After my meal, I visited the inn where Richard was staying. I was so curious that I rushed through my meal, and the Shopkeeper jokingly told me, “You’re too hasty.”

But… I never expected Richard’s name to come up here. And I’ll finally be able to meet him here.

I entered the inn and was told Richard’s room number. It seems he’s sharing a room with his partner.

Lefin, I’m sorry, but could you hide?

I called out to Lefin as I headed to the room. Lefin immediately nodded, saying,

Understood. Like little Lord Garuku, I will enter Lord Ruon’s body. I cannot use my power as we are not contracted, but please understand.

I know.

As Lefin’s figure disappeared, I arrived at the room. I knocked, and I heard hurried footsteps.

Yes?

The door opened. A woman in a white robe appeared from inside. She was probably around twenty years old.

She had dull brown hair that reached her shoulders and indigo eyes. She was undoubtedly beautiful, but her Magic-user-like attire made her individuality blend in, and at first glance, she didn’t seem very attractive. However, she possessed a lovely aura to the extent that the Town residents who interacted with her during the subjugation would be interested.

Um, you’re the one who participated in the Extermination Squad, right?

Yes, but… who are you?

She tilted her head and asked. Then,

Is that a Town Human?

A young man approached from further inside. He was also around twenty years old, like the woman. In contrast to her, he was a black-haired individual wearing a black robe. He seemed to have injured his right hand, as it was bandaged on the back of his hand.

At first glance, I felt a sense of unease. The man approaching was undoubtedly Richard… but I had previously heard a description of Richard’s appearance from Kyarun. According to her, he was in his mid-twenties with sharp eyes and an aura like a seasoned warrior.

However, the Richard in front of me was a pleasant young man with no aura of a seasoned warrior. He didn’t seem to fit the description Kyarun had given.

…I’m here to greet you, as you participated in the Monster Subjugation.

When I stated this, Richard replied, “I see.”

My name is Richal Ardet. This is my partner, Lete Kaira.

Nice to meet you.

…My name is Ruon Madin.

I responded, while keeping my gaze fixed on Richard.

I apologize for the sudden visit. I just really wanted to meet you.

Us?

“Yes… if you don’t mind me asking.”

He gets to the main point. Richard assumes a posture that says, “Please, go ahead.”

“You once taught magic at a certain mercenary fortress, didn’t you?”

The moment he was asked, Richard tilted his head, looking like he didn’t remember.

“…Mercenary?”

“Oh, um… well then, did you resolve the disturbance that occurred at the SpiritsGnome Dwelling?”

“We’ve never even been to such a place.”

Rete’s response… from the looks of the two of them, they don’t seem to be lying.

It seems they weren’t involved in what I spoke of… I casually brushed it off as a “case of mistaken identity,” and since the atmosphere had become a bit awkward, I decided to express my gratitude again and change the subject.

“Um, thank you for participating in the subjugation. I’m a traveler, so I couldn’t stop by the town, and I was worried about it.”

“So you’re from this town, and a traveler… Oh, that’s right. How about we exchange some information?”

Richard’s suggestion. I agreed, saying, “Sounds good,” and started thinking again.

Apparently, the Richard who resolved the Gnome Incident and so on is a different person—but I can’t believe they’re completely unrelated.

What exactly is going on here…? A mystery has arisen, but one thing is clear: there’s something more complicated about this person named Richard than I initially thought.

I began exchanging information with Richard and Rete at the tavern. After about five minutes of conversation, our tone became more casual… The content was mostly about the monster situation, but two things became clear through our conversation.

One is that they are adventurers who travel themselves. The other is that they always act in pairs.

Also, they’ve never been to the fortress where Kyarun was, or the Gnome Dwelling, which I mentioned earlier… Furthermore, they didn’t seem to have any connection to that suspicious tower either.

“Hmm…”

As the conversation progressed, I kept my gaze on Richard. He was conversing with Rete… and while they might not be lovers, they seemed very close.

He’s probably a different person from the Richard whose footprints I found. Hmm, I can predict that asking him any more won’t yield anything, so I could end the conversation here, but just in case, I’ll observe a little longer.

Eventually, we left the tavern and decided to walk along the town street.

“Ruon, you seem to be a leader among adventurers… do you not have other companions?”

“…They’re in a different place. We’re just temporarily separated and acting alone. I’ll return to my companions in a few days.”

“I see.”

While talking, I observed Richard and Rete again. They looked like nothing more than ordinary adventurers. No more, no less, so I thought the person whose footprints I found was simply someone with the same name—just then,

“…Hmm?”

Suddenly, a presence. It was from behind, so I briefly considered turning around—but stopped.

Instead, I pretended not to notice anything. Walking alongside Richard and the others… I had felt a similar presence before.

That was—right after defeating Redras, when I delved into the underground. I felt a familiar presence then too. Since Lefin and the others didn’t seem to notice, I thought it might just be my imagination… but now that I’ve noticed it again, it’s likely a familiar was there at that time too.

If so, the spirits didn’t notice, and only I did… does this mean there’s some kind of trick? I won’t know the answer to that question unless I ask the person who controls this familiar—

In any case, there’s a familiar here. But since I didn’t sense its presence when I was acting alone, it probably isn’t observing me. In that case, the target is—

“Hey, Ruon.”

Suddenly, Richard’s voice.

“We might meet again during our travels in the future, so when we do, I look forward to it.”

“…Alright.”

I nodded. Without further conversation, Richard and I parted ways.

Immediately after I started walking, I tried to sense the familiar’s movements. It didn’t seem to be focusing on me. It was definitely monitoring Richard and the others.

Hmm, if the same person who had the familiar observing the underground is behind this, what exactly is their purpose in observing Richard? I’d like to investigate, but considering I was seen in the underground, it wouldn’t be surprising if the familiar escaped immediately.

While I was pondering, the familiar’s movement stopped. It must be because Richard and the others entered an inn.

Even if I monitor the familiar itself, it probably won’t return to its magic user. So, I guess I have no choice but to forcefully approach the familiar and see if I can find its location.

There’s a high chance it will escape before then… It doesn’t seem to be disappearing for now, but since I just interacted with Richard and the others, it will probably be on alert.

So, what should I do…

“Should Lefin and I help you?”

It was Garuku’s voice.

“……Help?”

“It’s a familiar, isn’t it?”

“Did Garuku notice?”

“Yes, Lefin doesn’t seem to have noticed, but I did.”

Even though it wasn’t his True Self, his Presence Detection Ability seemed high.

“By using Lefin’s Wind to analyze its magic power, and then utilizing my earth power from that, there’s a possibility we can infer its location without being noticed by the other party. It would be difficult if the person who released the familiar is too far away, though.”

Oh, this is encouraging.

“……By the way, Garuku. Can you do it right away?”

“It’s possible.”

“Then… I’m sorry to ask so soon, but please do it.”

“Understood.”

“Leave it to us.”

I heard Garuku and Lefin’s voices. Then… after about fifteen minutes, Garuku suddenly spoke.