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What?... Audrey found Hermes's words somewhat difficult to understand, but when she saw the cover of the travelogue clearly, she suddenly remembered when she had heard of "Groselle's Travels."
It had been a long, long time ago-probably over half a year earlier-when Mr. World, Gehrman Sparrow, had mentioned it at a Tarot Club meeting.
"Groselle's Travels" had originally been a collectible belonging to the pirate admiral Vice Admiral Iceberg. After changing hands several times, it had ended up with her. Quite a few of its previous owners had vanished without a trace.
The story written inside spanned three epochs. Its protagonists were Groselle, a Giant from the Third Epoch, and Snoman, an ascetic who worshipped the Sun. Then came the female Elf Shatas, a Viscount from the Fourth Epoch named Mobet, and even a Knight from several hundred years ago in the Fifth Epoch. Despite all these strange, wondrous characters, the main plot was very simple: defeat the legendary Frost Dragon, the King of the North.
Only after some investigation and fighting had Mr. World, Gehrman, finally uncovered the true secret of this mysterious travelogue.
"Groselle's Travels" actually contained a world within a story. The members of the protagonist's party were all former owners of the travelogue. For specific reasons, they had been drawn into the book, advancing the writing of the story and defeating the King of the North.
Vice Admiral Iceberg had entered the story, and to finish it and rescue her, Mr. World had entered it as well.
After a bitter battle, they had defeated the King of the North, and Groselle had sacrificed himself. The survivors had left the story, but a thousand years had already passed. The moment they returned to the normal world, they had withered and died, one after another.
Such a