"It really feels like I haven't been back here in ages..."
One and a half days after the encounter with the unicorn, we finally arrived at the town of Seigen. After that encounter, we hadn't seen any powerful Monsters—in fact, we had so much leeway that we were practically bored. So we made frequent detours along the way, gathering medicinal herbs and the like to pass the time. As a result, we'd collected enough various herbs to qualify as traveling herb merchants.
"But looking at this, it's going to take a while."
Jin grumbled, looking at the line stretching out before us. Normally, C-rank adventurers and above could use a dedicated entrance, but somehow, two people in our party didn't qualify for that privilege.
"I'm sorry..."
"My apologies... I forgot all about it."
The ones apologizing were Amour and Grandpa. Grandpa hadn't been active as an adventurer for quite some time, so his guild rank had been suspended, leaving him no different from an ordinary person until he completed the renewal paperwork. As for Amour, she wasn't even old enough to have a full guild registration to begin with (she was currently fourteen).
And so, the two of them obediently took their place at the end of the line. The members of the Dawn Sword, having come this far together, kindly decided to wait with us.
"I'm not blaming you or anything, so please lift your heads!"
"Wow... He actually made Lord Merlin bow his head..."
"I guess we've reached our limit too..."
"Tenma! Please, say something on our behalf! Menace, Garat, and I have nothing to do with this. Jin is the only one at fault!"
"Hey!"
Jin hurriedly turned to Grandpa to protest, but the other three behind him were having a good laugh at his expense. Unable to stomach their betrayal, Jin raised his voice in protest. Watching the four of them, Grandpa burst out laughing, and Branca and Amour soon joined in.
"Alright, that's enough fooling around. People are watching."
As if responding to my voice, the people around us who had been watching all looked away at once. Jin and the others, not wanting to attract any more attention, finally quieted down and behaved themselves.
Once everyone had settled down, I decided to prepare some tea using the herbs we'd gathered. Not that it was anything special—just a simple brew made by lightly toasting and steeping a few varieties of dried herbs.
"Here we go... It's a shame there aren't any tea snacks, but it's better than nothing, right? It has a calming effect too, so it's perfect for Jin right now."
I handed out cups of tea to everyone, and we all took a breather while sipping together. After waiting for roughly another hour, we finally set foot inside the town of Seigen.
We all headed to the guild together, but for some reason, people approaching from ahead were unnaturally veering off our path. Those yielding the way generally fell into two types. The first were those who stared at us as if observing something rare. The second were those who looked like they'd stumbled upon something dangerous, averting their eyes as they dodged aside. Incidentally, the former were mostly ordinary citizens, while the latter tended to be dressed like fellow adventurers.
When we arrived at the guild, Jin and the others first went to handle the carriage return. The carriage had been rented from the guild in the Royal Capital, but returning it at Seigen's guild wasn't a problem. This system existed because so many adventurers traveled back and forth between Seigen and the Royal Capital. Incidentally, when carriages became too skewed toward one side, the guild would sometimes post a relocation request as a job listing, which was quite popular as a well-paying gig. However, it required a certain level of trust from the guild along with a corresponding degree of strength and experience, so only a limited number of adventurers could take on the request.
"We'll go sell the herbs."
I parted ways with the old man, who was handling his adventurer reinstatement paperwork, and headed to the guild's buyback counter with Branca and Amur.
The plan was to split everything three ways—between the old man and me, the Dawn Sword, and Branca and Amur—with my share consisting of the high-potency herbs.
However, since the high-potency herbs were also the most valuable, we needed to check each one's price and then balance my portion against the other two groups' shares.
"Here are the buyback results. The purchase price for each is listed here."
The total sale value of all the herbs came to roughly thirty thousand G, of which the high-potency herbs accounted for about twenty thousand G.
"Thank you. I'd like to discuss things with everyone first before deciding how much to sell."
We agreed to discuss it and stepped away from the buyback counter.
"We're done over here. Turns out we can reinstate at our old rank without any penalties or anything. Looks like Alex pulled some strings. Normally you'd have to start from scratch."
"We're done too. So, Tenma—how much did they appraise everything at?"
Just then, the old man and the Dawn Sword both showed up at our location at the same time—perfect timing.
I quickly relayed the appraisal prices, and they fetched some nearby chairs and a table. A discussion about what to do began—but it took less than five minutes to reach a conclusion.
"Alright, so we sell all the regular ones, I'll add thirty thousand G on top of that amount, and hand it over to Jin's group and Branca's group. That works, right?"
Thinking about it more, I suddenly remembered that I was richer than just about any noble these days. I made the proposal, and everyone agreed immediately.
The herbs designated as my share were worth over twenty thousand G on the market, and if I used them to make potions and sold those, the profit would easily surpass thirty thousand G. So even after putting up thirty thousand G for Jin and the others, I wouldn't be losing out at all.
With everything settled, we finished the sale transaction at the buyback counter and parted ways right there.
"Well then, if we get the chance, let's take on quests together again!"
"And next time, don't go dragging a dragon into it!"
"Next time, make sure you invite us properly too, okay?"
"And make us sweets again~!"
The Dawn Sword said their goodbyes and headed back to the inn they'd reserved. For an ordinary adventurer, securing an inn for an extended stay would be tough, but with their earnings and reputation, apparently it wasn't all that difficult for them.
"Yeah, see you!"
"Thanks for everything — let's grab a drink together next time."
And with that we parted ways, but the real problem was Branca and the others.
"You've got to be kidding — no vacancies at any inn...?"
"This is totally beyond what I calculated."
After splitting off from Jin and the others, we went around checking every inn in town, but not a single one had any openings. Apparently, it was all because the martial tournament in the Royal Capital had just wrapped up.
With the tournament over, those who'd competed and flopped, those who had lost their bets and been cleaned out, and those who had blown too much money at the auction all flooded into Seigen — which was fairly close to the Royal Capital and had dungeons scattered throughout its streets.
Because of that, every inn in Seigen — which already had limited vacancies to begin with — was completely packed. And among the adventurers who couldn't squeeze in, some even ended up sleeping out in the town square and inside the dungeons.
According to the locals, Seigen always saw a surge of visitors after the tournament each year, but they said it had never been anywhere near this bad. For innkeepers and merchants who did business with adventurers, it was a godsend, but for everyone else it was more of a disaster. After all, among adventurers there were those who believed that having power — money — meant they could do anything, or at least get away with it. People who were practically criminals. And the ones who bore the brunt of their behavior were the powerless and those in vulnerable positions.
Maybe that was why some people were looking at us with hostile, glaring eyes.
"If there's nothing anywhere, every place is probably wiped out. Can't be helped — let's try going to the spot I've got reserved. Worst case, even if it's not available, I'll negotiate so you can stay in my room."
"Sorry — I really owe you for this."
"Living together! Living together! Guuh..."
Branca bowed to me while simultaneously clamping down on Amour's head beside her. Amour, pinned down by the sudden force, apparently bit her tongue from the jolt, and was sitting there with tears in her eyes clutching her mouth.
I cast a healing spell on Amour's mouth, but the moment I leaned in she almost snatched my lips — though Branca caught her in time, so my lips were saved.
"Can we almost see—" "There aren't any, so I'm telling you I'll rent it from you!" "—yet?"
Just when we were about to reach the apartment, we heard shouting coming from the direction of the building. A bad feeling gnawing at me, I hurried over, and there at the entrance to the grounds, I found Alie and Karina being cornered by a group of men.
"Like I said, I've already received advance payment from the tenant of that room. That means someone lives here! Now get lost!"
"You damn old hag!"
One of the men actually tried to reach for the sword hanging at his hip.
"Shiromaru, protect them!"
I widened the mouth of my bag and gave Shiromaru his orders while pulling out a training staff and breaking into a run.
"Grrrrrrr!"
"Ghk!"
"Alright, that's enough. From here on, I'll be the one asking the questions — I'm the tenant."
Shiromaru, now back to his original size, wedged himself between the two girls and the men, growling menacingly. While they were distracted, I circled around behind the startled men. For the record, the tip of the staff in my hand was pressed against the neck of the man who had tried to draw his sword.
"Y-you think you can just get away with this in broad daylight?!"
"What are you so worked up about? I was just a good citizen saving townspeople from thugs. If you want to hand me over to the military police, go ahead and try. I'd love to see how that turns out."
I delivered the warning to the man spouting nonsense in as low and menacing a voice as I could manage.
"I'll let you off this time. But if you try something stupid like this again... don't expect to leave this city in one piece."
The moment I finished speaking, Branca approached with a fearsome look on her face. Whether it was my words or Branca's appearance that sealed the deal, the men fled the scene trembling.
"Looks like they were more afraid of Branca killing them than me."
"How rude. And here I am, the kindest man around."
"Branca, have you ever seen your own face? There's a mirror right here — want to take a look?"
Amour delivered a cutting retort to Branca's lighthearted quip. Branca's brow was twitching, but she seemed to know her own remark was to blame, so she didn't throw a punch at Amour. For the record, the fearsome look she wore when she approached was just something she put on after reading the room. Rest assured, Branca's normal face is by no means the kind that would make crying children wail even louder and wet themselves.
"Tenma-san, welcome back. And I'm sorry for the trouble right after you arrived. Thank you for your help as well."
"Not at all. I'm just glad Alie and Karina are safe. Anyway, I just got back myself. This is my grandfather, and these two are adventurers I met in the Royal Capital."
"I'm Merlin. It seems my grandson has been causing you trouble."
When Grandpa introduced himself, Alie looked surprised.
"I'm Branca. I'm a tiger beastkin — I met Tenma at the tournament in the Royal Capital and traveled here with him."
"I'm Amour. Tenma stole something precious from me at the tournament, and now I'm his girlfriend!"
"W-Wait, what?!"
Amour's outburst left Alie and Karina looking completely stunned. They both turned to look at me, but I shook my head to deny it.
"Hmph."
Amour seemed displeased with my reaction, but I had to shut this down clearly. If I didn't, who knew what kind of troublesome people might come flying in from the Royal Capital — I couldn't afford to be vague about it.
"So, have those kinds of guys been showing up a lot lately?"
"Indeed they are. The owner of an inn I know said the same thing — there are more adventurers than usual acting like they own the place, stirring up trouble for everyone around them."
"And I hear they've been clashing with"
"the adventurers who have been active in Seigen for a long time."
"The security situation has gotten pretty bad too. The military police have been increasing their patrols, but it's not enough to keep up. Going out at night is obviously dangerous, but even during the day, it's risky to go near any place that's deserted."
Alie and Karina told me all about what their fellow adventurers had been saying and how the town had been lately.
"Ah... now that I think about it, maybe I'm partly responsible for the increase in idiots."
I told them about a possibility I'd been half-suspecting.
By winning both the Individual Battle and the Team Battle at the Royal Capital tournament and causing a huge upheaval, and by helping crack down on criminals in the Royal Capital, the people who had lost big on bets or who had been planning to commit crimes there might have chosen the town of Seigen as their next playground.
"Even so, that's not something you should blame yourself for, Tenma. In the end, the fault lies with people who gamble away their own livelihoods. Besides, criminals deserve to be punished. If they're afraid of punishment, they shouldn't be committing crimes in the first place. And you have no obligation to catch criminals. That's the job of the state and its rulers."
Hearing Alie's words, I felt a great weight lift off my shoulders. We were about to get carried away in conversation when I noticed Branca at the edge of my vision, looking like she had something to say.
"Also, would it be possible for us to share a room? These two had to make an unplanned stop in Seigen, so they weren't able to secure a room."
"Um, so for Tenma and Merlin"
"-sama,"
"plus Branca and Amour-chan, that makes four people, along with Slarin, Shiromaru, and Solomon, three familiars — all of them staying there?"
"I think that would be a bit difficult. The room was originally designed for two or three adults, so fitting four people in is already pushing it. Add three familiars on top of that, and finding enough sleeping space would be a real challenge... Besides, even setting aside a single day, having that many people staying for an extended period could draw a reprimand from the Guild."
Karina was putting it politely, but it was clear we couldn't share the room with Branca and the others. However, I had anticipated this beforehand. So I moved on to my next idea.
"In that case, could we rent out the space next to the room we already have? I'd park my carriage there and use it as a room. Of course, I'll pay the same fee as if I were renting a room — for the space."
At my proposal, Alie and Karina exchanged a few words.
"That would be possible. However, we'd need to submit paperwork to the Guild first, so you'd have to fill out a contract for that purpose."
What I had proposed was actually a method I had learned about in the Royal Capital.
In the Royal Capital, there were several parking areas where nobles and merchants could leave their carriages, and I had heard that coachmen and guards sometimes slept in them. So I thought the same approach might work here. It was also the method I had considered as a last resort when I had come to Seigen before.
According to Alie, however, if an inn wanted to accommodate guests in this manner, it was necessary to file a notice with the Guild. Since guests arriving by carriage were a common occurrence, the permit itself would likely be granted without issue, but failing to file the notice could result in a reprimand, and in the worst case, a fine.
"If you do it now, there's still time. I'm sorry for the trouble, but please write down the intended use of the space on this form and sign in the last field."
I wrote down what I was told on the paper that was handed to me, and at the end, I signed my name: "Tenma Ootori."
"Ootori... Tenma, you had a family name?"
Karina looked puzzled, so I told her, "I won first place, so I received it as a reward," which seemed to satisfy her.
After that, while Karina went to the Guild to submit the paperwork, we received the key from Alie and got the carriage parking area sorted out.
"Come to think of it, where are Amy and the twins?"
"Amy is at the academy. The twins are with her. It's not an everyday thing, but apparently she's been studying more diligently than before lately."
While we were talking about that, Amour leaped onto my back. Amour herself was light, so being jumped on wasn't a big deal, but she was hugging on tight, and my body ached in places.
"Amy... who's that?"
Amour was giving me a reproachful tone, but I explained that Branca had brought the matter to my attention, that Amy was Arie's granddaughter and Karina's daughter, and that I had even taught her the taming method, which had earned her gratitude. That seemed to satisfy her, more or less.
After that, I did a quick sweep of the room and was about to let Branca and the others use it, but Amour didn't set her luggage inside—instead, she started trying to load it into the carriage parked outside. I hurriedly grabbed her by the back of her collar, lifted her up, and carried her outside, at which point she gave me the most bewildered expression.
"Why? It doesn't make sense."
Amour didn't seem genuinely convinced, but Branca's persuasion—including some physical persuasion—got her to settle down quietly. Arie just watched the whole scene with a gentle smile.
Karina returned just as we finished sorting out the luggage and told us the documents had been accepted without any issues. She also relayed a message from the guild: they wanted us to avoid causing any trouble as much as possible.
"Welcome home, Teacher!"
While I was going over the advisory points with Karina, Amy's lively voice rang out. Behind her followed Ii-chan and Shii-chan, who had grown noticeably since last time. The two still couldn't fly for long, so they kept alternating between flapping their wings a few times and running on the ground.
"Arf!"
Shiromaru barked the moment he spotted Ii-chan and Shii-chan, and the two of them landed together on Shiromaru's back in perfect synchronization.
"I'm home, Amy. These are souvenirs—this one's for you, and the rest are for everyone to share. Oh, and these are for Ii-chan and Shii-chan."
I handed over the trinkets I had bought in the Royal Capital, along with the Magic Stones and magic cores I had been saving for Ii-chan and Shii-chan. The stones and cores were small, but there were quite a lot of them, so they should last two to three months without any problem.
"Thank you! Oh, and what about Jeanne and Aura? Also, who are these people?"
Amy looked at Branca and Amour standing behind me, question marks practically floating above her head.
"Jeanne and Aura are back in the Royal Capital. Grandpa's estate needs managing, and Aura's older sister works there, so they're in good hands. As for these two—they're adventurers I met in the Royal Capital. Branca and Amour. We're heading in nearly the same direction, so we'll be staying in Seigen for a little while."
"Is that so? I'm glad Aura got to meet her sister. Nice to meet you, Branca, Amour—my name is Amy. And these are my Familiars, Ii-chan and Shii-chan!"
"Wow, you're not scared of Branca at all?"
Amour was astonished that a child had met Branca for the first time and showed no fear whatsoever. And then, as usual, she got a knuckle rapped on the head.
"Tomorrow we're heading into the dungeon, so let's have an early dinner and get some rest tonight. You've got free time until then—sound good?"
Grandpa and the others nodded at my suggestion, and we had free time until dinner... but,
"Well, I guess this is what happens the first time you visit a new place..."
Since no one besides me had ever properly stayed in Seigen before, we all decided to travel together. Naturally, moving around as a group drew stares from people on the street, which was a little embarrassing.
First, we stopped by a shop selling medicine, then looked at food supplies, and finally went to check out weapons and armor.
"As expected, the armor selection here is far more extensive than in the Royal Capital."
The weapons and armor sold in each town tended to have very different characteristics. For example, in the Royal Capital, where nobles were plentiful, flashier items were common and weapons tended to sell better. In Seigen, there were many blacksmiths who specialized in armor—items that were functional with little ornamentation.
This was because the Royal Capital had many people who cared about appearances, and since the surrounding area was open grasslands, a wide variety of weapons could be used. Seigen, on the other hand, had dungeons, so considering the threat of ambushes from blind spots, most people prepared with the assumption they'd be taking hits—meaning armor was the priority.
"Find anything good?"
"Nope! The stuff Tenma made for me is way better by a long shot!"
"I couldn't find anything either."
Amour spun around in a little circle, showing off her equipment as she spoke, and Branca answered immediately.
"Well, I'll take you to my acquaintance's place next time. Anyway, I think we've got just about everything we need for the dungeon now?"
We'd gathered the supplies we needed—medicine that was running low, vegetables to eat inside the dungeon, and items for maintaining our gear—so our mission was accomplished. As for tonight's dinner, Amour had done the buying... well, she'd bought more than anyone could possibly eat from the market stalls, and there was plenty left over... but thanks to that, tonight's meal was nothing but rich, flavorful dishes.