CHRONICLES of a PC Gamer Stuck Inside an RPG (Book One: Duelist)

Chapter 73 - Northbound

As I slowly pulled my cart across the courtyard, I marveled at how easy this feat was accomplished compared to before I received the potion. My Strength attribute had 18 points originally, and the potion of enhanced strength boosted it to 27 points now. In certain role playing games, 27 points were easily the strength of a giant. I wasn't sure if giants were part of the bestiary in this particular gaming world, and I hoped that I won't find out.

While pulling my cart, I turned my head from side to side. The other pupils were still practicing their swordplay in the courtyard. But with the presence of the heir of the dojo besides me, none dared to slack off now lest they catch the ire of Kalistra and receive severe punishment from her. Interestingly, I saw a small group of students running lapses, and I couldn't help but chuckle at seeing someone else being punished for a change. My luck must be turning!

"What's so funny?" my instructor growled.

"Nothing, master!" I replied and kept my mouth shut. Thankfully, the fickle cat girl did not press me any further on this matter.

The two of us continued our trek across the courtyard in silence until we finally reached the heavy doors leading to the streets. There were several students posted for guard duty and they immediately opened the doors upon our approach. As we passed through the doorway, the students bowed deeply to Kalistra, who nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Once we stepped out into the street, the heavy doors slammed shut behind us; it was just the two of us again. I looked around but saw no commoners in the vicinity. Unlike the hustle-bustle of the northern portion of Tregome, the southern part of town was rather quiet. The contrast between the two areas was unnerving, to be quite honest.

Kalistra seemed to pick up on my nervousness; she poked a sharp claw into my shoulder to draw my attention. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Oh, I couldn't help but compare the quiet atmosphere between this southern part of Tregome and the livelier environment up north," I shared my observation openly with her.

The cat girl's whiskers twitched. "Look around, Lawrence, and tell me what you see," she requested in a neutral tone of voice.

I did as she asked. All I saw were empty streets; the buildings, though, were old and many of them were in need of repairs. I had no idea if the habitats were occupied or not, and I wasn't in a position to investigate further given my heavy load. "All I see are empty streets," I replied after a moment of thought. I didn't want to make any judgment concerning the neighborhood in general and therefore, I wisely withheld further comment regarding this area.

"Correct," my instructor nodded. "This area is informally known as the 'slums' because only the lowborn live in this area. And the reason the streets are empty is because the residents who are fortunate enough to be employed are already at work. And those who aren't, on the other hand, have left town to go fishing or foraging out in the wild," she explained.

"But wouldn't the commoners be concerned that their homes will be broken into while they're out?" I asked. "Shouldn't the Watch be patrolling these streets?"

Suddenly, another person answered my question. "We do."

I was so startled by the voice coming from behind me that I nearly let go of my pull cart! I wanted to turn around to see who was behind me, but I couldn't release the bar handle and take the risk of the dirt pile slipping out of the box and make a pile of mess on the street. Furthermore, I realized that the voice was female and it was very familiar . . .

A moment later, a beaming Maisen stood in front of me. Standing right behind her were Giudot and Sankryn.

Shooting me an annoyed look, Kalistra tossed a gold coin at the Watch Captain's face.