Orun

12. Orun

They arrived in the town of Orun by evening, just as planned. From the entrance, the town appeared to be enclosed on both sides by stone walls similar to Tochkas, with all the buildings situated within the perimeter. At the entrance stood a pair of massive doors made of logs, which were currently thrown wide open.

Shia's eyes widened at the sight of the doors—which looked to be three times her height—and the architecture, which differed from any town she had seen before. Tori, who had stepped ahead, called out to her.

"It seems to be a larger town than I expected, so make sure you don't get lost."

"Okay. But it's a strange town, isn't it?"

"Strange?"

"The town is inside a wall."

"Ah... has Shia never seen a town like this? Building walls or digging moats to protect a town from external enemies is actually quite common."

"Enemies?"

"In this case, it's likely magic beasts."

"Landbulls?"

"Yes. And, in some cases, it could be humans."

"Humans?"

Seeing the look of utter shock on Shia's face, Tori lowered his brows and gave a small laugh.

"I only said it's a possibility. Now, let's drop our luggage at the inn and then take a stroll through town to look for some dinner."

"A stroll! I wonder if they have any local specialties?"

"Let's find out."

"Yay!"

After finishing various chores at the inn, such as bathing and laundry, the two of them headed out into the town. The town, now shrouded in darkness, was lit with orange glows everywhere, and the sounds of laughter and light music echoed from every direction.

Shia blinked in surprise at the crowd, which was just as dense as it had been during the day.

"Amazing... there are so many people, even though it's night."

"Yeah, it's quite lively. I wonder if there's some kind of festival?"

At Tori's words, Shia shifted her gaze from the street and looked up at the man beside her.

"A festival?"

"Have you never seen one, Shia?"

"Nnn," Shia replied, shaking her head.

"I have. I saw one from far away with Mother; she said we were going to a festival. But it was quieter, and they were floating lights into the sea."

"Ah, that sounds more like a memorial service."

"A memorial service?"

"It's for people who have passed away. To remember them, or to pray for the peace of their souls."

"Then, like Dad's..."

"Most likely. But there are also festivals that are lively."

"Lively..."

Tori's lips curved into a soft smile at the sight of the tilting head. He called out to a man passing by, saying, "Excuse me for a moment."

Startled, Shia pulled her hood down deep.

She still hadn't seen any beastkin here. That was why she kept her hood on. After all, she didn't know what kind of reaction she would get.

However, the fact that she no longer felt particularly bothered by being among so many people—and being exposed to the buzzing emotions of such a crowd—was certainly progress.

"Is there some kind of festival tonight?"

In response to the question, the man who had been stopped looked at Tori with a puzzled expression, then nodded as if realizing something.

"You're a traveler, aren't you?"

"Yes, I just arrived in town."

"I figured. I thought you looked unfamiliar. You're quite a handsome fellow, so I wouldn't have forgotten you, nope."

"I see... Anyway, I was just wondering if there was a festival, since it's so lively."

"Nah, no, no, it's nothing like that. Though, I'll admit, I'm certainly in the mood for a festival."

"In the mood? Did something good happen?"

"Of course it's a good mood! We've finally been liberated from the magic beasts that have tormented us for years."

"Liberated? From magic beasts...?"

"That's right—oh, sorry, someone's calling me over there, so I've gotta go. Well, enjoy the now-peaceful town of Orun, traveler."

With a "See ya," the man waved and walked away. Shia, who had been absentmindedly following his retreating figure with her eyes, suddenly tugged on Tori's clothes as she caught a savory scent drifting from that direction.

"Hey, Tori? Something smells really good."

But there was no answer. Looking up, she saw Tori with a slightly grim expression, seemingly lost in thought. Shia tugged on his clothes once more.

"Tori?"

"……Hm... —Hm? Ah, Shia?"

"You have a difficult face."

"Hm, no... yeah, it's nothing. More importantly, did you say something?"

Tori's expression softened the moment their eyes met, but it seemed his mind was still elsewhere.

Shia didn't mention it, however, and instead pointed toward a stall emitting a savory aroma.

"Tori, what is that? It smells delicious."

"Skewers, maybe? It certainly does smell good. ...Alright, let's make that our dinner for tonight."

"Can we eat at the seats next to it?"

"No, let's take it back and eat at the inn. There was a bakery next to the inn, so it'll be just right."

"Hmm..."

Shia simply nodded without much thought. However, Tori lowered the corners of his brows in a troubled manner.

"...But that means the stroll is canceled."

"That's fine. Tori, something is bothering you, isn't it?"

When she pointed it out, Tori's eyes widened slightly and then blinked, before he finally lowered his brows again.

"Sorry, let's do the stroll in the next town. Unfortunately, it seems it's better not to stay in this town for too long."

"...I see."

Shia didn't understand, but there must have been something in that conversation that bothered him.

But even if she asked for the reason, he probably wouldn't tell her.

"...Okay."

When she nodded obediently, Tori looked a little relieved.

Pretending not to notice, Shia headed toward the stall.

—The next day.

As Shia waited on a bench outside the carriage station, swinging her legs, Tori emerged from the building with a gloomy expression.

"This is a problem... it seems there are no carriages heading for the border today."

"Eh?"

"The next one isn't until the day after tomorrow, and even if we try to go via other stops, there aren't any towns worth mentioning from here on."

"Then should we walk?"

"Even so, the distance is the issue. In the end, the carriage is faster."

"Then should we wait until the day after tomorrow?"

"Hmm... yeah, I guess we have no choice..."

Tori, clearly still troubled by something, looked quite sour, but he ultimately concluded that they had no other option.

As they walked back toward the inn, they came across a restless group of people near where they had passed yesterday. As they walked by, one of them cried out, "Ah! You!"

"I'm glad I found you!"

"Oh... the man from yesterday."

"Yeah, you said you'd just arrived yesterday, right?"

"Eh? ...Well, yes, that's correct."

The one speaking was the man Tori had stopped yesterday. Since Tori's demeanor had changed after that conversation, Shia pricked up her ears this time, determined not to miss a word.

The man asked Tori with a restless air.

"So, where did you two come from?"

"Where... we came through the eastern forest."

"Ah, then you saw the Tochkas! Were they destroyed?"

"Huh? Destroyed...?"

Tori locked eyes with Shia for a moment. Then he looked back at the man, furrowing his brows as if asking what he meant.

"No... there was nothing when we passed through."

"Really?"

"There's no reason for me to lie about that. Besides, to destroy those things, you'd need considerable preparations—"

"But they were destroyed."

"Eh."

"!"

Before they knew it, the group had gathered around them. While hiding behind the surprised Tori, Shia was equally shocked.

(The Tochkas were destroyed? Something that looked so sturdy?)

After all, Shia had checked the inside of one of those Tochkas yesterday. She didn't know if it was the same one, but there had been no abnormalities.

"……And the reason you say they were 'destroyed' rather than just 'collapsed' is?"

Tori's voice dropped slightly as he asked. Inside the hood, Shia's ears flickered.

(...Tori?)

However, only Shia could detect the change in his voice. The men looked at each other.

"Three out of the five were destroyed—the three closest to the eastern forest. We inspect them regularly, and it's not normal for three to be destroyed simultaneously, right?"

"Besides, the guy who found them said that if they had collapsed naturally, the stones wouldn't have been scattered in all directions."

"Meaning they were destroyed in a way that sent debris flying everywhere..."

"Yeah, either explosives, or some kind of magic item was used. Either way, based on what you said, this happened last night. That means there might still be some traces left."

"Are you planning to go to the site now?"

"Yes, we are."

"I see..."

As Tori fell silent, the men began discussing the arrangements for their departure.

Shia moved to his side and looked up at the silent man, calling out, "...Tori...?" but their eyes did not meet.

"May I accompany you?"

When Tori spoke those words, Shia's eyes flew wide, and she tightly gripped the hem of the clothes of the man who wouldn't look at her.