A new day had dawned, and Nolan continued his journey, his goal now being the City of Áster, which was about two to three weeks' ride from Blackwood Village. But since Nolan had no such means of transport, he could only continue on foot.
He ran as fast as he could, using the powerful cardiovascular capacity he gained from one of his white scars. But he soon encountered a limitation in traveling using this method.
After half the day running with few breaks, the muscles in his legs were burning, and he even had cramps. But he disguised the pain well because he wasn't alone…
During another break, he looked back and saw the three people who had followed him for half the day from Blackwood Village: the violent Vice-Captain Milla, the tall and gentle Veteran Soldier Luna, and the mysterious hooded boy, whose name Nolan didn't even know yet.
Nolan had completely ignored the three when he left the Village. At first, he thought they were going in different directions, but realizing they were following him, he thought he could leave them behind using his superior stamina. But who could have imagined that in just half a day, he would be the most tired of the four!
"Sigh…"
Seeing that he could no longer ignore the three, Nolan sighed and finally decided to use the break to talk to them and understand their reasons for following him.
Making a gesture with his hand, he pointed to the mysterious boy:
"You!"
"Hm?"
"Why are you following me? Why did you leave Blackwood Village? No, to begin with, what is your name? And why don't I remember you being a resident of my Village?"
The boy seemed surprised, and the two girls looked at him curiously as if they also wanted to know more about their traveling companion…
"Me? M—My name is Thyr. I'm not very good with words. I also want to become an adventurer, so when I heard you say you were going to do something like this, well… I thought that if I followed you, maybe I could join your group… I can follow orders without fear, I just ask that you don't ask me to do anything that requires interaction with other people…"
"Well, his name is Thyr? There wasn't anyone with that name in Blackwood Village, and since he's suspected of returning to life, I should allow him to stay with me, that way I can keep an eye on him…"
"And?"
Realizing that Nolan expected more answers to the other questions, he said quickly.
"I'm not really from Blackwood Village, I arrived 1 day before the Ceremony, coming from a village further east…"
Nolan respected the boy's privacy and asked no more questions; He didn't know all the villages in the surrounding area, so he didn't bother asking which one he came from…
He then turned to Luna and remembered the conversation he'd had with her the previous night, while simultaneously clutching his new accessory at his waist, a plain-looking black leather belt. He had also "obtained" this item the previous night…
***
1:33 AM, Blackwood Village's Bronze Tavern, 14 hours after the 1st Battle of Blackwood.
Nolan, hidden in the shadows of the night, returned to the Bronze Tavern where he had stayed again after the battle ended and sneaked in through his room's window; the window had been left open when he secretly left after dinner.
But when he entered his room again, he found Luna sitting on his bed waiting for him!
His eyes widened, and he unconsciously placed both hands on the new black belt he was wearing.
"Does she know what I just did?"
He had just murdered the leader of Blackwood Village, who was also Zack's father, using his new Silver Scar.
To make matters worse, he lost control and ended up stealing the black belt that belonged to the deceased. And now, there was also a witness who knew he hadn't been in his room that night!
"Should I get rid of her? No… It's impossible to do it quietly as I did with Zack's father; besides, my Silver Scar is inactive…"
Nolan swallowed hard and also remembered that he owed the girl in front of him a debt, since she had saved his life. He felt bad for having thought about doing something as bad as getting rid of her, but his bloodlust and adrenaline were still high after killing two people in less than 24 hours, and he didn't think straight.
Sitting on the bed next to Luna, he said:
"Thank you for saving me during the battle. I haven't thanked you for that yet."
"It was nothing, we were battle companions… Where did you go in the middle of the night?"
"It wasn't just for that, right? As soon as we met, you made that promise and kept it, and now you invaded my room in the middle of the night… Is this what they call love at first sight? Or do you have other intentions?"
Nolan ignored her question about where he had been and raised new ones, completely changing the focus of the conversation.
"Ah."
Luna let out a shy little squeal and blushed. Several minutes of silence followed. Nolan never imagined the girl could be so innocent; she hadn't thought that entering a man's room in the middle of the night would create this kind of interpretation on his part. But like a gentleman, he still awaited her answer.
"I heard you were leaving the village early tomorrow, and I came to ask if I could accompany you, but you didn't answer the door, and when I went around the outside of the tavern I found your window open… I went in and just decided to wait for you to come back…"
This time, it was Nolan who fell silent. And Luna, noticing the silence, continued:
"When I met you, I realized you're different from other people. I have a Bronze Scar that greatly enhances my sense of smell, and you… Eh, let's just say you don't have a bad smell like everyone else…"
"My smell?"
Nolan unconsciously removed his hand from the stolen belt and raised one armpit to sniff…
It was true! There was no such thing as soap in Blackwood Village, and even the soap offered at the Brass Tavern was quite expensive. So it was normal for most people to smell bad, especially those who didn't bathe very often…
Nolan then realized what was different about himself and connected it to the merchant's sudden interest in his items…
His hand touched his scarf, and he felt the same connection that the item had with the glove; not only that, but the belt stolen from Zack's father also had a connection with his other two items…
"So, besides the items created by my mother never getting dirty (an effect that already existed with the glove), do they also have some cleaning effect when used together?"
Noticing that the tall girl with the red cheeks was still looking at him, Nolan nodded and said,
"I'm leaving tomorrow morning at sunrise. I'm going to the City of Aster. Go rest. If you can't keep up with my pace, I'll leave you behind…"
"Don't worry! I don't tire easily. Besides, as your travel companion, I'll be responsible for the meals!
"See you tomorrow morning!"
After Luna left the room, Nolan reflected on the three items his mother had made and what the third effect of the stolen belt would be.
***
After questioning the mysterious boy and ignoring Luna, who was now lighting a campfire and starting to make lunch for the group, Nolan turned his eyes to Milla, the rebellious noble daughter.
"And you? Why are you following me? You certainly despise me, and despite knowing my name, you keep calling me a "deserter"… What is your objective? Don't tell me that… Maybe you've fallen in love with me?"
The last sentence was uttered by Nolan with a mocking smile, aiming to provoke the redhead, but when Luna heard the question, she immediately stopped making lunch and looked surprised at Milla, who blushed instantly and responded to Nolan with only a murderous glare…