Gurisunia surrounded the entire town with stone walls and it was called a fort city.
It seems that this design was made to respond to monster attacks in case of emergency.
There are four gates open to the public, north, south, east, and west.
The gates to the west and north are connected to other territories, so these two gates seem to have constant traffic. These two gates are always crowded with a line of merchants, and it was said that waiting for two to three hours is common.
Incidentally, the city to the west is said to be a labyrinth city, and there are dungeons in Aristera.
Apparently, there is a dungeon in the royal capital as well. It seems unpopular because there are no great treasures to be found…
Let’s go back to the story. Heading east, there are grasslands first, followed by forests, and then further on past that are the pioneering villages that were built when the kingdom was actively expanding.
Therefore, the east gate is basically only used by pharmacists and adventurers who come to work; it is said to be an unpopular gate. (By the way, I came through this east gate.)
Heading south leads to the sea. However, it seems that sea monsters are quite powerful, so a port town has not been built yet.
Huh, why do I know that? Well…
“Well, that’s how the explanation of the royal capital goes.”
“I see… Thank you very much for your kindness.”
For twenty years as a gatekeeper, veteran guard Banz-san kindly explained about the royal capital in detail to me.
I came through the east gate. To avoid raising suspicions about my clothes, I intentionally tore up the oldest clothes in the house. Furthermore, since I hadn’t talked to anyone other than my parents for a long time, I am currently in a state of extreme social anxiety.
Miraculously, all these elements fit together… Banz-san misunderstood me as a young man dreaming of becoming an adventurer who had come from a pioneering village at the risk of his life!
Banz-san seems to have a quality that is not shy around people, and he talked to me amiably despite my obviously suspicious behavior. Thanks to that, I can talk without feeling too tense.
“So you came from a pioneering village, are you aspiring to be an adventurer after all?”
“Uh… yes. I may have to make money, no matter how dangerous it is.”
“Hmm, your youth is dazzling…”
I couldn’t help but smile at Banz-san’s comical gesture of squinting his eyes and making a shield with his hands. While feeling relieved that adventurers exist in this world as well, I decide to go along with the conversation for now.
From what I heard, it seems that adventurers are the ones who mainly subdue monsters in this world. They are like a jack-of-all-trades in rough situations. As they often cause various troubles, their existence seems to be a source of concern for the guard Banz-san.
“Is it really okay to receive so much help from everyone?”
“It’s okay, it’s okay, take kindness when it comes to you.”
When Banz-san realized that I didn’t have a copper coin for the toll, he patted my shoulder vigorously and handed me a copper coin.
“If you think of it as an advance investment in the future great adventurer, it’s cheap.”
I think I will never forget the smile on his face as he said that.
Not just information but also money… thank you, Banz-san, I won’t forget this kindness. If I can earn money properly in the future, I hope to give back some kind of present as a token of my gratitude.
While feeling the kindness of the people of Aristera, I head towards the adventurer’s guild…
I had no intention of staying at an inn, so without looking for one, I head straight to the adventurer’s guild. Fortunately, the building is located in a prominent location in Gurisunia, so I was able to find it immediately.
I open the heavy door and enter. There… was a chaotic mixture that was just like the image of adventurers themselves.
If you look further in, there is a beautiful receptionist lady smiling kindly. Despite the dinner invitation she turned down, she seems to be busy processing something.
At the bar attached to the guild, there is a man who looks like an adventurer who has only applied rough ointment to his wounds and is drinking. I understand that it’s a dangerous job where you never know when you’ll die, but I think he’s a little too wild.
A guild staff member is appraising materials a little farther away, and available requests are posted on the bulletin board in front of them. As God had mentioned, I was able to read everything smoothly in Japanese.
Uh, where do I register as an adventurer… is it at that reception counter? I decided to line up at the end of the line where the receptionist who had just turned down dinner was dealing with.
And then… Grab!
My shoulder was suddenly grabbed. When I turned around, there was a large fierce-looking man.
“Hey you, you’re not… saying you aspire to be an adventurer, are you?”
