As I stepped out of the kingdom's gate, the cool morning breeze brushed against my face. Adventure.
A new kingdom.
New problems.
It seemed like the life of a wandering knight was indeed full of challenges. I gazed far into the horizon, thinking about my next destination.
Where should I go? Ah, anywhere far away from here would do. This kingdom had given me enough surprises
Alright, maybe I couldn't exactly run away from my duties. I had to head to the neighboring kingdom to help them with some monster problem—or whatever else they needed. Yep, a new kingdom, another place that desperately needed my amazing help.
But there was one thing that kept haunting me. The sword. The cool sword I stole from the royal treasury. I had felt like a true adventurer when I stuffed it into my bag, but when I finally pulled it out to get a closer look... I felt a little confused.
I sat down on a big rock by the roadside and drew the sword from its sheath. A sword that was supposed to give off "legendary knight" vibes instead felt... light.
Too light.
I held the hilt awkwardly, hoping for a heroic sensation to wash over me. But no, the opposite happened.
The sword... was too perfect.
Like, too smooth.
As if it had been mass-produced in a cheap sword factory.
I checked the tip of the blade. Sharp? Yeah, but... somehow, I felt that if I tried to cut down a tree, the tree would probably just laugh at me. I felt like I had just bought a sword from a royal flea market.
"Seriously," I muttered, "is this a sword or just a replica?"
I started swinging the sword, hoping some kind of cool feeling would kick in.
Nothing.
No classic 'whoosh' sound of a sword slicing through the air.
No air splitting at the blade's sharpness.
Just a little 'ting' noise when the blade brushed against a stone.
If there was one thing I could be sure of, it was that this sword wasn't going to be the loyal companion I had imagined.
"Is this a sword or a kitchen utensil?" I began to feel a little annoyed. I inspected it closer, hoping to find a cool engraving or some magical symbol that would at least give the impression of an extraordinary weapon.
Nope.
Just a few random scratches on the sides. I shifted my gaze back to the sword and glared at it.
"So this is... a junk sword?" I asked sarcastically, as if the sword could answer.
I tried hitting a rock with it, hoping for an epic moment—maybe a few sparks or some sign that this sword was more than just a fancy plastic knife. Instead, there was just a dull thud—no sparks, no explosions.
I could almost hear the world mocking me. "No legendary sword here, Aria. Just this."
I looked at the sword with growing frustration. "So this is what they call a royal sword? I should've gotten a discount coupon at the market."
Then I tried to console myself.
"Okay, okay. Maybe it's not as epic as I imagined. But hey, compared to the royal barber who probably only has stone knives... this is still the best sword I've ever held. Hopefully."
I sheathed it again, wearing a very unsure expression.
No big deal.
Maybe this sword was better suited for slicing fruit than fighting monsters. At least now I knew what I was getting myself into by rushing to show off as a 'Licensed Adventurer Knight.'
I stood up and looked down the road ahead. "So, the neighboring kingdom, huh? Sure, let's go pick a fight... just hope this sword doesn't embarrass me too much."
I stepped forward, feeling a little more at ease—at least I now knew that this sword wouldn't cause me to fall flat on my face too often on the battlefield. But deep down, I knew one thing: my adventure was just beginning, and this sword... somehow, I had the feeling it was going to keep surprising me along the way.
With half-hearted enthusiasm and a junk sword dangling at my waist, I finally decided to head toward the Kingdom of Noa.They say the kingdom is full of opportunities, challenges, and... problems.
Lots of problems.
Perfect for a Licensed Adventurer like me who only wants to find food and sleep comfortably.
But there was one problem: the road there was pretty far, and my legs weren't made of steel.Fortunately—or maybe unfortunately—fate (or a curse) led me to a passing horse-drawn carriage.
The carriage... was weird. Tooquiet.
It was like there was a faint horror movie soundtrack playing in the back of my mind.
The coachman was an old man with a crumpled face, wearing a battered hat and a thin smile that—if I'm being honest—looked more like a villain from a cheap detective novel.
"Need a ride, miss?" he asked, his voice raspy like grinding whetstones.
As a logical and mentally healthy person, of course I immediately knew:This was highly suspicious.
But as Aria—who was sick of walking and had the survival instincts of a cockroach in winter—I played dumb and climbed aboard anyway.
"Ooh, a free ride? Must be a blessing for good little girls," I thought, flashing my sweetest smile like a naive girl ready to be scammed.
As soon as I sat inside, I started to realize... the atmosphere grew even weirder.
Inside the carriage, it smelled like... dried blood that had been there for a week.The carpet had strange stains that—if my IQ was above that of a gorilla—I would've instantly realized were definitely not spilled ketchup.
But of course, I chose to stay oblivious.
"Wow, such an authentic aroma. Like a cheap steakhouse that forgot to wash dishes for three months," I muttered softly while holding my breath.
Throughout the journey, I could hear creaking noises from under the carriage floor, as if something—or someone—was moving down there.
There were faint tapping sounds.There were soft moans.There was the sound of something being dragged.
Normal?Of course not.My reaction?
I sat nicely, pretending to admire the scenery through the window.As if I were a clueless tourist riding a carriage for the first time.
"Wow, the roads here are so rocky. There's even that romantic sound of corpses being dragged," I thought, maintaining my dumb smile.
The old coachman occasionally peeked through a small gap in the roof, his eyes gleaming like a man thinking about his dinner menu—and hopefully, I wasn't on it.
I returned his stare with the innocent smile of a kindergartener.Kill me? Go ahead.But I'd pretend not to notice until the very end.
An hour later, just when I was about to accept that I would become the murder victim in a mystery novel, we finally approached the gates of the Kingdom of Noa.
"We've arrived, miss," he said with a grin.
I jumped off the carriage as fast as possible, like a cat that just realized it had been sleeping on a hot stove.
Before I left, I sneaked one last glance inside the carriage.Just a glimpse.There were fresh bloodstains.There were chain marks.And... a pair of small eyes staring at me from under a slightly lifted floorboard.
I took a deep breath.Then, with extraordinary professionalism, I turned around without any expression and walked away like nothing had happened.
Because here's the thing, folks:If you pretend you didn't see anything, then the problem isn't your business.
Simple.
Effective.
Safe.
I call it SES
As I walked away, I hummed a little tune.A bright smile lit up my face.Cold sweat trickled down my back.
"Fun adventure, Aria. Welcome to Noa. Hope you're still alive for breakfast tomorrow."