"Well… we finally made it to Emerald Green, but should we head straight to the inn?"
"Not a chance."
"Yeah, I'm exhausted from the midnight trek. I just want to rest in bed."
We didn't have the luxury to choose our inn, so we rushed into the first one we saw. Despite the late hour, the innkeeper welcomed us with a warm smile. We made our way to our designated room on the second floor and collapsed onto the beds, falling asleep almost immediately.
◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇
"Ugh… is it already this late?"
When I woke up, the view from the inn's window showed the sky painted with the colors of sunset. We had arrived in the underground city at midnight, so I must have slept for nearly 16 hours. I must have been really tired.
The special skill from the Apostle of S that I had used in the recent war had now worn off after 24 hours, alleviating the heaviness that came with its side effect of reducing my physical abilities by half. I felt my body regain its usual sharpness again.
I forced my still-sleepy body out of bed and made my way to the dining area on the ground floor of the inn. Since the first floor was designated as the dining hall, there were many diners, both guests and others, gathering for dinner. Among them were Ava and Trinity, who were already awake and enjoying their meal.
"Good morning... though that feels a bit odd," I said.
"Oh, we just woke up a little while ago too, so 'good morning' works fine," Ava replied.
"I guess I was more exhausted than I thought. I never expected to sleep so soundly."
I joined Ava and Trinity at their table and ordered my dinner. While we ate, we discussed our plans for the next steps.
"Well, our goal is to head for the next Apostle. Ava, which one is closest from here?"
"The next Apostle is located northwest, in the Tsundere Plains. The Apostle's name is 'Apostle of the Fang.'"
"Tsundere Plains...?"
"Yes, the Tsundere Plains. It's a cold region that's covered in snow year-round."
I couldn't help but wonder about that name. Couldn't the creators of this AIWOn have chosen something a bit more sensible?
"Hey, don't forget about the rewards from the Third Great War. Let's finish our meals and head to the Adventurer's Guild," I urged.
"Oh right, I almost forgot about the rewards from the recent war. After we collect those, we'll have the rest of the day free."
"Is it alright to leave tomorrow morning?"
The two of them nodded in agreement without any particular objections.
"Still… it's a shame. If everything had gone smoothly, we might have received a reward directly from His Majesty the Emperor."
"Are you still on about that? Just accept it already."
"Come on. Seeing Suzanne like that makes me want to complain at least a little."
Trinity's gaze shifted to the girl beside me.
Next to me stood a dark elf girl in a waitress outfit, leaning in close and adding an extra dish to my plate.
"Big brother, here you go, this is a treat for you♪ You're the only special one!"
"Uh, thanks. But make sure to serve the other customers properly too, okay?"
"I know! Ugh, if I weren't helping out here, I'd want to eat with you, big brother."
With that, she headed off to serve the next table.
She looked to be the innkeeper's daughter and occasionally helped out in the dining area. Today was one of those days, and the moment she spotted me while serving, her expression changed completely.
Despite being referred to as a girl, dark elves develop impressive physiques, and she had a figure that could rival any adult.
Seeing me being pursued by the dark elf girl made Trinity roll her eyes in exasperation.
To clarify, though, this interest is the result of the King of Loli's curse, not any intention of mine.
"Alright, let's eat quickly and head to the Adventurers' Guild! Yes, that's the plan!"
I hurriedly finished my dinner, eager to leave the dining hall, while Trinity looked on in exasperation and Ava chuckled gently at my impatience.
After finishing our meal, we made our way to the Adventurers' Guild to collect our rewards from the war. It was evening, and the place was bustling with adventurers returning from their quests.
Most were dark elves, but there were also humans and beastmen among them. It was hard to tell whether they had come from the deep green forests or the underground labyrinths, but their impressive presence suggested they were quite formidable.
Were they C-rank or B-rank adventurers? I remembered the gatekeeper mentioning that someone who possesses a drake is around C or B rank. This meant that this city attracted strong adventurers.
"Why can't we hire them? I always ask for them, so why is it not possible?"
"Because the 'Path to Glory' party has disbanded."
"That can't be! Why would such powerful adventurers disband now, when they're just getting started?"
As we approached the reception to claim our rewards, I overheard a woman shouting at one of the counters. It seemed she had tried to request a specific party, only to find out they had already broken up.
"Indeed, they had made a name for themselves as B-class adventurers, but their party leader suffered severe injuries and can no longer operate as an adventurer. Others have either been emotionally scarred or have died. So, we can't hire them."
"I can't believe that! This is ridiculous! I'll go ask them directly!" The woman exclaimed, turning on her heel and leaving the adventurer guild.
Given that she came to the guild to make a request, she didn't seem to be an adventurer herself. Clad in practical travel attire rather than combat gear, she appeared more like a seasoned traveler—perhaps a merchant, considering how meticulously she was dressed.
"From the way you were trying to hire them, it seems you were quite close to that party. It must be hard for you to accept that they disbanded."
"I'm more curious about the incident that forced that B-class party to break apart," she replied.
"Is there really such a formidable monster lurking in this Verdant Forest? Or is it related to the underground labyrinth?"
"Trinity, can you look into it?"
"Understood. I'd rather not run into trouble as soon as I step outside. But then again, with Snow around, the forest might not be as much of a concern."
Well, whatever the case may be, I'm confident Trinity will investigate thoroughly.
Since joining us on our journey, he has grown considerably as a thief. Trinity's investigation was just a formality, and since I was crossing the forest with Snow, I wasn't too worried. Little did I know that the next day I would encounter that woman again.
It was a minor commotion, but we quickly returned to our usual business at the guild. We presented our guild cards to claim our wartime rewards. Though the amount had decreased somewhat, we received more than we expected.
After that, we disbanded to explore freely, and without any specific goals, I found myself wandering the town. Maybe I should have gone into a deep sleep instead? Hmmm, time flows differently between reality and AIWOn. Plus, heading back to reality now would just mean it's the middle of the night, so it wouldn't really make sense. I guess I'll just aimlessly stroll around.
By the way, Trinity learned that the B-rank adventurer party "Path to Glory" disbanded because they were transported to a mysterious space from a monument in the Deep Green Forest, where they were attacked by unknown monsters and became unable to recover.
---
**March 31, 103 AL**
Having finished our preparations, we headed out early in the morning to reach our next destination, "Apostle of the Wolf," passing through the entrance of the underground city to emerge above ground. And there she was—the same woman who had caused a stir at the adventurer's guild yesterday.
In front of a three-carriage ensemble covered by a canopy, a woman, a man, a cat-woman, and a stubborn gatekeeper were in a heated argument. As I suspected yesterday, she appeared to be a merchant, likely part of a trading caravan traveling across various regions. The two accompanying her seemed to be her employees.
"President! It's extremely dangerous to pass through the forest without guards!"
"Danger is part of the game! I'm putting my life on the line for my business. If I back down over something like this, I'm unfit to be a merchant!"
"President, reconsider! This is utterly reckless!"
What's going on here? It seems she was trying to cross this dense green forest without any protection, while the other two were trying to stop her. Even the stubborn gatekeeper was urging the woman, referred to as president, to reconsider.
"I cannot allow you to leave the city without protection. I highly recommend you return underground and hire some guards."
"If I could do that, I wouldn't be in this predicament! From here on, I need guards I can trust!"
She had likely planned to hire reliable guards here, but it turned out that the group of adventurers she intended to hire had disbanded. It was impossible to find trustworthy adventurers on such short notice. Still, going forward without any guards was incredibly reckless.
"Hey, did you manage to rest well yesterday?"
"Yeah, thanks to you. I really appreciated being let through, even at midnight."
The other slightly more laid-back guard started speaking.
"Hey, this city is originally a stronghold for adventurers. If you start worrying about time, you won't get far."
"True enough. For adventurers, time often feels irrelevant."
Especially when it comes to those from another world, who struggle to reconcile their sense of time with the reality of living in a world where days feel longer or shorter.
"By the way... is it okay for them to be making such a fuss here?"
"Well, normally we wouldn't need to get involved, but we can't just ignore what's happening now. I don't know what that woman is so anxious about, but at this rate, she might end up in serious danger. I suspect the disbandment of the 'Path to Glory' escort group has hit her hard."
So she's panicking because she couldn't hire the guards she initially planned on? Sounds about right.
But it's really not our problem, and we don't intend to get involved.
Meanwhile, the situation escalated for them.
"Baayin, Bachina, we swore an oath! When we formed this merchant caravan, we promised to overcome any hardships at the cost of our lives! What's going on here? Are you really going to cower from mere monsters and fail to deliver our goods to the customers?"
"But Chairwoman! You also said that we must act with the customers' interests at heart!"
"As the president said, we are staking our lives on this caravan. But what good is it to scatter our lives for our petty pride, unable to deliver the goods to our customers?"
"Exactly! Our customers must come first. Their lives take priority over our own. They are waiting for us out there. Our caravan is their lifeline; we can't afford to die so easily."
"Ugh… You're right. I can't neglect the customers just because of my foolish pride..."
It seemed the president, who initially wanted to push forward recklessly, was swayed by the two's arguments prioritizing the customers.
"I hesitate to take unreliable adventurers there, but this is where the president's skills come into play. You need to gain their trust skillfully."
"That's true... However, if we start hiring guards now, we'll lose even more time. We can't keep those people waiting any longer."
"I'm not sure, but I think there are competent adventurers around here. After all, the owner of that riding drake is right nearby."
Said that, the stubborn gatekeeper pointed in our direction.