After a day full of confusion (and a bit of forced fear), I finally arrived at the quiet inn.
The entrance... as usual, wasn't very inviting, and I just hoped I could sleep peacefully without any strange disturbances. But, as usual, my luck wasn't that easy.
As soon as I opened the door to the inn, a strange smell immediately hit my nose.
Blood.
I paused for a moment.
Took a deep breath.
And tried to stay calm.
I'm not a detective.
I'm just someone who wants to sleep.
I tried to pretend I didn't know anything and continued walking toward the reception desk.
The innkeeper, a middle-aged man who always seemed to smile more easily than accept reality, was sitting behind the desk. As soon as I greeted him, he looked at me with a slightly anxious expression. "Tonight's a bit strange, huh? Why don't you sit for a while?"
"The smell of blood here is pretty strong. Don't you smell it?" I replied with a grin, though honestly, I was a little disturbed.
The innkeeper avoided my gaze. "Huh? Oh, that... maybe it's just from the kitchen. Sometimes the food is a bit too spicy. Hahaha."
...This is crazy.
I know blood doesn't smell like spice.
But I didn't want to ask too many questions.
I just wanted to sleep.
I grinned and pretended not to care, then headed to my room.
Once I was in the room, I immediately set my bag down and tidied up my things. My mind briefly wandered to the upcoming mission and my next destination. Tomorrow, I would leave the Kingdom of Noa. Move to a place where people didn't talk so much about mythical cats.
However, as I was folding my clothes, I heard a voice that was quite clear from outside the room.
"Help... help... someone stabbed me... help..."
The voice sounded so close, almost as if the person was right outside my door. I froze. My brain started working fast, but the answer was clear: Don't get involved.
I could imagine that person lying outside.
bleeding.
begging for help.
But I could also imagine myself as the next victim, lying on the floor, blood pouring out, with some strange people coming to look at me while grinning.
No.
I stood up, positioned myself near the door, thinking hard. "Yeah, I want to help... but if I do, I could be the next one. You know, 'help' usually means you're about to get involved in something much bigger."
I just stood there for a moment, weighing it... and eventually, I decided to pretend I didn't hear.
"Eh, no big deal. Maybe they'll be gone by tomorrow. Besides, I'm too tired to think about some stranger who... well, might just be joking around. When will I ever get a good night's sleep?"
With determined steps, I returned to the bed and closed my eyes. Not thinking about that scream anymore.
I guess if I just stay quiet, maybe the person will stop too. If not... well, at least I won't die.
Midnight.
I woke up.
Not because of a nightmare or some mysterious voice calling my name from another dimension.
Nope.
I just really had to pee.
"Seriously, God? Out of all the times available, why now?" I muttered internally, grimacing.
I rolled over in bed, trying to hold it in, but you know how that goes. My body is stronger than my moral principles. This urge... is no joke.
Reluctantly,
I got up.
Slowly.
Silently.
I opened my room door.
The hallway looked dark and... creepy.
Of course it did.
"This is how the world tells me I'm about to die, huh?" I whispered to myself as I took cautious steps toward the bathroom.
Finally, after an extremely dramatic and important internal struggle, I made it to the toilet. And just as I was trying to enjoy this moment of peace (as much as possible), screams rang out from the direction of the inn's storage room.
Not one. Three.
"Please... don't cut me! Please... AAAAA!!"
Okay. Here we go. The part where the main character usually strides heroically toward the sound, saves everyone, and earns a heroic title.
But... unfortunately... I'm not the main character.
I'm not a hero.
I'm not a good person.
I'm... just a regular girl who wants to sleep.
live peacefully, and not get chopped up like discounted meat at a night market.
I stood frozen in place. Honestly, the intention to help was there. But unfortunately, good intentions don't block knives when you don't have combat skills or plot armor.
"Sorry, whoever-you-are. My heart's in the right place, but sadly... I'm not Superman. I'm not even a character with a scene buff. I'm just an NPC who accidentally got given a POV."
Just as I was about to finish my business, I heard a dragging sound outside. Like something... or someone... was dragging a corpse.
I immediately froze.
Still.
Silent.
My heart was about to leap out of my chest.
The footsteps got closer.
I held my breath.
I didn't pray, because to be honest, my relationship with God was a bit rocky at that moment—I hadn't gotten around to apologizing for last week's sins.
Several seconds passed, feeling like an eternity. The sound of the steps... moved away.
I peeked through the crack in the bathroom door.
Empty.
"Thank God," I whispered, releasing the breath I'd been holding like a ninja.
I didn't want to know anything else. I ran straight back to my room. My steps were fast but cautious. Like a thief with regrets. Once I got to my room, I locked the door, dove under the blanket, and pretended all of that was just a bad dream caused by overeating.
And you know what? I don't care who screamed. I already did my part by... not opening the storage room door and becoming the next victim.
I'm alive. That's already an achievement.