Jack of All Trades, Party of None

I arrived at the designated location given by Lazarus’s old man to board the carriage heading to the Reglyph Territory.

Everyone else seemed to have already gathered except for me.

“Ah, Master is finally here! You’re late, Master!”

Carol, who was at the meeting spot first, spotted me and immediately complained.

The appointed time was still a bit ahead, but it felt rude to point that out.

Judging by her tone, she probably wasn’t serious anyway.

“Sorry, sorry. I had to make a quick stop somewhere.”

“Are you Orun?”

As I reached the members of the Twilight Moonbow, a middle-aged man nearby called out to me.

He was wearing a military uniform bearing the Edington family crest.

He was probably the bodyguard the old man mentioned.

Near him stood a young man also dressed in the same uniform.

So there were two bodyguards?

“Yes. Nice to meet you. I’m Orun Dura.”

“Thank you kindly. I’m Elvis Terry. And this is my subordinate, Henry Person.”

After introducing himself, Elvis also introduced the young man nearby.

“I’m Henry. Nice to meet you, Mr. Orun.”

“You’ve probably already been told, but the two of us will be escorting you all to the Reglyph Territory. Sorry for just the two of us. Originally, we were told to escort only you, so we came only as a pair.”

Elvis said this, averting his gaze awkwardly.

He looked apologetic, but it wasn’t their fault.

The old man assigned the dungeon exploration five days ago, and by then Elvis and the others had probably already started moving this way.

Since they intended to bring only me, having just two escorts was inevitable.

Elvis must have realized there were more people to escort after arriving in Tsutolairu; I felt a bit bad for that.

But I had no intention of leaving my disciples behind.

“No, it’s fine. Thank you for looking out for us on the way.”

It seemed that Sophie and the other three had greeted each other before I arrived, so after receiving a brief explanation from Elvis about the route to Reglyph Territory, we boarded the carriage and left Tsutolairu behind.

◇

“Sea~♪ Sea~♪ Can’t wait~♪”

Since the carriage started moving, Carol had been in high spirits.

“Carol, we’re heading to Reglyph Territory on clan business. This isn’t a trip for fun.”

Log frowned at Carol, who had started singing.

“I know that, but—”

Carol pouted at Log’s words.

“Hehe, dungeon explorations don’t end quickly, so we need days off too. And on those days off, it’s no problem to have fun. Right, Mr. Orun?”

“That’s right. Summer’s coming soon, and since it’s a tourist spot, it’d be a waste to be stuck inside the dungeon all the time.”

“Really!? Yay!”

“Carol, have you ever seen the sea?”

“Hm? No, I haven’t. That’s why I want to see it soon! What about you, Sophie?”

“I’ve never seen it either. I’m from the east, so my hometown was the place least connected to the sea in the country. So I want to see the sea too.”

“I see! Sister Ru, have you ever seen the sea?”

“I have. On the way to dungeons other than Tsutolairu, I had the chance. I was moved the first time I saw the sea.”

The three women happily chatted.

In contrast, Log’s expression clouded a bit.

“Log, what’s wrong?”

“Huh? Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin the mood…”

Log apologized with a disappointed tone.

“No one’s bothered by that. And besides, your feelings are right. We’re heading to Reglyph Territory for dungeon exploration, after all.”

“…Yes.”

(What’s wrong with him?)

Log seemed troubled ever since we cleared the 30th floor together with Luna.

I’m sure he was shocked by our progress, but it felt like there was something more.

Usually, he isn’t like this, but he sometimes gave off a gloomy vibe.

It didn’t seem urgent, but I was worried.

Honestly, I don’t have the luxury to worry about others right now, but that’s just an excuse.

I need to find the right time to properly talk with Log.

◇

Eight days had passed since leaving Tsutolairu. So far, we had no major weather problems or troubles and were progressing as planned.