The Room at Cedar Street’s End

Sora wiped mud off a cave wall while the others argued over loot. A buried nest had been cut open, and the air still smelled wrong. That was usually enough to tell him who had broken the rules and what it had cost the dungeon. He cared because he had seen too many places hollow out after greedy teams stripped them bare. He also cared because he was tired of being treated like the strange student who cared about moss more than money. Then a small kaiseki restaurant started serving autumn dishes in a strange order, and each plate carried a clue. Issei kept showing up with the right questions and the wrong kind of calm. By the time Sora saw the pattern, he was already standing too close to a li...