The city in the middle of the vast desert blended surprisingly well with its surroundings.
Buildings the same color as the desert sand stood clustered together, and amidst them was a massive lake, partially hidden by countless palm trees.
“Nyaaang… We’ve finally arrived.”
After a brief inspection, Mirash let out a sigh and looked around as she entered the city.
The city was quite bustling.
As a people who traversed most of the Nakar Desert, it was a peaceful place. If you ignored the constant shouts of various peddlers vying for attention.
“Hmph-nya…”
“What’s with that face?”
Dilaila asked when she heard Mirash sigh as if drained of all energy, and Mirash turned around and replied.
“I just feel so empty. Can you believe how easy it was coming all this way with you guys?”
“Uh… was it?”
“Of course it was! Normally, you have to risk your life in the desert!”
Even for tribes native to the desert, the Nakar Desert was by no means entirely safe.
They merely understood the desert’s ecosystem and had learned to adapt to it.
Take Mirash for example. Hadn’t her caravan been completely wiped out by the sudden appearance of a Mega Sandworm?
But traveling with Shane and Dilaila had left her feeling strangely hollow.
“That magic camp was one thing, but you two are monsters.”
“Hmm…?”
“Are subterraneans always that stupidly strong? You just flipped the ground once and a giant sandworm was shriveled up and dead underneath! Not to mention blowing up that tube worm! You’re terrifying!”
“W-Well, isn’t that a good thing?”
“Good is good, but isn’t that just broken?!”
Ever since Dilaila had formed a connection with a primal spirit, a spirit without any defined attributes just as Shane had described, her spiritual sensitivity had become incredibly sharp.
If there was even a trace of hostility toward her in the vicinity, she would rush over in an instant to issue a warning. Thanks to that, the very idea of ambushing her in the desert had become virtually impossible.
“I don’t know about other underground beings, since I’ve never met one besides myself.”
“Nyan-nya… I see. Sorry about that.”
“Huh? What are you apologizing for all of a sudden?”
“For not realizing you don’t have any family. I just said things without knowing…”
Wait, now that I think about it, that’s how it came across.
“Ah, anyway… I was just feeling kind of empty. I wonder what it would’ve been like if we had techniques like that too…”
Up until now, she had been pretending to be fine, but Mirash knew full well what it meant to be scattered in this desert without proper preparation.
If she hadn’t met Shane and Dilaila, who’s to say she wouldn’t have ended up as a wandering wraith of the desert?
No… If I hadn’t met them, I definitely would’ve died.
Because of that, it was almost impossible to hope that the rest of her caravan, which had been scattered during the Mega Sandworm attack, had survived.
And so, a wave of self-loathing washed over her for having made it back to the city so safely and easily.
“Sorry. I guess I’m just feeling a bit touchy.”
“Well… that happens. Ahem.”
Sensing more or less why Mirash was acting that way, Dilaila cleared her throat awkwardly.
Mirash then took both Shane and Dilaila’s hands.
“I’ll never forget this favor. If you ever need help, come find our caravan. We’re located at the 7 o’clock direction from the water source, nya.”
“Ah… Sure. Be safe.”
“Thanks! If you want to get your IDs, head into that building over there, the second-largest one. There’ll be a few tests, but I’m sure you two can handle it!”
With that final message, Mirash who had traveled with them for the past month to reach this place said goodbye and disappeared from sight. Feeling an odd emptiness, Dilaila scratched at her nose.
“Tch. Back to just the two of us. So, what now?”
“First, we get our IDs as planned.”
“I overheard earlier….sounds like there’ll be some kind of test.”
“They call it a test, but really, it’s more about building contribution to the city. Tasks like escorting caravans or subjugating monsters are the main assignments.”
“Ah, I see…”
“We’ll figure out the rest once we’re there.”
“Yes. Got it~”
Mimicking Mirash’s speech style, Dilaila took the lead, and Shane followed behind her.
“Let’s see here… Whoa. What is all this?”
The building served as a massive tavern and guild all in one.
As they stepped inside, a colorful mix of different races were enjoying drinks and meals, while others were gathered near the mission board, forming teams of their own.
Dilaila, who had never seen so many non-human races bustling about like this in her entire life, lit up with excitement. Seeing her reaction, Shane let out a quiet chuckle and made his way toward the mission board.
“New scent. You a newcomer?”
“Yes.”
At that moment, one of the staff members near the mission board asked a question, and Shane nodded in response.
“What tribe are you from?”
“Just a wandering mercenary. Not from the desert.”
“I see. You’ve been around for a while, huh? You don’t look like you’re from the desert, but you’re dressed way too well for a greenhorn.”
“I’ve done my fair share of adventuring.”
“Haha, is that so? If you’re looking to register for missions, head over to the counter over there.”
The man, who had dark rings around his eyes like a monkey, laughed heartily and walked off.
Dilaila approached Shane and asked,
“Wow, they’re friendlier to outsiders than I expected. I thought they’d be really strict.”
“It’s not friendliness. It’s information gathering. Most outsiders come here first, so it’s part of his job to size them up.”
“Ah… I see. I thought it was something else.”
Even among other races, their society didn’t seem all that different from that of humans.
“All right, let’s take a look at the missions… Oh. Wait, I can’t read.”
Considering she was only able to speak the language thanks to Shane’s magic, there was no way Dilaila could read the writing. She stared blankly at Shane.
“You may not be able to read, but I’ll at least show you how to interpret it.”
“Yes.”
The mission postings were written in the Nakar tribe’s script, accompanied by illustrations, mission rewards, and icons of numbers and flames.
“From the drawings, I can more or less tell what kind of monsters they are. What about those numbers and the flames?”
“The numbers represent the points you earn upon completing the mission. Once you’ve accumulated 100 points, you’ll be granted citizenship. The flames indicate the difficulty level.”
“Aha… It’s pretty much the same as an adventurers’ guild.”
Familiar with such systems, Dilaila nodded, and Shane continued reviewing the available missions at a steady pace.
Missions were categorized by difficulty, but one couldn’t just recklessly accept high-point assignments.
If unqualified individuals took on difficult missions, they’d only cause trouble. For that reason, higher-difficulty missions were locked behind a requirement: a certain number of accumulated points.
Even in the case of caravan escort duties, only those with enough points could take them on for safety reasons. So at this stage, it was unrealistic to expect to receive such tasks.
In the end, they had no choice but to start with low-tier missions worth only 1 to 5 points.
“So basically, we’re starting from the bottom. Hmm, I wonder how long it’ll take.”
“For now, we just need enough to cover food, shelter, and clothes. A major request will come in soon enough.”
“Huh? How do you know that?”
“Let’s just say I do.”
“What are you, some kind of prophet?”
While Dilaila was wondering about that, Shane quietly pulled off a low-level mission slip and headed to the counter.
***
In the Myo tribe’s city of Argato Oasis, the tribe chieftain Parmash spoke to Mirash, who was kneeling before him.
“Rise. You risked your life to bring back the holy relic, did you not?”
“Yes, Chieftain.”
“I heard your caravan suffered heavy losses?”
“That’s correct…”
“No need to correct your pronunciation. So, what happened?”
At Parmash’s words, Mirash began explaining all that had occurred.
“Hmm. You say it was a Mega Sandworm attack?”
“Yes, that’s right. We deliberately took a wide detour around their nesting grounds, but one still showed up, nya…”
“Anything else unusual?”
“Yes, there was.”
“Hmm… It’s possible that the Mega Sandworm attack is somehow connected to this relic…”
As Parmash gently touched the red scale in his hand, he muttered thoughtfully. At this, Mirash tilted her head in confusion.
“Sandworms were once tamed by the now-extinct Lizardman tribe.”
“Ah…”
That same Lizardman tribe had once been known to possess the purest lineage of dragon blood, their ancient god.
So, the idea that a Mega Sandworm reacted to the dragon’s scale made for a plausible theory.
“But then… why weren’t there any more attacks after that?”
“Well… if that relentless Mega Sandworm suddenly stopped chasing your caravan, then we need to focus on what changed in the meantime. For example, those two outsiders you said rescued you.”
“Nyaang…? Other than the fact that they had some very strange equipment, there wasn’t anything unusual about them. I mean, they were strong, sure, but nya…”
“We’ll find out in time. You mentioned they’re preparing for citizenship here?”
“That’s right, nya.”
“We’ll have to wait and see what role these outsiders play. Understand this. Under normal circumstances, just bringing you back safely would be more than enough reason to grant them citizenship immediately. But this artifact… it’s not something that should be easily revealed to outsiders. If we give them citizenship right away in a situation like this, there will definitely be people who start asking questions.”
“O-Of course…”
Mirash had been about to ask if Shane and Dilaila could be granted citizenship, but at those words, she hurriedly nodded instead.
“In any case, you’ve done well. My daughter.”
“…I only did what I had to, Chieftain.”
“Good. Go and rest. It’s quite late now… but at the very least, I’ll assign a mission to recover any keepsakes or remnants left behind by your fellow merchants.”
“…! Thank you so much!”
More than the rare recognition from the leader of such a massive city in the harsh Nakar Desert, it was the chance to retrieve her comrades’ belongings scattered in the Mega Sandworm attack that filled Mirash with joy.
Once Mirash had left, Parmash who was now alone looked down at the dragon scale in his hand and murmured quietly.
“Whether this turns out to be the golden thread that unravels our current predicament… or simply stirs up needless trouble, only time will tell…”
So much time, effort, and money had gone into obtaining this dragon scale over the years.
Even so, Parmash could no longer hide the unease he had so carefully kept from his daughter.
“May the Dragon watch over us.”
***
“Wh-Whoa. This is really scorpion meat? Amazing.”
Two days had passed since they arrived at the Argato Oasis.
In the meantime, Shane and Dilaila had taken on a few minor subjugation missions, earning a modest wage and settling into a cheap inn nearby.
Now that they’d received their pay, Shane agreed to Dilaila’s suggestion that they try some desert cuisine while gathering local information, so they headed to a nearby restaurant.
The place wasn’t just frequented by local residents. Many different tribes also gathered here, exchanging news and information. Shane sharpened his ears, making sure not to miss a single word of the conversations around him.
“Whoa?! This is delicious!”
Dilaila’s eyes widened as she took a bite of giant scorpion meat, one of the dishes they had ordered.
The juicy tenderness filled her mouth, making it hard to believe the meat came from one of those grotesque giant scorpions.
“Haha, the young lady’s got quite the appetite.”
“Food always tastes best after a hard day’s work!”
“Wahaha, ain’t that the truth!”
Several mercenaries, beastkin and other races, chimed in cheerfully. They were holding their own dishes as they laughed and chatted like Dilaila.
Since most of them operated solely within the Nakar Desert, it seemed they were at least loosely acquainted maybe through mutual connections and felt no hesitation about joining others at different tables.
Perhaps that was why, just then, a group entering the restaurant approached the table where Shane and Dilaila were seated.
“Good day. I don’t believe we’ve seen you around before…you must be newcomers. Mind if we join you?”
The speaker was a male beastkin with thick, gray fur. His eyes were nearly closed as he asked the question. Shane looked at the man briefly.
“Uh, do you have others with you? Haha.”
“No, I don’t. Please, go ahead.”
“Thanks a lot!”
The man who had joined them at the table called over two companions who had been waiting behind him.
One was a female beastkin with sharp, wolf-like eyes, and the other was a hulking beastkin with the legs of a bovine.
Shane gave the two a brief glance, then offered a nod and shifted to make room for them.
“Thanks. You look like new faces. How about we introduce ourselves now that we’re here?”
“Huhehe. Pleased to meet you. I go by Mitanos.”
Taking their seats one by one, they each offered a friendly smile.
Shane shook his head and replied.
“No need to worry. There’s plenty of room. And besides…”
“Besides?”
You came to us of your own accord, so if anything, I should be the one thanking you.
“It’s nothing. Let’s just say it’s fate. Why don’t we talk about what’s been going on in the desert?”
“Huhehe! You’re more easygoing than you look.”
Seeing these familiar faces from his previous life, the ones he had once known while working in shadows, filled Shane with quiet emotion.
This isn’t just any coincidence. In this life as well… you’ll all die by my hand again.
When Shane gave a faint smile, Dilaila felt a chill run down her spine before she even realized it.
Leave a Reply