Chapter 77

Rats walked around the street as if they owned the place, eating garbage in the middle of the road without a care for the people around them. At the edge of the road, where broken glass bottles rolled, a wretched man was making a bonfire, spreading smoke without considering the inconvenience he caused others. Next to an old man lying on his back on the roadside was a cart loaded with garbage, which was emitting a foul odor and attracting flies. A woman who came out of a house threw kitchen waste into the cart without any concern for the flies, and without even glancing at the garbage that had spilled over, she returned to her house.

Even near the entrance of the defensive wall, which is considered relatively safe in San Ankumayu, the situation was like this. Rio and Shiraha, already feeling disgusted, walked towards the Adventurers' Guild. The streets, which seemed to be designed without considering the possibility of visitors from other places, were complex and intersected in a confusing manner. When they tried to follow a gently curving road, it was blocked by a board that seemed to have been put up by a selfish resident, or piled with timber and other materials, or turned into a garbage dump.

"The roads aren't functioning..."

"There are no signposts either."

As Shiraha pointed out while looking around, despite the town's complex structure, there wasn't a single signpost to be found. To be precise, even when they saw something that looked like a signpost, it had a large hole in it or was covered in graffiti, making it unreadable. After searching for the Adventurers' Guild building, which is usually easy to find, for about an hour, they began to think it might be better to look for an inn first.

"We also need to find Churas, which is troublesome."

A sound like a thud was heard, and looking up, they saw a brown cat looking down at them, holding a mouse it had apparently caught in its mouth. The cat was staring at Rio and Shiraha as if they were strange objects.

"Is this your territory? Sorry."

Even though he knew the cat wouldn't understand, Rio apologized and decided to cross the alley, pulling Shiraha's hand. No matter how much they searched, they couldn't find a building that looked like the Adventurers' Guild, and the poor security made them hesitant to ask passersby for directions.

"Are the iron bars on the windows and the spacious gardens a precaution against attacks?"

"There are guards at the merchant houses too."

"Really? Can we ask that person for directions?"

"I don't think so; they're working."

"Right. It would be bad to disturb them."

A large man who seemed to be a guard looked at Rio and Shiraha with a puzzled expression. It was strange to see a boy and a girl, who didn't look particularly strong and were dressed neatly, wandering around this town.

After passing through the main street lined with merchant houses, they came to a shopping district. Surprisingly, it seemed to be thriving, but the quality of the goods was questionable. The shopkeepers, who had set up their stores in this dangerous town, looked strong. They probably worked together, and the atmosphere suggested that if one store became an enemy, the entire shopping district would turn hostile. The eyes of the outsiders, Rio and Shiraha, were also strict, as they were on high alert, knowing that this was not a town that welcomed normal tourists. Nevertheless, it was a shop, and if they bought something, they might be able to have a casual conversation. Rio stopped in front of a random store.

"Excuse me, I'll take this leather cord."

Deciding to replenish their travel supplies, Rio chose a few items, and the shopkeeper, though unfriendly, seemed to recognize them as customers. When Rio took out his wallet, the shopkeeper frowned.

"...Tie your wallet to your clothes with a cord. It might get snatched."

"Huh? Oh, thank you for the warning."

"...Here, a strong cord. I'll give it to you for free."

The shopkeeper threw a cord from behind the counter, and Rio bowed. The shopkeeper then looked at Shiraha.

"Watch out for that dazed girl too. She might get kidnapped."

"I will."

"Okay."

"Can I ask you something? Where is the Adventurers' Guild?"

"Go right after you leave the shopping district. It's not a big building, but it has a noticeable red roof. The adventurers are on edge right now, so don't try to go in through the back door. You might get killed."

Given that the branch manager had been killed, the Adventurers' Guild was likely on high alert. After thanking the shopkeeper and paying, Rio and Shiraha left the store. Keeping an eye out for pickpockets, Rio put his wallet in an inner pocket and headed for the exit of the shopping district. Although the directions were vague, they now knew the direction and the distinctive feature of the building, so they could look around while searching for an inn.

"Since the security is bad, let's stay at a decent inn, even if it costs a bit more."

"Okay."

"Usually, girls would be more concerned about this, right?"

Shiraha, who showed no interest, was looking around. As they left the shopping district, the wind blew, lifting the dry leaves at their feet. Looking to the right, downwind, they saw a narrow road continuing.

The winding road, which seemed to have been laid out without any urban planning, was so uneven that the width of the road changed in the middle. After walking for a while, the road became even narrower, and a carriage would surely get stuck if it wandered in.

While following the gently curving road, Rio, who had been feeling annoyed, suddenly became more alert when he sensed someone ahead. The air felt strange. Rio naturally relaxed his dominant arm and took a deep breath. The wind, carrying dry leaves and sand, blew past them and flowed around the curve. The sound of someone coughing, probably from inhaling the sand, came from ahead. There was definitely someone there.

As they turned the corner, they could see behind the blind spot created by the walls of the houses. First, they saw several figures gathered in the middle of the narrow road, apparently discussing something. Then they saw—blood-soaked corpses lying at their feet.

Noticing the footsteps, the figures turned to face them. Each one, without exception, wore a white mask with only the eye area cut out.

"...Kill them."

As soon as one of the white-masked figures said in a monotone, the group of masked people raised their blood-stained swords.