Eyes Watching from the Dark
The Angolo temporary lodging was a tiny room — not a generous double, but a cramped one.
We signed our names in the lodging registry and headed into one of the spare rooms. Opening the door, I found exactly what I'd expected. Having expected nothing, I couldn't even be disappointed.
Pina scrunched her brow as if already fed up.
"Ugh… this is really bad."
Just as Pina's reaction suggested, everything was far worse than our previous lodging. Still, having a place where we could rest without worry was a genuine relief.
Pina and I flopped onto the beds, then headed straight for the bathroom. It was so narrow that only one person could wash at a time, and on top of that, there didn't seem to be any hot water. I sent Pina in first, then took my turn after her. I hadn't properly washed in three full days, so I scrubbed myself thoroughly.
When I came out toweling my hair dry, Pina was already curled up on the bed like a shrimp, fidgeting faintly in her sleep. I watched her for a moment, finding it adorable, then carefully settled onto the bed myself, thinking I'd rest just a little.
And then I completely blacked out.
When I jolted awake, the sun had already sunk low, painting the sky with sunset. I dragged a hand down my face. So this was what it meant to pass out cold — falling asleep in nothing but my underclothes. I'd only closed my eyes for a moment, yet time had fled far away. My mind was still foggy. Without a single thought, I stared up at the ceiling for a long while. It took quite some time before I came back to myself.
Growl.
Suddenly my stomach started clamoring for food. Only then did I feel the need to move. I got up and stretched, went into the bathroom, washed my face with cold water, came back out, and changed clothes. Once I strapped on my armor over that, my head finally cleared.
Perhaps because of the rustling, Pina made a little groan and shifted. Then she threw both arms over her head and let out an extremely high-pitched wail.
"Gyaaaaah…"
"Pina, time to get up."
"Yeees…"
There was no time to lounge around. We had a lot to do from here on — eat dinner, finish unpacking the gear we hadn't sorted yet, introduce ourselves to people.
I thought of Noah. Where was she? Was she here right now, or out hard at work on an expedition? I'd like to see her face today… but she'd be busy, so I didn't get my hopes up. If I just went about my business, we'd probably run into each other and say hello. I thought optimistically.
"Let's move."
"Nngh…"
Pina was weak against sleep and still hadn't fully woken up. I grabbed her arm, hauled her up, and shoved her into the bathroom.
"Wash your face and come out."
"Understood—"
From inside came a startled "Ah, cold—!" When Pina opened the bathroom door and came out, her eyes were sparkling even brighter than before.
"Whoa, the water here is no joke. That really wakes you right up."
I'd been startled myself when I washed my face. Pina fumbled her clothes on, and once she had her leather armor on like me, she worked the stiffness out of her body. Fully ready, we stepped out the front door.
The Angolo outpost even provided free meals courtesy of the kingdom. In exchange, the food was all standard-issue rations — essentially military mess. Unpleasant memories were bubbling up one after another…
We left the lodging and found the mess hall, where a surprisingly appetizing smell greeted us. Corn, bread, soup, and meat. The soup was decent enough, probably thanks to some seasoning, but the bread was terribly dry and dense. Without dunking it in the soup, it would scrape the roof of your mouth raw. The corn was pretty good after not having any for so long — but if they made us eat only this forever, well… The meat was monster meat. The hunters had probably gone out and procured it themselves. I didn't know what kind it was, but it had a decent texture, so I kept reaching for more.
"It's pretty edible."
"Right?"
They were people too, so of course they'd want something tasty. I chewed my bread in a half-dazed state. When I ate, I preferred not to think about anything if I could help it. I didn't talk much either — I just focused entirely on the meal. After all, they say you shouldn't bother a dog while it's eating. Why would a person be any different?
Of course, there were always people who didn't get that.
"Hey there."
A man suddenly stood by our seats and spoke up. He was wearing a cowboy hat — the same guy who'd been glancing our way for a while. His party consisted of three men and two women. They'd been whispering among themselves while looking at us, and eventually one of them came over as their representative. I'd been pretending not to notice and just sipping my soup, but I hadn't expected him to be this bold.
Unlike me, who'd half-expected this, Pina — still chewing her bread — blinked in surprise and dipped her head slightly.
"Ah, hello…"
"Yeah. You guys new here?"
"Y-yes…"
"…Uh, are you, uh, feeling okay?"
"Ah, no."
Pina was pretty shy around strangers, so the longer the conversation went, the weaker her voice became. Watching this, I reluctantly stepped in.
"What do you want?"
The man, who'd been staring blankly at my face, finally smiled and spoke.
"…Ah, hey. Haven't seen your faces around. Figured we could get acquainted. Mind if I sit for a bit?"
"No. We're almost done eating, so we're about to leave."
Even if he sat down, we wouldn't have time for a long chat. I declined calmly, so he wouldn't have to go to any more trouble.
"Uh… hmm, that so? Well, enjoy your meal…"
"Yeah, you too."
"Uh, yeah…"
The man scratched his head and backed off. Suddenly I caught murmurs from around us.
"Right? That's the one from Antico…"
"Seems like it…"
Apparently that little exchange had drawn some attention, and my name was starting to circulate among the people here. During the festival this kind of thing had been fine, but right now I didn't particularly want to hear it. I nipped at my corn and said to Pina,
"Eat up and let's go."
"Ah, okay."
But then someone even more headache-inducing appeared. The moment he opened the door, he seized every gaze in the room, and the instant our eyes met, he walked straight toward us.
The prince. Melchior.
Melchior sat down right in front of me without any pretense and said,
"We meet again."
Don't act like this is a coincidence.
Behind him, the secretary came scurrying over. The fact that he was carrying trays in both hands already made me feel sorry for him.
"Your Highness, you can't just go off alone without even taking your meal!"
"I trusted you, Secretary."
"Ah, I really want to hit you just once…"
"Is that so? I'll pay you back double later."
"I'm sorry."
I looked at the prince and let out a sigh. With him showing up out of nowhere, even more eyes were fixed on us. I snapped a little.
"What is it this time?"
"Official business."
Melchior bit into the bread. Then he blinked, carefully pulled the bread from his mouth, and looked at the secretary.
"This is far too hard and tasteless. Is there no sugar?"
"You can dip it in the soup, Your Highness."
"Hmm. Dip-and-eat, is it?"
"Your Highness, where did you even learn a phrase like that?"
"The royal family is always sensitive to trends."
Melchior dunked the bread deep into the soup and chewed thoughtfully. After swallowing, he spoke to me in a settled, serious voice.
"Monsters are appearing one by one, crossing through time."
"I know."
"Yes, of course you do. This is a phenomenon happening all over the world. From what I know, this place wasn't originally a wasteland like this either. Truly a strange affair."
I looked at the prince while spinning the corn cob in front of my mouth. I was checking whether any kernels were left when the prince, who'd been watching me quietly, spoke up.
"Could you, ah, put the corn down for a moment?"
"Don't mind it."
"Fine, understood."
The prince nodded. He gave up faster than I'd expected.
"Starting tomorrow, there's something I need you to do."
"…Tomorrow?"
"Yes. When I said we're short-handed, I wasn't lying."
Melchior pressed down on his meat with a fork as he spoke.
"A small number of hunters. And a small number of soldiers. The soldiers are holding the garrison while the hunters, who are used to this sort of work, go out and investigate. Progress has been nearly nonexistent, but during the investigation, something strange came up."
"What?"
"In the darkness, they say something seems to be watching them. The moment they shine a light, it vanishes in an instant."
Darkness, huh.
"But it never fully reveals itself. And it's not just the hunters. The soldiers say they sometimes get that same chill. It hasn't caused any real harm, so they've left it alone, but the constant unease is tanking morale."
I nodded at that. The moment I heard it, I knew exactly what monster it was. Unpleasant eyes watching from the dank dark. A creature that sows confusion in the shadows, then picks off its prey one by one the moment they stray from the group.
Shadow-Eyed Demon Skiagua.
"You, who made a fool of me — you should be able to find it, no?"
Melchior said with one corner of his mouth curled up in a smile. The secretary, who'd been listening quietly, perked up his ears and turned his head.
"Your Highness, where did you pick up such a crude expression?"
"Crude, is it? Didn't you say the same thing? 'Your Highness can go eat shit.'"
"That was just me muttering to myself when you weren't around, and you heard that too? Hehe—"
Impressive, both of them.
Melchior looked at the secretary with a dead-serious expression. The secretary nodded as if realizing something and carefully averted his gaze. Melchior looked at him, sighed, then turned his gaze back to me.
"So, can you do it?"
"Yeah."
"You look confident. Like my sister, I'll put my trust in you this once. If you're done eating, you're free to go. And Secretary — we need to talk."
Melchior's words sounded like a death sentence. The secretary shot us a look begging us not to leave, but Pina and I, having finished our meal, quickly made our exit.
If I could still see the secretary's face tomorrow, that would be a real blessing.