An inn of red bricks and ornate windows stood at the end of the town square. It looked very nice, and it was the perfect place for weary travelers to rest their heads.
It had a name carved on top of the front door—Innkeeper's Paradise.
At that moment, the front door opened, and the golden bell that was slightly scuffed from years of use chimed softly.
An elderly woman said with a smile as she carried a heavy-looking box from the back room. She put it down on the counter, unboxed it, and began arranging the contents carefully on the shelves.
"What a nice place, isn't it, babe?" Wren hugged Kiernan's arm while looking around the cozy inn with a big smile.
"Yes, it is…" Kiernan's mouth twitched. "Very homely."
The elderly woman smiled at the young couple's affectionate showing. She put the box down from the counter and waited for them to come to the counter.
After them, Julian opened the door for Daphne, and after she stepped through, he followed behind her and joined the first couple at the counter.
"Are there rooms available, perhaps?" Wren asked the elderly woman.
"Oh, yes." The elderly woman said with a kind smile. "Letzer Island is not popular with tourists during Martial World's wintertime. It will be very hard to find any rooms during the summertime, but for now, our inn has plenty of availability."
"Oh, are you the owner of this fine establishment all by yourself?" Daphne asked while fanning her face with a small, delicate handkerchief.
"No, my husband of forty years is my partner in this endeavor, and we've built this inn from the ground up together."
"How sweet~" Wren said with a smile and looked at Kiernan. "Maybe we will be like them one day."
The elderly woman covered her mouth and giggled like a sweet grandmother.
"Yeah, maybe." Kiernan rolled his eyes. "So, we're having four roo—"
Wren suddenly elbowed him in the waist, making him hunch over in pain.
"Two rooms, please~" Wren said with a smile.
The elderly woman took two keys from the front desk and handed them to Wren.
Wren tossed the other key over to Julian and then dragged Kiernan upstairs.
When they were out of sight, Wren's smile froze over, and she turned to look at Kiernan with a look of annoyance.
"What do you not understand about keeping up appearances?" Wren asked. "If we stayed in different rooms, that would look suspicious as hell."
"Tsk…" Kiernan rubbed his waist and said, "We can always cook up an excuse, like I can't stand your snoring."
Wren's eyebrow twitched, and she smiled angrily. "Babe, if you dare to embarrass me, I'll make sure you won't be leaving this island."
Kiernan snatched the door key from her hand, then opened their room's door with it and entered first, leaving her to fume outside.
The room was quite nice. It only had one king-sized bed that looked very comfortable, and there was a very good view of the town square and thus the rest of the town.
The bathroom was also spacious and had a large bathtub. However, the bathtub was hidden behind a translucent glass wall that made it quite easy to see through.
There was also a door to the balcony, which was basically it. The room was quite small, but the inn didn't need anything too crazy.
While there were tourists every now and then, there wouldn't be a crazy amount that they needed insane house-sized rooms.
"Our room will be right next to yours," Julian said from the doorway. "Knock on the door if you need something."
"We'll be going to visit the town soon," Wren said to him. "I'd like you and Daphne to keep an eye on the navy's activity. If they start to act suspiciously, we must leave."
"Sure," Julian said, and left.
"Visit the town, why?" Kiernan asked and pointed to the balcony. "I happen to have the greatest view of the town square. I can see as soon as the town turns quiet."
"We must know more about that tree."
"Why? All we have to do is get an axe and take it down as quickly as possible."
"Because I want to be prepared. We don't know whether this tree is a spirit tree, dead tree, living tree, or haunted tree—any of those could fight back against us if we decide to hack it down."
'Spirit tree? Dead tree? Living tree? Haunted tree? I haven't heard any of them, but also, there are still a lot of things I don't know about this world.
'I've read through the internet for most public knowledge, but the amount I could learn in just a few months is very limited.
'I didn't think that trees could actually fight back in this world. Just how much don't I really know yet?'
It made Kiernan think.
Wren put her bag down on the bed, tied her flowing hair with a hair band, and turned to Kiernan, now her slender neck showing more skin than previously.
"Mm," Kiernan nodded.
When they left the inn, they only crossed the street and entered one of the cafes that seemed to be busy during this time of the day.
The cafe embraced the feeling of nature. It had large windows that let in streams of sunlight and potted plants scattered throughout the interior.
The windowsills had small succulents lining them.
Wren and Kiernan found themselves a table by the window. They sat down and ordered whatever seemed good on the menu.
The waitress soon came with their drinks. She was brunette and seemed to smile a lot, as if almost the smile was glued to her face.
It was the same situation with most townsfolk of this island.
"Excuse me, I am on vacation with my boyfriend here~" Wren affectionately touched Kiernan's hand as she smiled at the waitress. "I have a few questions regarding that tree."
"Oh, that tree?" The waitress looked to the tree. "It has always been there. Did you know that this town was built around that tree? This island used to be very desolate, with only one tree standing tall in the middle of it.
"That's where our founding fathers decided to build a colony, and it has come very far ever since."
"Alright, thank you." Wren smiled, and after the waitress left, her smile froze again. "Interesting."