Chapter 28

“Here's your reward for the quest.” Ellie gave them a huge bag of coins. It was enough for them to live comfortably for a couple of months.

“This is a lot!” Leyla said.

John was no less surprised. It may be nothing compared to the sheer amount of gold in the treasure chest, but Ellie did give them a place to live, a job, and the chair. All things considered, it was worth it.

“I'm kind, aren't I?” Ellie said with a grin. “Guess this is it, then? You're going to head to a different place after this, right?”

“Yes.” John hadn't used the key to point to the next place, but he doubted the next chair would be anywhere nearby.

“Well, good luck then. Don't miss me too much.” She teased, then let out a yawn in typical Ellie fashion.

“We'll come visit if we ever come back,” Leyla said.

You're saying that?

Leyla would return once the mission was completed, so unless the last chair was near this town, then they wouldn't be returning.

“Maybe I won't be here when you return… whoam… Been looking for an excuse to treasure hunt again.”

“Why not just do it, then?” John asked. Ellie replied with a shrug. The two exchanged glances. They were still a bit reluctant to leave.

“Off you go now, no need to worry about me.”

“Al- alright, then. Goodbye, Ellie.”

“See you later.”

“Bye bye. Stay safe.” Ellie rested her head on the desk and fell asleep. John and Leyla then left the guild.

•••

“... You're worried about her?”

After bidding their farewells, John and Leyla checked on the key, and it pointed northeast to Kastoria, the kingdom's capital. They sat in a carriage heading there.

“She seems fine… I guess?” John murmured, looking unsure of herself. “How about you?”

“A bit, I guess.”

John wasn't necessarily worried about her. He disliked the count, however.

“Well, I guess she has been kind to us.”

Even if she lazily helped them, Ellie still helped them throughout their time in Tettorokata.

“We should focus on our jobs.”

They were up against a count. There was nothing they could do. If Ellie herself said it's fine, then it really is. That's what they told themselves.

“Besides, I wasn't expecting you to care.”

“I'm not heartless,” Leyla said, looking out at the view. “This is boring.”

“How would things be if we were looking for the chairs on Earth?” John mused. Transportation would be much quicker, but the scope might be larger as well. Like people, furniture couldn't travel as far. If it were on Earth, one of the chairs might be loaded up to a container and transported to a different continent.

“I won't be able to teleport at all… But, there won't be any dungeons, either.”

“You can't use magic on Earth?”

Leyla shook her head. “I follow the rules of the world I visited.”

Leyla glanced at the front. They sat in a goods carriage, a common case for those who jumped on the trip at the last second. The driver shouldn't be able to hear them talk from where he sat.

“Have you visited other worlds, then?”

“Yeah.”

“What are they like?”

“... It's pretty much like the anime of your world. Some worlds are like fantasy with magic, others like sci-fi with starships and advanced technology.”

“So you're saying… I can fly a starship right now?”

Leyla winced. “What do you think this is? A game? Even without the chairs, you won't get to choose.”

“I guess starships aren't as cool as teleportation.”

“You're assuming you can buy one.”

Considering their current economy, even after finding that huge treasure chest, John doubted he could get one.

“Are the starships expensive?”

“Are cars cheap?”

“Depends on the car.”

“Same with starships.”

Second-hand might be cheaper, and older models would go for less. John wouldn't want to buy a cheap piece of junk, though. He couldn't imagine traveling through space with something that might break apart after kissing an asteroid.

“If you forget about safety, then you can go for even cheaper.”

“... And if it broke down in space?”

“You die a slow death, probably. Oh, unless your emergency system worked.”

John shuddered at the thought of floating in space, unable to do anything, waiting as the clock ticked. Second by second, until he ran out of oxygen.

Leyla smirked. “You know, that's not the worst.”

“It's not…?”

“If you're a regular citizen, then space transportation is relatively safe. But, if you're a smuggler, or someone who does illegal things... things might be a bit harder,” Leyla paused, waiting for his reaction.

Ah, she's making fun of me.

John decided to stop imagining things. That way, he wouldn't give her the reaction she wanted.

“There’s this space monster that can eat ships whole. It's like a giant, slithering, disgusting snake. It's slippery and slimy.”

“Ye- yeah.”

Don't imagine it. Don't imagine it.

“When proper civilian ships get eaten, their emergency system would contact the nearest military vessel for help, but…” Leyla trailed off.

“If you're a smuggler.”

“... If I'm a smuggler?”

Leyla described some indescribable things that made John shudder. He wanted to close his ears, but her tale was quite intriguing, so he couldn't stop himself.

“Then, then what happened?”

Leyla continued her stories.