The Traitors' Gathering #4
“Mmm… That really hits the spot. Being able to get a massage like this every day is wonderful.”
“Thank you for the kind words.”
Eric lay on a white cloth spread across the wagon’s cargo bed, eyes closed, letting out a satisfied groan. It was all thanks to Adonis’s careful hands working diligently over every part of his body.
The more he received the massage, the softer his body became and the clearer his mind grew. There was nothing not to like about it.
Adonis showed a hint of embarrassment at the excessive praise and finally withdrew his hands. The massage was finished; there was no reason to keep kneading. Had it been Semiramis’s body, that might have been another story.
“Haha! Truly, thank you. As I always say, thanks to you, Mr. Kelvin, this caravan has become far more comfortable—no, several times more comfortable. We made it all the way to the Jorge Border without even noticing the fatigue.”
Eric burst into a hearty laugh, genuinely delighted, and Adonis smiled along with him. The way the corners of his mouth curved and trembled looked thoroughly awkward.
“And now that we’ve entered the border village, we can spend the night comfortably at an inn. Sleeping in a warm room just feels different, after all.”
“Ah… You’ve traveled so much with caravans that you must know a great many places.”
“Yes. Knowing plenty of good spots to rest is one of the few things I can take pride in.”
His voice and words were humble, yet pride clearly showed on his face. It was the pride of a merchant who had spent long years wandering remote regions in pursuit of profit.
Adonis rubbed his chest as if moved by that pride and let himself relax. Even if the road ahead was still long before they could fully end their camping days, today at least was different.
The horses pulling the wagon neighed and came to a halt. Eric, who had been slowly sitting up, leaned forward toward the driver’s seat. The thick canvas enclosing the cargo bed was open at both ends, though curtains could be drawn if needed. Right now those curtains were pulled aside, so he only had to poke his head out.
“What’s the matter?”
“Ah, sir. We’ve arrived at the inn where we planned to stay, so I stopped the wagon. The inn staff should be out shortly.”
“Is that so? Good work. Follow the owner’s directions for stabling the horses, water and feed them once the wagon is parked, then rest as you see fit.”
At Eric’s orders the men handling the wagon moved in perfect coordination. Aside from a few mercenaries, they were all his own people, and they had been doing this for a long time. There was no awkwardness in following commands or carrying them out. At a glance they might not have seemed especially sharp, yet every action was smooth and free of wasted motion.
Adonis watched them for a moment before Eric’s hand guided him away. Though he was merely hitching a ride with the caravan, Eric treated him as a valued guest, so no one voiced any complaints. On the contrary, the fact that Adonis prepared his own bedding and cooked his own meals had earned him a fair amount of goodwill. There had been plenty of so-called guests who quietly caused trouble and put on airs. On top of that, the steady massages only improved his reputation further.
“Do you enjoy a drink?”
“No. But if you’re offering, I’d gladly accept one glass.”
“Haha. With an answer like that, at least I can save face.”
Inns operating across this continent generally provided both meals and lodging. The work was heavy and tiring, but once a place was well established it could expect stable income. After all, they could welcome customers who only ate, customers who only slept, and customers who did both.
“Welcome… My lord! How long has it been?!”
The man pouring drinks behind the inn counter reacted with considerable excitement at the sight of Eric, as if greeting a long-lost family member. Eric took the enthusiasm as a matter of course while feeling grateful that he was still welcomed so warmly, and he laughed heartily.
“Indeed! You’re looking as hale as ever yourself! Business treating you well?”
“With a gentleman like yourself dropping by now and then, word seems to have gotten around.”
“That’s fortunate! Means I can keep stopping by without hesitation whenever business brings me this way, doesn’t it?”
Eric exchanged greetings with the man at the counter, wearing a sly smile, then gestured toward Adonis and Semiramis, who had been standing quietly beside him. It was the sort of gesture often seen when introducing acquaintances.
“These are people I happened to meet in the Elf Forest. They make their living as masseurs, and their skill is so fine that even the World Tree has acknowledged it.”
“Really? Is that true?”
Everyone already knew that Eric occasionally visited the forest where the elves lived to purchase tea leaves. Meeting people there was plausible enough, but what came after was unexpected. Acknowledged for massage skill?
The innkeeper looked at Adonis—who already appeared far from ordinary—and extended his hand.
“A pleasure to meet you. I run this small inn. Name’s Al.”
“A pleasure. Ah… I’m Kelvin.”
Adonis hastily swallowed the real name that had nearly slipped out and spoke the alias he had decided on instead. To Al the moment looked slightly unnatural, but everyone made verbal slips now and then. Thinking that, he let it pass without much concern. Besides, Semiramis standing blankly beside him was drawing enough eyes that there was no reason to dwell on the slip.
“And the lady next to you…?”
“Yes. My wife. Far more than I deserve.”
Adonis answered in a voice that was bashful yet confident, and Al’s expression filled with envy. Who wouldn’t envy a man who possessed a woman with such a solid figure and a beauty that would put any young lady or noblewoman to shame?
Semiramis bowed her head silently, then sighed inwardly as she felt the gazes gathering more and more. She could accept that the game they had begun unintentionally had started, but the countless stares were far from welcome. Adonis felt the same.
“It seems my wife is rather tired… Would it be all right if I took her to a room for a moment?”
“Ah…! Of course. I got carried away and was quite rude. Innkeeper, prepare a room for these two first, and quickly.”
“Yes, my lord. Since they are people you’ve befriended, I’ll show them to a clean, fine room. Please follow me.”
Eric, snapping back to his senses at Adonis’s words, spoke up, and Al responded perfectly, stepping out from behind the counter. Thanks to that, Adonis was promptly guided to a good room and secured a quiet space to rest.
“Human gazes gather more than I expected. Perhaps I should have altered my appearance a little more.”
In the quiet room, Semiramis sat on the edge of the bed and muttered. Adonis nodded silently. He was keenly realizing that a rice cake that looked good to his own eyes looked just as good to others. Still, he found it hard to suggest changing it right away. The mere thought of spoiling that form felt unbearably regrettable.
Adonis thought himself pathetic, yet at the same time he rationalized that it couldn’t be helped. Today especially, he felt sad about how indecisive he was being.
“But if I did that, the disappointed look on your face is all too clear… So for now I’ll endure the stares. You try to get used to it as well.”
“…Yes.”
There was nothing he could say. He would follow Semiramis’s will completely. That was the conclusion Adonis reached.
Ahem. Semiramis cleared her throat briefly, openly trying to change the mood, and Adonis, who had been hanging his head in frustration, lifted his eyes sharply. It was clearly an atmosphere that held more to say, so focusing accordingly was the right thing to do.
“There are many humans here, so we should be able to hear all sorts of stories. Don’t you think?”
Semiramis removed her shoes, climbed onto the bed, and lightly patted the spot beside her. Adonis, who had been looking toward the sound, naturally settled next to her and lay down comfortably. His shoes were already off.
Semiramis glanced at Adonis lying straight, then lay down beside him and closed her eyes. In a low voice she whispered,
“Close your eyes and just listen carefully. All kinds of stories will reach us.”
Doing as told, he closed his eyes and focused his ears. Noisy sounds from the floor below traveled up the pillars and tickled the ears of the man and woman. What they should have been doing while sitting at the counter, they were now doing from the bedroom. This, too, was something possible only because their species had changed.
“Shipping costs have gone up lately, so I’ve got a lot to worry about. From a merchant’s standpoint, profits shrink and it’s a headache…”
“I hear kobold brats are running wild near the Demon Realm. And there’s trouble at sea too, apparently?”
Talk of profit and safety dominated, but there were also plenty of stories tossed out simply to kill boredom. How much someone had lost rolling dice. How a certain brothel had quite a few women who were firm and delicious—crude yet vivid tales of that sort.
Then a thoroughly familiar topic reached them, and Adonis’s eyes flew open of their own accord as he stared at the ceiling.
“More importantly, did you hear? The people who joined the expedition are gathering separately this time. Something serious must have happened again, right?”
“Come on, what serious thing could there be? The Demon King is dead, and only small fry are left among the demons in the Demon Realm.”
“From what I heard, it’s just a simple get-together to strengthen their bonds. You know how busy those people are, right?”
That damned friendship among those bastards.
Adonis was displeased that the ones who had stabbed him in the back were still living well, yet at the same time he felt relieved. If they had already fallen, even revenge would have left something unsatisfying. Fortunately, that no longer seemed to be the case.
“Shall we go take a look?”
Semiramis, who had been listening to the same conversation, opened her eyes a crack and asked. She respected Adonis’s wish to proceed step by step, but hearing the news like this might have changed his mind. That was why she posed the question, yet Adonis slowly shook his head.
“It’s fine. Slowly tightening the noose and meeting them at the very end won’t be too late.”
“…If that’s your will, I won’t say more.”
“Thank you.”
When Adonis smiled gently, Semiramis smiled as well and firmly clasped his hand. She watched him close his eyes again as if nothing had happened, then turned her gaze back to the ceiling.
A blade-like sharpness flashed in Semiramis’s eyes.