeeper's daughter staring at him from behind the counter.
Outside, it was already noon. They both took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh, open air.
"Master, where do we go now?"
"We need to find a liquor shop nearby and stock up on some good booze."
"Okay, Master."
They began exploring more of the town properly this time.
There weren't too many people outside, and those who were seemed busy with their routines. Most of them were NPCs—autonomous AI-driven entities.
Though their designs had been created by the developers, their actions and dialogues were controlled by an independent AI system—making each of them feel somewhat alive.
As Julius and Saya continued walking, they suddenly heard the sound of clashing wood.
To their right was a small garden, and in it, two kids were sparring with wooden swords.
One was a girl, the other a boy—both in their mid-teens.
Suddenly, the girl swung her sword swiftly and struck the boy on the head, winning the match.
The girl had golden hair styled into twin ponytails with bangs and a headband. Her skin was fair, and she had sparkling golden eyes. She wore a uniquely designed pink frock with white accents, long sleeves, brown stockings that disappeared beneath the hem of her dress, and red heels on her feet.
The boy wore a brown hoodie, jeans, and leather boots. His hair was short and black, his skin lightly tanned, and his eyes a piercing blue.
"If you'd blocked her swing in time and countered, you could've easily won."
Julius teased the boy with a smirk.
The girl looked at Julius and Saya, bowed politely, and greeted them.
"Good afternoon, sir and ma'am."
"Good afternoon," both Julius and Saya replied warmly.
"You sound pretty confident. But I bet even you couldn't beat me with a sword."
The boy snapped at Julius, a bit rude in tone. Just then, both Saya and the girl punched him on the head at the same time.
"You shouldn't talk to adults like that," the girl scolded.
"Speak like that to Master again, and I'll kill you on the spot," Saya added coldly.
"Ugh, why are you hitting me, Lily?! And you're walking around with those big breasts—hitting people like it's nothing. I wouldn't mind suffocating in—"
Before he could finish that inappropriate sentence, the girl—Lily—started beating him senseless.
After a few seconds of smacking him around, she turned to Saya, bowed, and apologized.
"I'm really sorry on his behalf, ma'am. He's just… always like this."
"Ugh, what did I even say wrong? I mean, her breasts are just—"
Before he could finish again, Lily grabbed him by the ear and started pulling it hard.
"Hahahaha..."
Julius couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Why are you laughing so much, huh?"
The boy frowned at him.
"Nothing, nothing. Just… having fun. Well, enjoy yourselves. We'll be on our way now. Bye!"
Saya and Julius turned and walked away.
Behind them, Lily smiled and waved her hand.
"Why are you waving at random strangers?"
"They're not strangers."
"What do you mean?"
"Forget it. Just focus on your training."
The two teens went right back to their wooden sword duel.
"Is there seriously not a single liquor shop nearby?"
"It seems like that, Master."
"Hmm... then we'll have to ask around."
There was a flower shop nearby. Julius walked over and asked for directions.
Surprisingly, the shop turned out to be both a flower shop and a liquor store.
He purchased four bottles of booze, costing him 400 Fames.
He returned to Saya, holding the bottles.
"See? That was a liquor shop too. Now, mission accomplished."
He handed Saya two wooden mugs filled with booze. The mugs were shaped like barrels—about half the size of a real one—with sturdy handles to grip.
"Master, where do we go now?"
"Out of this town. About two kilometers from here."
"But the bike's broken... how are we going to get that far?"
"Don't worry, I've already got a plan for that."
"Open Inventory."
"Summon the Solvarin Feather."
Julius handed his own mug to Saya and then held a golden feather in his right hand.
"What are you going to do with that, Master?"
"Just watch."
He brought the feather's end to his lips and blew into it. A sharp whistling sound came from it.
"Master, how did it make that sound?"
"Hehe, this is the trick. When I designed it, I added tiny holes at both ends of the solid shaft—each a different size. It's hollow on the inside. So when you blow into it at high speed, it creates a unique whistling tone. Every bird species has a different sound based on their feathers. And each Solvarin can recognize the sound of its own feather and comes flying toward it—no matter where it is. This feather I plucked from the one we rode earlier."
"Ohh! So that's why you let him go back earlier."
Julius smirked.
"Yup."
He stored the feather back in his inventory, took the booze mug from Saya, and placed the remaining bottles inside his inventory as well.
After a few seconds, the Solvarin arrived, flapping its massive wings as it landed.
"Yo!"
Julius greeted it with a wave.
The Solvarin saw them and immediately began sweating nervously, clearly reconsidering its decision to show up.
"Don't even think about it. Or Saya will kill you on the spot."
Both Julius and Saya wore evil smiles.
The Solvarin gave a resigned cry:
"KIYAAHHH!"
The two climbed onto its back.
"Solvarin, take us two kilometers north from here."
"KIYAAHHH!"
It took off at high speed.
Once again, Julius was struck with motion sickness, while Saya was clearly having the time of her life.
In just two seconds, they reached their destination. The Solvarin suddenly stopped in the air and landed—refusing to fly any farther.
Julius dismounted and immediately ran to a corner and vomited.
Saya, on the other hand, looked completely thrilled by the ride.
Wiping his face, Julius walked back over.
"Thank you so, so much, Solvarin. You can go now. We'll call you again later."
"KIYAAHH!"
With a cry, the creature took to the skies and disappeared.
"Why did you send him back, Master?"
"Because from this point onward, no one besides us will go any further. Everyone can feel her energy from here—and out of fear, they'll all turn back."
They were now standing at the edge of a dense forest, surrounded by gigantic trees. The air was thick, and an overwhelming presence could be felt.
Saya's eyes narrowed slightly.
"What is this... 'her'?"
Julius looked ahead into the forest and answered calmly—
"You'll understand once you see her. Let's go."