Chapter 25: The Veil of Spirits

When we returned to the inn after leaving the Adventurers’ Guild, the innkeeper behind the counter noticed the golden guild plate in my hand and widened his eyes.

“Hey, hey, Edwin! That’s… gold, isn’t it!? Don’t tell me—you made B rank!?”

At his shout, even the other customers in the dining hall turned to look at us all at once.

“Yes… well. I got lucky.”

When I answered vaguely, the innkeeper leaned forward over the counter, clearly excited.

“You don’t reach that rank by luck! That’s impressive! A solo B-rank in this town—there’s hardly anyone like that! Most people team up with reliable companions and raise their rank little by little.”

At that moment, Rowena—standing beside me—puffed out her chest as if to say not to forget about her and proudly showed the innkeeper her dull-colored guild plate.

Seeing her earnest gesture, the innkeeper broke into a broad grin and gently patted her head.

“That’s right, young lady—you’re a fine adventurer too! And when it comes to B-rank parties, most of them are fairly well known around here.”

Counting on his fingers, the innkeeper began naming them proudly.

“Let’s see… ‘Iron Fist,’ ‘Silver Wind’… oh, and lately that group called ‘Black Dagger’ has been showing up around here too.”

Black Dagger.

Fiona’s party—the group we had met at the entrance to Blackleaf Forest.

So they were B rank as well.

“By the way, do you know about the waterfall? The one said to be west of here…”

When I asked, the innkeeper grinned.

“Of course I do. You mean the waterfall in the Adel Hills. The name they gave it is a good one too. They call it the ‘Veil of Spirits.’”

“The Veil of Spirits…”

“You’ll understand why when you see it.”

With that, the innkeeper laughed and pulled out a sheet of parchment from beneath the counter.

“Here. A map of the area. Take it with you.”

“Thank you. That helps a lot.”

I had just accepted the map when—

As if waiting for our conversation to finish, several customers sitting at the dining tables hurried over to us.

“If you’re B rank, please take my request!”

“No, accept my escort job first!”

(…That was careless.)

I politely but firmly declined their offers.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not planning to take any requests right now.”

With that, I took Rowena’s hand and quickly left the area.

As we climbed the stairs, the innkeeper’s angry voice rang out behind us.

“You lot! Stop bothering my customers!”

I couldn’t help smiling wryly.

Once we returned to our room and closed the door, I was finally able to relax.

Looking over, I noticed that Rowena had somehow gotten hold of a baked sweet and was happily stuffing it into her small mouth.

(She really likes sweets… well, so do I.)

I took out my notebook and the map the innkeeper had just given me from my pack and spread them out.

Comparing the map with the notes I had written at the guild, I murmured to myself.

“The Adel Hills… huh. Instructor Vargas called it a mountain, but it’s close enough.”

West of Norest.

If we followed the main road straight ahead, we should reach it.

If it took two days by carriage, it would probably take three or four days on foot for us.

“Rowena.”

I called out to her while she was still eating her sweets.

“You see, a long time ago, someone who took care of me told me stories about the wide world. I want to see it myself—things like a glittering royal capital, an endless ocean, or ancient ruins no one knows about…”

I tried explaining the purpose of my journey as clearly as possible.

But Rowena simply stared at me with a blank expression.

It didn’t seem like she understood at all.

After thinking for a moment, I rephrased it.

“In other words, it’s a journey where you and I see beautiful places together and eat delicious food.”

The moment she heard that, Rowena’s face lit up.

Then she nodded vigorously as if to say she understood—and suddenly jumped toward me.

Her reaction made me laugh without thinking.

Well, if that explanation worked, then it was good enough.

“All right. We leave tomorrow morning. Get ready.”

I said that as I gently patted Rowena’s head.