WCSVL 06

Chapter – 06

Arrival at the Market.

After emerging from the spatial rift, Ruri and Chelsea were about to head to the market in a town within the Dragon Kingdom, but…

“Chelsea, where exactly is this market? Do you have cars or something?”

“Cars… you mean carriages? Of course not. Where would we even find horses?”

“Then how are we supposed to get there?!”

This place was surrounded by forest on all sides. There was no way there was a market anywhere nearby.

“On foot, it would take about five days to reach the nearest village.”

“Five days?! We have to walk that far?!”

“That’s if you walked. No one said we’re going on foot. Besides, the market isn’t in that village—it’s in a town further beyond.”

“There’s no means of transport besides walking, so how are we supposed to get to that further place… Wait—don’t tell me we’re going to warp there, like something out of a fantasy story?”

Ignoring Ruri’s excited anticipation, Chelsea moved to an open area clear of obstacles. Suddenly, his body was enveloped in light.

The light grew larger and larger—surpassing the height of the house, then reaching the height of the forest trees.

“Ah-wah-wah-wah!”

When the light faded, there stood a giant reptile covered in scales, with a tail and wings.

“Chelsea turned into a lizard!!”

As Ruri shrieked in panic, Chelsea’s usual retort came through.

“*I’m not a lizard—I’m a dragon! Don’t lump a proud dragon together with common reptiles. How rude.*”

The voice didn’t come through her ears but resonated directly inside her head.

“That voice… Chelsea?”

“*It’s called telepathy—I’m speaking directly into your mind. I can’t talk in this dragon form.*”

“A dragon… so Chelsea is a dragon, huh.”

At first she’d thought it was just a big lizard, but as she circled around Chelsea’s dragon form and observed him closely, she could tell he was indeed different from a lizard.

And he was a Western-style dragon, not the long, serpentine Eastern kind.

He was quite terrifying. She could only stay calm because she knew it was Chelsea. If she didn’t, she’d be trembling in fear.

“*Come on, stop gawking and get on.*”

It seemed they would be flying rather than walking.

“Even if you say ‘get on,’ how am I supposed to…?”

Chelsea’s current form was easily the height of a five-story building. His scales were smooth and slippery, offering no handholds to climb.

“*You have magic, don’t you? Use the power of the wind spirits to float yourself up.*”

Following his instructions, she pictured herself flying through the air and cast the spell. Her body lifted gently. But keeping her balance was difficult—she couldn’t maintain a proper posture and ended up spinning around in midair.

“*It’s hard to balance at first, but if you get used to it, you’ll be able to fly alongside me. However, you’ll be constantly consuming magic while flying, so keep an eye on your remaining power. Though for you, that might be an unnecessary worry.*”

She finally managed to reach Chelsea’s head and clung tightly to the sturdy-looking horns growing from it.

“*Now, we’re setting off—hold on tight.*”

“Okay!”

At the sound of Ruri’s cheerful reply, Chelsea’s massive body soared into the sky. In an instant, they rose high enough to look down upon the forest below.

Ruri wasn’t particularly fond of thrill rides.

There was no safety harness, only Chelsea’s horns to hold onto. Yet, unexpectedly, she felt no fear. Perhaps it was thanks to the presence of the wind spirits nearby, whose magic she could feel close at hand. Even if she were thrown off, there was a reassuring sense that she wouldn’t fall to her death.

Chelsea had also apparently set up a barrier around them, so the wind hitting her body was only a pleasant breeze.

The weather was fine, and visibility was excellent. Below stretched the forest where Chelsea’s house stood.

From above, it didn’t look that vast, but being thrown into it without any tools would have made escape impossible. Ruri reflected deeply on how fortunate she was to have survived. If the spirits hadn’t been there, she would have withered away by now. She had truly been lucky.

—

They easily passed the village that was supposedly five days away, and a few hours after departure—passing several settlements along the way—a large town came into view.

“*We’re here.*”

Chelsea landed a good distance before the checkpoint at the town’s entrance. Ruri thought they might as well have landed closer, but there was a reason for it.

After confirming Ruri was off, Chelsea’s body was once again enveloped in light, returning to his humanoid form. He then pulled Ruri’s brown wig from the spatial rift and handed it to her.

“I almost forgot—put this on before we enter town. And while we’re in town, absolutely do not take it off.”

“Okay, but why?”

“Your hair color is extremely rare in this world. If you’re not careful, slavers might target you. So keep it hidden in public as much as possible.”

“There are slaves?! You have slavery here?!”

Growing up in a country with no connection to slavery, Ruri was deeply shocked.

“The Dragon Kingdom doesn’t have it, but there are many nations where slavery is legal. Rare species and people with unusual features are traded at high prices, so stories of kidnappings aren’t uncommon. It seems your country was a peaceful place, so be especially careful—particularly around humans.”

Ruri made a dissatisfied face at being spoken to like a small child, but instead of complaining about that, another phrase caught her attention.

“Particularly around humans? What do you mean?”

“Yes, humans.”

Seeing Ruri’s puzzled expression, Chelsea glanced around at her surroundings. Following his gaze, she saw only the spirits that, as always, clung to her.

Ruri tilted her head, completely confused. Chelsea sighed and explained.

“The only ones who would try to attack someone with that many spirits attached to them are either humans with so little magic they can’t see the spirits, or people with a death wish.”

“But some demi-humans also have low magic, don’t they?”

“Even if they can’t see the spirits, demi-humans have senses several times sharper than humans. With this many gathered, they can at least sense the presence of spirits. But humans—only a select few with strong magic can see them. So to avoid drawing unwanted attention, be very, very careful.”

“I’m not a child—tell me once and I’ll remember.”

But if any danger befell Ruri, it was actually those around her who would be in danger. Chelsea had to drill it into her thoroughly. He continued cautioning her repeatedly as they approached the town, until she was sick of hearing it.

—

Passing through the town gate, Ruri found herself in… fluffy heaven.

The town’s sights, bustling with people after so long, only heightened her excitement. Everywhere she looked, there were beastfolk—some nearly human in appearance but with animal ears and tails, others walking on two legs but looking much more animal-like. People of all shapes and sizes moved through the streets.

Some demi-humans, like Chelsea, had completely human forms, making it impossible to tell whether they were human or demi-human. But in this town, nearly everyone was demi-human. The children seen throughout the streets all had ears and tails, or had non-human features on their upper or lower bodies. They were still young, apparently unable to fully take human form.

How adorable those fluffy little children were.

She wanted to fluff them… Before she knew it, she was drifting toward some playing children, crouching down to meet their gaze.

“Hey, would you let me pet you just a little?”

“Sure!”

Expecting them to be wary of a stranger asking to pet them out of the blue, Ruri was surprised at how easily they agreed. Their complete lack of caution actually worried her, but the children’s cuteness and soft fur made her face relax with delight.

“Bliss…”

“What are you doing, Ruri? Let’s go.”

“Look, Chelsea! They’re insanely cute!”

“Children are naturally cute, aren’t they? Sightseeing can wait until we’ve finished our business.”

Pulled along by Chelsea’s arm, Ruri reluctantly waved goodbye to the children who waved back at her. She followed close behind Chelsea through the lively streets so as not to lose him.

In the town square, beneath the open sky, countless stalls and shoppers filled the area. There were fruits and vegetables she’d never seen before, foods, and even items whose用途 she couldn’t fathom. Some stalls had actual structures, while others simply displayed their wares on large cloths spread on the ground.

Though the goods were different, rather than a proper market, it reminded Ruri of the flea markets she used to visit on weekends back in her world.

Ruri and Chelsea also spread out a large cloth in an empty spot and began laying out their herbs and fruits. But the intense stares from all around made her feel very uncomfortable.

The stares had been there ever since they entered town. Everyone who saw Ruri looked surprised, whispering among themselves while stealing glances at her. Since she was wearing the wig, that couldn’t be the reason.

*(Is there something odd about my outfit? Maybe my clothes are out of fashion.)*

Ruri’s clothes were borrowed from Chelsea, who lived in the forest and didn’t care much about fashion. As she convinced herself that must be it, she heard a child’s voice.

“Mommy, look—that big sister has lots of spirits clinging to her!”

The spirits perched on her shoulders, head, and everywhere else were a normal sight to Ruri, but she recalled Chelsea saying it was a rare phenomenon. And then she understood why she was drawing so much attention.

“Wait, am I being treated like some kind of rare animal?”

“Something like that, yes.”

Chelsea’s response to her muttered question stung a little. Apparently, she had become a spectacle without even realizing it. Though she wanted nothing more than to live an ordinary life, it seemed she was just as far from being “ordinary” in this world as she was back home.

Still, she found the cute spirits genuinely adorable and had no desire to drive them away. Even if it meant getting caught up in troublesome situations, the peace of mind she had here was incomparable to when she was around Asahi.

Shaking off her gloom, she arranged their wares. By the time they were ready, a large crowd had gathered around Ruri’s stall.

“Did you pick these herbs yourself?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Then I’ll take this fruit.”

“I’ll take this one!”

“Hey, no cutting in!”

From the moment sales began, the place turned into a battlefield, with customers swarming in one after another.

What’s more, the customers insisted on dealing with Ruri directly—for handing over goods, taking payment, even explaining the products—always bypassing Chelsea. Since Ruri still didn’t know much about the herbs and fruits, nor how to handle money, she had to check with Chelsea for every single transaction, which took forever.

On top of that, she was even asked to shake hands and pet children’s heads—completely unrelated to shopping.

The displayed goods sold out in no time, leaving behind only an exhausted Ruri.

“*Ruri did her best.*”
“*Good work—*”

“Why does all the attention fall on me… Chelsea is right there next to me.”

“I told you, it’s rare to find someone as loved by spirits as you. They want to receive even a fraction of the spirits’ power by touching things you’ve personally gathered or by touching you.”

“Does shaking hands actually transfer any spirit power?”

“No, not at all. It’s probably just a psychological thing. But that’s how much this world revolves around the power of spirits—they’re an object of absolute faith. To demi-humans who can see spirits, you appear to be a precious and sacred being. They want to connect with you however they can.”

“It’s better to be liked than hated, but I’m not sure I can handle this every time…”

“After a few visits to town, it should calm down. But be careful. Not everyone has good intentions. There will always be those who try to take advantage of you. Don’t forget that. Don’t go trusting strangers so easily.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Back to the same warnings she was sick of hearing. Ruri would only come to understand Chelsea’s words through personal experience—after she had left his protection behind.