WOSE Chapter 17

'Impressive.'

He didn't let his eyes sparkle like before, didn't flush his cheeks, didn't pour out questions. He just stared at some indeterminate point and spoke as if to himself.

'It's more rational for someone respected to be chosen than for someone chosen to struggle for respect.'

Why did that voice—worn and weary like an aged man's—rise in her mind? Why those eyes, pressed down and faded with dulled emotion?

She wondered now, belatedly.

Had the falsehoods he showed her felt so genuine because he'd never once lived truthfully? Had he been as unhappy as she was all along?

...Even if that were true, she had no desire to sympathize with this man now. No desire to understand him.

Iyu looked down at the trivial toy.

'I don't have preferences. They could endanger my life.'

That answer had come back with an awkward smile when she'd asked about his favorite snacks and clothes.

Back then, her heart had burned with pity. But now...

'An opportunity.'

Hearts were unexpectedly fragile, easily crumbled by trivial things. The hand that slipped through those cracks could sometimes feel like salvation. She knew this better than anyone.

Iyu pointed at the dragon figurine and asked the craftsman abruptly.

"Would you be willing to sell this?"

The blacksmith, unable to hide his discomfort at the sudden intruders, replied reluctantly.

"That's just something I made as a joke, so selling it is a bit..."

"I'll pay whatever you want."

Iyu pulled out a heavy coin purse from inside her clothes. The result of generously extracting funds from Freya before departing on the pilgrimage.

When she held out a single silver coin, the craftsman's lips twitched. He snatched up the money as if worried she might retract her purchase offer.

"Take it then."

Leaving behind the craftsman, pleased by his unexpected profit, Iyu picked up the heavy, cool dragon figurine.

Then she held it out to Kalix abruptly.

"Here. Take it."

"..."

"This isn't Midgard, and you're not a prince. If anything, you're... well, something like my escort."

And escorts could like toys like this without any problem.

Understanding what she meant to say, he blinked slowly.

"...Right."

Kalix carefully accepted the figurine.

The piece of iron disappearing into his long fingers, and the waves that had now grown quite large.

Iyu watched with considerable satisfaction.

Darun seemed eager to introduce them to more places—the sanctuary, the workshop—but unfortunately, his guests' stamina and time didn't cooperate.

Just as the aftereffects of crossing the desert began creeping up on them, the warning lights hanging from building tops and pillar peaks began lighting one by one.

The signal that night was approaching.

"We should stop here for today. Mother still hasn't sent word, so it seems her business isn't finished yet, but shall we return to the estate? I'll escort you myself."

"No. I'll just stay at the inn where the knights are lodging."

"What? But..."

"Kelgrida seems busy, and I don't want to impose any further. Since we won't be leaving right away, please invite us to the estate another time."

"Then what about Kalix...?"

Kalix stood beside Iyu rather than Darun, making his choice clear.

At the polite refusal, Darun stepped back reluctantly.

"If Mother scolds me for not hosting you properly, you'll have to help me."

"I'll tell her you were excellent."

Iyu replied glibly to his half-joking complaint.

"Please let me know if there's any discomfort at all. Then I'll come pick you up again tomorrow morning."

Even after finishing his farewell, Darun looked back several times before finally leaving.

Thanks to Darun escorting them near the lodging, they found the inn easily.

The inn built of red brick was a luxurious four-story building, unlike most houses built as single stories. The entrance was an arched structure surrounded by climbing vines, with a metal sign reading "Stonehold Grove Respite" hanging above it.

Iyu crossed the wide courtyard and entered the inn building.

The first floor operated as both a reception desk and restaurant—on the right stood an unlit fireplace and guests' luggage storage, on the left a long bar stacked with oak casks, and a kitchen where white-clothed people bustled about.

She turned her eyes from the few guests already drinking despite the brightness outside and the busy servers, heading to the reception desk straight ahead.

A neat-looking attendant greeted them.

"Welcome to Stonehold Grove Respite."

"Do you have rooms available?"

When Kalix asked, the attendant stared at his round ears, large height, and fair skin in turn.

"Are you with the human knights?"

Strictly speaking, one was their superior and the other that famous "savior," but the attendant seemed to judge them as merely colleagues of the knights who'd arrived earlier.

Reasonable enough. The stares had been so intense that Iyu had wrapped herself tightly in a long, dark robe over the conspicuous flowing tunic.

Having lost most of their luggage in the desert, Kalix's appearance wasn't much different from the other knights either.

Most of all, having stuck with Darun all day, everyone would assume the savior and the leaders were naturally staying at Kelgrida's estate.

Noticing this misunderstanding, Kalix immediately attempted to correct it.

"This person is..."

"Yes, that's right."

Iyu quickly cut off his words.

When they'd finally achieved the desired misunderstanding, there was no need to ruin it with her own mouth.

Kalix looked down at her with an inscrutable expression, then closed his mouth perceptively.

"Then I'll assign you to the same floor as the knights. You can go up to the second floor."

The attendant handed over two keys and pointed to the stairs behind the reception desk.

Iyu divided the keys with Kalix and headed to the second floor.

About halfway up the stairs, Kalix, who'd been following obediently behind her, lowered his voice and asked the question he'd been holding back.

"You've been showing your face all day, so being discovered is just a matter of time, isn't it?"

'Probably.'

In one day—no, half a day—rumors that the savior was staying at the inn would surely spread throughout Smidrhame.

"It's fine."

Iyu answered casually as she climbed the remaining steep stairs.

Her identity being exposed wouldn't cause major problems. She just needed to buy a little more time to accomplish her purpose in choosing the inn over Kelgrida's estate.

Finally arriving on the second floor, Iyu left Kalix still unable to resolve his questions and entered her room with Tamia.

Her assigned room was at the end of the left corridor from the stairs.

'He said he'd recommend a good inn, and it wasn't an exaggeration.'

Ornate tapestries hung on the room's walls, thick wool carpets covered the floor. Best of all, a small bathroom was attached separately.

Having felt unbearably grimy from the moment they arrived in town, Iyu bathed immediately.

She stripped off her clothes that produced sand no matter how much she shook them, washed her dust-covered hair. When she filled the low stone bathtub with warm water and immersed herself, a groan escaped naturally.

Her stiffly bunched muscles melted like ice. Iyu stayed submerged until her skin flushed red before finally emerging from the tub.

Since most belongings except her personal luggage bag had been lost, she wore a dwarven dress Tamia had received instead of sleepwear.

On her, the skirt length was slightly short, barely reaching her knees, and it had many pockets here and there, but otherwise it wasn't much different from Asgard clothing.

Grabbing another dry towel to thoroughly dry her wet hair, Iyu leaped onto the bed.

She pulled Tamia, who'd finished bathing after her, onto the wide bed to lie side by side, and the fatigue she'd endured rushed in like high tide.

Looking back, she'd encountered sand serpents, ridden unfamiliar horses, crossed the desert, even walked around town until her feet burned—it wouldn't be strange at all to collapse right now.

'Just close my eyes for a moment.'

Iyu lowered her heavy eyelids. When she opened her eyes again, the surroundings had already darkened.

It seemed to have turned to night while she slept, but in Nidavellir, day and night changed in an instant, making it difficult to guess the time.

'Judging by my hunger, around dinner time?'

She took Tamia, who'd already woken and was staring wide-eyed, down to the first-floor restaurant.

Her stomach clock must have been accurate—the restaurant bustled with people who'd come for dinner.

"Over here!"

As she looked around the noisy space, a familiar voice called out to her.