Strongest Warlock - Wizard World Irregular

Chapter 741: May This Song I Sing Reach You [Part 1]

"Sirs, I am not a suspicious person," Ethan said. "I just need a place to seek shelter from the rain."

"That's what all suspicious persons say on a rainy day," the Guard Captain replied. "Tell us your real reason for coming all the way to Fortis Town."

Ethan almost cringed after hearing the name of the town, which he planned to enter.

"Um, just out of pure curiosity, do any of you know someone named Fortis Dud?" Ethan inquired.

"But of course," the Guard Captain replied. "He is the esteemed Mayor of this town. However, he is currently away on a business trip, and no one knows when he will return. The town is being managed by his daughter."

"Actually, he is the one that sent me here," Ethan decided to use the fact that the Mayor was away to make a bluff. "He said that I should go to the Doppelbanger Tavern, and ask the Barkeeper if he heard any rumors about treasures. I'm a treasure hunter you see."

"Ah, another one of those folks," another Guard commented. "We have been getting a few of them as of late."

The Guard Captain nodded in agreement and looked at the soaked teenager in front of him from head to foot.

"Fine," the Guard Captain said. "Since this is your first time in Fortis Town, I don't want you to have a bad first impression. Go to the Dopplebanger Tavern and get yourself a change of clothes, good food, and a drink that will warm you up. You may pass."

"Thank you, Sir," Ethan replied gratefully before finally entering the town where he was supposed to go.

If he could only use his power, he wouldn't look like a soaked puppy in the rain.

Fortunately, he didn't have a hard time finding the Tavern he was looking for.

He could hear the sound of merry making from outside the door, so the moment he entered it, he saw people dancing, laughing, and generally having a good time.

It reminded him of the Harvest Festivals they had back in the countryside where people would sing and dance around a bonfire, and celebrate a good harvest.

"Oh dear, look at you, soaked through and through," an old lady said as she offered Ethan a towel. "Come in and dry yourself."

"… Grandma?" Ethan blinked in surprise because the old woman that had talked to him was none other than his Grandma, Agnes.

"Yes, Dear, I am a Grandma," the old lady who looked like Agnes answered. "You can call me Agnes."

Ethan blinked once then twice before finally realizing that this painting might be using people from his memories.

"Thank you," Ethan replied as he allowed himself to be pulled near the fireplace, where he would feel warm.

"So, will you be staying the night?" Agnes asked. "We have a few rooms available."

"Yes, I will be staying for the night," Ethan replied.

"Perfect!" Agnes smiled. "Then, how about some food? You can have it in your room. Also, do you wish to take a proper bath? We offer a pale of warm water for a few copper coins."

"That will be wonderful," Ethan smiled back.

"Good." Agnes nodded before walking towards the counter to pick up a key. "You'll also be having some food right? Currently we have stew and bread. Are you hungry?"

"Yes," Ethan answered.

"Excellent," Agnes replied. "Now, come with me."

The young man followed the Innkeeper, who held a lamp in her hand, up the stairs to the second floor of the tavern.

They stopped at the room at the end of the hallway,

The room wasn't that big, but it was spacious enough to have a comfortable stay.

There was a bed, a chair, and a small table with a candlestick. It also had a separate bathroom, which was a good thing.

"I'll come back later with some hot water and food," Agnes said. "I'll leave you to change into some dry clothes."

"Thank you, Grandma," Ethan smiled because the old lady truly reminded him of his grandmother with how she talked and acted.

After Agnes bid Ethan farewell, the young man closed the door and summoned his wand.

"Lux Aeterna," Ethan chanted.

Immediately, a small light that was enough to illuminate the room, hovered on the tip of Ethan's wand.

The young man tried other simple spells like Leviticus, to check if his magic was working properly.

"I guess the only thing I can't use is my power to manipulate water," Ethan muttered. "The rest seems to be working."

After the round of spell casting was over, Ethan took off his robe and used a spell to dry it.

He then took a bathrobe from his storage ring and put it on.

Since he still hadn't confirmed if the town he was in was a town of Ordinarius, he couldn't possibly let Agnes see that his robes were already dry when he was soaking wet earlier.

Half an hour later, a knock was heard on the door, and Ethan hurriedly opened it.

Agnes came in holding a tray of food and right behind her was a young lady carrying a bucket of hot water.

"Chloe?" Ethan asked after seeing his cousin, and lover, enter the room.

"Have we met?" Chloe asked in confusion. "I don't recall meeting you before. How did you know my name?"

The young lady looked at the young man with suspicion, making Ethan smile bitterly.

"I mistook you for my cousin, Chloe," Ethan replied. "The two of you share a few similarities, so I said her name out loud without meaning to."

"I see," Chloe nodded, but her expression was still in doubt.

Fortunately, Agnes was there to help sort out things, so the atmosphere wouldn't become awkward.

"Well then, I'm sure that you must be very tired," Agnes said. "Eat, drink, take a bath, and rest. If you need someone to guide you around the town tomorrow, you can ask my granddaughter to do it."

"But, Grandma, we will be busy tomorrow," Chloe replied. "I need to buy a few spices and ingredients tomorrow at the market. We are almost out of stock."

"That's fine, Mrs. Agnes," Ethan interrupted the conversation. "I can explore the Town by myself. If I really need to know a few places, I can just ask Ms. Chloe when she's no longer busy."

Agnes smiled faintly before nodding. "Good. Just be careful not to go to the abandoned church on the North end of the town, especially at night. Rumor has it that ghosts appear during the night."

After giving that piece of information, Agnes and Chloe finally left the room, leaving Ethan to ponder his next move.

Currently, it was still raining very hard, so he didn't want to go out anytime soon.

'I'll just investigate tomorrow when it stops raining,' Ethan thought before going to the table to eat.

Since he could use magic, he used it to clean himself using the warm water that was brought to him by the Old Lady and her granddaughter.

It would be too suspicious if they came to collect the bucket, and it hadn't been used by the time morning came.

After taking a nice relaxing bath, Ethan laid down on the bed and fell asleep in just a few minutes.

He believed that the rain would stop when morning came, so he put his plan to explore the town on hold for the time being.

But, when he woke up the next day, it was still raining, making him wonder if he was currently in a world where the rain would continue to fall till eternity.