Chương 57: Arriving at the Count's Estate

Adolin was sprawled out on the bed. It was as soft as a feather, or something like that. There had been a saying about it in his old world, though he couldn't quite remember how it went. Or was it as light as a feather? Either way, the bed was ridiculously soft, and he loved it. He wondered if he could buy the mattress. His inventory was large enough to fit it, and it had grown quite a bit since he had first unlocked it. It wasn't like he was avoiding thinking about the time he got scammed.

It had been his own fault. Even if Dareth's memories were unreliable, he had still known enough to question the price. Yet he hadn't. He had simply handed over fifty silver coins and moved on. The more he thought about it, the more it hurt. Tomorrow, he would have to visit the inn again and meet the man who had scammed him. He wasn't looking forward to it. Not at all. He was terrible at confronting people, and he disliked doing it even more. He could always ignore the issue and be done with it. Yeah.

That sounded like the best option. He had never been scammed. He had simply mistaken a rundown inn for a luxury one. That was all. Adolin nodded to himself. The kitten was sleeping on his stomach, its tail tucked between its legs and its paws covering its eyes. It was the main reason he couldn't move and go curse the innkeeper. He had tried putting it on a chair, on the floor, and just about everywhere else, but it always came back. It was an annoying little creature.

There was simply no getting rid of it when it wanted to sleep. And for some reason, it had decided that he made the perfect pillow. The corruption wasn't too urgent at the moment, so he had left it for later. Then there was the thing he had forgotten in the dungeon. Talking to the corrupted general. He had planned it before the fight even started, but then he had gotten caught up in the battle and completely forgotten about it.

Well, even if he had remembered, the chances of the general telling him anything useful were low. At least the fight had been fun. Some time later, the kitten woke up and immediately started demanding treats with loud meows. Adolin gave in and fed it some dried meat, followed by a bit of water, before being forced to entertain it with a mana construct. The loud meows continued until he finally gave up and made a small sand pit for it in the bathroom. That was what he had used for his cat in his previous life.

The little one hadn't needed any training at all. It had found it on its own. It was a little over a month old. Maybe a month and a half. At least, that was his best guess. Then the kitten finally left him alone and settled by the window, watching the people moving up and down the street. Adolin decided to take a hot, relaxing bath. He stayed in the water for more than an hour, keeping it hot with a spell while being forced to entertain the kitten with mana constructs. Again. He was having the time of his life.

It would have been even better if he had a few books to read, but he wasn't about to complain. The day passed quickly, and it was already evening when a knock came from the door. With a slight frown, Adolin got up from the bed and opened it. A young woman stood outside holding a tray filled with food.

"Your dinner, my lord." Adolin stared at the tray for a few moments.

"Thanks," he said, taking it from her.

"The innkeeper also included something for the kitten." Adolin nodded and handed her a silver coin before returning to his room. His mood immediately soured. Once again, he was reminded of the Garden Inn and the man who had scammed him out of his coins. Here, even dinner was included in the low price. At the Garden, he had paid extra for his meal. He cursed under his breath, set the tray on the table, and climbed back into bed. He wasn't hungry anymore.

He wasn't sure why the girl had referred to him as a lord, but it no longer bothered him the way it once would have. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. The food looked great. There was fresh fruit, porridge, meat, and even a tankard of beer waiting on the tray. There was also a small plate of fresh fish cut into bite-sized pieces, which he suspected was meant for the kitten. The little one had already caught the scent and was meowing loudly.

The day ended quickly, and the next began. Adolin never left the room. Breakfast arrived at his door just like dinner had. Every now and then, he glanced at the door. He still needed to visit the Garden Inn and let the innkeeper know he would soon be visiting the Count's estate. Yet as the second day passed, he gradually gave up on the idea. He didn't want to see the innkeeper. He also didn't want to leave the room. Going straight to the Count's estate tomorrow sounded like a much better plan.

Why ruin his break by seeing the man who had scammed him? He had to admit that he was getting a little bored. He needed to find better things to procrastinate with. Starting with books about the world, then something else to keep himself entertained. The kitten was helping with the boredom as well. It kept him busy. Still, it was a little too annoying. The little creature kept biting everything it could get its teeth on. Including him. It was also eating far more than something so small should have been able to.

Fresh fish seemed to be its favorite meal. He would have to ask the girl to bring more of it. The kitten eventually curled up on his chest and fell asleep. Adolin wasn't far behind. When he opened his eyes again, sunlight was pouring through the window. His little break had come to an end, and the time to heal the Count had arrived. The days had passed faster than he would have liked. Still, it was the first time since arriving in this world that he had truly allowed himself to relax. Or procrastinate.

The first challenge was getting out of the soft bed without waking the kitten. Well, that was probably the second challenge. The first was convincing himself to leave the bed at all. Somehow, he managed to get out of bed and headed to the bathroom to refresh himself. He washed his face with hot water and looked at the foggy mirror. With a quick spell, he cleared the condensation. For the first time since arriving in this world, he was looking at his own reflection. Well, he already knew what he looked like.

Most of it came from Dareth's memories. Still, this was the first time he was seeing it for himself. His eyes were a deep blue, almost sapphire. There were dark circles beneath them, though they weren't too pronounced. His hair was black and messy, hanging almost to his shoulders. He should probably get it cut soon. Now, the most important question remained. Was he going to walk to the estate? It was quite far, and he didn't enjoy walking.

He could Teleport close to it instead, take a walk through the forest while he recovered some mana, and let the kitten tire itself out along the way. Then he could head to the estate. That sounded like a solid plan.

"Let's go," he said. The kitten ignored him and continued looking out the window. Adolin pulled a piece of raw fish from his inventory. The kitten turned toward him almost immediately. He held the fish at shoulder height. After realizing that meowing wasn't getting it anywhere, the little creature climbed onto his shoulder instead. Teleport. He appeared in the forest and put down the kitten before giving it the fish. It was a random place he had seen on his way back.

Massive trees with black bark and vibrant green leaves surrounded him, and nearby stood a huge boulder. The air was fresher than in the city, carrying the scent of wood and damp earth. The cracks running across its surface made it look like a giant spiderweb. He had found it interesting at the time. The Count's estate wasn't far from here. After clearing the ground, he sat down in a meditative pose and left the kitten to chase the falling leaves drifting through the forest.

After recovering most of his mana, he headed toward the estate. The kitten followed behind him, but it was already getting sluggish. It probably wouldn't be long before he was forced to carry it again. The walls of the estate soon came into view, and before long, he arrived at the gate. After explaining his purpose to the guards, one of them hurried inside. Eduard came through the gate. He looked at Adolin, then at the kitten on his shoulder.

"Adolin, you've brought a guest." Adolin blinked. Adolin? He coughed awkwardly. Right.