I woke up.
Pigi-maru was squishing in front of the pocket watch I had placed on the floor and let out a sound.
"Pi."
I checked the time...
It seemed I had woken up earlier than planned.
"I should have time for dinner."
I decided to head down to the dining hall for a meal.
There weren't many guests.
It was technically dinnertime, though.
"It looks like quite a few mercenaries left Mills today〜."
The innkeeper sighed from behind the counter.
Right now, I was eating at the counter seat.
"Apparently the marquis got his hands on the Dragon-Eye Goblet he wanted. Some of the remaining mercenaries are saying there should still be other treasures in the new layers, but..."
It was like a lottery that had already drawn its grand prize.
"Thanks to that, rooms that were full just yesterday are starting to open up one by one. I suppose Mills will go quiet again until the next new layer is discovered... Knowing that marquis, he'll probably get greedy for more treasures eventually and start exploring new layers again..."
The innkeeper muttered half to himself.
Still, it felt like a familiar routine to him.
New layer discoveries were probably just temporary festivals.
"Ah, that's right, Hati-sama."
"Yes?"
"That said, it's not all bad news. The person who found the Dragon-Eye Goblet—the talk of the town—is staying at this inn right now〜. Actually, that person had already chosen this inn before the discovery?"
The innkeeper lowered his voice.
"And she's an incredible beauty."
I had already told the innkeeper earlier that I might invite a guest to my room.
But I hadn't mentioned who.
He didn't seem to realize it was the Dragon-Eye Goblet discoverer.
When I mentioned inviting someone to the room, he had responded with
"I understand〜."
And given me a sleazy look.
He probably thought I was calling a prostitute?
In any case, it seemed Mist had managed to secure a room without issue.
"The food here is delicious, so maybe she wanted to eat here again."
"Having the Dragon-Eye Goblet discoverer stay here could be great publicity〜."
After finishing dinner, I returned to my room with food for Pigi-maru.
Pigi-maru happily ate the grilled meat and salad.
"Mokyuu, mokyuuuu〜♪"
Around the time Pigi-maru finished eating, there was a knock at the door.
Pigi-maru quickly turned into crystal.
"Hati-dono."
I checked my pocket watch.
"It's Mist."
Right on time for our appointment.
▽
"You want to hire me as an escort?"
Mist looked surprised.
"Yeah, I was thinking maybe one more job together. Though with the Dragon-Eye Goblet reward, you might already have enough travel funds."
Even I thought my wording sounded unpleasant.
I was indirectly bringing up the fact that I had given her the Dragon-Eye Goblet.
"But money's never a bad thing to have, right?"
"That's true... It's always better to have more than less."
Mist was sitting on the edge of the bed.
I sat on a plain chair.
"You're heading to the Yonato Duchy, right?"
"——Yes."
I spread out the map I had purchased.
"You've probably already guessed, but my goal is to meet the Forbidden Witch. That means my destination is the Golden Habitat Monster Zone."
"Yes. I had more or less figured that much."
"So——if you're going from here to Yonato, and you want to hurry, you'd have to pass through either the western Mira Empire or the northern Golden Habitat Monster Zone. Assuming you take a land route."
"Yonato does not, in principle, accept ships from Mira. Moreover, Mira has blockaded the western sea routes to Yonato."
"Hm? So you can't reach Yonato by sea from Urza either?"
"Correct. Especially for mercenaries or travelers, it would be difficult. Mira probably finds it inconvenient for holy aspirants to gather in Yonato. There are rumors that Mira's Mad Beauty Emperor and Yonato's Saintess do not get along."
"Hm."
Mad Beauty Emperor Falkendotzüne.
I had heard that name in a tavern the other day.
The ridiculously long name had stuck in my memory.
So the country ruled by that Mad Beauty Emperor was the Mira Empire.
"But if you take the northern route, you'd have to pass through the Great Ice Sea, which is close to the Great Demon Emperor's territory."
"In short, the only option is the land route?"
"That's correct."
"So which way were you planning to go?"
"That would be——"
Mist fell into thought.
It was probably a difficult choice.
A country ruled by someone who disliked holy aspirants.
From what I'd heard, passing through the Mira Empire might be tough.
Though——whether Mist was truly one of those "aspirants" was still unclear.
I added,
"After I accomplish my goal, if you want, I can accompany you through the Golden Habitat Monster Zone. I have the power that defeated the Skeleton King. I should be useful as combat support against monsters."
"To be honest, if I could pass through the Golden Habitat Monster Zone instead of Mira, that would be far more convenient for me. However——"
Mist sank deeper into thought.
The destination was called a "monster zone."
Naturally, the risk of being attacked by swarms of monsters was high.
I had Pigi-maru's "eye" watching my back.
But right now, Pigi-maru could only detect enemies.
And——
The second test enhancement potion would hardly increase Pigi-maru's combat ability.
For example, simultaneous attacks from monsters in front, behind, left, and right.
I might not be able to handle that alone.
I couldn't always maintain a "wall" at my back to cover blind spots.
That's why having someone skilled in combat behind me would be reassuring.
I had felt that clearly while conquering the Mills Ruins with Mist.
As a safety measure, I had already been considering hiring a warrior.
In the current situation, she seemed like the perfect candidate.
The person in question was still deep in thought.
She seemed to be hesitating.
There was probably one major issue with this escort journey.
But I had already guessed what that "problem" was for her.
Mist pondered for a very long time.
She seemed to be hesitating over something.
"..."
It felt a little underhanded.
But I decided to consider it necessary to remove the obstacle.
Well, whether it would succeed was another matter.
I softened my tone and spoke.
"Well, there's no need to decide right away. As a holy aspirant, you're probably torn about whether to pass through the Mira Empire. By the way, may I ask one thing, Seras?"
"Yes, what is it?"
In the next instant——
Mist froze.
She brought her hand to her mouth.
As if she had just realized her own slip of the tongue.
"——Ah——"