Chapter 143: What We Saw from the Cape
“Ahhh, I knew it! Eating seaweed makes me crave miso soup!”
“Haha!”
“No, really. I want to drink the miso soup you made, Rio.”
“True. I’d love to make some for you, Shuu.”
Though it sounded somewhat like a proposal, we were already married, so there was no deeper meaning behind it. I genuinely just wanted to drink miso soup.
“I wonder if there’s any miso around here.”
“I could use some soy sauce too.”
“I thought about it when I had sashimi, but I can’t take it anymore with just seaweed.”
It’s not actually called seaweed, but in my mind, that’s what it has become.
“Alright. In that case, let’s look for some rice as well.”
“Okay, now that we’ve set our next goal, how about we take a stroll outside the town?”
To be honest, I was curious about the cape visible to the east. It looked like a small hill, and the view seemed promising. The morning after we gathered seaweed, I held Rio’s hand as we walked along the coastline heading east. From this vantage point, the land sloped upward toward the sky, leading to the cape’s tip, which was a sheer cliff. Of course, if we continued forward, we would plummet straight into the sea.
“Hey, there’s a harbor on the other side of the cape!”
As we began our ascent from the base of the cape to its tip, the view on the other side came into sight. There were two large piers and a big building that looked like a warehouse. However, no ships were docked, and there were no signs of life.
“Wow, you’re right. I wonder what that is?”
“Well, let’s climb up and check it out.”
At this point, we were a bit far from the town. The path was well-maintained, so it was likely a functioning facility, but we could always ask at the Guild later.
“Whoa…”
When we reached the tip, the view opened up before us. The sea stretched endlessly, the sky was clear, and the waves were calm. The breeze that passed through felt refreshing. There were a few boats out fishing, appearing like tiny dots on the water. Beyond the horizon, there was a slight haze, but I could just make out the shadow of what looked like an islet. It might have been the same one I saw from the ship during the escort request. If I could see it from here, it wouldn’t be impossible to fly there.
“Wow, this view is amazing…”
Peering over the edge of the cliff, I saw the rugged rocks being battered by the waves, sending up sprays of water. It might be a bit too high to drop a fishing line here. Turning around, I found Rio with her arms wide open, embracing the wind with her entire body. I stood beside her, mimicking her pose, stretching my arms wide.
When I glanced at her, our eyes met. We smiled at each other, stepped closer, and embraced, sharing a gentle kiss that barely brushed our lips together.
“It’s quite a relaxing spot, but there’s no one around…”
“Isn’t it nice not to have any interruptions?”
“That’s true, but it seems there aren’t many tourists here after all.”
“Yeah…”
We looked down from the cape at the empty harbor below.
“Shall we head over there next?”
Curiosity piqued, we turned back from the cape and headed toward the harbor on the opposite side of the town.
“Oh, it’s off-limits.”
A sign was posted, and a thick rope blocked the entrance.
“Hmmm. There’s no one watching, so we could sneak in, but let’s not.”
There was no need to stir up trouble just out of curiosity. The two of us and our companion decided to return to the town.
“Is that the harbor on the other side of the cape?”
Now in the Adventurer’s Guild, we could ask about anything we didn’t understand.
“That harbor over there leads to a national facility.”
“Really? Is it a military facility?”
“That’s correct. So please refrain from entering without permission.”
Whoa, that was a close call. It would have been one thing to trespass, but if I had accidentally learned something I shouldn’t have, it could have been serious. Still, for a military facility, it seemed odd that there were no guards around.
“A large ship comes in every couple of months, but we don’t know what they’re doing there.”
“Interesting.”
I couldn’t tell if they were just withholding information from adventurers or if they genuinely didn’t know, but I wasn’t particularly eager to find out more, so I decided to leave it at that.
“Oh, by the way, changing the subject, are there any small islands beyond this sea?”
“Islands?”
The Guild staff tilted their head in suspicion, but it was just a simple question about an island.
“Yes. I saw a faint shadow of what looked like an islet from the tip of the cape, and I was wondering what might be there.”
“…There shouldn’t be any visible islands out there. Did you perhaps see a mirage?”
“Huh? No, no! I saw it clearly from the ship during the escort request a few days ago!”
“That can’t be…”
“I didn’t notice it at the time, but I also saw a shadow that looked like an islet from the cape.”
“I see…”
Rio and I exchanged glances, surprised by the unexpected reaction. It felt like there was no actual islet out there. The Guild staff stroked their chin, deep in thought.
“Would it be alright if we discussed this in a separate room?”
Suddenly, the staff member looked up and stepped out from behind the counter, making the suggestion.
“Please, this way.”
Without waiting for a response, they urged us to follow. With no reason to refuse, we were led by the staff member up to the third floor of the Guild and into a room.
“I’ll call someone in charge, so please wait a moment.”
“Understood.”
Rio and I sat on a two-seater sofa, while Nil lay nearby, and the staff member exited the room.
“…This is turning out differently than I expected.”
“Yeah. I thought we were just going for a leisurely sightseeing trip.”
With a sigh, we had no choice but to wait here until someone from the higher-ups arrived.