Transmigrated to a Dark Fantasy World of SSS-Rank: King of the Void-Chapter 26: “Moonlight” Inn

There had never been any respect for poor Mitsuki; there never was. He had started in this world without any dignity at all, crushed by the overwhelming power of a highest-rank specter and then blasted away by the power of two crazy girls.

Because of that, he understood that being this weak had its great—and obvious—disadvantages.

In the end, he could only resign himself. He grabbed his bag full of coins and, discouraged, walked down the stairs. The girls looked at him with confused expressions, but they realized what had happened almost immediately.

"I think that’s all for now, Lionel," Jeanne said. She looked at her with a friendly smile. "We’ll see each other again sometime."

Lionel seemed disconnected for a second. Her beautiful, expressionless mature face made her look mysterious on many occasions. She waited a few seconds, looking at Ellegaard, before responding.

"I hope so. You are adventurers, and one never knows what might happen in the land of Nemoria or the other lands tainted by the Mysteries."

"I’m very strong, and this airheaded princess isn’t far behind," Ellegaard added in a frivolous tone. "Nothing bad is going to happen to us." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"This grumpy elf knows what she’s talking about."

Lionel shook her head in disappointment.

"Of course. It’s not like you were afraid to approach the ancient kingdom of Holylight..."

Both adventurers immediately put on serious faces. Neither said a word about it because they knew it was true. In the depths of that lost kingdom lay the Master of Cinder, the supposed core of the Mystery of Cinder.

"Many heroes went there and never returned," Ellegaard murmured seriously. "I’m not stubborn enough to risk ending up the same way. I’m far too selfish with my own life to do something that messed up. I’d even let Jeanne die if it meant saving myself."

The princess laughed, placing her arm over the elf’s shoulders.

"Same here. That was the promise we made when we started our journey."

Lionel looked at them with a bit of envy, as if she were thinking about how beautiful the friendship of honest adventurers could be. However...

"You two have very twisted mindsets. I’m sure normal people—or at least people with a heart—would be incapable of sacrificing a friend to save themselves. You truly do justice to your titles as adventurers."

"I’m already sick of those stupid nicknames. I’ll leave before you start bragging about your title."

Ellegaard turned around and walked away. Jeanne watched her go and then addressed Lionel one last time.

"See you around."

"Goodbye, sardonic little princess."

***

At this hour of the day, the city seemed especially crowded. There were far more people than before, and it was barely possible to walk through the masses. The sight resembled a festival, except that in this case no one was celebrating anything. The scenery only became more surreal when one noticed the towers and large medieval buildings with a faint Victorian aesthetic.

As Mitsuki waited a few meters from the guild, he watched bronze coins pass from one hand to another; goods were sold to passersby every second, and the voices became deafening among countless overlapping conversations.

’I think I shouldn’t have come outside...’

If he had been accompanied by familiar people, the sight would have been tolerable, but being alone made Mitsuki feel overwhelmed. There were too many eyes looking everywhere.

Just thinking about it sent a chill down his spine.

’When I came down, I didn’t see the blond guy. I hope he doesn’t remember me... It would be troublesome to deal with people of that sort.’

He tightened his grip on the bag of money in his hand. He had to do something with it.

’Money... With so many people around, it’s common for someone to end up snatching a bag like this. I’d better store it in the Spatial Storage.’

The tattoo beneath his clothes moved.

[ The skill "Spatial Storage Lv. 1" has been activated. ]

[ The Coin Pouch has been stored. ]

’Now all that’s left is to wait.’

He closed his eyes and shut out all the voices around him. After a few seconds, he felt someone place a hand on his shoulder. It was Jeanne.

"It’s time to head to the inn, Mitsuki."

"Don’t be so slow or you’ll get left behind," the elf added.

Mitsuki nodded calmly and followed behind them as they walked deeper into the winding streets.

The path led them to a wide two-story building made of hazelnut-colored bricks with a reddish tile roof. The wooden sign above the black double doors had a silver crescent moon and a black cat over letters written in another language.

’Moonlight... Sounds cozy,’ he thought while walking behind Ellegaard. ’And it looks cleaner than many inns I’ve seen in games like Elder Skies.’

Ellegaard stopped in front of the door, looked at Mitsuki, and said:

"This is the ’Moonlight’ Inn, once managed by old Noah but now run by his grandchildren. It’s not the best inn in the city, but it’s cheap and clean; the food is good, and the staff is competent—unlike the guild."

"Ellegaard and I have stayed here many times," Jeanne added. "We were lucky to discover it the first time we arrived in Luxar. You’re going to like it, trust me."

’Now they’re making it sound like an oasis in the middle of the desert. I’ll pretend I don’t have any expectations.’

"Sounds interesting," Mitsuki said.

Ellegaard nodded and opened the door. The interior of the inn was exactly what Mitsuki expected. Rustic tables and chairs, like those of a café, surrounded a counter made of stone and wood. There were chandeliers with golden stones that glowed faintly hanging from the tall ceiling, bronze figures of mythical animals on the shelves, and paintings of mythological landscapes on the walls.

’Definitely interesting. If the first floor looks like this, I wonder what the rooms are like.’

Immediately after entering the establishment, they encountered a girl with black hair, wearing an apron and a one-piece dress that reached her knees.

"Oh! Princess, Miss Ellegaard. It’s been a long time since the last time," she said with a genuine smile.

The elf approached the girl; the expression on her face was different from any Mitsuki had seen before, because she was smiling.

’Ellegaard...?’

"It’s only been a few months. It’s not that long."

"It’s not that long because time flows differently for you."

"Lulú is right, woman. You should be more considerate with humans."

’You should listen to Jeanne... It would do you good to follow that advice.’

It didn’t take long for Lulú to notice Mitsuki.

"Uh... And who are you?"

’Of course they’re forcing me to introduce myself. There should be an option to refuse.’

Looking at the floor shyly, Mitsuki said:

"H-Hello... I’m Mitsuki... Kirishima Mitsuki..."

"We found him wandering aimlessly in the forest and decided to adopt him," Jeanne added, placing her arm over Mitsuki’s shoulders. "He’s very cute, and Ellegaard is teaching him magic. He might join our journey."

"Oh my... It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mitsuki. I hope the place is to your liking."

’Finally someone who is kind and doesn’t try to hit or kill me!’

Feeling happy because of someone’s kindness had never felt this good. Though that very thought already made him a miserable person.

"Let’s put introductions aside. Girl, do you have rooms available?"

"Of course. For you two, there are always rooms available. Will it be one room for the two of you and one for the boy?"

Jeanne smiled.

"It would be better if Mitsuki and I share a room. Ellegaard can sleep alone tonight."

’I knew she was acting way too normal after what happened at the lake... What is this woman going to do now?!’

Wherever they went, it would always turn into a full-blown odyssey.