Ch.91The Road to the Crusis Mountains (7)

“Well, there’s quite a lot here. It’s rare to see this much scrap metal in one place.”

“So you’re paying more for it?”

“Two hundred silver coins. How about it?”

“Three hundred.”

“Come on! I might as well mine it myself.”

“We both know there’s not a single iron mine around here, so how about we settle nicely at three hundred?”

I quietly raised my greatsword.

It was definitely meant as a threat, and upon seeing my blade, their attitude quickly became meek as they nodded.

“Let’s go with three hundred coins…”

“Should have started there in the first place.”

I sheathed my sword, and the scrap dealer sighed as he filled a bag with three hundred silver coins.

After receiving it, I placed the money in my spatial storage and returned to my companions.

“I asked a coachman heading to the village to return the cart.”

“Good work, Simon.”

I patted his shoulder, then took out the request form from my chest to check where the client resided.

As one might expect, the client was the Waterfall city government, and naturally, the request was issued in the mayor’s name.

Of course, someone of the mayor’s stature wouldn’t meet us just to stamp a request form. The request would be signed or stamped by one of his aides or subordinates instead.

“Now let’s head to city hall… No, before that, I need to do something about these clothes.”

“This is surprising. I didn’t know you had any awareness about appearance.”

“I have my pride. I’m not stupid…”

It might be surprising, but the poorer you are, the more important it is to dress well and take care of yourself.

While this is important for all social classes, not to mention women, men who need to work for a living would find it difficult to get hired if they showed up in tattered rags, as they would appear too weak for labor. Those with bushy beards or unkempt hair were avoided for looking like drunkards or drug addicts.

That’s why I often had to shave cleanly with makeshift razors made from polished glass shards by street craftsmen, and whenever my hair grew too long, I would roughly trim it with whatever blade I had on hand.

The first time I shaved was when I hired a tutor to learn reading and knowledge. Seeing the makeshift razor I had bought, he sighed and gave me detailed instructions on how to shave properly.

On the streets, it was common for people to get inflammation or infections from improper shaving, requiring expensive potions or medicine.

When I was younger and not yet skilled at shaving, I had to drink diluted potions several times, but I’ve improved considerably since then.

Swish…

I stroked my chin, feeling the prickly sensation of stubble that had begun to emerge.

“Let’s go to the inn first to change clothes. We should also take a proper bath. We still smell of smoke and soot.”

At my words, all party members nodded in agreement.

*

“Ahhh…”

I soaked in the inn’s bathtub with Raisha, feeling my tension melt away as my body relaxed.

Raisha had her face buried against my chest, rubbing her cheeks, and with each movement, her voluptuous chest and hips swayed mercilessly, stimulating my reproductive urges.

Should I just pounce on her?

No, restrain yourself. My inner pure dragon.

What if she gets pregnant? We can’t abort, and we can’t adventure with a child.

As I closed my eyes, contemplating the grim reality and converting my reproductive urges into parental responsibility, Raisha raised herself up, pressed against me forcefully, and kissed me.

“Mmm…”

Her tongue entered my mouth, and I embraced her tightly, covering her back with a wet towel.

She was diligent in her role as a lover—cuddling, kissing, leaning on me—and I greatly appreciated her actions.

In truth, I wasn’t conventionally attractive to women, with my square jaw and four-cornered eyes, not to mention the scars all over my body from exposure to violence while working at the rough docks.

I’ve never been told I’m ugly, but I’ve never been told I’m handsome either. I was born with very distinctive features, for better or worse.

“Haaa…!”

As I was thinking this, Raisha, exhausted by her own efforts, fell away before snuggling back into my arms with half-lidded eyes. She placed my hand on her chest and whispered to me.

“I love it when you hold me tight.”

“Why?”

“When my chest is pressed, I can’t breathe and feel dizzy. I’m happiest when you lift me up in your arms, my feet off the ground, supported only by your strength.”

“Is that so…?”

I turned her around and held her like a princess.

She silently closed her eyes, and I kissed her again.

*

One hour later.

Having changed into casual clothes, we headed toward Waterfall’s city hall with lighter steps.

“I can’t remember the last time I took off my armor.”

“You’re always wearing armor. Doesn’t it get uncomfortable?”

“The streets of Parcival were rough. After being stabbed in your sleep more than ten times, you wear it whether you like it or not.”

Even before I set out on adventures, I had gained a certain notoriety.

I had a lot of money for someone from the bottom rungs of society, and with no family or friends, there was no fear of retaliation… I was something of a treasure goblin.

Of course, that nickname fell out of use after I sent all my attackers to Valhalla, but that’s when assassins started targeting me.

“You know, this is my first time going to city hall.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Where we stayed, there was no reason to go to city hall.”

“Well… there’s usually no reason to go there.”

Administrative centers handled most needs, not city hall.

Birth registrations, death certificates, and residence changes were all handled at administrative centers, so there was rarely a reason to visit city hall.

I had only seen Parcival’s city hall a few times while going to and from the public library, but I’d never been inside.

“Then this is a kind of adventure in itself.”

“Hehe. I suppose so.”

Soon, we arrived at the city hall’s main entrance, where armed guards stopped us.

“State your business.”

“We’re from the Adventurer’s Guild. We’d like to confirm completion of a request.”

I took out the request form from my chest and handed it over. Seeing that the client was the mayor, the guards opened the gates.

Creeeeak!

Passing through the iron gate that opened with a loud noise, we entered the building where a well-dressed elderly man approached to greet us.

“Welcome to Waterfall City Hall. How may I help you?”

I silently showed him the request form. The old man cleaned his glasses, took the form, and examined it carefully.

After finishing his assessment, he put the form in his pocket and directed us to sit on sofas in the lobby.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll process this right away.”

“We’ll wait here then.”

He nodded, and we passed the time drinking the lukewarm tea provided and reading magazines placed beside the sofa.

One that caught my attention was about waterfall tours—small boats with no oars or sails, enchanted to automatically navigate the lake and return to the starting point after a set time.

“They have quite a talent for making money.”

I handed the magazine page to Raisha, who read it and then whispered to me.

“Just the two of us… you know?”

“Of course.”

Cramming five people onto a boat beneath the waterfall didn’t appeal to me.

Since money wasn’t an issue, it would be best to form three groups—me and Raisha, Simon, and the elf sisters—to tour the lake beneath the waterfall.

As I was thinking this, footsteps approached from afar, and the elderly man who had guided us earlier returned with a middle-aged man.

I stood up as the party representative, and the middle-aged man approached me.

“Are you the party leader?”

“Yes.”

“…I’ve stamped the request as completed. However, don’t leave the city today at least.”

“Why not?”

“We need a minimum verification process. Due to the nature of extermination requests, it’s difficult to bring back evidence. The city government will soon dispatch an investigation team to confirm that the interior has been cleared.”

“I see.”

“If we determine the request was inadequately fulfilled, we can reclaim the compensation you received using the authority of both the city government and the Adventurer’s Guild. Any objections?”

“None at all.”

After saying this, I received the stamped request form back.

Now it was time to collect two gold coins from the guild.