“Now then, what should I do next?” Allen muttered to himself after leaving the guild.
While he was chatting with Lisette, time had slipped by completely. The sun was still high in the sky, but it was definitely starting to lean toward evening. It likely wouldn’t be long before it set and darkness spread across the area. There weren’t many options for what he could do now.
Well, I guess the safest bet is to look for an inn...
No matter what he intended to do, the first step was to secure a base of operations. Allen had already decided to stay in this town for a while and gather information. There was no reason to believe he’d find what he was looking for right away. In fact, he wasn’t even sure what kind of information he should be looking for in the first place. Rushing around like that would only lead to trouble, he knew that much for sure.
Well, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t at least a little interested in enjoying this whole situation while I’m at it.
That much should be fine. Living in a world that was both familiar and unfamiliar...there was no harm in enjoying it a little.
Ah. Actually, I probably should’ve asked about that kind of stuff while I was at the guild.
He’d only talked about silly little things with Lisette and never even thought to bring it up. He didn’t regret that—it had been a valuable and enjoyable time—but it still felt like a missed opportunity.
Mm, but going back now would be kind of awkward...
He was sure they’d be willing to answer if he asked. It wasn’t a busy time at reception yet, so that shouldn’t be a problem. But emotionally speaking, he just didn’t feel like heading back.
Well, I guess I’ll just find something on my own.
The only inn Allen knew was the one Riese and the others had stayed at long ago, but fortunately, he was fairly confident in his knowledge of the town’s geography. He had a few ideas about where other inns might be, and he figured he’d manage somehow. With that in mind, he started walking, deciding to head toward the inn Riese and the others had used first. Given his current funds, it was unlikely he could afford to stay there, but it was worth checking anyway.
Moreover, while the path to the guild hadn’t changed, that didn’t guarantee the rest of the town was the same. It was worth confirming.
Come to think of it, there’s one place I know for sure must be different.
The house they’d all lived in. Since Noel didn’t live in this town anymore, that fact alone meant it was different, and on top of that, there was a good chance the house was now uninhabited. Back when Allen had bought it, he’d been told it had gone unsold and abandoned for a while. That had worked in his favor at the time, letting him buy it for a reasonable price, but either way, the place now had to be a complete unknown to him.
Hmm... But now that I think about it, my base doesn’t have to be an inn, right? That old mansion would work just as well.
Of course, with what Allen had on hand now, buying it was out of the question. But judging from the price he had paid for it before, renting it might still be possible.
Well, there’s always the chance someone’s already bought it, or that it doesn’t even exist here. But if that’s the case, I’ll deal with it then.
At the very least, there was no reason to cross it off the list at this point.
Thinking about it that way, it’s actually starting to sound like a pretty good idea...
He had a fair amount of attachment to that place. Making it his base here wouldn’t be bad. In fact, he was starting to get quite enthusiastic about it.
But if I remember right, the reason I even found out about it was because Nadia mentioned it to me...
And that Nadia wasn’t at the guild right now in this world. So who should he talk to about it? Maybe Lisette would know enough if he brought it up...
Well, first I guess I should check if the place even exists, or what condition it’s in.
If someone was already living there—or if it didn’t exist at all—then there’d be no point in bringing it up. And it’d probably be easier to explain his interest if he actually visited it first.
I could say it caught my eye or something like that.
Once decided, he figured the sooner he moved, the better. Even if it didn’t work out, it wouldn’t take long to check. And there’d still be time afterward to look for an inn.
Thinking that far ahead, Allen realized he was more eager about this than he’d expected, and he let out a small, amused sigh.
Guess I was more attached to that place than I thought.
Still, it didn’t feel like a bad thing. In fact, if he made his base somewhere he cared about, it might give him even more motivation to press forward. In that sense, it wasn’t a bad decision at all.
All right. If that’s the plan...
Moving his feet again after stopping for so long, Allen set off toward the familiar place he knew so well.
The moment Allen laid eyes on the familiar mansion, he came to an involuntary halt. He had more or less expected it, but there were unmistakable signs that someone was currently living there. And on top of that...
“So that’s how it is, huh?” he muttered to himself, shifting his gaze slightly away from the mansion. There wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy there. No flowers were blooming, and it really was just an unremarkable patch of land.
But as Allen continued to gaze at that spot with conviction, someone eventually appeared as if melting out of the scenery itself, perhaps realizing it was pointless to remain hidden.
A lone girl stood there. Allen wasn’t surprised in the least. Of course, he had already noticed her, and he also knew exactly who she was. After all, there was only one person he knew who could pull off that disappearing act.
It was Mylène.
“Hey. I guess it hasn’t been that long since we last saw each other?”