Yuso Ase

ARC 1 Chapter 22

Indeed, there was a city nearby, but they only found out about it the next morning because they spent the first night in the new land on a meadow. However, they didn't learn this by coming to the city, but shortly after they woke up while still lying on the grass.

- You must be new here, right?- a young man, looking like a vampire with a big straw hat on his head, appeared before them

- You could say that.

In Yuso's opinion, he didn't look dangerous. Besides, since he greeted them instead of attacking, it was a good sign of a lack of threat.

My name is Ariel Vonshtein. I'm the son of Ezechiel Vonshtein, and since you're new around here, I'd like to invite you to spend a few days in one of our inns. Seeing as you've never been in this land before, you'll have free lodging for the first three days. So, are you interested?

- We are, but I'd like to know how you stumbled upon us.- Misu still felt weakened, so the boy handled the conversation.

- One of my duties is to patrol the town and its surroundings, and I saw you lying on the meadow. Here in Kolisz, we welcome all visitors with open arms.

Even if they hadn't known where they were, Ariel's attire alone would have hinted that they were not in the land they fled from. The shoes were different, more... elegant? They seemed to be made not just for walking but also for presenting oneself. There were also the ankle-length pants. Against the black shirt and trousers, a red tie stood out—a garment Yuso had never seen in his life.

However, if Ariel's appearance hadn't been enough, Kolisz itself looked different enough that anyone with functioning eyes would realize they were in a different region. No wonder they hadn't seen even one building from the meadow that should be next to a city—Kolisz was situated in a forest, one had to walk several hundred meters along a path to reach the city from the forest's edge.

- May I ask where you're from?- Ariel, knowing how to use his voice, tried to make it sound like a curiosity rather than suspicion.

- We came here from the land of a bear.-  the boy hoped this information would satisfy the vampire.

- Oh, that's something new. We rarely have guests from the land of a bear, fewer come only from the southern region. Most visitors are either locals or from the central lands. Nowhere else has attractions like ours... well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but not on this scale.

A quick summary of Kolisz—dark alleys and suspicious inns, but that's not sketchy district, that's the entire city. No one hides their profession here.

- Am I right in understanding that we're in a vast forest-  in the land of bears, most people don't get within two kilometers of a forest, which is not surprising since monsters live in the woods. However, here, if someone had to fear anyone, it would be the forest fearing the city, not the city fearing the forest.

- Yes, I know it's strange for outsiders, but we have excellent relations with people, and we don't bother each other. It's even hard to say there's any division here, most city dwellers are humans, but the difference isn't significant. There's no point in fighting each other, this isn't a game where someone has to lose—we have a big enough cake for everyone to get a slice.- Ariel stopped and turned to his guests. - This is it. My home, workplace, and passion.

An "inn" wasn't a good word to describe what they were standing in front of. If it weren't for the large sign with its name, one could easily think it was a wooden palace of some local noble.         A very well-built, well-maintained place—a stark contrast to inns in the bear land. With each step, they noticed more differences—from the entrance, the smell of delicious food wafted in instead of burnt meat, and the drinks weren't just divided into beer for degenerates and people with taste buds, there was a wide range of various beverages to take away even a little consciousness from the drinker. Inside, it was also clean, no one was sprawled on the floor, and those who didn't have the strength to sit either went to their rooms or were taken elsewhere- here, the floor wasn't a place to sleep. Walking through the inn, Ariel didn't gesture for them to spend any money but instead led them up the stairs to their designated room. Finally, they reached the top floor, and the host opened the door to their temporary home- their room could easily compete with those they had seen in Tanja's father's palace, but this one was more natural- there was no place for any material other than wood, yet the boy had never seen such elegant wood.