I Build a Modern Shelter in Fantasy World

***

Two weeks later.

Intercity road.

"Capt! There's a village over there," Luke said plainly.

Gideon fell silent, turned his head, and peered out the front window of the carriage. What Luke said was true.

After they crossed the river bridge, a tall village gate came into view, lit by oil lamps that brightened the whole place.

"It's already late. We'll rest there," Gideon ordered.

"Sure, Capt."

Unlike when Gideon entered the city, they were not stopped or suspected by the villagers as they rode into the village. Instead, the villagers welcomed Gideon and his team as if they were visiting tourists.

Once inside, Luke's goal was to find the nearest inn. The village was called Hordan, about the same size as Rockvalley, but Hordan had more businesses than Rockvalley did.

The carriage slowed to a stop. Luke got down and stretched his sore muscles. He stopped the carriage right in front of a two-story inn.

"Lena … wake up," Gideon spoke softly.

Hearing that made Lena open her eyes slowly. She felt the carriage stop. Gideon stood in front of her, waking her from sleep.

"Where are we?" Lena asked.

"A small village before the capital. We'll stay here tonight and head to the capital tomorrow," Gideon explained.

Lena nodded. She got out of the carriage with Gideon and turned her head. They were shocked to see Luke's face.

"Are you okay?" Gideon asked, surprised.

"Huh?" Luke answered, confused.

"Your eyes. Your eye bags have eye bags."

Luke reflexively touched his face and the area around his eyes, then asked Lena for a mirror. Gideon lied. The area under Luke's eyes was just dark from lack of sleep, not actual bags.

"I don't have them."

"HAHA!"

"Rest, Luke. We can relax now. The capital is close; we can get there anytime," Gideon said.

"Sure. I want a good sleep tonight."

The three of them went inside. A receptionist smiled and greeted them. Gideon booked two rooms. Lena would sleep alone while Gideon and Luke would share a room.

The receptionist accepted Gideon's request and said there were plenty of empty rooms.

The woman led them to the second floor. Only the second floor had rooms with big-size beds, enough for two people. Rent was 30 copper per night per room, so 60 copper total for them.

The door opened. The room looked tidy and had decent furniture. Luke did not care much about the other furnishings. As long as there was a bed, he was happy.

Sure enough, after taking off his gear, Luke flopped down on the bed. He slept deeply on his back and started snoring loudly, a sign he was exhausted.

Gideon did not rest right away. He and Lena went back down to the carriage parking area to fetch their boxes of food. It felt risky to leave them unattended, in case someone took them.

"How long will we be in the capital?" Lena asked. Gideon fell silent.

"I don't know. I actually wanted to solve this myself without the kingdom's help. But they must already know about that homemade firearm," Gideon replied.

"Norton might have told them right away," Lena said.

"Probably."

"Let's see how things look there. If possible, we can talk to them for a bit," Gideon said.

They carried the boxes up to Gideon's room on the second floor. Lena said goodbye and returned to her room to rest. Gideon agreed.

That night, the three of them slept and rested for one night before continuing their trip to the capital the next day. According to the map, the trip from this village to the capital would take about 4-5 hours.

If Gideon and the team left early in the morning, they expected to arrive in the capital by midday. That would be enough time. Gideon planned to take the reins and let Luke rest for the remaining part of the trip tomorrow.

"Now Hordan village, tomorrow the capital."

"I should go to sleep early."

***

The next day.

Hordan village.

Gideon opened his eyes slowly and noticed Luke's snoring had stopped. He looked around and saw Luke was not in the room. Gideon did not know where he had gone.

He checked his watch. It was six in the morning. Gideon sat up on the bed and tried to shake off his sleepiness with some light stretching.

"Gideon? Are you up?" Lena called from behind the door.

Gideon stood and walked to the door. He opened it and saw Lena in front of him, wearing the pajamas she had packed in her rucksack.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Nothing, I just wanted to check on you."

"Did you see Luke?" Gideon asked. Lena shook her head.

"I didn't see him. Was he up early?"

"When I woke, he was already gone. I thought he woke before me," Gideon explained.

"I'll ask the receptionist. Maybe she saw where Luke went," Lena said.

"All right, I'll get ready."

Gideon washed his face and felt refreshed, though he still had that just-woken feeling. After getting ready, he left the room with Lena and walked down to the ground floor.

At the reception desk, Lena asked about Luke's whereabouts. The woman knew Luke had left the inn, but she did not know exactly where he had gone.

They nodded and stepped out of the inn, scanning the area. The shops were not open yet and business activity had not started. Some people were already working in the fields and plantations, though.

"Where could he be?" Gideon asked.

"Stay together."

"Alright, Gideon," Lena said.

They walked around the village looking for Luke like he was a lost child. They checked every alley, places that made sense like the tavern and the park, but no one knew where Luke had gone.

While they were searching, Gideon's steps halted when he saw a large number of kingdom soldiers arriving in the village. Gideon focused sharply, curious what they intended to do in Hordan so early in the morning.

Why are so many soldiers coming?

One of the cavalry soldiers rode up to Gideon and Lena. He looked Gideon over with a firm gaze. His posture was proper.

He was young and a bit athletic. From the soldier's view, Gideon could be a good soldier in the future.

"You?!" the soldier demanded.

"By order of Crown Prince Lubert, you are ordered to join the Moko Kingdom's volunteer troops!" the soldier said.

"Volunteer troops?"

"Yes. You will have the honor of defending the Moko Kingdom. If you succeed, you will be promised a large sum of money and noble status."

Gideon stared back firmly and said he and Lena had no intention of joining the Moko volunteer troops. His statement did not go over well.

"This is not a request. This is an order!" the soldier insisted.

"If you refuse, I may consider you a traitor to the kingdom," the soldier added.

"How can you call me a traitor when I am a noble?" Gideon asked.

"You? A noble?! HAHAHA!" the soldier scoffed.

"I have never seen you in this area. How dare you call yourself a noble!" the soldier barked.

"Don't you know the punishment for someone who fakes their status is having their tongue cut out!" the soldier threatened.

"I'm not lying!"

The argument drew the attention of the unit commander. He rode his horse over to Gideon with an arrogant look in his eyes.

"What is going on?" the man wearing a red cloak asked.

"Commander. He claims to be a noble and refuses the Crown Prince's order," the soldier said.

"Lying and disobeying orders are serious crimes. Do you have any defense?" the commander asked, still looking at Gideon without dismounting from his horse.

"Allow me to go back to the inn and bring the baron's seal. I will show you that I am indeed a noble."