The next day—
"Ugh...!"
I woke up in a comfortable bed, and as soon as I did; I sat up and stretched my body until I heard my joints pop.
The bed might be considered hard compared to the ones I had in my past life, but after being stuck in a damp cave for so long— anything with a mattress is incredibly comfortable for me, to be honest.
"It feels nice to be able to sleep once in a while."
I feel refreshed. This was the first time I had actually slept since coming to this world, and the rest did wonders for my mind.
Anyway, last night I asked the village chief if I could stay here for a while, and to no surprise— he accepted my request immediately.
Then after that, he worked together with his friend Miguel, who was apparently the merchant that Barbara and the other two girls work for.
They gave me a room in a small inn they have here, completely free of charge. They also mentioned that they would be providing all of my food, so I don't need to worry about expenses for the time being as well.
I thanked them both for their hospitality, and then after that— we all started separating to get some much-needed rest.
Hans and the others went back to their respective homes with their families, and then the rest of the villagers headed back as well to get some sleep.
The people wanted to have a grand feast to celebrate the return of their loved ones, but it was all too sudden and nobody was prepared. Also, the main characters of the feast were still far too weak to celebrate with them, so they all decided to just hold the party after everyone had recovered.
Anyway, that is the situation for now.
"..."
I looked out at the window of the room I was in. The warm sunlight was shining through the glass, lighting up the whole place with a bright, golden hue.
I brushed the dust off my clothes and fixed the bed I had slept on, making it look presentable. Then after that—
I wore the armor I had taken from the goblins again, adjusting the straps, and sheathed the sword on my waist.
'During the day, this is the only thing I can rely on the most.'
I thought as I gripped the sword's handle to test its weight.
I realized yesterday that I was still physically stronger than normal humans even after the sunlight restrictions took effect. That is why, to make sure I am not vulnerable during the day— I decided to adopt the sword as a way to protect myself while my strenght is weakened.
'[Crude Swordsmanship] is the only thing I have for now. I should try training this skill and making it stronger.'
I thought to myself, and with that goal in mind— I left the inn.
Right now, I am headed to the house of the only merchant in this village.
*****
"Oh, Sir Verc!"
"Come in and take a seat."
Miguel, the merchant, greeted me warmly and invited me inside the moment he saw me standing at his door.
"Thank you."
I accepted his offer and stepped inside. I entered his house and sat down on a simple wooden chair.
"Do you need anything? I will be more than happy to help you with whatever you need. Because of you, three of my most trusted people came back alive. Once again, I thank you."
Miguel said as he took a seat in front of me, his gratitude apparent in his voice.
"It is nothing. How are they doing today?"
I asked, referring to Barbara, Clarissa, and Kyla.
"They are recovering well. Hans and the kids are doing better too. We are using whatever means we can to help them get their strength back."
Miguel answered with a genuine smile on his face. I really like the atmosphere of this village; everyone treats each other like they are part of a big family.
I nodded my head in understanding.
"That is good to hear. I hope they all get well soon."
I said. Then after a short pause, I moved on to the reason for my visit.
"Anyway, I'm here to ask if these are valuable and if they can be sold."
I stated that, handing a small leather pouch over to Miguel.
He took it from me and curiously looked inside of it, and as soon as he saw the contents—
"?!"
His eyes widened in shock.
"Is this... are these all scales of Dark Serpents?!"
Miguel exclaimed, looking up at me with a shocked expression.
'Oh, so that is what they are called.'
I thought, remembering the very first monster I encountered back in the cave. The pouch I gave him was full of the [Black Scales] I had collected. I had simply used the skill and then deactivated it, which caused the scales to automatically peel off my body.
I collected them thinking I could sell them since they're monster product after all. I figured they might be valuable ingredients for crafting or something, seeing how sturdy they are.
"Yes, they are... Are they valuable here?"
Anyway, I answered with a calm tone.
Miguel nodded his head vigorously, and then opening his mouth—
"I don't know exactly how much they are worth because I don't usually deal with monster products. But I do know they sell for a decent price in the city market, and seeing the quality of these— it will definitely sell for more than normal scales."
He explained that to me. I smiled internally at his words; it seems like money would not be a major problem for me in this world.
'Sweet. This is like a dream come true.'
And as if this good news was not enough on its own—
"If you want, I am set to go to the nearest city here called [Nash] in a week. You can come with us and sell these there yourself."
Miguel offered me that opportunity.
"Is that fine with you?"
I asked, wanting to make sure I wasn't intruding.
"Of course, it is no big deal at all especially for you. If anything, we would be more than glad to have a knight accompany us for protection on the road."
Then Miguel responded with a friendly smile on his face.
"If that is the case, then I will be in your care."
After hearing that, I accepted his offer. It looks like my next destination is already set for me.
*****
After my talk with Miguel concluded, I left his house to head back to the inn. Before I left, though, I asked him if he knew anything about demonic beings.
He asked me what for, and I just told him that I wanted to study them,
He didn't ask me anything else after that, then he just handed me a book about demonic beings!
I was only hoping for a bit of information, but I got something even better. I thanked Miguel for it and excused myself.
... ... ...
It took me a bit longer than I had originally thought to get back to the inn. The villagers kept stopping to greet me whenever they encountered me on the path. I always made sure to greet them back politely.
Then they also started giving me various random things; different types of food, small accessories, and so on.
I don't really know how to react to such kindness, but being treated like this— it's definitely not a bad feeling.
Anyway, as soon as I finally got back to the room I was staying in, I put aside everything that had been given to me. My arms were literally full of gifts. I plan to go through them all later.
First, though, I looked at the book Miguel gave me earlier. And as I laid down on the bed to get comfortable—
"It's time to learn more about vampires in this world."
I mumbled that to myself and opened the book.
I immediately searched for information regarding vampires, and as soon as I found the correct section— I started reading through the pages.
'I can understand their writing as well. Good thing that I am not illiterate in this world.'
I thought as I took a bite on a roasted potato. It was given to me by a kid earlier.