An Unexpected Illness
The next day after our chaotic departure to the second world, something completely unexpected happened. Aranseol had collapsed with a fever. A high fever, at that. Even my holy magic had no effect on her. Either the illness was too severe for my magic to cure, or the phenomenon occurring in her body was a natural reaction. At the very least, it didn't seem to be due to any lack in my holy magic. No matter how potent my magic was, there should have been at least some improvement. After nearly an hour of treating her with no change, the latter seemed to be the case.
"That quack old man better go collect his thousand gold right now!" What on earth had he fed her? Aranseol had trusted me and taken that elixir. This was my responsibility.
"Ha, Rua." Just then, Aranseol called out to me with her completely hoarse voice. "I'm... fine."
In that state, what could possibly be fine? She was such a kindhearted girl.
"Just rest. I'll go get more water."
Aranseol had started feeling ill from dawn. So I'd been nursing her ever since I woke up in the middle of the night. Since I'd already asked the innkeeper for a wet towel, I decided to get more.
"It's... fine." Aranseol shook her head. "It's... about time, isn't it?"
As she said, it was almost time for our meeting with Babiyen and Horizon.
"We can postpone that."
Aranseol came before any explorer business.
"Next... month. The... merchant... will come again." Aranseol looked up at me with her faintly opened eyes. "Don't... worry. That person... is real."
Was she feeling the effects of the elixir? I stared at Aranseol for a moment, then let out a breath and stood up. I'd learned through experience that she was just as stubborn as I was.
"Alright. I'll ask the innkeeper to check on you regularly. I need to explain the situation to those two anyway, whether we go or not."
Aranseol closed her eyes as if that settled it. She let out a hot breath and began to fall into a deep sleep. She hadn't been able to sleep at all when the fever first spiked at dawn, but she seemed a little better now. I left the room quietly so as not to disturb her and headed for the Explorer's Guild.
The guild was bustling from the morning. It varied by region, but in the capital Valterion, this was when morning dawned in the second world. Everyone had gathered to enter the second world now that it was morning.
"The dark elves living on the other side must be having dinner about now. Why are we the only ones up this early, working ourselves to death?"
"That's exactly why dark elves settled in that region—because they're active at night. For them, this is morning."
I listened to the explorers' idle chatter as I opened the guild door. Inside, Babiyen was already waiting. She hadn't been looking at anyone, but when our eyes met, she immediately frowned. Who looks at their teammate like that? I ought to smack her on the rear.
"What is it? Where's Aranseol?"
"Something came up. She won't be able to come with us."
"What?" Babiyen gaped at me as if asking what I meant. But what could I do? That was the truth. Babiyen looked troubled. Aranseol, who was supposed to handle the front line, was absent. Even so, we couldn't go to the second world without a frontliner.
"What are we going to do?" At Babiyen's question, I pressed the back of my neck. I was still trying to figure out how to handle this sudden situation.
"S-sorry I'm late!" Just then, Horizon appeared. She came running over in a hurry, and it was the kind of sprint that made it obvious why she was late. Running fast with that figure must have been impossible.
"It's fine. We just got here ourselves."
"Th-that's a relief. Um, but where's Aranseol?"
At Horizon's question, I explained that something had come up and she couldn't make it. A sigh escaped Horizon as well.
"......It must be my fault." A gloomy expression settled on her face. The unlucky cow. It was probably a nickname she knew herself. I gave her a bitter smile as I watched her blame herself. I couldn't see how this was her fault at all.
"Hm? Oh, Sir Holy Mage." While we were worrying about what to do, a familiar voice called out. There stood a gnome with only simple luggage. He was one of the team members I'd spoken with yesterday.
"We meet again this early. You're diligent."
"Pingl, you idiot, you're the one who's late, so what are you strutting around for?"
Soon after, a dwarf walked out from inside and spoke. The gnome Pingl chuckled and told him to relax, but when the other two appeared, he straightened up.
"Ahem, well, I was late."
"So you're an acquaintance of Mr. Bulldog, whom we met yesterday."
The man spoke to me, paying no mind to Pingl. Then, with quick perception, he glanced around as if assessing our situation.
"Are you short one team member?"
"Yes, something came up."
He tapped his chin for a moment. It seemed like a habit when he was thinking. Then, as if he'd reached a conclusion, he made a suggestion.
"Then, would you like to come with us?"
"Calen?" The female explorer showed a surprised reaction. She clearly hadn't expected Calen to take on new party members.
"We have a mage, a holy mage, and a shadow tribe member. With the second world becoming more unstable, having more people isn't a bad idea."
The more people there were, the less likely we'd be attacked. Moreover, a mage and holy mage were valuable assets. Calen's proposal was one they had nothing to lose from.
"What do you think? It doesn't seem like a bad offer for your side either."
Calen smiled brightly. He was the type who was used to wearing a friendly smile. Calen's team had been active since Bulldog's days. Since they'd maintained this team even then, it meant their teamwork was solid and they consistently produced results. They were a veteran team, if not quite at Bulldog's level. On the other hand, our side had Babiyen, a complete beginner. No matter how skilled she was, this was her first time in the second world, so mistakes were bound to happen. Experiencing a veteran team wouldn't be a bad thing.
"I'm in favor. What about you two, Babiyen and Horizon?"
"We don't have a choice. We came all this way; we can't just not go."
"I-I'm fine with it!"
Pingl glanced at Horizon. Gnomes were sensitive to rumors. Still, he didn't say anything more. It was proof that Calen was managing his team members well as the leader. With approval from both team members, there was no need to hesitate further.
"Please take care of us on this expedition."
"Likewise, please take care of us."
Calen and I shook hands, forming a new team. A team of a transmigrator and natives.
* * *
The second world, Urzea. It was another world connected to the first world, Astrape. Fantasy beasts primarily lived in the second world. They had built their own ecosystem and fought endlessly to survive. The magic stones and resources they carried were extremely useful and often high-value. That was why explorers risked their lives heading to the second world to hunt fantasy beasts.
The entrance to the second world shifted roughly once a month. Criminals who had committed irreversible crimes often fled at the moment the world's time changed. However, it wasn't a good choice. If the entrance changed, that meant the exit's location changed as well. The second world wasn't a suitable place for humans to live. Especially the food problem was particularly severe. Fantasy beasts could be used as medicinal ingredients, but eating them raw without any processing was nearly impossible. Even plain spring water was swarming with parasitic fantasy beasts. If you tried to survive in a place like this, you'd eventually become food for fantasy beasts or starve to death. So fleeing to the second world was a decision made by only a very small number of criminals.
This time, the location was the Moss Flower Cave. An endlessly long labyrinthine cave where moss covered more of the walls than the cave itself. The most important thing in the Moss Flower Cave was the scout. If you got lost, you wouldn't be able to return, so it was only natural. Fortunately, our team currently had two scouts: Horizon and the gnome, Pingl.
"Alright, this way. Let's hurry up and go."
Pingl quickly guided the way. He seemed familiar with the Moss Flower Cave and moved without hesitation as he led us forward.
"Uh, o-over there, this is..."
On the other hand, Horizon was constantly flustered. She was already timid to begin with. With Pingl charging ahead of her, she seemed to struggle even more with finding the path.
"The paths in the Moss Flower Cave aren't particularly wide, so the scouts can take turns. Why don't you rest a bit, Horizon, and switch when Pingl gets tired?"
Calen asked while looking at me rather than Horizon. Even though we were on the same team now, he was acknowledging us as a separate team.
"Let's do that. Horizon, let's have you rest a bit before switching."
"Ah, yes." Horizon looked slightly dejected. She seemed to have more pride in her role as a scout than I'd thought. So I approached her and whispered quietly.
"Still, I'm a bit uneasy, so keep checking the path. Our team's scout is you, Horizon."
"Ah, yes!" Horizon's face brightened immediately. This level of looking out for teammates was something I'd picked up from my experience as an explorer. Calen was close enough to have heard, but he didn't point it out. It meant he thought it was the right approach as well.
"Ugh, it's so damp and squishy and gross. Really."
Meanwhile, Babiyen never stopped grumbling. That cursed mouth of hers never rested. So I jabbed her in the side.
"Kyaaagh!" She let out the strangest sound. When everyone turned to look at Babiyen in surprise, she whipped her head around to glare at me with a face flushed bright red. Her eyes were blazing as if she might shoot fire magic at any moment.
"Even if it looks that way, scouts have a lot to focus on. If your grumbling causes us to miss something, it'll be a problem. So that's enough."
Babiyen glanced at Pingl. He was checking the path by running his hand over the moss-covered wall without hesitation.
"......You could have just said it. With words. A maiden's sides are sensitive, so don't poke me again."
Good to know. From now on, I'd only target Babiyen's sides.
"Wait." Just then, Pingl, who had been moving forward, stopped. Calen immediately drew his sword and halted everyone. He checked something, then sucked in a breath.
"This... might be a bit troublesome."
"Pingl, explain the situation first."
The second world was a lawless zone where anything could happen. So when Calen urged him, Pingl pointed at the ground.
"There are bloodstains here."
"Did the explorers fight among themselves?" Or perhaps the avengers mentioned earlier had attacked the explorers.
"It's definitely human blood. But there's something strange about it."
Pingl frowned as if he couldn't understand the situation either.
"Hey, unlucky cow, do you remember how long it's been since we entered?"
"1 minute and 32 seconds." Horizon answered with surprising precision. It seemed she had a biological stopwatch. Pingl nodded as if he wasn't surprised either.
"Because the entrance location in the Moss Flower Cave changes in real time, explorers often start from different positions. So it's possible a battle occurred within 11 minutes. But this doesn't make sense."
When Pingl pointed toward the entrance, we followed. Soon, all of our faces hardened. Just as Pingl said, the area looked like a battle had taken place—it was a complete mess. However, the color of the blood wasn't from blood that had been spilled just moments ago. Moreover, the corpses had already begun to decay after some time had passed. There were several fantasy beasts that acted as corpse cleaners. Even with those creatures around, the bodies were still here. In other words, these deaths hadn't happened very long ago. But that didn't mean it had been within the short span of 11 minutes either. It had been several days before the second world's entrance changed to the Moss Flower Cave. Someone had been murdered here. And in a cave that should have only contained fantasy beasts, with no explorers.
Then who were the murdered and the murderer? A criminal who had fled to the second world. A criminal who had survived through sheer survival in this insane world was wandering the Moss Flower Cave.