บท 62: Preparation

Ostensibly unable to endure the strain of their contest, the circular table separating Will and Allyson abruptly gave way. Fortunately, both reacted quickly, getting their feet under them and avoiding a scenario where they either headbutted or crashed into one another.

"Well, that's not good..." said Aelius, his already cramped smile becoming more so as nearly everyone in the Guild Hall looked over to see what had caused the commotion. This included a burly, stern-faced man with thick, mane-like hair, rigid horns protruding from the sides of his head, and arms nearly as thick as the average person's torso.

"This isn't the place for you to make a scene..." said the man, approaching the group and crossing his arms in a way that made him seem even bigger than before.

Raising his hands in a gesture of mock surrender, Aelius assured, "I will reimburse double what the table and glasses are worth, so please let us off just this once. It wasn't our intention to cause trouble."

Noticing the silver Guild Token Aelius conveniently held in his right hand, the burly Guild employee blinked in surprise before softening his posture. B-Rank Adventurers weren't uncommon in a hub city like Khufu, but since the Guild counted on them to deal with emergencies and complete time-sensitive commissions, they were typically afforded a reasonable degree of leeway.

"Fine. But you need to leave," said the horned Guild employee, accepting the coin pouch Aelius proffered before adding, "And don't come back any time soon."

"Unless we're needed, of course," appended Aelius, sporting a smile that caused the Guild employee to snort, roll his eyes, and walk off to retrieve cleaning supplies.

Turning to face Will and Allyson, Aelius's smile didn't quite reach his eyes as he asked, "Are you two okay with settling things here?"

Feeling embarrassed, Allyson avoided Aelius's gaze and combed aside the loose strands of hair that had fallen over her face. As for Will, he took things in stride, responding, "Fine by me," with a relaxed smile.

"Then shall we relocate someplace with fewer eyes?" asked Aelius. "Our Inn isn't far from here if you've yet to choose a place to stay."

"Sounds good," said Will, nodding in affirmation. He originally planned to leave the city before nightfall, but traveling with a group who understood the local customs and had connections was a lot smarter than setting out on his own...

...

After settling into his room at a nearby Inn, Will sat on the edge of his bed, his gaze directed at the floor as he muttered, "I never expected you to intervene like that..."

In response to Will's words, his shadow elongated nearly a meter before Ohta half rose from its interior, leaning forward with his arms crossed on the floor as he argued, "I can only tolerate watching you making a fool of yourself for so long. You could have won that match easily, but you chose to drag things out, and for what? Did you think that half-elf would get all doll-eyed after realizing how strong you were?"

"Would you be surprised to learn I didn't think that far ahead?" asked Will.

"That's your problem," said Ohta. "You're usually super cautious, but then there are times like yesterday and today when you do completely random things. And each time you do, it creates future problems."

"Then what do you want to do?" asked Will. "Because I'm currently just going with the flow."

"Tell me why you actually wanted to come to Deisceart, and I might have an answer for you..." retorted Ohta, narrowing his eyes challengingly.

"I'm searching for someone," revealed Will, catching Ohta a little off guard as he didn't expect an immediate response.

"Who?" asked Ohta.

"I'm sure they have an actual name, but they're known colloquially as the Desert Rose," answered Will. "As for why I'm looking for them...it's mainly to confirm something."

"Like what...?" asked Ohta, seeing the present situation as an opportunity to get some actual answers to his questions.

"Whether or not I know them," revealed Will, smiling as he explained, "A long time ago, there were several people I regarded as close friends, but circumstance eventually drove us to separate. I believe this Desert Rose may be one of them."

"Desert Rose..." repeated Ohta, his expression morphing into a half-lidded deadpan as he pointed out, "Sounds like the name of a girl..."

"If what I read about them is true, they are one," affirmed Will, shrugging. "But, trust me, the likelihood of us having that kind of relationship is even more improbable than you and me hooking up..."

"..."

Though he didn't fully understand why, Ohta felt moderately annoyed by Will's words. It didn't help that he had crawled into Will's bed after failing to fall asleep in the shadow dimension.

'There must be something wrong with me...' thought Ohta, causing Will's brows to rise as he abruptly descended back into the shadows, no longer interested in the conversation and not wanting to be seen.

'Did I misspeak...?' Will wondered, thinking back to what he had just said. The only thing that stood out was his remark about the improbability of him and Ohta hooking up, but since the latter still believed himself to be a boy, Will wasn't sure why the remark had upset him. He could extrapolate a few possibilities, but without Ohta confirming them, they were ultimately just speculation...

...

"Want to talk about what happened...?" asked Aelius, seated with Allyson in the Inn's dining area.

"There's something off about that boy..." replied Allyson, her expression contemplative as she traced her finger around the rim of a ceramic glass filled with coffee.

"Do you think he's a threat...?" asked Aelius, raising his brows.

"I don't know..." sighed Allyson, shaking her head. "But his Mana and Aura are somehow...different from other humans. Then there's his strength...he was able to match me without igniting his Mana and Aura. I can't imagine how powerful he must be when going all out..."

"Hoooo...?"

Sitting back in his chair and crossing his arms, Aelius asked, "Do you think he could take me and Kris on?"

"If he can, he would have to be much stronger than the average B-Rank..." muttered Allyson, uncertainty marring her expression. She didn't think Will was A-Rank, as that required a team of proven B-Ranks or someone at the level of a Master, but he was definitely an outlier.

"Then it should be fine," said Aelius, nodding assuredly. He may not be the most powerful B-Rank in the world of Andora, but he was confident he wouldn't lose in a one-on-one. Not unless he was caught off guard or drugged.

"But still, that was pretty bold of you..." said Aelius, prompting Allyson to raise her head and meet his narrow-eyed, grinning gaze.

"What are you talking about...?" asked Allyson, confused.

"I mean, Aiden all but implied he would bed you if he won your contest," reminded Aelius. "We wouldn't have allowed him to have his way with you, but the fact you agreed caught me off guard."

Though faint, a blush promptly spread through Allyson's cheeks, causing the tips of her short but pointed ears to redden. She only pressed forward because she was certain of her victory, but seeing how things played out, she was fortunate the table gave when it did.

"Was that you...?" asked Allyson, this time leaving Aelius as the one filled with confusion.

"Was what me...?" questioned Aelius.

"Before the table gave, I sensed...something..." revealed Allyson. "I was too focused on winning to discern what it was, but someone or something intervened near the end."

"Oh? Well, it certainly wasn't me..." responded Aelius, raising his gaze to the ceiling as he opined, "Do you think it could have been Aiden? I would have noticed if it was Kris. And Angil was too occupied stealing glances at your backside to-"

"..."

Seeing Allyson's expression morph into an unamused deadpan, Aelius promptly changed topics, questioning, "Does it matter what caused the table to collapse? I'm down some pocket change, but now that we have five B-Ranks, we can start accepting A-Rank missions and enter those ruins you've wanted to research."

"That's assuming that Aiden guy is willing to accompany us..." reminded Allyson, exhaling a sigh as her anger gave way to somber exasperation. She hadn't given up on her goal of entering the ruins Aelius was referring to, but since they had approached Will with the proposition of traveling to Namsyrh, the odds of him agreeing to a nearly 2,000km detour were slim, at best.

"Why wouldn't he?" asked Aelius, raising his brows as he pointed out, "It seems obvious to me he came to Deisceart to hone his skills, increase his fame, and make a fortune. If we convince him there are treasures hidden within the ruins, which isn't even false, he should readily accompany us. If not, well, we can go with our original plan of attaining a B-Rank Slave from the capital's marketplace."

As the thought of purchasing a sapient creature made her uncomfortable, a conflicted frown marred Allyson's face. However, as the vast majority of Slaves were criminals who willfully consented to servitude in lieu of death or harsher penalties, it was difficult to empathize with them fully.

Seeing Allyson's expression, Aelius softened, a faint sigh emanating from his nose as he stated, "Don't forget why we've worked so hard these past few years. You and your family deserve closure, Ally..."

Nodding slowly, Allyson habitually reached up to grab the silver pendant dangling from her neck with a wistful yet determined expression. Around the same time, Kris came over to join them, heralding a rather abrupt end to the duo's private conversation...

...

tok tok ta-tok tok

Though he could sense the person outside his room, Will waited for them to knock before opening his eyes, rising from his bed, and making his way over to the door.

"We meet again," joked Aelius, adopting a broad, friendly smile that made him look much younger than his actual age.

"Did you need something...?" asked Will, raising his right brow.

"On the contrary," replied Aelius, striking a pose and wagging the index finger of his left hand before pointing at Will and asserting, "It's you who needs to change your outfit and prepare supplies. If you try venturing into the jungle or desert in such thick clothes, you'll overheat and die. We have Ally to supplement our water supplies, but if we get separated by a desert storm or a monster attack, it's good to have at least two waterskins and a filtration system on hand."

"Mmm...I do kind of stand out..." agreed Will. "As for food and water, I've got those covered."

"Oh~?" hummed Aelius, tilting his body to stare past Will as he asked, "Were you concealing a camping pack and cooking utensils under your cloak?"

"Allyson isn't the only one capable of using Magic," said Will, holding up his right index finger and condensing moisture from the air to produce a tiny, swirling globule of water.

"Duly noted," responded Aelius, nodding. "But it's still better to prepare at least two containers full of water. Deisceart's desert sand has a bunch of pulverized Magic Crystals and other elements blended in, interfering with the casting of spells. But, curiously enough, it doesn't affect women, only men. That's one of the many reasons Deisceart has a matriarchal, Warrior-based society."

"Doesn't that only apply to specific regions of the desert...?" asked Will, well aware of Deisceart's peculiarities, including the fact magical beasts that relied on Magic were unable to fly over areas where the sand swirled like liquid due to powerful eddy currents.

"Yes, but those regions happen to be where the most profitable Resource Areas and Dungeons are located," clarified Aelius. "Fortunately, once you get inside, you can use Magic without issue. The materials comprising the Dungeon's walls, floor, and ceiling block it out."

"Mmm...good to know..." said Will, causing Aelius to take a few steps back as he exited his room and entered the hallway. In truth, he had more than a few outfits he could change into, but since he didn't fully trust the pint-sized cat boy and his companions, it was best to keep his storage device and inventory a secret...

...