"So, you three came down here to hunt goblins? C-can I ask about that?" We were walking down yet another identical tunnel in the Labyrinth. My legs hurt and I felt exhausted, but I was doing my best not to let it show.
"Yeah. My aunt, the queen's sister, had asked us to get rid of a goblin colony. There have been some goblin attacks on the surface recently, so she thought it would be good publicity." Arge said casually.
"Isn't that a really important job if the goblins hurt people?" Talking helped conceal my panting, too.
"Right, but the colonies that were responsible for the actual attacks were dealt with by the royal guard."
"We were just sent to get rid of some incipient goblin colony." Oroko added. "Nip the problem at the root, y'know? There's been a bit of a goblin craze recently, and it seemed like a ripe opportunity for Arge to finally do something princely."
"There's a goblin craze? What sort of thing is a goblin craze?" I didn't know there was a world where goblins would be popular. Our path was lit by a magic stone floating by Oroko, and through my weariness I strained to make out the ground.
"Yes, a goblin craze! All over the news. Headlines like 'Are You Next? Three Goblin Attacks in as Many Weeks,' 'Breaking! The Goblin Terror Strikes Again!' and 'How Goblins Keep Their Marriages Together and Three Techniques You Can Use on Your Significant Other' everywhere! It's been a goblin-craze that reached all kinds of people. People can't get enough of goblins."
"O-oh." What was that last headline? Have I been reincarnated into goblin land? How awful.
"Geez Oroko, you don't have to make up nonsense like that."
"Ahaha, miss didn't mind, did you?"
"W-well." It appeared I would have to find out the truth for myself.
"Haha, I'm sorry then miss."
"B-but it's good Arge is doing something princely?" Let's change the subject.
Arge sighed. "Talk to my aunt about that. She sees me as a failure."
"Y-you're not a f-fa..." I try to protest loudly, but I was suddenly too tired to say anything. Between the goblin love and walking, I ached all over.
"Miss, are you alright? You're gasping for breath. Let's stop for a moment."
"Looks like you got work up over his aunt, eh?"
I collapsed to the floor. I couldn't take it anymore. "Hah, hah..."
Arge sat down next to me, concerned. He was too easy, honestly.
It was a while before he said anything. He sat there watching me gasp for breath. Even though you're nice, stop staring please.
"You really pushed yourself, huh?"
"I'm sorry for being so weak and troublesome. I–I want to become strong!" Hey, am I turning into a shounen protagonist?
"Even someone like yourself? You know, there's no need for ladies to be strong."
"Even so! Right now, I'm not a lady or anything at all. Just a weakling..." So much for my passionate character-motivation speech. I just want to rest.
"So you really don't know what you're going to do after we get to the surface?"
"No... that's why I have to become strong."
"You sound more like a guy than a girl right now! But I like it, miss. I'm sure you'll go far with that tenacity."
"Y-you think?"
"Huh? Are you doubting yourself now?"
"I–I'm not?"
Zock joined in. "Being strong is hard."
"Of course it's hard, otherwise that wouldn't be strength!" Go go me!
"I see miss." Zock exited the conversation as quickly as he entered it.
"I've been thinking, even though I can't remember my name, I don't want you to call me miss anymore. It's not right."
"Interesting. What would you like us call you instead?"
"P-please call me Nanashi." Nanashi means no name in Japanese.
"Nanashi?"
"I'm sorry, is that too weird?"
"No, it's a great name...Is it a first name or a last name?"
"...I don't know."
"I see."
"Oh! It's a first name! Please use it as my first name since I'm calling you Arge."
"Alright, Nanashi!"
"Yay~!" It felt good to have a name, even if my name was no name. I'm not very creative, alright? Nonetheless, I saw it as the completion of my identity into a cute girl. I was no longer Hiroshi Kimoto the inappropriate, ugly otaku. I was the innocent and cute girl Nanashi.
"Ah, it would be good to have a last name too, wouldn't it?" Oroko just couldn't keep his mouth shut. "How does Nanashi Desali sound?"
For a split second Arge and I looked each other in the eyes and froze. I think I saw in his eyes what I felt in my heart: an excited, a magnetic pull between us. I wanted to move closer and closer– "Hah?" Arge exclaimed, and the connection broke.
"Ehhh!?" I remembered to react too, scowling at Oroko and turning my back to him. "Very funny," I grumbled.
"There's nothing wrong with getting along though." Zock said.
"Don't team up with Oroko please, you'll drive me insane."
"Two versus two!" Oroko exclaimed.
"I wouldn't go that far, my prince."
"Hah, thanks Zock. I don't know what I'd do without you. Oroko is insufferable." Arge slouched and closed his eyes.
"C-could it be you're tired too, Arge?" I asked him.
"Huh? It's best to take advantage of breaks, right?"
"Y-yes." I decided to close my eyes. If Arge was going to, I would too. It was easier to relax now that I wasn't panting any longer, even if I still felt winded.
"Eh? Miss slept for at least ten hours and is still tired?"
"We don't know what Nanashi went through, Oroko."
"Ten hours!? I just laid down for a nap though!"
"That's just how things go sometimes, huh? Sleeping isn't bad though~." Arge yawned.
I couldn't help but yawn too, it was infectious. Then Zock yawned as well. His yawn was like wind swirling up from a huge chasm.
"My prince, perhaps we should consider an extended break."
"You are the wisest man I know. Oroko, you take watch."
"Ehhh, why do I have to guard! Shouldn't we look for somewhere safer?"
"You were the only one who didn't yawn," Arge yawned again. "The guard exterminated a ton of stuff. Labyrinth is barren, we'll be fine...Oh Nanashi, take this pillow, would you? The bed is a bit of a pain to take out though."
"Thank you, but what about you Arge?"
"I'll be fine."
"R-really? Thank you!" We looked each other in the eyes again before I quickly turned away, not wanting Arge to see me blushing.
"Geez Arge, let me get you my pillow."
"Heh, thanks Oroko."
"Yeah, yeah. Sleep well you bums."
*
"Wake up! Wake up!" Oroko's voice pierced my ears urgently, echoing through the drab tunnel.
"An attack!?" I bolted up and clenched my fists, my entire body aching in response. Owww. I tried to ignore the pain.
"Ahaha, good morning Nanashi. Don't worry, I took care of all the monsters~!" Oroko looked particularly nasty. What a jarring departure from pleasant sleep.
"Heeeh? I thought we were in danger?" I slumped down to the floor again, shot him a glare.
Arge yawned, stirring slightly. "That's just how he wakes us up. Pleasant, isn't it?" Arge was more than half-asleep and yawned again. "... ...You ok?"
"H-huh? Y-yeah!" I realize I'd been accidentally staring at Arge. "Th-thank you for the pillow. It was very comfortable."
"Hey, I don't care if you dislike the pillow. It's not like I made it. just wish we had something more comfortable on hand."
"I–it was truly a mistake! Though when I woke up earlier, I remember thinking the ground was much softer than it had been. So truly, this is a nice pillow!" I handed the pillow back to him and bow my head.
"If you say so. Comfort comes first though, so feel free to speak up if you have any issues. There's no need to conceal or push yourself. Nothing would be troublesome."
"I do want to be helpful though."
"Heh, she's doesn't look it but Nanashi is pretty masculine. She wants to be strong and stuff. Just let me take care of everything for ya, ok?" I wanted to punch Oroko's face.
"Bleh!"
"This is no good. Should we go back to sleep Nanashi?"
"Yes please!" Arge handed me back the pillow and we tried to get back to sleep until a noisy racket came about.
"Hey! Don't do that! Wake up you two! We need to get moving! Wake up! Wake up!" Oroko was shouting brutally. It was incredible that someone could possess no kindness at all.
"Stoooop!" Arge and I cried.
"It's twelve thirty hours! We've covered nearly no ground! Get up!"
"Arge, why did you take him along for your mission?"
"He's a good charter, but I'm honestly beginning to wonder that myself."
"Oroko, how much is twelve thirty hours?" I asked him in spite of myself. I needed to check something.
"Huh? You don't know how to tell time? Well, there are twenty four hours in a day, sixty minutes in an hour–"
"Nope, thank you. I remember how to tell time."
"H-hey! What is this attitude I'm hearing?"
"And 365 days in a year, right?" That was all the information I needed.
"R-right. Hey, don't push me around like that! Wake up! Get up!"
"Everyone's getting up, ok?" Arge rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache. He started grumbling about Oroko but unfortunately, I couldn't make out the words. Stretching and yawning and waking, I was given a few minutes of peace to consider what Oroko told me.
I had wanted to know how time was told here, but it appears this world shared the same time system as earth. What were the odds of that? I suspected the author was either too lazy to come up with another time system or didn't want to explain one on principle. That sort of attention to detail opened the floodgate for plot holes. Rather, doing so made those plot holes important to the narrative. Is it not reasonable to ask how I can understand the language in this world when I go out of my way to explain a completely foreign time system? Hopefully there are people who don't like copious explanations on worldbuilding and mechanics because if not...wait! Please don't go away! I promise I'll give you some great explanations! Your degrees in linguistics, astronomy and the history of time systems are incoming!
Ha, this kind of begging is actually way too pathetic. Go away, I don't care.
The history of timekeeping is quite interesting though. The more I read about it, the more I wish we didn't have standardized clocks. Why did trains have to ruin everything? Come to think of it, now that I was in a different world I'd never be able to learn anything about earth ever again. An interesting thought. Well, I digress and now the audience is wondering why I can understand the language in this world.
After properly waking up from our nap, we decided to split a quick midday meal. Despite being in a dungeon, we hadn't encountered any monsters or traps so far. By my standards, this wasn't much of a dungeon at all.
"Traps are pretty rare in the Royal Labyrinth. Mostly it's just the tunnels shifting and monsters. Though traps have been found at very deep levels of the labyrinth, nothing up here. We're only about three hundred paces beneath the surface," Arge explained.
"Isn't that pretty deep?"
"Not at all. People have been over sixteen hundred paces deep. Around there the air gets toxic, so it's really the limit. And such a trip takes an experienced group months to do, so not many people are trying to push that envelope regardless."
I tried to picture what it would be like being stuck in here for months. Cool, damp, dark. The same monotonous corridors. If it came to that, I think I really would go insane. I was lucky Arge, Zock and Oroko had picked me up. "I can't imagine spending months down here. I'd go crazy."
"Ha, yeah. I'm with you there. I don't want to frighten you, but people really have gone insane down here. The small spaces and lack of sunlight can be rough. Generally, it takes weeks or months though, so don't go crazy on me just yet, ok?
"I won't. Y-you too?"
"Promise!" He laughed.
"You two done eating? C'mon, let's pack up and go!"
"Mmm, I like our pace. It's feels like we're on vacation." Arge tried to lay back casually, but ended up bumping his head into the wall.
"Gimme that." Oroko grabbed our plates, rinsed them and tossed them in his leather pack. The was as long as his torso, though not as fat. Zock and Oroko carried similar ones.
"Ah, I'm really grateful you found me. I don't know what I would've done without all of you." I was considering how long I would've gone trapped down here alone.
"Huh? Of course we'd help! Hurry up, we gotta move!" Oroko was tapping his foot furiously.
"It is our pleasure." Zock said, also still sitting.
"We're glad we found you, too." Arge gave me one of his smiles.
"Alright, alright, let's mooove!"
We hit the tunnel again and I noticed we were moving more slowly this time. I insisted we shouldn't slow down for my sake but Oroko said he preferred this pace, so how could I reply? Because of that, however, I was able to keep pace without exhausting myself immediately. On top of that Zock and Arge kept offering to carry me despite already having their packs. I was very grateful even if I wasn't sure how that work.
After about an hour (according to Oroko, who kept the time), I was feeling exhausted again. Oroko called me up to him, at the front of our group. "How ya holding up?"
"O-ok." My legs were burning and I wanted to collapse but I didn't say that. Zock had let me trail a bit at the back, but now Oroko's unforgiving pace exacerbated me even more.
"Great. Do you know anything about maps?" I didn't. "Here, take a look at this." Zack grabbed a giant sheet of paper hanging from a strap on his pack. He handed it to me.
"This is a map? It feels strange." I unfurl it slowly, unveiling a patterned mess of black marks. Thousands, even tens of thousands black marks covered the entire page. Some of these marks stretched as far as half a foot, while others were mere millimeters.
"Magic papyrus. Bit chalky, huh?"
"Oh?" Had they not discovered paper? This civilization wasn't very advanced.
"Oh? Magic papyrus is the gold standard for magic maps, y'know? Also priced accordingly. Anyway, all those black lines indicate tunnels in the labyrinth. If you look closely you can see 'floors' forming. It's an angled view though, so the floors beneath can trip you up."
I looked at the bottom of the map where there wouldn't be any interference from lower floors. It still looked like a garbled mess.
"Looking at the bottom? Smart. Well, it can still be difficult to decipher. Reading this map demands a good understanding of labyrinth structure and how different parts of it change. But mostly a whole lotta practice. The labyrinth is a living thing, y'know?"
"You can read this? That's kinda impressive Oroko."
"Yep, no need to be shy about sayin' it! That's why I'm a charter! Arge can read it enough to get by, but it takes serious skill to do more advanced stuff."
"What kinds of things are advanced stuff?"
"Glad you asked. Like I said, the labyrinth is a living thing. The position and structure of labyrinth elements changes constantly, so the maps are outdated constantly. This creates the real job of a charter. Not reading the map, but predicting and extrapolating where the map has become wrong. We can predict where and how formations have moved and we also know what areas are more likely to be safer than others–so we need to understand monster and magic patterns too."
"Wow, and you can do all that from this map!" This was interesting, but I was also kind of irritated he was dumping all this information on me. If this world had the same time system as earth, why couldn't it have GPS or something? There were floating magic stones that could detect life after all!
"Map, math and magic. That's the trinity of a charter, yep."
"H-have you ever get lost Oroko?"
"Huhh? What kind of question is that? You can rest assured that I won't lead us in the wrong direction, Nashimi!"
"Nanashi."
"Heh. Well, to answer your question, charters always get lost. It's basically part of the job. Tunnels often move while we're in them, or whole areas become completely different. Magic signatures change and so on. And the maps are only issued quarterly..."
Oroko trailed off, lost in thought. "It's just a shame the market is so niche. Accuracy is expensive...where was I?"
"You said your job is getting lost."
"Right. Don't phrase it like that! What distinguishes charters from everyone else is that they can get themselves found again. We observe the tunnels we pass and travel through and use how they're arranged to guess how the labyrinth has changed. In order to create our predictions, we can also use magic to gather data accordingly. If we always knew the best route for the labyrinth, we could travel three times or more quickly!"
"Charting sounds like a hard job."
"Heh, it is! Even though we don't fight, charters are valuable to any dungeon expedition!"
"Hey, without us you'd be dead!" Arge butted in.
"Without me you'd be lost!" Personally, I'd rather be lost than dead, but I wasn't about to say that. Oroko was unexpectedly turning into a good source of information.
"Are all dungeons like the Royal Labyrinth? I mean, do all dungeons change and have complicated structures?"
"No, not all of them. I guess my skills are a bit specialized...Generalist charters focus on detecting traps and making maps of dungeons without any. This labyrinth is, with a few exceptions, pretty unique."
"Oh, can you detect traps too?"
"Haha. No, I've spent years in dungeon labyrinths where there isn't really a need. Mostly this one." That surprised me. Oroko didn't look that old. Could he be some kind of labyrinth otaku? I could definitely see it: surrounded in darkness, a crude and chubby social outcast walking through endless tunnels, eating potato chips and watching seasonal anime. Oops, forget that last part! I take no responsibility for the actions of the former Hiroshi Kimoto!
"So, uhm, what if there was a trap in the labyrinth?"
"Hehhh? Don't worry about that kind of thing! I've got it covered, Mamashi."
"Hey Okoro, it's Nanashi." Oi, name gags weren't funny. Cut it out.
"Hey my name's–I see what you're doing, Nanami."
"Nanashi!"
"Heheh."
"W-well, here's your map back then." I gave it back to him and returned to the back of the group. I wasn't going to thank Oroko for showing it to me if he was going to tease me!
"So Hanashi, do you want to become a charter?" Oroko yelled back to me.
"Not if charters are too dumb to remember names!"
"Ohoho. That's too bad then. I was going to take you as my apprentice."
"No thank you!" Would Oroko seriously have trained me once we got back to the surface? Well truthfully, I didn't want him to either way. We've only known each other half a day–why would he offer something like that so quickly? It was probably just his idea of a joke.
"Nanashi."
"Nanashi! Wait, that was c–oh, sorry Zock. I thought you were Oroko. W-what's up?"
Zock looked back at me with a gentle smile. He always seemed to be at peace. "You know, you're the strangest girl I've ever met."
"I-I'm sorry. I'll try to be more, uh, normal?" Oh crap, was I acting like a guy somehow? I thought I was pretty normal. Where did this come from?
"No, it's not something bad. Even if it was, there are more important things to strive for, don't you think?"
"I-I guess? What are you striving for Zock?"
"Me? ...I don't know." Ehh? What kind of answer was that, Zock? It doesn't even sound mysterious. It's like you really have no idea. "What about you?"
"I want to become strong, remember?" I had said it offhandedly, but I honestly would like to. This was, after all, a new world rife with possibility.
"That's right. Nanashi, pardon me. This is abrupt and improbable, but have we possibly met before?"
"Um, I'm sorry. I can't really remember anything."
"Of course. In truth I can't see how we could have met before. Nonetheless..." It looked like he was grasping for something. "I have this incredible sensation." Zock looked at me, quite seriously. "It's stronger than anything I've felt in years."
"I-I see." For a second I thought he was talking about his private parts, but I'm pretty sure that was off-base.
Arge looked back at us and seemed as surprised as I was. "What kind of sensation is it?"
Zock gave me another glance. Incredibly off-base. I almost tripped over myself. Seriously serious. "I'm still trying to understand it."
"Keep us updated." Arge shrugged.
"Ms. Nanashi, I apologize. I wanted to ask you something, but I'm unsure of what to ask."
"Ah, it's no problem. Please feel free to ask anything." I could always answer 'I can't remember' after all. It was strange to see Zock uncertain though. He seemed the strong and quiet type.
"Let me give you a piece of advice, then. If you desperately want something and work towards it, you'll never be able to reach it, but if you forget about it and strive to live, it'll fall into your hands."
"O-ok?" I didn't get what Zock was going on about, but he sounded like it meant a lot to him. With weird dialogue like that, he could be a monk in a movie or something. "Wait, are you trying to say that if I want to become a charter, I shouldn't become Okoro's apprentice?"
"Ah, it could be something like that. But don't mind me, Ms. Nanashi. I try to stay mostly quiet for a reason." That sort of line should be performed bitterly, but Zock did it so matter-of-factly he somehow made it feel genuine.
"No, don't say that! It's interesting! And please, Nanashi is fine."
"Thank you very much for humoring me, Nanashi." Zock was seriously abrupt.
"Y-yeah and please feel free to talk to me." Zock was odder than I expected but he was nice to me and seemed honest, so I didn't mind. Even when he was serious he exuded a feeling of kindness. In other words, he was the polar opposite of Oroko. I actually think I had mental whiplash from talking to one after the other. And it was Oroko's fault, of course.
"Hey, Nanashi, want to talk?" Arge called back to me. I was pretty popular around here.
"Huh? S-sure." I passed up Zock and caught up to Arge. The tunnels could fit two adults abreast, but it was uncomfortable. I had seen Arge and Oroko squeeze in earlier (some map discussion) and they had kept bumping into each other. Luckily, I was pretty small and I fit next to Arge comfortably...not that I would minded a few bumps. Aaahh, my legs really hurt, but I wasn't about to pass up a chance to chat with Arge.
"I'm flattered everyone wants to talk to me!" I brushed into Arge accidentally. I searched for a reaction but didn't see one.
"Yeah, I guess so. We've spent tons of time in the labyrinth together so it's exciting to have someone new around. Let us know if it's too much."
"Not at all. You do this kind of thing regularly?"
"Adventuring? Ha, thankfully not. I try to stay out of dungeons as much as possible nowadays. Oroko still comes down here pretty frequently though."
"Huh, Oroko likes this place?"
"Yeah, he's kind of weird. Don't you think it suits him though?"
"D-definitely. " Oroko really was a dungeon otaku.
"Heh. I remember the first time we came down here we were all super excited. I didn't stop shaking until we left the dungeon. But after those first few trips...each time I visit this labyrinth I see fewer monsters and treasures, more logistics and tedium. To put it another way, the glimmer never left Oroko's eye."
"O-oh. I'm sorry. I didn't think of it that way."
"Huh? Don't apologize. Oroko's still weird. Oroko, you suck!"
"Hey, screw you!"
"Haa, you three must be really close to spend so much time together." Let's stop focusing on Oroko. He's had his time in the limelight.
"I guess you could say that. We know each other pretty well down here. Outside of the labyrinth though, we don't have a lot of time together. Being down here isn't all bad!"
They enjoyed being in each other's company, even just walking in a tunnel silently? I'm a bit taken aback: how do you even begin to form a relationship like that? I'd be lying if I said I wasn't just a little jealous. "Haaa. It's nice to learn things about you, Arge."
"Heheh. Man, I wish I could learn more about you too, Nanashi!" Even if I set myself up for it, hearing him say that didn't sound bad to my ears.
"I-I wish I could tell you." Ah, I was starting to feel bad that I was hiding everything. If I had some time alone with Arge, I think I'd have to tell him. At least part of the truth.
"I think you really are an interesting girl..."
"Heh? Your think that too? H-how so?" Zock and Arge, huh?
"Well..." Arge considered the question. "Most ladies are soft-spoken, indirect and...agh, I don't know, more feminine?"
"Ehhhhh? Are you saying I should try to act that way Arge?"
"No! Not at all. It's fun, just different. You're more like a guy, in a good way."
"Like a guy...in a good way." In the end, Hiroshi Kimoto is revealed to have been a good guy!? I felt just a little proud, even if I wasn't Hiroshi any longer. Ehh, please don't change me back Kami-chan. I was too ugly...
"No, I mean, more fun! See, look at your last couple of responses. You pushed back and argued with me, pointed out what I had said. Ordinary ladies would've just laughed, smiled and maybe teased me about it."
"They'd take it that well!?" Girls had some serious stamina.
"A few might've gotten angry...but in a ladylike way? I'm sorry Nanashi. I'm not trying to say something bad here. You're engaging with what I'm saying, not some ulterior sensibilities. It's good, alright?"
I put my hand to my mouth and giggled. "Like this?"
"...That was awful."
"Hehh? T-teach me how please!"
"Do you take me for a lady too? Nah, I like you the way you are. Hey, didn't Zock mention something about that? Like don't strive to be normal, there's more important things."
"Oh, is that what he was saying?"
"You're the one he was talking too! But yeah. Try to remember what Zock says, he's really smart. Ha, you can even forget what I'm saying to remember Zock's advice."
"Never! Instead I'll forget Oroko completely." Oh right, Zock had said something about there being more important things to strive for. Wasn't that more of a passing comment, though?
"Heyyyy!" Oroko shook his fist out to the side.
"Bleh! I'm still not becoming your apprentice!"
"You're still caught up on that? I don't even want you anymore. Scram!"
Ignoring Oroko, I decided to press on. "S-so Arge, ordinarily at the palace you're surrounded by noble ladies?"
He gave me an inscrutable look and looked away, letting out a sigh. "Did I make it sound like that? I mean, they're around, but with some luck I manage to avoid them. I try to keep to myself out of drama at the palace. I don't want to be pulled into politics with any of them, if I can help it."
"Eh, isn't being a prince all about politics?"
"Well...you're right Nanashi. In truth, I'm not a very good prince."
"Huh? That's not true! Take that back!" I hit him lightly, though I suspected I could only hit lightly with this body. Not that Hiroshi had had much muscle either.
"Ah, that's nice of you.
"Arge, you shouldn't be telling me these kinds of thing."
"Hm? Probably not, but I feel like I can trust you. Like I said, you're not like most ladies–a compliment, right?"
"He could always have your head lopped off, too!" It was a valid point but not appreciated, Oroko. Now let's move on.
"I-I guess. Isn't there someone back home you like though?"
"Hmmm. Not really!" What kind of prince was he? "...I'm still looking for someone."
"Ahh...c-could I ask what kind of person you're looking for?"
"Hm. No, I don't think so. Sorry."
"O-oh. Sorry for intruding. I'm realizing how many personal questions I've been asking."
"Hey, don't be deterred! Why draw a line if nobody sees it?"
"Eh? That's not very royal-like, is it? What if I'm a spy!"
"Then you're doing a great job. Now let me tell you about our troop formations–just kidding!"
In this fashion we talked, briefly dipping into intimacy before backing out, over and over again. Arge told me about his two younger sisters and his parents–the king and queen. He tried to explain his messy extended family too, but I had trouble keeping track of who was who. So Arge described the palace itself, a topic I was much more receptive to: gorgeous grounds bursting with verdant gardens, intricate fountains, ornate architecture, luxurious rooms, a dazzling ballroom and the draw-dropping great hall that hosted mouth-watering feasts. The more he described the Havleer palace, the more I became entranced. Before my very eyes, it was as if my fantasy novels were coming to life. Places larger than life. And in these architectural marvels, beautiful ladies, handsome gentlemen and honorable knights. Coming from my cramped Tokyo apartment, I could scarcely believe what I was hearing.
As Arge was telling me about a temple near the palace, Oroko suddenly lead us into a small cave. I snapped out of my reverie. "Eh? What're we doing here?"
He looked at me and smiled. Ew."We're stopping for the day. It's nineteen hours, Nanashi." That's right. I had learned this world's time system was in fact different: military time was in wide use. Incredibly foreign, huh? A bit of seasoning, however, can really change the dish–or so I've been told.
"Huh?"
But wait a second. Nineteen hundred hours? There was no way we had been walking six hours! "Not funny! Bleh!"
Oroko showed me his large, convoluted and magical pocket watch. I couldn't make heads or tails of it, but felt seeing it was sufficient proof nonetheless. Let's not learn how this watch works, ok? "Ah? I was feeling tired after only one hour though. Were you lying about that?"
"No, you managed five after that. Not bad. I know it can be hard to keep track of time down here, but you really did it." Oroko said. My legs hurt quite a bit, but after six hours it should've been so much more.
"Good job, Nanashi!" Arge added. "It's a lot easier to pass time when you're talking with someone, huh?"
"I-I guess so!" I still wasn't sure I had actually done it. "W-wait, then were you all just talking to me keep walking?"
"Do we have to be gagged down here? Talking keeps us going, you know?" Arge smiled.
"Y-yeah"...wow, thanks guys. "Ah, c-can I help out?" The three of them had started unpacking. Arge started reassuring me, but Oroko cut in and told me to take out the beds. "Don't make them, just take 'em out. You shouldn't be able to mess that up even without your memory."
I half-scowled at him, simultaneously glad for any small contribution. I tackled Zock's bed first, aching as I kneeled to unlatch it from the bottom of his pack. Successful, I stumbled back to my feet and went near the back of the cave, which was only seven or eight feet back, untied the rope binding it and unrolled the bed, revealing a straw mat woven to soft fabric on one side. Huh, it was some kind of hybrid, like a tatami mat built into a futon. Talk about crazy worldbuilding.
Next was Oroko's, I handled it with disdain, but the pain in my body was overriding even that. I hadn't realized how tired I was until we had stopped. Finally, pushing the bed back in the cave, I went to get Arge's. I took special care with it. Finished and unreasonably tired, I laid down to watch the flurry of activity around me. Arge, Oroko and Zock were putting some magical barrier up at the cave entrance and then a curtain to obscure the tunnel, erecting a campfire and sifting through arcane objects which were quickly strewn all over the place. Zock left for a few minutes with some magic stone, and Oroko was doing something with the map he had shown me earlier.
Even putting the reincarnation schtick aside, the scene was quite novel to me. I had never gone camping and the only thing I knew about survival was where my local convenience store was. Yet here, it was as if they were masters. Their easy, melodic movements were cast as soft shadows by the glow of the floating stone, and I found my attention turned towards these silhouettes, a pantomime on the cavern walls. I couldn't help but think how very different this was from the awkward shuffling of students I was accustomed to.
Lulled by the shadows and the people who casted them, I felt some deep weariness from within. It coursed through my body and was overwhelming my very being.
Suddenly the cave burst with a flash of light, roar of flame. I wanted to react, but felt too tired to move. Oh, it was just the campfire. The light was different from the magic stones, but I couldn't say how. I couldn't say anything at all...
"Hey Nanashi." Arge. I looked up to find his kind, strong face. Blonde hair on his brow. In spite of myself, I couldn't help but notice his hair was a bit greasy.
"Aaarge..." I managed. He smiled at me. All of Arge's smiles seemed genuine. Like the shuffling students, I couldn't help but think how different that was from what I was accustomed to.
Suddenly, Arge reached his arm out. He seemed uncertain about what he was doing. But I was unable to hold on any longer–even if it was for Arge–and closed my eyes, the world fading. As it did, I felt my head being rubbed. The sensation was unfamiliar but lovely.