[135] What Comes First (6)
At the time he'd been too terrified to intervene, but inwardly he had felt exactly the same as Shirone.
But when Shirone reached out his hand to Amy, and Amy answered that call, Jis snapped out of his daydream.
He could never be Shirone.
"Heh. Acting all noble even though he's a commoner."
If Shirone had been the kind to make a fuss just because he'd learned a little magic, Jis might not have felt so jealous. When dealing with arrogant nobles, he sometimes felt lucky to have been born a commoner.
But Shirone was a commoner too. And he had the courage to give up something precious for a friend.
Jis pictured the sad smile Amy had worn in the carriage. Would Shirone understand what that smile meant? No—he never would. It was an inward feeling she'd let show in front of someone she had no special bond with.
The thought made his chest ache again.
"Damn it! Of all things, a commoner? There's nothing I can even use as an excuse! What a guy!"
Jis shrugged off his frustration in front of the house and opened the door. A candle burned deep in the entryway; his sister must have been waiting up.
"Brother, why are you so late? I thought something had happened."
"Yuna, why aren't you asleep? How are you going to wake up for tomorrow?"
"Do you expect me to just sleep when you're not even back? What happened?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all. Just got caught up and time slipped away."
Jis knelt before Yuna. Not out of servility—he wasn't the type to grovel—but because she wasn't someone to be looked down on. She wasn't worldly, but she was sensible and kind-hearted.
Yuna was Jis's pride. He wouldn't let her live as poorly as he had. He didn't need to be a great success, but he wanted her to meet a good man and have a happy life.
"You look so thin. Tell me the truth. You can fool everyone else, but not me. Say it or I won't make breakfast tomorrow."
"Hahaha! Scary. I just had my pride bruised a bit. But I'm fine now."
"Ugh, that pride of yours gets hurt all the time. It's useless. Anyway, go wash up. You really reek of sweat."
Warmth filled Jis's eyes. Looking at her calmed him. So what if he wasn't impressive like others? As long as he had Yuna, he envied nothing in the world.
He hugged her. The shared scent of family banished the day's exhaustion and fear.
"Ew, the smell! What are you doing suddenly? Go wash up, I said!"
"Wait a bit, Yuna. I'll be the master of the harbor, I swear."
"Tch. Still that talk? Master of the harbor—who's even going to care?"
"Haha, true."
Yuna chuckled and buried herself in Jis's chest. Truth was, she didn't dislike the smell; every drop of his sweat had been for her.
"I hope that day comes. You can do it, Jis."
"Yeah…"
Jis watched the moonlight pouring through the window. It was perfect weather for a night out.
Ancient Ruins (1)
Shirone's group had been busy since dawn. While the women bathed, the men cleaned the house; when the men went to the bathhouse, the women sat at mirrors drying their hair and finishing their make-up.
When Shirone and Rian finished bathing and peeked into the women's room, it felt as if time had stopped. Amy and Tess were still fussing in front of the mirrors.
With no choice, the men ate breakfast first. They made a quick meal from food bought in town the night before, and dawn broke as they finished.
Only then did the women start choosing outfits, and every time the door opened their clothes changed again and again.
Rian thought Tess and Amy were deliberately testing him.
Changing because an outfit didn't suit you was one thing—girls did that—but changing into something else and then changing back a short while later? What was that? A deliberate test of the viewer's memory?
"Just put anything on. Planning to hunt a dragon? Why sweat over rags that give you no protection?"
Tess shot Rian a look of shocked offense.
"Ugh, how crude! You wouldn't bother dressing up if you didn't care how we look. We do it for you, so shut up."
Amy stepped out in a sky-blue dress.
"Shirone, doesn't this look strange?"
"No, it's pretty. Amy looks good in anything."
"Really? Hmm."
Amy didn't linger on the compliment and went back to her room. Tess could only envy that casualness.
"Please, Rian, learn from Shirone. God, how annoying."
Tess slammed the door; Rian puckered his lips. What had he done to deserve that? Speaking his thoughts plainly was a prosecutor's virtue and something to be proud of.
"Shirone, how do you come up with those lines so fast? Teach me."
"Huh? It's simple. You can't call someone odd no matter what they wear."
"Ahahahaha!"
Rian doubled over laughing.
11:00 a.m.
The women checked their packs. They took emergency rations, knives, a compass, and rope—prepared for any sudden trouble.
Satisfied with her reflection, Tess pumped her fist and shouted, "All set! Ruins expedition—ready!"
"Then should we sleep now? We leave at dawn tomorrow without fail," Rian teased, making Tess flush.
"How late can I possibly be? And Amy got ready before me, too."
"Why bring Amy into this? Is she a hostage?"
"Look at you—do you really think shabby daywear pairs well with a crude greatsword? From a distance you look primitive. Know your place."
Amy played along with the hostage bit.
"Rian, sorry. Actually, I was the one who was late. Tess was ready before me."
"Haha! It's fine. Amy looks like she took her time."
Tess's eyes went axe-sharp.
"What? So you're saying I'm not pretty at all?"
"Hmm, let's see…"
Rian glanced over Tess.
He'd always thought she was pretty without any fuss. But today she'd clearly made an effort—she even wore perfume, which Rian, despite his poor taste, noticed.
"Yeah, well. I can say you look pretty."
"Huh?"
Tess had stockpiled a mountain of comebacks, but Rian's simple compliment disarmed her instantly.
She never expected the word "pretty" from Rian. Her face flushed, and then she flushed again at being flushed.
"I-I didn't dress up to hear that from you! You idiot! Primitive!"
"Okay, okay. Let's get going. If the sun sets you won't even get to see anything."
Rian pushed his friends outside. Five hours after waking, Shirone's party finally set off.
Shirone had planned to explore the ruins with Amy alone, but their friends had grown unexpectedly close, so splitting up became impossible.
They grabbed any carriage among those lined up on the white sand and headed east.
They had to cross the island from west to east, so it was a fairly tiring journey. Still, the four chattering in the carriage barely felt the time pass.
"Hey, you guys, look over there!"
Shirone pointed out the window. Two kilometers off the road, a dense forested mountain rose like the hump of a camel. He'd heard the Kergo ruins lay at the far edge of that range.
"That's Mount Toa. My brother said Galliant used to be a volcanic island. Lava leaking from under the sea solidified and formed the island. There was an eruption five hundred years ago; it's been dormant since, but it could awaken again."
"I see. I heard the Kergo ruins are half-buried in volcanic ash."
"Right. The Galliant regional government proposed restoring the ruins, but the indigenous people opposed it, so it fell through. If we go there we'll see just how buried it is."
"Why would they oppose it? Wouldn't restoration be good for the locals?"
"I don't know. They must have their reasons—maybe secrets they don't want revealed. The Galliant regional government's been on the island less than a hundred years."
"Makes you wonder how many secrets there are. It's not just some ordinary tourist spot, then."
"No doubt. There are very few ruins still managed directly by indigenous people. Kergo has high historical value."
Shirone studied the mountain again, keeping Amy's explanation in mind.
Mount Toa's jungle belonged exclusively to the Kergo. Even the Galliant government avoided the indigenous autonomous area.
A chill ran down Shirone's spine. Was that wild gaze he felt from deep in the mountain just his imagination?
The carriage stopped one kilometer from the Kergo ruins. The coachman said he couldn't drive any farther.
Shirone got out and looked around. Numerous shops lined the path. There seemed to be an exclusive agreement between the racing association and the local merchants.
"What the—! I paid for a carriage and you can't go further? What am I supposed to do with all this luggage?"
A middle-aged man stepping down from the following carriage snapped at the coachman. His wife and two daughters looked unhappy too.
"But that's the transport contract. Luggage can be left at the paid storage."
"What highway robbery! The road's wide open—how can you not go? Who do you think I am, handing over a single copper?"
"We can't help it. Sorry. Have a good trip."
The coachman treated it like routine and drove off.
In the end the man carried his bags to the paid storage. When his daughters pointed at a snack shop, he put the bags down to buy them treats.
Shirone felt that scene hit close to home.
"If we'd known ahead of time we'd have packed lighter."
"Doesn't matter much, I guess. It's not like a tourist spot would hide great danger, but it's still smart to be prepared. We're explorers, after all."
Rian watched the departing man. Maybe the daughters' antics had cheered him; he laughed loudly and headed for the ruins.
"Clever move, even if a bit cheap. Tourists can't help but spend."
"But it's not just greed. If the tourist economy doesn't thrive, the locals can't maintain the site either."
Amy's words held weight, and Shirone's group set off on foot.
The ruins were indeed historically important, and the crowds proved it. As they neared, more tourists appeared, and the toll booth became a bottleneck.
"Wow, look—people from other countries too."
"It's famous worldwide. See that man standing at the arch? I think he's one of the natives."
Shirone followed Amy's finger. A stocky man guarded the entrance. His clothes were civilized, but his stare was undeniably wild.
Tess, unusually, looked frightened.
"Ugh, he looks scary. He's got facial tattoos, doesn't he?"