Chapter 267: Fire
“What are you doing?”
“I’m just looking for pill bugs to pass the time.”
“…”
During the night watch, as I flipped over some stones, Karn shot me a disapproving look. He approached silently, wrapped his arms around my waist, and lifted me up.
“Stay still. You’re my master, unfortunately.”
He set me down next to the campfire.
“Isn’t it fine? I don’t plan on acting like a master, and you can just keep quiet about being my contractor.”
What’s so troublesome about it?
“It is troublesome.”
“What for?”
The changelings on the island seem pretty free, don’t they?
“You can’t express gratitude honestly.”
“…”
Karn said this with an incredibly reluctant expression.
“I only helped because I happened to be in a position to do so. Besides, I went to the desert ruins for sightseeing.”
“I don’t think that’s a place you visit for sightseeing.”
Now he looked like he had bitten into a sour bug.
Does he have an overly rich variety of expressions in that regard?
“What’s up?”
Retze woke up.
“You could have just slept in.”
“I’m specialized for this kind of role as an adventurer. I can’t relax, and it’s become a habit to be outside.”
Retze sat down next to me, opposite Karn.
“Speaking of which, you do carry a lot of stuff and assist with investigations. But I still think you should go for a Gold Rank.”
“Impossible, I’d die.”
Retze pulled out a loaf of bread from his pack and sliced it thinly. It smelled like a snack.
He heated a knife over the campfire and cut cheese on top of the bread. The heat from the knife melted the cheese, which dripped onto the bread. The aroma of the warmed cheese wafted up, stirring my stomach that was already a bit hungry.
“Here.”
“Thanks.”
As I bit into it, the thin crust of the bread crumbled crisply, perfectly complementing the slightly salty cheese. Simple but delicious.
“So? Didn’t you mention something about sightseeing?”
Retze asked while handing a cheese-topped piece of bread to Karn.
“Yeah. My hobby is sometimes touring ruins, and I went to the desert where Karn was just for fun.”
I did get some treasure, but it’s the atmosphere of that temple that makes it special. When I arranged some of it on the shelf in the Island Tower, it completely felt like “merchandise.” Maybe I should just stuff it all in the warehouse instead of displaying it on the shelf?
“Speaking of which, I went to the Western Fire Temple too. Be careful, there are plenty of cunning demon beasts in old places.”
“Some of those demon beasts can talk, right? I’ll be careful.”
Time to boil some water for tea. Breakfast prep should be starting soon.
“You’ve already encountered them?”
Retze sounded exasperated.
“Give me a cup, a cup. Karn, are you okay with bitter? I have sugar too.”
I had managed to make something like a drip bag with coffee grounds wrapped in paper. Just a little bit, though.
I wanted to roast the beans and drink freshly ground coffee, but I gave up since my luggage was already too bulky.
Retze and I took ours black and unsweetened, while Karn loaded his with sugar. I thought the same thing when we went to Es; drinks and desserts are incredibly sweet. Is that just their national character?
“This is addictive.”
Retze, with a slight smile, had completely become a coffee person. The tea the butler brews is good too, but I’m a coffee fan myself.
“Any recommended ruins?”
I asked the two of them.
“Not really. Even if there are, they’d either be labyrinths or places for treasure hunting.”
Retze said, holding his coffee cup close to his mouth.
I see, so you wouldn’t go to ruins for sightseeing. I wouldn’t mind a labyrinth, but I’d prefer to go somewhere crowded with everyone.
“There’s a city in the middle of the desert called Tuareg, known for the legend of the White Giant. —I don’t even know if it’s recommended as a ruin, let alone if there are any ruins.”
Karn said.
“The cities from your time, Karn, are ruins to us. It’s complicated.”
“I’d love to show you the beautiful city before it was swallowed by the desert.”
“Yeah, I wanted to see it.”
I wanted to know what kind of king Karn was and what kind of city he ruled.
Now, time to prepare breakfast. What should I make? For now, I’ll get ready to bake some bread.
As I hummed while preparing, I could hear the conversation between Retze and Karn.
“This guy is laid-back because he has the power and knowledge to do so. He just doesn’t seem impressive by nature.”
It seems like Retze is defending me.
“Well, I’m not sure about letting bread dough rest inside someone’s clothes.”
“It’s the perfect temperature. The humidity too.”
Karn’s expression turned half-lidded when I lifted his robe.
There are ten parties with thirty-one people below the Twentieth Layer. Among them, one party has applied for the Twenty-Fifth Layer or beyond.
Four groups have been delivered to the glasses. One of them is likely for the Twenty-Fifth Layer, so there should be five groups between the Twentieth Layer (here) and the Twenty-Fourth Layer. It seems there are no more points for the Twentieth Layer, so it’ll be from the Twenty-First Layer onward.
I’ll disregard my campfire stand for now, but since we have Dinoss in his dragon form and Dean with his scent-loving lizard nearby, we’re fine. However, without the Fire Spirit, it’s tough to start or maintain the fire.
I only realized it later, or rather, I didn’t notice until Dinoss pointed it out, but it seems the glasses were in the dark because of that. After we parted ways, the spark of fire had gone out.
Adventurers moving ahead must be very careful to keep their fires going, or they’re likely to be possessed by a Black Spirit that can handle the darkness. The former would mean they missed the signs they should have noticed, or they’re just idiots who can’t make the judgment to turn back.
There’s also the possibility that they’re like Dean, unknowingly possessed by a Fire Spirit, but adventurers are harsh.