Priority (5)

At that moment, he was too scared to intervene, but his heart was the same as Shirone's.

However, when Shirone approached Amy and Amy responded to the call, Jiss awoke from his reverie.

He could never be like Shirone.

"Tsk, pretending to be so cool even though he's a commoner."

He wouldn't have been jealous if it were just an ordinary person who had learned a little magic. When dealing with arrogant nobles, he sometimes thought he was lucky to have been born a commoner.

But Shirone was also a commoner. And he had the courage to give up something precious for a friend.

Jiss remembered the sad smile Amy had in the carriage. Did Shirone know the meaning behind that smile? No, he would never know. It was a hidden feeling revealed in front of him, who had no connection with her.

Thinking about this, he felt a bitter feeling in his heart again.

"Damn it! Why does he have to be a commoner? I can't come up with any excuse! What kind of guy is he!"

Jiss, who vented his frustrations in front of his house, opened the door and went in. Seeing a candle lit at the back of the house, it seemed that his sister had been waiting all this time.

"Brother, why are you so late? I thought something had happened and I was worried."

"Yuna, why aren't you asleep? How are you going to work tomorrow?"

"So should I sleep without my brother coming home? What happened?"

"Nothing happened. I just got caught up with work and lost track of time."

Jiss knelt in front of Yuna. Not because she was his sister, but because she was someone who couldn't be ignored anywhere. Even without formal education, she was wise and kind.

Yuna was Jiss's pride. That's why she shouldn't live a miserable life like him. He didn't expect her to succeed, but she was a girl who could meet a good man and live a happy life.

"Why is your face so gloomy? Be honest. Even if you can fool everyone else, you can't fool me. Or would you rather I didn't prepare your breakfast tomorrow?"

"Haha! My goodness, you're scary. I just had a few things that hurt my pride. But I'm fine now."

"Ugh, does that pride get hurt all the time? You can't even eat because it's rotten. Anyway, go take a bath first. Your brother's sweat odor is no joke."

Jiss's eyes warmed up. Seeing her calmed his mind. So what if he's not as good as the others? If only Yuna was there, he wouldn't envy anything in the world.

Jiss hugged Yuna. The scent of a family member, sharing the same scent, washed away the day's fear and trembling.

"Ugh, the smell! What are you suddenly doing? Go wash up first!"

"Wait a minute, Yuna. Your brother will definitely become the ruler of the port."

"Tsk! Are you still saying that? What ruler of the port? Even if you become one, no one will recognize it."

"Haha! That's true."

Yuna laughed and hugged Jiss. Truth be told, she didn't hate the smell of sweat. Because every drop of sweat wasn't shed without purpose for her.

"I really hope that day comes. My brother will definitely be able to do it."

"Yes..."

Jiss looked at the moonlight streaming through the window. It was a perfect night for sightseeing."

***

Shirone and the others had been busy since dawn. The boy cleaned the house while the girl washed, and when the boy entered the bathhouse, the girl sat in front of the mirrors to dry her hair and dress.

After finishing their bath, Shirone and Rian glanced at the girls' room and thought that time had stood still. Amy and Tess were still in front of the mirror doing something.

The boys finished breakfast first. It was dawn when they had a simple meal with the food they bought in town last night.

Only then did the girls start choosing their clothes, and each time they walked out the door, their outfits changed drastically.

Rian thought that Tess and Amy were experimenting.

It was one thing for girls to change clothes if they didn't like the outfit.

But what about changing into something else because they didn't like it and then changing back after a while? Are they really testing the boys? Isn't this an obvious challenge to test the viewer's memory?

"Oh, just wear anything. Are we going to slay a dragon? Why worry so much about a piece of cloth that doesn't even have defense power?"

Tess looked at Rian with surprised eyes.

"Oh, for goodness' sake! We dress up more because you guys don't pay attention to how we dress. Keep quiet if you want to hear good things."

Amy came out in a light blue dress.

"Shirone, isn't this weird?"

"No, it's nice! Amy looks good no matter what you wear."

"Really? Mmmm."

Amy didn't take it too seriously and went back into her room. Tess was jealous of Amy.

"Please look and learn from Shirone. Ugh, you're annoying."

Rian pursed his lips as Tess closed the door and went in. What on earth did he do to deserve that? Being honest with what was in his heart was a virtue and a matter of pride for a gentleman.

"Shirone, how do you come up with those words on the spot? Teach me too."

"Eh? It's simple. Whatever they wear, you can't say it's weird."

"Uhahahahaha!"

Rian fell back, holding his stomach from laughter.

11 a.m.

The girls, having changed their clothes, checked their backpacks. In preparation for any unforeseen circumstances, they carefully packed emergency food, a knife, a compass, and a rope.

Tess, pleased with her reflection in the mirror, clenched her fist and shouted.

"Shall we go to bed now? Let's make sure to leave tomorrow morning."

Tess's face turned red from Rian's dry joke.

"How late do you think I arrived? I even helped Amy get ready."

"Why does Amy suddenly appear? What kind of hostage is Amy?"

"So, do you really think an awkward outfit and an ignorant big sword suit you? You look like a caveman from afar! Know your place."

Amy played her part as a hostage.

"Rian, I'm sorry. Actually, I arrived late. Tess got ready faster than me."

"Haha! It's fine. Amy, it seems like you took a long time getting ready."

Tess's eyes turned as fierce as an axe.

"What? So, am I not pretty at all?"

"Hmm, let me see..."

Rian looked at Tess.

Well, he thought she was pretty from the start. Even when she didn't wear any makeup, she was beautiful.

But today, it seemed like she put in a lot of effort. Unlike usual, she sprayed perfume, so even Rian, who lacked aesthetic sense, could see how much effort she put in.

"Yes, well. You're pretty enough to compliment."

"Eh?"

In a moment, Tess, who had stacked replicas like a mountain, was disarmed.

She never dreamed that the word 'pretty' would come out of Rian's mouth. Her face turned red, and knowing that her face was red made it even redder.

"D-Don't you dare think that I dressed up to hear that! You fool! Caveman!"

"Alright. I got it, so please let's go. We can't enjoy sightseeing if the sun sets."

Rian led his friends outside. Thus, Shirone and the group were able to start their journey five hours after waking up.

Shirone's initial plan was to investigate the ruins alone with Amy. However, as their friends got closer than expected, it became impossible to move separately.

They took one of the carriages lined up on the sandy beach and headed east.

It was a rather tedious journey as they had to go from the western end of the island to the eastern end. However, the four people chatting in the carriage didn't notice the passage of time.

"Hey? Guys, look over there!"

Shirone shouted, pointing out the window. A mountain forming a dense forest was visible about 2 kilometers from the road.

The mountain range was continuous like a camel's hump, and according to what they heard, the Ruins of Kerugo were at the end of that mountain range.

"It's Mount Toa. I heard from my older brother that Galliant was originally a volcanic island. The lava that seeped from the bottom of the sea hardened and became an island. After a volcanic eruption 500 years ago, it's now in a dormant phase, but there's always a possibility it could become active again."

"I see. They say the Kerugo ruins were buried in volcanic ash, and only half of them are exposed."

"Right. The Galliant Autonomous Government proposed restoring the ruins, but it was rejected due to opposition from the natives. If we go to the ruins, we can probably find out how much was buried."

"Why were they opposed? Wouldn't it be good to restore the ruins from the natives' perspective?"

"I don't know. But there must be some circumstances. They might have secrets they don't want to reveal. The Galliant Autonomous Government hasn't been on the island for even 100 years."

"If you think about it that way, there are many secrets. It doesn't seem like an ordinary tourist spot."

"I suppose so. Very few of the existing ruins are managed by the natives. The Kerugo ruins also hold high historical value."

Shirone looked back at the mountain based on Amy's explanation.

The jungle of Mount Toa belonged solely to the Kerugo people. The Galliant government stated they didn't interfere with the indigenous autonomous area.

Shirone suddenly felt strange. Was it a mere illusion that he could sense the gaze of something wild from the depths of the mountain?

The carriage stopped one kilometer from the Kerugo ruins. The coachman told them they couldn't drive the carriage from here.

Shirone got off the carriage and looked around. Numerous shops were in sight. It seemed there was a monopoly agreement between the Carriage Association and the local merchants' association.

"Why! I paid for the carriage, why can't we go? So, what should we do with all this luggage?"

A middle-aged man whose boat departed from the carriage that arrived after them became angry with the coachman. His wife and two daughters who got off the carriage also wore expressions of discontent.

"But the transport company's contract is like this. There's a luggage deposit fee. You can leave it there."

"These daylight robbers! Does it make sense that you can't go when the road's open like this? Don't think I'm going to spend a penny here!"

"That's something we can't help. Sorry about that. Have a safe trip."

The coachman dealt with it professionally, as if it had only happened once or twice, and walked away.

Ultimately, the middle-aged man, holding his luggage with both hands, headed to the paid storage. When his daughters pointed out the snack shop, he left the luggage and bought them some snacks.

To Shirone, the man didn't seem like just anyone.

"If we had known beforehand, we would have reduced our luggage."

"Would it matter? I don't think there's much danger at tourist spots, but it's always better to be well-prepared. The main goal is exploration, after all."

Rian looked at the middle-aged man walking away. Perhaps feeling better due to his daughters' affection, he headed cheerfully to the historic site.

"He might seem crafty, but he's smart. As a tourist, you inevitably have to spend money."

"That's true, but you can't always see it as a scam. If the commercial district in tourist spots isn't active, even the locals can't handle it."

Nodding at Amy's words, Shirone and the others started walking.

It was said to be a historically significant ruin, but as expected, there were many tourists. As they approached the historic site, the number of people increased, and when they reached the toll booth, there was a bottleneck, causing the area to fill up.

"Wow, can you see there? There are people from other countries too."

"It's a world-famous place. Do you see the man standing on the arch over there? I think he might be a native."

Shirone looked in the direction Amy had pointed. A man of medium height guarded the entrance. His clothing looked modern, but the gaze in his eyes, looking straight ahead, was undoubtedly wild.

Tess seemed abnormally frightened.

"Ugh, he looks intimidating. He even has tattoos on his face, doesn't he?"