The others froze and turned to look at me. Gerard looked annoyed, but Kyle nodded without hesitation.
“Right. We don’t know what lies ahead, so let’s rest a moment—catch our breath and have some water.”
Quickly, I sensed the moment, drew my water canteen from my pack, and handed it to Kyle.
“Gerard, fetch any records you have on mercenaries. We need to learn which company these fellows belonged to.”
While the others busied themselves with discussion, I slipped back out of sight. Once I confirmed no one was following, I waved my hand in midair.
“Lari, Lari—are you there?”
He had promised to follow me, but I couldn’t be sure until I saw him. Soon a small shadow fluttered down from the trees and landed beside me.
—Yes, Master, I’m here. What do you need?
I sank to the ground, glancing around to ensure we were unobserved, then whispered,
“Can you scout ahead and tell me what’s there?”
—Not a problem, Master! I’ll be right back.
Without looking back, he shot upward into the canopy. Not knowing when he’d return, I awkwardly surveyed the forest and waited.
“Rishian, what are you doing all alone?”
A sudden voice behind me made me jump. I turned to find Elonen approaching, puzzled.
“I thought I saw something—must have been my imagination.”
Feigning nervous glances, I worried my secret would be exposed.
“You startled me by vanishing. It’s dangerous to be alone—stay with us.”
I hadn’t wanted to rejoin the group until Lari returned, but I had no excuse. Reluctantly, I followed Elonen back to the party, where Kyle and Gerard were still debating by the corpse.
I marveled at how casually they chatted beside the dead mercenary.
“Here—this emblem matches. They were the White-Whisker Mercenary Company.”
Kyle held up a badge whose crest matched one listed in the guild registry.
“The White-Whisker Company is ranked C. Their operating area isn’t far from here.”
He explained that every mercenary company on the continent must register with the Mercenary Guild, which assigns ranks based on size and activity.
“My guess is the baron hired this C-rank company to solve his rat problem—but they were wiped out right here in the forest, and he never mentioned it to us.”
Though C-rank was the lowest tier, the fact that such danger lurked—and was concealed—felt deeply troubling. If the baron had knowingly hidden the truth, he’d essentially sent us to our doom.
“Are we really going to press on? I’m uneasy about this.”
For the first time I agreed with Gerard. I nodded loudly so Kyle could see I shared his concern.
“But they’re only C-rank, and all the mercenary corpses so far are third-class. It’s hard to say it’s truly dangerous.”
Kyle would not be swayed. Elonen stood between us with an ambiguous expression, and Kakaros busied himself scouting the area. Kyle seemed determined to move forward, so I could only wait for Lari’s return and hope he had news.
—Master!
At that thought, Lari’s voice sounded out. I startled and turned toward the sound.
“What’s wrong, Rishian?” Elonen asked, noticing my reaction.
“I thought I heard something…”
“Heard something? I don’t hear anything. What was it?”
Elonen peered around in confusion. Only I could hear Lari.
—I’m linking your vision now!
I had no idea what he meant, but the world went pitch-black before my eyes.
“Huh…?”
Not metaphorically but truly, the world turned void. I waved my hands helplessly—and then light flooded back.
I found myself peering into a dense forest, at a murky emerald swamp that gave off a foul aura. Across it, high cliff walls held a stone door.
—That door radiates incredible miasma!
At once I felt a chill: this was surely a dungeon entrance. Around it, more mercenary bodies dangled from the trees, like a warding circle.
—I’ve found nothing else yet. I’ll link again if I see more!
With that, the vision faded to black.
I blinked, and the blurry image of the Hero’s party returned.
“He seems… out of it. Oh—he’s back to normal?”
Something buzzed at the edge of my vision. Blinking again, I saw Gerard’s face, clear now. He waved his hand in front of me.
“He must have been so frightened he zoned out.”
Gerard said quietly. At that, Kyle—still crouched by the dead mercenary—rushed over.
“You alright? First time seeing a corpse got you rattled?”
“Well… a bit.”
I wasn’t truly frightened, but I shrugged it off.
“Let’s do this: it’s getting dark, so we should return to town and ask the baron what’s going on.”
“That sounds best.”
Kyle—considerate as though I’d truly panicked—decided to head back. Kakaros wanted to press on, but Gerard backed Kyle’s choice, so the majority carried the day.
“I sense strong miasma,” Kakaros muttered uncomfortably as he resumed the lead.
“What’s wrong?”
“It feels familiar—like I’ve sensed this before.”
“You’ve felt it before?”
Kyle asked, puzzled since he didn’t know what lay ahead. But I understood: our past adventures had included many dungeons, and this aura was the same.
“It’s unsettling, but let’s talk to the baron first, then come back.”
“…Understood.”
By the time we reached the village, the sun had set. Kyle went straight to the baron’s castle.
Inside, Corden ushered us back into the reception room.
“Please wait here. I’ll fetch the baron.”
No feast appeared in the offing—nothing like the morning’s grand welcome.
“This feels different from earlier, doesn’t it?” Kyle frowned.
Corden asked us to wait, and we sat long enough for impatience to set in. As boredom crept in, Kyle spoke to me again.
“Rishian, are you okay now?”
“I’m fine.”
I’d only vomited from the stench—no lasting harm.
“But you did vomit. Are you still uncomfortable? Or maybe hungry?”
Now that he mentioned it, I realized I was hungry.
“A little hungry, yes…”
“I just want to finish this and get some food. Why hasn’t the baron come?”
Gerard, his patience finally spent, muttered before suddenly springing up.
“Gerard, what are you doing?”
“If he won’t come out, we’ll bust in.”
Gerard answered curtly and strode to the door.
“Wait, Gerard!”
As Kyle leapt to his feet, shouting, a commotion rose from beyond the door.