The Path of Ruin

Chapter 33 - 33: In a Strange Town

Kael couldn't help the smile on his face as he put on his new clothes. Not only that, he had bathed!

He had been in such a bad state for a month that just two minutes under water and new clothes made him feel like he had stepped into paradise. He was extremely satisfied and happy.

The clothes he was wearing were a bit too big for him, but he couldn't complain because he couldn't find anything more suitable here. It was a brown colored, plain outfit. It was also a bit thick. So, he would be less affected by the cold weather.

And that was it. He had no further business with the orphanage. It was time to go his own way.

With a smile on his face, he was about to head towards the stairs leading down when he suddenly paused. His lips flattened and his eyes narrowed slightly as he slowly turned to his right. Then... he looked into one of the rooms, the door of which was already closed.

Through a very thin crack, he could see a few eyes looking at him.

He lowered his guard as his eyebrows rose slightly. He had reflexively

He had never felt anything like this in the mansion of Musthar, the king's brother, nor in the palace. The people here were... strange.

'For some reason, there are very few people who communicate, no... who interact directly with each other.'

When he thought of the guard named Ahkan talking to the others, of the children in the orphanage, he thought it was the opposite. People were nicer than he thought, there were even some who wanted to help him...

But was it not like that for everyone, perhaps?

Was it just coincidence or luck that the people he met were good?

He kept looking around, paying attention to people.

But it was still strange. They... almost seemed to ignore each other completely for the most part.

Still, after a short time of thinking, he didn't dwell on this strangeness too much. After all... he used to be a slave who knew very little about the world. Well, even if the first part was no longer true, the last part still remained the same. He had no idea how much normal people talked to each other, or how seriously they took each other.

So, as hard as it was, he tried to immerse himself in this strangeness and kept looking for what he wanted.

And after a short while... his lips curled upwards.

A group of three men caught his eye. As he looked at them, wearing light armor and weapons, with obvious wounds on visible parts of their bodies and carrying sacks with a slightly red bottom, Kael could only think of one thing.

They were mercenaries.

Kael tagged along behind the group. He walked with them to the other side of the city and then saw them enter a building.

He focused on the sign on the building. Even if he couldn't read it, he at least tried to memorize what it looked like. Then, he nodded to himself, took a deep breath, and walked slowly into the building.

The first thing he encountered when he entered... was the smell of blood and alcohol mixed together. And the eyes of countless people, sitting at countless tables, turning towards him at once.