Journey to Vorax Thicket

The carriage carrying Kanie and co. rocketed down Rogus Path at a blinding speed. It had already been an hour since the adventurers departed from Narvec and entered the wilderness along a winding, dirt pathway.

“… I see,” said Eric, holding the map Aurora had given him. “So, Rogus Path is actually a highway that connects Narvec to Impes Lux, the Kingdom of Fire…”

“Yup, that’s right~,” Aurora replied.

“Actually,” she said with a hiccup. “Vorax Thicket is a huge forest that happens to be on Rogus Path. We’ve come here a few times before, and it’s always soo scary because you never know what might suddenly pop out and EATCHA! Isn’t that right, guys~?”

She gestured to her party members, who looked at her with troubled expressions.

Her face was flushed, and she reeked of a familiar scent—alcohol. Since the offset of the journey, she had been drinking.

“Aurora, I was wondering how you’d be broke enough to worry about paying rent as a C-rank adventurer and working part-time,” Kanie said. “—But to think it was because you were spending all of your money on booze…”

One of carriage’s wheels ran over a rock at high speed, causing everyone inside to jolt slightly.

“I-I can’t help it, you know!” she said. Her expression changed from bubbly to sad. “I’m super depressed because I’m single and can’t get a boyfriend~!!!”

I thought you said it was hard for you to support yourself because you were single, Kanie thought. I had no clue you were hiding the real reason from everyone.

Eh, but I’m not one to talk. Everyone’s got secrets, and I’d NEVER be comfortable enough to just tell HER that I’m still a virgin at eighteen years of age. —Sheesh. If she ever found out, I’d just die of embarrassment right there!

“Why can’t you get a boyfriend?” Kanie asked. “I mean, what’s going on here? Are you secretly a nutcase? Were you bullied as a kid and just never overcame the trauma? Enlighten a guy here, because I am SERIOUSLY CONFUSED.”

“… Kanie, don’t pry into her business so bluntly,” Eric advised him. “With social skills like that, I’m starting to see why you couldn’t ever get a girl yourself.”

“Na—!”

Kanie turned bright red.

“—I-I,” he choked.

“Listen, you need to be a bit more attentive when you talk to people,” Eric said. “If you’re this bad now, I dread to wonder how you’ll be with the dragon queens.”

He shivered.

“… Oh,” he said, holding himself. “Holy lord, do I dread to wonder.”

One of Aurora’s party members looked up. It was one of the two young men; he had light brown hair and a standard sorcerer’s robe on.

“The dragon queens?” he asked. “What do you two intend to do with them?”

Kanie felt his heart leap into his chest.

Not again, he thought. I have to talk about this again?

He sighed, shrugging his shoulders.

… What the hell, he thought. I’ll just say it.

He took a deep breath.

“I’m going to make the five dragon queens of Jandariu fall in love with me to save the world!!!”

A long, awkward silence swept over the interior of the carriage. It had gotten so quiet that the only audible sounds were the Pink Kaisor’s pattering footsteps and the carriage’s wheels scraping along the dirt path.

Aurora’s party member made a sound. It was a slightly restrained noise that came from his nose.

“… Hmhh,” he leaked out.

“Hm?” Kanie said, looking at him.

“… HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

The man broke into laughter. He was laughing so hard that it looked as if he might start crying any moment.

“… HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

Another laugh could be heard coming from coach box of the carriage—the driver had also started wheezing.

“… HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

Before long, the Pink Kaisor—the birdlike animal pulling the carriage—was chuckling, too!

“Hey, wait a minute—!” Kanie said angrily. “What’s so funny?”

“… HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

Nyle giggled uncontrollably as he watched the entire thing unfold in real time.

“—Oh, I’m sorry,” the party member said, gasping for air. “… You’re going to make the dragon queens fall for you—hahahahah!”

“… I don’t recall stuttering,” Kanie responded, unamused with the whole ordeal.

“And just how do you plan to do that, Mr. Swordsman?” he asked. “Even if you are one of the legendary heroes, that seems like an impossible task.”

The other male party member seated next to him chimed in. He was a slim teenager with coral-colored hair and glasses.

“Right,” he said. “There’s never been a single record of a human going into their domains and coming back out. Hell, I personally know adventurers who went in, and they were never heard from again! Who knows what kind of awful stuff might’ve happened to them in there?”

“They could’ve been killed on the spot, or worse—what if they were eaten alive?” said the female member of Aurora’s party. She was petite and had a head of beautiful, bright red hair.

“Hey, now, guys~,” Aurora said, drunk as a skunk. “Let’s not scare the heroes~.”

A little late for that, Kanie thought, wincing at the smell of alcohol on her breath. … Still, Nyle commissioned us to ‘rizz up the queens,’ as he put it. Hard to believe he would’ve just sent us out here to die…

Eric came to his rescue.

“If Zarcothida revives, we’re all going to die anyway,” he said. “No matter how ridiculous it sounds, it’s at least worth a shot.”

“Yeah, what he—I mean, she, said!” Kanie said.

“Besides,” he added. “—What if those adventurers who went missing are secretly having the time of their lives in there?”

“You’re awfully optimistic, I’ll give you that,” the man with brown hair said.

Kanie looked at him.

“Um, when you’re tasked with saving the world from a catastrophe-level threat, you kind of have to be.”

“Quiet down back there,” said the man driving the carriage. “We’re approaching Vorax Thicket.”

“… Already?” Kanie asked. “It hasn’t even been that long since we departed.”

“Vorax Thicket isn’t that far into Rogus Path,” Eric informed him, showing him the map he was holding. “And did you forget? We’re traveling in the fastest carriage in Narvec.”

“The Pink Kaisor can run at speeds of up to eighty miles per hour,” said Aurora, throwing her pointer finger into the air. She was still holding a bottle of alcohol.

“Give me that,” said the man with coral hair. He took the bottle from her.

“But, Enzo~,” she protested.

“But, nothing. … Aurora, we’re about to do a quest, here,” Enzo scolded her. “Please, pull yourself together.”

“I’m fine, though~. Really, I am!” she pouted.

Kanie was watching Aurora throw a fit when he felt the carriage slow to a stop. He looked out the window to find a large forest. Though lush in some areas, the forest showed signs of damage.

“We’ve now arrived at Vorax Thicket,” said the man driving the carriage. “I’ll wait here with the Kaisor while the six of you are busy cleaning up inside. Please, try to return before nightfall.”

The adventurers got off the carriage and started for the forest.