TFR 415

Hos-pi-ta-li-ty [Part 1]

……

The tailless whip scorpions were stumped. Joshua had asked them for a favor, but no guests came out from the carriage.

rustle? rustle rustle...

(What should we do? We can't entertain them like this...)

rustle rustle?

(Right?)

rustle!

(Ah!)

rustle rustle?

(What?)

rustle ru-rustle, rustle rustle

(Humans are creatures that sleep at night, so they're probably sleeping.)

rustle rustle

(I see...)

……

……

rustle?

(But aren't they cold?)

rustle rustle?

(I seemed to remember Emma-sama saying before that the cave was chilly...)

rustle?

(Besides, I wonder if they're hungry?)

rustle rustle?

(After all, Emma-sama says she's hungry all the time, right?)

……

……

rustle?

(Riiight?)

rustle...

(Yeah...)

rustle, rustle?

(Hey, let’s check them out real quick, okay?)

The kindness of the tailless whip scorpions made them unable to leave the guests alone.

Meanwhile, Joanna and the magicians inside the carriage were listening closely to the surrounding situation, remaining immobile while tied up by Violet's thread.

"It's pitch dark..."

As the entire carriage with them inside was pulled into the cave, the dim moonlight coming through the small skylight vanished, and they found themselves unable to see anything.

"Jo-Joanna-sama, the carriage hasn't moved for a while now... Where exactly are we?"

The magicians were trembling. They weren't used to complete darkness because, in the Empire, it was still bright at night thanks to the lights from magic stones. They felt uneasy even when there was moonlight, but now they couldn't even see their companions beside them.

"Hmm, we've probably entered some kind of building."

If one wanted light in the Kingdom, one could only use lamps, candles, or torches; however, the Kingdom's knights also would not make the mistake of placing fire near the carriage carrying prisoners.

"Uhh, have you all been hearing something for a while now? Can everyone be quiet for a second?"

The magician beside Joanna heard noises between their conversation and asked everyone to be silent.

...ru...stle rustle...

rustle......

"Woah, something's there."

When they pricked up their ears, they could hear something crawling from all directions.

"Based on the noise... it’s probably bugs... but ugh, that's so gross if it actually is!"

One magician, a true city boy born and raised in the Imperial Capital, shuddered at the disquieting sound.

"Bugs? No, no, no, it can't be something that small. This sound... just what is it?"

Joanna also became more wary because the noise was too loud to be insects.　

"What if... there are, like, ridiculously huge bugs...?"

The city boy magician turned even paler.

"Huge bugs? Seriously...? Bugs can only get so big, alright?" 

Another magician, one who grew up in the countryside, was left speechless by his colleague.

"What, I'm just saying, okay? This place is a foreign country, you know? There might be some really big ones out there, you just might not know about them, right?"

The city boy magician puffed out his cheeks in displeasure. He raised his voice and picked a fight with his colleague on purpose. If he didn't talk, he would just be too scared of the mysterious rustling sound.

"Um, well, isn't it actually better if it's big? Small bugs can enter through the gaps, but the big ones can't, right?"

The carriage the magicians rode unexpectedly had solid floors and walls, despite its simple structure, which included only a small skylight. It was designed well enough that they would be convinced if someone told them it was a carriage for transporting monsters.

"Uuughhh... Just drop it, okay? Thinking about bugs getting closer when I can't even move makes me feel queasy..."

The city boy magician shuddered when imagining insects inching closer.

"You're a big man. No need to be so scared of little bugs!"

The magician who grew up in the countryside laughed loudly, yet his expression was stiff.

Unfortunately, they had just jinxed themselves with this conversation.

rustle rustle rustle

rustle rustle rustle

"H-Hey... Don't you think more and more of them are coming together?"

"Huh? I-It seems so... But we'll be fine in here, right?"

Humans were strange creatures; when they could not use their vision in total darkness, their hearing became sharper.

Because they had nothing else to do, they became unnecessarily curious and ended up paying attention to the rustling sound. The magicians' imaginations regarding the origin of the mysterious rustling sound gradually escalated.

"The ones making that sound... are definitely bigger than the skylight above, aren't they?"

"Yeah. No doubt."

Looking for some comfort, the magicians began checking with one another to make sure they were all sensing the same things. They thought that although they didn't know what that was, it surely couldn't get inside this carriage.

The rustling sound in the darkness had aroused their fear to that extent.

Then, they would soon be completely let down by their fleeting expectations.