Chapter 17 | Isekai Tavern

“Woah. This is… Rustic,” Theo commented. A beaten dirt path squirming through a range of disorderly buildings. There was more life to the place than what met the eye initially, people seemingly not of military origin walking around.

Catching on to the look in Theo’s eyes, Satou explained briefly.

“These military outposts double as towns for people to rest in. In fact, it’s my first time seeing such strict procedures on entry. They are more casual most of the time.”

“The new king’s decree, huh?” Theo repeated the words of that captain. “I wondered what changed for them to be on such high alert.”

“We might be able to learn more at the inn.”

“Inn? Why would they even need an inn in the tower?”

“Kingdom-funded. Adventurers tend to have an awkward obsession with inns. They set them up to keep the adventurers satisfied,” Satou shook his head.

Past them passed many people, rough men with battered leather armor mostly. Going about their way, entering and leaving makeshift buildings with all kinds of wares. Theo could spot the occasional caped adventurer, carrying either a sword or a dagger. But no robes. None at all.

“There are no mages?”

“They are scared of leaving their towers, probably,” Satou said. “They especially hate the Tower of Fracture for some reason. I have only ever seen Gray or Red Tower mages explore it. And they were accompanied by adventurer parties.”

“Huh. I would have expected them to be more curious about the tower’s inscriptions,” Theo muttered, holding his chin. What those things could achieve was way beyond his current understanding of magic.

“They probably are,” Satou said. He dodged a hooded person about to collide with him before continuing. “But you have to understand, being a mage doesn’t necessarily mean you can fight. You need experience to become a better fighter, but mages are fragile. They can’t afford to make mistakes, unlike warriors.”

He shook his head.

“That’s why, in a one-on-one, a warrior has an advantage against mages. Especially at the later stages,” he said. “If not, heroes would all be mages. Their versatility is no joke after all.”

“Huh. Makes sense,” Theo mumbled, nodding along. They turned a corner and stopped in front of a single-story building, strangely wide for such a makeshift outpost. Its door was topped with a sign that read “Inn”; the clink-clank of cutlery emanated, the shadows of people flowing behind the curtained windows.

But the only thing Theo’s ears could pick up on were the muffled, unintelligible whispers inside. No rowdy chatter like one would expect from a fantasy inn.

Satou pushed the door open, slightly twisting his body to pass with the unconscious Tanaka on his shoulder. Long Tian frowned and held his nose while he stepped inside. As Theo followed along, the smell hit him. It wasn’t much, honestly. There were times he had gone without cleaning his room for months before, especially after the incident.

Stepping inside, he noted about half of the tables to be full. There were two types of composition from what he could see. Some tables were full of soldiers in uniforms, the others full of adventurers. No one here was normal as far as his senses told him. Although there was a tiny bit of tension in the air, the two different factions didn’t seem to mind each other.

They walked forward and went up to the counter, which was headed by a rough-looking man, about two heads taller than Theo himself. He was pretty much a hulking giant. His thick handlebar mustache and shaven beard made him look more refined than one would expect a giant to be.

“We’re looking to stay,” Satou said. “How much is one room?”

“50 copper a night, meals not included,” the mustached man said while drying a beer mug. Satou dug through his pockets and managed to take out the money. He placed it in the man’s hand.

“Room 172, the end of the corridor to my left. There is only one bed,” he said while giving Satou a copper key. They crossed the corridor, passing many doors both to their right and left. That eerie muffled cacophony hung in the air. Whatever it was, this place definitely wasn’t the cheery and rowdy adventurers’ inn Theo had expected to see.

Maybe it’s the tower. I should visit another inn when outside.

The room was simple and small, a single bed to the left, a small cabinet with a key attached for personal belongings, and a small washtub full of clean water. There was enough floor space for them to sleep, fortunately. And it was pretty clean.

“Don’t leave something important in the cabinet if you are going to leave; it will be stolen,” Satou said. He dipped a clean cloth in the tub and wiped his face and hands. He then handed both Theo and Long Tian a silver each.

“It’s a hundred copper coins. Don’t spend it on useless stuff,” he said. After giving them both a look, he turned around and opened the door. “I have some stuff to handle. I will be back in a couple of hours. Tomorrow, we leave the tower.”

Then, silence ensued. Theo and Long Tian shifted uncomfortably, Tanaka still knocked out cold in a corner of the room. This was actually the first time they had been left alone.

“Umm…” Theo hummed for a moment. Everything aside, he was in a through-and-through fantasy town. Some exploration was due. “I think I’m gonna go shopping. You coming along?”

Long Tian shook his head.

“My apologies, Senior Theo. I will stay here and meditate. I must do my best to recover some qi as soon as possible,” he said, cupping his fists. Theo smiled wryly at the strange gesture and nodded. He wondered if he should also do the salute, but worried that he might somehow make a mistake and upset the guy, so he decided not to.

The author’s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“If you say so. Take care.”

“Mhm. Have a pleasant outing.”

Stepping out and closing the door behind him, Theo took a deep breath. His first destination was the inn’s main lobby, where many adventurers and soldiers sat in groups. Of course, there was the occasional, brooding, hooded John Mystery-man sitting by themselves in a corner. In fact, all four corner tables of the main lobby were occupied by the most brooding, their hoods covering their faces so well Theo couldn’t even be sure if they were humans or not. Then the further the tables got from the corner, the more normal the people became.

With a wry smile, Theo settled down and called the waiter. He ordered a drink with the cheapest possible snacks. As he waited, he closed his eyes and started listening.

After all, what did he have those senses for if he weren’t going to use them to listen in on the people talking about the latest rumors?

Mhm. This is how an isekai should go.