One's Eden: Sword of Ren!

Chapter 1: Fateful meeting

The cold season started to fade and the leaves started to grow. It's still a bit cold but it's not as cold as before. Needless to say, it's the start of the spring season.

My name is Ren and I’m a traveler from the country of pearl.

"Young-man are you okay in your seat?"

The one that asked me is the driver of the carriage, I'm currently riding. The road is a little bumpy because of the unrefined trails. The kind driver offers me a ride when he saw me walking.

"Yes, I'm fine... what is that big block of rock ahead of us?" 

I asked. 

As a foreigner in the country, I felt a little curious about the giant boulder of rocks ahead of me.

"That is not a block of rock, it's the gate of the town of Stella. It's said that the town of Stella's gate is constructed by the goddess Stella herself and it's unbreakable for hundreds of years." 

Replied the driver.

"That's amazing, I don't know such an interesting story about it."

"Well, the story is just passed by the elders of the town itself and there is no evidence of it being true." The eyes of the driver seem very sincere. "I see..." I said and look to the giant boulder.

"... Well even it has no evidence, I believe that the story is true." The driver said.

The carriage entered the town of Stella. After that, I parted ways with the kind driver that let me ride the cart for free. I offered some money to him but he refuses to accept it and left. I think he's just a kind man.

I started to wander around the town it's a bit huge to be called a town. The scenery is fresh to me and the air feels good.

If I grow old, I want to live in a town like this and live a peaceful life. Since I'm new here I need to find a place to stay tonight. Better check me in the nearest Inn.

Just looking at the sign a normal traveler was able to identify the Inn. I enter the Inn and started to check in myself.

"Good morning sir, may I help you?" 

Greeted by the girl in charge of the inn with a polite tone.

"Are there available rooms? I'm planning to check in myself one room for three nights." 

I said, and get my wallet in my pocket.

"Three nights, that will be 300 gold coins..." 

She said.

"300 gold coins?! That was expensive... I only got 250 gold." I said with a surprised expression. That's definitely not normal. Gold's are difficult to earn after all. In the previous town, I visit. The Inn normally cost 30 silver. 100 silver is equivalent to 1 gold. I'm supposed to have 25,000 silver. That money is enough for basic living expenses and rent for two months.

"I'm very sorry sir but we don't have a room that is cheap enough for you to stay with that money." 

Said the Inn girl.

I started to become depressed after hearing her words. "I guess I should accept more quest and gain more money before taking an adventure," 

I said and turn my back.

The girl in the registrar heard my monologue and said: 

"I see you're a traveler."

"Yes, I'm a traveler,” I replied.

"I see you traveled so far to get here, you’re quite an awesome traveler... If that is the only money that you have I know an Inn, who charges dirt cheap fee for their rooms."

She said something that interests me and focuses all my attention on her.

"Really?!"

"There is an Inn on the edge of this town near to the windmills who charge cheap dirt rent... Here I will draw the map toward the location." The girl said, and she gets a paper and draws a map to the Inn she's talking about.

"Thank you very much," I said. She's a huge help. The girl waves her hand with a smile. That girl in the registrar is really kind-hearted. I'm glad that I meet someone like her in a stranger town like this. I follow the map drawn in the paper and I eventually arrive at the Inn.

"I guess this is the place."

I entered the bar like the place and goes to the girl who is serving meals to the customers. "Excuse me, can I ask you something?" 

I asked the girl serving who has dirty plates in her hands.

The girl turns her head toward me 

"Yes, what is it?" 

She answered. 

"Can I ask about the nearby cheap Inn?" 

The girl started to look like someone in deep thought. 

"About the Inn?"

I show the paper with a drawn map toward the Inn that is said to be dirt cheap.

The girl looks at the map.

"Yeah yeah the Inn, It's been a long time since someone asked about our Inn... No one rent in our Inn for the past 5 years already and I nearly forgot about it, hehehe... Mom someone wants to stay in our Inn." 

Said the girl and laugh.

The mother of the girl who is also serving its customers looks toward us. "Inn? What Inn?" She said with a confused expression.

Look like her mother also forgot about it. Like mother like daughter. The girl started to talk to her mother and remind her about the Inn.

"Yeah yeah, the Inn. It's been a long time and I nearly forget about it... I didn't think that someone will rent in our Inn after all these years. The Inn is just behind our bar, Yuri escorts our customer to the Inn."

Her mother almost says the say thing.

After that, the girl escorted me to the dirt-cheap Inn that I was talking about. 

"This is our Inn." 

The girl named Yuri pointed to the place using the hand.

I look to the Inn and started to have a skeptical expression. The Inn looks so old and the walls got many holes. I started to open the door and it suddenly collapses. This is more like a used old inventory house.

"The Inn is really old and dirty. Are you really okay living in this place?" 

Asked Yuri.

I just have few coins in my pocket. I don't have the luxury to afford a normal Inn. I guess I have no choice but to stay in this place for a while. "It's okay, I can repair this door in no time, then let's talk about the fee for the rent," 

I said.

"The fee in our rent is just 15 silver.." 

Yuri said and offer her palm.

"15 silver!! That's really cheap. Thank goodness I'm able to find someplace to stay tonight; to be honest I'm quite worried." I was so happy in hearing the rent fee.

"Then there is no need to worry anymore."

Yuri goes back to the bar to help her mother as an assistant and I go back to the center of the town to stroll around. The sun is still not setting maybe this is the perfect time to look around this town.

As I stroll around the town. I found several things that amazed me. "There are so many shops here. I wonder what Item I can find here.." 

I muttered.

While strolling to the town I heard a noise from above. The noise that I heard is a noise from the flyover above me. "Hey!." "Stop! Right there!" Said a group of men wearing knight armor. A girl covered with a robe is being chased by a group of men. "Hey wait the girl is attempting to jump to that high flyover." "It's 20 meters high, She is insane."

Her action gathered attention beneath the flyover. The girl from above whose being chased by angry men doesn't hesitate to jump from the bridge. As she jumps from above her robe uncovers her face and her beautiful light brown hair.

"This girl..." I said unconsciously.

The girl fell from a moving cart full of wheat. The driver of the cart of wheat didn't notice the girl falling from it because of its age. He didn't even hear the voice of the men shouting stop toward him. The ruckus caused by the girl stop and everyone goes back to normal. Even it's just a split second, I remembered her childish face for some reason.

The sun started to set and I'm getting hungry with few coins in my pocket I go to the near towns guild. Guilds normally have a bar on it and the price of meals in this bar is quite cheap compare to restaurants around the town. I sat down at one of the tables and ordered some fried chicken with rice.

"Is that all sir?" 

Asked the waitress.

"Yeah" 

I replied. And wait for my ordered meal.

"This is my first time entering their guild, I already visit many guilds from the past but this guild is rather big than I imagine."

The waitress put a fried chicken with rice on the plate to my table and said: "Enjoy."

"Thank you." 

I started munching down my meal.

"This fried chicken is great." 

I heard a voice from the table beside me who seems to have the same meal as I am. 

"This is the best fry chicken I ever have."

This fried chicken is indeed really good, the aroma and the seasoning used is really smelled nice. Because of curiosity, I turn my head toward the people beside me. I saw a light brown-haired girl who is eating her meal with a joyful face. Then I recognized her. She is the insane girl that jumps from the flyover earlier.

The brown-haired girl looks toward me and gazed at me for few seconds. She has green eyes and it's pretty. No, no, no, what I'm talking about?

The brown-haired girl takes her glass of water and drink.

"Is there something wrong in my face?" 

She asked.

It seems like she misunderstood my gaze toward her. Well, I'm just gazing to see who’s beside me. "It's nothing... I'm just looking around... I'm just new in this town after all." 

I replied.

"Really? Then have a nice meal." 

She started to munch her chicken like a child.

"Why you’re still looking toward me?" She asked.

"It's nothing, I just thought that you’re like a kid while eating," I said and make a forced smile.

Talking to someone I just met, is really nerve-wracking. I'm not really the type who can get along with others so easily. I'm a loner type who likes doing my own stuff. I started to eat my food normally. After my dinner, I take a look at the poster in the guild to do some quest for tomorrow. While looking in the poster I saw the light brown-haired girl from earlier beside me, but instead of looking for a quest, she is posting something.

"A quest poster?"

The brown-haired girl is shocked by my sudden appearance.

"What's with you sprouting like a mushroom?"

I take a look at her poster and read it.

"Why you’re posting something like this in the guild, it is way too dangerous," I said.

"That is not your business you’re just an outsider, you don't know anything."

"Just by looking in this poster, I know what's you're up to. Did you want to take down this man in the poster right? He is the current leader of the central of Stella town... Did you know posting something like this is like marching down to your own cage, especially if you don't have solid evidence to pull him down? You might get arrested immediately."

I said.

The brown-haired girl pulled my arm and brings me to the dark alley of the town with no people around.

"Who are you? Are you one of his dogs? Tell me." She started to interrogate me.

"I'm not a dog of the man, I'm just a normal traveler from the east."

"Then why you seem to know a lot?" She continued asking me with seriousness.

Her tone in her question is too serious and it needs a sincere answer. I think it's not bad to tell her some truth.

"Well I know that man is a bad person and willing to do anything to grab a lot of money in his hands, and it seems like you’re trying to expose his crime... and also, earlier you posted the poster in the guild carelessly without covering your face, I tell those words to you, for you to start panicking," I said.

If someone saw her posting this poster beside me, she will be in great danger in no time. "Really? I guess that was true, I'm being careless and people in the east part of the central Stella are searching for me already." She started to have a sad face.

"Thank you for your help earlier."

"It's okay... I feel bad if a person who is on the right side is being thrown into prison."

"Then, will you help me?" She asked me.

It's something that I don't really expect to hear from her. Since I already put my nose in her trouble better not refuse her request.

"I guess I have no choice, I cute girl asked me after all," I said.

"C-Cute? M-Me?"

Her face turns red as a tomato and suddenly looks away.

Seeing her reaction make me feel aware of the mood and started to blush.

What is with that? Her reaction is so cute.

From far away we heard a foot's steps who currently in rush.

"A new poster is been set in this guild, that robe girl with high bounty in her head might be in this location."

"Search in every possible route as possible."

"Yes sir!" After seeing the diligent Knight searching for her. The girl beside me started to make a panic face. "At this rate, they will capture me, I need to get out in this place right now, but how the soldiers are also hunting me downright know ad all route is being guarded. It's totally hopeless!" She said and She started to become nervous.

I didn't expect someone like her to want to take down a town leader. She's totally hopeless.

I think I have no choice, I grabbed her hand and run away.

Using a basic thief skill hide. I'm able to pass through the soldiers with no sweat.

"That skill is really useful, I didn't know that you're pretty sneaky."

"Don't call me sneaky, I just don't have the choice to escape in that place."

"I'm glad I met someone like you to help me."

"It's okay, I agreed on helping you anyway... So what are you going to do now?" I asked.

She looked up in the stars and said: "Well the path toward the place where I'm currently staying is being guarded and I have no other place to stay. I guess I will stay in your home then."

"Well, that's for the best... Wait? What? You're going to stay with me in my home?"

"Yeah, Is there something wrong?"

This is the first time someone asked me to stay in my room together. I feel nervous.

"Don’t tell me it's you’re first time letting someone sleep with you?" She pointed it out, did my face show it.

My shocked reaction to her words makes her suspicion right. "Don't worry it's going to be fine, I trust you that you will never do anything naughty, while I'm sleeping right?" She said with a terrifying aura.

"Of course, I'm not that kind of man."

"If that is the case then let's go to your home." She said and stops walking. I turn my head toward her and asked her. "Why are you missing something?"

"Yeah, I totally forgot something... I forgot to introduce myself to you."

Introduction? I totally forgot about it. I'm walking with this girl for some time now, but we still don't know each other.

I scratch the back of my head and look away.

"Yeah the introduction, I almost forgot."

The brown-haired girl walked in front of me, and with the beautiful stars as her background, she introduces herself.

"My name is Hanayuki, I'm an adventurer, I hope we get along very well. I'm in your care." She said and makes an innocent smile.

"My name is Ren, Ren the traveler, I'm from the Far East country of pearl. I'm not an advanced class adventurer but I can promise that I can protect you in this trouble." I said.

Hanayuki offered a handshake.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Just imitates me... This will become the sign of our friendship." Hanayuki said. I imitate her hand and then she makes a contact in my fist with her fist.

"Now it's official our friendship is official, and the one who breaks our friendship will eat a thousand nails."

"Huh? That's horrible."

"It's okay because the promise of friendship is something that should be treasured forever... It's getting colder now let's go to your inn right now."

She happily walks beside me with a dazzling smile.

This girl is really an innocent happy go lucky girl. I wonder why she wants to take down that leader badly. She is in the good mood right now better not to say negative things to her. I don't want to spoil the mood.

We reach the Inn that I'm currently renting.

She became skeptical and said: "That is your home?"

"Yes, it's my home and I don't have a choice... I manage to fix the holes this afternoon a guess the cold wind will never able to come in." I said.

"Well, sleeping in the stable is better than sleeping in the street." That is also my first impression when I saw this room.

We entered the Inn and inside my room, a familiar girl is sleeping in a pile of wheat.

"It’s just Yuri."

The sleeping girl is shocked and wakes up. The creaking noise from the opening of the door wakes her up... I guess.

Yuri immediately stands up and cleans her skirt with dust.

"I fell asleep while waiting for your return... My mother has something to give to you... Here it's your pillow and blanket... I'm so tired from work I'm sleepy, I need to go back to my room." 

I thank Yuri, After that, Yuri with a yawning expression leave.

"Who is that girl?" Asked Hanayuki.

"That girl is the daughter of this cheap inn that I'm currently renting." 

Hanayuki must be curious about the girl's identity.