Welcome to the Veritas Hotel (4)
After finishing check-in, we walked a short distance in the direction the golem pointed, and there was an elevator. Of course, it wasn't a modern elevator but a paternoster—the kind you might see in Europe—and it was the first time I'd seen one in this world. Naturally, my companions also tilted their heads at the sight of the elevator.
"Ain oppa, what's this?"
"Hm, it's probably called an elevator. It uses pulleys to connect these cabins and lift people up to higher floors."
"How does that even work?"
"If you get engineers on it, nothing's impossible."
I had no idea if it was a scientific device or a magical one, but hey, engineers could build it either way, so it wasn't wrong. Tori, who had peeked out and asked, tilted her head again, clearly not getting my answer.
"What's an engineer, Yaki?"
"No clue. But it doesn't sound like a good thing, Tori."
The two kids whispered busily like that, and finally, it was our turn to board the elevator. I spoke to my companions.
"It might be dangerous to all pile in at once, so let's go two at a time. I'll take the twins, Asha with Eileen, and Horn with Aberly."
I spread my arms and scooped up the two kids as I said it.
"Uh... I, I want to ride with Ain..."
"Sorry, Asha. Elevators might have unexpected issues too. For now, this is the best combo to avoid grouping the less combat-ready ones together."
Asha grabbed the hem of my clothes, her mouth opening and closing as she wanted to ride with me, but she nodded after hearing my explanation. Then she muttered softly.
"I see... It's because I brought Eileen along for no reason..."
"Huh? Suddenly it's my fault?!"
She turned her glare from me to Eileen, who had been standing quietly.
"Should've left her at the ruins."
"Asha-nim... That really hurts...?"
No matter how I thought about it, that didn't seem to be the issue.
In any case, the moment we finished check-in, we became guests of the hotel, so our actions were already restricted by its usage rules.
Veritas Hotel Rule 6: Guests must move in pairs of at least two.
To follow that rule while avoiding grouping the non-fighters together, this seemed right for now.
"The elevator ride's short anyway. Room 32101... Huh, 32nd floor, so it might take a bit. See you soon. I'll go first."
I said that, boarded the elevator, and nodded to those watching me intently. With a jolt, it began rising. No closing doors—the front was wide open, letting us see each floor's hallway as we passed. After the third floor, it skipped straight to the fifth.
Veritas Hotel Rule 7: There is no fourth floor in the Veritas Hotel.
I recalled that rule and gently stroked the kids' heads.
"Kids, once we're in the room, memorize and follow the rules carefully, okay?"
"Yes~"
The kids grinned in my arms, but as Horn worried, this hotel wasn't peacefully safe. One tiny mistake here could cost your life, even if you followed the rules perfectly otherwise.
As we kept ascending, one or two guests boarded our cabin. Then a monster with a bizarre, eerie form got on, and the kids stared wide-eyed, hiccuping in fear.
"It's fine. Just stay hugged up."
Veritas Hotel Rule 8: Occasionally, staying guests may appear strange in appearance.
Dozens of blinking eyes and wriggling tentacle-like things—that must've been the "strange phenomenon" mentioned. It said not to attack each other, so freaking out and striking would probably cause trouble. Thinking that, I hugged the kids tight, covering their eyes. In the quiet elevator cabin, only their hiccuping echoed.
We reached the 32nd floor first and waited in front of the elevator for the others. Since the next cabin followed right after ours, we met Horn and Aberly immediately.
"Argh, some monster hopped on outta nowhere—I nearly swung my axe."
"Haha... If I hadn't stopped you, it would've been b-big trouble..."
They'd encountered a guest in monster form too, shaking their heads as they spoke.
"'Guests may appear strange' probably means seeing them as monsters sometimes. Just roll with it."
"But what if it really is a monster?"
"No way. A monster riding an elevator between floors? Weird."
"Is it?"
"Dunno. Let's just say it is."
We chatted about the monsters we'd seen, bantering in the hallway. But after Horn and Aberly, Asha and Eileen's cabin didn't show—not the next one, nor the one after.
"...They took the one after Horn's, right?"
"Hmm, definitely."
The third, fourth, and fifth cabins passed, but no sign of them.
"I'll go down."
"No, what kind of mess is this from the start... Oh, there they are."
Just as I was about to board a descending cabin, Asha and Eileen appeared. Eileen trembled in terror, clinging to Asha's waist, while Asha looked impassively at us and spoke.
"We went to the fourth floor."
"Uh..."
"After the third, we saw the fourth and got off to check, but we hesitated on what to do, so we were late."
Like we'd seen guests as monsters, they'd seen the fourth floor instead.
"No issues otherwise?"
"No, nothing."
"Then why's Eileen shaking?"
Asha's words and expression suggested no problem, so why was Eileen freaking out? When I asked, Asha glanced at her nonchalantly.
"Oh... She just almost got crushed for getting off late."
"Th-that's right, we really almost died..."
Eileen sniffled, wiping tears and snot on Asha's robe.
"What are you doing right now, Eileen?"
"Wiping my nose..."
Maybe because of that. Asha stared in disbelief, frowning before continuing.
"Actually, Eileen peed herself, and we were dealing with that."
"N-no, we agreed that was a secret...!"
"What can I do?"
Regardless of Eileen's flushing face or her teary, hurt look, Asha peeled her off her robe and went on.
In any case, we all safely entered our assigned Room 32101. The door unlocked via pupil recognition, revealing a luxurious, spacious interior.
"Waaah! That bed's mine!"
Lemonade-dispenser Eileen, tears barely dried, dashed excitedly and flopped onto a bed.
"Ack, then we'll take that one!"
The two kids I'd been holding wriggled free, toddling after her and leaping onto the other bed.
"Hmph, nothing's missing. Beds for everyone, and how many bathrooms and showers?"
Horn gawked around the room, setting down his luggage.
"Haha... The kitchen's h-huge and luxurious... And there's sp-spacious area for my research. Oh, r-right, Asha-nim, do you l-like clinical trials...?"
Aberly's eyes sparkled as he looked around, then pulled out a vial and offered it to Asha slyly.
This guy.
I raised my fist in disbelief, but he waved his hands frantically in excuse.
"N-no... But clinical trials for the ash suppressant can only be done on ash users..."
"So?"
"Wouldn't it be g-good to do it during these two weeks with no interruptions...?"
"...Hm."
"It's j-just a trial, but an important step... F-for me, treating ash is my f-first real challenge, so I need to test it on you..."
It was a valid point, not just an excuse, so I quietly lowered my fist and looked at Asha. She smiled brightly back at me.
"I'm fine with it, Ain. It's something I want to ask for, actually."
"It might not work. Could just cause pointless allergic reactions."
Thinking of the future Asha from the Versio Ruins, Aberly's research and potions probably hadn't helped her. Not a fixed future, but the most likely one.
Still, Asha just shook her head and slipped her pinky into mine.
"Even so, I like it. Because it's what you prepared for me, Ain."
She simply smiled radiantly, resting her head on my shoulder.
And then.
"Ah... Suddenly, I d-don't want to do the clinical trial."
Aberly saw us like that, pouted, and muttered.
"..."
What the hell is this guy doing?