I bought clothes and ice cream for Nina and Sharin.
I left my companions in the tent and went out searching again. I felt a sense of urgency that Veronica had not yet been found. In this scorching sunlight, she wouldn’t last long. Sharin and Nina, who had changed their clothes earlier, also decided to split up and search. I actually wanted the members remaining in the tent to get themselves together and help, but it didn’t seem like there was enough time for that. Well, knowing Veronica, she’d probably manage on her own without me rushing.
Speaking of which, what happened to Alex and Aileen? Perhaps they were still searching. I approached the sea and looked for them. I spoke to some mermaids sunbathing nearby.
“Excuse me, did you see mermaids with yellow scales? A brother and sister?”
The two women, who had been lying down, took off their sunglasses and looked up at me.
“No, we didn’t. Are they your acquaintances?”
“Yes, their names are Alex and Aileen.”
It seemed they didn’t recognize the names. Of course, it’s impossible to know someone just because someone asks, ‘Do you know this person?’ What should I do? I couldn’t go and meet them myself. Could they have been teleported to a different location than the sea? No, all the companions found, including me, were found on this beach.
For the time being, I apologized to the pair for disturbing them and left. There was nothing else to do. I’ll just have to search from one end to the other on my own. I walked around the noisy beach. The sand, hot like an iron plate, absorbed the sun’s heat. Actually, I’ve been wearing the same pair of shoes since earlier. They were wet and uncomfortable, but I didn’t have the time to deal with it, so I left them as they were. I should have bought them along with my clothes. Speaking of which, what kind of shoes do people here wear?
Looking around, the Harpies were wearing something like beach sandals. That makes sense, and conveniently, there was a shop selling them nearby. However, what was lined up were mostly for Harpies. I’ll buy something for Piyo later. I purchased one of the few pairs for Elves and tried them on. The sensation was like returning to my old world, a sense of illusion. It felt like I was gradually returning to my former self…
“Hey, Brother, over here, over here!”
A familiar voice. Is that Karubene?! I immediately turned around and saw him lounging on a chair under a makeshift roof. Relief washed over me, and a smile naturally spread across my face.
“What, so you were there? Honestly, just relaxing by yourself. I was desperately searching.”
“You came at the right time, kid. Buy me some sake.”
Karubene wasn’t alone. Veronica was lying on the chair next to him. Thank goodness, it was just my unfounded worry. She had stayed put, avoiding the sunlight.
“Everyone is here. If you’d like…”
“Ehh, I want to stay here for a while. Ah, this is truly paradise. Isn’t it a nice place? Maybe I’ll quit adventuring and live here.”
This is bad. Satyrs love freedom and are optimists. He might disappear on a whim.
“No, you’re coming with me to find the other companions.”
I dragged the reluctant Karubene and returned to search for our companions.
