Published: August 10, 2026
There was something mysterious about the man.
He was as tall as master, and beneath his loose clothing, one could tell he had a well-trained body. Yet for some reason, he felt strangely thin. Despite such a conspicuous appearance, I had only registered him as part of the background.
I could not sense any malice toward us. In fact, I could not even sense his presence. Just what was this man?
Ignoring my caution, he was grinning stupidly.
"I, for one, grew up on a certain island nation in the East from childhood until I passed my thirties. More than anything, I'm an uncultured man, so I know nothing at all about music. Wahahahaha."
He laughed while looking up at the sky. I could not sense the slightest lie in his words.
"What, you're useless. You won't even drink with us, either."
"Sorry. I'm a poor drinker. Instead, I'm good at imitating a croaking frog."
"Croaking...? Never heard of that kind of frog. All right, let's hear it."
"Geko-geko."
"What the hell, you just said 'geko'! Wahahahaha!"
"Don't screw around, do it properly! Wahahahaha!"
The whole place burst into laughter.
...Apparently, this gozaru man had a playful personality that did not match his appearance, and he had become the mood maker of the group. It seemed they had simply called him over because they wanted to see something entertaining happen.
Everyone started drinking again while laughing. I quietly adjusted the lute on my back and put on another smile, as if to smooth things over.
"Spherein is a vast country, after all. There must be people who aren't interested in music... ha ha ha."
Suppressing a sigh in my heart, I returned to my seat and began thinking of my next move.
...This man had dodged the topic of music, but I still could not let my guard down. He was clearly an odd existence, but trying to squeeze information out of him might just be a case of poking a hornet's nest.
I addressed the simple muscle-brained man beside me.
"Your costumes seem very Oracle-ish. Stylish and lovely."
"Stylish? It's just flashy. As a Dilz person, it's embarrassing as hell."
The man looked thoroughly displeased.
...As a Dilz person, huh.
"The town over there isn't all that different from here. As for the people, aside from there being a lot of tall people and redheads, I can't really tell much difference. If there were a real Oracle person among us, I probably wouldn't be able to tell."
"I see... Is it recent that you all went to Oracle?"
"Yeah, just the other day. Only for a few days. The food was lousy."
"I see. By the way, while you were staying in Oracle, where did you sleep—?"
I tried to ask more, but at that moment, the man with the gozaru way of speaking cut in.
"Now then! Everyone, it's getting late. Let us call it a night!"
"Whaaat? What are you talking about, we're just getting started— Hey, wait, you bastard!"
Despite the protests, the drunkards' mugs were forcibly cleared away by the gozaru man. With those big hands, he lifted up a pile of mugs and carried them back to the owner one after another.
A drunkard tried to snatch them back—but I grabbed his wrist tightly.
"Let's go home. Before you say something unnecessary."
In that instant, the drunkard's face changed.
I had not used much force. And yet, something had been "released."
Only the drunkard and I, who had been nearby, had sensed it. As warriors—we had recognized the strength of the other.
This guy...!
I let go of the drunkard's arm, and the gozaru man turned to me.
"Miss, you had better go home soon as well. If you get too deeply involved, it'll turn troublesome."
"Yes... quite so. Well, what a shame, but if time is up, it cannot be helped."
I nodded with a stupid grin, then rose with obvious reluctance, holding the lute. Nothing was clear yet, but I had gained something. At the very least, it was certain that "that person" was targeting the Granado Family, and that they were Dilz soldiers.
"Well then, perhaps we shall meet again someday."
I gave a light farewell and quietly closed the tavern door behind me.
...Once I stepped out of the tavern, the cold night wind brushed my cheeks.