A few hours after seeing him off.
Cider Hall was quiet today despite it being midday.
I looked around and met Axe's eyes.
"Over here, Wof."
"Yes."
I went to the table he called from.
There sat Axe and another man I didn't recognize.
"Take a seat."
I sat as told.
"Want to order something?"
"Then, lemonade, please."
I wasn't hungry even though it was lunchtime.
Axe placed an order, then introduced the two.
"First, this is Rel."
"Hey there. Nice to meet you."
"N-nice to meet you too."
The one who greeted me briefly was a tall elf with long silver hair.
He wore black clothes and glasses.
His pants were also black. Only his belt was silver.
Being an elf, he was handsome, and beyond that, his bearing and atmosphere radiated nobility.
"And this here is Hoss."
"Hoss. Pleasure to meet ya."
The one who bobbed his head in a small bow was a short man.
Slightly square face, narrow eyes, a round bulbous nose.
His build made it clear he was a dwarf.
Before him sat an oversized mug of ale.
It was already about half empty.
"Nice to meet you."
"That's everyone in Thunder Fang. For the record, I handle close range. Hoss covers mid-range. Rel handles long range."
"So your party composition is well balanced, then."
"It's just because of the weapons we happen to use."
"That's right. Axe uses a sword, I use a halberd, and Rel uses a bow."
"I see... Um, so..."
I noticed right away. One person was missing from the table.
This was an important meeting—the first impression that mattered—and the one person who mattered most wasn't here.
"I know what you want to ask. Whether it's a good thing or a bad thing."
Axe let out a wry laugh.
The other two wore that same hard-to-read expression.
The fact that she wasn't here probably meant it was... that kind of situation.
"Did something happen?"
"She hasn't arrived. She should have gotten here the day before yesterday, or yesterday at the latest."
Rel pushed her glasses up slightly as she spoke.
Axe let out a sigh.
"Well, as long as she makes it by tomorrow, it's fine, I guess."
"Axe. What if she doesn't?"
"Can't be helped. We'll leave without her."
"Mm. It can't be helped. It's a commission, after all."
"Indeed."
Can't be helped. But despite what they said, it was plain as day they were hoping it wouldn't come to that.
The other two felt the same way.
They didn't like the idea of a woman joining and shaking things up. I couldn't say I didn't understand the feeling.
I also... wanted things to stay the same, if possible. Nobody had asked for her.
"She's not here, so it's not ideal, but could you give me some information about her?"
"Yeah, but all I know is her name."
"That's all?"
"...They only told me her name too. Said something about it being a surprise."
"Ah... so that's how it is."
People like that were definitely out there.
"Her name is Mineha."
Mineha. The name alone didn't tell me much.
Rel spoke up.
"We tried looking into her ourselves, but all we could find was hearsay."
"And that hearsay only says she became a delver under special circumstances."
"Right. She stood out, but other than that, nothing. Absolutely nothing."
That was all I knew too.
Well, that was pretty typical for rumors making the rounds.
"What did you say!? The Anomaly Suppression Squad has already departed!?"
A sudden shout rang out.
I looked over and saw a tiny girl floating above a table seat.
Long orange hair. Part of it was braided.
"A fairial."
"Oh."
"Those are rare, huh."
"That one."
She had four translucent wings on her back.
They didn't seem to be what kept her afloat.
Because the wings weren't moving. Not even a flutter.
She wore red clothing and armor, her skirt billowing softly like flower petals.
At her waist hung a spear — a type of javelin.
The table was piled with empty plates, all scraped clean.
Could this tiny creature really have eaten all of that?
The waitress answered timidly.
"She left this morning."
"What's that supposed to mean!"
"No matter what you say…"
She stood with her hands on her hips, badgering the staff member.
Axe muttered sideways out of the corner of his mouth.
"Small but loud, huh?"
"I'm no good with that kind of woman."
"Rel's no good with any woman, is he."
"She reminds me of my third oldest sister."
"Third…?"
"Rel's got a lot of older and younger sisters, doesn't he."
"That's why I'm sick of women."
Rel spat it out through bitter lips. I see. That would make anyone sick of them.
But that's no reason to call them by number.
And watching her kick up a fuss like that, I felt a pang of unease.
No way. No way.
"…………"
"What's wrong, Wof."
"I've got a bad feeling."
"A bad feeling?"
"What's up?"
"About that fairial girl..."
"Don't stare at her too much. Make eye contact and she'll attack."
Rel lowered her voice and said.
"Wha—ah, no—"
"She's a monster, Rel."
"She's a woman. Scarier than any monster."
"My sixth sister was just like that."
Rel pushed her glasses up and said.
What kind of sisters did he have? And how many more were there?
"No, that's not what I meant. It's more that, what if—"
"What? You two have been acting weird for a while now."
Suddenly the fairial girl flew straight toward us.
Mid-air, she placed her hands on her hips and wore an irritated expression.
"Whoa!"
"......"
"Eek!"
Axe was surprised, Rel was silent, and Hoss cowered.
The fairial girl scowled.
"What's with that attitude?"
"Ah, no, well, s-sorry."
"......"
"Eek!"
Axe handled things while tense, Rel stayed silent, and Hoss cowered.
The fairial girl looked us over.
"You guys were watching me, weren't you?"
"I only glanced."
"......I wasn't watching."
"W-well, I looked, but whatever."
"What about you?"
The fairial girl spoke to me.
"I was watching. Um, can I ask you something?"
"What?"
"Sorry if I'm wrong, but are you Mineha, by any chance?"
I asked.
While praying that I was wrong.