There was no response for a few seconds until they heard heavy footsteps approaching, then the door opened to reveal an old man with long white hair and a beard.
He had a wrinkled face, yet his eyes shone with vigor and wisdom, along with his strong, muscled physique, despite looking old.
He wore simple clothes consisting of brown pants, boots, and a white shirt.
"Welcome, travelers!" The village chief greeted them with a broad smile, gesturing them to come inside while waving his hand towards the guard who brought them here. "You can leave them in my care, Paul! Return to your post now."
"Yes, chief!" The guard named Paul saluted before making his way out.
Nova and Alicia entered the house, and the old man shut the door behind them.
The interior looked exactly like any other home, with furniture, rugs, and decorations scattered around the place.
It also had a fireplace for warming up during winter or cooking, a dining table for eating meals, and so on.
It looked pretty cozy, and Nova felt relieved by the atmosphere it emitted.
"My name is Gregory. I am the village chief here in Barrie. Welcome, dear travelers." The old man introduced himself as Gregory and offered his hand for them to shake.
Nova accepted it, giving him a firm handshake before letting go and introducing himself as well. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Nova, and this is my wife, Alicia."
Gregory gave another smile while taking a good look at Alicia before chuckling and saying, "Hoh? Your wife, you say? A beautiful one indeed, although I would've thought that you had a different relationship after seeing you together!"
Both Nova and Alicia blinked at this, surprised to hear such a statement from someone who had just met them.
"Why do you say that?" Nova asked, raising his brow.
"Oh, don't worry. It's nothing bad. Just that I have good eyesight, and I can see that both of you bear quite a resemblance to each other." Gregory responded while giving them a wink.
This statement took them by surprise once again since they didn't expect anyone to realize such a fact just by looking at them.
Gregory laughed, seeming to enjoy their reaction to his words.
Then, he gestured for the pair to take a seat at the table in the living room before pouring some water for them and himself.
"Here. Have some water. I'm sure you are thirsty after your long journey, aren't you?" He said while placing two glasses in front of Nova and Alicia, respectively, before sitting down himself.
Both of them looked at each other in uncertainty, feeling that they shouldn't drink anything offered by someone else. Especially if it came from an unknown person in a strange world.
Gregory seemed to understand their concerns as he shook his head while chuckling, saying, "Come now, there's no need for that! You may be from a distant land, but here in Barrie, we take hospitality quite seriously. So you can trust me that you won't be poisoned or anything."
With that said, the old man proceeded to drink from his own glass first, as if trying to demonstrate his point, before setting it back down on the table.
He looked at them expectantly, waiting for them to follow his example.
"Uh, yes... I'm sorry if we offended you. It's just that we had bad experiences recently, so we tend to be a bit cautious. Please forgive our impoliteness." Nova apologized sincerely before gulping down the glass in front of him.
Alicia followed suit while giving him an apologetic smile as well.
"Aha! That's perfectly understandable!" The village chief nodded with satisfaction before continuing.
"So, tell me. What brings you here, young man and lady? You seem like you are travelers or adventurers of sorts, but I know that most people around these parts of the land don't come to our village unless they have some business here or if they get lost in the woods. So, which one is it?"
Nova answered without hesitation.
"We were living in a faraway place before goblins attacked our settlement and took the survivors prisoner. We were then taken and trapped inside their cave for some time but then managed to escape somehow. After that, we've been wandering around until we found your village. And that's pretty much it."
This was an explanation they'd prepared beforehand to explain how they were lost in the forest and just so happened to stumble upon this place.
Of course, they couldn't tell the whole truth. So Nova mixed in some truths with lies in order to create a plausible story.
There were no other villages or towns around them as far as they noticed from the mountain peak.
So it was possible to believe that they indeed wandered in the forest until stumbling upon this village.
Gregory looked thoughtful before nodding understandingly.
"Ah... That is unfortunate indeed! Although there haven't been any reports of goblin sightings near the village lately, we can't discount the possibility of them moving in the other direction. I shall speak with our captain of the guards to inform them about this news, just in case."
Then, the old man continued with a smile, saying, "In any case, you two are looking for a place to rest, aren't you? You're welcome to stay at my house for the night. We don't have a proper inn in Barrie, but the folks here will help you with whatever you need during your stay here. Just remember to be respectful towards everyone, and we won't have any problems. Good?"
"We aren't causing inconvenience for you by staying here, are we?" Nova inquired, hoping not to become a burden upon Gregory.
"No, not at all! I live alone and have enough spare rooms here." The old man assured him with a laugh.
Then, he stood up and pointed at a staircase leading upwards. "You can stay in the room on the right. Make yourselves comfortable. I'm going to cook up some food now!"
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