Monster Rancher

...And the Now

I put my rather warn out map back into my magic bag, situated at my hip. From the map, I knew that the town I was now entering was called Soren, a small, nearly unheard of, sleepy village on the border of Gallesta and Bartron, with a dense, monster filled forest on ones side, and endless wheat fields on the other side of town till they reached the foot of the mountains.

It was perfect.

I was just so tired of war and battle. That part of my life, where I travelled and fought with my old hero friends was behind me now, just as Bartron was behind me. In this town I could settle down in a little cottage, maybe make a living off of potion making, and be invisible to everyone.

Truthfully, I didn't really need to work at all. It wasn't just a map that sat in the expanse of my magic satchel, after all. I also had a considerable amount of money, saved up from my adventuring days. 'S' class rewards were no joke, and it wasn't like I spent much of it out side of gear when I was with the Heroes. I might not have the considerable wealth of my royal blood, but I was willing to bet that I was the richest person in this village, including its lord.

Soren was a border town located away from any main trade routes. It was right next to the forest of Strasa, but there were towns located closer to the dungeons that slept in the forests expansive depths. They got the foot traffic of merchants and hardy adventurers, while Soren was just a small farming village. Adventurers could get a lot better work at the other towns located around Strasa without ever having to come here at all. And that was alright by me.

Maybe it was a little foolish to come back to the kingdom I had fled nearly two decades ago. If my father found out I was still alive, I would be hunted, after all. But the goal was for him not to find out. Besides, I wasn't a frail fourteen year old any more. Baring a few problematic mental issues, I was a big strong 'S' ranked adventurer now, who until a couple months ago, was part of a heroes party.

Besides, Outside of settling down in Bartron, where I was far better known, Gallesta was the only other option. To the north was a wide mountain range, and to the south lay the sea. East of Bartron was the demon kingdom. It was either, settle in Gallesta or travel even farther west, and I just didn't have it in me. I was willing to at least try and make a life for myself here if I could. If it came down to it, I would flee to the next kingdom.

This village was small enough that I would be singled out as the new girl fairly quick, but had enough transients, like adventurers and a handful of merchants, that I was worth nothing more than a passing glance for now. And that's what they were shooting me now: passing glances.

These were all working people, and had a lot more to do than watch yet another robed mage with shoulder length dark hair walk down the street. Still, I wanted to find the nearest tavern as fast as I could. Not only to get off the streets, but also, just because I really was looking forward to actually sleeping in a bed tonight.

Luckily for me, the tavern was not hard to find. Unlucky for me, it was just four doors down from the local adventurers guild. It was a small one, probably not much different in size to the tavern and its handful of rooms for rent. But it was a legitimate guild hall, and I wanted to avoid it nearly as much as I did the Gallestarian palace.

Going into that building, and doing anything would be tantamount to announcing that the town just got its first ever 'S' ranked adventurer, not to mention one that had been part of a hero party. That was the kind of attention I was trying to avoid here. So no adventurer's guild for this retiary, thanks.

I entered the mostly empty tavern, avoiding eye contact with the two or three people outside the guild as I did. Inside were just a couple of what I would consider permanent customers. Most tavern's had them. Patrons who almost lived in there, drinking all day, and likely getting tossed out at night. I avoided these people too, and instead headed straight for the bar.