I was told a Dark Elf, who stole a page from the library, fled north.
After that, all the dishes brought to the table were delicious. The flavors were delicate and seemed well thought out. Eia, meanwhile, didn’t eat much and only drank coffee and smoked tobacco. Her attitude, which was unbefitting of a medical professional, made me wonder if she might be an accomplished person, seeing as she was cooperating with Marcos like this.
Furthermore, I felt even more apologetic because they treated me. They insisted it was their treat, even though I was the one who invited them. Considering the previous treatment I received, I felt I owed them quite a bit.
Afterward, we strolled around town and returned to the hotel. It was already completely dark outside. On the way back to the room, I ran into Lauren in the hallway. She seemed quite cheerful.
“Oh, Lauren, what’s up?”
“H-hey, listen, this is a new release from Shadow Wing! Oh my, I can’t believe I’ve already read it twice. I-I was thinking of lending it to Veronica next, but she wasn’t there.”
Right, for us, it was the end of the day, but for her, a new day was just beginning. She would surely go out and wander the town just like me. When I entered the room, Elana was stretching and sleeping on the bed. I was a little surprised by her elusive nature. In the previous battle, she acted alone, only to appear on the carriage at the very end, just like a ninja.
“Oh, you’re back. How was it? Did you get any information?”
“Hmm, it seems this document was stolen from the library. The culprit is a Dark Elf, and they seem to have fled north.”
Elana spun around and replied with a hum.
“North, again, so vague. We need a detailed map. If they fled, it’s likely to a town ruled by Dark Elves, so why not head there?”
“The problem is what to do from there.”
Sharin, who was standing behind me, spoke up. That’s right, we haven’t thought about what to do after finding the culprit. Of course, it would be ideal if we could stop the conspiracy there, but it’s too much to ask for this small group to fight against an entire race.
“Then why don’t we leave it to the Light Elves?”
“Well, that’s true. For the time being, let’s rest. You still haven’t recovered your stamina either.”
I decided to take a break here. It would be troublesome if the wound worsened from acting rashly. Elana gracefully got off the bed and moved to the sofa. I felt bad for making her move. I quickly finished my preparations to sleep and lay down on the bed. Piyo asked if I was going to sleep already, but my eyelids fell shut before I could reply.
The morning sun streamed in, and I naturally woke up. As I sat up, feeling much lighter, I saw Piyo and Pauline sleeping beside me. They must have fallen asleep while playing. Honestly, they should at least brush their teeth. Still, seeing them sleeping so peacefully made me feel happy too.
I gently got out of bed without waking them and got ready. A solitary morning now and then would be nice. The town, which was lively last night, was sparsely populated, perhaps due to the early hour. While I should avoid unnecessary outings, a short walk should be permissible.
Along the roadside, stray cats, warmed by the morning sun, were curled up like balls of dough. I crouched down and gently stroked their fluffy backs. The cat looked at me with only its eyes, as if bothered. Even that grumpy expression was cute.
Just then, I felt something white pass by the corner of my eye. It was just a moment; was I mistaken? I immediately looked around, but only saw the deserted road stretching out. The cats, startled by my sudden movement, looked up.
“Sorry for startling you.”
As I tried to feel the fluffiness again, something white flickered past. It was there again; I wasn’t mistaken.
“Arisugawa, you were there? You should have called out to me.”
Just as I was trying to figure out the identity of the white object, Sharin spoke to me. When I turned around, everyone else was coming out of the hotel one after another.
“Ah, ah, good morning.”
“I thought you’d still be sleeping. Let me know if you’re going for breakfast.”
Nina walked ahead, yawning.
“What’s the matter? Oh, there’s a cat. Hiro likes cats, doesn’t he?”
Philiana said, smiling at the cats by the roadside. I could only give a half-hearted reply, as I was still preoccupied with what had happened earlier.
