Episode 5. Welcome to the Ghost Story Hotel (3)
We all muttered it one after another.
“It's huge.”
“So big.”
“Hmm, definitely massive.”
““It's enormous!””
In other words, it was our reaction to the hotel that had started coming into view from afar as we rode in the carriage. Horn had initially said it wasn't some bizarre hotel that followed the guide's instructions but a bizarre city, and now I could see why. There was a building so enormous it made perfect sense. From the outside, this gigantic structure protruded over the city walls. And the hotel itself seemed as wide as the entire circumference of the walls, giving the impression that the city consisted of nothing but the hotel and its fortifications.
So I muttered softly.
“There's just so much wonderful stuff in this world.”
From the village where letters flew in, to the city where night never fell, to the flower that devoured humans, the ruins with twisted time-space, and now this massive Neapolitan ghost story hotel. Before leaving the duchy, I'd thought this was a fairly ordinary fantasy world, but the moment we stepped out a little, all sorts of bizarre things started popping up left and right.
As I grumbled to myself like that, Asha, sitting beside me, gripped my hand tightly and spoke up.
“There's one thing I find amazing too, Ain.”
“What? Tebris? Or the Versio Ruins?”
From what she'd told me, the only places she'd visited after leaving the empire were the duchy, Tebris, and the Versio Ruins, so I figured it had to be one of those two. Of course, she immediately shook her head at my words.
“No. Those weren't particularly amazing.”
“Hmm... then what else is there to be amazed by?”
Right? As I tilted my head in puzzlement, lost in thought for a moment, Asha beamed and poked my cheek with her free hand.
“You.”
“...?”
What the hell? I couldn't fathom what was so amazing about me—someone so ordinary he bordered on incompetent.
“To me, you're the most amazing thing, Ain.”
“What the heck is...?”
“Heehee, yeah. What is it?”
Was it because I didn't have a scrap of mana? Or maybe my sorry appearance? Her words made no sense, so I stared back with open confusion, but she just kept smiling warmly, gazing only at me.
“Ain.”
“...Yeah?”
Her finger pressing my cheek slid slyly down to my neck, caressing it softly. Her curved eyes took on a sticky, intense emotion. She eyed me with strangely heated breaths, swallowing hard.
“You're so amazing, Ain.”
“Uh... um. Thanks...?”
She repeated the touching and gazing in that somewhat scary way for a bit, then finally bit her lip and pulled back, flashing her usual bright smile.
“Let's hurry to the hotel.”
“Uh... yeah.”
Asha turned her head forward again like that, and the lingering mana that had bound me dispersed softly. The only sound left was the rattling of the carriage.
What was that? Had the three years apart caused some big change in her feelings? No clue. These were reactions she'd never shown me before—I had no idea how to handle them.
In the midst of my bewilderment, a pitiful voice floated over from behind.
“Waaah... she won't even give me a proper smile when I'm around...”
“Eileen, shut up.”
“That's mean!”
Unlike me, sunk in thought, Asha casually hurled an insult backward without a care.
Hold up. Asha swore? Which bastard taught my sweet Asha to curse?
“Asha, you shouldn't tell your comrades to shut up, right?”
“Uh, um... yeah... I won't. So be quiet, Eileen.”
“Good girl.”
“Then pat my head.”
“Okay.”
I was thinking I needed to hunt down that bastard and give him a piece of my mind when she suddenly thrust her head toward me. I ended up stroking her hair.
And then.
“That one's always cursing but hilarious, huh.”
“Horn, shut up.”
I naturally spat a curse at Horn too.
“Ain?”
“...Horn. Just stay quiet.”
“Good job. Want a head pat?”
Ah. It was me?
Anyway. We bickered like that all the way into the hotel.
The moment we stepped inside, we saw the luxurious interior and, at the front desk, a magic golem standing in place of human staff. There were newcomers like us and guests who'd already been staying for days.
People lining up to check in spoke to the golem in turn, then headed upstairs with faces full of anticipation. Staying guests came down from above, giggling or tearing at their hair over losing a comrade to last night's mistake. Some were busy with excitement, others chatted casually, and some mourned the dead. To wandering travelers and questing adventurers, it was all too familiar. In fact, it had become a perfectly ordinary sight to me now.
As I stared blankly, old man Horn poked my leg from behind and spoke up.
“Rookie, it's our turn. Stop spacing out and check in.”
“Ah, right.”
The line had seemed long because the front desk was a golem, but our turn came in a flash. I stepped forward, stood before the golem, and its head creaked as it scanned me and my companions.
Travelers from afar, welcome.
This is the hotel of truth and verity, Veritas.
“Yes, hello.”
The standard stay at Hotel Veritas is 2 weeks, at 500 dera per person.
“Yes, got it.”
I nodded affirmatively, and the golem seemed to stare at me for a moment before continuing.
Please submit the representative's ID and enter the number of people on the input panel that appears.
“Yes.”
Confirming information. Please wait in front.
I fumbled out my ID and submitted it, then entered 7 people, at which point Horn was looking up at me with a dumbfounded expression.
“What?”
“Why're you answering the golem so diligently, you idiot rookie?”
Well... no real reason, but my basic stance is to be polite to anything that doesn't harm me.
“Being kind anywhere can't hurt. Not like the blacksmith gramps whose forge had no customers because he wasn't friendly.”
“Hah, that was 'cause of you humans' racial discrimination, not me bein' unfriendly.”
As if. I shot back.
“Now you're reverse-discriminating like it's breathing. For real.”
“What're ya gonna do about it?”
I looked down at Horn as I said that, and he grumbled like a kid despite his age. While we bickered as usual, the golem's head creaked again, and its voice resumed.
Confirmed. Mid-level adventurer Ain and 6 others assigned to room 32101.
The assigned room will open via pupil recognition for representative Ain and 6 others for the next 2 weeks.
“Ah, yes.”
It had scanned us like that to set the pupil recognition, apparently.
Hotel precautions and usage rules are now being distributed. Please memorize them and avoid any violations.
With that, the golem spat out a single sheet of paper from its torso. And on that paper:
1. Welcome, tourists. This is Hotel Veritas, the symbol of the city. Please read the rules carefully and follow our instructions. We are not responsible for any incidents resulting from non-compliance.
2. Lobby and dining hall hours: 9 AM to 1 PM, and 5 PM to 9 PM. Strictly adhere to these times.
3. Sometimes items in your room may disappear during your stay. Do not panic—exit the room, knock twice on the door to the right room, enter, and retrieve your missing items within 10 minutes.
4. After midnight and before breakfast, do not leave your room. Our hotel is run solely by magic golems with no staff, so no one will knock on your door. Do not open it or step into the hallway.
5. Emergency stairs are at the ends of the right and left corridors. If a third staircase appears in the center, return to the desk and use the golem's auto-response service.
6. Move in groups of at least 2. We take no responsibility for issues arising from traveling alone.
7. There is no 4th floor. If you reach the 4th floor while ascending, calmly go back down and ascend again. Same for descending to the 4th floor—go up first, then down.
8. Guests may occasionally appear strange. This is common, so please refrain from attacking each other.
9. Strictly follow scheduled times. Note that clocks in rooms may occasionally be inaccurate.
10. Thank you for visiting our hotel. We hope you have a meaningful stay.
Once more, please follow the hotel rules.
“...”
We, Hotel Veritas, bear no responsibility for incidents from violations, travelers.
Welcome. Have a happy 2 weeks.
The golem said that, then made a grotesque sound like it was smiling as its mouth corner lifted. Then, as if we were invisible, its head creaked toward the next travelers.