CH 37

Royal Capital

Under the cheerful spring weather, I made my way on foot towards the next village.

It was good, as my body wanted to move. I suppose this was what it was like to feel young.

I met no monsters on the roads as I traveled. Hmm. I almost wish that they would appear.

…Was I becoming more aggressive? That’s no good. I can’t allow myself to get carried away.

I walked energetically until noon, and then I arrived at the first village, where I stopped at an inn.

Then I departed the following morning. I played with a few kobolds on the way, they really are quite cute, though I still dealt the finishing blows, and just as the sun was starting to set and I was about to arrive at the second village, a carriage passed me by.

I had pulled a hood over my face, just in case, but it seemed to be one of the passenger carriages.

But none of the Adventurer guards were known to me.

Were there any empty seats?

Once I arrived at the village, I found the driver tending to the horses, and so I asked him.

“Hey. Are you the driver for the carriage that is headed towards the royal capital?”

“Aye, I am. And who are you?”

“I’m an Adventurer who is headed there. But it’s still quite far, isn’t it? I was wondering if you had any empty seats left.”

“Aye, you can ride with us. It’ll be eight silvers to the capital. What do you say?”

“I thank you! And accept!”

“We leave tomorrow morning. Be sure to come to the carriage.”

What a relief! I would be able to save a lot of time.

The carriage journey went smoothly, and the day came where I finally arrived at the royal capital.

“But maybe things are going too smoothly? There are almost no monsters around. Isn’t that quite strange?”

“Haha! You must be from the countryside, eh? There have never been many monsters near the capital. After all, they are regularly exterminated around the roads. They would be a rare sight here.”

“I see. I’m starting to worry about my prospects as an Adventurer here.”

“What rank are you, mister?”

“E-Rank.”

“Then you should be fine. Though, the city is a tough place for F-Rankers.”

Now that I thought about it, in the Fia kingdom, they had also said that the capital was difficult for low rankers. I wonder why.

“Why is it so hard for F-Ranker?”

“There aren’t a lot of weak monsters around the capital. On the other hand, there are a lot of requests to hunt strong ones. A D-ranker would be more desirable, but I suppose E-Rankers can manage just fine?”

“I see.”

I rode for a little longer, and then the carriage passed the low ramparts and entered the city. It was a traditional, medieval-looking place, and not particularly crowded.

“So this is the royal capital.”

“No, no. This isn’t the capital, mister. This is just the surrounding area.”

What? If that’s true, the place must be comparable to the large cities in Japan.

Not only that, but Razshita was just one of many small countries of north Emimoda. And yet it had this scale.

“Ohh…”

We continued until we passed the area with stretches of fields, and then it was city buildings as far as the eyes could see. And in the far distance, I could see a castle.

“So there aren’t any walls around the city?”

“Just the one around the castle and the nobles district. Other than that, the actual city is the defense line.”

“Uhuh…”

If the living area was this big, it explained why there weren’t any weak monsters around.

After the carriage reached the station, I asked one of the Adventurer guards for directions, and then headed towards the guild.

The Adventurers Guild in the capital was smaller than the one in Kijifei, but the building was lavishly decorated, and it could be mistaken for the mansion of a rich merchant.

It was rather crowded once I stepped foot inside, but the atmosphere was not very lively. But most notable was that there were a lot of ordinary people who had no weapons. This was the Adventurers Guild, right?

“Quite different from other guilds, ain’t it?”

The Adventurer guard who had accompanied me said with a laugh.

“Hardly any quests come directly from the guild in this city. Most quests come from other towns, which are not too close to here. And so horses are very popular. But there aren’t many inns with stables in the city, so the Adventurers tend to gather in inns that are on the outskirts. After all, they’re going to go out there to complete the quests anyway.”

Horses… The pain…

But there was no time for such thoughts. I had to get to work.

“What’s the best way to find a good horse?”

“Look for it yourself.”

Right…

As it was my turn at the counter, I thanked him and we parted ways.

“I’m here to report my arrival in the city, and would also like a guide.”

I said as I submitted the Adventurers plate.

The receptionist looked at it.

“Welcome, Mr. Ajifu. Is this your first time here?”

She asked.

“Yes, it’s my first time. I plan to stay here for a while, so you’ll see me here quite regularly.”

“I am called Eily. I look forward to seeing you, Mr. Ajifu. Here is the city guide and your Adventurers plate.”

“Thank you. I’ll be back later when there’s a quest.”

That was the first time I learned a receptionist’s name. And she was very cheerful. Perhaps they were trained differently in the capitol.

Now, since I planned on staying here for a while, I needed to find an inn to make my base of operations. And since I also wanted to get a horse, it would have to be an inn with a stable.

And so with guide in hand, I went to an inn that was recommended by the guild.

It was the ‘Inn and Food – Meihe.’

“Welcome! Are you here to eat?”

“And a room as well. Just me, and for one night.”

“Seven silvers with breakfast and dinner. The stables will be another two silvers.”

Ah! That was a good price. That’s the capitol for you.

“I won’t need the stable.”

I tried to hide my excitement as I took out the silvers and handed them over.

“Thank you. I’ll take you to your room.”

I was then led to a room that was impressively clean.

“Dinner is already prepared, so you can come and eat whenever you like, as long as it’s not too late. Breakfast is served shortly after sunrise, but if you’re leaving early, something can be prepared if you tell us in advance. If you require hot water, it can be brought to you for ten coppers.”

“I do want hot water, but I’d like to wash my clothes first. Is there a place I can do that?”

“The well in the back. If you need water, just ask for it in the dining hall.”

I unpacked my belongings and gathered the clothes that needed to be washed. I wanted to wash the clothes I was wearing as well, but I couldn’t wash them all while naked.

As I washed the clothes, I noticed the stables in the back. And after looking inside, I saw that the straw was new, and the floors were clean. And since there was a stablehand there, I decided to question him.

“Is the straw always this fresh?”

“Hardly. We have a contract with a farmer, but it’s changed once every two days at the earliest.”

“I see.”

But that was still quite commendable.

I got some hot water, and wiped my body in my room. Then I wrote down information about the inn on the guide.

The food was also well-prepared.

The next morning, I ate breakfast and then checked out of the inn. And then I followed the guide to the next inn with a stable.

The next inn I chose was ‘Adventurer’s Inn – Winter Wolf.’

The entrance looked like a saloon from a western. I understood why it was for Adventurers. There was even a giant taxidermy white wolf head that greeted you when you walked in.

“Woah!”

I couldn’t help but say.

“Hahaha! That was a snow wolf boss that attacked an area outside the city nearly seven years ago. Are you here for breakfast?”

Said the innkeeper. A large, muscular man who stood behind a counter. No, master. He just looked like a guild master.

Unsurprisingly, the dining hall was filled with Adventurers.

I intended to go around the city like this, and experience the different inns. As I was going to stay here long term, I wanted to choose the best one.

I would probably know enough to become a tour guide by the time I was finished.

And so I left my belongings at the inn and went out into the city again. I could browse through stores, check the quest board, or look for a horse, like the guard had suggested. But I had come to the royal capital with a clear goal.

Yes, I had come all of this way in order to train in the art of the sword.

And so this had to be the way I spent my first day in the city. I’m going! To the sword training hall!

Bonus chapter. Thanks Photo!