31-027 Go down the road

I thought for some reason Haruka was going to join us, but we ended up splitting up, didn't we?

"Oh, Toya wanted to go with you?　If you had told me that, I would have considered it.

We parted ways with Tommy and returned to our original path, heading a little more quickly towards the city of Sarstad.

The unexpected rescue operation took some time, but Haruka estimates that at this pace we will probably reach the city before the evening.

After considering ......, I'm going to say no.

At the very least, I wouldn't take him now. No weapons, no armor, no combat skills. Might be a little tough, but that's it. Are we strong enough to protect someone like that in a place we've never been before?

"Normally we'd be fine, but if there's a vipu bear or something, we're in danger.

That's a kind of trauma for us.

It's not possible to accurately measure the amount of magic you have, but at least after that battle, you didn't have enough magic left to fight many battles.

Considering the consumption of energy and arrows, even now that I was somewhat accustomed to fighting, I would probably be limited to two.

If there was a slow learner, that would be dangerous.

But I'm not close enough to him to put off Nagetsuki and the others to save him. They're more important to me. Isn't that right?

Well, we're in the same boat.

Wakabayashi is not a bad guy, but his social circle is within the range of classmates.

In the event that you have any questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site.

Besides, Wakabayashi is a dwarf and has power, so he can make a living as a day laborer once he reaches the town.

We know each other, and we can't just take him and abandon him when he's in danger. I don't want any of us to get hurt because of it. Like I said before, you can't heal injuries like missing parts.

That's a fair point.

Well, we didn't really get along with Wakabayashi - or Tommy, for that matter - and I don't want to join them.

I'm not sure what to make of this.

If you want to join them, you have to have a lot of compassion or reason, not to mention Haruka.

And the only classmates who have that much compassion are probably Natsuki and Yuki.

"Hey, don't Toya and his friends have many male friends?　They hang out with us quite a bit, don't they?

"Well, it depends on their friendship level, but I'm not afraid to admit that they tend to be like that.

So you don't have many friends?

No, I do have friends.　No, I do have some friends, it's just that my friend level is low.

I don't know what Toya means by "friend level"-perhaps it's a measure of closeness-but I had a good number of friends I talked to and hung out with at school.

However, our socializing was limited to within the school, and we would occasionally go out to the arcade after school, but we almost never went out together on our days off.

It's not that I refused to go out with them, but I simply didn't have the time to go out with Haruka and the others, play with Toya, or play games.

I'm not going to complain too much, because we've benefited from it in a way.

You guys get into a lot of trouble, don't you?

That's why we often accompanied them when they went out.

It was a so-called "insect repellent.

I guess it proves that I'm cute, but according to the three of them, "I'm not happy at all when DQNs come near me! They said.

Well, that's not surprising.

I'm not sure, but in the original world, you might have [heroine qualities]!

"I can't say that's not possible, now can I?

I'm not sure what to make of it, but I think it's a good idea.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

I'm not sure what to do. Let's get to Sahlstat as soon as possible. We've taken up too much of your time.

"Right. Are we gonna get there before the gate closes?

I think we'll be fine. Shall we run to ......?　I don't think there's much danger if we stay on the main road.

Normally, the gates of the city are closed after dark and you can't get in.

Therefore, if you want to avoid camping out, you should plan ahead, but thanks to meeting Tommy, you've probably wasted more than an hour of your time.

"No problem. Let's go for a light run.

We agreed with Haruka's suggestion, and started running with Toya, who had keen senses, in preparation for the enemy.

Even though it's a light run, he's probably running as fast as a world-class marathon runner.

I know from my training and practice that I can keep running at this speed for several hours even with my pack on my back.

Since I don't want to be too tired to fight in case of emergency, this is still a fairly comfortable pace, and I can see the difference between this world and the original world.

However, despite such caution, we reached Sahlstat without any particular event.

The city of Sarlstad is located in Noria.

The city of Sarstat was developed from a ferry crossing on the Noria River.

Originally, it started as a few inns that were built to wait for the weather to improve at the ferry crossing of the Noria River, which is a wide and often rough river.

From there, little by little, more and more stores were built, houses were built for the employees, walls were built to protect them, and the army was stationed there, and the city was established as a city recognized by the government.

Because of this, the city is divided between this side where the city of Raffan is located and the other side of the river, but due to various reasons, there are almost only inns on the other side of the river, and the functions of the city are concentrated on this side.

The scale of the city is much smaller than that of Raffan, which is a blessing for those of us who are looking for people.

The walls surrounding the city are also much weaker than those of Rafan, made of wood.

There is no space for people to enter, but it is small enough that you can see inside.

Even in such a city, there is a gate and a gatekeeper, though he is only one person.

Hello.

Welcome to Sahlstadt. The boats are running today.

Thank you.

Thank you." The man who answered the door was an elderly, good-looking man.

Show your guild card to the person and go inside.

Can you tell me where the adventurer's guild and inn are?

"The guild is in that building, and there are about ten inns near the pier, straight down the street. The most popular inn these days is the River Breeze, but I'm not sure if that matters to you ...... girls.

"What?　Thank you very much.

The gatekeeper pointed to the Adventurer's Guild, a small building right next to it. It has a sign, but it's only the size of an ordinary house.

Perhaps it's because of the different scale of the city, but it's much poorer than Rafan.

Why don't we stop by?

I looked at the building, and Haruka shook her head.

No, let's do it later. I don't know if Natsuki and the others are working as adventurers, but they're not usually around at this time of day.

"Right. We'll need lodging and lunch first.

Perhaps it was because the city of Sarstat was closer than we had imagined, or perhaps it was because we were physically stronger than we had thought, but we arrived in the city in the early afternoon.

We had planned to have lunch on the way if it would take too long, but we didn't end up stopping because Sahlstadt came into view while we were saying, "It's time for lunch.

Well. Let's find a place to stay and have lunch first, and then we'll see if we can find him in the city. It's not a big place, so unless he's holed up in his house and never comes out, we should be able to find him in a few days.　--If he's here.

Hey, Haruka. Don't raise any flags. I know you're here, let's believe it.

It's a small town, less than a kilometer on each side, and if you hurry, you can drive all the way through it in a day.

If Natsuki and the others are working in a public place, there is a good chance that they can be found in a few days, as Haruka said.

But that is only if they are in this city.

As Toya said, we have to believe that they are there and look for them.

I'd like to believe that, too, but I'd be shocked if I were optimistic. ...... Let's get a place to stay first.

The road leading straight from the gate leads to a landing place on the riverside, which is only long enough to be seen when you enter.

As the three of us walked along, talking a bit, we soon reached an area with inns on both sides.

"Hey, isn't that "Kawakaze" over there the inn the gatekeeper was talking about?　He said it in a very subtle way, but it seems popular.

From the outside, there was not much difference between the many inns, but the one with the sign "Kawakaze" seemed to be a popular inn (or rather, a diner), and even though it was a little past noon, we could hear people's voices.

It seems to be a popular inn (or diner), and even though it's a little past noon, you can still hear people talking.

I don't mind. In a way, I'm ready.

...... Oh, there's always the chance of a bad meal.

In this world, it's harder than you think to find a good meal.

If it's cheap, it's basically bad.

If it's expensive, it's not that good.

In this world, it is better to take the stance that if a dish that you can eat if you persevere is served at a low price, you will not be disappointed.

Let's go in.

When Haruka opened the door of the inn, a louder noise came out from inside.

At a glance, the tables were full, the counter was occupied, and there seemed to be no room to sit.

We wondered if the food here was so good that it was so popular.

Our regular lodging, "The Bear of Sleep," is also like this when we eat, but there is one thing that worries me.

--There are no women here.

All the tables and counters are men only. Dank.

Is it because it's a port town?

"Welcome!

As if to blow away my confusion, I heard the voice of a young girl.

"Here comes the sign girl!

It was Toya who said that.

I totally agree.

It was Father Bear who was in The Bear Who Sleeps, and he had never had any contact with young girls anywhere else in Laffan. I don't know why.

I don't know why, but wouldn't it be nice to have at least one signature girl?

If you're looking for a template, the receptionist of the guild is pretty, but it's a bit harsh to call Diora a "daughter".

I'm sure she has a charming face, but I think she's too old for that.

So, I was about to shout my agreement, but I swallowed my voice when I saw the girl's face looking back at me.

I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.

Yeah.

This is unexpected.

It was the face of my friend, almost identical to the face I remembered.

I guess Yuki chose to remain human while we changed our species.

She looks a little more gaunt, and her clothes give her a slightly different impression, but there's no way I could mistake her for anyone else.

I'm not sure if she recognized me right away, or if she looked confused for a moment, but then she looked at me, Haruka and Toya in turn, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"--!　Ha!

"I need a place to stay for the night!　I'd like to get a room for the night, are you free?

I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.

I'm not sure.　I'm not sure what to do.

I'm sure you'll be able to figure out how to do it.

In the event that you're not sure what to do, you'll be able to always ask for help.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it, but I'm going to try.

...... It's Haruka, right?

In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.

That's right. Yuki, right?

Yes.　Natsuki is here too.

Good. ....... As you know, Nao and Tomoya are in the back.

Yuki, I'm glad you're okay.

Long time no see. I'm so relieved.

I'm glad you're okay, Yuki.

Oh, I'm ......

Stop. I understand how you feel, but let's do this later.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.

"When you're done, come to our room. You do have a room, right?

"...... Yeah. Can I have a room for three?

Yeah. How much?

One night, no meals, 1,200 Reais, but ......

That's expensive!

--Hmm?　The Bear of Slumber is just cheaper?

But it's more than twice as much.　But that's more than twice as much as 500 rares without food.

Haruka's eyebrows were twitching, so she must have thought it was expensive.

As if she was worried about us, Yuki gave us a worried look.

No, it's not that we can't get it out, you know?

You can't help it.

"Well, it can't be helped. Okay, here we go.

Yes, certainly.

I'll take the key in exchange for the twelve large silver coins that Haruka took from you.

The room is at the end of the stairs, on the right.

Thank you. --See you later.

Haruka whispered quietly, and we headed for the room.