Ch.154Chapter 154 – Gateway City Sestas (1)

A week had passed since I’d avoided Serra’s wrath by offering Beatrice as a sacrifice.

“So this is Sestas.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

True to its reputation as a gateway city, I could see impressively high walls and a long line of carriages waiting to enter.

People who appeared to be merchants were constantly coming and going, and seeing this, Eve smiled and said:

“From here, it’s just a few more days to Florence or the Kingdom, and a bit further to reach the port. That’s why there are so many travelers and merchants.”

I wondered if there weren’t other routes available, but according to Eve, the other roads were less maintained and had many inconveniences.

“First, we should go in and find the magician.”

“Beatrice told me they’d be in the residential area in the center of the city.”

“For someone who’s supposedly just staying briefly, they’ve chosen quite an expensive area.”

Eve said this, but I didn’t think it was particularly strange.

The Magic Tower wasn’t exactly short on funds.

We got in line to enter, and soon it was our turn.

Eve immediately presented her identification and said:

“Eve Ravencha of the Ravencha Trading Company. I’m the representative of this group.”

At that moment, the guard shook his head and spoke:

“I’m sorry, but everyone in the carriage must present their identification.”

“Is there a problem?”

“It’s by order of the Lord of Sestas.”

The guard said only that much and then waited for us.

‘What’s going on?’

Normally, only the representative needed to show identification to be allowed entry.

But refusing would mean we couldn’t enter, so complying was the right choice.

“I’ll go talk to the others inside.”

“I apologize.”

The guard said this while looking at me.

In truth, he was just following orders and didn’t seem to bear any ill will, so there was no need for him to apologize.

After getting everyone to disembark, including the reluctant Beatrice, we all had to present our identification one by one.

“And you are…?”

“Kai, an adventurer from the Adventurer’s Guild.”

I calmly presented my identification to the guard.

It was the ID card with “Kai” written on it that I had received from Nina.

Apparently, Eve had asked Nina for it, and the reason it had the name Kai was because it sounded similar enough to “K” that it would be easy to deny if someone heard wrong.

Either way, it was convenient not having to present my real identification.

“…Verified. You may enter.”

I thanked the soldier who had checked my identification and drove the carriage forward.

“Should we find lodging first?”

“What should we do…”

Eve seemed lost in thought for a moment.

“Is there a reason to hesitate?”

“If we’re going to warp out today, I don’t think we need to get lodging.”

Eve said this while looking at me.

“Honestly, I wanted to get here as quickly as possible, even if it meant pushing harder.”

I could see a hint of anxiety in Eve’s eyes.

‘It’s because of me.’

Since no one knew when my remaining time might suddenly end, she wanted to move as quickly as possible.

Seeing Eve like this, I unconsciously reached out and stroked her head.

“Huh…?”

Eve flinched slightly in surprise but didn’t pull away from my hand.

“I think you don’t need to be so anxious.”

“But…”

Eve turned her face slightly, seeming a bit embarrassed.

Looking at her, I said:

“I sometimes forget that I’m living on borrowed time. At the very least, it won’t happen today or tomorrow, so I don’t think we need to rush.”

“…K.”

Eve was about to say something.

But after taking a deep breath, she spoke again:

“You’re right, I guess I was getting too anxious.”

“That’s right.”

When I agreed, Eve turned her head again, seemingly embarrassed.

“…Acting too hastily and losing our strength would defeat the purpose.”

“Time is important, but so is maintaining our physical and mental energy.”

During this past week of travel, both Christina and Serra had shown signs of fatigue.

Of course, they both insisted they were fine, but given their personalities, they probably didn’t want to cause any delays in our schedule.

Especially Serra, who had been staying up late reading her grandmother’s journals, needed a good rest.

“…Then we should take a proper rest today.”

“Since many people come and go here, let’s have a meal at a nice place.”

“Hmm.”

Eve smiled at my words.

Soon she looked at me with a playful smile.

“Perhaps K is going to treat us?”

“……”

How much money did I have in my wallet?

I had spent quite a bit recently buying books for Christina.

Seeing my expression, Eve laughed.

“I’m joking. I’ll pay.”

“…Sorry.”

It’s not like I was some kept man…

Even though we were close, I felt very embarrassed about constantly burdening Eve.

“Since this is a gateway city, I should organize some of the goods I’ve been storing before we head to the elven lands.”

“Can you do that in just one day?”

“In a place with such active commerce, there are ways.”

Eve answered my question with a smile.

“Let’s go to an inn operated by the guild.”

“Alright.”

I thought that since things had turned out this way, I should let Eve rest with Serra and Christina, and just take Beatrice with me to find the magician.

“Just to let you know in advance, I’ll be accompanying you when you go to find the magician.”

“Why not just rest?”

Eve shook her head.

“I won’t accept any objections.”

At her words, I just shrugged my shoulders helplessly.

Following her directions, I drove the carriage toward an inn.

+

A little while later, I went out to the streets with Beatrice and Eve.

Serra and Christina had happily buried their faces in the beds as soon as we entered the inn, and after Beatrice set up a barrier as a precaution, we set out.

“Let’s see, the address seems to be around here.”

Looking at the directional signs meant to help navigate the city, Beatrice tilted her head.

“So, which way do we go?”

“Let me see the address again.”

It was time to awaken my address-finding skills that I’d honed during my delivery job days.

After looking at the address and the nearby buildings, I judged where it might be.

“We need to turn that corner.”

“Really?”

“It seems to be between the alleys, given this address.”

As I suggested, we moved and indeed, our destination was between the alleys.

At first glance, it looked like an ordinary house.

“Shall I knock?”

Beatrice said this and knocked on the door.

-Knock knock

The sound of knocking spread around.

And nothing happened.

Beatrice knocked again, and after frowning for a moment, she moved her lips.

‘A detection spell?’

I could faintly see something like a blue energy spreading around.

After a moment, Beatrice tilted her head and said:

“It seems they’re not home.”

Beatrice said that they were supposed to meet us here.

“Maybe they just went to the market?”

“That’s possible. Should we kill some time nearby?”

We put our heads together to discuss what to do.

“We can’t waste too much time waiting.”

“I agree. We have Serra and Christina back at the inn.”

“But if they might return soon, going back and coming again would be more of a waste of time.”

Should one of us, either me or Beatrice, go back?

‘No, that doesn’t seem right either.’

For the conversation with the magician to go well, Beatrice should stay.

So by process of elimination, I should be the one to go back…

“…As a compromise, let’s wait nearby for about an hour and then come back.”

“Let’s do that. If they’re not here, Helmet will go back.”

After reaching this agreement, we went back out to the street.

“Since we’re killing time, let’s go to the market.”

“Are you going to do market research?”

“Yes.”

Eve seemed determined not to waste time while waiting.

I had no reason to object, and maybe we might even meet the magician there.

After leaving the alley, we asked a nearby person where the market was and followed the directions.

“But why do market research?”

“A merchant should always be aware of market prices and trends. And I’m planning to visit the trading post here as well.”

“Trading post?”

“It’s a place operated by the guild where goods are bought and sold in bulk. They take a larger tax, but you can trade safely on a large scale.”

Eve said with a smile.

“I need to deal with the specialty products from that village where we met the succubus.”

As she said this, she seemed to be thinking about how to get a better price.

We continued walking.

“Excuse me, just a moment.”

Suddenly hearing a voice, we turned around to see a woman standing there.

Wearing a large-brimmed hat and clothes that seemed deliberately shabby, she had soft brown long hair and kind-looking eyes as she addressed us.

“Can I help you?”

“Um, I wanted to ask for directions. Do you know which way the market is?”

A traveler perhaps?

‘Well, we’re going in the same direction anyway.’

I was just thinking about accompanying her to guide the way.

Eve stepped forward slightly and said:

“I heard it’s straight ahead and then turn left.”

“Ah, thank you.”

The woman bowed her head in gratitude.

Then Eve frowned slightly.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes?”

Eve’s eyes focused on the woman’s face for a moment.

“Have we met somewhere before?”

“…I’m sorry. I think you’re mistaken…”

The woman apologetically responded to Eve’s question, seeming confused.

Eve smiled and said:

“I see. Well, take care.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

The woman said this, glanced at Eve cautiously, and then quickened her pace to move away from us.

Soon she disappeared among the passersby, and Eve fell into thought.

“Eve?”

“…She looked somewhat familiar.”

Eve shook her head dismissively.

“Since I can’t remember, there’s nothing to be done. Shall we go?”

Eve took the lead and started walking, with Beatrice and I following side by side.

+

After entering the market, things became hectic.

As soon as we arrived, Eve quickly examined the goods on the street, took out a notebook from her bosom to record prices, soon found the location of a large trading post, and began negotiating the sale of the goods we had bought in the village.

“Hey, Helmet.”

“Yes?”

“The young lady of the trading company seems more impressive than I thought.”

Beatrice, who like me had just been standing behind her providing moral support, commented.

“Is market research and bulk trading of specialty goods from a village usually completed this quickly?”

“I don’t think so.”

She even managed to negotiate higher prices.

It felt like a demonstration of the skills required to become the head of a trading company.

Eve was deep in conversation about the trade with the owner of the trading post, and finally shook hands with him.

Judging by her bright smile, she seemed to have gotten a better price than expected.

“I didn’t expect to make a profit here.”

“Did you think you wouldn’t gain much?”

“Naturally.”

Eve said.

“I’m sorry, but when we get back, we’ll need to unload the goods from the carriage before resting.”

“Is there a place to store them at the inn?”

“Since we’re staying at a place operated by the guild, there should be a warehouse nearby for merchants to store goods for large transactions.”

Eve explained, clearly in a good mood.

With Serra’s help, carrying the goods wouldn’t be a concern at all.

Beatrice laughed dejectedly as if calculating the time and said:

“It seems our waiting time is almost up. Should we head back now?”

“Yes. On the way, shall we buy something warm to drink?”

Eve made the suggestion herself, seemingly in a good mood.

There was no reason to refuse, so we approached a nearby shop.

“Welcome!”

The shop looked somewhat worn, suggesting it had been in business for a long time, but inside people were sitting on wooden chairs at tables, drinking beverages and resting.

Eve ordered three warm drinks, and we sat down on nearby chairs to wait.

“If you go back first, could you and Serra unload the goods?”

“Just tell me which ones to unload.”

Since Beatrice and Eve were planning to meet the magician, I thought I’d save time by taking Serra to unload the goods.

Just as Eve was about to explain the items to be traded, I felt something strange.

‘Huh?’

I felt a slightly odd sensation.

“…K?”

“Wait a moment.”

I looked around, feeling something strange.

If I had to describe it, it felt similar to when Beatrice gathered magical power before fighting.

‘So it’s magical power then.’

I immediately spoke to Beatrice.

“Beatrice?”

“What is it, Helmet?”

“Is someone using magic nearby?”

Beatrice looked at me as if wondering what I was talking about, but soon seemed to be scanning the area without saying anything.

Then she immediately frowned.

“…What’s this? Someone is using some kind of sound barrier.”

“Do you know where?”

“Over there… but.”

I looked in the direction Beatrice was pointing.

There, I saw an unexpected person.

“It’s that young lady from earlier.”

As Eve said, it was the woman we had seen earlier.

And in front of her was a man.

The magical power I felt seemed to be coming from that man.

“Could that person be…”

“…No way.”

Eve and Beatrice’s expressions twisted slightly.

The three of us exchanged glances, stood up, and approached the man.

As we got closer, I felt the strange sensation of sound not carrying in the area around them.

We quietly approached the man.

From behind, the man seemed quite serious, while the woman appeared to be in a good mood for some reason.

“Excuse me.”

As soon as I addressed the man, both he and the woman looked up in surprise.

The bespectacled man looked up at me, seeming slightly frightened.

“W-what…”

“It’s you, isn’t it?”

Beatrice stepped forward and looked down at him.

Seeing the man’s confused expression, Beatrice smiled and said:

“You were supposed to receive guests today. Didn’t you get the message from the Magic Tower, Mr. Magician?”

“…Oh no!”

The man’s face filled with shock.