Kays Translations

Just another Isekai Lover~

Chapter 248: Discussion at the Inn

At an inn in Dareder, the four members gathered in the room shared by Tauro and Ankh to discuss their next move.

Tauro explained the plan he had come up with.

“I think I should stay in Ragune’s hometown, the dragonfolk village, until the trouble with the Assassins’ Guild dies down. Outsiders almost never go there, and any stranger who entered would immediately be noticed. I also heard that there’s an Adventurers’ Guild branch in the village.”

“The dragonfolk village?!”

Aeris and Ankh were both startled by the completely unexpected suggestion.

“I thought you might say you were going to Saisi, but the dragonfolk village…!”

Tauro thought Aeris’s imagination had taken an alarmingly reckless turn.

“That would be outrageous too, but… The dragonfolk village is extremely distant, and the normal route there’s steep and dangerous, isn’t it, Ragune?”

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“Yes. From here, it’d take about a month just to reach the northernmost human settlement. After that, you’d have to cross a vast forest, enter the Antas Mountains, and find the Dragon Forest before finally reaching the village. Even with confidence in my own speed, it took me more than a month to find everyone. The entire village is also protected by wards and visual-obstruction magic, so locating it would be extremely difficult even for someone deliberately searching for it.”

Although the question had come without warning, Ragune openly described defenses that were probably meant to remain secret.

“Exactly. The Assassins’ Guild shouldn’t be able to reach the dragonfolk village, so I thought I could hide there. I’d need Ragune to speak on my behalf and obtain Chief Ryuga’s permission, but despite the distance, it’s also the easiest place for me to keep in contact with all of you.”

“You’d be very welcome in the village. I’m sure the chief will grant permission immediately. He also said that he had a request he wanted to make of you.”

Ragune welcomed the idea enthusiastically.

“Yes. I intend to hear his request while I’m there.”

Tauro hadn’t forgotten that Chief Ryuga had asked him for help. Recent events had kept him too busy to revisit the dragonfolk village, but he had already felt that he ought to go, so the timing seemed ideal.

“Then we’ll go too. We’re a team, and there’s an Adventurers’ Guild there.”

Aeris said it as though it were the most natural conclusion in the world.

“I expected you to say that, but the chief’s request will probably be a major undertaking. Wouldn’t it be better for the three of you to continue operating separately?”

Tauro didn’t want to drag Aeris and the others into danger because of him, so he opposed the idea.

“Aeris, the leader is right,” Ankh said. “He’s going into hiding so the Assassins’ Guild won’t involve the rest of us. If all four of us disappear together, it’ll be obvious that his departure from the team was only an act, and the guild will simply hunt all four of us. We need to remain in Dansas and make it look as though we’ve lost contact with him. Otherwise, he’ll spend the whole time worrying about us too. You understand, don’t you?”

“…How long will this take?”

Aeris asked Tauro with an openly dissatisfied expression.

“I don’t know. It depends on the chief’s request, but perhaps six months to a year. If it concerns the dungeon expedition, the timing will depend on its progress. I’ll probably be responsible mainly for transporting people back and forth, so I should be able to avoid most of the danger. Ragune returns to the dragonfolk village frequently, so we should still be able to contact each other quickly.”

“That’s right, Aeris. My hometown is somewhere I can return to whenever I need to. If anything happens, I can reach Tauro immediately. In that sense, he’ll be much closer than if he were hiding somewhere across the kingdom.”