Baggage Carrier ⑥
Several hours after seeing them off.
Today, despite it being daytime, the Cidre Tavern felt unusually empty.
Looking around, my eyes met Ax-san’s.
“Over here, Woff.”
“Yes.”
I went to the table he called me over to.
Ax-san was there, along with two men I didn’t recognize.
“Well, have a seat.”
I sat down as told.
“Want to order something?”
“Then, I’ll have lemonade.”
It was daytime, but I wasn’t hungry.
Ax-san placed the order and then introduced the two men.
“First up is Rell.”
“Hey. Nice to meet you.”
“Y-Yes. Nice to meet you too.”
The one who greeted me curtly was a male Elf with long silver hair.
He was tall, wore black clothes, and had glasses.
His trousers were also black. Only his belt was silver.
Being an Elf, he was handsome, but more than that, his posture and aura exuded nobility.
“And this here is Hoss.”
“Name’s Hoss. Pleasure.”
The one who bowed slightly was a short man.
He had a somewhat square face, narrow eyes, and a snub nose.
From his build, I could tell he was a Dwarf.
In front of him was an extra-large mug of Ale.
It was about half empty.
“Yes. Nice to meet you.”
“That’s everyone in the Fang of Thunder. By the way, I’m close-range. Hoss is mid-range. Rell is long-range.”
“You have a well-balanced party, then.”
“It’s just based on the weapons we use.”
“Yep. Ax uses a sword, I use a Halberd. Rell uses a bow.”
“I see… Um, so then.”
I immediately noticed.
Someone was missing from the table.
This was an important meet-and-greet.
And the crucial person, she, wasn’t here.
“I know what you want to say. Whether it’s good news or bad news…”
Ax-san gave a wry smile.
The other two also looked conflicted.
Her not being here probably meant just that.
“Did something happen?”
“She hasn’t arrived. She was supposed to be here the day before yesterday or yesterday.”
Rell-san said, pushing his glasses up.
Ax-san sighed.
“Well, as long as she arrives by tomorrow, it’ll be fine, I guess.”
“Ax. What’ll we do if she don’t?”
“Can’t be helped. We’ll leave her behind.”
“Mmm. It can’t be helped. It’s a request, after all.”
“Yeah.”
Can’t be helped. Despite saying that, it was obvious they were hoping it would turn out that way.
The other two felt similarly.
They didn’t want a member of the opposite sex joining and changing the usual dynamic.
I couldn’t say I didn’t understand how they felt.
If possible… I hoped for that outcome too.
Nobody wanted her here.
“Since she’s not here, it might not be right to ask, but could you give me some information about her?”
“Yeah, but all I know is her name.”
“Is that all?”
“…I was only told her name too. They said it was a ‘Surprise’ or something.”
“Ah… one of those types.”
There are people like that, aren’t there?
“Her name is Mineha.”
Mineha. Just the name didn’t tell me anything.
Rell-san spoke up.
“We tried to look into it ourselves, just in case. But the only significant information was just rumors.”
“And those rumors only said she became a Seeker under special circumstances.”
“Yep. Stood out for that, but nothin’ else, nothin’ at all.”
That was all I knew too.
Well, that’s how widespread rumors usually are.
“What did you say!? The Anomaly Subjugation party already left?! What’s that supposed to mean!?”
Suddenly, an angry shout was heard.
Looking over, I saw a small girl floating lightly near a table.
She had long orange hair, part of which was braided.
“It’s a Fairial,” Ax-san said.
“Hoh,” Rell-san murmured.
“Rare, ain’t she,” Hoss-san added.
“So that’s one.”
She had four translucent wings growing from her back.
It didn’t look like she was floating because of them.
Because the wings weren’t moving. They weren’t even flapping.
She wore red clothes and armor, with a skirt that flared out softly like flower petals.
Hanging at her waist was a type of Spear.
On the table were several empty plates stacked up.
Could this tiny creature really have eaten all that?
The female waitress answered timidly.
“They left this morning.”
“What do you mean!?”
“Even if you ask me what I mean…”
With her hands on her hips, she was hassling the waitress.
Ax-san whispered while looking sideways.
“She’s small but loud.”
“I’m not good with that type,” Rell-san stated flatly.
“Rell ain’t good with any kinda woman,” Hoss-san chuckled.
“She resembles my third older sister,” Rell-san added.
“Rell has a lot of sisters, right?” Ax-san asked.
“That’s why I’m fed up with women,” Rell-san declared.
Rell-san confessed bitterly.
I see. No wonder he’s not good with them.
But seeing her, I felt a sense of unease.
No, surely not.
“……”
“What’s wrong, Woff?” Ax-san asked.
“I have a bad feeling.”
“A bad feeling?”
“‘Bout what?” Hoss-san inquired.
“About that Fairial girl…”
“Don’t stare too much. If you make eye contact, she’ll attack you.”
Rell-san said in a low voice.
“Eh? No…”
“Seriously, Rell?” Ax-san asked.
“That’s scarier than a Monster,” Rell-san muttered darkly.
“My sixth older sister was like that.”
Rell-san said, pushing his glasses up.
What kind of sister was she? And how many more does he have?
“It’s not that, could she possibly be…”
“What? You guys have been…”
Suddenly, the Fairial girl flew over to us.
Floating in mid-air with her hands on her hips, she showed an irritated expression.
“Whoa!” Ax-san yelped.
“……” Rell-san was silent.
“Hiee!” Hoss-san squeaked.
Ax-san was surprised, Rell-san remained silent, and Hoss-san cowered.
The Fairial girl looked annoyed.
“What’s with that attitude?”
“Ah, no, uh, s-sorry,” Ax-san stammered.
“……” Rell-san stayed quiet.
“Hiee!” Hoss-san whimpered.
Ax-san responded nervously, Rell-san remained silent, and Hoss-san cowered.
The Fairial girl looked us over.
“You guys were looking at me, weren’t you?”
“Just a glance,” Ax-san said quickly.
“…I wasn’t looking,” Rell-san denied.
“I-I mean, I looked, but, it wasn’t like…” Hoss-san mumbled.
“What about you?”
The Fairial girl addressed me.
“I was looking, but, um, can I ask one thing?”
“What?”
“I apologize if I’m mistaken. But could you possibly be Mineha-san?”
I asked.
Praying that I was wrong.