The Extra's Return

The group of merchants that approached me was quite large. But according to the average merchant group in this world, their group was small. There was one large carriage followed by three smaller ones.

When the night came, we didn't talk much.

We slept in our respective tents.

I acted as if I was wary of them because I was alone. Meanwhile, they were probably curious why I was traveling alone. So there wasn't much exchange of words.

Now the sun had been rising again, signaling a new day to start new things.

As soon as I stepped out of the tent, I saw the activity of the porters who were busy running around. Some were feeding the horses, and others were starting to summarize the tents.

The person I guessed to be the leader of the group sat down while eating dried meat. Seeing me come out of the tent, he came over to me.

"Did you sleep well?"

He asked me with a friendly smile.

Now I noticed him. He was a middle-aged man who had thin and dry body features. His appearance didn't reflect that of a merchant at all. His clothes were wrinkled and ugly, and his face was the same.

Everyone would doubt whether he was really a merchant when looking at his body features, face, and the clothes he was wearing. He instead looked like a beggar who hadn't eaten in a few days.

"Did you just think that I'm like a beggar?"

"How do you know?"

"Hahaha. It's obvious from your face."

"I apologize if I was rude."

"Hahaha, it's fine. Don't worry. It's natural for you to think of me as a beggar because of my appearance. By the way, where are you from? It's rare to see a youngster like you traveling alone."

"I'm from Ryam City."

"Oh. Isn't that a very far place?"

As expected of the head of a merchant group. He knew the location of Ryam City even though it was a remote place in the southern corner of the Misonia Kingdom.

"But, how did you get here? Even though I didn't see you carrying a horse?"

"...."

I didn't answer. I didn't need to tell my story in detail anyway.

Perhaps he understood my meaning, he nodded silently.

"If you don't want to tell your story, that's fine. Everyone has their own story."

'Everyone has their own story...'

I was immersed in the words he spoke. He was an extra character in this world, just like me, but he was full of a positive aura.

"By the way, on the way here, I heard bad rumors keep spreading. It's said that children are starting to mysteriously disappear, I hope you'll be more careful in the future."

It seemed like he felt guilty so he hurriedly changed the subject. But why would he do that while continuing to chew on dried meat?

"Thank you for your advice."

"Ah, I had forgotten to introduce myself. Sorry, I was too engrossed in the conversation." He rubbed the back of his head.

"My name is Burgis."

He smiled warmly as he introduced his name.

"...."

[Skill Memorize - Activated]

I was widening my eyes once the Memorize skill was surprisingly activated.

I had felt a strange feeling from his name, but I didn't expect that his name would trigger the Memorize skill.

"Is there something strange? Why do you look surprised?"

"No-nothing."

***

Gallop! Gallop! Gallop!

The sound of horse hooves continued to be heard.

The horses' feet continued to pound the ground in order to bring the carriages into Burgenfield city.

Right now I was sitting next to the person controlling the horse, in the coachman's place.

Although he was the head of the merchant group, the person driving the group carriage was Burgis.

I accepted his request, after offering me a ride to Burgenfield City.

However, before actually getting into the city, I got off the horse-drawn carriage.

"Oh, before we completely part ways, may I know, are you planning on going to Heinsburg Capital or not?"

"It seems so."

"In that case, you can ask me for help if you have any problems there later. Just look for a small shop called Minions. Although I'm just a small merchant, I'm quite confident in helping out with general matters. Although it's short, our meeting must be fate. Ahahaha."

Finally, he ended his words with an awkward laugh.

"Since you have been kind enough to offer me a favor, then I will also give you something."

I went behind his horse carriage.

Entering the carriage, I started to activate the Inventory skill.

[Skill Inventory - Activated.]

I opened the Inventory skill as I reached into the pockets of every robe on my body. From inside each pocket that I reached into, several Magic Crystals appeared.

And so on until the originally empty carriage became full of Magic Crystals.

A little late behind me, Burgis came and saw inside the horse-drawn carriage.

With a gawking face, Burgis dropped his butt. He continued to point at the contents of the carriage. Inside the carriage, which was originally empty, was now completely filled with Magic Crystals.

On top of the pile of merchandise, Magic Crystals were scattered like useless items.

"W-what is this?"

"Think of it as an investment. You can sell these at the Adventurer's Association later."

I smiled in response to him, who continued to stutter. His mouth seemed to want to say something, but he only opened and closed his mouth in surprise.

It was only natural that he was surprised. It wasn't just the quantity, but also the quality. The Magic Crystals that I gave away had an average rank of C. They were the highest rank Magic Crystals in my Inventory.

Of course, all of these Magic Crystals are Magic Crystals that I got from the Fog Dungeon.

I gave him all that because I knew he would become a successful and great trader in the future. I couldn't afford to waste the opportunity.

Thanks to the Memorize skill. Because of the Memorize skill, I remembered that he was a great merchant candidate. In the future, he would be known as The Merchant King... but Number Two.

Why not number one? That's because number one was his little niece.

"Use the money however you want."

"Indeed, I do need investment, but... how can you-?"

"Goodbye! I'll see you in Heinsburg city one day. Also, I send my regards to your niece who has the last name Vaughan. Be prepared to welcome her to Heinsburg city and take good care of her!"

"Eh?"

I didn't wait for him to resolve his confusion. I pushed him up to the coachman's place.

With a face that was still confused, I forced him to whip the horses so that the horses would pull the carriage towards Burgenfield city.

That was how we parted ways. It was a short but meaningful encounter.

***

I had been walking towards Burgenfield city.

The closer I got to Burgenfield city, the more I could see the great wall surrounding Burgenfield city.

If you look closely, the wall and the entrance gate of Burgenfield city both far surpass Ryam City. Both in terms of size and sturdiness are inversely proportional.

Understandably, just comparing the total area, Burgenfield City cannot be compared to Ryam City. So it was only natural that they built such a high and sturdy wall to protect Burgenfield City.

If I had to compare Ryam City with Burgenfield City, then Ryam City was a city that could be circled on foot within a week, while Burgenfield City was a city that could be circled on foot within more than a month.

"Hey, show me your ID card!"

The gatekeeper asked for my ID card, and I gave it to him.

"Hmm? Eh? So you're the son of a nobleman! Ah, I apologize for my rudeness, sir"

"May I pass?"

"Yes. You may pass."

The gatekeeper let me in.

At first, they were surprised to learn that I had a surname, aka a noble, but I quickly parted ways and left the two people.

If they knew I was a trash noble, they wouldn't be so surprised.

Perhaps among the nobility, I'm considered a pitiful person, but to ordinary people... hmmm. I guess I'm still seen as a pitiful person.

I shook my head and continued walking inside Burgenfield city.

***

After a while of walking along the main street, I finally set foot in the town square.

Then I looked around more carefully.

The magnificent houses and lively streets added to the festive atmosphere. The cool morning air was presented before my eyes.

I felt that this crowd was almost the same as during working hours on earth.

But there was a very noticeable difference. If on earth people wear bags when working or doing activities, then people here wear weapons on their bodies instead.

Most of them were adventurers. Although the job as an adventurer had a high risk of death, when they took quests that were not dangerous, then their chances of safety were almost one hundred percent.

The sound of their laughter filled the air, that was the proof.

"Hey, did you have breakfast?"

"Not yet. Let's stop by that shop!"

I heard the voices of people.

This was the time when people started their morning activities.

From time to time, the square seems to get more and more crowded.

In the center of the square was a fountain. Around the fountain, people could be seen happily playing in the water.

They didn't know that the world was about to be hit by a disaster, so they were still smiling.

A random thought suddenly crossed my head.

Seeing the smiles on people's faces, I could actually understand them.

Demons, monstrous existences that possess great power, would be ready to eat humans.

Since the humans didn't know that demons existed, they would still be able to smile.

In the current timeline, people won't believe you if you mention that demons really exist.

As far as they knew, demons were creatures that only existed in fairy tale books. To them, demons are only considered creatures in children's bedtime stories.

Just try walking up to them, warn them that an army of demons is about to invade this Continent, and they will surely point at you and start laughing at you loudly. You will be labeled as a crazy person instead.

As a result of the poison called 'Peace', people are becoming so. The poison was spreading in human territory and began to eat away at people's minds. Their sense of alertness had been lost in the sense of peace.

Indeed, they still retained a sense of vigilance, but it was directed toward other humans. In short, I call it an internal human conflict.

I had been speaking not only of ordinary humans but also of powerful people, whether nobles or other owners of great power.

In other words, all humans.

Thus, when demons have truly appeared, only despair would be on their faces, and the greater their sense of despair, the greater their gratitude towards the one who will save them.

When gratitude, awe, love, and such feelings come together, then they become an easy meal for the hero, Jullian.

The easiest way to prevent that from happening was not to let humans experience despair. And that's the plan I want to execute in the future... not in the future but from now on.

"Hmmm. I guessed it. I really don't like being in crowds."

I should quickly find the building belonging to the Adventurer's Association, then enroll there.