CH 138

“We’re here.”

“Yes, but why can’t we go any further?”

“They said it’s dangerous because there’s bandits.”

“Why did they have to come out now!? We said we’re in a hurry!”

“Don’t complain at me. The hunting party should arrive soon anyway, so it’s fine.”

“…Is that them?”

“Probably. There’s a lot of armed people there.”

“There’s a really gaudy person leading them too.”

“I think it’s them but… Is that…?”

“Yes, it feels like he got all dressed up in front of a full-length mirror.”

“Is the beast king going out to fight the bandits?”

“I don’t think so. The people accompanying him all look really tired, don’t they?”

“He has probably been bossing them around.”

“Yes. But why did you look at me like that when you said that?”

“You’re being too self-conscious. Let’s go look for an inn.”

“Yes. One where we can take a bath and relax and eat something nice. This tired body needs healing.”

“I heard about one that’s a little expensive but has a nice service.”

“Then that’s where we’re going.”

◇ ◇ ◇

“The beast king really got blown away.”

“Yes, but we got to accept an escorting quest because of it, so it all worked out in the end.”

“That’s true. We can travel and make money at the same time. And in a normal wagon too.”

“Yes.”

“So this is Prekes. This is where the magic institute is, right?”

“Yes, but I don’t know the difference between this and the magic academy.”

“Are you thinking about enrolling?”

“I don’t know. I think things are fine for now, but… What about you, Rurika?”

“I like things as they are, and I’m not really interested in studying more or anything. So how do we go to Majolica?”

“Through the capital Mahia, I guess.”

“The slave trade is big there too, so we should go through there.”

“Yes. But we haven’t heard anything about Eris here either…”

“And people would probably talk about her if anything happened, because elves are rare. We haven’t heard anything here in Efa, so maybe she’s not in the country at all.”

“…Yes.”

“But we should be meeting Sera soon.”

“That’s right.”

“There aren’t any escorting quests here. Do we go by omnibus?”

“That is probably a good idea. But don’t you feel the air here is tense? Did something happen?”

“Maybe there’s a lot of hotheaded people here compared to other places because of the dungeon.”

“That’s just prejudice.”

◇ ◇ ◇

“Oh…?”

“What?”

“The jewel in the necklace Sora gave me is cracked.”

“Is it? Wait, my bracelet is cracked too…”

“Is this some kind of bad omen?”

“Maybe it’s because we wore them while fighting.”

“But I wasn’t really in danger or anything.”

“Then is it because riding beast wagons is so rough?”

“…Maybe. I do remember being knocked around a lot the first time.”

“Sora made them himself, right? Next time we meet him we have to complain and tell him to make something better!”

“That’s a little shameless, don’t you think?”

“But Chris, if you’re going to get a present, shouldn’t it be something good?”

“…Isn’t it the thought that counts?”

“Good grief, this girl. Be greedier.”

“Hn? Is that you, Rurika and Chris?”

“…? Who are you?”

“Hey hey, we did that escorting quest together, remember?”

“…Ah, goblin’s… Hey, too close, too close.”

“Geez, why is that what makes you remember me?”

“Because it’s an impactful name?”

“Forget it. Weren’t you going to the beast kingdom?”

“We were there, but we just arrived here in Efa.”

“I see… I see…”

“Did something happen? You feel kind of down all of a sudden.”

“Ah, sorry. Seeing you two reminded me of Sora.”

“Sora? Is he doing well? Wait, what’s wrong?”

“…So you don’t know… We actually figured we’d go back to the kingdom through the South Gate City, and we met Sora there.”

“Yes…”

“And then… He said he was accepting a quest to hunt wolves on his own… And apparently he bit more than he could chew.”

“Did something happen to him?”

“The village that put out the quest was attacked by orcs, and he used himself as bait to draw out the orcs and save the villagers that were taken.”

“A-and then?”

“I don’t know, but his broken sword, guild card, and bloodstained robe were found near orc corpses. Are you all right?”

“Chris, are you all right?”

“Y-yes. Did someone go out looking for him?”

“Yes, those villagers put out a quest. But neither the surviving orcs or Sora were found. To make matters worse, a demon was seen flying over the forest where Sora was.”

“Demon!?”

“Too loud.”

“Sorry. Demon, you said?”

“Didn’t you hear? A demon was seen near the South Gate City. Apparently a lot of knights and adventurers were killed.”

“R-really…”

“Yes, so the search was called off because they figured maybe Sora…”

“I see… Thank you for telling us.”

“No problem. And, hum, don’t brood over it too much. This sort of thing happens in this line of work.”

“…Yes. So where are you going, Siphon?”

“We’re headed to Prekes. Yuno knows someone there, so we’re thinking about exploring the dungeon there.”

“I see. Be careful.”

“You too. Take care!”

“…There he goes.”

“Yes, but Chris, are you really all right?”

“I am. Yes, I’m all right…”

“You’re not all right at all. Let’s just rest for today.”

“…Yes.”