CHAPTER 30
The next day, something completely unexpected happened.
Aranseol was sick in bed.
She was bedridden with a raging fever.
Even my holy magic had no effect.
Either she was so severely ill that my holy magic couldn't cure her, or what was happening to Aranseol’s body was a natural reaction.
At the very least, it didn’t seem to be a lack of my holy magic.
No matter how weak my holy magic was, there should have been some improvement.
Since there was no change even after I tried to heal Aranseol for nearly an hour, it had to be the latter.
“I’m going to go get my thousand gold back from that quack old geezer right now!”
What on earth did he make her drink?
And Aranseol had trusted me and taken the elixir.
This was my responsibility.
“Ha... rua.”
Just then, Aranseol called my name with a completely hoarse voice.
“I’m fine.”
How could she say she was fine in this state?
She was just too kind.
“Just rest. I’ll go get some more water.”
Aranseol had started getting sick in the early morning.
So I had woken up in the middle of the night and had been nursing her ever since.
I had gotten a wet towel from the innkeeper, so I decided to get another one.
“I’m fine.”
But Aranseol shook her head.
“It’s... almost time.”
As she said, it was almost time for our meeting with Babiyen and Horizon.
“We can postpone that.”
Aranseol came before any pioneer work.
“Next month... ugh, the merchant is... coming back.”
Aranseol looked up at me with faintly open eyes.
“Don’t worry. That person is... the real deal.”
Was she feeling the effects of the elixir?
I looked at Aranseol for a moment, then sighed and got up.
I knew from experience that Aranseol was just as stubborn as I was.
“Alright. I’ll ask the innkeeper to check on you regularly. Whether we go or not, I have to tell the other two what’s going on anyway.”
Aranseol closed her eyes as if that was enough.
She began to fall into a deep sleep, breathing out hot breaths.
In the early morning when the fever had just started, she couldn’t seem to sleep a wink, so it looked like she was a little better now.
I left without disturbing Aranseol’s sleep and headed for the Pioneer’s Guild.
The Pioneer’s Guild was bustling from early in the morning.
It varied by region, but in the capital Valterion, this was the time when morning dawned in the 2nd World.
So everyone had gathered to enter the 2nd World as morning came.
“Man, the dark elf bastards living on the other side are probably having dinner right now. Why are we the only ones so tired in the morning?”
“Hey now, the reason the dark elves settled in that region is because they are active at night. For them, that is their morning.”
I listened to the pioneers' useless chatter as I opened the guild door.
Then I saw Babiyen, who had arrived early.
She wasn't looking at anyone, but when her eyes met mine, she immediately scowled.
Is that any way to look at a team member?
Maybe I should spank her.
“What is it? Where is Aranseol?”
“Something came up. It looks like she won’t be able to come with us.”
“What did you say?”
Babiyen’s mouth fell open as if to say, "What do you mean?"
But what could I do? That was the truth.
Babiyen showed her distress.
Aranseol, who was supposed to be the vanguard, was absent.
No matter what, we couldn't go to the 2nd World without a vanguard.
“What are we going to do?”
As Babiyen asked, I rubbed the back of my neck.
With things having turned out this way, I was in the middle of figuring out what to do.
“I-I’m sorry I’m late!”
Just then, Horizon appeared.
Horizon rushed over to us, and I could guess why she was late from the way she ran.
It must be impossible to run fast with those things.
“It’s fine. We just got here too.”
“Th-that’s a relief. Oh, but where is Miss Aranseol?”
In response to Horizon’s question, I added that she couldn't come due to circumstances.
A sigh escaped from Horizon as well.
“...It must be my fault.”
A gloomy look settled on her face.
Unlucky Milk Cow.
Horizon herself must have known the nickname.
I gave a bitter smile as I looked at her blaming herself.
I couldn’t see how it was her fault in any way.
“Hm? Oh, Mr. Holy Mage.”
As we were wondering what to do, a familiar voice was heard.
There stood a gnome carrying a simple pack.
He was one of the members of the team I had talked to yesterday.
“We meet again in the morning. You're diligent.”

"Pingle, you idiot. What's with the swagger when you're late?"
A dwarf came walking out from inside as he spoke.
The gnome, Pingle, just chuckled and told him to relax, but his attitude changed when the other two members appeared.
"Ahem, hem. I was a bit late, wasn't I?"
"You're the acquaintances of Mr. Bulldog we saw yesterday."
The man ignored Pingle and spoke to me.
Then, quickly assessing our situation, he glanced around.
"Are you short one team member?"
"Yes, something came up."
He tapped his chin for a moment.
It seemed to be a habit of his when he was thinking.
Soon, having reached a conclusion, he made a suggestion.
"Then, would you like to go with us?"
"Callen?"
The female pioneer showed a surprised reaction.
She clearly hadn't expected Callen to suggest adding new party members.
"A mage, a Holy Mage, and a member of the Amyeong Tribe. With the 2nd World getting more unstable, it's not a bad idea."
The more people there were, the lower the chance of being attacked.
Moreover, a mage and a Holy Mage were valuable assets.
For them, Callen's proposal had no downsides.
"What do you say? I believe it's not a bad offer for your side either."
Callen smiled warmly.
He was someone accustomed to putting on a friendly smile.
Callen's team had been active since Bulldog's time.
The fact that they had maintained the same team meant their teamwork was solid and they consistently produced results.
They were a veteran team, even if not quite on Bulldog's level.
On the other hand, our party had a novice, Babiyen.
No matter how skilled she was, it was her first time in the 2nd World, so mistakes were bound to happen.
Gaining experience with a veteran team wouldn't be a bad thing.
"I'm for it, but what about you two, Babiyen, Ms. Horizon?"
"We don't have a choice, do we? We can't just turn back after coming all this way."
"I-I'm fine with it!"
Pingle glanced at Horizon.
Gnomes are sensitive to rumors.
However, he didn't say anything more.
It was proof that Callen managed his team well as the leader.
With the two of them having given their consent, there was no need to hesitate.
"We look forward to working with you on this expedition."
"Likewise, the pleasure is all ours."
Callen and I shook hands, forming a new team.
A team of savage This-worlders and a Transferee.

The 2nd World, Urjea.
It was another world connected to the 1st World, Astrape.
The primary inhabitants of the 2nd World were Fantasy Species.
They had built their own ecosystem and fought endlessly for survival.
The magic stones and resources they held were extremely useful, and many were high-priced goods. That was why pioneers risked their lives heading to the 2nd World to hunt Fantasy Species.
The location of the entrance to the 2nd World changed roughly every month.
Because of this, those who committed irreversible crimes would sometimes flee in time with the changing of the 2nd World's gate.
However, that wasn't a good choice.
A changing entrance meant the exit's location also changed.
The 2nd World was not a suitable place for humans to live.
The problem of food, in particular, was exceptionally severe.
While Fantasy Species could be used for medicinal purposes, eating them raw without any processing was nearly impossible.
Furthermore, even simple spring water teemed with vicious parasitic Fantasy Species.
Trying to survive in a place like this, one would inevitably become food for a Fantasy Species or starve to death before long.
Therefore, escaping to the 2nd World was a decision made only by a very small number of criminals.
This time, the location was the Moss Flower Cave.
It was an endlessly long, labyrinthine cave where moss covered more of the walls than the cave itself.
In the Moss Flower Cave, the most important role was that of the scout.
If one were to get lost, they might never be able to return, so it was only natural.
Fortunately, our team currently had two scouts.
Horizon and the gnome, Pingle.
"Alright, this way. Let's get a move on."
Pingle quickly led the way.
He seemed familiar with the Moss Flower Cave, navigating the path without hesitation.
"Uh, th-there, here is..."
Horizon, on the other hand, was flustered.
She was timid by nature.
With Pingle taking the lead ahead of her, she seemed to be fumbling even more with finding the path.
"The paths in the Moss Flower Cave aren't very wide, so it's fine for the scouts to take turns. Ms. Horizon, how about you rest for a bit and switch with Pingle when he gets tired?"
Callen looked at me rather than Horizon as he asked.
He was likely acknowledging us as a separate team, even though we were together.

"Let's do that. Ms. Horizon, let's rest for a bit and then switch."
"Ah, yes."
Horizon became slightly downcast.
It seemed she took more pride in her scouting work than I thought.
So, I quietly approached Horizon and whispered to her.
"Still, I feel a little uneasy, so please keep checking the path. You're our team's scout, after all, Ms. Horizon."
"Ah, yes!"
Horizon's face immediately brightened.
I'd built up enough experience as a pioneer to know how to take care of a team member.
Callen was close enough to have heard, but he didn't point it out.
He probably thought it was the right way to handle it, too.
"Ugh, it's so damp and muddy. This is disgusting, really."
Meanwhile, Babiyen hadn't stopped grumbling.
That cursed mouth of hers never took a break.
So, I poked her sharply in the side.
"Kya-euk!"
She made a truly bizarre sound.
As everyone turned to look at Babiyen in surprise, her face turned bright red and she shot a glare at me.
Her eyes were blazing, looking as if she was about to shoot fire magic at any moment.
"She may not look it, but a scout has a lot to focus on. Your constant grumbling could make him miss something, so cut it out."
Babiyen glanced over at Pingle.
Pingle was feeling his way along the mossy walls without hesitation, checking the path.
"......You could have just said so. With words. This girl is sensitive on her sides, so don't you ever poke me again."
Good to know.
From now on, I'll only aim for Babiyen's side.
"Hold on."
Just then, Pingle, who had been moving forward, came to a stop.
Callen immediately drew his sword and halted everyone.
He checked something, then sucked in a breath.
"This is... a bit troublesome."
"Pingle, explain the situation first."
The 2nd World was a lawless zone where anything could happen.
As Callen urged him on, Pingle pointed at the ground.
"There are bloodstains."
"Did pioneers get into a fight?"
Or, there was the possibility that the aforementioned revengers had attacked a pioneer.
"It's human blood, that's for sure. But there's something strange."
Pingle frowned, as if he couldn't make sense of the situation either.
"Hey, Unlucky Milk Cow, remember how long it's been since we came in?"
"E-Eleven minutes and thirty-two seconds."
Horizon answered with surprising precision.
It was as if she had a biological stopwatch.
Pingle nodded as if he knew it too.
"The entrance to the Moss Flower Cave changes its location in real-time, so it's common for pioneers to start at different spots. So, it's possible a fight broke out in the last eleven minutes. But this doesn't make sense."
Pingle pointed toward the front of the entrance, and we followed.
A moment later, all of our faces froze.

Just as Pingle had said, the area was a mess, as if a battle had taken place.
However, the color of the blood indicated it hadn't been spilled just a moment ago.
Furthermore, the corpse had aged and was just beginning to enter a state of decay.
Among the Fantasy Species, there are many that act as scavengers. Despite their existence, the body was still here.
In other words, this death had not occurred that long ago.
But it wasn't as short a time as eleven minutes, either.
A few days ago, before the entrance to the 2nd World changed to the Moss Flower Cave.
Someone was murdered here.
And in a cave that should have only contained Fantasy Species, with no pioneers.
If so, who was the murdered, and who was the murderer?

A criminal who had escaped to the 2nd World.
A criminal who had survived in this insane world was now roaming the Moss Flower Cave.