Thinking about all that made me want to walk . And so I did after telling Daniela . The only lights came from the moon, stars, and bonfires . However, there was also a warm glow from the city that spread up above . I gazed at it while I walked .

“Ahahahaha!”

“Are you serious!!”

Huh? Someone was being very loud in the middle of the night .  

I poked my head out and saw that three men who appeared to be Adventurers were sitting around a fire and drinking .

“Hmm? Who are you?”

“I was taking a stroll and heard your excited voices . ”

“What? So you’re just bored!”

Two of them began to laugh . Well, it was true . The other one was drinking and looked uninterested .

“What about him?”

I casually walked up to them and sat down before glancing at the other guy .

“Hey, listen here, brother!”

“This guy…ckkkk…no! I can’t stop laughing! Ahahahaha!!”

The two men started to laugh once again . The other looked even more annoyed than before as he sipped his drink .

“…What happened?”

With nothing better to do, I talked to the bored man…Boredman . Boredman glanced at me with an expression that seemed to question if I was going to start laughing as well . I shrugged and urged him to explain, and so he did, though it was in a very somber voice .

“I came out of the countryside just to enlist in the Imperial Sword Tournament . And then I…became infatuated with a certain prost.i.tute while in an Usk inn . ”

“And?”

“…And I told her . Told her that I was the man who would win the Imperial Sword Tournament . I would win and come back for her! That’s what I said . ”

He added that he had been drinking heavily before this declaration . The two men began to laugh again at this point .

“…So? What did she say?”

“…She laughed . ”

“Huh?”

“She laughed . Said I had no chance of winning . That I wouldn’t even pa.s.s the preliminary round . ”

He took another sip and sighed deeply .

“It’s impossible! Truly!”

“You’re just going to embarra.s.s yourself! Hahahaha!”

Boredman seemed to shrink every time they started to laugh . I saw this and got up to my feet .

“That’s not true!”

“Huh?”

“Eh?”

“You just have to win! Beat their expectations and win . Then you can boast about it!”

I grabbed his drink and finished it off . It was nice and warmed my body .

“There’s no need to look down on yourself . Humans are capable of doing anything they set their minds to!”

“Uh, but surely winning is going a little too far…”

“There is no such thing as going too far! Men should talk big!”

I picked up a bottle and poured Boredman another cup . Then I slapped him on the back for good measure .

“Well, I’m sorry to tell you this, but I’m the guy that’s really going to win! Ahahaha!”

“Hey, there stranger . Are you drunk already?”

“I’m not drunk, you dumb b.a.s.t.a.r.d . Look . It’s gonna me and him . It’s gonna be a vicious final fight . And when I win, Daniela will be impressed . ”

As I continued to drink, I could feel the effects of the drink . Or maybe it was just me?

“Daniela? You mean Lightwind?”

“Yup! My lover!”

“Wh, then that would make you Silvergreen! Asagi!?”

“Ah, are you serious!?”

“The real one…?”

I didn’t know if I was used to it now or it was just the drink, because for once I didn’t feel embarra.s.sed . Yeah, I had probably just gotten used to it . I wasn’t drunk .

“Hahaha . Yes, I am Asagi . Silvergreen!”

“No way… It’ll be hard to win if Silvergreen joins the list . ”

“I think you should quit while you can . ”

“Indeed… I cannot fight against someone with an alias . ”

“What? Don’t you know that challenges are the spice of life?”

“That’s ridiculous!”

Somehow, I had managed to defeat three possible rivals without doing anything . That hadn’t been my intention…

“Well, uh… Don’t laugh at the dreams of others . I live with my own dreams . I think people are able to enjoy their lives if they have such important goals . ”

“That is true… A dream, eh?…”

“Sorry…for laughing at you . ”

“It’s fine . I do tend to dream big . But I don’t see it as a negative thing . ”

Yes, yes . They had reconciled . Well, it seemed like a good time, so I drained my cup and got to my feet .

“Well, then . I better be off . You guys take care . ”

“Aye . See you, Silvergreen . ”

“Let’s eat together if we meet in the city . ”

“Thank you for not laughing at my dream . ”

I b.u.mped fists with each of them before continuing on my way . The night was still as dark as ever . I was feeling good after drinking, and so I decided to walk a little more .

Now that I think of it, I had forgotten to ask them their names…

The effects of the drink started to fade as I walked . It always happened rather quickly with me… I was also easily affected by the atmosphere .

Up until now, I had been walking along the line of campers, but now I turned to the forest, which seemed quieter . There was a light breeze and the rustling of leaves overhead . The chilly air felt nice on my heated skin .

The light of the moon and stars peeked between the cracks in trees, creating an elegant scene . Everyone I had met in this world might be looking up at this same view right now .

“That’s a nice thought…hmm?”

I heard a voice . What was it? Like someone crying… d.a.m.n it . A chill went up my spine .

“At times likes these…”

I was happy to have Presence Detection . Ghosts and any other nonscientific beings will be promptly exposed… I narrowed it down to the area where the voice was coming from . Narrowing it down made it more accurate . And I was able to detect the exact positions . There were two .

“Two… But there is only one voice…”

…Hmm, but it really was two . Maybe someone was being attacked . . ?

I moved towards them as quietly as I could manage . I didn’t know what was happening, but I couldn’t just jump into the darkness without thinking . What if it really was a ghost… Not that I was scared of them .

Night Eyes allowed me to avoid fallen branches as I moved . I stayed behind bushes as I got closer to the tree . The voice was getting louder .

“Uhhh…uuuhhh…hah…ahh…”

Hmm… Crying? …Is it really…?

Now I wasn’t sure . But I was quite close . The urge to leave and the urge to see were pulling me . But I inched closer until I was at the cl.u.s.ter of bushes I had made my goal .

“Hah…ahh…”

And then I looked .

“Hah…hah…ohh…”

It wasn’t crying… It was just someone panting . And Night Eyes left little to the imagination .

It was a young man and woman .

(This is bad…)

They’d probably try to kill me… Now that I knew who the ghosts were, it was time scram . It was a simple enough mission . But then again, they seemed like they would be finis.h.i.+ng very soon . That will increase the risk of discovery . In fact, it was almost a miracle they hadn’t discovered me already .

(This was no time to be a.n.a.lyzing such things!)

I put all other thoughts aside and moved away from the bushes . I was even more careful than I had been when going . Sweat dripped down my forehead . I must not ruin their joyful moment .

I was so relieved about being able to return to Daniela unnoticed, that I ended up falling asleep right after . Of course, Daniela was furious .

Eventually, I would look at my status card and see that Presence Block had been added to my list of skills, but it would not happen for quite a while .