My Name is Hakimi

"Pfft."

Hiding behind her father's back, Enri suddenly let out a snicker. Watching Hades scramble to explain himself, she said to Emmet, "I don't think he's a bad person."

Seeing this, Hades quickly added, "Of course I'm not a bad person. I just want to know where I am..."

"Grumble~~~~~~~~"

Just as Hades spoke, his stomach let out a sound that made him feel rather embarrassed. At the same time, his brain began to protest, and the sensation of hunger suddenly took over his entire body.

Emmet lowered his pitchfork and said to Hades, "This is the border of Re-Estize. To the west lies the Baharuth Empire. Let me guess, did you come from the Angelicia Mountains?"

"I don't know. I remember drinking a bit of wine and going to sleep last night, but when I woke up, I was already here. I don't have a single coin to my name," Hades said. He weighed every word carefully; blindly agreeing with the information in the other man's questions would likely lead to suspicion.

Perhaps the man was using false information to test him.

"Is that so?" Emmet nodded, his expression softening. He joked, "I was a bit worried you might be a bandit or something, but I suppose no bandit would go robbing people on an empty stomach. Although this village isn't exactly wealthy, there are still plenty of men here who can fight."

Emmet's words carried both a hint of mockery and a warning.

"Believe me, I am definitely not a bandit," Hades said with a firm tone.

But just then, his stomach let out another "grumble," and a look of embarrassment crept onto his cheeks.

"Hahaha..."

Enri covered her mouth and laughed behind Emmet's back. Emmet turned around to glare at his daughter, but then a smile appeared on his own face, which only made Hades feel more awkward.

"Fine, I can provide you with some food, but you must leave here immediately. After all, this village doesn't really welcome strangers," Emmet said.

Some things in this world are truly strange. Emmet, who had been wary of Hades, lowered his guard after hearing two growls from the boy's hungry stomach.

Emmet was not a cold-hearted man by nature. If it had been daytime, Hades wouldn't have been treated this way. It must be said that his timing for knocking on the door was indeed inappropriate; almost anyone would be on guard against a stranger knocking in the middle of the night.

"Thank you. But, I have nowhere to go right now, so... could you give me a place to rest? Don't worry, I will leave tomorrow," Hades said, rubbing his stomach.

If this were another reality, he would have many questions he wanted to ask. Naturally, he didn't want to leave just like that, and besides, he had no idea where to go if he did.

Furthermore, he needed to find a safe place to organize the information he had and calm himself down. Although he appeared calm on the surface, his heart was anything but peaceful.

"Hmm..." Emmet stroked his beard, looking at the boy's pitiful state. Finally, he pointed to a building not far away and said, "I'm sorry, but while I don't think you're a bad person, I can't let a stranger stay in my home. That over there is the village's newly built livestock shed. If you don't mind, you can borrow it for the night."

Hades looked in the direction Emmet was pointing. It was enclosed by a few wooden planks and topped with a thatched roof; to say it was drafty would be an understatement—it was completely exposed to the elements.

Hades swore that the worst place he had ever slept was thousands of times better than this, but clearly, this was not the time to be picky, especially since his stomach was protesting incessantly.

"Thank you very much," Hades said.

"Mm." Emmet nodded and said to Enri behind him, "Go to the kitchen and get two pieces of black bread."

"Okay, Papa!" Enri agreed cheerfully and turned to run into the house, looking somewhat excited.

Soon, Enri came out of the house, but she didn't have black bread in her hands; instead, she was carrying a basket. Emmet glanced at it and was about to take the basket from her, but Enri walked straight past him to Hades.

"Um, my name is Enri. What's yours?" Enri held the basket out to Hades.

"Uh, my name is... Hakimi..." Hades was about to say his real name, but he stopped himself and improvised a fake one based on the sound.

The villager's cautious attitude toward him and the fear that he might be a bad person proved that this world was not very safe. If he was facing an unknown world, shouldn't he be cautious as well?

Although he didn't know what risks revealing his name might bring in this world, leaking personal information in his original world was a very dangerous thing.

If your personal information were leaked, you would face endless harassment, all kinds of product solicitations, scams carefully designed for you, and even things like kidnapping.

Because he didn't understand the environment he was currently in, Hades had to be even more careful.

"Ha...kimi?"

Enri tilted her head, feeling the name was a bit of a mouthful. This was the first time she had ever seen a traveler, and both his appearance and his way of speaking were completely different from anyone she had ever met.

In particular, that greeting where he slapped himself was just as strange as the boy's name, which couldn't help but pique Enri's curiosity.

It had to be said that a handsome appearance doesn't leave a bad first impression. Enri had been a little scared when her father warned her, but the boy's awkward greeting and the embarrassment of his growling stomach made her feel that he was actually quite cute.

While it wasn't quite love or love at first sight, for Enri, who had always lived in the countryside and had never seen the world, the boy's temperament—so different from anyone in the village—filled her with immense curiosity.

Therefore, she didn't follow her father's instructions to bring just two pieces of black bread; she secretly took extra food, which was why she had to use a basket to carry it.

"Yes... Hakimi." Hades nodded, took the basket, and looked at Emmet. "I will return the basket tomorrow."

Emmet nodded and scolded his daughter, "What are you still doing there? Get inside and go to sleep."

He had previously thought it was too early for certain things regarding Enri, but seeing his daughter's disappointing behavior, he was already calculating whether he should take her to E-Rantel one day to see the world and broaden her horizons.

To be so easily captivated by such a scrawny little brat—it was truly embarrassing. Come to think of it, she was already sixteen; time really flew.

Emmet shook his head, entered the house with a sigh, and closed the door. Still feeling uneasy, he propped the door shut with his pitchfork. Even if the boy wasn't a bad person, he feared that if the boy crooked his finger, his daughter would go running to him.

He had to take precautions.

If Enri knew what her father was thinking, she would surely complain. She never expected that in her father's eyes, she was such a shallow girl. Yet, at that very moment, she was already thinking about how to strike up a conversation with the boy tomorrow and hear about what the outside world was like.