The night was beautiful, the blue sky signaling that it was midnight. Stars adorned the sky with various constellations, and the moon was already in the midst.
Infori, walking along the long, straight path, took the time to look ahead, and he was delighted to see what a beautiful sight it was.
"Finally, we're here!" he said.
At the end of his path was Storm of Road.
An iconic building built near the Stormy Sea, it served as a central point for explorers and those traveling to Storm Queen City.
The main building towered in the center of a vast plaza paved with bluish-white marble, surrounded by canals that flowed neatly like the veins of the place. Tall, classical-style pillars supported stone arches, adorned with distinctive storm-themed carvings.
The surrounding buildings were symmetrically arranged, tiered, with wrought-iron balconies and stained-glass windows reflecting light onto the sea's surface.
Infori stood on the path. Every pedestrian path led back to the center of the plaza.
There, many people came to visit just to enjoy the lively atmosphere. They all enjoyed the gentle breeze.
In fact, Infori saw some adventurers taking a break here.
He breathed a sigh of relief, having finally arrived. Although he was a little late, that wasn't a bad thing.
(Haaah... What a relief. I think I should sit down first, my legs have been tingling all the way!)
Infori decided to find a chair. He walked around, and found a lounger available without delay. Seeing this, he walked towards it and sat down leisurely in the empty chair.
He leaned against the railing behind the chair.
"Finally, my legs can rest for a while," he said with relief.
Infori paused there, resting his mind, body, and soul, exhausted from walking on a path he rarely used. In his entire life, Infori felt this way for the first time.
Feeling the fatigue that everyone experiences.
(...So, this is what everyone feels when exploring? It's quite tough, huh...)
Now, Infori could understand the feelings that adventurers and explorers often experience. They felt an uncomfortable feeling, a feeling they shouldn't have, but were forced to—well, that's their job.
He then looked around, as several people were joking around, adventurers seemed to be discussing, and Infori could even overhear glimpses of their discussions.
"How are we supposed to defeat that dragon monster in an AR (Adventure Rank) 30 dungeon?"
"Yeah, we're only AR 19, can we really do it?"
"Well, what's wrong? An AR 30 dungeon doesn't mean it's going to be that difficult; it depends on whether we can fight it or not."
Infori just listened; he wasn't even an adventurer. On the other side, several people were walking along the path leading to the plaza of the Storm of Road.
Among all this, something made Infori feel uneasy. Turning to his right, he saw a group of men who looked like the adventurers standing with two people in white robes in front of them.
"...?"
"Those white robes... I think I've seen them before..." he muttered.
Infori watched their movements from a distance. The group of adventurers then walked, followed by the two men in white robes.
"..."
His instincts then seemed to tell him something, but he dismissed it, not wanting to pry into other people's business.
(Well, they're none of my business, but...)
Infori thought for a moment.
"Those white robes..."
When he thought back, the person in the white robe in his mind was Lilith. The Seraphim who had accidentally stolen from Infori's shop, for some reason, their white robes were identical.
(Lilith... Is that her? Their robes... If compared, they might be similar, but there are many people with white robes in this world.)
"..."
However, his thoughts ultimately came to a dead end.
He finally exploited one of his own weaknesses: his constant curiosity.
(Oh well! Unless I see it for myself, I won't know.)