Chapter 208 - The Man Who Dreams and the Forest Ghosts

The Man Who Dreams and the Forest Ghosts

Thinking about all that made me want to walk. And so I did after telling Daniela. The only lights came from the moon, stars, and bonfires. However, there was also a warm glow from the city that spread up above. I gazed at it while I walked.

“Ahahahaha!”

“Are you serious!!”

Huh? Someone was being very loud in the middle of the night.

I poked my head out and saw that three men who appeared to be Adventurers were sitting around a fire and drinking.

“Hmm? Who are you?”

“I was taking a stroll and heard your excited voices.”

“What? So you’re just bored!”

Two of them began to laugh. Well, it was true. The other one was drinking and looked uninterested.

“What about him?”

I casually walked up to them and sat down before glancing at the other guy.

“Hey, listen here, brother!”

“This guy…ckkkk…no! I can’t stop laughing! Ahahahaha!!”

The two men started to laugh once again. The other looked even more annoyed than before as he sipped his drink.

“…What happened?”

With nothing better to do, I talked to the bored man…Boredman. Boredman glanced at me with an expression that seemed to question if I was going to start laughing as well. I shrugged and urged him to explain, and so he did, though it was in a very somber voice.

“I came out of the countryside just to enlist in the Imperial Sword Tournament. And then I…became infatuated with a certain prostitute while in an Usk inn.”

“And?”

“…And I told her. Told her that I was the man who would win the Imperial Sword Tournament. I would win and come back for her! That’s what I said.”

He added that he had been drinking heavily before this declaration. The two men began to laugh again at this point.

“…So? What did she say?”

“…She laughed.”

“Huh?”

“She laughed. Said I had no chance of winning. That I wouldn’t even pass the preliminary round.”

He took another sip and sighed deeply.

“It’s impossible! Truly!”

“You’re just going to embarrass yourself! Hahahaha!”

Boredman seemed to shrink every time they started to laugh. I saw this and got up to my feet.

“That’s not true!”

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

“You just have to win! Beat their expectations and win. Then you can boast about it!”

I grabbed his drink and finished it off. It was nice and warmed my body.

“There’s no need to look down on yourself. Humans are capable of doing anything they set their minds to!”

“Uh, but surely winning is going a little too far…”

“There is no such thing as going too far! Men should talk big!”

I picked up a bottle and poured Boredman another cup. Then I slapped him on the back for good measure.

“Well, I’m sorry to tell you this, but I’m the guy that’s really going to win! Ahahaha!”

“Hey, there stranger. Are you drunk already?”

“I’m not drunk, you dumb bastard. Look. It’s gonna me and him. It’s gonna be a vicious final fight. And when I win, Daniela will be impressed.”

As I continued to drink, I could feel the effects of the drink. Or maybe it was just me?

“Daniela? You mean Lightwind?”

“Yup! My lover!”

“Wha-, then that would make you Silvergreen! Asagi!?”

“Ah, are you serious!?”

“The real one…?”

I didn’t know if I was used to it now or it was just the drink, because for once I didn’t feel embarrassed. Yeah, I had probably just gotten used to it. I wasn’t drunk.

“Hahaha. Yes, I am Asagi. Silvergreen!”

“No way… It’ll be hard to win if Silvergreen joins the list.”

“I think you should quit while you can.”

“Indeed… I cannot fight against someone with an alias.”

“What? Don’t you know that challenges are the spice of life?”

“That’s ridiculous!”

Somehow, I had managed to defeat three possible rivals without doing anything. That hadn’t been my intention…

“Well, uh… Don’t laugh at the dreams of others. I live with my own dreams. I think people are able to enjoy their lives if they have such important goals.”

“That is true… A dream, eh?…”

“Sorry…for laughing at you.”

“It’s fine. I do tend to dream big. But I don’t see it as a negative thing.”

Yes, yes. They had reconciled. Well, it seemed like a good time, so I drained my cup and got to my feet.

“Well, then. I better be off. You guys take care.”

“Aye. See you, Silvergreen.”

“Let’s eat together if we meet in the city.”

“Thank you for not laughing at my dream.”

I bumped fists with each of them before continuing on my way. The night was still as dark as ever. I was feeling good after drinking, and so I decided to walk a little more.

Now that I think of it, I had forgotten to ask them their names…

The effects of the drink started to fade as I walked. It always happened rather quickly with me… I was also easily affected by the atmosphere.

Up until now, I had been walking along the line of campers, but now I turned to the forest, which seemed quieter. There was a light breeze and the rustling of leaves overhead. The chilly air felt nice on my heated skin.

The light of the moon and stars peeked between the cracks in trees, creating an elegant scene. Everyone I had met in this world might be looking up at this same view right now.

“That’s a nice thought…hmm?”

I heard a voice. What was it? Like someone crying… Damn it. A chill went up my spine.

“At times likes these…”

I was happy to have Presence Detection. Ghosts and any other nonscientific beings will be promptly exposed… I narrowed it down to the area where the voice was coming from. Narrowing it down made it more accurate. And I was able to detect the exact positions. There were two.

“Two… But there is only one voice…”

…Hmm, but it really was two. Maybe someone was being attacked..?

I moved towards them as quietly as I could manage. I didn’t know what was happening, but I couldn’t just jump into the darkness without thinking. What if it really was a ghost… Not that I was scared of them.

Night Eyes allowed me to avoid fallen branches as I moved. I stayed behind bushes as I got closer to the tree. The voice was getting louder.

“Uhhh…uuuhhh…hah…ahh…”

Hmm… Crying? …Is it really…?

Now I wasn’t sure. But I was quite close. The urge to leave and the urge to see were pulling me. But I inched closer until I was at the cluster of bushes I had made my goal.

“Hah…ahh…”

And then I looked.

“Hah…hah…ohh…”

It wasn’t crying… It was just someone panting. And Night Eyes left little to the imagination.

It was a young man and woman.

(This is bad…)

They’d probably try to kill me… Now that I knew who the ghosts were, it was time scram. It was a simple enough mission. But then again, they seemed like they would be finishing very soon. That will increase the risk of discovery. In fact, it was almost a miracle they hadn’t discovered me already.

(This was no time to be analyzing such things!)

I put all other thoughts aside and moved away from the bushes. I was even more careful than I had been when going. Sweat dripped down my forehead. I must not ruin their joyful moment.

I was so relieved about being able to return to Daniela unnoticed, that I ended up falling asleep right after. Of course, Daniela was furious.

Eventually, I would look at my status card and see that Presence Block had been added to my list of skills, but it would not happen for quite a while.