145-130 Kerg (1)

About three days by carriage.

That may sound like a long way, but in reality, the speed of the carriage is only a little faster than an adult walking.

The journey is a bit rough, and we stop every few hours to rest. When the sun goes down, we sleep.

With such a leisurely pace, we didn't have much distance to cover, but we kept running, except for a break for lunch, and arrived at the town of Kergu at dusk that day.

Considering the amount of time we had spent running, it must have been quite a distance, but I was amazed at myself for being able to do it.

Maybe it's the result of daily running, but we're not human anymore, are we? By the standards of the original world, of course.

It's a big city, indeed.

Yes, it is. It looks bigger than Laffan.

We walked through the gates a bit quickly, as the town is closed to visitors after dark, and we were looking for an inn in the town of Kerg.

It's not likely that you'll be able to find a hole in the ground like the Bear Pavilion, and you'll want a comfortable inn, even if it costs a bit more. .......

It's a good idea to ask at the guild.

"But it's definitely crowded at this time of night.

Oh, that's true.

It's evening. This is the time of day when most adventurers come after work.

What would happen if an unfamiliar adventurer showed up and asked for a good place to stay?

Our gear was still mainly chainmail, and Toya was the only one who looked strong enough to be recognizable. And the women are all beautiful. It's unlikely that anything will happen.

"...... is all I can do. Shall we ask at the stall?

Yeah. I hope it's at least a little bit good.

Let's just get a simple skewer or something.

As long as we hear about it, we can't afford not to buy anything, but it's a little ...... difficult to say whether we can eat the same food that we ate at the stall on the first day, since we've been eating so well lately.

But it's a shame to throw it away without eating it, and there's no way you can throw it away if you have to return the bowl.

So let's split up and listen to what each other has to say. You are responsible for disposing of your purchases.

"Yes, sir.

It was dinner time, and there were many food stalls.

We split up into groups and picked out some of the most interesting items from the stalls.

Simple is best, right?

Preferably just grilled meat with salt.

It may not be delicious, but it's not inedible.

I looked around and spotted a stall run by an elderly woman.

There, she laid out thin slices of meat on a griddle, fried them briefly, put them in a bowl, and served them with a fork. The only seasoning was a sprinkling of salt. Yes, simple. Nice.

"Auntie, give me one.

"Sure!　Do you want some bread?

Oh, no, just the meat.

Here. Two silver pieces.

Hmm. Is that so?　The meat poste at Aella's place is 15 rare.

I took the bowl in exchange for the money and tried it.

Whoa!

"What do you think?

It's good. I thought you only used salt.

The lady smiled at me with a surprised expression on her face.

"There's a little secret spice in it. That's the secret.

The meat was a little tough, but thanks to the thin slices, it didn't bother me that much.

The meat is a little tough, but the thin slices don't bother me that much. It's still juicy because it's fried quickly, and the slight taste of salt gives it a nice flavor.

It's a winner. In a town with food stalls of this caliber, you might expect the same from the accommodations.

I finished my meal quickly, and while returning the bowl, I asked for information about the real thing.

Auntie, it was delicious. I'm also looking for a good place to stay, do you know any?　I don't care if it's a little expensive, I just want a place with good food.

I'm looking for a good place to stay.　I know it's a family affair, but it's not so bad.

Yeah, no problem. Can you tell me about it?

If the aunt's sister can cook this food, the inn's food seems to be reliable, and since the inn is run by her family from the beginning, there is no need to worry about being ripped off.

After I heard the name and location of the inn from the lady, I thanked her again and left the place, waiting for everyone to come back.

"How was it?

"How was it?

It was Toya who opened his mouth first, sighing at Haruka's words.

I'm out. I bought the skewers, and they were not inedible, but the meat itself smelled bad.

No, Haruka is talking about the inn, right?

"Yeah, I've heard that one before, but I wonder... ....... How can you trust an innkeeper with good food recommended by a bad street vendor?

I couldn't help but agree with Toya's sarcastic words.

It's true. And if the innkeeper's food is good, it means he thinks his own food is bad and is selling it.

Fortunately, the innkeeper Toya mentioned was different from the one I had heard about.

I think I got it right.　It was pretty good.

I didn't cook. I bought the ingredients.

Me too. I also have a magic bag.

Natsuki and Haruka were clever in a way.

They are smart in a way, though they can't judge an innkeeper by the taste of his food.

And each of them mentioned a different innkeeper.

Is it a coincidence that Yuki's innkeeper is the same as the one I asked about, or is there a connection between good food?

I wondered if it was a coincidence that the inn Yuki mentioned was the same as the one I had asked about.　I guess we'll have to choose that one.

That's right. In the case of Haruka and I, it's a store, so we could have mentioned an innkeeper we do business with.

Yeah, there's no need to choose anything else. Let's go there.

The inn I was told about was located in an alley off the main street.

The Bear Pavilion was also in an unnoticeable location, so I wondered if a good innkeeper would be located in a slightly inconspicuous place.　Or does a good innkeeper have to be a good innkeeper to survive in a low profile place?

It's not bad looking, is it?

Yes, it is. It's a fairly new building.

Yuki led the way inside, and the woman sitting at the counter immediately approached us.

"Welcome. Are you staying here?

Do you have a room for three or two?

"Yes, that's fine. One night?

One night for now.

The price the lady told us was more than twice as much as that of the Bear Pavilion, but it was not particularly expensive, considering that the Bear Pavilion was particularly cheap and that Kergu was more urban than Laffan.

The room we were shown to was rather small in size, but it was cleaned well and the facilities were relatively new, so it was quite comfortable.

The dishes served for dinner were a little different from those of Kumatei, but they were tasty enough.

While the food served at the Kumatei was a bit thickly seasoned, which would be liked by drinkers, the food served at this inn was a bit lighter, but with a spicy aroma that stimulated our appetite.

Haruka and his friends said they preferred this kind of food, so it could be said that this kind of food is popular among women.

It looks like we can stay here for a while. I was thinking of rushing off to do some errands.

"Well, yes. I was thinking of staying at the Sahlstadt Inn.

Don't remind me!

Don't remind me!" Natsuki immediately interrupted me.

You're right, I don't want to be reminded of that inn either. I want to forget the taste of the food I ate there, but it was so shockingly bad that it's hard to forget.

But it's a problem if you're away from home too much, isn't it?

I've got a security system in place, and I don't keep anything expensive at home.

At these words, Toya's face instantly turned sullen.

"That thing that Haruka and Yuki made? ......

In the past, Haruka and her friends, who were told by Toya that it would be inconvenient without a doorbell, used alchemy to create a security system at the same time as the doorbell and installed it in the house.

Toya, the toughest of us all, was the test subject at that time.

The experiment was only painful and not injurious, but it was a very hard experience because it was designed to repel intruders.

Incidentally, I heard that these are installed on the walls and gates of houses, and that there are more deadly ones installed on the buildings themselves. Specifically, the kind that will kill you if you are not careful.

To be honest, I'm afraid of a malfunction, but I guess we'll just have to trust Haruka and the others.

But storage units are quite expensive, aren't they?

Oh, that's true, they are expensive. But it's not really suitable for stealing, is it?

It's huge, you know.

The only other things in the house are furniture, a bed, and a futon, because he carries everything else in his magic bag.

The only other things in the house are the furniture, the bed, and the futon. It is quite inconvenient to have no bank or any other institution to deposit money.

So, what do we do tomorrow?

First, let's clarify our purpose. We're going to buy some alchemical materials to make a magic weapon, right?

Yes, we are. But if there's a good weapon on the market that works against ghosts, I'm willing to buy it.

Agreed. The question is, how do the other weapons compare to what Gantz-san makes? I wonder how good they really are?

Not bad, right?

Tommy has a [blacksmithing talent] and his [blacksmithing] skill is level 3.

In the event that you've got a lot of money, you'll be able to take advantage of it.

At the very least, there aren't many adventurers in that town who can afford to pay more than we can. If you want to make money, you should open a store in a town with higher-ranked adventurers.

Well, you can look around the weapon shops for that. I'm more interested in the magic activator.

Yes, I'd like to have enough for everyone but Toya, if possible.

Yes. It'll help with the healing process.

Fortunately, so far there have been no injuries worse than broken bones, but even now that Haruka and the others have raised their magic levels, they are still unable to heal the missing parts.

In the event that you have any questions regarding where and how to get the best results, you can call us at the web site.

In the event that you're not sure what you're looking for, it's possible that you'll be able to find something that will work for you.

And then there's ...... the holy water, which I'm not expecting.

If the holy water available in this city is from the Order of the Sutomie Saints, it's almost pointless.

There's almost no chance that proper holy water is available in large quantities here when it's not available in Rafan's temple.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I guess I'll just leave this one alone. The holy water itself seems to be difficult to use in battle.

The cost and effort would be ridiculous if you had to drip holy water on your weapon every time.

If you want to use it, you should scatter it to the undead and run away while you can.

I'd like to stop by the Adventurer's Guild, too. It's bigger than Rafan's, right?　I'm curious to see what they have to offer.

"The guild? I'd like to see their archives. Rafan's archives are at .......

Yeah, ...... is a little poor.

It might have been a good effort considering that it was handwritten, but the amount of information was a bit too much for a reference room.

It's not a bad idea to read it in this guild, considering Toya's [Appraisal] skill.

I'm not sure if they're going back to Rafan now that spring has arrived.

Haruka suddenly said, and I thought for a moment, "They? I thought for a moment, "They?" and then came up with "Back to Laffan.

"Tokuoka and the others?　I haven't seen them. If they're making good money in the city, there's a chance they won't come back. ......

It's better they don't come back.

Oh, that's harsh. I agree with you.

I'm sorry, but those guys are not the kind of people you want to get along with. If they behaved normally, I wouldn't have to confront them, even if they have land mines.

So there's a chance they're in this city. For efficiency's sake, it's better to search separately, but it's better to avoid .......

It's only when you do that that you run into trouble.

This is a so-called flag.

I don't know their level, but I don't think they're weak enough for a long-distance Haruka to overrun them by herself. They can't even use magic in the city.

Natsuki might be able to do it, but if they were all together, there wouldn't even be a fight.

They're a bit chicken-hearted.

So tomorrow we'll go to ......, and we'll go around town for about three days and look for things. Is that okay?

The day's discussion ended with everyone nodding in agreement to Haruka's suggestion.

The next morning we went to the inn.

The next morning, after hearing a lot of information from the lady at the inn, we first went to the weapon shop.

The town was bigger than Laffan, and there were several weapon shops, but the quality of the weapons in the stores was not very good.

I showed them the weapons I had and asked, "Do you have anything better than this? Most of them shook their heads, and the ones that came out were not suitable for our fighting style. And they're expensive.

We found a few magic weapons, but considering our history, it seemed safer to simply prepare the materials and have Mr. Gantz make them for us, so we didn't bother with them.

It's a big town, but honestly, it's a disappointment.

Either Mr. Gantz is great or this town is pathetic. ......

It's the former. There are a lot of adventurers in this town.

Yeah, right. We're lucky, aren't we?

I'm sure I've contributed a good deal, but I've also taken care of them, so I'm definitely indebted to them.

I'm sure he's been a great help to us. "So, the next step is alchemy. You have a few stores, right?

Yes. There weren't many decent stores in Laffan, so I'm expecting something.

That's right. There were a lot of things in the book that we couldn't make because we couldn't get the materials!

It seems that there were almost no stores for alchemists in Raffan, because there was no need for them without alchemists.

The fact that there were several stores in Kerg meant that the population was large.

"Well then, to the alchemy shop--

Thank you for your patience!　We will now begin the distribution of holy water!

It was a voice that echoed around the area, interrupting Haruka's words.