Chapter 61: They’re Staring At Me

Chapter 61: They’re Staring At Me

I know youre there. You can come out now," I called out to no one.

But a badass character would say this when they found out someone was following them. It was something the super-strong guy would say.

I waited for a couple of seconds, and no one responded.

So I was talking to no one? Thankfully there wasn't anyone around to see what had happened. It would be pretty embarrassing. At least, Carpy wont remember this.

"How did you know?" A sound came from the bushes, and Delia emerged from behind one of the trees. Her eyes were wide. I thought my stealth was quite advanced. Do you have some kind of sensory special ability? I knew you were lying before when you said your ability was some lame pain resistance..

Holy shit! There was someone following me?!

Okay, okay, I have to play this calmly. Yeah, just play it like I knew all along. "I almost didn't notice you. Youre good at this. Maybe you could teach me a couple of tricks?"

"Not good enough, apparently," she seemed a tad disappointed with herself.

No, your stealth was definitely up to par. I didn't sense anything, even when she was so close. "Don't follow me. You have your duties as the next clan head. Are you sure you can do something like this?"

She didn't say anything at first and then sighed. "I keep thinking about the time when I couldn't help you. Do you know how it feels to be so powerless? Watching your cousin, your family about to die and not be able to do anything about it?"

"That doesn't exactly explain why you're following me," there's no way she could come along.

The place I was going would be where I had to experience my training arc. Delia being there would be needless trouble.

She was family, so I didn't care about her reputation. Whatever she did to other people, she was kind to me. But other people knew of her reputation, which might cause even more problems than I already had.

"Well, coming with you will be easier on my mind. No one knows where you're going, and it could be dangerous." She shrugged and walked up next to me. The dangerous aura around her said she wouldnt take No for an answer. "C'mon, now that I don't have to hide, we can move faster."

"I don't want you traveling with me. You will just bring trouble," it was best to be blunt with someone like Delia.

"Kon, my baby cousin. I think you misunderstood something, she put her hands on my shoulder. She then continued to look at me like I was a kid. "I don't give a shit about what you think. I'm doing this to make myself feel better. Honestly, you're not even part of the equation."

How could she make something so nice sound so selfish?!

I ran through the trees with each step faster than the one before. My legs almost hurt due to how quickly I was jumping past trees.

But it started raining a lot when I reached my destination, and I was soaked.

It was a small village hidden to the side of the mountain. There weren't over fifty houses, so the population should be small.

I walked toward the biggest house, which looked like a town hall, and knocked on the door. "Anyone there?"

No one answered my calls. But there was some shuffling behind the door. Were they preparing for an attack? No, I have to think about this logically. There's no way someone would plan an ambush for me all the way in the sticks. Still, I should be on guard, just in case.

"Anyone there?" I knocked again. "I'm just a merchant whose carriage slipped down a crevice. My merchandise is gone, and the horse died. I need some shelter."

People were usually a bit nervous around Exorcists. Who wouldn't be? The average exorcist could kill the average human in one hit. The said exorcist probably wouldn't suffer any consequences legally after he killed the human.

That was the world we live in.

Now that I think about it. Maybe saying I was a merchant was a weak excuse. What would a merchant sell here, in the middle of nowhere? Who would he sell it to?

But there weren't many professions in this world that would have a reason to be here. My second alternative was to say I was an adventurer or treasure hunter. That would probably get me more suspicious looks. The last option was to say I was a bug researcher who got lost.

None of those options worked when talking with some village in the sticks. I could solve this whole thing by crashing the door open, but when people start solving problems with their fists. They become stupid.

After waiting for a bit, no one answered. Welp, I'm going to sneak into the houses and sleep under their bed.

Wow, that came out creepier than I thought. Thankfully I don't say stuff like that out loud. The context of the situation isn't creepy though.

Just as I was thinking about giving up, the door to the big building opened, and a man with a thick trustworthy mustache looked me up and down. Then he said, "Come on in."

The inside of the big building was filled with people. The roof was leaking a bit, but everything was okay. "I'm sorry for intruding. I didn't know you had so many people here."

"Don't worry. They're the village people. When it rains like this, the river that runs down the mountain will usually flood. Sometimes, the houses get caught in it. But this place is on a hill, so it's always safe." The mustache man said.

His explanation sounded logical. Though I couldnt help but feel like every time I looked away, every one of the villagers (even the kids) glared at me with cold gazes.