Sunrays penetrated the forest canopy, pouring a glow of warm over the three adventurers. They walked side-by-side as they followed the dirt trail back from the cave and to the village.

Along the way, they were greeted by awkward glances from the patrolling guards, who all looked as though they were seeing ghosts.

Taking in a deep breath through her nose, Rika stretched her arms out, letting out a satisfied moan. "Ahh, it feels nice to see the sun again!"

Ceressa yawned and said, "All that non-stop day's completely messed up my sleep cycle... I'm really looking forward to a good night's sleep..."

Black streaks formed beneath her eyes, giving her once sharp eyes a pair of heavy, sagging eye bags.

"Ah, that right," Rika chuckled. "I'd love to sleep on a bed again."

"I'm surprised you're still in high spirits, Rika." Ruth said as he rubbed his temple, "Even I'm feeling a bit dizzy after the sudden change in scenery."  

"Ehehe!" Rika took a glance at the sky above.

The cave certainly had a mysterious beauty to it... She bent back and stretched her arms up, as though she were reaching out to the sun. But nothing really beats a bright, sunny day! Ehehe, I sort of want to go somewhere with Sylphie now.

The trio continued down the path. For a while now, Rika had been feeling an intermitted gaze cast over her shoulders. Curious, she turned around, only lock eyes with Ceressa, who immediately turned away.

Rika's eyes flickered. "What is it?"

"Ah... remind me when we get to the inn, will you?"

"Hm?"

"...I'll lend you my hood."

"Huh..." For a moment, Rika was puzzled by her offer. But when she traced the woman's shy gaze - to the top of her head, she remembered. "Wah! That's right!"

Panicked, she covered her scalp, at the moment, covered only by a thin mat of newly sprouted hair.

"Uuuu... I forgot...!" Tears collected around her eyes as she whimpered, "So that's why the guards all gave us that weird look when we passed by..." She sniffled. "I shouldn't have let Sylphie convince me to leave my hat!"

"A-ahaha... that thing would probably have attracted way more attention, though..."

"Besides," Ruth added, "we were gone for at least a couple of weeks, after all. They probably already took us for dead."

"I guess so..." Rika hung her head. Then, after a few moments, a thought came to her. "Wait, if we've been gone for that long, won't the inn have thrown our luggage away?"

"I don't think so." Ceressa waved her hand. "We introduced ourselves as adventurers, right? And that we would raid the dungeon, on top of that. Most innkeepers are familiar with how long dungeon dives can go, so they normally hold on to the luggage for longer than they would for anyone else."

"Oh."

"Still..." Ruth scratched his head. "Two weeks, huh...? That might be stretching the line a bit. The longest we've been out on a dive was 5 days, right?"

"Well, we'll see, won't we?" Saying this, she then slammed her fist into her palm. "If I find they've thrown all of my stuff though, I'll be really pissed."

"A-ha ha ha... just don't cause a scene..."

As they reached the rim of the village, their steps petered down to a snail's pace. Their clothes had seen at least two weeks' worth of wear, and it showed.

A tear ran down the side of Rika's short skirt, from the time it snagged on the fence around the kobold village. Her breastplate had a couple of dents and it had long since lost its bronze sheen. Indeed, it had taken on a few green patches here and there, along with a few dozen scratches.

Ceressa's clothes fared slightly better, if only because she wore considerably less of it, and ones that were made specifically for rugged use. Her exposed limbs did not fare so well, however. Scratches and bruises dotted her arms and legs but were well on their way to healing.

And lastly, Ruth did not sustain much physical injury apart from a scratch on his cheek. His full-plate armor, however did not fare so well.

"Uhh..." Ceressa rubbed her arm. "Maybe we should avoid the crowd..."

"Mm..." Rika nodded, "I don't really want to be seen like this..."

The party thus avoided the main road and rounded to the inn along the side streets and back alleys.

The door swung open, ringing the chime hung on its frame. Its melodic tone welcomed the three adventurers as they ascended to the main lobby's polished wooden floor.

"Hm? Where's the inn lady?" asked Rika. The front desk was vacant, though the knick-knacks laid on top of it suggested that someone had been manning it until recently.

"Probably stepped out for lunch, right?" Ceressa shrugged. "It's high-noon, after all."

"Ah, that's right!" She scratched the back of her head. "Ehehe... the dungeon's really messed up my sense of time."

"I know right? And my shoulder's been aching since we met with Miss Letty and the brat..." A sigh escaped the weary adventurer's lips as she muttered, "I can't wait to take a proper bath... with soap."

After a few moments, a series of light footsteps approached from the far door.

"Ah, sorry to keep you waiting!" A familiar young woman appeared. She entered the main lobby and hurried behind the desk though at the same time maintaining a formal composure.

As soon as Rika heard her voice, she leapt behind Ruth and hid her head.

"How may I help you?" asked the lady. She gave them a welcoming smile, clasping both hands together below her waist.

"Uhh..." Ruth said, "we're the adventurers who rented out a room a couple of weeks ago..." He scratched the back of his head. "I understand we're way behind on rent, but, by chance, do you still have our luggage...?"

For a moment, a baffled expression clouded over the woman's face. But as she squinted and gave their faces a long, hard look, her eyes widened in realization.

She gasped. "By the Gods! You...!? W-we thought you were already..." She shook her head. "But, wait, weren't there five of you...?"

Again, she flinched, only to then cast a mournful expression upon her face.

"Ah... I-I understand. I'm sorry... it must be hard, even for seasoned adventurers like you..."

"Huh...? Ah!" Ruth waved his hands in denial. "No, no! We're all fine! The two are still in the dungeon, uh... clearing... out... some stuff...?"

"Mm! Mm!" Rika peered out from behind his arm and nodded.

"Eeeeh!?" The young lady winced. "You were in that dungeon for that long and survived!? You adventurer types are really something else..." She then shook her head as she sighed.

"A-ahaha... well, it's a complicated story... But, anyway, about our luggage..."

"Oh, right! Sorry, I got carried away there. Yes, we still have your luggage. We already hauled it out of your room the day your rent expired, but we kept it in storage in the meantime. Aaaah... I'd say you're pretty lucky!" She held a grin on her lips as she scratched the back of her head. "A couple more days and we were going to throw them away!"

"Ah... thank goodness..."

Shifting gears, the woman took on a formal demeanor once more and said, "This way, please. Our porter's out sick today, so I'm afraid you'll need to haul your own things."

"Oh, actually-" Ceressa jumped in and said, "do you still have a room we can rent?"

"Huh?" Ruth glanced at her. "Why do we need to rent a room? We're just about to go home, right?"

With a cross expression, she leered at him, and said, "I am not sleeping in that cave again. You hear me?"

"A-ah... right..."

"And I want to take a bath!"

"Sure, sure."

The inn lady chuckled. "Of course. Not a lot of people stop at Dellwick nowadays, so we always have a room open. Would you like one on the first floor, so you don't need to bring your things upstairs?"

"That would be great!" Ruth said cheerfully, before averting his gaze and mumbling to himself, "...because I have a feeling I'm the only one who's going to be doing any lifting."

Just as he expected, as soon as they settled their luggage bags in their room, Ceressa was quick to drag Rika away, leaving Ruth to carry not only his but also those of Sylphia and Letty.

And he could do was sigh in resignation.

The inn's communal bath was small in comparison to the luxurious bathhouse in the castle. It did not have the ornate statues of great animals, out of whose mouths poured sparkling, clear water. Also, unlike there, the male and female baths were not separated; instead, the women bathed in the morning to early afternoon, while the men bathed mid-afternoon till evening.

It was as the lady said - so few people stayed at the inn that they had the bath all to themselves.

Nevertheless, it was, for them, a refreshing change of pace from the open river in the middle of the mushroom forest. Moreover, they were able to make use of a bar of soap, provided by the inn at a reasonable cost.

And so, after washing down, the two finally immersed themselves in the water.

"Ahh..." Ceressa's lips unfurled into an unreserved smile. "It's nice and warm..."

"Mm..." As for Rika, she felt so relaxed the moment she entered the water that she almost fell asleep.

For a while, they silently enjoyed their first warm bath in ages.

Then, after acclimating herself to the temperature, Rika perked up and asked, "So, Ceressa... are you and Ruth dating?"

Shoved into the spotlight, the bashful young woman slipped down in the water, thrashing her limbs as though she were drowning.

"Hm?" Baffled by her reaction, the innocent girl cocked her head.

As soon as she had calmed down enough to realize that it wasn't possible to drown in shin-height water, Ceressa then surged towards Rika, screaming, "W-w-w-w-w-what are you saying!?"

"Eh? Aren't you?"

Perhaps it was the warmth of the bath, or something else entirely, but everything between Ceressa's cheeks turned rose red as she squealed, "N-n-no!?"

"Heeeeeh... I was pretty sure..."

"Tsk." Looking away, she then joined Rika on her side of the bath and sat beside her. "It's not like that, you know... it's not like that, but..."

"Hm?"

She soon took on a sullen expression and, bashfully, asked, "How did you find out...?"

"Eh?" Conversely, Rika's eyes flickered. "Isn't it obvious? Just looking at you."

"Huh!?" Ceressa held both her hands over her cheeks. "No way! He has no idea, you know!?"

"Heeeh?" She rubbed her chin and nodded. "So Ruth is actually the dense type..."

Ceressa was stunned. In such a short exchange, She again looked as tired as she was when they left the cave.

"No..." she then muttered.

"No?" Rika tilted her head the other way.

"Just... no." As she said this, she slid herself down, submerging herself up to the chin. "I... like everything as they are. Before anything else, we're partners. If I try to make us anything more than that... I'm afraid that things will change." Her voice faltered as she wrung out those last few words.

"Hmm... will things will change?"

"Of course they will!" she yelled, before pulling herself back and adding a whisper, "...I think. I mean, they will, right!? We'd act awkward with each other and... besides... what if he doesn't look at me that way?"

"He likes you too, you know?"

"Ngh-!" Ceressa clutched her chest so hard she looked as if she just had from a stroke. "Sh-shut up! How could you even know that!?"

"Eh? But you're so close to each other. How could he not like you?"

"T-that's-"

As if finally having enough, the lovestruck young woman turned away and clicked her tongue. Then, after a few moments, she took a deep breath and let it out again as a sigh.

"Something like love... doesn't suit me."

"There's no such-"

Before Rika could finish, however, she quickly sat back up, splashing water all over, saying, "Hey."

"Huh?"

She then leaned shoulder-to-shoulder with her and asked, "Rika, would you... listen to my rambling for a bit?"

"Eh?" Taken by surprise by the sudden shift in her attitude, the girl's mind blanked out, prompting her idle response, "Of course."

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

Finally, Ceressa closed her eyes and, with a gentle smile, said, "Thanks..."

The girls left the bath with a spring in their step and a fresh set of clothes.

"Heeeeh..." said Rika.

Without her breastplate, her white, button-up shirt revealed her slender form. Though she never had a significant chest to begin with, the loose clothing she preferred did nothing to help.

Nonetheless, she merrily skipped along the polished wooden surface of the dressing room, allowing her short skirt to flutter back and forth with her rhythm.

"Hehe, so that's how you and Ruth met...!"

"Ngh..." Ceressa winced.

Strangely enough, her normal clothes, consisting of a vested shirt and matching shorts, were less revealing than her dungeon gear.

"Hey, come here you." With a single jerking motion, she grabbed Rika's hand and pulled her inwards. Placing her index finger over her mouth, she then said, "Just so we're clear, what we talked about is a secret between only the two of us. No one else knows this. And no one will, got it!?"

"Eh? Isn't it alright?" She snickered. "If it's how you really feel, why don't you just confe-"

"I said shushhhhhhh!" Cheeks flushed red, the fiery ginger glared at her. "Most of all, he, absolutely can't hear about this! Do you understand!?"

"Eeeeh...?" Her brows fell. "But why? I'm sure he'd be happy..."

"Please, Rika! I'm begging you..." she whimpered, "if it's going to be like that... I want to be the one to decide when."

Those maiden-like words coming from the lips of this tomboy of a woman made Rika's heart flutter. The refreshing contrast inspired a warm smile as she finally gave in, "Mm... okay then!"

Heaving a sigh of relief, she clasped her hands over Rika's and said, "You promise, okay!?"

"Don't worry." With a light chuckle, Rika patted her over the arm and said, "I'll keep it a secret. But I am glad to know a bit more about you, Ceressa!"

She pouted. "Tsk. No fair, I'm the only who's been talking till now..."

"Ehehe... I guess you're right."

"So this time, it's your turn."

"Ehhh...? I'm really more the listening type."

"That's not going to work." Her arms crossed together.

"Uuuu..."

"So, how about you? Do you... err, like... someone?"

Without a hint of hesitation, She pumped her fist in the air and said, "Sylphie!"

Her eyelids twitched from Rika's snapshot response. She then pushed her arms downwards, yelling, "Not like that!"

"Eeeh...?" With a puzzled look, she tilted her head to one side.

"I-I mean... you know!?"

"Hmmm... like a guy?"

"Well, yeah!?"

She rumbled through her head for a while and then said, "Well... there're the guys in my old squad back in Ealdton... Ehehe, we got along really well!"

"Tsk, are you making fun of me?"

"Eh? No, no! I wouldn't!"

"Hmm..." Ceressa leered at her. "Ah, so that's how it's going to be. I let you in on my secret and you wouldn't tell me any of yours? I guess yo don't think of me as a friend, do you?"

"Eeeeh!? No way... Ceressa is my friend! And I do like Sylphie and the guys-"

"I said not that!"

"Uuu... then I don't know what to say..."

The frustrated young woman grumbled to herself for a moment before finally giving up with a deep sigh.

"Fine, fine," she said, "It's alright if you don't have one yet." She then snuck a peek at Rika out the corner of her eye. "You still look pretty young, anyway. By the way, how old are you?"

"Hm? I'm turning twenty this year."

"Ho? You're not actually as young as you look."

The smile on Rika's lips turned crooked. Scratching her temple, she let out an awkward chuckle and said, "My squadmates used to say the same thing."

"It's fine, isn't it?" Ceressa patted her on the shoulder. "A girl can't receive a better compliment than that."

"Ehehe..."

With a contented smile on her face, the adventurer pointed her thumb down the corridor. "Well, let's go. I'd feel bad if we kept him from his bath."

"Okay!"

After taking each of their baths, Rika and the gang finally went out for the errand Sylphia entrusted them.

"Hmm..." Ceressa rhythmically tapped her foot on the ground. "Any ideas?"

The group stopped at the intersection of the market street and the main road. Only a handful of people walked the streets at the time; mostly headed to the tavern or the scattered food shops for a mid-afternoon rest. Several shops had also closed up early, their stalls either left empty, or put away behind wooden shutters.

"Well," said Ruth, "there are a couple of food stalls here. We could probably ask where they get their ingredients."

"Hm...?" Rika cocked her head to the side. The hood she borrowed from Ceressa followed her motion and draped down over one eye. "So... the farmers, right?"

"W-well..." He scratched his head. "We can't really just go around every farmer's house and ask to buy their harvest..."

"Ah."

"Besides, I'm sure the farmers themselves probably sell their harvest in bulk, probably to a nearby merchant guild."

Ceressa sighed. "But isn't it weird that a handful of adventurers are trying to find enough food to feed a village!? The shopkeeps will give us strange looks once we start asking around!"

"Well, what else can we do...?"

"Hmm..." Intertwining her fingers behind her head, she turned away and started pacing into the market street.

"H-hey! Where are you going!?"

"Heh." Turning her head to one side, she glanced at them with a smirk. "I have a great idea. Follow me."

"Huh..." Ruth's shoulders fell.

As Ceressa walked further ahead of them, Rika skipped in front of him and said, "Well, we aren't getting anything done standing here. Let's go?"

He sighed. "That's true."

And on they went, following behind their companion.

They weaved around the few villagers shopping on the relatively narrow street, passing shop after shop.

After a while, Ceressa then took a sudden left, entering a local snack shop.

And so, the three sat on a long table, with Rika and Ceressa on one side, and Ruth on the other. There, they stared at each other in silence, passing a few moments as the lady from the counter approached them.

After giving out their order, Ruth finally found the opportunity to retort.

"Hey," he whispered, "aren't we just relaxing here!?"

Ceressa shrugged in response, saying, "Well, it's a great idea, isn't it?"

"That's not-" He grunted. "-we're supposed to find someone who will sell food in bulk, right...?"

"Psssh, that can wait right? It's been a while since we've seen the sun, much less relax like this."

"Well..." His shoulders finally fell as he let out a heavy sigh.

Looking out of the window and into the empty streets, Rika then said, "It would have been nice if we Sylphie and Miss Letty were here though..."

"Err..." Ceressa averted her gaze. "Miss Letty, maybe..."

Ruth chuckled. "Anyway, they're working hard even now, right? That's why we shouldn't let them down! We're a party, after all." He then slipped a glanced towards his partner.

"Geez..." She scratched her head. "I know!"

Cheer finally returned to Rika's face, as she let out a laugh.

Soon, the store lady returned to their table. She then placed down three cups of tea and a helping of honey, arranged over a metal pan.

"Please, enjoy!" she said with a bright smile as she took a bow and left.

Swirling the tea cup right in front of her lips, Ceressa took in the earthy scent of Dellwick's local tea before having her first sip. Next, she tipped her her cup slightly upwards, and gave it a quick slurp before pulling away once more.

After one smooth motion, she then let out a sigh, and with a voice filled with euphoria, said, "That's good..."

Curious, Rika glanced down at her own cup. The drink shimmered with white streaks upon dark texture as its surface slowly calmed down. Looping her finger around the cup's handle, she lifted it closer to her face.

Immediately, the warm steam caressed her nose, delivering a rich aroma that conjured images of a grassy knoll in the height of summer.

"Hmm?" Ceressa turned to her. "Not going to drink? It'll get cold."

"Eh? A-ah...! Ehehe..." She left an awkward smile upon her lips. "Actually, I've never drank tea before..."

"Ho? Really?"

"Mm." She nodded. "Our dad was always strict with us when it came to money. He would yell at us whenever we would waste food, or buy things we didn't need." She glanced at Ceressa. "Tea is pretty expensive, right? So we never had it in our house."

"Huh... but you live in Ealdton, don't you? That town itself pretty expensive to live in, if I recall."

"Ah, yeah..." She scratched her head. "I guess that's partially why he was so tight with money."

"Why not live elsewhere, then? Even Brandonbury isn't so expensive, and the villages around it, even more so."

"Ahh, my dad was a former soldier, you see..."

"Hmm?"

"Mm, well, it's a long story, but, basically, he wanted us to live in Ealdton because he believed it was the safest town in the Kingdom."

"Ah. The great walls of Ealdton are quite famous for being impenetrable..."

"Well," She turned her eyes to one side. "It did get attacked not too long ago, though..."

"Yeah... how was your family?"

"They were okay." She smiled. "I'm the only one in the family who joined the guard, all my brothers are either working the farms or trading goods." Letting out a sigh, she added, "They cried so hard when I came home that day... And dad yelled at me so hard..."

Ceressa covered her mouth and giggled.

"I never would have thought that meeting Sylphie that day would bring me here today." She let out a modest laugh, finally bringing the teacup to her lip. With a tiny slurp, its texture and its flavor washed over her tongue. "Aghu-!" She flinched. "So bitter!"

"Ahahaha. Growing up without it, I guess you're not used to tea at all."

"Here." After keeping silent all this time, Ruth finally spoke up, sliding the honey towards Rika. "It'll take the kick off if you add this."

"Ohh..." Rika watched the golden liquid droop down the spoon as she lifted it off the saucer.

"I'm guessing you've never had honey, either." He said.

She vigorously shook her head in response.

The black tea swallowed the golden honey dripped into her cup. As she mixed it around, a golden hue stained the tea, lightening its texture just enough for her to notice a difference. Unlike before, it took on a sweeter scent and the herbal aroma mellowed down.

Finally, Rika took another sip.

Just as Ruth said, the bitterness was no longer as overpowering. Indeed, when complemented by the rich sweetness of the honey, the bitter taste only became more and more delightful.

Thus, accompanied by a satisfied moan, she said, "It's delicious!"

"It really is." Ceressa leaned back, crossing her legs beneath the table.

For a moment, the three enjoyed their tea in silence.

Then, Ruth placed his elbow over the table, propping his head up by the chin. "Now, can we really think about Sylphie's request? In the end, I think we do need to help her, not just for the tribes' sake, but also this village."

Ceressa sighed. "Fine, fine."

"Well, the obvious one is to go around the food shops and ask who we can buy food in bulk from."

"Ehh..." She grimaced. "I'm not doing that."

"Come on, Ceressa."

Amidst their bickering, the lady who served them their tea earlier approached them.

"Um..." The lady bent down slightly and gave each of them a glance. "can I help you with anything?"

"Eh!?" Ruth flinched. "Were we that noisy...?" He muttered, leering at Ceressa.

"What!?" She then turned her head away. "Hmph!"

"I'm sorry, we didn't mean to bother anyone."

"Ah, no, no," The lady shook her head. "Well, I couldn't help but hear your conversation..."

Ruth lowered his head. "We really are sorry...!"

At that moment, an idea popped into Rika's mind. "Ah! I know, why don't we ask the tea lady?"

"Eh...?" It took a moment for him to recover from his daze and take in her suggestion. "Ah!"

Meanwhile, the lady chuckled. "Actually, that's what I was about to say. I heard you were looking to buy a lot of food, is that right?"

A gasp escaped Rika's lips. "Yes, yes!" she answered with a nod.

"Ah," She clapped her hands together. "well then, I know precisely the person who can help you!"