“There’s still plenty of time before sunset, so let’s check the inns once more. We might get lucky and find a vacant room.”
“That sounds fine. For efficiency’s sake, it’s better if we split up to look.”
“One person has to watch the carriage, so it’ll have to be just two of us.”
“Then Zion can guard the carriage while Soares and I go look.”
“Excellent suggestion, Lady Yuria.”
“Huh? Yes?”
Caught in the rapid back-and-forth like a pinball, Zion alone couldn’t keep up with the flow, staring blankly between the two.
Soares and Yuria exchanged a nod before almost simultaneously patting Zion on the shoulder.
“Since it’s settled, Zion, you should take a good rest here… and guard the carriage.”
“There’s nothing particularly valuable inside, but if it gets stolen, it’ll cause serious problems for the rest of the journey.”
“Right. It’s a very important mission, you know?”
“In that case, one of you should rest, and I’ll go…”
“I’ll be back soon! Make sure you keep the carriage safe!”
Without even hearing the end of Zion’s sentence, the two hurriedly left the spot.
Watching them disappear, Zion muttered in dismay, “…They’re gone already.”
[Ha, how adorable. Since it’s come to this, just relax and take a proper rest,] Frey said.
“I feel bad making just the two of them work so hard…”
[It’s rude to refuse such kindness.]
Knowing Frey was right, Zion, though uneasy, leaned against the side of the carriage.
With nothing else to do, his attention naturally drifted to the surrounding commotion.
The city was bustling with life.
Even considering its size as a border town responsible for trade with the Jewel Tower, the energy was extraordinary.
Compared to Kornika, the capital of the Republic of Wecos, where he had stayed for weeks, it was equally vibrant.
The liberation from the Demon’s tyranny, the joyous occasion of a new emperor’s ascension, and the influx of people from northern countries heading to the archipelago for all sorts of reasons—all these factors combined to create a boom.
Travelers like Zion who had stopped their horses and carriages to rest, merchants eagerly hawking their goods to earn a profit, a melodious minstrel singing brightly in a corner of the square, a wandering troupe performing light street shows with simple props, and the cheering crowds all around.
Cheers and laughter filled the air without pause.
“If I hadn’t defeated Nadja and Lust alongside His Majesty, I wouldn’t be able to witness scenes like this.”
Absurdly, it was only now, a month later, that Zion truly grasped how many innocent people he had saved along with the Empire.
Closing his eyes slowly, Zion felt deep relief welling up inside.
There had been moments of hesitation and fear of failure along the way.
But ultimately, his choices and path had been right.
The lively atmosphere and the multitude enjoying it proved his correctness.
“Please continue guiding me to walk the right path. Uncle, Lady Arcs, Brother Crooks, Sister Yumin.”
‘…Wait, what am I saying? Did I just fall asleep standing up?’
“Ha ha. Just something that popped into my head.”
[You don’t need to say that. If you start straying down some strange path, I won’t hesitate to curse you out, so no worries.]
[Oh? Frey’s embarrassed now? Wow, I haven’t seen this side of him in years. Has his personality changed after three years apart?]
[What did you say? That you missed the billion-volt lightning treatment? I was itching to try it myself. Come on, don’t refuse—lie down before I knock you out myself.]
[Brother, you said that if I get hit I’ll lose protein and suffer muscle loss. Let’s go with the hellfire treatment instead.]
[If you two want to fight, do it outside, not in this small room. You’re not children. Aren’t you ashamed with a kid watching?]
[Yumin, men are supposed to get more childish with age.]
The childish yet heartwarming scene unfolding in his mind made Zion chuckle unintentionally.
A nearby traveler resting saw Zion laughing alone and gave him a strange look, but Zion paid no mind.
It was a peaceful moment so pleasant Zion wished it could last forever.
Perhaps that was why he noticed the sudden unsettling feeling that disrupted the calm with surprising sharpness.
Maintaining his posture leaned against the carriage, careful not to show his unease, Zion narrowed his eyes and cautiously scanned the surroundings.
There was nothing obviously abnormal to the eye.
But the finely honed senses he had developed through countless battles detected even the faintest traces of discord lingering in the air, incessantly sending warning signals.
‘The scent of a Monster right in the middle of the city.’
It was like reliving the nightmare of Kornika all over again.
***
“This is the last stop, right?”
“Yes.”
“There are so many people.”
“It’s good for a border city to be lively. That’s a good thing, but…”
Yuria sighed involuntarily as she looked at the large three-story inn before them.
Soares felt similarly.
Although they hadn’t even entered yet, her superhuman-level hearing had already given her a rough idea of the situation inside the building.
No rooms were available, and the first floor—serving as the lobby, dining hall, and bar—was packed with people.
“Let’s just go inside for now.”
“Right. Just in case.”
The inn didn’t disappoint.
A busy attendant on the first floor spotted the two latecomers and rushed over with an apologetic expression, bowing repeatedly.
“Are you customers? I’m terribly sorry, but there isn’t a single vacant room in the inn right now. The northern guests who came to witness the emperor’s coronation have completely filled every inn. It’s chaos.”
“Are there no rooms expected to become available by tonight? We don’t mind if they’re a little cramped.”
“Well, I couldn’t say for sure right now… Honestly, just look around the guests. It doesn’t seem like any rooms will be free soon, does it?”
Following the embarrassed attendant as he looked around the first floor, Yuria and Soares scanned the area.
That’s when their eyes met with those of a restless-looking middle-aged man, strangely uneasy.
Soares narrowed her eyes.
This wasn’t coincidence.
The man had been watching them from the start.
“Wait a moment! Are you travelers looking for a room?” The man stood abruptly, as if having made a decision, and spoke.
Soares didn’t respond, wary of every minor movement he made, but Yuria nodded without defense.
“That’s right. How did you know? You have a sharp eye.”
“Ah, well… I’m pretty good at reading people. More importantly, are you having trouble finding a room? If so, I have a good offer for you!”
“An… offer? Hmm, I’m a bit busy right now checking if any other inns have vacancies…”
“Don’t be like that. Just hear me out. It won’t be a loss for you either!”
Yuria subtly glanced at Soares for a moment.
Soares caught the signal and gave a sign back that it was fine.
Whatever the offer was, at least this man wasn’t lying.
He genuinely seemed anxious and desperate.
When they first arrived at this inn, the man had looked similarly uneasy in the same spot.
He probably hadn’t approached them then because he wasn’t sure if they’d accept.
Seeing them return to the same inn, clearly struggling to find lodgings, he finally spoke.
Yuria already guessed roughly what the man’s “offer” entailed.
Most likely, he wanted them to take over his room, but in exchange, he’d ask a troublesome favor that only someone as desperate as they were would accept.
“I was actually supposed to leave the city before noon today, heading south…”
As expected, the man’s request was exactly as Soares had suspected.
To summarize, his daughter, who had gone out early to tour the city, hadn’t returned yet, and he wanted help finding her.
“The mercenaries assigned as her guards are also searching, but there’s been no news so far. I ask you, please. If anything happens to our Izeta…”
The request was pitiful but honestly daunting.
Finding a complete stranger in a city with over ten thousand residents and passersby was like searching for a coin in a haystack.
“We’ll look for her. What does your daughter look like?”
They had no intention of refusing.
With no guarantee of an available room elsewhere, it was worth a try.
Besides, Soares, Yuria, and Zion were far from ordinary, and Zion’s family might find a way to help if needed.
“We should tell Zion first, right?”
“If she’s out too late without a word, Zion would definitely worry. That’d be best.”
“If we explain, he’ll probably insist on helping, no matter what. I’m not sure I can stop him this time.”
“…We have no choice. That’s just who he is.”
“Ha ha. True enough. It’s his nature, which is why we’re traveling together.”
As they chatted about Zion in ways that might be compliments or complaints, the two returned to the square, but the moment they spotted Zion, they realized something was wrong.
With a grim expression like facing a Monster, he was rushing urgently toward them.
***
Honestly, Soares wasn’t very worried about the man’s daughter.
Although still in a state of semi-recovery, Pargon’s security had been mostly restored.
When the coronation announcement was made, Klavis had poured sufficient resources into Pargon’s law enforcement, anticipating a large influx of people.
It wasn’t the kind of city where a woman would be abducted in broad daylight.
However, if a Monster had infiltrated the city, the situation was entirely different.
The girl’s disappearance might be the work of a Monster, or even if not, the presence of Monsters in the city was like a ticking bomb.
Currently, Pargon’s standing forces struggled even to deal with a group of goblins.
The real question was how a Monster had managed to sneak into the city unnoticed.
It wasn’t that Zion doubted his senses.
On the contrary, trusting them made it stranger still.
Monsters lacked reason or higher intelligence, possessing only primal instincts and endless hostility toward humans.
How could such a being infiltrate a large city without causing a stir?
“Monsters… again.”
“Could someone be using forbidden magic…?”
Soares and Yuria muttered their theories almost simultaneously.
Surprised, they looked at each other and nodded, finding merit in both possibilities.
Zion, leading the way, lightly leapt over rooftops with a grim face, lips tightly pressed together.
What he felt was a dreadful sense of unease.
Though he described it as the ‘scent of a Monster,’ the smell was vastly different from any Monster he had encountered before, and unlike that of Demons or the Demonization.
Usually, the scents of Monsters, Demons, and Demons all shared the same nature but differed only in intensity.
But the odor Zion detected now was different in kind.
Rather than the smell of a Monster itself, it was more fitting to call it the scent of an unknown creature mixed with Monster stench.
“…We’re almost there.”
Muttering softly, Zion stopped before a shabby house in the outskirts of the city, in an unmaintained, ruined district.
Yuria and Soares landed a moment later, immediately adopting a battle stance as they scanned the surroundings.
The vitality felt in the city center just moments ago seemed like a fleeting mirage now.
The desolate ruins gave off a grim aura, as if a Monster could leap out any moment.
“Phew… then let’s go in.”
Confirming the group’s will one last time, Zion opened the door with a resolute expression.