Rifa bowed her head as she spilled out her polo-polo tears.

　Rifa must have been tense the whole time.
　Her friends were in a pinch and she was on a mission to do something about it........
　You're the one who held on, held on, and kept going...
　He must have come to me with a straw in his hand.

　And now my emotions have reached their limit and flooded the surface all at once.
　Thinking of my friends, my family, my friends....
　I'm crying.

　I wanted so badly to stop those tears.

'It's okay,'

　He gently wipes Rifa's tears away with his fingertips.

'I took care of that request,'
Can you help me...?
Yeah, sure.
Really...?
'It's true. If Rifa is in trouble, if her family and friends are suffering I want to help them. I can't say I can do everything, but I promise I'll do my best.
Thanks.

　Rifa stopped crying even as she sniffled smoothly.
　Gently wiping his eyes with the back of his hand....

　Then he hugged me.

"Thanks.

　Again, I repeated the same words.
　This time it seemed to contain gentleness.

'Well...'

　Rifa moves away and looks at everyone once.

'That's why I'm going to take on Rifa's request. I made the decision on my own without asking everyone's opinion, but...
Are you going to ask for help if you can?

　Tania said something like that, anticipating my line.

'And I think you know exactly what I'm going to continue with...'

　Furthermore, even Luna is able to anticipate the dialogue.

'Hmph, it's a hit, right?'
Well but why?
"We're going to be with Lane all the time, aren't we?　I can vaguely predict what Rayne is thinking, or at least what the next line of dialogue is going to be.
'You don't need to ask for help or anything like that. Our leader is Rain, so I think you can force us to be a little more forceful. For example, follow me....
'Nya, pushy Rain that's what it's all about!
Don't digress, you delusional cat.
"Delusional cat!

　Lately, it seemed like Tania has been giving Kanade a tweak every so often.
　Could these two perform their tricks and get a twist?

Well, then...
Of course we're okay with it.
I'm just trying to help Rifa.

　Everyone seemed to be moved by Rifa's tears, and they agreed with a smile to ask for the request.

　Hearing everyone's response, Rifa burst into tears again.

'Thank you. I'm so grateful.

　I managed to hold back the tears and Rifa bowed her head with a smile.
　At first she looked like an expressionless child, like a doll, but....
　I don't think that's true, he's probably a very emotional child.
　It's just that she doesn't show her emotions a bit.

''Well then ... Refa. I'm sorry, but can you follow me to the Adventurer's Guild for a moment?
Why?
'When you make a request to an adventurer, you have to report it to the guild properly.

　I used to simplify the process or put it off...
　Right now I'm an A-ranked adventurer, so I don't want to do anything appropriate if possible.
　I have to act in a way that will make me ashamed of being an adventurer...
　Unless we're in a great hurry, we want to make sure we follow the proper procedures.

'Will Krios still be able to hold out?
...Yeah, it's fine.

　After a few thoughtful pauses, Rifa nodded dully.

''Everyone is strong. If you make it a goal to endure, you'll still be fine. In fact, he said he would.''
Okay. Well, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to go to the guild for the formalities. It shouldn't take too long.
Okay, okay.
Me and Rifa and Tania... and Tania, will you come with me?
Yeah, sure.
All right, everybody else, take care of the rest of the guys and get ready for the trip. We'll need food, water, and if necessary, other supplies and equipment. I'll need food and water, and if necessary, supplies and equipment. I'll send for the carriage.
The carriage...

　When they heard of the carriage, Sora's and Luna's tension slumped.
　The two of them are not good with carriages, so they are probably thinking that they will get drunk again.

　They heard that Krios was just a short distance into the Eastern Shore, and it wouldn't take as long to get to the royal capital.
　However, since it would be more than a day for sure it would be tough for the two of them.



　Luna had a tremendous look on her face and was moaning in distress.
　Sora has a similar face, as do the twins.
　That's how traumatized the carriage must have been.

'Oh, that's right,'

　Luna's face brightened as something sparked in her mind.

'It's Rain. The point is, as long as we have the means to get to Krios, it doesn't matter if we don't have a carriage, right?
'Yeah, well do you have any other ideas?'
'You must let Tania ride on your back!
I'm not a carriage man, but...
It's a joke.

　You're lying.
　They were probably going to just let him ride on his back if Tania said they had to.

"So, what are you going to do about it?
I think I'm going to go through the Spiritual Village.

　Sora answered that instead of Luna.

''As I recall, there was an entrance leading to the village right after entering the Eastern Continent. If we use that, we can travel to the Eastern Continent without getting on a carriage. After that, you might have to walk a bit, but... well, I think it's faster than traveling normally.''
But you're okay with it?　To use the village of the spirit race as a mere means of transportation.......

　This is why we used to use horse-drawn carriages and walk to get around, because we couldn't do that....

Don't worry. Even if the chief doesn't like it, I'll try to convince him.
"I'd rather do anything than let that carriage, that devil's weapon, ride in it!

　You don't have to...
　They both said they hated the carriage with all their hearts.

　Well, I've heard that motion sickness is quite painful.
　For some people, I heard it's tougher than a hangover.
　When I think about it, I wonder if it can't be helped.

''That's why I and Sora are going to the village of the spirit race again to talk to them.
I can't join you in shopping, okay?
'Yeah, fine. Luggage carrying is not a problem if I'm around...
Let us do the shopping! I'll cut the price and stock up on good stuff.
I'll try to help you, too.

　Everyone is very motivated.
　I guess that's how much they want to help Rifa.

　It's not just me, but everyone else is thinking of Rifa as well...
　I'm very happy about that.
　It's times like these when you feel a bond, a connection, with your fellow man.

Thank you.

　Rifa also seemed to sense the thought, and once again, she uttered her thanks.
　Her face was a small smile.



----------



　With Tania and Rifa in tow, we moved to the Adventurer's Guild.
　It's about to be evening...
　I don't want to spend too much time on it, and I'm sure they still have a receptionist.

'Konni........'
'Oh, Mr. Shroud!

　As I walked into the guild, my eyes met with Natalie's.
　Then she packed up with a tremendous amount of energy.

'Good!　I was just about to ask for Mr. Shroud's house and I didn't expect him to come to me!　Thank goodness, this saved me a lot of wasted time.
Wait ... oh, calm down. Why are you so upset?

　Natalie was in a panic, as if her daily calmness was a lie.
　If you look closely, you can see that her face is blue and full of sweat.

　She looked as if she had seen something terrible.
　I had a bad feeling.

　On closer inspection, the inside of the guild was as hectic as a battlefield.
　Guild staff members were running here and there....
　Many more adventurers had gathered there.

''Is this...?''

　What does that mean?
　I look at Natalie curiously, and she quickly explains.

'Mr. Shroud, I need your help!　Near this Horizon we have a stampede!