Chapter 44

Rio and Shiraha entered a room in an inn affiliated with the guild and had dinner at a table across from each other.

They had both been declared qualified after their training with Galdorat and had received permission to enter the forest starting tomorrow.

Their rank would start at E. The rank not only determined the type of quests but also the placement during town defense.

Rio looked at the map on the wall.

Given the inn's affiliation with the guild, most of its patrons were adventurers. Since they also served as the town's defense force, maps showing the placement of each rank were posted in every room.

According to the map, Rank E was responsible for guiding evacuations and serving as messengers. The map also included messenger routes, so it would be a good idea to check them out while taking a walk around town tomorrow.

"This isn't very tasty."

Shiraha mumbled in dissatisfaction while munching on the bread.

Rio had been trying to avoid reality, but the bread was far from delicious. It was a dark brown rye bread, strongly acidic, and very hard.

If someone had said it was expired emergency rations thrown in as new arrivals' meals, he would have believed it. The inn was cheap, so he hadn't expected much, but it was terrible.

"From tomorrow, we should buy food in town or eat at the guild."

It was a mistake to have retreated to the inn early to rest, given that they had just arrived.

Shiraha dipped a spoon into the stew, sniffed it cautiously, and took a bite.

"This is delicious."

"Really?"

From the look on Shiraha's face, it seemed to be true.

When Rio tried the stew, he found it satisfying, with the well-cooked meat's savory and sweet flavors blending well.

With the forest nearby, there was no shortage of meat. The hard rye bread, when soaked in the stew, absorbed the soup nicely, and the acidity became a pleasant accent, making it quite tasty.

He understood that this was the intended way to eat it.

Feeling more positive, he continued eating and asked Shiraha a question.

"What do you think of the guild?"

"They don't seem like bad people. But they're barbaric."

"You're being a bit harsh. I agree, though."

From Rio's perspective, the adventurers and guild staff didn't seem to be up to any mischief. Since it was their first day, they couldn't let their guard down, but he didn't want to think they were involved with the gemstone.

Especially, the respect shown to the slave Galdorat seemed genuine.

"Who do you think Galdorat is?"

"A slave."

"That's obvious. I mean, his background or something like that."

While it couldn't be definitively stated just because he used Shirouz techniques, Galdorat seemed to have been a person of some standing.

The fact that the merit-based adventurers showed him such respect suggested as much. Regardless of his original status, it seemed a waste for him to wither away as a slave.

"It's strange that he's still a slave despite being so respected. There must be some reason."

"Galdorat is kept in the training grounds to protect him."

Rio chuckled at Shiraha's comment.

"He's not a winter ration."

Looking at Shiraha's hand, it was clear she had been thinking of smoked cheese.

Shiraha continued talking without stopping her meal.

"Preserved manpower?"

"Yeah, that could be it. This area is dangerous, after all."

If he were freed, a valuable fighter might leave the town. It made sense that they wouldn't easily let go of someone with his skills.

"Also, to keep him from being eaten by rats?"

"Stop comparing him to winter rations."

While Shiraha's opinion was off the mark, there was some truth to it.

While it was unlikely that rats would eat him, if he were a former knight who had lost in a power struggle, it would make sense.

"Maybe they're keeping Galdorat as a guild asset to protect him?"

Despite being a slave, Galdorat seemed to be actively involved in the adventurers' training. Their relationship was clearly good.

While there were many speculations, it seemed unlikely that Galdorat was involved with the gemstone, which was their current goal.

To stay on track, Rio changed the topic to the gemstone.

"From what I saw in the guild's archive, the gemstone hasn't been found yet. There's no report of the hidden village being discovered. What's concerning is the high number of reports about unusually intelligent animals and—"

"Rheilaren's Nightmare."

Shiraha's words made Rio nod deeply.

Rheilaren's Nightmare was a title in one of the combat records in the guild's archive.

The town had been invaded by a large group of evil beasts, causing great chaos, and the information in the records was confusing. It was unclear what had happened where, making the records unusable.

However, reading those records, Rio and Shiraha had felt something was off.

"Something is being hidden."

As Shiraha pointed out, there were parts of the records that seemed to deliberately avoid mentioning certain things.

Especially, the movements of the town's vigilantes, adventurers, and the knights who were sent in were completely unclear. The combat records were too sloppy.

The records didn't even mention the knights' affiliations, suggesting that the only thing they wanted to document was the fact that the records existed.

Why and what were they hiding?

"During Rheilaren's Nightmare, some group acted strangely?"

To cover it up, they might have made the movements of other groups ambiguous, Rio thought.

They could conduct interviews, but if a gag order had been imposed on the residents, their actions would be exposed. Interviews could be a last resort.

"Alright, let's take a walk around town tomorrow and enter the forest the day after."

"Got it."

"Though I don't really want to say this, finding the gemstone will depend on your magic, Shiraha."

Shiraha had learned a lost item-finding spell from Oggan. This spell allowed one to visualize the item they were looking for and sense its presence within a certain range.

Using the gemstone confiscated during the monkey incident in their hometown, they had practiced this spell multiple times, improving its accuracy to the point where they could find it anywhere in the village.

"Leave it to me."

Rio asked the expressionless Shiraha.

"By the way, was the gemstone in the guild?"

"I checked while you were fighting Galdorat, but it wasn't there."

"You did a thorough investigation. Good job."

"Hmph."

Rio smiled and sincerely praised Shiraha, who puffed out her chest.