Canyon Investigation and Suspicious Tracks
The Dplrus Forest canyon commission. The spacious inn perched midway up the mountain resembled a rectangular school building. It looked a bit different from the typical inns I knew. The paths where guests walked, the garden with its pond, and unfamiliar ornamental trees planted everywhere. Birds building nests and flitting about, a single squirrel scurrying busily across the ground. We disembarked from the carriage and followed the stone-paved path into the inn's garden.
"...Why does it look like this?"
Leona asked if all inns were like this, but I shook my head—no way. She seemed fascinated by the rigid gray stone building cradled in my arms. The flying whales in the sky were one thing, but this inn's design was equally baffling. It had windows, and inside there was a proper front desk. The interior, probably renovated multiple times due to heavy traffic, was surprisingly luxurious—I couldn't help but be impressed. With so many people coming and going for commissions, and hot springs in the back of the building, they must be raking in the profits. Most of the bustling adventurers were in light gear. There were even couples there for tourism, not adventuring. Watching parents holding their kids' hands, I adjusted Leona in my arms and gave her a warm smile.
Po'runga took the key to our reserved multi-bed room, announcing herself as a registered adventurer. Along the way, there was a convenience store, a ping-pong table, even indoor games like air hockey—fully equipped. Our room on the third floor was the largest, with four beds. Po'runga muttered about how much money she'd blown on booking it, her shoulders slumping, but I ignored her and left Nex and Noksu to unpack. I set Leona down on the plush bed.
Three adult women and one man—Leona would probably sleep with me, right?
"Should Po'runga and I head out for the investigation commission right away?"
"Yeah, that's the plan. I'll look after Leona in the meantime."
Noksu said she'd give Leona some basic adventurer training and took her along. Nex asked us to leave her at the inn since a full day might not be enough for the investigation, and she'd just be waiting anyway. It only hit me after speaking up: she still hadn't woken, sleeping soundly with her head lolling. The fact that her torso had been twitching in her sleep until now made cold sweat break out on me, even though it wasn't my problem.
"Pretty weird, huh? Bet you're wondering why the inn looks like a rock."
"Yeah, why is that?"
"It's because of the flying monsters. Blending in with nature reduces attack chances, but if they do get hit, the structure has to be sturdy to protect the guests. Oh, and the hot springs are underground. Natural cave springs—ventilation's fine, so no worries. No chance of monsters ambushing you mid-bath and forcing a naked brawl."
"...It's a mixed bath, though. Maybe we should wear something?"
"Why bother?"
Oh no, common sense doesn't apply here. Still, since it's men and women, maybe swimsuits or at least towels... I suggested it hesitantly, but Po'runga patted my shoulder, saying Deinous nudity wasn't gross, so feel free to look. Was this a world where sexual norms were reversed? My ethics and the common sense from my old world seemed to fit sometimes, only to veer wildly off course, leaving me constantly fatigued. Polygamy was normal, and inns getting attacked by monsters was everyday life. Thinking about it that way, my original world's public safety had been pretty good. Of course, here the gods were watching over security—or were they? Made it hard to even discuss "safety."
Speaking of gods made me regret not visiting the All Gods Temple. I wanted to see the statue of the Goddess of Fate there. I'd go someday if the chance came up. For now, Po'runga and I headed toward the mountain.
With so many investigation commissions, the trails were well-maintained, starting with safety ropes.
"The canyon itself is vast, so you get bats from the underground caves or wyverns nesting on the cliffs. Besides that, eagles... birds, nothing much to note. Mostly flying monsters, so watch your head. Birds don't target anything bigger than themselves, so we're fine. Leona might be at risk, though. Flying monsters mainly prey on goblins or bug monsters. Wyverns are omnivores—they eat anything."
So the biggest threat on this commission was wyverns. She said they fled at the slightest threat, and even in a fight, ripping their wings slowed their massive bodies to a crawl on the ground—something even I could handle.
"And as a bonus, this bear robe I made for you humans."
"Ah..."
That thing she mentioned making. Shedding monsters use clumped fur to cover their young and fend off predators, she explained as she draped the bear robe over me. I became an adventurer in a bear-head hood straight out of a movie or comic. Lifting my head slightly, the bear's upper jaw and fangs blocked my view. Made from real bear hide, it felt eerily lifelike—would the head rot? Hard to say if I should worry.
We followed the busy adventurer trails, systematically scouting our assigned investigation points. All we found were bears, wolves, cliff-climbing goats, and a few dinosaur-like sauruses that had been wyvern food. A mushroom with arms and legs waddling around creeped me out a bit. It wouldn't come at me boxing, right? After spotting all sorts of oddities, a giant snake lunged on the way back—Po'runga's Rising Dragon Fist exploded its head. I never even drew my sword during the commission. I just watched her show off, over-hunting monsters by a campfire.
At this rate, I wouldn't grow at all, would I?
──♪♬
On the way back to the inn, I spotted a Levitfoot quietly playing a violin atop a rock. Her melancholic expression matched her solitary performance. Was I watching the Levitfoot or listening to her music? I couldn't tell. The melody, infused with peaceful serenity that halted passersby, resonated from the strings, mingling with birdsong and echoing outward. The music carried warmth and joy, yet her face looked like death itself—drawing my gaze despite myself.
"Do you know that adventurer?"
"Nah, no clue??"
If she didn't, then maybe an adventurer from outside the Trust Union... or a bard? Perhaps here seeking inspiration. She had long red hair and glanced at me before bowing her head in greeting. If she'd had a violin case open at her feet, I'd have tossed in some coin—her playing was that good. We gradually moved away and returned to the inn.
"Alright, let's report this, rest a bit, and have some fun. Real combat's key, but theory matters too?"
Po'runga, fired up for sparring in the garden and some "skinship," was raring to go. If I could relax peacefully with no incidents, I'd welcome it. If the hot springs healed my injured arm, a leisurely recovery stint sounded perfect. Thinking I'd buy Leona something tasty, I opened the inn door—and saw adventurers moving about in an uneasy atmosphere.
"Ah, over here, over here."
The mage from the white ant nest who'd gotten captured before waved at me. Heavy injuries had left him with prosthetics; now he worked the front desk here. He thanked me profusely, told me to rest up, and grinned that dinner was on him—expect a feast. Of course, repaying personal debts stopped there. He turned serious, taking our investigation report and bringing up suspicious traces found in the forest canyon.
"Footprints. Thought they were adventurers' at first, but there were drag marks too. Turns out, traces of anchors on the rock face and ropes from descenders scraped down."
"Anchors...?"
"Y'know, what you hammer into walls for climbing. Just regular rock climbing?"
"Pretty heavy load dragged. But here's the thing—no one saw any adventurers during the survey, and the tracks aren't old."
"What a pain."
The sense of an incident brewing hit again. Po'runga, on the other hand, rubbed her chin—maybe we'd snagged the tail of whatever's causing these anomalies. The receptionist asked if we'd seen anyone suspicious; nothing during our survey. I mentioned the red-haired Levitfoot we'd passed, but she was just a tourist bard on the guest list. Overthinking it? Adventurers planned to track the traces and scout the canyon cliffs, so the receptionist wrapped up by recommending climbing gear rentals.
"Agh! Seriously! Why's everything tangling up?!"
"Haha... With this many adventurers, it'll wrap quick, right?"
"...Ugh... Don't tell me it'll get worse here?"
Drip—drip—whoosh—
Rain poured down. Thick clouds too. The receptionist handed out climbing gear and raincoats. Kind gesture, but... Gazing at the mud-soaked ground and torrent so heavy you couldn't see ahead, adventurers sighed, moped, lamented... And sandwiched between them, Po'runga and I stared at the midnight downpour with weary eyes, grimacing.