Chapter 3 Undead Attack
After paying for the token, Anastasia led Leon to a nearby carriage to hire it, since the one they had used earlier was gone, and Marcus and his father had already left them behind.
"The old man will take us to the inner wall and find an inn for us to stay tonight," Anastasia explained as the elderly man approached.
"Please, my lady," the old man said, bowing respectfully.
Leon and Anastasia settled into the carriage. Leon gazed at the crops lining the roadside as the sky grew progressively darker.
A few minutes later, the old man stopped and lit a lamp.
"Huh…" Leon murmured in surprise. He hadn't expected to see glass used in this world.
The lamp, made of bronze and protected by glass against the wind, caught his attention.
Noticing Leon's gaze, Anastasia explained, "This lamp is indeed well crafted. Such craftsmanship is most likely the work of dwarves."
Your right my lady, the old man chime in ,the dwarves is indeed talented, in terms of making equipments ,tools they are in a great quality, not only that recently there's a humor that the dwarves invented a projectile known as pistols , and equipped by the Flying Hog Legion making their flying units become more powerful.
Some of the merchants visiting here said that they saw the Flying Hog Legion eliminate a swarm of undead vultures using the newly invented pistols .
Anastasia's eyes narrowed and surprised, but Leon was more surprised.
Dwarves? Leon thought if dwarves were present in this world, does this mean elves and demi humans are also present in this world.
And the dwarves invented a pistol? Indeed, just like in the anime, the dwarves are talented craftsman and blacksmith's , it's no different from this world.
Soon, they reached the inner wall, the gate was opened, there were soldiers guarding it, checking inside the carriage and the entry token before we continued.
After passing through the inner wall, Leon noticed medieval-style houses, each warmly lit with lamps inside. The road beneath them was now paved with concrete, a stark contrast to the gravel, stone, and sand paths outside the outer walls.
Beyond the residential area, they entered a district of commercial buildings—two-story wooden structures with planked facades.
The carriage soon came to a halt. "Were here, my lady, young noble?" the old man asked respectfully. He addressed them this way because of Anastasia's refined demeanor and elegant movements, which made him think she was of noble birth.
As for Leon, though not particularly handsome and with wheat-colored skin, his clean appearance and unusual clothing led the old man to assume he, too, belonged to a noble lineage like Anastasia.
Leon and Anastasia disembarked from the carriage, and Anastasia paid the old man twenty copper coins.
"Have a pleasant stay, my lady, young noble. I assure you, you'll enjoy both the meals and the clean accommodations here," the old man said before departing.
Leon and Anastasia stood before the establishment named Mary's Inn.
With Anastasia's guidance, her prosthetic metal leg clacking against the floor, they entered, drawing the attention of those inside.
The inn was modestly filled with a few patrons eating and drinking mugs of golden-colored ale.
A middle-aged, stout woman noticed their arrival and approached.
"Welcome, guests. How may I assist you?" she asked.
"Please prepare two rooms for us and bring two portions of all your popular dishes," Anastasia requested.
"We have roasted boar, roasted rainbow chicken, and boar intestine soup."
"Please serve two portions of each, along with two portions of bread and your golden beer."
"You mean the Yum and Honey beer?" she asked with a smile. "Please, have a seat. I'll ask someone to prepare your rooms and get your meal ready."
She then led them to an available table before returning to the kitchen.
While Leon and Anastasia waited for their meal, they overheard two men quietly whispering to each other as they ate. One was a middle-aged man dressed in luxurious clothes; the other was an older, fat man sitting across from him.
Leon and Anastasia could clearly catch their conversation.
"Did you hear? In just one night, the territory of Baron Gale on the border was completely destroyed," the older man said. "If not for Lord Clayton's timely retreat, his own territory might face the same fate tonight."
"Indeed," the middle-aged man replied, "The Gale family has two Grandmasters among its ranks, yet they couldn't protect their land. The Clayton family, with only peak Master-level strength, is even more vulnerable."
"Fortunately, the undead attack on the Clayton territory did not happen because the night was over , allowing them to retreat safely," the older man added.
"Now they've formed a united front with Viscount Ravenhold to defend against the undead. Hopefully, they can hold the line—though the undead might attack again tonight," he continued.
"Surely, with such destruction, reinforcements will arrive soon?" the middle-aged man asked.
"It's hard to say," the older man replied. "Maybe the empire will send support, or Count Griffindale might send troops. But as for Count Rosenberg, I doubt we can rely on him, even though the eastern part of the empire falls under his jurisdiction."
"Why not? Isn't the eastern territory under Count Rosenberg's control?" the middle-aged man inquired.
The old man shook his head. "Perhaps you don't know, but Viscount Ravenhold and Count Griffindale are closely allied. And not long ago, Royce Rosenberg, son of Count Richard Rosenberg, was seen attempting to abduct the wife of Lord Kale Ravenhold, the eldest son of Viscount Ravenhold."
"Fortunately, Lord Conrad arrived just in time and prevented the abduction," the old man explained.
"You mean Royce did that? If that's true, then the rumors are real," the middle-aged man said, surprised. "Royce Rosenberg does as he pleases. Whenever he sees a beautiful woman—married or not—he sends his servants to abduct them without any reservations."
"Yes, who would dare to stop him? He's the only heir of Count Richard, and the count has spoiled him immensely. As long as they don't offend the royal family, they can act with impunity. Even if they insult a marquis, duke, or another count, Count Richard simply offers compensation."
"If the two sides go to war, both will suffer heavily, so often they choose to settle matters with compensation rather than escalate into a larger conflict," the old man sighed deeply.
"So, here's my advice: don't let your daughter go out unnecessarily, especially in Count Rosenberg's territory."
"That makes sense," replied the middle-aged man, breathing heavily as he nodded in agreement.
Leon thought to himself, I didn't expect that overhearing these whispers would reveal so much information.
He didn't notice that Anastasia, still wearing a mask, had eyes blazing with hatred right beside him. A chill ran down his spine.
Leon shivered briefly, but as Anastasia's hatred softened, he felt a wave of relief as the cold sensation faded away.
Soon, the stout woman brought their food and placed the dishes in front of Leon and Anastasia. After their meal, she quickly guided them to their rooms.
Unfortunately, Leon couldn't see Anastasia's full face. Though her pink, delicate lips were alluring, only her emerald eyes were visible; the rest of her face remained concealed. Even so, with a beauty score of 95, Leon knew she was truly stunning.
"I've prepared two rooms," the middle-aged woman said, gesturing toward the adjacent doors before leaving.
Leon glanced at Anastasia. "I'll take this one," she said, pointing to the second room.
"Okay, thank you," Leon replied gratefully. Without this kind woman's help, he might not have survived.
"No need to thank me. Well, Leon, you should rest and recover. Even though your injured leg has healed, I can see you're still uncomfortable walking."
Leon nodded in agreement. He opened the door to his room and waited for Anastasia to enter before stepping inside.
Before Leon could enter his room, he saw Anastasia coming out. He asked, "Why are you leaving? Aren't you going to rest?"
"Uhm... You know I'm a healer hired by the Clayton family. I need to help the soldiers and knights tend to their injuries," she replied.
"It's already dark outside; it's dangerous," Leon warned.
"No need to worry too much. Someone will come to fetch me—that was my agreement with Sir Marcus before he left," Anastasia assured him.
Before Leon could respond, the sound of horses galloping reached them as they stopped in front of the inn.
"I'm going now. See you tomorrow," Anastasia said, waving as she headed downstairs to the first floor.
"Be careful and come back safely," Leon said with a sigh. After everything she had been through—the journey and checking her room—she must be tired. But this was how things worked in this world.
Sighing again, he entered his room.
Inside, there was a simple, clean wooden bed with a mat and a gray pillow—large enough to accommodate at least three people if they lay close together.