Chapter 3: A Long Lost Brother?
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***
A carriage made a loud creaking sound as it drove over the pavement. A large lizard like creature was pulling the cart.
Before his eyes were houses built from red bricks, the streets right out of Europe from the middle ages.
There were no cars, bikes, power lines, or telecommunication cables.
He looked around the street, watching people pass by.
‘There are mostly human inhabitants, but there were also a few people with animal ears. I have yet to spot something resembling an elf or a dwarf though, but maybe they reside elsewhere.’
They got into the city relatively ‘easily’ although he could tell a lot of people were looking his way. They were probably suspicious of a new face.
Now that he looked around, there wasn’t really anyone with a darker skin tone, so he knew he must have been standing out to some degree.
Anyway, he was satisfied with how he looked and the clothes that were provided to him with this body. The goddess did a good job with that. It would be a disaster if he were to appear in this world naked. Now that would have been a Hell of a difficulty.
He is also glad that he was able to reincarnate into this fantasy world.
Right now, he also found himself a new companion, and he can’t wait for his adventures to begin. To gain riches, search for excitement, and to make a harem. Everything will be great.
But.
But…
But!
“But still! Hu Tao…What the hell was that about? You said you had a plan to get us in! Why were the guards acting as if you were an international criminal!?” Walking by his side was Hu Tao, cluelessly sucking on a lollipop she found in her bag.
“Eh? What is what?”
Yomite grit his teeth.
‘She is acting as if nothing had happened just a few moments ago…just how much of a bad reputation does she have for the guards to freak out that much?’
All this time, they have been following a person that called himself the Cavalry Captain. If it weren’t for him, they might have not even been able to get to the city in the first place. He told them he would introduce them to a higher-up that might help them with what they need.
“What are you waiting for? Let’s go, brother. Fufu.”
Yomite glanced at the figure of his new acquaintance and followed him.
‘Haah, it would be nice if nothing bad happened for the rest of the day.’
***
Five minutes earlier…
As the duo of exotic-looking individuals got closer towards the main gate of Mondstadt, two Knights have crossed their path.
“Who goes there!? Halt!” The Knights aimed their swords towards the two unknown people, “Don’t move any further! Show us proof of identification, or else we won’t let you through!”
“Sounds tough. What do we do?”
“Do you have a Mondstadt identification card by any chance, Yomite?”
“Nope. Are we in trouble?”
Naturally, the exotic-looking duo was Yomite and Hu Tao. Yomite had already guessed this, but the moment they got near, they immediately met with the first obstacle. The Guards.
Considering he wanted to find a place where he can stay for a longer period of time, attacking the guards or provoking them in any kind of way wasn’t the smartest decision.
“I see, well, leave it to me then! This shall repay my earlier debt of trying to behea— I mean…Exorcise you with a smile on my face~!”
“Hey…I heard that…Did you really have to put it that way? In any case, if you have a solution to get us into the city, then please, be my guest.” Yomite folded his hands and patiently observed her.
Hu Tao waltzed towards the guards with a creepy smirk, “Well then, gentlemen, My name is Hu Tao, and I am the 77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor~! I am here with the official business proposition for the adventurer’s guild! As you can see, I and my assistant wish to enter the city of Mondstadt~!”
‘Assistant? Excuse me?’ Yomite just rolled his eyes and sighed. As long as it got them in.
The Knights immediately fidgeted when they heard the name of the infamous funeral parlor. They met each other’s gaze and whispered, “Wa-Wangsheng…Fu-Funeral Parlor!!? Oi… isn’t she the crazy individual we should be avoiding at all cost!?”
“Y-Yes, the Adventurer Guild states that no one should get too close to her…but…she said she had official business with the Guild…W-What do we do?” Both of them were trembling, afraid that they will get cursed by the crazy individual.
“Sh-Should we call the Acting Grand Master?”
“No no, she is the busiest person of Mondstadt. We shouldn’t bother her with pointless things…”
The Knights were in a dilemma.
They heard all kinds of things about her. There were rumors that she buries people with a creepy smirk on her face, unfazed of the death.
They looked at her face and could indeed see the deadly smirk. It felt as if she was looking at them, or marking them as future potential corpses she can have fun with.
There were also rumors that she offers coffin discounts to people that are completely healthy and young, while saying, ‘Your time will come one day anyway, so why not order a coffin beforehand? It comes with a discount of 50%~!”
They heard all kinds of crazy and creepy stories about her.
The Knights looked at her ‘assistant’ that had a dark aura around him. His gaze was as cold as if he was used to killing people and then burying them without a hint of sympathy. A trained mercenary that will do anything for the money!
“W-We can’t let them enter!”
Yomite’s mouth was slightly agape as he could clearly hear the guards whispering.
‘A crazy person? That might fit her to some degree, she did try to behead me the moment we met, but I wonder why she is so infamous.’
He looked at her and knew that she probably heard them whispering as well, but wondered why she didn’t react. Maybe it was an everyday thing for her?
As the Guards were discussing, a pair of hands touched both of their shoulders.
“Now now~ What’s the commotion?”
The Knights shook for a bit before they recognize who it was.
“C-Cavalry Captain! It’s a pleasure to meet you!”
“Wh-What brings you around here, sir?”
They had a lot of respect for the Cavalry Captain, Kaeya. He became a Knight of Favonius at such a young age and then immediately promoted to a Cavalry Captain.
His talent and strength were immeasurable, and yet, he never acted high and mighty or arrogant. He also had a strong Vision, that was so cold, his enemies begged for a quick death.
He was always a carefree person enough to bring his subordinates peace of mind, although, on the battlefield, his methods of ‘Interrogation’ were always questionable.
“There was an assignment given to me by the Acting Grand Master, but it was too boring, so I dipped, and now I finally found something interesting to do.” He glanced at the newcomers, and the moment he saw Yomite, he raised his eyebrows. Both of them met gaze and stared at each other without saying anything.
The Knights tensed up and felt their blood boil. Something was about to go down. It seemed like their Captain was about to draw his sword at any moment now.
“Oh, Yomite! Is that your brother~? You look really similar~!”
The one to break this awkward atmosphere was Hu tao.
“””Huh?”””
No one expected anything like that.
“…My brother? How did you even come up with something like that…” Yomite was really confused about this girl. He had honestly no idea what to think about her.
“Well…you know… Your skin color is really similar! So maybe I thought you were lost long siblings or something. After all, this is the second time I ever saw someone with a darker skin tone that wasn’t a monster, and I have traveled to a lot of countries~” She replied cheerily.
“Just because of my skin color?” Yomite snorted, ‘Ah, yes, my bad, I forgot…She is an idiot.’
Kaeya burst out laughing, “Yes, brother, come on in. Make yourself at home! I don’t mind having another brother!” He turned to the Knights of Favonius and said, “Please let them in. I will vouch for them. If anything were to happen, I will bear the responsibility.”
“Seriously?”