NOVEL NEXT chapter 38 - The Ghost Story of the Capital
"Hey, have you heard? There's a new ghost story going around in the capital lately," two regulars at a breakfast sandwich shop in Camellia's capital were chatting idly.
"What's the ghost story this time? These kinds of stories are usually fake. The locals in the capital haven't heard anything about it, it's just the people from the outer towns spreading rumors. Wasn't the last one about a headless knight wandering around a battlefield on the outskirts of the city, trying to find his head? I’ve been supervising the loading of goods on the outskirts every day, but I haven’t seen any headless knight. What I have seen plenty of are headless laborers, who can’t even load goods properly," one of the regulars joked.
"This time it’s not a rumor, it’s a real sighting. Apparently, that headless knight finally found his head, and then, following his previous behavior, he started patrolling the city instead of the outskirts. He often mingles with the city guards, and sometimes the guards don’t even notice there’s an outsider in their team," the other regular said mysteriously, seeing his friend's skepticism.
"Ah, here we go again, another unprovable ghost story. If so many people saw it, why don’t you tell me what this headless knight looks like after he got his head back?" the first regular clearly didn't believe it.
"Who knows what he looks like? The knight is definitely in armor, so how can you tell his face?"
"Well, doesn’t that mean you’re not saying anything at all? The headless knight from the old battlefield, huh? People really have too much time on their hands, making up these insignificant things and adding a twist. I bet it’s some news agency that has nothing to report," the regular continued.
"How do they even know that it was a headless knight from the old battlefield? Did they put a label on his head?" the other regular joked.
"Isn't that simple? By the armor. The knight isn’t wearing the same armor as the city guards or the Dragon Knight Order. Someone recognized it as armor from the ancient empire... Tsk tsk, don’t you think that’s strange?"
"That’s getting more and more ridiculous," the regular shook his head, then suddenly froze and pointed straight ahead.
"Isn’t that the ancient empire armor you were talking about?"
"Hey, yes! It’s exactly like they described, it should be..." he stammered.
With the morning breeze, a figure in silver-scaled armor jogged past them, like a completely normal passerby.
On his back was something wrapped tightly in cloth, resembling a scroll.
"..."
The two looked at each other, speechless.
Yes, the so-called headless knight from the old battlefield that had been the hot topic in the capital recently was none other than Winnie, who had just finished his morning exercise. He didn’t realize he had become part of a ghost story; after all, no one had said you couldn't wear armor while working out, right?
As usual, after his morning exercise, Winnie went back home and took a hot shower. Normally, it would only take him half an hour, but this time, he ended up spending two hours in the shower.
Why so long? Because he didn’t want to make any mistakes after turning into Vanessa later due to his obsessive-compulsive tendencies about cleanliness.
It was such a hassle. Just looking at the multicolored bath liquids he bought last time made his head hurt.
What even were these? What did these colorful bath liquids actually do? He had never bothered to memorize their effects.
It was strange—why was it so clear to him when he turned into Vanessa?
Fortunately, before transforming back, he had organized all these bath and care products, arranging them in order of their functions and application areas. Winnie just needed to follow the order, making it almost like a foolproof, step-by-step process.
How should he say it? Winnie felt like he was experiencing something like when a wife sets everything up before her husband leaves, leaving little notes like "The meal is on the table" and "The money is in the drawer" for her clumsy husband.
If only Vanessa wasn’t him, but his wife instead.
...No, wait, this thought was way too twisted!
Winnie shook his head, experiencing for the first time what it felt like to live a "refined" life.
It was so refined that he began to suspect he was some pampered noble young lady.
But, back to the point.
After the shower, looking at himself in the mirror, Winnie wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt like his skin had become fairer and his complexion had improved. His skin, which had once looked like dry leaves with a sickly yellow tint, now seemed healthier.
Staring at the slightly refined, moonlight-blue-haired boy in the mirror, he couldn’t help but question whether this was really him.
Were these beauty products that effective? Or was this just the effect of his bloodline awakening?
It felt like his body, which had been abused by his former self, was now being nourished by the goddess's blood ever since his bloodline awakened.
Touching his face, Winnie felt that over time, his skin and appearance would improve even more.
Getting fairer and more handsome was something he welcomed, but he just hoped it didn’t go too far. There’s a limit—if it did, he'd go from "handsome" to "looking like a girl."
Changing into a clean outfit, packing everything up, Winnie strapped the cloth bundle to his back, took his wallet and some dry bread, and left the house. As usual, he didn’t lock the door, because there was nothing in the house worth stealing.
Looking at the date, he realized that in a few days, the event where Aeciphysis would slay a group of low-level demons would trigger.
He remembered the location of the forest—it was southeast of Aurel Town, right in that area.
Aurel Town was on the border of the Kingdom of Camellia, just across a river that led directly into the sea. This river marked the boundary between the demon territory and the realm of the light races.
In the game’s narration, it was said that those demons had been searching for something in that forest for quite some time before Aeciphysis arrived.
Originally, Winnie could have gone at the right time, but considering that Aeciphysis was a reincarnator and knew the storyline others didn’t, he realized Aeciphysis might also behave similarly. So, Winnie decided to go a few days earlier, reducing the chance of running into Aeciphysis.
A few demons were nothing; better to deal with them quickly and get it over with.
To make sure no one was following him, Winnie kept changing his route on the way, using some small "distraction tactics." After confirming that he wasn’t being watched, he finally arrived at the capital’s station.
For efficiency, Winnie took the most expensive express magical luxury carriage. Such luxury was something he would never have dreamed of in the past.
Relaxing on the soft cushions, in a private compartment, with meals delivered personally, the service was top-notch. After all, you get what you pay for. The ticket for this carriage was something ordinary people couldn’t afford.
Winnie remembered riding a carriage when he was young. Those carriages were so bumpy, especially on mountain roads, that it almost left him with a lasting aversion to traveling by carriage.
But expensive things had their reasons. The carriage was reinforced with magic to reduce bumps, making the ride much smoother. The compartment was more lavish than his own house, with three meals served, and the atmosphere was quiet. Aside from the sounds of the carriage, he occasionally heard soft footsteps and whispers from the people inside. Everyone was trying to keep their voices low.
Staying here forever would be unrealistic, but if he could stay a few more days, Winnie would be more than happy.
Unfortunately, his wallet wouldn’t hold up.
Unlike ordinary carriages, which were uncomfortable with hard benches and cramped spaces, this luxurious carriage made time pass quickly. Before he knew it, a day and a half had passed, and Winnie had arrived at Aurel Town.
After retrieving his bundle, Winnie got off the carriage.