The Arrival in Liora

1

Snow crunches under the horse's hooves, birds dart between cliffs, their wings cutting through the crisp air. The carriage rolls steadily along the narrow mountain paths, following the winding ridge. The wind howls as we push forward, but the cold is bearable—perhaps the mountains shield us from the worst of it.

It shouldn't be much farther now—soon, the town of Liora should come into view. Just a little deeper into the mountains, and it will stand there, almost like a town born from the stone itself. Well, not entirely—the mountains rise on one side, but on the other, green fields and water stretch out, the peaks curving around as if nature had carved out the perfect space for a town.

The best thing about this time of year? It's the perfect season to visit Liora's hot springs—a truly ideal time to be here.

As we move forward, cliffs loom above like natural pathways, some jutting downward while others curve alongside the mountains. The rocky slopes are dotted with caves—some small, some large. From one of the smaller caves, a flock of birds bursts out, soaring into the sky like scouts searching for food for their young.

Even flowers persist here—delicate blue and purple blooms clinging to the mountain walls, unfazed by the late season. They stand tall against the strongest winds, despite their fragile appearance.

It's easy to imagine that in the warmer months, these pathways must be overflowing with greenery, perhaps even teeming with wildlife.

Lost in the surroundings, I almost don't notice the voice that shatters the quiet—Sela's voice, of course. Typical Sela behavior.

"Look! Guys! Liora!" she stumbles over her words, nearly tumbling out of the carriage as she leans forward, pointing excitedly toward a turn just ahead.

"Already?" Orin sits up, peering out the window. "Oh, we're actually here? Alright! Once we get down into town, let's drink!"

His priorities are… questionable. Do we even have money for that?

"Orin? Don't we need money first?" I ask, but before I can get an answer, Farren's excitement drowns me out.

"Yes! We can finally drink again!" Farren shouts, throwing a fist into the air.

Ronan, ever the calm one, speaks up. "Yeah, we need money first, but they'll probably handle that once we get there, so no worries."

At least Ronan can act somewhat normal. The others… well. Orin is normal enough, I guess, but seriously—drinking is the first thing on his mind?

"I see… Well, let's hope so," I mutter, shooting a glance at the two addicts in front of me.

As we move forward, the mountain path slowly widens, leading us toward the entrance of the town—a stone-built gate that looks as if it was carved straight from the mountains themselves. Two guards stand on either side, their eyes scanning the passing travelers. As we pass through, they offer our coachman a friendly smile and a wave, a silent greeting exchanged between familiar faces. He must pass through here often, a regular sight in this town.

And there it was—the town of Liora, vast and breathtaking, also known as the town of hot springs. Mountains curved around its sides, disappearing into the distance. Houses were built alongside the mountain walls, following their natural slopes, with pathways winding up toward the mountain's high ridges.

On the ground, both small and large houses stood in rows, far more luxurious than the simple homes of the villages. They reminded me slightly of Luminara, yet they had their own unique charm. And the farther into town I looked, the grander they became.

A thin layer of snow covered the pathway, softening the sound of our carriage as it rumbled forward, the hooves of our horses thudding against the snowy ground.

As we move deeper into the town, more and more riders fill the road, arriving from all corners of the world. But it's not just the road that grows livelier—the tightly packed homes begin to give way to more open spaces. The houses here are no longer so closely clustered; instead, they are grander, more luxurious.

In the distance, a castle-like building comes into view, standing near the town's edge. It rises beside a vast field that stretches far beyond, marking the boundary where the town meets the open land.

Taking a right turn, we follow an inner road leading to a wooden building with a simple sign that reads "Inn." Pulling up outside, we come to a stop and step down, our feet finally touching the ground of Liora. We offer our thanks to the kind coachman for the ride before turning toward the entrance.

The inn is small for a town of this size—hardly a luxurious place. I suppose Orin had the brilliant idea of finding the cheapest stay possible. Figures.

2

"We'll take six rooms," Orin says, facing the innkeeper, his sack of money in hand.

"That will be 30 silver coins," the innkeeper replies firmly. A cheap price, but do we even have that? We spent most of our coins just getting here.

Orin pulls out 30 silver coins, setting them on the table and sliding them over. He tries to keep a straight face, maybe even a forced smile, but I know the truth—he's just emptied almost all his money for a single night's stay.

Turning back to us, he shoves the keys into his pocket with a defeated sigh. "Only three silver coins left…" His voice is flat, his gaze practically dead.

As expected, Farren jumps in immediately, his priorities as skewed as ever. "What!? Wait… so no ale today either? I don't think I can last another day!"

"Go get a quest and work for it," Ronan replies, giving Farren a flat look as if watching a man on the verge of breaking down over alcohol.

"A quest, you say? Hey, I might actually do that. Thank you, man, for the idea." Farren suddenly looks hopeful, as if the concept of working for money is some groundbreaking revelation—despite the fact that we literally do quests for a living.

"Yeah, yeah, no problem…" Ronan mutters, almost sounding disappointed that Farren hadn't thought of it himself.

"You're coming with me, right?" Farren asks, already ready to head out.

"Mh… well… Hey, Althea, Sela? Are you coming?" Of course Ronan would ask them first.

"No, I'm not going out today. Maybe tomorrow… Just go with Farren alone." Althea replies, looking tired of Ronan's predictable behavior—like this isn't the first time he's tried to drag her along. I guess Ronan isn't really into fighting monsters unless there's a woman watching… or one for him to watch.

"I'm going to look around town. Sorry, Ronan." Sela's response is a mix of excitement to explore and… pity? For Ronan? Why, who knows…

"Agh… Well, too bad then. I guess I'm staying behind, but hey, good luck, Farren." Ronan tries to brush it off, acting unbothered. What a simp…

However, before he can turn away, Farren grabs his arm, yanking him back. "Hey, stop being a loser. Come on now, let's go. Kaito, you coming with us?"

Me? He knows I'm not going to do much at all. Come on, do I have to? If I say no, will he just grab my arm and drag me along anyway? Should I come up with some excuse? He'd probably believe one if I did…

But then again, maybe it wouldn't be so bad to head out for once—to actually fight. I mean, I'm the one who got sent to this world, right? I haven't exactly had any crazy good luck yet, but if there's ever a time for a power-up, it's now. This is when the main character gets one, right?

"Come on, man, do I really have to…? I wanna stay behind. Why fight if it's for nothing…" Ronan complains, interrupting my thoughts with that sorry look on his face.

"Remember, you need money if you wanna go to those hot springs, right?" Farren counters. I'm honestly surprised he thought of that—smart move, Farren.

Ronan hesitates for a moment, clearly debating his options before sighing. "Uh… Agh, fine. I'll come with you."

"Hey, I'll come too," I add. This is it… "I'll show everyone who the real protagonist of this story is… heh heh heh…"

…Shit. Did I just say that out loud?

"What was that? Protagonist? What's that?" Ronan and Farren both turn to me, equally confused.

"Oh… uh, nothing. Just something that slipped out." I try my best to brush it off and head for the exit, but deep down, an embarrassed warmth spreads through me.

"Uh… alright…" the two mutter, still eyeing me like I'm weird.