Art of Creation

Even though there were carriages in this world, Grey couldn't afford to own one.

It didn't end with buying the carriage and the horse once. He needed to maintain the tires continuously, clean the carriage, feed the horse, and make sure that the horse didn't die from any other reason.

So, in terms of both responsibility and money, he wasn't fit to own one. Also, they weren't comfortable anyway. As someone who came from Earth, walking was much better. The speed didn't change too much anyway, and walking helped with training.

But the main reason was none of these. He had departed the village where he had lived for 10 years to see the world.

Even though he was kind of a noble until he was five, he didn't have the ability to roam alone. But, even then, the things he saw in this world mesmerised him.

Of course, they did. This world was magical compared to Earth. People with Art made it beautiful. He knew this since he had lived in a big city under the Stardel household's control until he was five.

So, he wanted to see more of it while walking. And he was near the next village now.

"So, this is Mila..." he said as he looked down at the big village from above.

There was no name for the world they were living in, but he was in the country called Lebus. It was one of the older countries in this world, and among the strongest.

But the country didn't matter to those who lived in small villages. His village was in the southwest corner of the country.

There wasn't anything else if one were to continue south or west from his village.

The capital, on the other hand, was in the middle of the country. So, he was going northeast and arrived at Mila, the closest village to his own.

He entered through the makeshift wooden fences. There weren't any guards or anything. No village needed them.

He entered without an issue and immediately realized how different this village was.

First of all, it was at least three times bigger. He had already realized it when he was looking from above. But even now, he could understand the reason.

Unlike his village, the streets were filled with people. Not just people roaming. There were stalls, merchants, and food.

The people were also shouting the names of their products. Especially, one food stall seemed to have a strong attraction.

Grey couldn't understand the reason. No matter what, this village was also close to the corner of the country.

There shouldn't have been any tourists or new customers. Most of the people were probably the natives of Mila. But they acted like they were seeing it for the first time.

Is this a new kind of food?

He wondered if something new was out, so he approached the stall. It took him more than two weeks to reach this village.

The food Talas prepared only lasted for one day. It would be spoiled on the second day anyway.

But Grey was ready. The road between the two villages wasn't the safest. He didn't even use the road prepared for carriages.

Instead, he used the forest whenever possible and hunted his own food. Thanks to his Art, it was easy to hunt most wild animals.

He hadn't even used his new sword yet. Even when an occasional enemy like an Orc or a Goblin came his way, he handled it easily with his axe. This was the importance of Art in this world.

Still, he was bored with eating meat cooked on fire without any seasoning. So, he was craving for good food.

He approached the stall and saw that it was... "Pasta?"

Yes, the new food was just straight pasta. Not even tomato sauce. Boiled pasta with some kind of leaf on it. He sighed, but it was still better than nothing.

"Sir, you seem like you have seen this food before."

Grey turned back to see who was talking to him, only to see a young boy around the age of 10. He didn't look like a beggar, but he wasn't wealthy either.

There were some patches on his clothes, but he had money in his hands, meaning he was probably here to buy pasta.

"What do you mean?" Grey asked.

"Didn't you just say pasta? I saw you entering the village from outside, but you know its name even though it is a new food."

Grey's first thought was correct since this food was new according to this boy.

"I just heard its name while waiting. I didn't eat it before," Grey answered. He had no intention of telling anyone about his transmigration.

"Ah, I see. Then, try it. You will definitely love it."

"Is it that good?"

"Yes! It is much better than meat."

Of course, he was sure that it was only good in terms of this world's standards, but he was a part of this world now.

They continued to chat while in line. In the meantime, the line progressed, and it was their turn. When Grey looked at the kid, though, he was surprised.

At first, he was behind Grey. As they talked, he came beside him. But now that they were close to the food stall, he started to cut in front of him.

Is he that desperate for the food?

Of course, he didn't mind it much. He wouldn't make a scene just because a kid cut in front of him.

When they arrived at the stall, though, his thoughts changed.

"Last serving!" The sound came from the stall just when it was their turn.

Grey looked at the kid and the stall owner. The owner was a girl around the same age as him. She had pink hair that was tied in a pigtail.

She seemed like the cheerful type since her face showed a beautiful smile. But it all changed when she looked at the kid.

"You again! How many times did you cut in line this time?"

It seemed like he was a persistent offender...

"No, I didn't cut in any line, Viola," he shouted as if offended while looking at Grey with the corners of his eye to see if he would tell on him.

Viola, the pink-haired girl, though, didn't bite on his lie and looked directly at Grey.

"Sir, was this kid behind you? If he were, I will give you the last serving." Her face had changed from cheerful to mildly angry.

Even though he wondered about the food to make this kid go this far, he knew that it would be bland.

Also, he didn't want to burst his bubble. So, he said, "It is okay, he was in front of me all along."

Of course, Viola didn't believe again. But what could she do? The customer had already told her it was okay.

"Sigh... Sir, this boy is my brother. You don't have to cover for him. If you want to eat, you can."

Grey was surprised to learn that. They didn't look alike at all. Still, he had told so once and he wouldn't change his words now.

"As I said, it is okay. Please give the last serving to the boy."

Viola sighed once again and looked behind Grey. There was no one in the line. They had already dispersed with disappointment after they heard about the "last serving" announcement.

"I can't interfere if you say so. Okay! It won't be as good as the one my father cooked, but would you mind if I cooked a serving for you myself? For letting my brother having the last one."