“Murder case…?”
The ominous prediction hit the mark.
An investigator came to us to investigate the murder case committed by Erina.
“I heard rumors about you. Three days ago, you had a fight with a man at the inn, didn’t you?”
It seemed like he had already completed a rough investigation about us.
“The man who fought you two days ago died.”
“Yes…? What are you talking about?”
I pretended not to know as calmly as possible.
Fortunately, my acting skills weren’t bad, which was a relief.
If I were caught lying here, I would be dragged away by the guards without hesitation.
And surely, Kayla’s identity as a dragon would also be exposed.
In essence, it was game over. I had to deceive the investigator at all costs.
“There seems to be a lot of unfavorable talk about you. Just this morning, you were fighting at the inn, weren’t you? Twice, even.”
Erina almost beat up a troublemaker to death at the inn.
She even fought with Kayla, smashing the room in the process.
Starting from me, to Erina and Kayla.
All of us had a record of causing trouble at the inn.
Looking back, there was hardly a party that caused so much trouble.
It was strange that there were no rumors spreading.
But I also had something to say.
“The other party started the argument. Besides, they were armed.”
The investigator listened to my words seriously.
He was trying his best to judge the situation fairly.
As the conversation ended, he scratched his head and said.
“It hasn’t been long since you arrived in the capital, right? It seems like you’re not familiar with the place, so you should be careful.”
The investigator already had a considerable amount of information about us.
From when we arrived in the capital to the time we stayed at the inn.
He even knew when we went out on quests.
Of course, I didn’t stay silent either.
I tried my best to prove our innocence somehow.
“We have no idea about any of this. We only just learned about the murder.”
“I know. I’m not suspecting you. Just asking questions.”
It was obviously a lie.
He already considered us suspects.
Despite his friendly demeanor, his eyes were sharp.
A stern gaze was directed at us.
“The time of the murder is estimated to be from last evening to dawn. Can you tell me what you were doing during that time?”
‘Sh*t…’
I cursed unintentionally.
The murder happened in the evening.
After arguing with Erina and falling asleep, I had a conversation with Kayla until dawn.
It was obviously suspicious behavior. I couldn’t lie.
The investigator had already obtained testimony from the innkeeper.
Although I claimed to have gone for a walk at night because I couldn’t sleep, I was at a loss when faced with the investigator’s expression.
“Hmm.”
The atmosphere around us suddenly became tense.
The inn’s interior quieted down, with people stealing glances at us.
The investigator, who had been contemplating for a moment, turned his gaze elsewhere.
Behind me were Kayla and Erina, hiding.
“Why aren’t the other two saying anything?”
His tone had become slightly heavier than before.
At the same time, Erina stepped forward to face the investigator.
She looked at him with an indifferent expression.
She frowned as if annoyed.
A cold demeanor that she never showed in front of me.
Perhaps this was Erina’s true nature.
“What’s the matter?”
With a cold attitude and a sharp tone, the investigator stiffened his face.
Unlike me, Erina was not at all cooperative.
“I have a question. What did you do while you were out for a while last night?”
“I went for a short bath. That’s all.”
The blunt attitude made the investigator shut his mouth.
It wasn’t a lie, but it was a behavior that could be easily misunderstood.
He seemed to think that it would be difficult to continue the conversation, so he nodded his head.
Now, only Kayla was left.
She cautiously stepped out from behind me and stood in front of the investigator.
Her face was covered by a hood, making her look suspicious.
“Is there a reason for wearing a robe indoors?”
Kayla didn’t answer.
Instead, she lifted her robe slightly to reveal her face.
Her horns on her head were not visible.
“She’s very shy, that’s why. Please understand.”
I intervened clumsily, but the suspicious gaze didn’t waver.
The investigator, who was scrutinizing her face, sighed.
Fortunately, he didn’t force her to lift her robe or anything.
Although her identity as a dragon wasn’t exposed, suspicion still lingered.
“Where did you go last night?”
“T-to the, the west street where there’s a big tree…”
“What did you do there?”
“T-that’s…”
Kayla couldn’t easily answer. Unfortunately, she wasn’t good at lying.
I couldn’t help her now.
I desperately hoped for a harmless answer to come out of her mouth.
In a tense moment, Kayla finally spoke, shyly avoiding eye contact.
“W-we went on a d-date…”
Her words froze the surroundings.
It wasn’t a lie.
But it was a sufficient answer to invite misunderstanding.
A date between a man and a woman in the wee hours.
No one could think of it as a normal date.
The investigator seemed quite taken aback by her words, coughing repeatedly.
“Ahem, I see. Was there a reason to go out at night?”
At the follow-up question, Kayla buried her face deeper into her robe.
And she whispered softly.
“Uh, I wanted to be alone with him in a place where no one else was…”
Her answer was so embarrassing that I felt ashamed just listening to it.
Unintentionally, my head hung low.
What could a man and a woman have done in the dead of night?
Everyone was probably thinking the same thing.
The people around us must have been no different.
Ignoring the sound of teeth grinding from behind, the investigator nodded.
It was evident that he was suppressing laughter.
“Sorry about that. Seems like I asked a pointless question.”
Fortunately, the smile returned to the investigator’s face.
Though it was closer to a snicker, it still lightened the mood.
As the questioning ended, Kayla immediately hid behind me.
And the investigator approached me.
“Sorry about that. The atmosphere got heavy.”
With an apology, he patted my back lightly.
His grip was strong enough to make my waist ache.
A kind smile and a relaxed expression emerged.
“There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.”
“I know. I’ve been there before.”
With that, he whispered softly.
“By the way, nobody goes behind the warehouse in the southern street at night, so keep that in mind.”
Leaving behind unnecessary words, the investigator chuckled lightly.
Although our guard was down, I wasn’t sure if this was fortunate.
Fortunately, the investigator dropped his suspicions.
And he gave us various pieces of advice.
“Though you’re still newcomers, reputation is important in the capital. Rumors spread faster than you think.”
“Ah, yes.”
“This time was unavoidable, but it’s better to avoid fights whenever possible. If you don’t want to get unnecessary accusations like this one.”
With a warning or advice, the investigator patted my shoulder.
Then, the investigator left the inn.
After he left, silence enveloped the inn naturally.
People’s gazes were fixed on us.
There was a mixture of wariness, curiosity, and a sticky sense of discomfort in the air. The atmosphere was filled with discomfort.
I couldn’t bear the awkward atmosphere.
Since our flaws were exposed to everyone, there was no reason to stay here.
I hurriedly grabbed the hands of the two and pushed them into the room.
Meanwhile, the girl at the counter had a blush on her face.
Holding back her shame, I approached the clerk.
“Could you prepare dinner for three in an hour? Three portions of roasted boar.”
“Yes, yes…!”
As soon as she responded, I hurriedly went up the stairs and entered the room.
Was this what it felt like to hide in a mouse hole?
I wasn’t the only one feeling embarrassed.
With a crimson face, Kayla wrapped her face with her hands.
Erina was glaring at her with a disgusted expression.
There was no such chaos elsewhere. Since coming to this world, I had never had such a difficult day.
“Let’s unpack first. I have something to say, so let’s gather for a moment.”
At my words, both of them moved quickly.
Erina took off her armor and neatly arranged her weapons.
Kayla took off her robe and locked the door.
Although I wanted to rest a little, there was still something to do.
I sat at the table and rested my chin in my hand. Complicated thoughts swirled in my head.
I stared at the flickering flame of the candle on the table lost in thought.
After the surroundings were somewhat organized, the two of them sat at the table.
We gathered around the small table and looked at each other.
“Everyone worked hard today.”
I was the first to break the silence.
It had been a tough day for all of us, not just me.
Even though they didn’t show it, they must have been exhausted.
I myself felt drowsy and was suppressing yawns.
The two of them must have felt the same.
But there was something we had to go over.
“There was too much going on today.”
I didn’t specify who was to blame.
Erina’s body twitched as if she had been pricked by something.
Kayla’s expression wasn’t too good either.
“Erina.”
“I’m sorry…”
But spilled water couldn’t be put back into the jug.
I could only hope that this incident would make them more cautious.
“Let me say this again. Never harm anyone.”
“Yes…”
Even at this moment, the investigator was still wandering around for the case.
Though I hoped we would get through this unscathed, we couldn’t rely solely on luck.
“Listen carefully, everyone.”
According to what I had heard from the investigator earlier, we had gained notoriety in a negative sense.
And with Kayla joining in, our activities were restricted.
We had just narrowly avoided exposing our identities to the investigator.
“It doesn’t seem favorable to continue our activities in the capital.”
Our notoriety had spread among the people.
Our reputation wasn’t good even at the Quest Center.
We had caught the investigator’s attention because of the murder case.
“It might be difficult to continue our activities here as it is.”
If by chance Kayla’s identity as a dragon were to be revealed, it could be really dangerous.
Knowing that, even Kayla nodded in agreement.
There was no place for us in the capital.
In the end, I decided to resort to the alternative I had been considering.
“Let’s go on an expedition. We need time for the rumors to die down.”
An expedition request. I had only thought of it as a last resort until now.
But in the current situation, there was no other way.
Going on quests far away might quiet down the murder case.
And there were several places we had to visit on the expedition.
The timing was right, and considering Erina and Kayla’s capabilities, it was challenging but feasible.
“Let’s take on a quest and leave tomorrow. We plan to leave at least two days later, so prepare in advance.”
Kayla, who had been listening silently, raised her hand quietly and asked me.
“May I know where we’re going?”
I realized I hadn’t mentioned our destination.
I had already decided on the expedition quest in my mind.
“Mount Norstel.”
At my words, Kayla’s body twitched and trembled.
