Another World Reincarnation Chronicle

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As I passed through the entrance of the city, a magnificent urban landscape greeted me.

Canopies lined the streets to block the scorching sunlight, under which vendors had set up stalls.

Hawkers roamed around enticing travelers, but none approached me.

Overall, people tended to avoid me. If someone accidentally bumped into me, the surrounding crowd would nudge them to steer clear.

I led Nightmare towards an inn.

Behind the large inn, there was a small pool, seemingly built for the guests.

It was just as I reached the inn that a small girl burst out from inside.

“Uh, welcome!”

The girl greeted me with an expression just as tense as the guards.

With her delicate shoulders trembling and a pale face.

Her tightly closed lips and downcast eyes.

She seemed to see me as a scary person, which made me feel quite odd.

“Are you a staff member here?”

“Y-yes!”

“Um… I’m thinking of staying a few days. What’s the price?”

The girl seemed momentarily flustered by my question and let out a small sound.

Her downcast eyes darted back and forth, as if she were considering something.

Finally, she answered in a strained voice.

“F-four silver a day…”

That’s quite an expensive price. Is the cost of living this high here?

While I hesitated for a moment, the girl quickly added, “I-it also includes care for your horse!”

“Does that mean food too?”

“Yes!”

In that case…

I nodded and jumped down from Nightmare’s back.

Nightmare seemed displeased, approaching me from behind and exhaling a gust of air.

Puff—puff—

The hot breath blew my hair in all directions.

It certainly seemed to be in a bad mood.

I reached out and patted Nightmare’s face.

“Just wait patiently. I’ll come to see you every day.”

I handed Nightmare’s bridle to the girl.

“He doesn’t eat ordinary feed, so please give him meat.”

“O-oh, you have a Hairan bloodline horse, right?”

“You know that?”

“I’ve taken care of a few before.”

I nodded at the girl’s words.

It seemed she had some experience with Hairan bloodline horses as she soothed and led Nightmare towards the stable.

The swaying backside of Nightmare, growing smaller as it moved away, suddenly appeared overly large.

The girl, headed towards the stable, quickly returned.

Seeing that there were no wounds, it looked like Nightmare settled down quietly inside.

I followed the girl into the inn.

The interior of the inn was filled with an exotic atmosphere.

From the unfamiliar decorations to the smell of strange spices from the food.

The hot desert breeze felt strangely overwhelming.

The room I was shown to was Room 305 on the third floor.

A bed that seemed just right for one, a small table, and a chair.

That was all—it was really just a place to sleep.

At least it was fortunate that there was a shower room next door.

“Then please rest comfortably…”

“Oh, wait.”

I caught the girl who was trying to leave after showing me to the room.

Her pale face turned even whiter at my sudden call.

“Do you know what this brooch means?”

I pointed to a small brooch and asked.

Ever since I passed through the city gates and arrived here, I had been extremely curious about this brooch but hadn’t had anyone to ask.

Everyone avoided me utterly, let alone engage in conversation.

The girl hesitated for a moment, then mumbled in response.

“Isn’t it a sign of being a friend of Prince Kashin…?”

“Friend?”

“Y-yes… I heard that Prince Kashin gives these tokens to his friends… Am I wrong?”

I recalled Kashin’s figure.

His relaxed demeanor and the way he approached without hesitation must have signified the confidence that came with his status.

He seemed to possess quite the distinguished background, but could he truly be royalty?

I rubbed my forehead and shook my head.

“No, you’re right.”

The girl let out a sigh of relief at my words.

Then, stepping back awkwardly, she exited the room.

Left alone, I first tossed off my clothes.

After the long desert journey, sands cascaded off my body.

Especially the sand that had accumulated in my shoes was enough for a handful.

After finishing my shower in hot water, I wiped off the sand from my gear.

Looking clean, I gathered my coin pouch and sword and left the inn.

The first thing on my agenda was gathering rumors about the Star Forge.

I prowled through taverns and inns, approaching merchants selling souvenirs or antiques to ask for information.

During this process, I was able to benefit greatly from the brooch gifted by Kashin.

However, even after scouring the entire city, the information I could gather was merely old tales passed from mouth to mouth.

And even that would change in conclusion and details depending on who told it.

As the searing heat from the ground faded, the stars, hidden by sunlight, began to reveal themselves.

The nighttime scene of Burning Road transformed completely compared to the bright day.

Red lanterns lit the darkness of the streets, and various sounds of music began to fill the air.

The previously hot and dry air was now saturated with the smell of alcohol and strange fragrances, weighing down the city’s atmosphere.

It was at that moment, while I vacantly gazed at the skin-colored crowd, that a man’s suspicious movements caught my eye.

He checked his surroundings and stealthily withdrew a piece of paper from his clothing, quickly sticking it to the wall.

Then, he disappeared into an alleyway.

Truly suspicious behavior. Yet, no one in this street seemed to care about the man.

Not even about the notice stuck to the wall.

I slowly approached to examine the notice.

[The Lost Star Forge Exists!]

I possess certain information about the Star Forge.

Recruiting adventurers to embark on a journey to find the lost records of the ancient times.

It will be an extremely hot and perilous journey, and I cannot promise any rewards.

Those interested should come to the inn called ‘Hot Tail’ located at the north gate of Burning Road.

-Sahkan-

“Star Forge…?”

I pondered as I looked at the notice.

Who on earth is this Sahkan to claim he has definite information about the Star Forge?

I hadn’t found any worthwhile information after roaming the entire city.

At that moment, a city guard approached me and reached for the notice.

snap-!

Without hesitation, the guard tore the notice down. Because of the glue used when it was pasted, a messy mark was left on the wall.

“Excuse me.”

“Hmm?”

“Why are you taking that down?”

The guard glanced back at my question and began to speak.

“You seem to come from outside the desert. Unlicensed postings are illegal here on Burning Road.”

The guard sighed as he said this.

“Do you see this? From here to there, all this mess was made by the same person.”

The guard pointed from one end of the wall to the other.

Inspecting the wall as he said, I noticed remnants of the adhesive, making the wall look dirty.

Even the blackened parts indicated this had been ongoing for quite some time.

“Sounds like tough work. But is the content of that notice real?”

“It can’t be real. Just the ramblings of a madman.”

I nodded at the guard’s words and continued on my way.

A madman’s story chasing a legend for many years. Quite an intriguing combination.

How could I not be intrigued? I made my way towards Hot Tail inn, located at the north gate.

Hot Tail inn was a shabby establishment built in a corner not frequented by many.

In fact, it seemed to be closed, as the interior was completely shrouded in darkness.

As I leaned against the door, peeking inside, a strange voice called out from behind me.

“Who, who are you?”

I turned slightly to see the man who had been sticking the notice on the street, crouched down and staring at me.

“Sahkan?”

“Did you come to look for the Star Forge?”

“Yes. I came after seeing the notice.”

“Oh, my… What an esteemed guest. Please wait a moment.”

Sahkan beamed at my words, ran forward, and opened the door to the inn that was previously shut.

He seemed to be the owner of Hot Tail inn.

As he entered, he quickly lit the lamps.

“This is the first guest I’ve had in years… Please wait a moment.”

As I stepped inside the inn, I couldn’t help but frown.

The chairs and tables strewn carelessly about were covered in a thick layer of dust, as if they hadn’t been touched in ages.

In the corner, there was even an old spider web.

“By the way, what’s your adventurer rank?”

“My adventurer rank?”

“It doesn’t have to be the city’s ranking… To work with you, I need to assess your abilities. So, you used to operate outside the desert… Are you perhaps…?”

As Sakhan nodded and continued, his voice trembled as he spoke to me.

He was staring at the blue eagle brooch attached to my chest.

“Are you a person of Prince Kashin?”

Sahkan seemed excited, his voice trembling and his eyes sparkling with an inexplicable anticipation, which made me feel quite pressured.

Since I had the brooch gifted by Kashin, I nodded.

Upon that, Sakhan began to excitedly share his story.

It was a disjointed tale, full of disbelief and all over the place.

“Can we really hear stories of the stars?”

“Yup, that’s right.”

“Is it true that among your ancestors there were dwarves?”

“Indeed!”

“Alright. For the sake of argument, let’s say that’s all true. Then, what definitive information do you have regarding the Star Forge mentioned in that notice?”

“Ah, that’s…”

Sahkan brightly smiled at my question and produced two small stones.

“They’re just rocks, aren’t they?”

“Not just any rocks. If you hit these two stones together, they will emit starlight.”

When I looked at him as if to say, “Go ahead, show me,” Sahkan began clinking the stones together.

Like striking flint to produce a spark.

Clack! Clack! Clack!

He kept clashing the stones for more than ten times.

But even then, the starlight he spoke of did not appear.

“Nothing’s coming out.”

“Ah, well… it seems the condition is particularly poor today…”

Clack! Clack!

Even after way past twenty hits, no starlight appeared.

Then, just at that moment, a tiny starlight emerged above Sahkan’s sweating face.

The light was so small and faint that if one didn’t watch closely, it would resemble a spark produced from flint.

“I-it’s out!”

Sahkan looked at me, dripping with sweat.

His gaze seemed to ask whether I saw the starlight that just appeared.

“Uh, could you let me have that for a moment?”

“This…?”

I snatched the two stones from the hesitant Sahkan’s hands.

He looked on anxiously, unable to decide what to do due to the brooch of Kashin I was wearing.

I gathered my breath and concentrated mana into my hands.

I had just felt an extremely faint mana from the tiny starlight that had appeared momentarily.

And if my assumption were right…

Clack!

The moment I forcefully struck both stones imbued with mana, the mana that enveloped my hands rushed out in an instant.

That mana floated up and began to twinkle like stars in the sky.

A magnificent starlight was created, far larger than what Sahkan had shown.

“H-holy…!”

Sakkan, with a surprised expression, gazed at the grand and clear starlight.

These stones were not just plain rocks.

They were undoubtedly magical tools that responded to mana.

Gazing at the starlight, I asked him,

“Where did you find this?”

“U-uh…? I picked them up a long time ago, at the place where a star fell…”

The vividly shining star seemed to point to a specific location.

As if wanting to lead the one holding this stone toward that direction.