'Woo-hee, wet, wet ......'

　By the time we arrived at the inn where we were introduced, both Garnett and I were completely soaked.

　If this had been a long trip and not a one-day round trip, I would have worn a thick cloak or cloak to protect myself from the rain, but this time I was careless because it was a short trip.

　Well, even if I had been properly dressed, I didn't want to travel to Green Hollow in this heavy rain.

It's a full house, isn't it? I guess we weren't the only ones stranded in the rain.

　The inn was crowded with what appeared to be travelers and merchants.

　We didn't read the weather exceptionally wrong, but it was an unforeseen event for everyone.

　While we were standing in line in front of the counter to rent a room, we overheard the conversation of men who looked like merchants.

We're not going to be able to move in this downpour until tomorrow. Thank God we don't have any living things in our merchandise.
It was a close call, too. As a matter of fact, I was on my way back from a village upstream to bring a river fish downstream. If we had gotten caught in the rain on our way back, we would have lost a lot of money.
Really?　River fish? May I ask you to elaborate?
In fact, this is a fish that only lives in the clear water upstream: ...... If you are interested, you can contact me at .......

　Before I knew it, our complaining about being suddenly rained on switched to talking about business.

　What a shrewdness or something.
　If you want to live your life as a merchant, do you need this kind of strength?

...... and sorry, white wolf. Can I leave the rooming to you?
What's going on?
You don't need the money. I'll be right back.

　Shortly after Garnett left the line, it was his turn to register for accommodation.

'Sorry for the wait!　How many people are staying?
Two. Can I rent two single rooms?
Sorry, all the private rooms are occupied. If it's two people, we can get you a double room or a large room at a very reasonable price.

　I had a hint of this by looking at the number of guests, but it seems that the more convenient rooms have already been filled.

　The large room is bad as a stone.
　It is just a cheap room to sleep in a better situation than sleeping rough.

　I'm not sure if I'm going to stay alone, but I wanted to avoid using it with Garnett as much as possible.

'(Then, there's only a room for two people: ......)

　If that didn't work, we would have to find another place to stay in the torrential rain.
　It was as if there was no choice left at all.

'...... double occupancy, please.'
Yes, thank you.

　As I received my keys and left the counter and waited for Garnett to return, I saw the merchant plying his trade with his soaking wet guests.

　The items for sale were large towels and simple old clothes.
　And low-ranked spell scrolls.

'There, brother!　It's a spell scroll of heating!　He's the perfect guy to dry off your clothes and body!　Would you like to buy one?
"Five small silver coins or .......

　It's not extremely expensive, but it's not affordable, and it's cheaper to buy a set of old clothes for one or two people.

　But at the same time, it also has the advantage of being able to keep warm.

　I pondered for a bit, then handed the merchant the silver coin I had in my pocket and bought a spell scroll and a towel for two people.

　A short while later, Garnett comes back from behind the crowd.

'Bad bad bad. Did you get the room?'
We've got room for two.

　Garnett stopped moving for a moment and then cowered his shoulders in his usual fashion.

'Much better than the miscellaneous sleeping quarters. Let's get on with it.
So, what were you doing in there earlier?
We'll talk about it in my office.

　As soon as I arrive at the designated duplex room, I start preparing to dry my rain-soaked clothes.

　First, I spread the heating spell scroll in the center of the room and activate it by pouring magic power into it.

　The air directly above the Spell Scroll heats up in the blink of an eye, and a stream of warm air begins to form like a bonfire.

　The scrolls are disposable and disintegrate into tatters as they take effect, but that is a phenomenon caused by the magical load.

　It's a very good idea to have a good idea of what you're going to do with it.

　Of course, it's still disposable, and it can't be used with dexterity, such as stopping it in the middle and then resuming its use later.

''Whew, that was ......

　Like a cat drawn to a fireplace, Garnett begins to warm up from the heat of the scrolls.

　In the meantime, I bring the chair provided in the room to the front and back of the scrolls and begin preparing to dry my clothes.

　I take off my shoes and expose them to the heat of the scrolls and hang my jacket over the back of the chair.
　Then he took off his shirt as well and squeezed the water out on the bucket he'd borrowed from the counter before spreading it out.

'Make sure you're properly dry too,'
I know. You're getting too skinny, man.
'Of course. The flesh that fell off during your wanderings in the labyrinth hasn't returned.

　When it came to her physique, Garnett was most of the same.

　Earlier, his jacket hid his figure, but now his wet shirt was sticking to his skin, revealing the contours of nothing more than a girl.

　It's an incredible body to be able to fight so powerfully. You could call it slender.

　Of course, she may have worked out as much as possible, but she was leaning toward becoming tighter and thinner instead of thicker with muscle, which added to her delicate impression.

'...... Hey. I can't dry off if he's staring at me.
Oops, sorry.

　I make sure I sit back in the chair with my back to him, and then Garnett does the same thing I did earlier.

　A hint of taking off his wet shirt. The sound of water squeezing off the dampness. The sound of a towel being used to wipe my hair and bare skin.
　But I still don't feel like putting my clothes back on.

　The thought that this might be a very poor situation was growing in my mind.

''After all this time, should I have gone outside?''
What kind of bodyguard locks his targets out of a room?
...... You're right.

　It's as if I can't even imagine what Garnett looks like now.
　Is he unconcerned about it? Or is he pushing himself too hard?

''The white wolf. I'm going to tell you the rest of what we were talking about earlier.
'What are you talking about, what were you doing at the entrance?'
Yeah, that. We got some pretty interesting information.
Information?　Who have you met with?

　After spreading his squeezed shirt soundly and vigorously, Garnett finally speaks the main point of the story.

'It's a message from the Silverwing Knights. Apparently they were stranded on their way to bring some important information to Green Hollow.
Nah. ......!

　I'm surprised by a word I never imagined I'd say, and I almost turn around, but I stomp away just in time.

　One of my bags is thrown at the back of my head.

　It was a pretty vigorous throw, but it looked like he threw it with his bare arm strength without using his body-enhancing skills.

'Sorry, that was a close call.
If it wasn't for you, I'd have killed you.

　It's hard to decide if he's joking or serious.

'So what's the point of ...... important information?'
''I heard that the Silverwing Knights have decided to send a unit to Green Hollow. I can see the bitter faces of the Golden Fang guys.