Just a little while ago, in the afternoon, we finally arrived at the Sadin Village, and when we were having dinner at one of the restaurants in the Village was about Walson [Dog House].
To be honest, I was quite looking forward to exploring this Village, I had always wondered what kind of place could give birth to someone as unique as Walson, and now, I can find out the answer myself.
In the night, the chirping of insects filled the air, the plain room that I had bought had no fancy decorations or furniture in it, only two small beds and a small bookshelf with two or three books placed on it.
As I lay on one of the beds, I held a handful of grass roots as a post-meal dessert, feeling a bit regretful that I couldn't catch up to Walson... but at least he was safe, and thinking about that made me feel much better.
"Hahaha!" Alice's laughter echoed around me as she lay on the other bed, unable to control her laughter.
I frowned, not wanting to pay attention to her laughter, even though I knew the reason behind it.
Just thinking about it was so... embarrassing.
"Risha, you really did something bold! cough cough Hahaha!!!" It seemed like she was laughing so hard that her stomach hurt, and Alice coughed a few times, tears streaming down her eyes.
She had been chatting with the priests and nuns at the orphanage until just now. When she entered the room and saw me already hiding here for two hours, she burst into laughter .
"Stop it," I grabbed the pillow, turned over, and sealed my ears with the pillow and bed.
But it didn't stop Alice's mischievous voice.
"Hmm... let me think, did you say..."
"Don't... don't say it out loud..."
Those words are an embarrassing thing that I blurted out in a moment of excitement upon knowing that the nun was a Walson pseudo-mother...
"Oh! I remember now! You said, 'Walson is my future husband!!!' to the nun right? snicker Hahaha!"
"Noooo…. Don't say it!" I clutched the pillow even tighter, trying to escape Alice's mischievous laughter.
"I'm really starting to want to meet this person named Walson! Risha, you are already stupid to begin with, and falling in love only makes you even more so.”
"Walson, stop traveling around already, your wife misses you a lot you know!?” Then her tone changed to a playful shout.
Damn it Alice, you always tease me...
"... ..." I pulled the blanket over my head, wrapping myself up.
I'm just a snail, I'm just a snail, I'm just a snail...
"Snail! Wake up!" Suddenly, the room brightened, and Alice snatched the blanket away.
"I'd rather be a snail..."
"Alright, enough playing around, let's get to the point." Shaking my body vigorously, Alice finally convinced me to sit up, albeit unwillingly.
Then I found out that before she entered the room, she was confirming Walson's whereabouts with the priest and gathering information.
"I think we should take a different route."
After summarizing Alice's words and hearing her opinion, I gave up on the option of chasing after Walson directly by following his trail and replicating his route, which I had heard from the priest.
Walson's next destination is located on the western border of Teigitan, a land bordering the Braatio Empire and Mahamatra.
On that land, there is a fairly famous city called "Terraforge City . Vanos"... Ah, right, Walson mentioned it before, it's Melon's hometown.
As for the reason for giving up the chase, it's because we won't be able to catch up with them directly.
Walson and his group are moving from place to place very fast, and furthermore, we started following them three days after they had departed. By the time we reached Sardin, we were at least five days behind them.
Alice said that since we're going to Vanos, it's better to take the northern path, called the "Road of Yafan."
"The Road of Yafan?" I asked.
"Well, it's a very secretive and rugged mountain path. It might be impossible to get through without someone leading the way. The distribution range is quite wide... generally, not many people go there. Only fugitives or adventurers who want to gather materials might take that route... or... someone who wants to do something shady."
"If someone were to choose to travel to [Terraforge City . Vanos] using the rugged path of Yafan, they can bypass all the cities along the way without being inspected. With a bit of strength and perseverance, it's possible for one to cross the border without any problems. Some people use this route for smuggling people or items too."
"Alice, you sure know a lot..." I couldn't help but smile. Alice always knows a lot about such illicit activities.
When we were investigating the Rex family's fools back then, I collected some information through Alice... It's a shame she works as an adventurer receptionist.
"You know, I'm well-connected when it comes to information. I can also make some prior arrangements if you want to go to the western nations.”
"The Western nations!? Don't say such reckless things- Anyway, you still haven't told me why we should take this route?" I asked.
"We'll be slower because of the monsters and bandits. but with you around, won't everything be solved with a swing of your spear? In that case, it should be considered a shortcut instead," Alice turned her head, looking at me with a serious gaze.