While I was no longer subject to abnormal hunger pangs, eating was still very important for my body.\n
I had to eat while I could, or I would regret it. Especially now, when I didnât know when I might be summoned.
âOld man. I need something to eat. Something heavy. What do you have?â
âAye. You should have meat then. We have some wild boar. Should I cook it?â
These wild boars were incredibly vicious, and were strong enough to skewer Goblins.
Just imagine something thatâs several times larger and more dangerous than an American buffalo.
Hunting them alone was a difficult task. And I happened to find them rather delicious.
âI like the sound of that. Three servingsâŚâ
âHey, get me the usual.â
Someone cut in. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
Of course, I was not so short-tempered to get angry over that.
When it came to personal matters that concerned me alone, I could be patient.
However, I would not have minded a short apology.
âSorry. I told you this morning, but weâre all out.â
âBut I told you to prepare some!â
âThe market isnât open today. It wonât be open until the day after tomorrow.â
Apparently, this customerâs favorite food was out of stock. It happened often.\n
This customer who argued with the old man was a Shadow Ape.
They were of the higher ranks and were known for being huge and having especially long fur on their arms.
The Shadow Apes were evolved Heavy Apes.
And Heavy Apes were a special type of Fierce Ape.
I didnât like how he was picking on this poor innkeeper.
âIâve been waiting in my room all of this time. Iâm starving. I donât care how much you have to run around the town to find it! If I donât get my meal, Iâm going to break your neck.â
It would be easy enough to do, for a Shadow Ape.
The old innkeeper was trembling.
In the first place, it seemed like this Shadow Ape wasnât from this country.
Perhaps he was here as some merchantâs bodyguard.
âIâm terribly sorry. I will go right nowâŚâ
But I stopped the old man as he was about to leave.
âWhy are you getting in the way!?â
The Shadow Apeâs attention turned to me.
âDonât you think youâre being a little too self-centered? I understand that youâre annoyed, but itâs not good to take it out on those who are weaker than you.â
âYou. You think you can lecture me? If youâre going to come at me, do it with fists!â
Oh, are you sure? \nWell then. I grabbed the back of his neck with my left hand, fixing him so he couldnât move. Then I slammed my right hand into his stomach.
Recently, I had gained an understanding of how to use my body. And so I unleashed a shock wave the moment before my fist made contact with him.
Was it a sonic boom? Did I surpass the speed of light?
Normally he would have broken through the walls and flown out of the inn like some kind of cartoon character. Thankfully, I was holding him by the neck.
On the other hand, his neck did bend back. Might have even broken a little.
âOld man. This guest is tired and would like to rest. Which one is his room?â
âY-y-yes. U-upstairs. The third room to the right!â
âGot it. Iâm going to put him in bed. In the meantime, Iâd like to order three plates of that wild boar.â
âCe-certainly!!â
The old man was shaking like a leaf, though the threat was now gone.
He must have been really scared.
And so I carried the Shadow Ape up the stairs.
âUhh, third to the rightâŚhere it is.â
The room was a lot cleaner than I expected.
There were weapons strewn around the floor, but the laundry was all hung up neatly.
Perhaps he had a surprisingly methodical side to him.
\nâBecause the army will be passing through. And since thereâs no guarantee that there wonât be spies around, they do not want people to see them marching.â
There was a war happening somewhere, and they had clashed with enemy reinforcements.
Because of this, they had to stop for a few days.
However, I wasnât sure why he was telling me this.
âThatâs unfortunate.â
âIndeed. Anyway, sorry that Iâm late⌠That being said, I think youâre drawing too much attention. If youâre going to hang it, do it near your own laundry. Besides, normally you would hang it on the side of the back road.â
Hang?
âYou mean the bag?â
âYes. We always walk down the road behind the inns when trying to find the place youâre staying at. I was just going to start looking when I saw it hanging out in the front.â
ââŚâ
Could it be that he thought I was someone else?
I continued to eat my meat silently. The man looked around and continued in a hushed voice.
âHurry up and take me to the room. Itâs too dangerous to talk here.â
âMy room?â
I asked with an annoyed expression. He lowered his voice even further.
âWere you not also hired by Lord Nehyor? Now hurry up. Take me to your room.â