The tower stood deep within the woods. It was five stories tall, almost indistinguishable from the trees around it. The simple structure had been made on a stone foundation and built in and around the trees. The land surrounding the tower was fenced and held a small, well-tended garden and a henhouse. The latter was slightly rundown but still looked taken care of.
According to the local villagers, the tower was home only to the mage that the adventurer trio was searching for. He’d been there alone for decades. Adventurers and fellow mages sometimes visited him, but as far as the villagers knew, he didn’t have a wife or children.
“There’s something here,” Cain said as they explored the area near the tower. “Maybe something he couldn’t revea—wha—?!”
The three spun in the direction of a loud sound.
Standing there was a beautiful girl with a terrified expression, holding a water bucket. She had fair skin and long, beautiful black hair that flowed down from her wide-brimmed hat. Her robe covered her legs and feet, and she carried a small cane at her waist. What stood out most, however, was the long snake tail stretching out from under her robe’s hem. The tail, which was longer than the girl was tall, made it crystal clear—she was a lamia.
“Ah…” she gasped. “H-humans?! Thieves?!”
“Hell no!” Jack snapped back at the insult. From the young woman’s perspective, however, they were three heavily armed men in her front yard. Perhaps it was inevitable that she’d assume they were bandits.
“Eek!” Trembling in fear, she turned to flee into the woods.
“P-please wait!” called Cain. “We’re just adventurers here to see Joshua!”
“You live here, right?!” Terry added. “We don’t mean you any harm—even if you are a lamia!”
In response, the girl stopped walking—slithering. They’d hit the mark; she cautiously turned toward the men. “You’ve heard of lamia…?”
She was shivering like a small animal. Still, she’d piqued the adventurers’ curiosity. She probably knows how people see lamia, Cain thought. That’s why she’s so frightened. Truthfully, the friends knew all too well that, under different circumstances, the local villagers would’ve requested that someone slay her long ago.
“Yes, we’ve heard they’re dangerous monsters. But we also know that some can communicate with humans. You’re one of the latter, right?” Cain guessed.
“Y-yes, exactly! I don’t attack people or anything like that.” The girl was eager to show that she wasn’t remotely hostile. “So, um…”
“Would you mind telling us what’s going on? We might be able to help you.”
“A-all right. M-my name’s Lydianne. I’m a mage, like my father.” Lydianne approached the men, still trembling a bit. “M-maybe we should go inside? Right this way.” Sliding past them, she opened the tower door, then turned to invite them in. The three men nodded at each other and strode after the young lamia.
Entering the tower, they saw a large black door in the center of the entrance hall; the strange door had a picture of a cat on it.
Lydianne approached the door, explaining its presence in a rush. “Uh, this…um…started appearing here recently. I don’t know what it is. As long as you don’t touch it, it goes away on its own.”
Powerful magic had been cast on the door. When Lydianne had opened it a crack, bright light flooded out, and she’d felt the presence of a number of people. She’d slammed the black door shut in a panic and hadn’t touched it since. Her fright won out over her curiosity.
Instead of fearing the door, however, the three men drew close and inspected it. A-adventurers sure are brave, thought Lydianne.
“Whoa!” exclaimed Cain. “A door to the Restaurant to Another World! Today’s the day, huh?”
“Man, it really does show up in the weirdest places,” Jack noted. “Is that just coincidence?”
“Beats me,” Terry replied. “But I’ve heard new doors appear in spots where magic gathers. Maybe that’s why.”
For some reason, the three men seemed to be quite familiar with the door. Confused by their reactions and slightly jealous of their easy knowledge, Lydianne guided them deeper into the tower to the space that served as both living and dining room. The chamber was hardly large; inside stood a large table and only a single chair.
“Ah…I-I’m sorry! I don’t sit in chairs. So, um…” Lydianne realized her error too late. “I believe Father had chairs in the study and bedroom.”
Her father had used chairs, but that was tricky for Lydianne. It was usually more comfortable just to coil her tail and stand. She turned to bring some down, frazzled by her first “guests.”
Fortunately, they were understanding. “It’s not a big deal.”
“We’re the ones who just barged in here. Don’t worry about it.”
“Yeah! We’ll stand.”
“I-I’m so sorry. I usually hid whenever someone visited Father,” Lydianne admitted. Though she’d never hosted guests, she was clearly educated; she had no trouble communicating in human words. “So, um, what brings you here?”
“We hoped to exchange information about magic and so on with Joshua…but it seems he’s passed away, hasn’t he?”
“Yes…about a year ago. But I learned magic from my father. I know a bit about his research.” Lydianne cut herself off, then looked straight at Cain and his friends and asked a question she’d thought of earlier. “Um, if you don’t mind, could you tell me about lamia who can communicate with humans?”
The adventurers had mentioned it in passing, but Lydianne considered the topic extremely important. After all, the received wisdom in their world was that lamia were terrifying monsters that threatened humans’ very existence.
“Well, I’ve never spoken with one. But we’ve seen lamia get along just fine with human men,” Cain replied.
“Yeah. Judging by how those lamia looked, they were probably some kind of noblewomen,” Jack added. “And it was a different lamia each time, so they were probably from a big city or country.”
“From their skin tone, I’d guess the Sand Nation. I’ve heard they have darker skin and wear clothes that are sort of different over there,” Terry interjected.
These men spoke of lamia interacting with humans as if it were completely normal; to them, the “received wisdom” was something else entirely.
“Um…where did you see them?” Lydianne inquired. Where could that possibly be? Perhaps she could find a place that accepted her.
The three men pointed in the direction of the strange door by the tower entrance. “The Restaurant to Another World,” they said in unison.
It was then that Lydianne learned what the door really was.