The Journey of the Illusory Swordsman

Chapter 3: The Deserted City: Dark Tunnels and Treacherous Confrontations

The sun began to set on the horizon, painting the sky with golden and orange hues as the last rays of light filtered through the forest trees. Hikari found herself calmer after the brief conversation with King, although she was still clearly frightened. Hiro remained by the tree, lost in his thoughts.

Determined to talk to Hiro, King approached him and said, "Hiro, we need to talk." Hiro quickly responded, "Finally!" The impatience in his voice was evident.

In an attempt to further irritate Hiro, King spoke calmly, "I can't tell you the whole story now, but I promise I will..." However, Hiro interrupted him, showing dissatisfaction and irritation, "You must be kidding me! If you don't want to tell me everything, why are you following me?"

Maintaining a calm tone, King replied, "I'm sorry, I understand how you feel, but right now we need to protect Hikari. Yes, she is the Princess of the Elfs Kingdom, and that's why they're after her."

Hiro, still upset, responded more calmly, "But if she's the princess, shouldn't she have an army with her? And what the hell is she doing here?"

King answered, "I can't tell you that yet, for your own sake. But please, let us go with you, and in time, you'll know." Hiro stated, "Do whatever you want, but I won't be anyone's babysitter." King understood what Hiro meant and was relieved to have someone strong to trust.

Hiro approached Hikari, knelt down, and looked into her eyes. He reached out his hand and said, "Need some help?" Hikari showed no reaction, just extending her hand without saying a word.

Suddenly, King jumped onto Hiro's shoulder, surprising him. Hiro exclaimed, surprised, "What are you doing? Do you think I'm your horse?" King joked, "GIDDY UP! HI-HO!" Hiro, irritated, responded, "You...!" King noticed that Hiro didn't appreciate the joke and decided to stop, saying, "I know you have no idea where you are going, so as payment for being with us, I'll guide you. If we continue in this direction, we'll reach a city where we can rest."

Hiro realized that the sun was disappearing on the horizon and decided they needed to reach the nearest city as quickly as possible.

A short time later, in the fading light, Hiro approached the gates of the city, which revealed itself as deserted and silent. The feeling of abandonment permeated the air, as if the city had been forgotten by time. The buildings stood in silhouette against the darkening sky, silent witnesses of a forgotten past. Empty streets stretched out before them, with vegetation growing between the cracks in the stone sidewalks. An aura of mystery and solitude enveloped every corner, as if ancient secrets were buried beneath the worn surface of the passing years.

Despite this, they decided to enter the city in search of a place to rest. King expressed concern, "Hiro, I feel like something is happening in this city..." Hiro replied, "I know what you mean, but right now, the most important thing is finding a place for Hikari to recover a bit."

They spotted an establishment where they could spend the night and decided to enter with Hikari. It was an inn that appeared extremely old and rundown. Hiro and King, who was still on Hiro's shoulder, approached the counter, which was empty. Hiro called out loudly, "HELLO! IS ANYONE HERE?"

Suddenly, a figure emerged from under the counter, with a sinister and aged voice, "Oh... a new face. Since then, no one else has come here..." King and Hiro were startled by the figure's sudden appearance but, as they calmed down, they realized it was an elderly dwarf.

Ignoring what the dwarf had said, Hiro joked, "That was a scary, old man! Maybe no one comes here because you scare the heart out of them when you appear like that." Then Hiro said, "I want a room for three people."

The old man replied, "All the rooms have only one bed. Is that a problem?" Hiro looked at King, who pointed to the floor, indicating that Hiro would sleep on the floor. Hiro was annoyed but eventually accepted. After all, even if he didn't show it, he was concerned about Hikari's well-being after the recent events.