The World Is Mine For The Taking

Chapter 353: Chapter 57 - The Village Of Rakkan (2)

I stared out the window at the passing scenery. Rose kept her eyes on the road while she drove. The tension and awkwardness between us had disappeared. Maybe it was because we had already laid our feelings bare.

That had to be it.

The landscape was pure countryside now—endless stretches of farmland reaching out to the horizon. We were at the farthest edge of the kingdom, in the secluded village of Rakkan. Only 90 people lived here, and they were so cut off from the world that anyone from the modernized Leonamon would see them as nothing but country bumpkins.

"We're here," Rose announced as she parked the car in front of a house that looked like an inn. There wasn't any parking lot, so we just left the car at the front, where it stood out in the quiet, rural stillness.

We stepped into the cozy, dimly lit inn, where an elderly woman appeared to be in charge. Her presence was warm, but her eyes were sharp and discerning.

"We want to rent," Rose stated firmly.

"That'll be 10 gold for three nights," the old lady replied, her voice creaky but clear.

Rose handed over 20 gold coins, more than required.

"Two rooms," Rose added.

"Alright..." the old woman said, her gaze shifting as she handed us two brass keys. Rose took one with a nod, and I took the other, then I followed her up the narrow staircase.

"Isn't it more efficient and cheaper to just rent one room?" I asked. I knew it was a pretty obvious question, but I asked anyway.

"It's because I don't want to share a room with you," Rose replied bluntly.

I figured that would be her answer. She clearly didn't want to be near me, or even in the same vicinity.

"With that said, I hope you're ready for a muddy field trip. See you tomorrow," she said before disappearing into her room. I was left standing alone in the hallway for a while before I finally headed into my own room.

***

It happened in the afternoon. I was lying on my back, casually reading something in my room when I felt a presence outside. At first, I thought it was just someone passing by, but after a while, that presence lingered—it hadn't gone away.

Curiosity finally got the better of me, and I dragged myself up to check the window. That's when I saw her—a woman dressed in a simple brown tunic. But her arms... they were metal. No, it wasn't just armor. Whatever she was wearing under that tunic looked like it didn't belong to this world—some sort of mechanical suit, probably?

I decided to confront her. I stepped out of the inn, the chill of the afternoon air brushing against my skin, and walked over to where the car was parked. The woman was hunched over, peering intently through the car's window as if searching for something inside. I reached out and grabbed her by the shoulder.

"What are you doing?"

"Eeeek!" The woman let out a startled shriek, spinning around with a swift, aggressive motion. She attempted to strike me, but I quickly deflected her attack using Guardian. In an instant, she brandished a gun that looked like it belonged in a sci-fi movie—sleek, metallic, and futuristic. Could she be from the future? Nah, that seemed too absurd.

"Why are you attacking me when you're the one poking around someone's car?" I demanded.

"Car? This thing is called a car here? How strange…" she said, her voice laced with disbelief. "Why the hell is a car in this world?"

That revelation struck me. So she wasn't from this world? Her confusion made that clear. But what world was she from? I couldn't just assume it was Earth—after all, other planets could have cars too. Besides, she looked way too out of place to belong to Earth.

"This is your car?" she asked, her eyes still wide with curiosity.

"No, it belongs to my Professor," I told her.

"Can I meet your Professor to ask a few questions? Or maybe you could answer them yourself?" she proposed, her gun still tightly gripped.

"I can," I said. "But first, why don't you lower that gun?"

"I can't. I don't fully trust you," she said.

"Then no answers," I replied, turning to walk away.

"W-Wait! Alright, I'll put it down, but you need to promise me you won't attack. You might not realize this, but I'm quite strong. I'm one of the leaders of a group of Slayers, after all," she said, flashing a self-assured smirk. "I don't want to accidentally kill someone who's not Infected and is just an ordinary being from this world who hasn't been infected.

So stay where you are and don't come any closer."

I was left puzzled by the term "Slayers" but kept my distance as she lowered the gun with a deliberate, slow motion.

"Now, tell me something…" she said, her tone shifting to curiosity. "Do you know who's behind the manufacturing of these vehicles?" Enjoy exclusive content from M-V-L

I knew exactly who she was talking about. In fact, she was speaking to him right now. There was no need to divulge that, however, but I see no reason not to provide the name of the company to her either.

"It's Leonamon," I said.

"Leonamon. Alright, that's saved in my database," she said, her tone clicking with finality. "Do you know where I can find it?"

"There are many branches of Leonamon," I explained. "But the closest one is in Holy City, over that way," I said, gesturing with a pointed motion. "Leonamon produces a wide range of products, so don't get mixed up. If you're specifically looking for the car manufacturer, just ask for directions once you're there. Leonamon is so widespread, you shouldn't have any trouble finding it."

"Okay. Everything you've mentioned is now saved in my database," she said, her voice measured and cool. "Thanks. Uh, we probably won't cross paths again, so asking for names seems a bit pointless, but just in case, what's yours?"

"Leon," I answered. "Just Leon."

"Oh, alright. Just Leon," she said, her fingers tapping away at her arm as she noted it down. "I've saved that as well. My name is Alekseev. Scarlet Alekseev. If you ever find yourself in a tight spot and need somewhere to lay low, head to the village of Velase and mention my name.

They'll make sure you're hidden. Well then, I'll be on my way."

She started walking away, her figure slowly fading as she moved into the distance.

"Scarlet Alekseev, huh? That does sound like a name from Earth," I muttered to myself.