We finally arrived in the city after two years of isolation.This is the first settlement I have ever been to. To be honest, it does not make a great impression on me.
The walls appeared to be at least seventeen meters high, constructed of wood and hewn stone. The checkpoint was wide and spacious; everything was strategically positioned to intercept enemies entering through the gate. There did not seem to be a line to enter, at least not on this side of the wall.
Even so, security was meticulous.Although Celes pleaded for us, we could not pass until our identities were confirmed.News of a possible conflict with the empire was already circulating, so they could not be lenient with strangers, especially those coming from this road connecting the two countries' border.
The procedure was no different from my previous life when entering another country, except that here they did not ask me for a passport or judge my nationality… or my social status.
Otherwise, there were no problems, although there was some commotion when we showed our status screens.In the end, they took it in stride because of how we defeated an armored bear, information provided by one of the knights who had accompanied us.
With this, we were able to enter the city without further complications.It was time to separate from the princess's group.
"Then I will say goodbye. It was entertaining, and I would like to talk more, but I have a report to write and send to the royal capital. I will be here for a few weeks before I leave, but we probably will not see each other during that time. There are many matters to attend to, and I cannot ignore them."
"Do not worry about it; it is not as if we will never see each other again."
"If it were possible, I would like you to come with me, but I have already taken advantage of your kindness too much. I cannot afford to be selfish."
"Do not be so stiff. At your age, you will get wrinkles. Anyway, we are planning to go to the royal capital eventually, so we will meet there when the time comes."
"Really?! I will be waiting for it!"
With the promise to meet again in the future, the princess said goodbye along with her entourage.
After parting ways with Celes, we walked through the streets of this fantastical city.The structures, like the shops and houses, had the quality one would expect from a medieval setting.Quite contrary to expectations, even though the paths were dirt, the streets were surprisingly clean, and people were coming and going from all directions.
I also could not stop feeling unpleasant stares from some people, but it was not as if I could do anything about it.
I am very aware that I have a good appearance and figure; Maria is the same.And as a devoted fan of big breasts, I know how they feel; I was a man once too.
BUT!If any smart aleck dares to pay me a single compliment, I swear I will crush his balls with a scythe!
"Where do we go now, Lucia-sama?"
"Ah… right. For now, let us stop by the Adventurers' Guild, then hang out while we can."
In this world, there are several organizations dedicated to bringing together people with outstanding abilities in their respective fields.One of them is the Adventurers' Guild, an organization created for the sole purpose of fighting the dangerous creatures of this world.
And I am not just referring to monsters.
There are different threats: the undead, the damned, and the shadowless walkers.These three are not considered the same species as monsters because they are far worse creatures.
The undead are not just zombies and skeletons; they are an amalgamation of different creatures, each one more horrible than the last.
The damned are people or monsters who have been in contact with large amounts of miasma, which activates a mark that corrupts and deforms them, transforming them into beings covered in some magical element.
And the Shadowless Walkers were entirely hollow beings, with white skin and an appearance that seemed like a fusion of several deformed humans.Each one was extremely violent and actively attacked beings of other races.And the worst part was that they were capable of developing consciousness and intelligence, making them very difficult to exterminate and earning them the label of enemies of the world.
Although I never encountered any of these creatures, there were none in the forest, after all I still did not plan on joining the adventurers' guild anyway.
It sounded interesting, but being an adventurer came with many restrictions, and most jobs were controlled by the organization.
Unlike mercenaries, who were not bound by rules or hierarchy, and simply went wherever the money was, adventurers had structure and stability.The downside for mercenaries was that they earned less and received no protection if anything happened to them. You only got good jobs if your reputation was good.
Although we did not work seriously as mercenaries, we had plenty of money.We only took jobs because I was curious.
Ignoring the stares of passersby, we walked without stopping toward our destination.
.........
"Wow, this city is quite big."
It turned out the adventurers' guild was at the northern entrance of the walls.In short: on the complete opposite side from where we arrived.
At this moment we were standing in front of a rather large, three‑story building.This was the adventurers' guild.
"Well, shall we go in?""Mm."
Maria nodded and followed behind me without questioning.
"Wow, it's pretty clean."
Instead of looking like a place where many adventurers gathered, it looked more like a government office.Everything was neat and in its place.
Quite disappointing.I really thought it would be like a seedy bar with drunks and adventurers fighting.I was itching to punch someone.
"There's the bulletin board for mercenaries."
Despite not being members of the guild, mercenaries were permitted to place and accept requests from that board.They were still a useful workforce after all.
"Almost all the requests are quite risky…"
There were many dangerous requests for any normal person: exterminating monsters, acting as an experimental test subject, subduing bandits, escort missions, and so on.
New adventurers joining the guild typically started with simple quests like gathering herbs, finding lost cats, or repairing roofs.Subjugation quests only began once you had climbed at least two ranks.
Mercenaries, since no one cared whether they lived or died, could always accept those kinds of jobs.
People did not want to die quickly, so naturally they chose to be adventurers.That was also why there were not many mercenaries right now; I think we were the only ones in the guild.
"Well, it's not so bad once in a while. What do you say, Maria?""Most of these jobs involve hunting other humans. There seems to be a bandit infestation in the north and south of the outskirts.""That's because this city isn't just connected to the empire, but to other countries as well. Lots of foreign goods pass through here. The city's internal security is good, but once you leave the walls, it's a different story. It seems they've been neglectful, since the same requests are coming from adventurers too. Why haven't they accepted them?""There seem to be some strong individuals among the bandits. The city's adventurers don't have high enough ranks to handle all the missions. Besides, there are more risks involved with bandits than with monsters."
"Well, let's do something good and get rid of the insects nesting around here."
I took one of the applications.
It was for the capture or assassination of an illegal human trafficker.
"This is from the city guards. Let's go."
Unlike adventurers, mercenaries had to deal with requests directly with the sender.
So we headed toward the guard station.
"Excuse me, ladies."
…Or so we intended, but an unpleasantly sweet voice called out to us from behind.
Isn't this a cliché development that appears in every otherworldly story?
Feeling a little reluctant, I turned around to see the person calling us.
Probably a guy in his twenties.Striking blond hair, combed back.Clothes that only a filthy playboy would wear.A sanctimonious and disgusting smile glued to his face.
I did not know him yet, but I already felt like punching him in the face.
He was accompanied by two women who looked like… well, prostitutes disguised as a magician and an archer.
"What do you want?"
It was not me, it was Maria who answered.I was genuinely surprised; it was the first time I had ever heard such disgust in her tone since she got a body.Not even when she fought the goblins did I see such contempt in her eyes.
You don't need to read minds to know what she thinks of this guy at first glance.
"It's nothing. I just couldn't help being dazzled by your charms, which drew me to you.""...""..."
Dude… I think a drainpipe has less crap in it than your brain.
"So, I'd like to know if you, beautiful ladies, would join me in a group. What do you think?""Screw you.""No.""Huh?!"
When we politely declined his "proposal," he seemed genuinely surprised.
What? You think you've got a golden cock that can drag us along? Stick it up your ass—maybe you'll like it better.
"…Is it possible… that they don't know who I am?"
Now I was surprised at how quickly he recovered.
"Does that matter?""Please don't talk to us. You're polluting the air with your breath."
Maria was more aggressive than usual.
"I'm Lucifer! I'm one of the best adventurers in this city! Wouldn't it be a great opportunity for you to join my party?""Are your ears just for show or what? Besides, we can't register with any party. We're mercenaries.""Mercenaries? I understand the Majin, but the other one doesn't seem very strong…"
Idiot… you're whispering, but I can hear you perfectly.
"Fufu… that's not good. You pretty ladies are not suited to be those dirty mercenaries. I suppose it's due to a lack of assets. What do you think? Instead of joining my group, you become my mistresses."
He didn't get to finish.
A dense, murderous intent silenced him.
"Hiii!?!"
"Listen carefully, you little dick bastard. If you say one more word, I'll cut off your shit and make you swallow it. Do you understand?"
CRASSS!
I plunged my scythe into the floor, right near his crotch.
"Waah!""Luzbel-sama!""Luzbel-sama!"
The two "magicians" rushed to help their probably sugar daddy, who was now foaming at the mouth.
"That Majin woman is terrifying…""Really?""I couldn't see her movements.""Finally, that bastard got what was coming to him…"
"He deserved it."
The other adventurers seemed surprised.Was this guy strong?He had a certain reputation, but no one showed him any sympathy.He probably did things like this all the time.
"Sigh. Let's get on with it.""Understood, Lucia-sama.""Here, child. This is for breaking the floor."
I threw a large silver coin at the nearest receptionist.There was no fight, but I had destroyed private property; I had to make up for that.
"Y-yes!"
There was no reason for me to be scared. I held back quite well.
We left the adventurers' guild and headed toward the guard station.
.........
Ten minutes later, we arrived at the guard station.The order was to find a group of illegal slave traders hiding in the high plains near the crag.The exact location was unclear.
"Even though the search area is reduced, it's still difficult to find the bandits' hideout.""At least for normal people."
Well, that was true.I could easily find their location just by thinking about it.
It was pretty well hidden underground, specifically under the cliff.Pretty ingenious.Who the hell taught them to build something like that?
"Well, before we go, let's look for an inn. It'll be difficult if we don't have a place to stay.""I hope we find something decent at least.""These days, 'decent' is probably also the most luxurious."
We were walking through the streets, chatting, until I smelled something pleasant.
It came from a house with a crescent shaped sign. Underneath, it said:
"Silver Moon Inn"
At the entrance stood a girl of about ten, with gray hair, fluffy ears, and a tail.She was part of the wolf tribe, a race of beastmen.
I approached the girl, who was working diligently at the entrance, to ask if there were any rooms available.
"Hey, kid, can I ask you something?""Yeah? What's up? Kyaaa!"
The girl responded energetically but immediately became frightened when she saw me.
Now that I think about it, I probably looked kind of scary to a kid.I shouldn't have gotten so close.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to know if there's a room available, okay?""Oh! Yes, sorry! I'll ask right away! Mom!"
After composing herself, the girl ran inside the inn.
This situation reminded me of when I was a child… Yes… when I was a child.
"Excuse the inconvenience," said a stout woman who came out from inside."At the moment, we only have one large room available. Is that a problem?"
"No… that's fine."
After a brief introduction, she invited us inside.The inn was clean and had a homey feel.The first floor was a bar open all day, the source of the delicious smell I'd noticed.
"My husband is preparing lunch right now. It'll be ready in an hour. The lunch covers the cost of lodging.""I see. Thank you."
We didn't need to eat, but we could still try it, so we didn't pass up the opportunity.Besides, I was curious to try the food of this world.
Noel, the wolf girl, led us to the room.
"This is your room.""Thank you. Here, a small gift as an apology for scaring you earlier."
"What is this?"
I gave her a small candy I carried to eat from time to time.
"It's a sweet. If you put it in your mouth, you'll taste an apple. Don't bite it, or your teeth will hurt.""Huh? It's delicious!""I'm glad. Here, have some more.""Woof! Thanks, Grandma!"
After giving her a small bag of sweets, Noel excitedly went back downstairs.
"...""Lucia-sama, she's just a child.""I know, Maria… but it hurts more than I thought."
Her parents probably taught her that white horns are a sign of old age among demons.And what I just did didn't look any different from a grandmother giving candy to her granddaughter.
Even so, it hurts!
We went into the room.It was simple and clean, with a large bed and a coffee table. There was no bathroom, but we didn't need one.
"The bed looks like it's made of straw.""Cotton and other fillings are very expensive for commoners. Springs aren't common either.""I don't like straw; it sticks out and it itches.""You don't have to use it. We don't need to sleep."
"Sometimes I like to lie down now and then. Unlike Lucia-sama, my joints get heavy if I overuse them.""…That makes sense. Your skeleton is made of synthetic fibers of magical minerals with calcium."
"In that case, you can lie on top of me and use my breasts as a pillow. It wouldn't be the first time.""…I'll think about it."
You say that, but you've already made up your mind, haven't you?I know very well how comfortable these melons are.I wouldn't be surprised if you got hooked.
"Leaving that aside, what do you plan to do next, Lucia-sama?""When we finish the order… perhaps a walk. Maybe we'll find something interesting at the market.""I don't think there's anything more interesting than the flying fortress you made earlier, Lucia-sama.""…Well, perhaps."
Case, case
Someone knocked on the door.
"What's wrong?""Mom asked me to let you know that lunch is ready."
It was Noel.
"Sure, we'll be right there.""Yes! Thank you so much!"
The little girl ran down the stairs.
"Then let's go.""Understood."
After a surprisingly delicious meal, we headed to the kidnappers' hideout.
Perhaps there's something interesting waiting for us there.