At first, Dyren didn't like Miraqua's presence. The bunny girl had once tried to kill him. But over time, he began to accept it.
Now, Mira was running around in front of Dyren, hopping excitedly while saying, "Miraqua. Cute." Again and again.
She really loved her new name. It made her look like an adorable bunny girl. That terrifying impression from before had faded.
Dyren had to admit it. He didn't even stop Mira from doing whatever she liked anymore.
She jumped and sat on top of Dyren's head, swinging her legs like a child. Dyren didn't scold her at all. He just kept walking forward.
"What should I call you? Master or big brother?" Mira asked.
"Why not just call me Dyren? I think that's enough," Dyren replied.
Mira shook her head. "No." She bent down, resting her chin on Dyren's forehead. Their eyes met. "I don't like such an ugly name."
"You mean my name is ugly?" Dyren complained.
Mira stroked her chin thoughtfully. "I didn't say that." She jumped down and walked backward, facing Dyren. "I just don't like such plain names."
She was rubbing her chin, thinking about something. Dyren didn't know what, and he didn't want to know. Since they left the last village, Mira had talked nonstop. It was starting to get annoying.
Dyren shook his head in disbelief at the bunny girl in front of him. A bunny girl who claimed to be the Demon King from thousands of years ago.
"Ah…" She clapped her hands. "I got it."
She pointed at Dyren. "Because you kind of look like a skeleton, I'll call you Darling. Yes, that's a good name."
Dyren frowned. "Isn't 'darling' a term for someone you love? You almost killed me, is that name supposed to be an insult?"
Mira turned away and laughed, completely ignoring what Dyren had just said. Or more accurately, she chose not to respond at all. Suddenly, she jumped for joy over the name she had chosen herself without Dyren's approval.
"Darling, such a cool nickname," she said seriously.
Dyren shook his head again. The bunny girl's attitude had changed completely. It was the opposite of what she had shown before, as if what happened in the past had never occurred. Dyren couldn't understand how Mira could so casually forget something that should've left a mark on her memory.
"Do whatever you want!"
***
They arrived at Velderath City. Before entering, they had to stand in line. A checkpoint was set up. Both of them queued up, though now Mira wore a robe that covered her entire body.
In the Tharven Kingdom, Beastmen were looked down upon. And Mira was a bunny-type Beastman. Naturally, she would attract unwanted attention.
Covering her whole body was the best option.
"Remove your hood!" ordered the guard.
Dyren didn't comply. He took out a 10 Tharv coin and handed it to the guard, but the guard immediately slapped Dyren's hand away.
"You trying to bribe me?" he said loudly.
He stepped forward and stood directly in front of Dyren. The man was tall and broad. Dyren had to look up to meet his eyes, but he didn't show even a hint of fear.
"If you try to bribe me again, I'll kick you out," he threatened, then took three steps back and looked at Mira again. "Now lift the hood!"
Dyren still didn't obey. Instead, he took out 50 Tharv and handed it to the guard.
Immediately, the guard's eyes turned silver. He took the 50 Tharv and quickly pocketed it.
"I'll let you in, but you…" he leaned closer, "…add 10 more Tharv."
Without hesitation, Dyren handed over 10 more Tharv. The guard took it.
He smiled and looked at the people standing behind Dyren and Mira.
"Next!" the guard shouted.
Dyren and Mira walked through the gate. No one stopped them. No one lifted Mira's hood.
Dyren shook his head. "Not that he couldn't be bribed, I just didn't offer enough."
Dyren didn't understand, but in every world, money was power. When you had enough money, your life became a lot smoother.
It might not guarantee happiness, but at least it solved some annoying problems.
***
They successfully entered Velderath City. Tall stone buildings with red tile triangle roofs lined the cobbled streets.
People in plain clothing walked by, carrying baskets, goods, or simply chatting in front of small shops.
Horse-drawn carts moved slowly along the main road, and in the distance, the bell from an old clock tower rang softly, marking the approaching evening.
They strolled along Velderath's main street, following the smell of baked bread and the scent of meat stew wafting from tavern windows.
Mira walked beside Dyren, occasionally tugging on the edge of her robe, curious about everything they passed.
"I'm hungry," she whispered.
Dyren glanced at her. "Wait a bit. We'll find an inn first."
Mira nodded, but the aroma of fresh bread was so tempting that she kept tugging on Dyren's sleeve.
Eventually, Dyren sighed. "Alright. We'll get something."
Mira smiled. Her wish had come true. She bought roasted bread—not just one or two, but five at once.
Dyren just shook his head. "Your stomach's really something."
Mira glanced at him. "I don't want to hear that from a guy who just bought ten roasted breads himself."
Dyren gave the vendor 3 Tharv coins. As he was about to leave, the vendor gave him three extra loaves as a bonus.
"You two are new here? Be careful! This city has lots of bad people," he warned kindly.
Dyren nodded and even bowed politely.
"Thank you."
After that, they continued walking. Their first goal was to find an inn to sleep in tonight. They would be staying in Velderath for quite a while.
Dyren wanted to find a way back to Earth, but before that, he would become an adventurer.
In the Adventurer's Guild, information was much easier to obtain. Plus, becoming an adventurer was the easiest job to take.
Not because the work was easy, but because the registration requirements were simple. As long as you were a living being, you could become one.
And the guild offered all sorts of missions—from rank F to rank S. Naturally, the rewards varied greatly too.
"I think becoming an adventurer is the fastest way to earn money."
Most guild quests involved hunting monsters, which meant besides earning money, Dyren could also level up.
He was currently level 99, but no one knew if he could go beyond that.
After all, Mira had a level of 500. So maybe he could break past level 99 too.
No one would know unless he tried.