Chapter 51: The calm aftermath after killing someone (2/2)
Standing outside the door, Fanny and Lisa looked a bit worn out and their hair was a bit messed up. They carried items in the hands and packs on their back, looking quite tired from the road. It appeared that they’d just returned from the Dark Forest.
“You Bryan, you actually made it back to Drol such a long time ago. We were worried about you for quite a while. Oh, how’d you get money to live in such an expensive room? If it’s wasn’t for the owner’s certainty, I truly wouldn’t have believed that you were the one living in this room.” Fanny’s clear eyes swept over Han Shuo and she spoke with a bit of a bite to her words.
“Bryan, what happened the day you left? You didn’t return for two days and I thought something happened to you?” Lisa said.
“I got lost after I left, and when I found the original camp, I discovered that you’d long since left. I couldn’t find you guys, so I went one step ahead and returned to the town of Drol to wait for you. Good thing that everyone is fine. That’s wonderful.” Han Shuo smiled slightly and faintly explained himself.
Fanny raked a gaze over Han Shuo, thought for a moment and spoke to Lisa beside her. “Lisa, go and finish arranging the rooms with Master Gene and the rest. I have some things to discuss with Bryan.”
Lisa looked at Fanny with some suspicion and said, “Master Fanny, that incident has passed for quite some time now. Bryan even saved our lives… are you still holding a grudge against him?”
Her face reddened when Fanny heard Lisa mention last time’s incident again. She said furiously, “No, I have other things to discuss with him. Go select a room for me and I’ll be over shortly.”
Lisa still wasn’t fully at ease upon hearing Fanny’s explanation, but didn’t say anything further as she turned to leave, muttering something in her mouth.
As soon as Lisa had left, Fanny raked her gaze over Han Shuo and looked at the room she’d once lived in, seeming to remember what had happened last time as her cheeks flushed even redder. She humphed lightly and said, “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
“Eh, Master Fanny, this way please.” Han Shuo was taken aback and hurriedly turned his body to the side. When Fanny had stepped inside, he stuck a head out for a look in the hallway and hastily shut the door tight, like he was acting with a guilty conscience.
“What are you doing so surreptitiously? I ask you, what happened the day after you left camp? How do you have the gold coins to stay in this room?” Fanny nailed Han Shuo with a patrolling look after she sat down.
Han Shuo still hadn’t fully recovered from killing Claude. Upon hearing Fanny’s words, he was a bit surprised. He thought for a bit and then explained with a laugh, “When I left the camp that day, I stayed nearby practicing necromancy magic. I met an injured Windblade Wolf afterwards. I kept chasing the injured Windblade Wolf and finally killed it when it wasn’t paying attention. When I returned to the camp, I made my way back here after I realized that you had gone.
After returning to Drol, I sold the Windblade Wolf core and pelt. That’s how I got the gold coins. I thought that you guys would likely be staying here again after returning, which is why I rented the room to wait for you guys. This is what happened.”
Fanny didn’t immediately speak after Han Shuo had finished, but rather gazed upon Han Shuo in apparent thought. She exhaled lightly after a while, “Bryan, you’re truly completely different from before!”
He started and managed to squeeze out an honest smile. He scratched his head, “Really? Where am I different?”
“In many ways. Your appearance, body, and height, as well as your personality and expressions when you talk are all much too different from how I knew you before. It looks like you were the one who changed the most after experiencing the trials of the Dark Forest. All the students have undergone some changes after constantly facing battles of life and death, but who would’ve thought that your change would’ve been the biggest? How shocking!” Fanny stared dumbly at Han Shuo and said with a face of severity.
Han Shuo understood that during this time’s outing in the Dark Forest, unbeknownst to him, a change had truly occurred in the way he viewed things. This change had accompanied the increases in his strength and the dangers that he had faced. After killing Claude with his own hands the day before yesterday and a serious round of reflection, Han Shuo had gained a clearer understanding of the harsh realities of this world, and with it, his heart had become colder and crueler.
“Master Fanny, you left a note saying that you guys had met the two man-eating monsters. Did you get into a conflict with them in the end?” Han Shuo laughed lightly and didn’t explain things in further detail, but rather started asking Fanny what had happened to them afterwards.
“Of course, the two man-eating monsters kept following us. They even colluded with a few forest trolls to attack us. We finally made it out, but our paths were deviated significantly from our original direction because we were avoiding the man-eating monsters and the forest trolls. That’s why we returned to Drol so late.” Fanny responded.
Nodding, Han Shuo was about to open his mouth, when he suddenly frowned and abruptly stood up. He said with a face full of seriousness, “Looks like we’ve got trouble.”
“Everyone on alert! The orc wolf riders have appeared in the southern part of Drol. They are headed this way, everyone make ready for battle!”
Large yells suddenly sounded from the streets outside the hotel, all having to do with the imminent invasion from the orc wolf riders.