Pitter-patter-
It’s been raining incessantly for days, as if the monsoon season has arrived. They’ve passed two castles and crossed the border of Philoria, nearing an outskirts village in Kalypso, but the rain shows no sign of stopping. At least it’s a torrential downpour rather than a sticky drizzle, which is a small comfort.
“It’s raining an unusual amount, don’t you think? I can’t even remember the last time I saw proper sunlight,” Jeanne grumbled, looking out the window.
As she said, the dark clouds made it feel like night even in the middle of the day.
“Could this be what you meant last time when you said things would get tough?” she asked.
“No, that’s not it. But it seems my words have come true,” Yuda replied, trailing off. “Even when we reach the village, it doesn’t look like the rain will stop…”
Yuda let his words fade. Having confirmed they had crossed Kalypso’s border using the 〈Map〉, they should arrive at their destination soon. After days cramped inside the carriage, the thought of reaching the village and stretching his stiff body was delightful. But the idea of wandering outside in this pouring rain was dreadful.
Yuda pulled out a robe and draped it over his coat. The leather armor he wore underneath, enchanted with a code, stayed clean without maintenance, but the coat wasn’t so lucky. The carriage came to a stop. Through the window, he could see a castle wall, signaling their arrival.
Soon, a robed soldier approached and knocked on the door. After presenting their purpose, names, and adventurer badges, they were allowed inside the castle.
The coachman, seemingly familiar with the area, drove the carriage deeper into the town and stopped in front of a building. He approached and tapped on the rain-soaked window, shouting,
“We’ve arrived!”
Yuda pressed the hood of his robe tightly over his head and stepped out. The relentless rain battered his robe, and beside him, the drenched coachman sniffled, likely catching a cold from driving in the downpour.
“Haa,” Yuda sighed, breathing in the scent of rain.
He turned to help Jeanne step down. Once both were out, the coachman closed the door and pointed to a building behind them.
“This is the best inn in this castle, so head inside and rest!”
Clearly no stranger to this place, the coachman moved the carriage to a secluded spot, unhitched the horses, and disappeared behind the inn. He likely planned to stay the night before returning.
“Are we staying here?” Jeanne asked.
“Yes, we don’t have much choice, do we? I hope the rain stops by tonight, but if it’s still pouring tomorrow, we’ll just have to wander around. Come on, let’s go inside.”
Jeanne nodded, glanced at the rainy sky, and followed Yuda.
Opening the inn’s door, they found a surprising number of people inside, unlike the quiet streets outside. Still, for an inn of its size, fewer than twenty patrons seemed sparse.
“Welcome!”
A girl, likely from the kitchen, called out while carrying four mugs of beer in both hands. She smiled, said, “Just a moment,” delivered the mugs to a table, and approached them.
“Are you staying? You probably are. Shall I prepare a double room?”
“No, two single rooms. And can we get some food?” Yuda replied.
“Of course! Would you like to eat first?”
Yuda glanced back at Jeanne, who had removed her hood and nodded.
“We’ll eat first. Can we just sit at any empty table?”
“Yes!”
Yuda took off his dripping robe and sat at an empty table. Perhaps due to the 〈Dignified Aura〉 skill of his Requiem leather coat, people stole glances at him, though most averted their eyes when he met their gaze. The girl returned with a menu and a glass of water, admiring Yuda’s appearance and attire.
“Wow, you look so cool, sir! Almost like a noble. Oh, you’re not actually a noble, are you?” she asked, her eyes wary.
Yuda smiled, taking the menu she offered.
“Do I look like one?”
The girl, suddenly nervous, nodded without speaking.
“Don’t worry. I’m just an ordinary adventurer.”
“Oh, really? That’s a relief. Hehe, yeah, nobles wouldn’t come to an inn like this!”
Yuda chuckled and opened the menu. It listed various dishes, mostly Western-style food like katsu, fries, salads, and pizza. Since he didn’t care much, he passed the menu to Jeanne, sitting across from him.
“Should I order?” she asked.
“Yes, order what you want. I’m fine with anything.”
She hesitated briefly before ordering.
“You have pizza. Can we get that?”
“Of course!”
“Then one of those and two bowls of warm cream soup, please.”
“You can add extra toppings. Would you like to?”
Jeanne nodded as if it were obvious, holding up two fingers.
“Double the vegetables, meat, and cheese on everything.”
“Yes, ma’am! Please wait a moment!”
The girl dashed back to the kitchen.
“She’s quite lively,” Jeanne remarked.
“She seems about your age, Yuda.”
“Hm? Is she?”
Yuda stifled a laugh at Jeanne’s comment.
Now that he thought about it, though he’d undergone his coming-of-age ceremony, he was only fifteen. An age considered adult, but one that still looked young to others.
The inn’s door jingled as the coachman from earlier entered. He looked around, likely searching for the girl, and gave Yuda a slight nod when their eyes met. He soon received a room key from the girl and hurried upstairs, his heavy footsteps echoing on the stairs.
Yuda, who’d been staring at the stairs the coachman ascended, turned his gaze back to the window. The rain had weakened slightly, but it didn’t seem likely to stop. While waiting for their food, Jeanne, fidgeting with her water glass out of boredom, spoke up.
“Do you think the rain will stop tomorrow?”
““No,” Yuda answered without hesitation, gazing out the window.
He sighed softly.
“I wish it would stop too, but those clouds don’t look like they’re clearing. And besides…”
Yuda shifted his gaze. The people in the inn were drinking beer and chatting, complaining about how it could rain like this for an entire week.
“This isn’t ordinary rain.”
“Is there no risk of a flood?”
“Hm. I’m not sure.”
Yuda paused, unsure about that.
With nothing to do, Yuda stared out the window, overhearing the talk at a nearby table.
“-Ugh, this is something else. All this rain, and so many people going missing lately… Isn’t something bound to happen?”
-Idiot, it’s because of the rain that people are disappearing. Anyone who goes into the forest in this weather is crazy. They’re not in their right mind.”
-Still, it doesn’t add up. Adventurers disappearing? Mercenaries?”
-They’re still human, aren’t they? Like us, with two eyes, two noses—er, one nose.”
-You’re drunk.”
-I’m not drunk!”
The fact that people were missing meant the dungeon must have opened.
These people were unaware of that fact. If they knew the truth about the dungeon, they wouldn’t be leisurely drinking beer here. They would have packed their bags and fled through the rain by now.
If people are disappearing around here, the nearby villages are likely already done for, Yuda thought.
He tapped his fingers on the table.
In the game, the player arrives after several villages near the dungeon have been reduced to ruins. Yuda had come as soon as he received the quest, hoping the village would still be intact, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
“Pizza’s here!”
The inn girl placed a steaming hot dog pizza, tangy pickled radish, a chilled beverage with ice, and warm cream soup on the table.
There was even a salad as a bonus.
“Enjoy your meal!”
“Wait a second,” Yuda called out.
“Yes?”
The girl, about to head back to the kitchen, tilted her head and turned around.
“Is there an adventurer’s house nearby?”
“Yes, there’s one! And a mercenary’s house too. They’re small, though. Um, the location is… see that road over there from our inn?”
She pointed out the window.
Yuda nodded, understanding which road she meant.
“Just follow that road straight, and you’ll see the sign. Since you’re an adventurer, I don’t need me to describe it, right?”
“Of course. Thanks.”
“Hehehe, no problem!”
Blushing slightly at Yuda’s smile, the girl scurried off to take another order.
“”Yuda will definitely make many girls cry when he gets just a little older.”
“Haha, that’s a compliment, right?”
Jeanne shrugged and reached for the pizza.
Maybe because of the double toppings, the cheese oozed enticingly.
The appetizing look tempted Yuda to grab a slice too.
As expected of Kalypso, with its arcane engineering, the vegetables and meat, and eggs were remarkably fresh.
Even in the remote castle town of Serenia, magic stone-powered fridges and air conditioners ensured fresh food, so it wasn’t that surprising.
They exchanged wishes for a good meal and began eating together.
After eating, they retired to their respective rooms to rest.
They prayed for the rain to stop, but sadly, it didn’t and it was still pouring the next morning.
“Should I go alone? I’m just heading to the guild,” Yuda offered.
“…No, it’s fine,” Jeanne said.
Despite her words, her stiff expression suggested she loathed wandering in the rain.
Still, she pulled on her hood, signaling she’d come along.
Opening the door and stepping into the inn’s entrance, she let out a deep sigh.
I think we had an umbrella, Yuda recalled.
He opened his 〈Inventory〉 and pulled out a large umbrella bought from a general store.
“Here. This’ll make it less miserable.”
Jeanne’s face, shadowed face, shadowed by her hood, visibly brightened up.
With a snap, she unfurled the umbrella.
“Don’t you have one for yourself, Yuda?”
“No,
“I’m fine with just a hood. I kind of like getting wet.”
“Still, it’s unpleasant, so come here. The umbrella’s big enough for both of us anyway.”
Jeanne grabbed Yuda’s arm without hesitation, pulling him under the umbrella.
Caught off guard, they ended up sharing the umbrella, but it didn’t stir any particular emotions, really.
They walked in silence, listening to the rain patter against the umbrella, searching for the adventurer’s guild.
Following the path the girl described, they found the sign. While Jeanne folded the umbrella and shook off the water, Yuda opened the door and stepped inside.
A man diligently mopping the floor straightened up at the sound of the door’s bell and greeted them.
“Welcome to Caora’s Adventurer’s Guild.”
“Hey there,” Yuda replied.
He carried the mop to a counter near the entrance, acknowledging Yuda’s greeting.
“Yes, what did you come here for?”
“I’m on a quest. I heard Edron was last seen taking a contract here, so I’m looking for information about it.”
Yuda handed over the quest letter received from the adventurer’s guild in Aslan.
The man nodded as he read the letter.
“I’ll need to verify your identity. Can you show me your badges?”
Yuda handed over his adventurer’s badge, and Jeanne, who entered shortly after, did the same.
“Yuda Arshe, Jeanne Atruoir… Yes, verified.”
He returned the letter and badges, scratching his head.
“Is there something wrong?”
“No, it’s just… I’m not sure where to begin. Well, you might’ve heard from the master, but Edron was a bronze-badge adventurer.”
“He was a diligent guy who took on odd jobs around Caora’s castle while searching for mana herbs, wandering the forests.”
“But about three weeks ago, he headed to the village of Cheriu, about two two days’ away,, for a quest and hasn’t been heard from since.”
He sighed softly, pausing to collect himself.
It wasn’t particularly a tough quest. Goblins kept coming down to the village from the forest, so it was just a request to deal with them.”
“He was skilled enough, so we thought he’d handle it and come back. But a week passed with no word.”
“Worried, I sent a letter to Aslan, where he regularly corresponded, saying it seemed something big had happened.”
“Something serious, you know?”
“Right after, a quest to find him came from your branch to ours.”
“So we sent a few adventurers a few days ago, but we still haven’t heard from them either.”
“I don’t know if it’s because of the rain that’s been falling for ten days straight, but that’s all we know at this branch.”
“I see,” Yuda said.
“No choice, then. I’ll have to head to that village myself.”
“Do you have a map, by chance?”
“Yes, here. That’ll be two silver.”
“You’re charging for it?”
“Of course.”
Seeing the man nod, Yuda reluctantly paid.
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#Setting 5. “The Land of Magic, Kalypso”
Kalypso is renowned as the land of sorcerers, brimming with more magical energy than any other region.
Curiously, this land has no king.
Instead, the tower masters of various magic towers, including the widely respected “Langrissa’s Tower,” protect and nurture the land.
However, just two hundred years ago, Kalypso had little influence on the continent.
Of course, the immense power of the tower masters ensured it wasn’t go ignored.
But when the fragments of Ferlnern scattered across the world, magical beasts bearing mana stones appeared, ushering in a new era.
Using mana stones, they developed semi-permanent magical circuit technology and, in cooperation with the neighboring nation of 〈Mantium〉’s engineering, revolutionized food distribution with inventions like refrigerators, creating useful household items, sold them across the world, and amassed immense wealth.
Naturally, Kalypso’s influence grew, but unlike empires, they had little interest in other nations’ or politics, so their behavior didn’t change much despite their increased power.
Kalypso also has more dungeons than other countries.
This is, in part, due to the sorcerers’ individualism.
To conduct research undisturbed, many sorcerers seek out remote mountains or valleys, far from human reach.
They dig caves in suitable spots, set traps or mentally control monsters to guard them, and conduct solitary research alone inside.
After they die, those places become dungeons.
They don’t hold gold or jewels like in novels, but the research notes and magical tomes left behind can be sold to magic towers for money based on their significance, making them treasures in their own right.
Of course, not all sorcerers pursue such eccentric lives.
Some naturalize to empires or kingdoms for wealth and fame, others become mercenaries or adventurers to travel, and those with power might settle as castle lords in Kalypso’s lands.
After all, Kalypso’s tower masters respect the individual will of sorcerers.
