I'm exhausted. Mason is exhausted. Alessia is exhausted. All three of us are exhausted.

The 30-minute walk—which had turned to upwards of 50 minutes due to us having to limp Mason along—across the vast plains didn't help much in that sense. By the time we arrived back at the outskirts of Sotmesmere, our legs were wobbling like jelly and our heads spun like jets doing full 360's in an airshow high above the sky.

Nobody came to greet us, as our return was nothing less than unexpected. What's more unexpected would probably be the sorry state that we're in. For reference: our clothes were ripped to shreds, hair messed up and dyed crimson with blood; scars, wounds, scrapes and scratches everywhere on our bodies, our mana and energy depleted to dangerously low amounts; and not to mention Mason's missing left arm.

It wouldn't be a far-cry to say that we've ventured through hell and back. Even if we're on the brink of falling flat on our faces, though, we've learned some valuable things along the way. It's not to say that my outlook on life has completely changed through this one mission, but the way I perceive things may have shifted a little. I may come to understand later how crucial this one quest might be to my adventuring career; but for now, all I want is to celebrate, eat and sleep.

As we made our way into the village, a few of the residents spotted us and quickly rushed to our side. They so kindly offered aid—transportation to our inn, nourishment for our exhaustion, new clothes to wear, and even various objects as thank-you gifts for helping them eradicate their troubles. It made me smile knowing that they appreciated our efforts. In a sense, I felt that was more than enough of an award.

Of course, I couldn't deny their offers—and nor did Mason and Alessia—so we meekly accepted them as they pile the stuff onto a wagon, which the three of us hop onto last, then carried to the centre of the village.

"Hey," Mason said softly, "I wasn't expecting to be treated like a king when we got back." He chuckled hollowly.

"It's not so bad; at least we aren't being pounded on by sack-elves anymore. I never want to see those little demons ever again," snorted Alessia.

"Agreed," I replied, grinning.

The wagon slowly made its way to the centre of the village, where the familiar shops and stalls stood, and the empty dais where people would usually lax themselves on. Hopping off, I could see Chief Jameruu heading this way. From another side, Kavaski, our hired coachman, was rushing to our direction. People gathered around us with their curiosity piqued as well.

News really does spread fast, huh? Our arrival spread like ripples in a water, extending exponentially to all the ears of the villagers. I wouldn't be surprised to see the chief here, considering his information network as chief of the village, but I was a bit taken aback to see Kavaski hauling his big body here in such short notice. I guess he really did care a lot about us, after all.

"Welcome back, welcome back," Chief Jameruu said almost melodiously, clapping softly as he went. "It's quite refreshing seeing the three of you back again."

"We finished the job, Chief Jameruu," I replied.

"Indeed you have. And it looks like you've been through a lot. Care to give some details later?"

"Um, sure. Do you need a report or something?"

"I'm just joking," the old man laughed amiably. "It's up to you if you want to spill anything. What really needs to be done here now is a well-deserved reward for your troubles." Behind the chief, two of his men approached, carrying badges lying on top of trays.

I'd normally refuse such things, but seeing as how I'd already resigned to the kind villagers' offerings, there wouldn't be much leeway for me to not accept this reward, especially when it's from the village chief himself. I'm sure Mason and Alessia thought similarly, too, as they just put on wry smiles on their faces that oozed out the feeling of surrender.

That said, the chief tried to pin the badges onto our clothes, but after seeing just how badly worn they are, he judged it best to just hand them to us without any special gestures. I can't help but snicker at it.

Kavaski finally came by after squeezing through the crowd. He looked at us with upturned brows as he scratched his head.

"Wow, now look at you three. What in the world have you all gone through?" he asked with bemusement.

"You could say we went a round trip to hell and back," I grinned. I tried to look endearing, but it might've been counterproductive by how shabby my whole body looked. Either way, Kavaski was pleased to hear that we weren't out of our minds. He really does care about us a whole lot more than I thought.

"And what happened to you?" he turned to look at Mason, who obviously had his left hand severed and is now nothing but a stump.

"Uh, I guess I went through some surgery?" Mason tried to laugh it off, but he was too weak to actually laugh. Kavaski didn't find it funny, nor did anyone else. Even so, it was a much better attempt to sound more optimistic than mine.

"What, your mission was to find the master surgeon and decapitate your hand?" Kavaski rebutted, then laughing at his own terrible joke. Unsurprisingly enough, he was still in his own world, even if he did show a bit of a sympathetic side to us. Remind me again why he's here with us and not on a dais of some cheap stand-up comedy show?

After dispersing the crowd, Chief Jameruu escorted Alessia, Mason and I, along with Kavaski and the little pile of things the villagers gifted us back to the inn. I felt ecstatic looking at the place I called my "temporary home," where a soft bed waits for me to rest on. I have an odd premonition that I'll sleep sound and still tonight.

With words of gratitude being exchanged left and right after dropping us off with our stuff, we waved Chief Jameruu and his men who helped carry the things goodbye, before setting foot into the lobby of the inn. Yup, just as I expected, it looks the same as ever.

The same wooden panels on the walls and the ground, the same paintings hanging above empty seats and green decorative plants, the same carpet that looked oddly comfy—it's as if nothing has shifted despite the three of us going through such a nightmarish adventure, like the world moves on without a care for what kind of suffering we'd gone through. In one way or another, I was a bit melancholic when I thought about such things.

—Those thoughts, however, were quickly shaken away when I looked at the reception desk, where the same worker stood behind smiling at us. When we approached, she greeted us happily.

"Welcome back, misters and misses. I reckon you had quite a journey?" she looked at us—Mason, Alessia and I—with a wide smile. Her eyes were almost glittering.

"You can call it that," said Mason. "We may or may not have bitten off more than we can chew."

"Ah, well, if you're craving for some relaxation after your hard labor, then the jacuzzi that this inn provides may suit your needs," the receptionist girl offered.

"Thanks, but no thanks," Mason refused with a solemn smile. I guess he wants to get a feel of the jacuzzi, but he couldn't lead the rest of us off to his own selfish needs. I appreciate that he's doing this even when he's in such bad shape, but even I wanted to get in a nice hot sauna or something. Well, I'm not one to refuse his goodwill, so I didn't chew him for that, nor did I stop him from refusing the offer.

"A short shower and a long day's rest is what I think is best," he continued.

"I see. Oh, but at least let me do this for you," she said, eyeing Mason's amputated hand. She gestured for him to come closer.

Mason, despite being perplexed, didn't question it and stepped forward, holding his stump of a left hand out. The receptionist girl nodded, then putting her hands on Mason's amputated part and incantating with her eyes closed.

"O blessed spirits of Water, grant your caller a wish of primordial, for the sake of existence and the continuation of life, for I wish to recall neither pain nor wrath, but kindness and compassion. I beg for your pardon, O blessed spirits of Water, so please bestow me the highest regard possible, and may your endowed powers bless this casualty as well—Pristine Heal."

As the last words of the lady's long incantation left her mouth, a faint teal glow enveloped her hands, as well as Mason's bloodied stump wrapped in cloth. Slowly, Mason's amputated hand fixed itself up, the skin healing to form a smoother stump than before. As expected, there's no way even magic could bring back an amputated body part, but this is already better than anything we could ask for.

"There, I healed your arm. Hopefully it's not as bad as before, though this is the most I can do. Sorry."

"N-No, no. It's alright, really. Thank you so much." Without any other things to say, Mason meekly thanked her with a wry smile. The receptionist girl smiled back.

"Ah, then, please enjoy the rest of your time here. I hope we've treated you well," the receptionist lady said, bowing at a sharp ninety-degree angle from behind the desk. We exchanged more thanks and words of gratitude.

Parting ways with the receptionist girl, we headed up the stairs with wobbly legs and immediately rushed to our room. Kavaski was just next door, so we exchanged light goodbyes by the doorway before disappearing into our own respective rooms.

Looking at this inn room, I remembered our ruined sleep schedules due to my "plan" where we had to stay up late for keeping watch on the sack-elf. That time period felt like an eternity ago, but time tells the truth that it's only been a few hours or so since. My sense of time was really knocked astray by our showdown with the sack-elves and the crude-elf.

Well, at any rate, this might just be the last time we'll be sleeping through day and become night owls, at least for a good while. A fantastical shower and a big breakfast later, my drowsiness got the better of me and I immediately fell asleep the moment my head hits my pillow. Mason was already well into the land of dreams by then, and Alessia couldn't keep her eyes peeled for much longer either. For just that day, we slept like nothing else in the world existed.

***

Hours passed as we slept, and in the literal blink of an eye, we're now preparing to leave east for Allestris again. As Mason, Alessia and I loaded Kavaski's carriage with our luggage, a few villagers that were passing bye waved at us with happy faces. I couldn't help but wave back each time. Even though the deed we did for this village is small, the villagers still treated us as if they'd been saved from impending doom.

Kavaski finally returned after a who-knows-how-long smoke when we were finishing up the final checks.

"Heave ho, you lads. Are you finished with the labor job yet?" Yet again, Kavaski chuckles at his own terrible joke (if it could even be called one?). That one sounded oddly personal, for some reason, but I shrug off that thought and replied.

"We're pretty much done now, Sir Endomallus. Just doing some final checking."

"Gotcha'. I'll be waiting by the front; once you lot are ready, just give me a shout," Kavaski replied.

"Okay, thanks for your efforts!" I added a quick note of gratitude, just because I felt like it. Without replying, Kavaski waved his hand with his back faced to us as he walked away.

After finishing the rest of the checking, we're ready to take off. As we clambered into the carriage, I took one last glance at the village, and at the inn we stayed at. Then, a random thought popped into my mind, which I hadn't had the chance to talk about since coming here.

"Hey, Mason..." I said, staring fixedly at the balcony of the room we stayed at on the second floor.

"What is it?" Mason said, a bit bemused that I wasn't even facing him.

"Um... How do I put it? This inn... it feels out of place...? Like, in such a small village, why is there such a big inn? I doubt this place gets many tourists, maybe not even any..."

"..." Mason didn't reply for a while, but I didn't mind. I knew my random question was, quite frankly, random and abrupt.

"...It never hit me before, but you're right. It is strange that such a huge inn is here, in this village, of all places," said Mason.

"Heh," I chortled. "Let's maybe ask Director Elshire... he said he's a friend of the owner, right?"

"Yeah, good idea."

Just then, Alessia interrupted our pointless banter. "Oi, you two getting on or not?"

"Coming, coming..." Mason grumbled, climbing into the carriage in a half-crawl. I followed after him, slamming the "door" of the carriage shut. Kavaski seems to have noticed that we're on, and bellowed "Let's get going now!" before yanking at the lead clipped to his two horses. The horses neighed, their hooves clonking on the ground as the carriage clattered and began to move.

I looked out the window, where a flat green plains dominated the view under a rising morning sun. The distant mountains were still barely visible with the morning fog covering them like thick blankets. And thus, our quest comes to an end as the journey back to our homes begin anew.

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***

The journey back was much less terrible compared to our previous one going to Arria—probably because we're a tired lot, and the 16-hour sleep that we've befallen ourselves to last night apparently wasn't enough. For most of the morning, I slept through the journey. I didn't know what Mason and Alessia were up to, but when I was abruptly snapped awake, I found the two in giggling fits, trying to subdue their cackling as much as possible as if not wanting me to overhear them.

"...What's so funny?" I said in a mumbly voice, eyesight still hazy.

"Oh... nothing, heh-heh..." Alessia snickered as she averted her gaze from me. I squinted my eyes suspiciously.

"What is it...?" Without really much of a choice, I hammered them on.

"Oh... it's nothing.. Eh-heh... Just that, you looked—pfftt—adorable while you were napping, so we just... kinda... a-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!!"

Alessia couldn't hold back and started cackling like a madwoman. Mason followed as well, laughing so loudly that I could hear Kavaski's grunt from the front.

Almost by instinct, I went to touch my face, though I really can't tell anything different, except...

...ink smeared across my fingers as I moved them away from my face. Oh, so that's what they're up to.

"C'mon... you guys seriously did this...?" I couldn't suppress my empuzzlement, not at the little prank they pulled on me, per se, but what they pulled on me. In other words, this was such a petty and childish trick that I found it confusing they'd even do it.

"This feels unlike you two to be doing childish pranks on me..." I eyed them with a glare as they laughed away.

"Pffft, E-Ernie, your whole face—whole face is covered with that black ink! O-O-Only your e-eyes and mouth are showing! Bwahahaha!" Mason exclaimed, trying to finish his sentence without laughing. Apparently, I'm wearing a full-face makeup of black ink. Great.

"I swear I'll get you back for this..."

"Oh, sure you do. A-ha-ha!!"

Then, without a warning, I lunged at the two across from me with a marker in hand which I secretly slipped out from the luggage behind me, aiming straight at their faces to scribble on them. Mere seconds later, a full-on brawl took shape in the passenger seats of the carriage, rumbling around the whole vehicle. Kavaski was probably growing impatient with us now, adding on to the long journey he'd been dealing with.

—We had to stop and clean ourselves midway through the journey. For the rest of the journey, we stayed put.

***

For the way back home, we decided to take our time, so that when we arrive at the training camp, it would be around noon. And, as planned, we reached Allestris when the sun blazed high in the sky.

Familiar brick and stone buildings covered our sight on every crevice of the outside road, where the wheels of the carriage vehemently rolled against the slightly uneven cobblestone path. Just by the distance, I could see the all-too-familiar right-turn into a certain road, which leads to the training camp.

"We're almost there, you lot," said Kavaski. Unexpectedly, his tone is not as grouchy as last time when we were about to arrive at Sotmesmere, probably because we had more stops in between.

"Yeah, I can practically see the camp from here!" cried Mason, his head hanging out of the "window" of the carriage. His straw-colored hair fluttered against the wind.

"What, you have eyes of a hawk? The camp's half hidden behind a turn. I only see the outside fencing," argued Alessia. As per usual, the two got along nicely.

"The fence is still part of the camp, mind you," he rebuked.

"See it or not, the fact is we're almost there. No point in arguing anymore," Kavaski added. Mason and Alessia shut their mouths.

After a minute or so, the carriage slowed down as we finally approached the front gate of the training camp. As expected, nobody is waiting for us since our arrival is unannounced, but the sight of a carriage clattering by and stopping right in front of the camp's gate will surely be noticed by someone.

Then, as if exactly following my words, the double doors of the camp burst open, revealing Director Elshire with his hands dramatically outstretched. Just like usual, he had his dark sunglasses on, with his silver white hair tied in a short ponytail. His outfit, though, feels a bit unnerving, as the maroon tunic over a fully gray long-sleeved shirt and the dark gray cape fluttering behind him made his whole visage look like he's dressing up as a vampire.

As the director made his way through the front garden, several other campers followed behind, looking curiously at the carriage which we were in. Then, I spotted someone else: The whole Heartwood family was there as well.

Huh...? How did they know I'd be arriving today? Could this just be a coincidence? No, that'd be one heck of a coincidence if it were so. So, then, how...?

Dumbfounded, my mouth hanged low as I watched James Heartwood descending the steps of the front porch, holding hands with his wife, Arianna Heartwood, as well as Rona Heartwood gleefully parading in front. She had a hop in every step, obviously ecstatic that I've returned.

"Hey, Ernie, what are you waiting for?" Alessia asked, already climbing out of the carriage, "We've already arrived!"

"O-Oh, yeah, I'm coming. I just didn't expect the Heartwoods to be here as well."

"The Heartwoods?" Alessia raised her brows. "You mean the family that takes care of you?"

"Yeah, them. You've met them before, haven't you?"

"The night before setting off to our quest, right? They were really nice."

"Of course they are," I cackled.

Following behind Alessia, I clambered out of the carriage into the merciless heat of the summer sun, hanging directly above our heads near its zenith. The sky was cloudless, pure azure-blue painted across the whole slate like an endless sea. Could anyone ask for a more perfect day to commemorate our return from a dangerous quest? ...I might be exaggerating, somewhat.

The moment my feet touch the flagstone ground, Director Elshire boomed enthusiastically.

"So you've returned! Welcome back, welcome back! How did your quest go?"

Wasting no time, the director immediately asked about our quest.

"Uh, it went fine, I guess? We did severely underestimate the sack-elves and ended up being caught up in a horde of them, though," I said, scratching my head.

"Not to mention the crude-elf that appeared and almost killed all of us. We managed to kill it, though," continued Alessia, showing her tracker which had two different numbers, one of them being the number "1" in a slightly darker shade of green beside her "58" kills on the sack-elves.

"We surprisingly got out alive, only costing my whole left arm," Mason added jokingly, showing his stump where a hand should've been, but is now only a stump covered in cloth. Multiple gasps arose from the small crowd of onlookers at the sight of Mason's amputated body part.

"What happened?!"

"Does it still hurt?"

"I bet that was painful."

Without really minding how Mason really feels about his severed arm, the crowd of campers started to berate him with questions that are barely away from being borderline insulting. Still, Mason paid no mind to those and answered truthfully. Before we knew it, he was separated from us into a sea of campers asking countless questions.

"So? What did you think of the quest, Mr. Neswitt?" I turned at the sound of my name being called, looking at the only person who'd call me by that name: Director Elshire. He had his hands on his hips, his dark gray cape draped over half of his arm, with an air of giddy expectation.

"Um... What I think? What do you mean by that, Director Elshire?" I didn't know how to respond to that, really. Was he asking for my opinion? That would be a bit unbefitting to ask someone who has experienced a life-or-death situation.

The director sighed. "I'm asking you, Mr. Neswitt, what you think of the quest. Did you find it enjoyable? Did you learn a valuable lesson? Was the mission any good in teaching you something new?"

"Oh." I paused for a bit, thinking of what to say. "Well, to be honest, although the fight with the sack-elves went horribly wrong, I actually enjoyed planning on the spot and thinking of ways to out-manoeuvre the horde of enemies. Mason and Alessia got to experience something different as well, I suppose.

"And the crude-elf. It appeared just when things couldn't get any worse. We wholeheartedly did not anticipate its existence at all, and was taken aback by how much it overpowered us. I'll admit was foolish to have started the fight alone due to the anger getting to my head, but teaming up with Mason and Alessia to wither down the powerful foe worked well in the end, even if we went out barely alive and Mason losing his left hand.

"This may sound corny, but I really found myself to appreciate things more than before. My life could be lost at any given time, and I might pass away without ever saying a final farewell to my loved ones. I guess it made me more appreciative of life."

The director sighed again after hearing me blabbering. "As usual, I need to spell it out for you. I asked for what you think, not a summary report of whatever happened during your quest."

I tilted my head in confusion. "That's what I genuinely think, though?"

"Yes, I can see you mean those words, but you're missing the point here. Mr. Neswitt, do you remember why you're on this quest in the first place?"

"...For my one-month milestone test to see how far I've come?"

"Exactly. Now, tell me, why do you think I sent you on a quest, and not some other way of testing you?"

"Uh... is it because it's appropriate for my age?"

"No, you imbecile." The director's mouth was thin as a line. I was confused by his stern tone. "It's because it was the perfect way to make you realize."

"Realize? What should I realize?"

"Perhaps you have realized it, but cannot consciously recall what it was, or perhaps you're just too thickheaded to see; either way, I'm just going to say it to your face.

"Mr. Neswitt, your view of the world is too narrow-minded. I'm sure some people have already mentioned this to you already, but you seem to be too stubborn to change. You refuse to acknowledge anything unless it has acknowledged you first. That is simply not how society works, or anything else for that matter.

"Another thing is, you are an arrogant brat that tends to underestimate things. You keep putting yourself on a high horse, but in reality you're just a kid flaunting his superiority. Nobody except you likes to see that. It's annoying, obnoxious, and overly narcissistic. Don't think you're better than everyone else, that the whole world revolves only around you. That view of the world is too simple-minded. Only a fool thinks that way.

"So, for those reasons, I sent you off into this quest. Sly, eh? The whole quest was my doing, surprise, surprise. I bred sack-elves in that den, made sure they've multiplied enough in numbers until a crude-elf spawns, drawn you and your friends in to the oddly rewarding quest regarding such low-life creatures. Do you know why that particular quest had such a high pay? That it had an advance-pay, which is only common in higher-tier quests?

"That's because I made it. I was the one who started it all. From the creatures themselves, to the location of the quest, and the paper that drawn in your eyes—all of it was my doing. Do you get my point here?"

I was speechless. So many thoughts bounced around in my head like a haze, but I was unable to find the words to say it out. I felt a tinge of annoyance, maybe even furious that the director called me narcissistic, a brat, a simple-minded fool. It sounded awfully familiar to the trash-talking I was exposed to back on Earth; but what's more terrifying is that, the director's words—they overlap with my sister's. It sounded so unironically similar to what she said to me before she left for this world. I was about to say something about it, before the director cut me off.

"I'm not finished yet. Have you wondered, why sack-elves, of all things? Well, it may be obvious already, but sack-elves are incredibly weak creatures in face value. They don't have any magical powers, they're physically weak, and they're not very smart. That's why it's easy to view them as low creatures that are weak through and through. But when they have the advantage in numbers, things rock to their way much quicker than you'd expect.

"Mr. Neswitt, do you know why you were overwhelmed by the sack-elves? It's because you underestimated them. Remember what I said? You're a pitiful brat who thinks he's better than everyone else. That's inherently untrue. Doesn't it feel painful—humiliating, even—that you were nearly defeated by sack-elves, the lowest of the low?

"And the crude-elf. As you've said, you did not anticipate it at all. That's a major flaw as well. I wanted you to learn to not trust anything at face value. Try to recall what I talked about back when you had that interview with me. Didn't I say that, to gain an advantage over someone, you have to put on a mask? The exact same thing is going on here.

"The sack-elf colony seemed weak, didn't it? It seemed like they'd be an easy opponent to deal with. But you quickly came to realize that that's not the case. They've been hiding something this whole time right under your noses, and if you'd only been more cautious, more calculating, more observant, you'd have sniffed out the underlying curse that the sack-elf den holds, and possibly even defeat the crude-elf without having Mr. Bruggs lose an arm.

"So? Do you get it now, Mr. Neswitt? Your stubbornness and your unyielding worldview? That's a major flaw, as I've suggested. Some may say it's something impressive, but what I think is different from everyone else. I think it'll make you the loser in the end. You may win the battle, but you'll undeniably lose the war. How direct that premonition might be, I can't say for sure. You can't always be the one in the spotlight. I can guarantee that that's how you'll fall. You'll lose, not because you couldn't come out victorious, but because you specifically weren't the one who came out victorious.

"And for my last wish, please, Mr. Neswitt, learn. Learn from your mistakes, from your defeats, and improve and change yourself accordingly. Be the person who you deem yourself to be, and don't just sit around and do nothing, thinking you're already the perfect brat you think you are. Go and change yourself for the better. I hope my words at least made you realize something. If even words can get to you, then you'll have no choice but to learn the hard way. Take my warning to heart."

With that, Director Elshire finished his speech. He took a breather and turned away from me. By now, my head was bubbling with rage, and just about when I was going to retaliate, something lunged at me.

—I'd been pulled into a tight embrace.

Blonde strands of hair fluttered in unison and blocked my sight. Those twirls at the end of each strand were familiar.

Oh, I realized. They were here. They—the Heartwood family—had been here the whole time. This person, who is hugging me tightly, so tight I felt like I'm underwater with hard pressure pushing at every part of my body—it was Rona.

"E-Eh...?" I muttered unconsciously.

"Ernie...!!" I caught her muffled voice, which reverberated from my heart. "You're back...! You're actually back!"

"I—I... Yeah, I'm back, alright..." I couldn't help it. I had to place my hand on her head, patting her soft golden hair. Unexpectedly, Rona's embrace didn't waver at all, and I felt something wet around my upper body.

Rona was crying.

"U-Uh? Rona? Why are you—?"

"I'm... glad, Ernie," she said softly, sniffing in between her words. "I'm so g-glad you're back. I c-couldn't stand n-not having you around. I was genuinely w-worried that you might n-never come back..."

More tears streamed down her face, but I couldn't see since her hair is blocking my vision. Maybe that was for the better, though.

"Mhm... I'm sorry for making you worry, Rona. I promised you, didn't I? That I'd be back?"

"Y-You did. You did promise me. ...Thank you so much for keeping that promise, Ernie."

"I can't possibly break a promise. Not when you're the one I vowed my words to."

"..." Rona didn't say anything else, and she continued to weep as wet tears spread across my shirt.

"Welcome back, Ernie."

"Welcome home."

James and Arianna greeted me with smiles on their faces, standing a distance away from Rona and I.

"Yeah... I'm back."

"You've kept your word, didn't you? I appreciate that very much," said Arianna.

I nodded. A few moments later, Rona stepped away from me. She wiped her tears away with both her hands. Her eyes were tinted red.

"Thank you, Ernie..." she muttered quietly, keeping her head down.

"No worries, Rona."

After a conversation with the Heartwood family, I met up with Mason and Alessia again. We still have lots to do. And one of those things being—

"Hey, Director Elshire," I called out to the man in sunglasses, standing straight on the porch overlooking the field where many campers trained.

"Mm? What is it, Mr. Neswitt?"

"Um, can I—no, we—ask you something?"

I could see the director's eyebrows rise up from behind his sunglasses. "Ho, what question are the three of you meaning to ask me about?"

"Well, this is kind of a stupid question, but... about the inn we stayed at during our quest—Tomores' Inn, I think—the owner of that place is your friend, right?"

The director chuckled. "Not so much a 'friend' as an 'acquaintance.'"

"Yeah, that. Well, we were wondering... why did they decide to put such a large inn in a village so small? I doubt it gets much use with so little tourists and merchants coming to that place."

The director peered at me with his eyes behind his pitch-black sunglasses. After an uncomfortably long silence, he finally burst out laughing.

"Ah-ha-ha-ha! To think you'd catch on to such a minor detail—you really are observant, but in the wrong places," he chortled further. "Well, since it's not really private information, I suppose I'll let you in on why that inn is where it is."

Anticipation arose inside me. I eagerly looked at the director, though he took his sweet time in answering my question.

"You see, that inn—it's not just an inn. It operates as one, yes, but more than that, it's a hideout for something else. What that 'something else' is, I can't tell you. But think of it as a 'temporary shelter' that one can use as a checkpoint on a long journey. So, in a sense, that inn hides an underworld base that acts as a checkpoint between two different major sites. Why in that village in particular? Well, it's just inconspicuous, that's all. But now that you've caught on, I doubt the secrecy of that place now." The director laughed again.

I was aghast. To think such an inn would hold such secrets. Mason and Alessia were flummoxed as well. What a way to end an adventure.