"Oh? Cursed children, huh.

How unfortunate. You angered some arrogant being.

Unlucky!

Fortunately for you, I have a solution.

And it's free. No need for thanks.

Look for the myth of wishes. It's in stories sung by cheap, drunk bards. Then, go on and live. That's enough of a revenge. Don't you think?

Especially to them."

********************

A lone carriage pulled by a horse ran lazily across an empty stretch of road. The sky, devoid of clouds, welcomed the travelers with a bright blue hue and a chilly breeze courtesy of the approaching winter. Neither beast nor bandit was in sight, which ensured safe progress for the passengers until the following territory.

Behind the reins sat a young man in his late twenties. He had a bored look on his plain face as he silently mustered the horse onwards. Every so often, he would wince whenever the carriage wheels came into contact with a bump that escaped his vigil. And then he would curse the man who made the carriage in light of its lack of cushions and suspension. This continued for an ungodly amount of time before his passenger started to pay attention to his grumblings, though not for any reason he wanted.

"Heh. Bum hurt? Told you we should switch."

"Get off my case. I said I'm fine."

The man waved his companion away as he committed to suffering the tortures of the road by himself. The last thing he wanted to do was admit defeat, especially to his partner. But if he was being honest, he would rather face two strong monsters than continue sitting on that hard wooden chair. And it wasn't like he had no choice. They did bring bedding and pillows. However, he had already refused them once. Surrendering to his needs would only hurt his small pride.

"You're so stubborn, you know? Just put something over your seat, then you can keep driving."

"No. I'm fine."

He wasn't fine. It was just that sore buttocks were the least of his problems. The shaking had also made him slightly nauseous, and the cold wind had already turned his fingers into chunks of ice. He had kept them in his pockets and sometimes even placed them in his mouth whenever his partner wasn't looking, but that didn't really do much against the wicked wrath of the winter fairies.

Amused yet slightly annoyed, his companion sighed and knocked on his head with her stave. But instead of retrieving her cane afterward, she left it on his hair and whispered a string of words only she could hear.

The red jewel on its tip shone dimly, barely noticeable against the sun's bright light. It showered him with wisps of mystical red fog. And as it disappeared, he noticed that his body felt much warmer. Or rather, the frigid winds blowing across his exposed skin had become pleasant.

"Should last you until we get there."

"Thanks."

After doing so, she started to cough hard. He turned his head out of concern only to be shooed off.

"I'm fine. Anyway, that spell will be five hundred Rons."

"... If I die from frostbite, I'll make sure I mention your greed as the reason."

She laughed and shrugged his halfhearted threat off while rubbing her throat. But the rapacious glint never left her eye. He sighed in surrender and turned his attention back towards the road right before he ran across another rock. The carriage only shook slightly, but after prolonged exposure to the rough roads, it was more than enough for his bottoms to ache again.

"Ain't got any spells for that, chief."

"I wasn't asking…."

It was hard being a mercenary. They had to put their bodies on the line for dangerous commissions and had no governing body to rule over them. There were no benefits, steady salaries, interventions, and administrative protection and guidance. As mercenaries, they were paid purely for their labor, which was tough for small teams with a small reputation like theirs. Nobody was willing to hire a bunch of nobodies for a decent pay-off.

He had heard that there was a thing called an "Adventurer's Guild" several dozen years ago. They provided people of their profession with a measure of administrative management. That included negotiating with clients about their commission rates to ensure that each "adventurer" was paid their due. But that was gone. He didn't know why. Apparently, something caused the entire guild to effectively disband and become extinct. The remnants of that profession became what came to be called "mercenaries," which functioned precisely like what their name implied; hired muscle.

"So about that place where we're headed…" his companion suddenly said. "How much do you think it's true?"

"Everything, probably."

The mage-looking girl gaped in disbelief. "Come on. Don't you think it's even slightly dubious?"

"Which part?"

"Everything."

Well, she had a point.

When he first heard about that place, the first thing that came to mind was that it was a load of crap. Everything was too absurd to think about. It sounded more like the delusions of a crazed romanticist. There were too many improbable things in the story that it was as much of a fantasy as that genre could be. So, he dismissed it. The rumor wasn't worth the time or money they would spend verifying it.

But after a while, he started to have doubts about his doubts. Why would such an impossible rumor float around? Life was tough for mercenaries, but it was still a far better alternative to being a simple farmer or hunter.

"Well, whatever the case, we're about to find out."

They were on their third day of travel. The supplies they had consumed on the way there had cost them a fortune, relatively speaking. The return trip would become tricky if they arrived at their destination only to have their hopes dashed.

Thankfully, they did not have to wait that long to find out. A couple of hours later, they found it after passing through a dense labyrinth of trees and a group of bewildered border guards.

Just like the rumors said, there was a cave entrance by a rocky river outlet. It looked mostly untouched, but considering that earth magic existed, it was no use trying to judge the soil by its appearance. He simply had to bank on its existence.

"You never told me we'd have to go into a cave. What if there are monsters inside? This whole thing screams, "I'm a trap.""

As a mage, his partner would be at a natural disadvantage when inside the confines of a narrow cave. Though her fire spells could wreak havoc a bit better, it would place them within the danger zone of every magic with an area of effect. That was why they avoided having anything to do with being underground.

"We already came this far, so why not? Who's going to pay for the return trip, anyway?"

There was no way they could go back at that point. So all they could do was press on. Besides, there might actually be something inside. Because if the rumor was to be believed, then they were about to see something only the brave or truly desperate could have the honor of seeing.

So they returned to their carriage, hid their luggage underneath a dense pile of dead leaves, and entered the abyss with only the essentials they needed on their backs.

Surprisingly, they didn't find a trace of any monster as they descended deeper. In fact, the farther they went, the more convinced they became that they were headed toward the right place.

"There's no way this path hasn't been used a lot," he quietly said. "The dirt's packed solid, and the air's fresh even though we're so deep underground already. The only way this can happen here is–"

"A lot of people move through here, you mean? Yeah. And the air's movements ain't normal. But I can't sense any foul play. Maybe there's a river further down?"

"Who knows. The air's dry, though, so I doubt it."

Going back to the rumor, the reason why he started to pay attention to it was because of the same reason he disregarded it in the first place.

It was way too absurd to be true. That was what he thought. But then again, why did it circulate in the first place if it was too outrageous? Most people had no time to bother with chasing pipe dreams. They were too busy trying to survive, which was already difficult as it was. And that was when it occurred to him; maybe such a ridiculous rumor circulated precisely because it was outrageous?

Like him, most people wouldn't even bother to verify the truth behind it. But if they did, then what? What was the goal?

"Yeah, yeah, I know that part. Big deal. There are caves everywhere. But what comes next is just stupid; there's no way."

"You never know. Loonies can be anywhere they want. And this seems like a perfectly safe place to be."

"No way."

Sure enough, at the end of the tunnel, they saw the vestiges of a flickering light. Multiple of them, in fact. The two stared at each other for a moment and then bolted for it. When they reached a point where their eyes could see past the ceiling, they stood fixed on the ground and gaped.

Across a relatively short distance from the mouth of the chamber was a house.

They saw the light from two braziers at the far corners of the humble, two-story building. At first, they thought it might be a dilapidated facility used by fugitives or refugees. That sounded stupid, but upon a more thorough observation, they quickly ruled that possibility out.

The house looked way too good to be made by a bunch of thugs. It had smooth walls with a neatly pieced-together roof. The doors were also quite massive, accommodated by the house's unnaturally high floors. Plus, there were glass windows! They were under the assumption that only the nobility could afford those things, as the alchemy guild had kept the formula for blowing clear glass under many locks and keys. But there they were, used unsparingly on every window they could see and even on certain parts of the walls.

"... Maybe it's abandoned?" she coughed.

"Oh, yeah, sure it is. The lights are up. Maybe ghosts can't see in the dark. Look, there are horses on the stable. Come on."

As they approached the house, they slowly realized its sheer scale. One floor was the equivalent of a two-story building. The front side alone must have been at least fifty meters wide. While it wasn't appropriately illuminated, there were other facilities besides the main house, including the stable, as mentioned earlier, and two other plain-looking buildings that looked much like fancy inns.

"Who the hell lives here? A monster? A rich… monster?"

Somehow they doubted that. After all, the horses looked normal as far as that word could suggest. Moreover, while the doors and windows were supersized, the doorknob and vision panel were all of standard, human scale.

"Hold on… Do you hear that?"

He hadn't noticed it until he had composed himself, but there was a muffled sound of screaming and uninhibited laughter coming from behind the door. While it usually wasn't anything to be alarmed about, the setting gave those sounds an added layer of horror to it. And judging from the terrified face of his companion, it worked.

"Tortures? Executions? What is that?!"

She grabbed onto his arm and tried to pull him away, pleading with a pale face, "Come on, let's go. Maybe that rumor's meant to draw gullible idiots like us."

"Wait! Hey! We're already here. Can't we just sneak in?"

"You can't even sneak into my room when I'm sleeping!"

"... What are you talking about?"

Anyone with common sense could point out that everything was sketchy at best. That was why he couldn't find any words to tell her besides the usual "we're here already" bit. Additionally, if he was being frank, he was still curious about what was happening behind those doors. Considering that there was no light behind the glass windows, whatever it was must have been happening underground or at a place further back. But why? They were already underground. Having to dig out more space underneath would be a waste of money.

Okay, maybe that wasn't the only thing he was curious about. Like, why hadn't they encountered anybody yet? It was weird that they had yet to meet a single sentry. That place was obviously inhabited. Anybody who saw just how grand the mansion was would have thought the security was unreasonably robust. Yet they could walk up to the front door, blind and lost.

… There was also that rumor.

"I bet there really are ghosts in there! Man, what a waste of time and money. Especially money! Who are we gonna throttle just to earn it back, huh?"

"If you're strapped for money, we can let you borrow some."

"Hyaah!"

"Woah?!"

Her partner–both of them screamed. Like a comedy sketch, she jumped into his arms and wrapped her hands around his neck, teeth chattering. All he could do was catch her and prepare to book it. His partner's words might have gotten to him, but he expected to see a ghostly apparition or even an undead as the voice owner. But instead, through the dim light of the braziers at a distance, he saw a girl with sharp clothes carrying two large bags in both of her hands.

"Ah! Did I scare you? Must be the bad lights, huh?"

She lit a small lantern hanging to the side of her waist and adjusted her gloves and cuffs.

It was a set of garments that he had never seen before. She wore a tight-fitting, long-sleeved tailcoat, similar to what the butlers of nobility wore. But underneath it was a shiny, black leather one-piece that barely covered her bare, unexceptional cleavage. And while it looked like it also served as an undergarment, the cut on her legs was so high that a large part of her pelvis was visible to the world. And while the skin on both of her legs was covered by some kind of leggings, it was so thin and translucent that it only increased the appeal instead.

However, the most peculiar part of her attire was the pair of long, black, animal-like ears that nestled on her head by a band. It complemented her eyes, which had slit pupils. Beastkin?

"What the h–I mean, who are you?"

Upon hearing his words, the girl straightened herself up and replied.

"Me? I just work here. Went out to get some supplies."

She raised her arms to show them the two bags she was carrying. They were filled with some sort of dried herbs and nothing else, it looked like.

"So, are you two guests or what?"

"Guests?"

The girl tilted her head with genuine confusion.

"Yes. Guests. Am I wrong? Nobody comes here by accident. So that means you two are guests."

"No, wait! We were just leaving, really!"

His partner denied her claims, almost as if she was begging. Which was weird. But the other party seemed skeptical. It would not have surprised him if she pushed them on, yet instead, she grunted lightly, placed her right hand on top of her left breast, and bowed her head, a gesture he wasn't entirely used to seeing done outside a rich person's house.

"I see. If you insist. Then, please be careful on your way back. Goodbye."

She excused herself and walked towards the large building. He couldn't help but follow her with his eyes. Because of her high heels, she was forced to rock her hips wide every time she took a step. It was a sight for sore eyes.

But his mind wasn't focused on that. Instead, something else bothered him. Her appearance and mannerisms basically confirmed his doubts. As a result, he couldn't help but call out to her despite his partner's misgivings.

"Wait!"

As he did, he felt the arms around his neck tighten. His partner stared at him, aghast at what he had done.

"What are you doing? Are you stupid?! Let's just go."

It was too late, though. He had already convinced himself that there was something inside that building that he needed to see. He wanted to know if the rumors were accurate. And if it was, then leaving would become the greatest regret of his life.

Fortunately, the girl with the weird dress still accommodated them with her time. She turned around and smilingly asked, "What's wrong?"

"Uhh, we…" he stammered. It took him a moment to collect himself through the persistent nagging done through his neck. "Yeah. We're… "guests.""

********************

After they had passed through the massive double doors to the inside of the building, they were immediately greeted by an array of glowstones that activated automatically. It quickly dispelled the doom-and-gloom atmosphere of the place and replaced it with something more bearable. Quite frankly, it was too bright. After being in the dark for so long, it took both of them a bit to adapt to the sudden flood of light.

But even though the room was bright enough to fight the sun, there was a palpable sense of oppression inside. All the hair on his arms and neck couldn't help but stand on their ends. It was as if they had just stepped into the gaping mouth of a beast. The sensation might be because of the sheer scale of the lobby, but the chill he felt in his spine was definitely not just from his imagination.

Regardless, he was able to recover relatively quickly. Afterward, he scanned the room cautiously. He half-expected a dirty, unkempt place. But instead, he was welcomed to the sight of a spotlessly-clean interior. The floors were made of stone that had a glossy shine to it. The walls were smooth and uniform, while the borders were tastefully lined with decorative wood accents. Even the furniture around them looked like pieces of art.

Both sides of the lobby were lined with massive columns made of pure white stone. The ceiling was made of wood, which might raise an eyebrow from a noble. Yet it looked anything but cheap. The surface was polished to the point where it looked more like metal and highlighted with gold and silver streaks that would please even a moron.

There was even a long, red carpet that extended from the entrance toward the massive stone desk at the end of the lobby. Its material was so soft that he feared he would be charged money for dirtying it with his boots.

How much money was put into that lobby?

"So. What are your names?"

As she walked with a flirtatious strut, she called out to both of them and snapped them out of shock. He realized that they had never introduced themselves to her. That was quite embarrassing. But in hindsight, she never did to them, either.

"Oh, uh, my name is–"

"Just kidding! We don't call anybody here by name. Real names, I mean. Don't forget that, alright?" The beastkin girl turned around and gave them a playful wink. "Just call me "Bunny," okay? How about you two? What will be your names?"

She sat on the stone desk and crossed her legs suggestively. But though she acted the part, her voice's slight frostiness had enough weight to make him jump a bit.

What was wrong with calling each other by their names?

"Don't worry. You can think of it as just an arbitrary house rule. No harm, right? And certainly nothing you'll die over for following."

He felt a hand cling to his. It was his partner's. She had a look of immense anxiety as she stared into his eyes. The message was unmistakable. "We should go," it meant. Usually, he would agree. The more he learned, the more warnings his brain sent his way. While referring to others with nicknames or aliases wasn't uncommon, the way she subtly included a threat in her statement made him unsure.

However, at the same time, it also excited him. The way that place was run told him there was something up. He started to believe.

"Fine."

His partner looked at him in shock.

"I'll be Rain. This girl here will be Snow. Is that okay?"

Bunny giggled and tilted her head with amusement. "Cool. You actually picked a name nobody's used before. So…" She stood up and walked towards them. Then, she bowed ceremoniously like she did before and said,

"Welcome, dear guests. Sorry, but I'm the only one who can receive you today. Everyone else is busy downstairs for the event."

After they finished with the naming issue and formal greetings, the beastkin girl walked back towards the desk. With the excessive amount of light there, that was the only time he realized that the girl's long hair was gray. It flowed like silk behind her as she moved without any urgency. On top of that, a tuft of hair was attached to her one-piece right above her buttocks, likely to serve as a kind of prop for a tail. The attention to detail was incredible. After placing the bags on the tabletop, she pulled out a small piece of fine paper and started writing on it.

"... What event is that?" he couldn't help but ask. As they entered the building, the sounds of raucous laughter and screaming had only intensified. However, by that point, they had already realized that the commotion was pure chaos from some sort of party. That was enough to at least calm his partner's nerves and turn her anxiety to simple vigilance and further encourage him to proceed with… whatever it was that they needed to do.

A lot was riding on whether they would be granted safe passage to the machinations of that place… both for him and for his partner.

"A game tournament."

"... Tournament for what, now?"

"Err…"

The girl looked up, baffled by the problem of how she was going to explain something. However, only a short moment passed before she shrugged her shoulders and continued scribbling.

"A game's a game," she finally said. And that was it. She just left them to imagine what it was like until she finished whatever she was doing.

She sighed and stretched her neck. A few cracks could be heard from her efforts. They were crisp, satisfying sounds that any warrior would appreciate. Apparently done with the clerical work, she took the paper and pierced it through a needle embedded in the corner of the table. Several others of the same size and color were there as well.

Then, she faced them and bowed once again, saying;

"Well then, "guests"... Unfortunately, the master's busy downstairs acting as the host for the event. And, as I mentioned, everybody else has their hands full. Since it's not my job to entertain guests on this floor, we can't get you checked in until the tournament's over."

She started spouting a strange spiel of words he couldn't wrap his head around. So he decided to just focus on what he could immediately understand.

"Wait, wait. "Checked in?" What do you mean? What exactly is this place? An inn?"

That wasn't what the rumors had suggested. That was why he was surprised. He thought that place was a…

"No, dear "guest." We're not an inn. Have you ever seen an inn staff wear clothes like mine?"

With a hand on her hip and the other on the table, she assumed a posture accentuating her long legs and well-toned waist nicely. As if to prove her point, she thrust her hips to one side exaggeratedly to emphasize the tight fit. It was definitely an incredibly lascivious outfit. But unfortunately for her, those kinds of gestures could have worked better on people as dense as him.

Seeing the lack of any significant physical response, the beastkin with a bunny costume sighed in sarcastic disappointment.

"Anyway," she resignedly started. "It seems you have a lot of questions. Don't worry; every one of our first-timers does. And while I could answer them all now, I need to get back to work. Why don't you join the event downstairs?"

She gestured towards a large, open doorway at the back of the lobby. It was large enough to fit an entire loaded carriage through, and the jamb was heavily decorated with glowstones of various, repeating colors. Simply looking at it made his head numb from the flashing lights.

Then, he felt somebody hold him. It was his partner… Snow. She still had a look of distress on her face. It pained him for various reasons. All he could do was try to reassure her by tapping the back of her hand. Because by that point, he had no reason to step back.

"By the way, please leave your weapons over on that rack over there," Bunny suddenly announced as she pointed towards a large, compartmentalized shelf hidden from view. "As you can guess from the noise downstairs, it can get rowdy."

He understood what she meant. Bar fights and arguments in towns typically ended with people getting stabbed precisely because people carried their weapons all day. An expensive establishment like that must be concerned with its reputation, so ensuring everybody can go home safe, or at the very least breathing, must be high up on their priorities.

Both of them complied, with Snow only doing so because he did. They were asked to store not only their weapons but also their luggage.

"No need to carry money around. We charge for everything at once as you leave."

That done, they followed Bunny down the stairs. The farther they did, the more they realized the scale of everything they had stepped into. Instead of going towards the basement, it felt like they were descending into a dungeon. The staircase extended onwards without any signs of an end. On the other hand, it was the brightest and most colorful set of stairs they had ever seen. Each step was lined with glowstones that pulsed with a regular pattern. And the walls, while spared from the vibrant accessories its peers had been subjected to, were still painted with strange, bright colors that seemed to serve no purpose other than to distract people.

Despite the energetic decor, the music being played from somewhere was mellow, with a graceful pace. It was relaxing and, for him, quite drowsy. It definitely didn't fit the rowdiness that the voices below suggested.

"Oh," Bunny stopped and turned around. "I almost forgot. Since you're new, I'll have to warn you. There are some crazy people downstairs. Whatever you do, don't start a fight, alright? Not like you'd win," she laughed. And without even waiting for them to react, she continued descending.

Rain and Snow looked at each other in wonder. As mercenaries, they have seen their fair share of lunatics and degenerates. It was difficult to shock them unless the other party wore strange, striking garments like Bunny's. But then again, it didn't look like she was joking, despite the playful tone of her voice.

So just in case, they mentally prepared themselves for whatever they were going to see.

The staircase led to a massive hall. There were many lights and high-quality fixtures that lined both of its sides, including some strange plants that were sculpted to look like cones. At the end of the doorway was another set of large double doors. Bunny was already waiting for them there by the time they had reached the last step.

"This is where we split. I have to wipe myself clean before I entertain any other guests myself."

She pointed towards her neck and ankles where, sure enough, there were some traces of dirt that none of them would have noticed if she didn't point it out.

"Well then, dear "guests." Please enjoy yourselves. Feel free to eat… or play to your heart's content."

"Wait!"

He reached for her to stop. Thankfully, she did. It looked like she didn't mind, but it also looked like she was in quite a hurry to leave.

"May I help you?"

But despite that, she still didn't let her impatience impede her service. He appreciated that a lot. Because at that point, he couldn't contain his.

Everything they had seen up to that point gave him mixed signals. Based on what Bunny had said, their establishment was similar to an inn. However, the atmosphere and decor made it seem like it was something less formal like it was a den or a high-class entertainment district. While he was happy despite the rumor's premise being ridiculous, he could somewhat believe in it after seeing such incredible sights one after another.

But still, he had to know something in particular. Or else he would be lost going forward.

"About why we came. We heard a rumor. Is it true?"

Even so, he still hesitated. It was probably because he still couldn't wholly believe something so outrageous. Yet, Bunny patiently waited for him to continue and even nodded at him encouragingly. Knowing he would ask anyway, he sucked in air and clenched his fists.

"This place. Does it really… deal in "hope"?"

Bunny's eyes widened slightly. It only lasted a moment before it narrowed into an understanding smile.

Then, she said,

"If you're willing to bet. Why not?"

That said, she bowed to them one last time before turning to leave. The last time they saw her was when she disappeared behind a giant red curtain that draped from the ceiling.

Her words caused a surge of warmth and energy in Rain's chest. It felt like a massive weight had been removed from his shoulders. His posture straightened, and he felt power surging through his legs. While Snow still had a dubious look on her face, that didn't dampen his enthusiasm.

What could possibly go wrong? He felt like he could take on everything that place threw at him. If he only had to fight, then even better.

And so, with that in mind, he placed his hands on the massive double doors and pushed. The moment the door opened, the noise reached new levels. There–

–The blood drained from his face immediately. Snow screamed in terror.

The entire hall was full of monsters.