Arrival at Depheron
They finally reached the end of the long mountain range.
The dense trees parted.
Following the well-maintained path down the slopes, a massive city appeared in the distance.
It was incomparably larger than any they had seen before.
Tall spires and countless buildings filled the view.
Depheron, the capital of the Leoreckan Empire.
The largest city on the continent.
The vast heart of the empire spread out around its towering walls.
Shanette's eyes widened at the city's grandeur.
“It's really a wonderful place! We arrived much earlier than I expected.”
“Well, who else would cross the mountains like us, like idiots?”
Shanette turned to Henrik.
“Anyway, now that we're in the capital, you should hand over your family's legacy to us, right?”
“That's right.”
“I've been curious—what exactly is this legacy?”
“It's faster to see it yourself than to have me explain.”
Henrik spoke with a somewhat dissatisfied expression.
Iris gazed at the capital with her usual curious look.
“So there are others like me in that place.”
Iris was the doppelganger of the imperial princess. Even though they had changed her appearance, someone in the capital might still recognize her.
Henrik rummaged through his pack and pulled out some dye.
“Changing your clothes was decent enough, but we need to do something about that hair.”
Iris's hair stood out far too much. Most people with such radiant golden locks belonged to the imperial family. If her hood slipped or strands peeked out above her collar, her identity could be exposed.
Iris pouted.
“Do we really have to?”
“If we're caught, we could all die, you idiot.”
With practiced hands, Henrik dyed Iris's hair brown. She now looked remarkably similar to Shanette, whose hair was a reddish-brown. From a distance, they could easily pass for sisters.
Shanette snapped her fingers.
“Then you can just call me your little sister. With the hair color so similar, everyone will think it's obvious.”
“You want to be my sister?”
Iris's eyes widened.
“I have no family. I've never had one.”
“Neither have I.”
Shanette smiled faintly. She too had lost her family in a fire as a child and carried the scars from that painful experience.
Kang Yoonsoo looked toward the capital. He had three matters to attend to in Depheron.
The raid on the Ice and Soul Ruins.
Contact with the White Lion Clan.
Creating a new spirit.
The Ice and Soul Ruins, necessary for the legendary quest, lay northwest of the capital. Originally, he had planned to contact the White Lion Clan and raid the ruins with their help. But Kang Yoonsoo changed his mind.
Right now, he needed rapid growth, even if it meant taking risks. Relying on the clan would make the raid easier, but it would also reduce his opportunities to grow. To monopolize experience and items, he needed a different approach.
There was more.
Kang Yoonsoo glanced at Iris.
“What about the White Shadow?”
“It's been silent this whole time.”
The White Shadow trapped inside the doppelganger. The being that had mentioned he could no longer regress. To uncover its identity, he intended to find the one who created Iris.
Fortunately, Kang Yoonsoo remembered from his previous lives who had made her.
Lumiere Kizan, the imperial alchemist involved in the Chimera Dimension incident.
To learn the true nature of the White Shadow mixed within Iris, he had to find that alchemist. He was the one who had caused an anomaly that had never existed in any of his past lives. Perhaps he held the most important key right now.
That alchemist was in the imperial palace. While infiltrating the palace, I might as well deal with that person too.
* * *
The party entered Depheron. Henrik, a native of the capital, led the way.
The sky had already turned red with sunset.
Shanette spoke wearily.
“Can't we put off receiving Henrik's legacy until tomorrow? Crossing the mountains left us all exhausted today.”
“Hmm. Is that so? Well, it doesn't matter to me.”
Everyone looked at Kang Yoonsoo. He nodded.
“Let's rest today.”
The four of them headed to a small inn on the street. They paid and took a room. After the rough mountain path, they all looked ragged.
Kang Yoonsoo and Henrik washed first. Shanette and Iris went into the bath together.
From outside the bathroom, the two women's conversation drifted out softly.
“Iris, that's soap! You can't just eat it!”
…It didn't sound entirely peaceful.
Henrik roughly towel-dried his wet hair and went down to the first-floor hall. Kang Yoonsoo sat expressionlessly in a posture that was neither comfortable nor uncomfortable. Henrik chuckled and sat across from him.
“Tomorrow, traveling with you lot ends.”
“Probably.”
Just then, a waitress brought over a tray loaded with dark ale. Kang Yoonsoo lifted a large mug with one hand and drank without a word. Henrik also grabbed a mug and gulped down the beer.
“Kuh.”
Henrik wiped the foam from his mouth and set the mug down. He tapped the foam-covered rim with his finger.
“Do you know why I like drinking?”
“Because it lets you forget painful memories.”
“Oh? You knew.”
Henrik finished another mug and picked up the next.
“Alcohol's a decent thing. Tastes bitter, but it makes you forget the pain. Whether your head hurts or whatever else. It moves the bitterness from your head to your tongue.”
“Me too.”
“What?”
Kang Yoonsoo picked up another mug.
“That's why I like it too.”
“Hmm. I've always felt this, but talking with you doesn't quite connect, yet somehow we get along strangely well.”
Henrik laughed and raised his mug. Kang Yoonsoo extended his as well. The two mugs clinked, and the foamy ale rippled like waves.
Empty mugs piled up, and the waitress's calves grew sorer with every trip.
Once the alcohol took hold, Henrik's face flushed red. When he was thoroughly drunk, Kang Yoonsoo stared at him steadily.
Henrik Elicurson.
Looking back on his previous lives, Henrik had been a good man. Kang Yoonsoo had seriously studied puppetry under him and spent nights drinking together in high spirits. Henrik's easygoing and straightforward personality had helped him greatly. There was even a time when they had sworn brotherhood.
Henrik had been a good older brother. In the end, he had died in Kang Yoonsoo's place.
After Henrik's death, Kang Yoonsoo never formed that bond with him again in any life. He had been afraid of growing close to Henrik. He knew how that story always ended—in tragedy.
But now…
It wasn't just Shanette. This might be the last time he met Henrik as well.
Before he realized it, Kang Yoonsoo was speaking quietly.
“Stay with us.”
“What?”
Henrik asked with a blank look.
Kang Yoonsoo was surprised at himself. He couldn't remember the last time he had spoken such words. But it didn't feel bad.
He repeated the offer.
“Let's keep traveling together. From now on.”
Henrik's face, already red from drink, took on a meaningful expression. It almost looked like he was smiling faintly.
“I never thought I'd hear something like that from you.”
“The one who wants it makes the offer.”
“Even if you hadn't said it, I would've brought it up first.”
Henrik burst into laughter.
“When I first met you, I thought, 'What kind of ridiculous guy is this?' After sticking together, I've been through all sorts of strange things. But still… it was fun.”
Henrik's mouth smiled, but his eyes were serious.
“At my age, it's been a while since I felt this alive. Traveling with you. And we're even doing a legendary quest. In the middle of a miserable life, you need at least this much to call yourself a proper artist.”
Henrik flicked Kang Yoonsoo's forehead with his finger. It was a playful gesture, like an older brother teasing his younger sibling. Yet Kang Yoonsoo's eyes trembled ever so slightly. The movement was so brief and faint that the drunk Henrik didn't notice.
Henrik chuckled and raised his mug.
“Today, you finally look human, you bastard.”
“……Thanks.”
Kang Yoonsoo spoke a little slowly and raised his own mug. The two men's mugs clinked lightly.
Just then, a pleasant voice called from the stairs.
“Kang Yoonsoo.”
The drunk patrons and waitresses turned toward the sound. A stunning beauty descended the stairs wearing nothing but a single towel. Her ample chest and slender thighs drew every man's gaze.
Iris came down slowly, looking around at the people staring at her in a daze. Henrik, on the other hand, blinked several times in clear panic.
“This… have I drunk too much? I feel like I just saw something I absolutely shouldn't have.”
Iris asked softly.
“Where is my room?”
“Over there.”
Kang Yoonsoo pointed indifferently toward the other side of the stairs. That was when Shanette, her hair still wet, rushed out. She wore only a light robe.
“Iris! I told you that's the first-floor hall!”
“Ah, so you did.”
Iris nodded calmly and headed back up the stairs without a hint of embarrassment. Henrik stared in disbelief before finally bursting into hearty laughter.
“See? If you travel alone, you miss out on this kind of fun. Don't you think?”
“I do.”
Kang Yoonsoo finished the last of his drink. Tonight's ale tasted especially good.