CH 119

Titania, the Royal Capital

Translated by Dawn

Titania, the Royal Capital

Four days after leaving the labyrinth town of Orargrand, I finally arrived in Titania, the royal capital. Originally, it should have taken less time, but as a result of repeated cliches, it took four long days.

In particular, I had a really hard time because I had to spend a lot of time pushing the rescued woman to someone else…I mean, entrusting her to someone else. In the first place, it was rare to find a convenient group, and even if one was found, it was not always possible for them to do what I asked.

The process had to be repeated, and what should have taken less than a day in serious mode turned into four days. However, from a common sense point of view, it was still a fast enough journey.

Titania, the most prosperous city in the Kingdom of Schells, was a city with a population of more than one million people.

It was a place where all kinds of goods gather, both domestic and foreign, and many tourists from other countries came to visit, making it a place where the word “city” fits well. However, because of the large population, the line between safe and unsafe areas was clearly demarcated, and it was not uncommon for people to be caught up in crimes because they unknowingly stepped into an unsafe area.

The huge outer wall, which was built to protect such a huge population from external enemies such as demons and monsters, was more than 10 meters high and was indeed an iron wall.

And to enter such a royal city, one had to go through a certain rigorous screening process. I felt like a guest in line at a certain dreamland attraction, waiting impatiently for my turn to come.

“Next.”

Two hours after I started waiting in the long line, I was finally approached as if it was my turn. A gate soldier in heavy armor asked me for my ID, and I presented my guild card.

“!? Are you telling me that a kid like you is an A-rank adventurer? Where did you get this fake guild card?”

Well, that would be a lie if a kid who looked like he was twelve years old suddenly presented you with an A-rank guild card…I would think the same thing if I were the gatekeeper. But alas, this time I was a real A-rank adventurer, Gate Soldier-san.

“The guild card is an impossible-to-counterfeit document that is strictly controlled by the Adventurers’ Guild and the Commercial Guilds. That is why each country allows the guild card to be presented as identification…is it not?”

“T-that’s of course.”

“Then you should be able to tell by looking at the guild card that it is not a fake. Or are the soldiers in the capital of this country so low that they don’t even know common sense?”

“Y-you!”

“…I can’t talk with you. Send out someone in charge.”

I was so annoyed by his overbearing attitude that I invoked my intimidation skill and hit the gate soldier with it. No matter how strong the soldier was, there was no way he could stand up under my intimidation, and he fell to one knee, unable to move.

“That’s enough of that.”

Just as I was about to put more pressure on him, a man in his thirties who looked like he was in charge came out from the back of the room. He seemed to be a veteran soldier who was quite familiar with the situation, judging from the way he was calmly dealing with the situation.

At any rate, I followed his instructions and released my intimidation. Then, despite the fact that he was not exercising, a large amount of sweat poured down from the intimidated soldier.

“Do I need to explain this situation?”

“No, it’s not necessary. Most likely, that idiot there has done something wrong again.”

Apparently, the soldier who lunged at me did this sort of thing habitually. Why would someone like that be the gate soldier, the face of the Royal Capital? The person in charge, who saw the look on my face and guessed what I was thinking, explained.

“He came from a noble family and was spoiled a lot, so he was asked to do this job by his family to train him. But the nature that has been ingrained in him over the years is not something that can be easily fixed. I’ve told him many times, but he keeps doing this nonsense whenever he escapes my sight.”

When he finished saying that, he let out a sigh as if he was touching something painful. I see, since he was a member of the nobility, he could not be fired or transferred to another department, but that did not mean he could not be allowed to do anything, so he was entrusted with simple tasks but kept causing problems such as this.

“Well, I understand the situation pretty well. And you’ll let me through, I assume?”

“Yeah, no problem with that. I checked the guild card, and it is definitely authentic.”

I asked the man in charge to check my guild card again, and since there was nothing wrong with it, he gave me permission to go straight through. However, since I didn’t think that soldier would reflect on this one incident, I decided to ask him where he was from, just in case.

“Hey, what noble family are you from? I’ll get your name. I’ll have to consider protesting later.”

“…”

He was showing some modest resistance to my words, or maybe he wouldn’t answer me. Well, there was one more person to ask, even if it wasn’t him.

“What family is he from?”

“The third son of Count Merodinand. His name is Michael Merodinand.”

“!?”

Michael, who heard the man in charge answer my question without hesitation, looked astonished. He probably thought he would not tell me.

Gate soldiers play the role of the face of a town or city, and if the gate soldiers behave badly, the town or city as a whole might be thought to be of such a character. Therefore, the position of gate soldier should be reserved for a limited number of people who are as serious and exemplary as possible.

If the gate soldiers were to be found guilty of any misbehavior, it could lead to diplomatic problems if they were royalty or nobility, and they must never act rashly. In the worst-case scenario, the soldier who misbehaved could face the ultimate penalty, so the work of the gate soldiers should not be underestimated.

“Well, whether I would protest or not, I’ve learned your face and name. Michael Merodinand.”

“By the way, I’m Lotzo, head of the gate guard here in the royal capital. If you need anything, just come to me.”

“I’ll be in touch if I need anything. Oh, and by the way, can I ask where you recommend staying?”

Lotzo gave me a wry smile in response to my question and told me where to stay. Since I had no more use for this place, I was finally able to enter the royal capital through the gate.

Upon entering the capital, the first thing that caught my eye was a wide boulevard that even the giants could have easily passed through. The boulevard was so wide that even several large horse-drawn carriages could pass each other with room to spare, and many people were coming and going, making it a crowded street befitting a royal capital. As I was admiring the many people of the royal capital, I remembered something and stopped walking.

“Wait, a new inn…it’ll probably be like that, right?”

I know that this was the fourth time I had stayed at the inn, so I know it was now a certainty, but I still had a strong expectation that it was a normal inn.

“I guess I’ll just have to go for now!”

Since stopping here would not lead to any progress, I decided to make up my mind and head for the lodge that Lotzo had recommended.

The inn I arrived at a few minutes later was called “The Traveler’s Stopping Place,” and it was not so different from the inn in Orargrand. When I entered the inn with caution, I was met by an elderly woman.

“Welcome! Are you here for lodging? Or do you just want a meal?”

“Lodging, please. I’ll take a single room with meals for five days.”

“I understand. That will be one medium silver coin and five small silver coins.”

That meant three small silver coins for one night with meals…as one would expect from the royal city, the price was rather expensive. Naturally, there was no need to bargain, so I paid the amount I was told and received the key.

“Are you a new customer?”

“Ah, the landlady. Yes, a new customer.”

“Right.”

There she was, a middle-aged beautiful woman who looked familiar to me. She had a plump body and an alluring colorful scent that I could only recognize.

So, what’s your name, is it Nosana? Nosana-san, right?”

“Boy, how do you know my name?”

“I knew it!”

Apparently, this inn also took the female police officer method that appeared in a certain anime. Anyway, I’d just say this because this is a cliché. …Yeah, I knew it.

I decided to leave her and the others and head upstairs to my room to check it out for the time being. At this rate, even the Adventurers Guild would……no, I won’t say anything anymore.