*

So this is the inn.
　Makoto muttered as he looked up at the building.
　The building is three stories of brick and the outer walls are dirty, as if to tell a story of history.

''C--''
It's like something out of a western movie.

　Yuka said, interrupting Makoto's words.
　She was right, the door to the inn was a westerner.

'Are you sure you're going to stay here?'
If you don't like it, you can go to the other accommodations.
I'm not saying I don't like it, but...

　When Makoto shushed her, Yuka's lips twitched in frustration.
　It seems that she can feel that she doesn't want to stay at this inn.
　Well, it's not hard to understand the feeling.
　This inn is located away from the main street and is deserted.

''Since you have the money, why don't you stay at a more expensive inn?
I'm trying to save money, you know?

　I haven't decided how I'm going to live in this world, but until I learn how to make a living, I guess I should save my money.

''But,''
....

　Mako entered the inn in silence and found it lined with tables and chairs.
　There was a counter at the back, with a large shelf behind it.
　In the corner of the restaurant was a staircase with no handrail.
　Apparently, the ground floor is a diner and bar.
　Perhaps it was out of business hours or simply not popular, but there were no customers in sight.
　I look up to the heavens, wondering what's going on.

Welcome to the 'Golden Fleece' pavilion.

　A moist voice sounded, and a woman emerged from behind the counter, her hair hidden by a cloth.
　Her nose is clear and her lips are chubby.
　Her eyes are squinting, as if her eyesight is not good.
　The rest of her face is passable for a beautiful woman if she doesn't give off a tired look.

'You're a visitor, aren't you?'
Yeah, I was introduced to the church.

　Mako headed for the counter.
　A periwinkle sound could be heard with each step.
　Probably the fat from the food was seeping into the floor.

'I heard you can stay for 30A a day, are you sure?'
'Yes, that's right. Dan.........

　The woman narrowed her eyes and moved her face closer to mine.

'You are quite young, aren't you?'
'Don't worry, I've got the money,' That said, I've got most of it in the church.
Wait a minute.

　The woman hid behind the counter.
　The rumbling continued for a moment, and then she stood up with a board in her hand.

'What's that?'
It was loaned to me by the church and I can use it to move money from my husband's account to mine.
That's handy.
It's convenient because you don't have to carry a lot of money. Well, I don't really understand how it works.

　The woman laughed in annoyance.
　If you don't know how it works, then even Mako was handling civilization without knowing how it works.
　The city didn't seem to have a high level of civilization when she saw it, but it seemed to have technology comparable to the modern world.

'How many nights are you planning to stay?'
Three days, for now.
'Ninety acres, if you pay an extra 10 acres, we'll get you breakfast and dinner, okay?
Okay, then.

　The woman manipulated the board with her fingers and held it out to Makoto.
　The board read in glowing letters, '100A for three days' accommodation.

'What am I supposed to do?'
All you have to do is write your name with your fingers and place your left hand on it.
Hmm.

　He writes his name on the board and places his left hand on the board.
　Then a window appeared and the balance changed to 74,900A.

'You have now made your payment. You have your.........
He's not sure if he's going to stay the night.
Let me know when you decide.

　The woman put the board back under the counter.

'....Does that board have a name?
I call it a tablet, though.

　The woman cowered her shoulders.

'Hey, uh...'
Yes, sir?
What do I call you?

'All right, Shelly. For an extra fee, can I get the laundry done?
What a husband you have, calling you names out of turn.
It was Sherry who told me to call you what I wanted to call you. And I'm not a kid.

　Mako said back, and Shelly moved her face closer again.

'Yes, yes, I understand,'

　Shelly sat up and slumped her shoulders with a gulp.
　Perhaps she felt like she was dealing with an incomprehensible child.

'So, can I ask you to do my laundry?　I'd like a change of clothes if you can, too?
Yeah, it's a little stinky, don't you think?

　Shelley cooed and sniffed.

'So, how's it going?'
It's not much of a stretch.
How much do I have to pay you?
'I'll do that much for you in Roja. Young sir.

　Shelley said, emphasizing the 'young' part.

'I'd like to stay here if you'd do my laundry for free?
Do you mind if we share a room?
I'm not his boyfriend!
I'm sorry about that.

　When Yuka raised her voice, Shelly replied lightly.
　It's a tone of voice that doesn't seem to be apologetic.
　She takes out a tablet from the counter and begins to operate it.

''........I'll pay, after all.
You don't have to hold back, you know?
I don't want you to do this for free.

　If it was just her, it would still be painful to make her wash for free, even for Yuka.
　Besides,'' Makoto said, looking around the store.

'It doesn't look like it's popular.
'That's rude. I'm still making at least enough money to feed myself.
'I'm sorry if I offended you. But I make quite a bit of money, too.
Well I understand. Then I'll take 10A for the cost of the clothing rental.

　Shelly said with a sigh.

'I don't have to pay, do I?'
Come on, man.
Shouldn't we indulge the favoritism?
...you're such a dick.

　Mako let out a deep sigh.

'Yes, please.'
I just have to write my name and keep my left hand on it?
Yeah, that's right.

　Yuka wrote her name on the board and placed her left hand on it.

'You are now paid.'

　Shelly crouched down in place and quickly stood up.
　She held a key with a key ring on it in her hand.

'Take whichever one you like,'

　Mako takes the key and Yuka follows suit.

'I'm 101,'
I'm 102.

　Yuka is staring at the keys.
　She's probably thinking something like, I don't want to be on the same floor as a guy.

'The bathroom and toilet are attached to the room, right?
Yeah, I'm right here.
That's great.

　I mutter to myself.
　The facilities are excellent for the price.
　If it were in Japan, you would be charged at least 5 or 6,000 yen for this.

I'll bring you a change of clothes later, so you two can relax in your room.
Is it okay if I take a bath first?
Yes, you can have the master key, if you want.

　I wish I had a scrubbing towel, Mako said as she climbed the stairs.
　Each step up made a squeaking sound.
　Room 101 was right at the top of the stairs.
　Yuka looked alternately at the doors of room 101 and 102.
　I'm sure she's trying to predict the size of the room based on the distance between the doors.

'It looks very small.'
That's about it. Okay, see you later.
Yeah.

　Open the door and go inside.
　I locked the door from the inside and proceeded down a narrow, narrow passage.
　There was a door, which I opened, and there was a washstand, a toilet bowl, and a shower.
　There was a small shelf on the wall with a scrubbing towel and a bath towel on it.

''I wanted to take a bath...''

　There's no point in blurting it out.
　I close the door and exit the passage.
　Then, it's a space of about four and a half tatami mats.
　The furniture ... although there's not even half the space at your disposal due to the bed, desk and chairs.

''It's a pretty nice room.''

　Mako muttered, looking around the room.
　It's comparable to a single room in a business hotel.
　Considering the amount of money, this one is more cost-effective.
　He takes off his coat and sits down on the bed.

''................................Finally arriving at the inn.

　It was a long way from waking up in the dungeon.
　If it was a game, I could stay at the inn right away, but the tempo was too bad.

''Well let's see what we're going to do now.

　When he was in the dungeon, he didn't have time to think about it because he was so desperate to survive.
　But if I had the luxury of time, I couldn't think of anything to do.

'What are we really going to do?'

　I muttered to myself with a sigh, and then there was a tap on the door.
　I opened the door, and as I expected, Shelly was standing there with a basket.
　Inside the basket was a change of clothes.

'Come in,'
Thank you.
I don't have to thank them for their money.

　Shelly said with a bit of embarrassment as she took the basket and thanked him.



　Mako took a shower and headed downstairs.
　The stairs offered a great view of the ground floor.
　Sherry was cooking a meal at the counter.

'Oh, it's looking a lot cleaner now, isn't it?'
I haven't showered in a while, and I feel refreshed.
How does it feel to wear it?
It's big and fuzzy.

　My jacket seems to slip off my shoulders and my pants would fall off with a stomp if I didn't have a belt.
　And they don't feel good against the skin.

Just call it the best fit there.
It's a great fit.
It's a little late for that now.

　Shelley's lips twitched in a huff.
　'What do you want me to do?' said Makoto, scratching his head as he took a seat at the counter.

'What about dinner?'
I'm not done yet.
So give me the booze.
I'm not impressed with your young husband's drinking.

　He put the glass on the counter as he said this.
　Makoto brought the cool, cold glass to his mouth.
　When you put the clear liquid in your mouth, a refreshing taste spreads in your mouth.

''........lemon water?''
I wouldn't let a young husband drink.
Well, it's okay.

　Next, drink it all at once.
　The cold air is pleasant to my burning body.
　I even felt as if it was seeping into every single cell.
　How young they think I am.
　Maybe it's partly Sherry's fault that this place isn't catching on.
　As I was drinking my chibi and lemon water, Yuka came down.
　She's wearing what looks like a dress.

'Ha~ I'm back to life!'

　He said and sat down next to Makoto.

'What are you drinking?'
Lemon water.
Okay, I'll take it.

　Shelly chuckled and put the glass on the counter.
　She took the Yuka in her hand and drank it down in one go.

'Puh-leeze!　I'm coming back to life!
What are you, an old man?
That would be you.

　Yuka paciously slapped Makoto's arm with the back of her hand.
　Shelly looks at me with a smile on her face, wondering what's so funny.
　I suddenly remembered Yuka's friends.
　I thought it would be better to gather as much information as possible, even if I had to return to the royal capital.

''Speaking of which, is there anything you know about the Knights of the Veris Kingdom?''
You just don't know what to expect.
So what do you think?
I heard that the Knights were here, but the dungeon disappeared and they're getting ready to leave.
'The Knights are here, and that's vague information.
You know, folks like us don't have much to do with it.

　Even though they belong to the same country, the Knights are an army.
　Even though such a group of people have arrived, Sherry is calm and collected.

''You're not worried?''
''There's a lot of dungeons around here in the old battlefield. Lords do this a lot, but there are times when they don't get around to it.

　Sherry let out a small sigh.

'If we have a good symbiotic relationship, who cares?
We don't just live in harmony, we're not even going to get any help.

　Just as Sherry chuckled, she heard a keening sound.
　When I looked at the direction of the voice, I saw a trio of men and women about to enter the store.
　One was a Yuu man in white and silver armor, another was a large man in heavy looking armor and carrying a huge shield, and the last one was a girl in a white sailor suit underneath her cloak.
　They would be Yuka's classmates, no doubt.

''I'm sorry. I'm not ready for this yet.''
Can I pay you and get some rest?

　Yuka reacts with a jerk.
　I thought she was going to go to the three of us immediately, but she doesn't move as she sits down.
　Still, there is a smile on his mouth.
　It's not that he's trying to set up a surprise, but the owner of the voice is probably the person he has a crush on - Kouki.

''........Yes, I don't mind.
Thank you.

　The three of them sat down in the corner, probably thinking it would be a nuisance.

''Well your first expedition is a failure.
Yes, I did, and I let my friend die.

　The big man said in a dark, subdued tone, and Yuuso nodded apologetically.

''One dead and one missing, right?''
Yeah, I guess.

　Yuuo nodded, looking hurt by the girl's words.

'd*mn it, this wouldn't have happened if Takaya's guy was here.
'It's not worth mentioning,'
But!　We all had to cooperate with him and he said, 'I'm not following you. On top of that, they pulled five people out.

　The big man slammed his fist into the palm of his hand.
　Apparently, someone named Takaya had led his classmates to leave.
　He says something like he wouldn't have failed if Takaya had been there, so he must have left before exploring the dungeon.

'I'm glad Takaya-san left,'
Hey, Hossino.
Mr. Takaya, you know, he wasn't a very cooperative person.

　The girl--Hosino spun the words slowly as if choosing her words.

''We need to find Satou-san as soon as possible.
Sato.

　Perhaps trying to change the subject, Kouki mentions Yuka.
　When I looked next to her, I saw that Yuka had turned red to her ears.

'Satou's dead too,'
I don't think so.
'Well I honestly don't think you need to look too hard for it,'
Takeshi!
Mr. Takeshi!

　Yuuo and Hoshino shouted sharply.

'Come on Kouki, let's have a heart-to-heart talk. You weren't good at Satou either. Go complain afterwards about what we all decided to do.
....
....

　The two men were easily silenced by the big man - Takeshi's words.

''Well I have to admit, I was a bit of a pain in the ass,''
Me too.

　After a moment of silence, they said those words.
　I look next to the woman here that you guys say you're not good at, and I look next to her.
　Yuka's face was pale and downcast.

'When I heard Satou was missing, it made sense to me.
Takeshi!

　Kouki shouted sharply again.
　I should say, after all, it seems that Yuka was not separated from her friends, but left behind.
　It's not hard to understand the desire to get rid of people who disturb the harmony, but I don't think it's a good idea to put them in a situation where they will die.

'I'm sorry. But I don't have any time to spend on Satou. We've failed. If you make him feel any worse, he might abandon you.
Okay, okay.

　Kouki said in a squeezing tone after a long silence.
　He looked next to her.
　He was crying, and Yuka's shoulders were shaking.
　It's terrible, I think.
　Perhaps sensing the situation from Yuka's condition, Shelly opened her mouth.

'Sir, it's about time.'
I'm sorry. I'll leave the money here.

　The three of them bowed their heads in pettiness and walked out of the dining room.

'Sherry, get me a drink.'
Yeah, I'll give you a little something stronger.

　Sherry looked flustered and picked up the bottle on the shelf and poured the amber liquid into a shot glass.

'Well, drink it,'

　Makoto took the shot glass and placed it in front of Yuka.
It seems that the word 'a little strong' is not false, and the smell of alcoholism irritates the nasal passages.

'Huh, don't be silly!

　Yuka gulped down the amber liquid in one gulp and set the shot glass down on the counter to slam it down.

'What the hell did we all decide to do!　You guys didn't make up your minds!
Relax. Cheryl, have another one.
Yes, sir.

　Shelley poured the amber liquid into the empty shot glass.

'I didn't know what to expect, I was so anxious, and yet, I tried so hard!　I tried so hard!
'I know, I know how you feel. I know it's been hard on you.

　When Makoto gently patted her back, large tears spilled out of Yuka's eyes.

''Well Kouki-kun and Hoshino-san aren't too much.
Yeah. That wasn't one of them, was it?

　Certainly not that one.
　I can't blame them if they're in high school, but those three should have talked about it together, even if it was a hassle.

''........alcohol.''
Yeah, go ahead.

　Yuka mumbled and Shelly poured the amber liquid into a shot glass.
　She gulped it down in one go.

''Well mostly, Takagi-kun said he left.
"Hawksbill?
Takaki Takaya.
Oh, so that's what it's called.

　They must call him Taka Taka.

"Drink today. Drink today and forget all the bad stuff.
Roughly...

　Yuka uttered a resentment as she wound up and slammed her forehead against the counter with a gong.

''........I'll kill you.''
Scary!

　He mutters.
　He didn't cry out, but with a straight face and a low, stifled voice, 'I'm going to kill you'.
　I have a bad feeling about this, Makoto grunted softly.



　Christine slumped down in her chair in the office.
　Her mind kept thinking about those two guests.
　I keep thinking about how I can add those two to my staff.
　I think I'm a thin-skinned person.
　My men died to protect Christine.
　It's only natural to mourn their deaths and think about how to ease the grief of the bereaved.
　But I am a lord.
　A lord - I must do my duty to protect the families of my dead men.

''After all, it's the only way.''
"...Master Chris?

　Laura, who was next to me, muttered quizzically.

'Laura, Laura Cerberus,'
Ha!

　Laura straightened up when Christine called her name.
　She is a wonderful knight.
　She is beautiful and has a strong heart.

'You are my man, aren't you?
'Ha, my sword and my life are dedicated to you, Chris.
If I tell you to die, will you die?
'Ha, if my death is for the good of the Earl of Elway, I'll be glad to.

　Oh, Christine let out an exclamation of admiration.
　A knight who is too good for his own good.
　She is disturbed by the fact that she must be forced to suffer a harsh fate.

''I have a special mission for you, Lord.
"Special Mission.

　Laura mumbled into a parrot and gulped, probably due to nervousness.

'I ... I can't tell you ....
'Master Chris. This Laura Cerberus, I am more prepared to die than I was when I was knighted.
Okay.

　Christine took a series of deep breaths to correct her residence and calm herself down.
　She opened her mouth at will.

'Can you go crawl on that man for a while?
No!

　Laura answered immediately.
　'That's just lightning speed.

'You just said you'd die for the eagle!　How dare you change your mind before you've even dried your tongue!
Well, you don't do that until you get to know each other!

　Laura cried out, red to her ears, and wriggled around in embarrassment.

'So, for the most part, I don't know how a man who has been with his lord can say the word "night crawling"--'
I'm just gonna go tear your f*cking membrane down.
It's worse!
There's no point in embellishing it. All you have to do is seduce that man and have him plant a child in you.
Why don't you go, Chris?
I'm a little girl.

　I'd set up a night crawl or two if my body was capable of bearing children, but that would take a decade of time.
　It would be a Herculean task to hold a man together for that long.

So what do you think?　If you get pregnant, I will back you up to the hilt. If you are a man, you can be my son-in-law.
Yeah, yeah.

　It's quite a novel answer.

What do you think?
Or I'll have to think about it.

　Laura said in a fading voice.