[You have cleared the 30th floor of the Tower of Myth!]
[Remaining tickets exist! You will automatically enter in 5 seconds!]
[Entering the 31st floor of the Tower of Myth: Kingdom Metia.]
It felt surreal.
Thankfully, I had plenty of Tower of Myth tickets.
If I hadn't, I would have been kicked out right at this dramatic moment of reunion.
"Whoa! You seriously scared me! I thought I saw a ghost!"
I looked at my friend sitting beside me on the rooftop.
Luke, who had been carefully keeping the emblem I retrieved from Lantory, was the sole survivor of Myard.
"As expected, you outsiders are truly mysterious! How come you haven't changed at all, big bro? You look exactly the same as when we met before!"
In my timeline, only a day had passed, so of course I hadn't changed, but Luke had changed a lot.
Not just his appearance, but his speech and personality overall.
"Luke, have some of this. It's snacks and tea from my world."
"Oh? Where did this come from all of a sudden? Thanks for the meal!"
I gave a thumbs-up toward the shadowy edge of the rooftop.
The Great Mother Empress had crept over with stealthy steps, slipped the snacks into her sleeve, and was now enjoying the moon with Canniduo, munching on treats.
After eating for a while, Luke leaned back against the chimney.
"Big bro, are you here to find Leon?"
Hearing that name, I felt an involuntary sense of relief.
"Yeah. I came to find Leon."
For a moment, Luke's eyes wavered widely.
He stared at me blankly for a while before letting out a hollow laugh.
"Wow... I'm really relieved. Lately, I've been seriously wondering if I had just made up a fictional person who never existed because of the shock. This is the first time since the village disappeared that I've heard the name Leon from someone else's voice."
I patted Luke on the shoulder.
It made sense—he was the only one who knew the name of a hero that anyone else would normally recognize.
Luke muttered "thank goodness" several times before continuing.
"After Myard disappeared, I wandered aimlessly around the area for a while. Then a guild member from the kingdom took me in. After I settled down a bit in Metia, I searched the city like crazy for any trace of Leon. But despite all that, I barely found anything."
Luke rubbed his forehead and furrowed his nose.
"Whenever I felt like I was onto something, I'd hit a wall. No matter how hard I struggled, I couldn't overcome it. That kept happening, and I got more and more exhausted. Lately... I've been telling myself I need to find him, but I've just been wasting time without actually doing anything. What if I'm really searching for something that doesn't exist? Should I just leave this damn kingdom now? That's what I've been thinking."
Leon buried his head, looking gloomy.
"I'm such trash, aren't I? Leon never gave up chasing Lantory to get this emblem back for me. And here I am, doubting like this and trying to run away."
I shook my head with a smile.
"Trash? Not at all. Whether you found anything or not isn't what matters. What matters is that you never forgot Leon, that you kept trying to find traces of him. And in the end, you didn't leave. That's how you met me."
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap.
Through my sharp hearing, I caught the sound of almost silent applause.
It was Kancho.
I felt a little embarrassed for acting too cool.
"Big bro..."
Luke even started tearing up.
Was my speech really that good!?
After a while, Luke bit his nails.
He looked like he was seriously debating something.
"You can speak freely. I came here ready to blow up the royal palace if I have to."
Maybe he could tell I was serious.
After taking a deep breath, Luke opened his mouth.
"Big bro... when Myard disappeared, I was there too."
"In the village?"
"Exactly, I was at the outskirts' chapel. Like last time, Leon went off to fight alone, and I thought I should pray. Then I suddenly heard a loud noise, so I went to check... and the village was completely destroyed."
"What about the crystal barrier? Only someone with the key could break through it."
The crystal barrier I saw on the 29th floor was an item far beyond the ordinary.
It was nearly impossible to break through without the Fang of Erosion.
"Did some powerful monster come?"
"It wasn't a monster. It was people. I was far away, but I saw them clearly. A group of three or four wearing green cloaks. One of them had the same kind of key Leon had. And that group... they destroyed the village and the people!"
Luke covered his face with his hands.
"Hmm."
I tapped my fingers for a moment, then took out the Yodel Compass and a small fragment from my inventory.
When the cracked crystal barrier on the 29th floor had broken apart, I had picked up a piece just in case.
I brought the fragment to the Yodel Compass.
The compass needle pointed precisely to the edge of the city.
The royal palace of Kingdom Metia.
"Luke, have you told anyone about this?"
"I told the person who took me in, and I got scolded badly. They said I must never speak of it anywhere, because anyone who heard it would definitely die."
So that's why he was hesitating earlier.
Well then.
Gulp!
I had just heard a story that supposedly gets people killed.
Not that I'd die, though.
I placed my hand on Luke's shoulder.
"This was a huge help. Thanks, Luke."
Luke nodded slightly and rummaged through his chest, handing me a small notebook.
"This is everything I've gathered from my investigation. It might not be much help, but just in case."
I took the notebook and gave him a thumbs-up.
Without knowing who was involved or how, I couldn't just start bombing things blindly.
This would be a good starting point.
Crack!
I stretched my body comfortably and looked around Metia, both a city and a kingdom.
Let's go.
To find the truth of that day, and to find my Moko Leon.
* * *
At dawn, as the sun began to rise, Jinhyuk stepped out onto the streets.
"Hey, Thompson! Did you come out without washing your hair again today?!"
"Keep it down! What if a passing customer hears you?!"
"Just press down on that back of your head and talk! Anyone can see you didn't wash it!"
Voices and laughter came from all directions.
'How strange.'
The street had been completely silent just moments ago, but now it was overflowing with energy as if nothing had happened.
It reminded me of the morning markets I used to follow as a child.
"...?"
As I walked leisurely, my eyes narrowed.
Up ahead, a familiar creature was walking.
Even from behind, I could see the chubby cheeks that weren't fully hidden.
The Little Giant, the Great Mother Empress, had graced the market with her presence early in the morning.
Was she planning to buy ingredients from Kingdom Metia?
'...Ah?'
I had never given Momo any Metian money!
-Swish. Swoosh. Snatch.
Suddenly, I remembered when I first met Momo.
The way she walked as if on a stroll, casually swiping food from every shop with those nimble hands.
Today's target seemed to be the Metian merchants.
Just as I was about to rush over to stop her.
"Hey, mister! What are you doing!"
The Great Mother Empress stopped in front of a fruit stand and shouted.
"Oh my, you startled me."
Thompson the fruit seller looked down at Momo.
Maybe because she was so small, he hadn't even noticed her arrival.
"I'm Momo!"
"R-right. I'm Thompson. I was just arranging the fruit to start business."
"This is the freshest fruit Momo has ever seen!!"
"Hohoho!"
Thompson laughed heartily and raised his hand.
"Wait a moment. I'll give you a few."
He bent down, picked some fruit, and stood back up.
Then.
"!?"
He couldn't believe his eyes.
The fruit display was perfectly arranged in an instant.
Even a fruit seller of thirty years had never arranged things so neatly.
"Bye, mister! I'll enjoy this!"
"W-wait, young one! You took the fruit... oh, it's gone?"
Thompson swallowed dryly.
The bag in his hand had somehow moved into the chubby child's grasp.
When he looked up again, the child had already vanished.
What was that? A fruit stand fairy?
And a little ways away.
"Pfft!"
Jinhyuk, who had been watching, covered his mouth.
Instead of stealing, she was providing solid labor.
Momo had grown.
He followed a bit further.
"Kancho, why are you taking two of everything?!"
Kancho had suddenly appeared and was reaching into the bag.
"I have two mouths, so I can't help it!"
He even made sure to put fruit into Nia's bag, who was hanging from a bamboo fishing rod.
"The fruit bag is already empty! Wait! I'll get more! Grandma!!"
This time, Momo helped someone carry their load and received some delicious rice cakes.
Next was honey bread, then meat, then what looked like incredibly sweet ice cream... How much was she planning to eat from morning!?
Either way, I quietly gave a thumbs-up to the Momo-Kancho trio getting along so well.
Our party's future looked very bright.
Thud.
I changed direction and entered a market alley.
"Ugh!"
"I'm... spinning. The sky is spinning..."
Despite walking only a short distance, the atmosphere shifted instantly.
Unlike the market starting a new day, this place felt like yesterday hadn't ended yet.
"Hey, kid... hic! This isn't a place for weaklings like you... hic!"
An old man was shouting at the wall.
He'd probably be fine, right?
Walking a bit further, I came across a tavern with a large black whale painted on it instead of a name.
I opened the notebook Luke had given me.
# Dance with the Black Whale.
## The place with the most information in Metia's back alleys.
## Atmosphere is intense.
## Got kicked out before even managing to say a word.
## The owner, Baudan, is a descendant of a family that handled construction for the Metia royal palace and major facilities for generations.
After memorizing the contents, I turned the doorknob.
"Oh...?"
As soon as I opened the door, cheerful music spilled out.
The interior was generally dark, probably because of the blackout curtains.
But it didn't feel dreary or gloomy.
Thanks to the lamps lit here and there, it actually felt cozy.
'It's just like a fantasy world tavern.'
It felt like I had stepped into a tavern I'd only ever seen in comics or anime, and it put me in a good mood.
I took about two steps.
Click.
The cheerful music stopped, and so did the lively chatter from all around.
Every sound that filled the tavern vanished in an instant.
"Hey, kid! Did you get lost?!"
"A soft little thing like you came in here? Do you even know where this is?!"
"This place is only for the real deal! Drunkards stumbling around at dawn can't even set foot here!"
I think I get why the notebook said the atmosphere was intense.
Thud!
A rough oak barrel was slammed onto the table in front of me.
The man who brought it looked triumphant.
"If you want to talk, drink this first! Finish it cleanly, and I'll listen with all my heart!"
"Wahahaha! Hey, Baudan! Take it easy! What if he dies?!"
"It's a rite of passage for newcomers! Kid! If you can't drink it, get out now! Don't be stubborn and end up bedridden for days!"
Listening to the booming voices for a moment, a wide smile spread across Jinhyuk's lips.
The tavern, Dance with the Black Whale.
It was far more enjoyable than I had expected.
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T/N:
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