Two days had passed since heading north from the town of Fundantel.
Nothing much happened along the way.
...That's a lie.
I got attacked by bandits several times.
And as a bonus, I enslaved the one survivor, had him guide me to their hideout, and walked away with their treasure.
You know, the ringleader had said something to that effect—
how it took real nerve to pick a fight with the "Fierce Jewel Gang."
But honestly, they were weak.
Or rather, it's because I haven't been slacking on my training.
There's no way I'd neglect the basics just because I landed some strong skills.
I've read more than my share of light novels where a hero summoned from Japan gets cocky over having a [Holy Sword] skill or something, only to get killed by some random fellow summoned mob.
I intend to stay on guard, at least to the extent that I can.
And if I still end up getting caught off guard... well, I'd have to chalk it up to a bad matchup or bad luck.
After all, this is a fantasy world where you never know what's waiting just a step ahead.
Once I obtained [Rock-Iron Magic], my training really kicked into high gear.
The earth magic system includes a spell that manipulates gravity, and I keep it active on myself at all times.
At first, it was 1.5 times normal.
Don't underestimate that — even 1.5 times is something else entirely.
Gravity still does its work in this other world.
The embarrassing secret I plan to take to my grave is that I once got cocky and cranked the gravity up to twenty times, only to end up face-planting in an instant.
I started at 1.5 times, and now I've finally worked my way up to five.
The striking power of my slashes has visibly increased quite a bit.
Even a casual sword swing can generate a tornado-level gust.
On top of that, because I'm constantly under the effect of gravity magic, both my total mana pool and magical power have gone up.
To whoever keeps pushing me to the limit and trying to get me killed — hope you enjoy your well-earned retribution.
◇◇◇
Technolace, the royal capital of the Gloria Kingdom.
As befitting the capital of the Gloria Kingdom, it was packed shoulder to shoulder with people.
Here, not even the Vermilion Marquis household could lay a finger on me.
I paid a full month's rent at a mid-range inn and secured a place to stay.
Next, I headed to the Adventurer's Guild to hand in the monsters I'd hunted along the way.
After that was taken care of, I approached the reception desk to have a proper conversation.
"I'd like to place an auction request for a White King Tiger Wolf."
"An auction request means we're talking about a pretty hefty specimen, but you're a Bronze? What are you talking about?"
Just my luck.
I figured it'd be fine since she didn't look like some fresh-faced receptionist — she seemed to have experience, but apparently not.
For the record, her name tag read Rine.
"Rine, are you sure you want to turn me down? If this place won't do it, I'll take it to the Merchant's Guild instead."
"Kid, threatening me isn't going to work. We get adventurers with a pathological habit of lying to puff themselves up now and then. They don't tend to last long. They'd be better off switching careers to swindlers. I'm busy, so stop wasting my time. I'm going to get angry next."
Hmm. No good.
They won't even look at what I'm showing them. I'll leave it at that.
Next, I'll head to the Commercial Guild.
◇◇◇
"Welcome to the Commercial Guild! ...! Ah, no — this must be your first time here? How may I help you?"
It was my first visit to the Commercial Guild in the Royal Capital.
The receptionist's name tag read "Sophia."
She had let her professional smile slip for just a moment, looking surprised, but quickly put it back on.
"I'm here about an auction request. The Adventurer's Guild turned me down, so I thought I'd try here instead."
"I'm not doubting you or anything, but would you happen to have some form of identification on you?"
I was about to pull out my Adventurer's Guild card when it suddenly dawned on me.
This was the Commercial Guild.
Come to think of it, I'd gotten Eagle's endorsement on a Commercial Guild card at Momentum's branch.
"Will this do?"
I handed over the Commercial Guild card with Eagle's endorsement on the back.
After flipping the card over, the receptionist spoke.
"As expected of a vete— I mean, this is indeed Lord Alan. We will see to you in a private room. Would it be all right if I held on to your card for a short while?"
◇◇◇◇◇◇
Skills: [Reverse] [Divine Eye] [Sword God] [Gentleman Thief] [Dark Magic] [Rock-Iron Magic] [Holy Magic]
Rank: Bronze
Thank you always for reading!