Chapter 88: A Familiar Stranger

The faint light filtering through a gap between the curtains drawn across the tall windows illuminated the dust motes suspended in the air. The scene seemed peaceful until one of those rays glinted off the blade of a knife.

The knife rose, its point aimed at a man who remained completely still, as though frozen in place.

Seconds passed, but the blade never struck. Instead, it began to tremble along with the delicate hand holding it.

At last, the knife fell to the floor.

"I can't… I can't do it!"

The young woman let the knife fall and collapsed to her knees. Wrapping her arms around herself for comfort, she began to cry.

"I've tried everything… priests… mages… healers… everything!" Her voice cracked, and she had to choke back a sob before continuing. "But there's no way to heal you… You're still trapped inside the prison your own body has become, and I… I c-can't… I can't free you from it…"

The young woman crumpled forward, her forehead pressed against the floor.

"Father… don't leave me… please, don't leave me alone…"

***

"Look! Tirelia's walls!" Yvene exclaimed as the city came into view in the distance.

"The trip took several days, but it was worth it," Edran remarked.

"What are you going to do first?" Yvene asked eagerly. She was already tired of camping outdoors and longed for civilization.

"First, we're getting drunk at the guild tavern," Bastor replied, miming a drink from an imaginary mug. "Of course, it's also important to brag about finding treasure just before the tomb became inaccessible."

Is that important?

Nerez glanced sideways at Ily, who smiled and nodded, having guessed his unspoken question.

"Promoting your party whenever you get the chance is important," Ily explained. She hadn't offered to guide him through the mortal world for no reason. "After all, parties with a strong enough reputation often receive quests through direct commissions."

"We also can't forget that we survived an attack by not one, but two crypt aberrants," Yvene added, raising a finger. "That's not something just anyone can claim."

"You two…" Edran chided them. "All of that was basically thanks to Nerez. I'm not sure how much right the rest of us have to brag about it."

"Even if he's only a temporary member, anything a member of the party does counts as an achievement for the whole party!" Bastor argued.

"No problem. Brag all you want," Nerez replied. "In fact, the less my name comes up in those stories, the better…"

"Modest men only end up losing out!" Yvene declared with a laugh, giving Nerez a hard slap on the back.

"It's not modesty. I just don't want people bombarding me with questions…" Nerez protested. "I'm not interested in gaining a reputation or receiving commissions, either. I'm content to pick a simple quest every now and then."

"In other words, we're after money, not fame," Ily concluded, nodding to herself.

"That makes us sound rather bad…" Nerez objected. "Peace and quiet, far away from trouble, that's what I'm looking for. Money is only a means of maintaining that peace. Not that I really need it. I'm just taking the opportunity to see the mortal wor… Phatar. I'm just taking the opportunity to see Phatar. It had been a long time since my last visit to Phatar, so I wanted to see how much it had developed."

"Nerez, you really do sound like a noble who ran away from his responsibilities," Yvene teased with a laugh, covering her mouth. "It's just that I don't know of any noble who could have a visiare as a servant. That alone makes the theory fall apart."

"And a noble would've brought at least some of his fortune with him," Bastor added with a laugh.

"The thing is, Nerez ran away with me because his family wanted to force him into a political marriage," Ily explained, crossing her arms and closing her eyes. "His love for me kept him awake at night until, one evening, he finally came to me… 'Ily, I can't live without you! Please, run away with me!'"

…

"Ah, wait for me!"

The visiare was still hugging herself with her eyes closed and failed to notice that the others had already left her behind, so she had to run to catch up.

"And what are you two going to do when we get there, Nerez, Ilyra?" Edran asked.

"Find our love nest!" Ilyra exclaimed again, bolder than ever.

It was hardly surprising. Opportunities like this to be alone with Nerez might not come again for hundreds of years.

"In other words, we need to find an inn where we can stay," Nerez replied, ignoring the visiare's advances. "Do you know any that might give us a better rate if we stay for several days? Our share of the treasure is more than enough, but it never hurts to save where we can."

"Of course, but I'll tell you which one tomorrow," Edran replied with a smile. "Come celebrate with us at the guild tavern tonight."

"That's right!" Bastor agreed, draping his enormous arm around Nerez's shoulders. "You two won't need a place to sleep tonight! We're celebrating for real!"

"All right, we won't give you all the credit, Nerez," Yvene conceded, wrapping her arms around Ily from behind. "But that doesn't change the fact that you're the star. You're coming with us, or we won't give your visiare back!"

"Ah! Nerez! Save me!" Ily cried dramatically, covering her face.

"All right, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to see what one of those celebrations is like, and I'm never against a good night at a tavern…" Nerez sighed in resignation. "But you can keep the visiare if you want."

"They can keep me?!"

Edran and the other members of Hope's Compass burst out laughing.

***

"I never thought I'd end up sleeping on a tavern bench…" Nerez complained as he walked through the streets of Tirelia, one hand pressed to his forehead.

"I never thought I'd end up sleeping on top of Lord Nereziel…" Ily replied, blushing with both hands pressed to her cheeks.

"And I thought I was already overheated when I fell asleep… I can't even describe how stifling it became after you climbed on top of me."

"It's the warmth of my feelings, Lord Nereziel."

"…"

Before long, they reached the inn Edran had recommended. Inside, a rather plump middle-aged woman was sweeping the floor. She greeted them with a broad smile.

"Welcome! Do you need a room for two?"

"That's right, innkeeper. And we'd like the room with the smallest bed you have," Ily answered at once. "Ah, Nerez, not here in public! Ah… Ah!"

"I thought those ears of yours were more like a goat's, but now I see they're rabbit ears. My head already hurts. I don't need you making it worse," Nerez said as Ily shuddered while he played with them. Then he turned to the innkeeper. "Two rooms, please."

"Oh my, my," the innkeeper laughed as she watched them. "Are you sure you don't want just one room?"

"Quite sure. Please don't mind her. She has a condition."

"You're so cruel, Lord Nerez!" Ily complained while he continued playing with her ears.

"Lord?" the innkeeper asked.

"It's only a nickname. We're just novice adventurers."

"Oh, most of our guests are adventurers," the innkeeper replied with a laugh. "And speaking of adventurers…"

At that moment, a young woman with long black hair came down from the second floor, a braid falling over her chest.

"Thank you for breakfast, innkeeper. Wonderful as always."

"All that flattery will only earn you a small discount, dear," the innkeeper teased.

It does get you something… flattery…

That was when her amber eyes, much like the light given off by the crystals of the Last Valley, settled on them.

"Oh! You were with the members of Hope's Compass, if I'm not mistaken," the newcomer said with a smile. "That was quite a party yesterday, wasn't it? Unfortunately, I had to leave early."

"That was the right decision," Nerez agreed, pressing two fingers to his temple as another pang struck.

"But you really were lucky not to get trapped inside," the young woman continued. "They say the tomb is still closed, though it mysteriously opens from time to time at night…"

"Just thinking about it gives me chills." Nerez nodded.

Chills from thinking about what kind of trouble Kayrus is going to cause me. I can't deny he's my responsibility, after all…

"Ah! That's right! I'm running a little late." The young woman broke into a run, but before stepping outside, she turned around one last time and waved goodbye. "See you tonight, innkeeper! And if you two are staying here, maybe we'll see each other again!"

"She's quite the whirlwind…" Ily remarked as she watched her disappear through the doorway. "Mm? Nerez? Why are you staring at the door with that faraway look? Did you fall in love? With me standing right beside you?"

"Who was she, innkeeper?" Nerez asked instead.

"I'm being ignored…"

"Oh, Jeanne? She's an adventurer who's quickly making a name for herself in Tirelia," the innkeeper replied cheerfully. "I'm lucky she chose my inn. Having her here is great publicity!"

To think the Godscript would show me a title like this…

[Summoned from Earth]

Her name sounds like one from that world too, though I've seen plenty of similar names and even a few exact matches… But really, how many thousands of years must have passed since I left Earth?

Nerez brought a hand to his chin.

First of all, is time even linear? Have as many years passed on Earth as I have lived since leaving it?

"My lord, please stop ignoring me!" Ily complained beside him.

"There it is again, that 'my lord'…" the innkeeper noted.

"Like I said, please don't mind her. She likes to draw attention to herself," Nerez replied with a resigned sigh, setting his thoughts aside.

"I'll get my revenge!" Ily vowed in a whisper. "Tonight… when Nerez is asleep, hehehe… Ah, sorry, sorry! I was joking!"

But she had clearly been heard, and her ears came under attack for the umpteenth time.

Anyway, there's no reason to frighten her by suddenly bringing up her reincarnation. Once she dies, I can ask her about it calmly in the Underworld… assuming nothing happens before then, of course.

***

After spending a full day recovering from the long trip and, above all, the revelry on the day they arrived, Nerez and Ily were back at the Adventurers' Guild branch in Tirelia, studying the quest boards.

"Lord Nereziel, even after paying for the inn in advance, we still have plenty of funds left from selling the treasure," Ily whispered into Nerez's ear. "I was under the impression that you wanted peace and quiet. Why are you already looking for another adventure?"

"At the moment, my idea of peace and quiet is escaping divine conflicts and all the problems in Elysium," Nerez replied, waving one hand dismissively. "Adventuring is not only a source of income, but also a good form of recreation. I don't mind lying around in my room all day either, but I like a little variety… That reminds me, I need to buy a few books for the next time I spend all day shut in."

"Well, it's true that, since none of these quests pose any real danger to you, taking one is like going for a stroll through the countryside," Ily remarked with a shrug. "Still, it's a shame. I had been planning to carry out the operation today if we'd stayed at the inn…"

"I'm not even going to ask what operation you're talking about. But something tells me staying at the inn with you is more dangerous than any of these quests…"

"Adventurer Nerez!"

At that moment, a familiar voice called out behind them.

When they turned around, they found the receptionist who had helped them when they registered with the guild.

"Ah, um… Rinda, right?" Nerez asked, one hand on his chin.

"Thank you very much for remembering," the receptionist replied. "Forgive me for bothering you, but are you by any chance looking for a new quest?"

But Ily was the one who answered, stepping between Nerez and the receptionist.

"Is that paper you're holding an offer for us? I didn't expect we'd be receiving direct commissions already…"

"It's not exactly a commission. It's a quest best suited to healers or necromancers," Rinda explained, handing the paper to Ily. "The problem is that there aren't any healers available right now, including Yvene, who was in your party. And necromancers are rare throughout Phatar to begin with…"

Nerez leaned closer as well to look at the paper Rinda had handed Ily.

"The problem is that the cult of Nereziel, the god of death, has very little presence in this kingdom, to put it mildly, so problems like this just keep happening…" Rinda explained, resting her cheek on one hand.

In large letters, the quest read: Adventurers wanted to exorcise the ghosts in the cemetery.