Re:of life-Chapter 45: Arrival in Sandory

Finally.

Sandory. The mountains ease up, revealing a vast land of beauty. To my surprise, the snow hasn't really settled. The air's still cold, sure—but the ground? Almost completely bare.

It's obvious that in the summer, this place must be otherworldly—beaches, waterfalls cascading softly from the ends of the mountain chain, lush greenery stretching across the land like something out of a dream.

I'd love to come here again sometime... Maybe we'll stay here for a while? If we do, maybe even until summer? No? I hope so. I guess we'll see after we finish researching the labyrinth.

Speaking of that... where could it be? It should be somewhere in the mountains, a bit off from town. Well, I'll find out soon enough.

As we get closer to Sandory, the mountains fade into the distance, giving way to the unfolding sight of the town itself—and it's huge. Much more medieval than Liora. The houses are packed tightly together, kind of like Luminara, but on a whole different scale.

The roads are swarming with people. As we leave the mountain path and reach the main road, it really hits just how crowded this place is. More carriages and horses than I can count—way too many. It makes Luminara's population seem small in comparison.

I guess people come here from all over the world, huh? And not just by carriage, but also by boat—there should be a dock nearby, and if I understand correctly, it's a pretty big one.

From a distance, Sandory looks peaceful and beautiful. But as we get closer, letting the noise of the town surround us, a more chaotic side emerges—people shouting, carrying food and supplies, completely caught up in their own world. Strangely enough, it kind of adds to the charm.

It's not really dirty, at least not here on the main road. There are probably different sides to the town—darker corners where another kind of life stirs...

But one thing stands out. No royal mansion? At least, not from what I can see. Maybe it's further in? A town this big has to have one, right?

"Sandory!"

Sela, Ronan, and Farren shout in unison, their voices echoing through the busy streets. It's obvious they've been holding it in, waiting for this moment. I get it, though. They've been here before. If I had a place like this to return to after a long time, I'd probably feel the same way.

"Alright, we're here... finally." Orin exhales, trying to keep his composure. "I know you're all excited to explore, but let's find an inn first so we know where we're staying. That okay with you guys?"

He's clearly just as relieved as the rest of us, but he's doing his best to act like the responsible leader. Must be tough leading this group of dorks... and, well, I guess that includes me now.

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At least Althea is keeping her cool.

"...Alright..." The three of them mutter, looking at Orin with exaggeratedly sad expressions.

"We'll go out after we find a place to stay, alright?" Orin assures them. "Today, we take the day to enjoy Sandory, but don't forget why we're here. Tomorrow, we'll start planning our approach to the labyrinth. Actually, maybe we should scout it out first before making too many plans. We need to know what we're working with. Maybe the townspeople know something about it."

There's a hint of eagerness in his voice. He might be acting like the responsible one, but I can tell—he's itching to explore that labyrinth just as much as the rest of us.

"I'll see if I can find some books about it. A town like this should have some." Althea adds calmly, though there's a spark of excitement in her tone. I get it—reading about something as mysterious as a labyrinth does sound interesting. Maybe I'll check out some of those books myself.

"Yeah, do that. The more information we have, the better." Orin nods firmly.

"Pfft, we'll get all the information we need when we explore it up close tomorrow." Ronan smirks, glancing at Farren and me. "That's way more fun than reading books, right?"

"Yeah!" Farren, Sela, and I respond instantly.

Still, I do like reading... but I can't lie—exploring it firsthand sounds way more exciting.

"It might be the most fun way, but we can't just rush in. We need a strategy first. We don't know how dangerous this place is, so don't do anything without my command, alright?" Orin says, shutting down Ronan's reckless idea.

"Tch. Fair point..." Ronan sighs. "Suuuure, but you better let us go in soon..."

"We'll see. Maybe we won't even go in too far tomorrow—it all depends on how dangerous the labyrinth is." Orin replies to Ronan, his tone firm yet slightly serious.

"Sorry to interrupt, but you were looking for an inn?" The rider calls out, glancing back at us through the small window. "If so, you can hop off here. There's one right outside."

"Ah, I see. Thank you. We'll get off here then. Appreciate the ride." Orin responds, slowly standing up, ready to leave.

As he does, the rest of us follow suit, stepping out of the carriage one by one. We each give the rider a quick thanks before turning our attention to the inn ahead.

Well... everyone seemed to behave... but as quickly as we checked in, Ronan, Farren, and Sella burst off—dragging me with them. I barely had time to process what was happening. They just left Orin and Althea behind at the inn with a half-assed "Sayonara, we'll maybe be back later!" kind of approach.

Though... I guess they'd rather stay at the inn for a bit... or maybe just not tag along with the group of dorks.

"We're off!"

And just like that, we disappeared into the streets of Sandory—three idiots and me, tagging along like I didn't have a choice.

...Not that I really minded.

We stroll around the streets for... I don't even know how long. Everything feels so foreign to me—but to them? It's like a place they've been to a hundred times before. Familiar. Comfortable.

Meanwhile, I'm just being dragged around like some lost tourist, watching these idiots goof off.

Sela's running around like a hyper kid, pointing at everything—food stalls, jewelry, clothes, you name it. Wouldn't even surprise me if she got lost in the next five minutes. Luckily, Ronan's doing his best to keep an eye on her.

But of course, he's also busy with his other priority... scouting for the legendary "Sandory chicks." I've already lost count of how many girls he's tried to flirt with—and struck out every time. Tragic, really.

Farren might actually be the only one acting normal for once. Like, seriously—he's just walking around, admiring the place quietly. I knew he could act normal if he wanted, but still... didn't think I'd actually see it happen.

"Hey, guys! Look over there! A performance! So cool!" Sela shouts, pointing ahead before immediately bursting into the crowd like a rocket.

At least this time we know where she ran off to.

"Aghhh... alright, let's go after her. We don't want her getting lost," Ronan grumbles, clearly annoyed that her excitement is interrupting his "hunting season."

"Yo, Farre, you coming?"

"Yeah, on my way," Farren calls out, already heading toward us.

We catch up to Sela and stop beside her, watching the street performers—a mix of dancers and singers putting on a lively show. It's nostalgic. Reminds me of similar stuff back in Luminara.

I didn't realize how much I missed this kind of thing... damn.

Ronan's standing there beside us, arms crossed, watching the dancers a little too closely. Guess he didn't mind the "disruption" that much after all, huh...