The Golden Wolf Returns
The appointed time drew near, and our companions began gathering one by one.
The meeting place was the pier where Gail had left our luggage. Chad, who had returned the horses, arrived first. Soon after, Enk showed up carrying daily necessities and ran into us. Ash took about half of Enk's load without a word.
I grabbed one of the smaller bundles to help as well.
When we arrived, the only one still missing was Lox.
“What were you two doing?”
“Sightseeing around the city.”
Chad, who had been sitting in the shade, walked over and asked. He took the sack I was carrying, and without thinking much of it, I followed him.
It suddenly occurred to me that I talked with Chad the most because he was the one who approached me without any reservations.
“Did you find any good restaurants?”
“I spotted a few places with long lines of people waiting.”
“Oh, once Lox gets here, let’s drag him along and eat first…”
[Master!]
I was idly chatting, feeling like I’d forgotten something, when a dog came racing toward us from far away, scattering seagulls in its wake. It was Rai, his golden fur streaming behind him.
So that’s what had felt missing.
When I turned my gaze in that direction, Chad followed suit and looked over as well.
“Whoa! It’s the doggo!”
“He really showed up?”
“Huh.”
“Where the heck have you been?”
It wasn’t just Chad who was surprised. Gail, Ash, and Enk all stared at Rai without blinking, murmuring as if they’d witnessed some bizarre magic.
To them, a dog that had gone missing three days ago had suddenly reappeared like it had sprouted from the ground. Of course they’d be shocked.
Since we’d returned the horses, he must have slipped out of the horseshoe when no one was looking…
[Rai has revived!]
[When did you ever die?]
[My dignity had perished!]
Having spent several days as an inanimate object, Rai seemed especially restless. He was far more hyper than usual.
He was thoroughly enjoying his freedom by spinning in frantic circles around me.
I’d have to make use of the horseshoe form from time to time in the future. Seeing how chaotic things had been without it, I finally understood just how much of a handful he could be.
“That’s seriously weird… What kind of magic is that?”
“Would a Spirit Master use magic? It’s spirit magic, obviously.”
“Liar. What kind of spirit magic looks like that?”
“It really is. I’ve never told a lie in my entire life.”
“You lie as easily as you breathe. What a con artist.”
“You’re right. That was a lie too.”
I chuckled and lightly tapped the back of my hand against Chad’s stomach, who was standing right beside me.
He laughed too, then slapped my back with his palm. The force was no joke, so I had to scrunch my face up.
“Ow! That hurts!”
“Such a baby.”
“Your hands are the size of pot lids for no reason!”
He was two whole heads taller than me too, so looking up at him was a pain. What on earth did this guy eat to get so strong?
The muscle-bound Chad was clearly the type who grinned mischievously at times like this.
“Want me to rub it for you?”
“Ugh, get lost.”
“Tell me if it bruises?”
“If I get a bruise, you’re actually dead, you know that?”
We still had time and the weather was nice, so we kept trading silly jokes and nonsense. Then I suddenly felt a quiet gaze on me.
It was Ash, watching us with silent eyes.
See? There he goes again, staring with that unreadable expression.
I really couldn’t figure out why he did that.
It was easier to read him when we were alone, but those opportunities didn’t come often. That was the problem.
“Everyone!”
Before long, Lox arrived at the pier as well. With Rai back, we were now a complete party.
“Good news! It looks like we can board a ship departing in four hours!”
“That’s great, right?”
“Of course! The next ship is tomorrow, but it’s fully booked. If we miss this one, we’ll have to wait two more days.”
The tickets we’d bought were one-way passes valid for a set week, but we could only board if there were empty seats.
Fortunately, there was still some time before the long-awaited Sword Master duel, so it seemed there were still vacancies this week.
“How long does the trip take?”
“Six hours if there are no issues. The weather looks good, so the voyage should be smooth.”
“Hmm. Nothing comes out around here?”
Lox answered as if my sparkling eyes made him uneasy.
“Pardon? What would come out?”
“You know, krakens. Giant squids or megalodons.”
“…Excuse me. Are you seriously hoping we all drown?”
“I’ve never seen a sea monster before. Personally, I’d love to see a megalodon. They’re bigger than ships, right?”
“Those only appear in the deep ocean…”
“So nothing comes out here? How disappointing.”
Maybe it was because I was a water spirit master. I had a bit of a romantic fantasy about sea creatures.
Unlike land monsters, which all just looked like a single meal to me. Those were all nothing more than food for Magikos.
I wondered if our Magi was eating well. I found myself thinking about him occasionally now that I’d grown a bit attached, even though he was annoying.
“Ah, if we’re lucky, we might see a mermaid. This area is famous as a tourist spot because it’s a sea where mermaids appear.”
“Really? Mermaids show up here?”
Oh my, I was getting a little excited.
Would it feel like an adult version of Undine?
“But they say it’s hard to spot them these days. Slave traders have been catching so many that they’ve gone into hiding… Whoa! This dog!”
Maybe because Rai had been standing so naturally beside me. It seemed Lox had only just noticed him.
I spread both arms out dramatically for emphasis.
“Ta-da.”
[Ta-dah!]
“Damn. How disappointing.”
Unlike his usual self, Lox even muttered a mild curse, but he still reached out and roughly patted Rai’s head.
In the past Rai would have bared his teeth, but these days he seemed to consider them allies and let it slide.
“We have some time, so let’s eat first. There’s a place over there that checks boarding passes and holds luggage. We’ll stop by and then find a restaurant. I’ve also organized our plans after we disembark. Since I need to explain them in advance, everyone should…”
“Lox.”
Our accountant, quartermaster, and dorm supervisor Lox loved perfect schedules.
And he wouldn’t be satisfied until he’d drilled them into all of us. Interrupting him to ask a question took quite a bit of courage.
Of course, only if it wasn’t me doing it.
The one who raised his hand like a student with an important question was Enk.
“Um… Do we really not need to buy return tickets?”
“I already bought the return ones?”
“No, not ship tickets… I mean the ones for the Count of Trenpe versus Robenin Pedri…”
“……”
“Hehe.”
Enk was definitely on the cute side.
“You people are unbelievable! It’s so obvious your minds are somewhere else!”
“Well, we’re looking forward to it.”
“How can you lose sight of the objective like this!”
“Hey, hear us out. The duel only happens for one day, but we can look for the chalice anytime, right? Isn’t that true?”
“What kind of carefree nonsense is that! Don’t you realize someone else might find it first? There are so many excavation teams!”
“Come on, it’s been over eight thousand years and no one’s found it. Who’s going to find it now? Besides, we have the indicator.”
Since I didn’t particularly care who went first, I quietly observed. But the men were having a small disagreement over priorities.
The capital of Heidricke, where the legendary duel would take place, was about ten days’ ride from the port. The lakeside village of Hirilyke, where the chalice was presumed to be hidden, was only half a day away from the port.
Enk and Gail seemed distracted by the idea of stopping by Hirilyke first, scouting around, and only heading to the capital if they found no traces. Lox clearly hated the lack of focus.
“Ash! You’re the leader, say something!”
“We should go with the vote.”
“…But this is…”
“A promise is a promise, isn’t it? We agreed to go sightseeing, so let’s do that properly too. If we need to buy tickets, find out where and when we can get them.”
Too bad, Lox. Even Ash wasn’t acknowledging your serious wish.
But the one who seemed more desperate to find the chalice wasn’t Ash—it was Lox.
While Ash was searching with vague hope, Lox appeared to hold much greater expectations.
Still, that seemed to be more Ash’s problem than Lox’s. Finding the chalice was, without question, far more important to Ash.
I’d always thought this, but for someone aiming to become the crown prince, Ash seemed to lack ambition.
A human should have moments of being the very embodiment of desire… Just like me!
Ash seemed far removed from that. In many ways, he was refreshingly clean.
“You’re all really too much… This isn’t right. We should be devoting ourselves completely to the chalice, yet all you think about is having fun. Ugh, this is ridiculous… It’s right in front of us…!”
“Exactly. Who cares about someone like Robenin anyway.”
“That’s exactly what I… Hey!”
“What?”
“Is that something you should be saying?! Who voted in favor?! We’re only going because of your ticket!”
“Was that the case? But my comfort is sincere. Someone like Robenin!”
“You’re giving me medicine after poisoning me…”
“Giving medicine is basic courtesy. Cheer up!”
I gently patted the shoulder of Lox, who was grinding his teeth and grumbling.
Then my eyes met Ash’s again. Why did he have such anxious eyes? I truly couldn’t understand the reason.
‘Is he worried I might kill Lox…?’
Maybe I really was too strong.
The island nation of Heidricke, which boasted a long history, was part of the imperial alliance yet was equally famous for its gutsy refusal to listen to the empire.
Its strong independent streak came from not being attached to the mainland continent, and since it was a wealthy land in its own right, it had nothing to lose.
Heidricke had maintained its own peace since ancient times. That was both their pride and their honor.
Thanks to its nature as an island country, it was relatively safe from war and monsters. The royal family was competent and the royal authority was solid, so the nation was peaceful and its people were gentle.
If one were to measure happiness indices, it would likely boast the highest numbers.
On top of that, it was so beautiful it was called the villa of the gods, bringing in enormous revenue from tourism.
Many nobles from across the continent wished to spend their later years in Heidricke, and in reality, a great number of high-ranking nobles headed there after retirement.
The king’s aunt lived there. The emperor’s uncle lived there… Every corner of Heidricke was like that.
Naturally, this created a structure highly resistant to pressure. Since it was still part of the alliance, invading or conquering it wasn’t easy.
That was probably why Heidricke had become the premier location for hiding wealth and the country where the most ancient dungeons were discovered.
It was suitably remote, peaceful, and safe from the empire’s interference. The perfect place to hide all sorts of things, wouldn’t you say?
[Master…]
“Hm?”
[Being on the water feels… really bad!]
“Are you getting seasick right now? Even I’m not doing that.”
[It’s not the same! I purely just want to step on solid ground!]
Even if I forgot Rai’s true nature, Rai himself had not.
True to his identity as a metal spirit, he found being on the sea uncomfortable. He fidgeted restlessly and kept bothering me. If someone who didn’t know better saw him, they’d think the dog needed to relieve himself.
“Just endure it. The ship is made of metal, isn’t it?”
[But it’s floating on water!]
“A spirit getting seasick… You really are a strange one.”
[Thank you for the compliment, but it’s not seasickness!]
First of all, being called strange isn’t a compliment, Rai.
I ignored Rai, who was whimpering for me to look at him, and leaned against the railing. Then I took a deep breath and gazed out at the distant sea.
Did looking at water calm my mind because I was a water spirit master? Or was it simply a human instinct?
Quite a few people besides me had come up to the deck. They were all clinging to the railing, craning their necks at the sea in hopes of catching a lucky glimpse of a mermaid.
On one side of the deck, there was even a kindly posted explanation about mermaids.