Flaming Assassin

Chapter 1: Encounter

One fiery night the night everything turned into ashes.

A scream of chaos was heard. People In great pain, burning house and sound of the battlefield.

Why did such a thing must happen? I asked myself.

Those memories.

These memories.

"See you, Ren."

Said the girl I don't know.

…

I woke up to find myself in a dream. Currently riding on a carriage and the driver notices me waking up and my uneasy expression.

"Mister are you okay?”

He asked.

Turing my head in front of us. I saw a giant boulder of rocks. It's about 50 meters high. It caught my interest and asked the driver.

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

"That is not a block of rock, it's the guardian of Stella. It's said that the rocks encircle around the city of Stella is constructed by the goddess. Many disasters already happened but they remain standing.”

"I don't have an idea… Such interesting story hid behind it."

"Well, the story is just passed by the elders of the town itself. Many people believe it's from the goddess and some people don’t.”

"I see..."

"... Well even it has no concrete evidence that the goddess constructed those rocks, I believe that the story is true."

The driver said with a sincere tone.

Many people indeed believe in such things. In my case, I don’t believe In goddesses and gods. Just the rough idea of them controlling fate and the world is unbelievable.

If God exists, he can solve everyone’s problem with a snap of their hand.

If god exists… There’s no evil human living in this world.

That’s why I don’t believe God existed at all.

But I don’t hate people like this driver. He living an honest life and believing in the kindness of gods and goddesses.

The cart entered the City 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 wandering around the city. The city is busy, many carriages are running on the streets. The adults are busy with their work. But first things first. I need to have a place to stay for the night.

I go to the nearest Inn from my position. It's the Inn near the adventuring guild. I let myself in from the door and talked to the girl on the receptionist.

"Good morning sir, may I help you?"

Greeted with a polite tone

"I would like to check in myself one room for three nights."

"Three nights? That will be 300 gold coins..."

She said.

"300 gold coins? That was expensive... I only got 50 gold coins and 40 silver coins."

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

"I guess I should accept more quests and gain more money before taking adventure."

The girl in the registrar heard my monologue and said:

"I see you’re a traveler."

"Yes, I'm a traveler from the country of pearl."

"Country of pearl? You mean the country surrounded by water near the country of the sun."

"That's my home country."

"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 charge dirt cheap fee for their rooms."

She said something that interest me and focus all my attention on her.

"Really?!"

"There is an Inn in 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 gives me the paper with the map toward the Inn.

"Thank you very much."

I said with gratitude.

The girl waves her hand with a smile.

That receptionist is kind-hearted. I'm glad that I meet someone like her. I considered myself lucky.

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 place and goes to the girl who is serving meals to the customers.

"Excuse me, can I ask you something?"

The girl turns her head toward me and answered.

"Yes, what is it?"

Look like the girl didn't hear my words.

"Umm... Can I ask about the Inn?"

"About the Inn?"

I show the paper with a drawn map toward the Inn that is said to be dirt cheap. The girl look at the map and said:

"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 rent in our Inn."

Said the girl and laugh.

The mother of the girl who is also serving its customers look toward us and said:

"Inn? What Inn?"

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, 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."

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 her 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 collapse.

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

Asked Yuri.

Well, 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 100 copper."

"100 copper! That's cheap. Thank goodness, I'm able to find someplace to stay tonight. To be honest, I'm quite worried earlier…"

"Then, there is no need to worry anymore."

Said Yuri carefully.

 After that, 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 walk around the town. I found several things that amazed me. This is the first time I saw people from different job classes. Many adventurers wearing expensive-looking armor are walking around.

While strolling to the town I heard noise from above.

The noise came from the bridge above me.

"Hey!"

"Stop! Right there!"

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 bridge!"

"She is insane."

Her action gathered lots of attention beneath the flyover.

The girl from above whose being chased by angry knights doesn't hesitate to jump from the bridge.

As she jumps from above her robe uncovers her face and her beautiful light brown hair.

"So cute…”

She look at my eyes and smiled.

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. The cart is moving at speed enough for the girl to escape her trouble.

The old driver didn't even hear the voice of the men shouting stop toward him. For some reason, I felt relief that the girl escaped.

After that, the ruckus caused by the girl stopped, 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 Adventurers guild. Adventurers guild is the place where adventurers take their quest in exchange for many. Most of the quest includes battling monsters and helping other people with their problems.

In the past, I always come to place like these to get have money for my travel. Traveling is expensive, but I don’t have a choice, because I’m a traveler.

The reason I came here is that Adventurers guilds normally have a bar on them. Compare to restaurants, the price of meals in this bar is quite cheap.

I sat down at one of the tables and get the menu. There is nothing that I wanted to eat. I chose a meal randomly. I chose a fried chicken meal.

"Is that all sir?"

Asked the waitress.

"Yeah, that's all."

"Okay."

The waitress leaves.

"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-fried chicken I ever have."

This fried chicken is indeed really good, the aroma and the seasoning used is 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.

She is the insane girl that jumps from the flyover earlier.

The brown-haired girl turned her glance on me. She give me a fixed gaze 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 glance toward her. I'm just checking out to see who’s beside me.

"It's nothing... I'm just looking around…”

"Really?” 

She looks at me with suspicious eyes. It's very uncomfortable. She continued.

“... Have a nice meal."

She started to munch her chicken like a child.

"Why you’re still looking toward me?"

"It's nothing, I just thought that you’re like a kid while eating."

After my dinner, I take a look at the poster in the guild and planned 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 mission?"

The brown-haired girl is shocked by my presence.

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

I take a look at her poster and read. What she posted is not a  mission. It's a latter that is made to make the mayor of this city look bad to everyone.

"Why you’re posting something like this in the guild? It’s 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 you’re up to. Did you want to take down this man in the poster right? He is the current leader of Stella City... Did you know posting something like this is like marching down to your cage, especially if you don't have solid evidence to pull him down? You might get arrested immediately."

Explaining things on her. She threw a glare at me.

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."

"Why do you seem to know a lot? You’re suspicious…”

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.

"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... Earlier, you posted the poster in the guild carelessly without covering your face. If someone saw you. You’re in big trouble.”

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 eastern part of the Stella City are searching for me already."

That explains the people chasing her earlier.

"You look so calm…"

"You’re not a bad person… If you are will you help me?"

She asked me.

It's something that I don't 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."

"C-Cute? M-Me?"

Her face turns red as a tomato and suddenly looks away. She put both her hands on her soft-looking cheeks. She turned away and crouched down.

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 foots steps whose 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!"

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 hopeless!"

She started to become nervous.

I didn't expect someone like her to want to take down a town leader. She's 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 my skill 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 fine, 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 the place you staying.”

"That's for the best... Wait? What? You’re going to stay with me tonight?

"Yeah, Is there something wrong?"

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

"Don’t tell me it's you’re your 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 smug face. She’s making fun of me.

"Of course, I won’t lay my hands on you… I'm not that kind of man."

"If that is the case then let’s go to your room."

She said and stops walking.

I turn my head toward her and asked her.

"Why? Are you missing something?"

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

Introduction? I 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 Konoha, I'm an adventurer, I know that I'm still a newbie adventurer, but I hope we get along very well. I'm in your care from now on.”

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."

Konoha offered a fist.

"What is that?"

I asked.

"Common just imitates me... This will become the sign of our friendship."

Friendship.

I imitated her hand and then she makes a contact in my fist with my 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 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 you’re 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 be able to come in."

"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 Yuri."

The sleeping girl is shocked and wakes up.

The opening of the door wakes her up... I guess.

Yuri immediately stands up and cleans her skirt with dust.

"I fell asleep... You’re here... My mother has something to give to you... Here it's your pillow and blanket. I tried to wait for you but you’re too long, making me sleepy... I'm exhausted from work I’m sleepy, I need to go back to my room."

"Yeah, thank you."

"You’re welcome."

Yuri replies and leaves.

"Who is that girl?"

Asked Konoha.

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

Konoha must be curious about the girl's identity.