Chapter 4 - Grandsword's Inn
The carriage arrived at the village in the early afternoon of the fourth day, but we were already in the country of Grandsword.
It was a bit of a surprise to us, as we had been expecting a checkpoint at the border.
"Grandsword hasn't had a war with the surrounding countries for a long time. Merchants and adventurers come and go as they please. I'm sure that Portia, to the southwest, was not on good terms with them, but since Grandsword is stronger than them, they don't need to be careful."
Nick, the coachman, told me the story of the area.
"I wonder if the other heroes are there too?"
Serina said, but it seems to be very possible. It's not just Keiji and Erwin. There are also heroes who were summoned in another year.
"Serina, keep our identities to yourself."
"Huh? I don't think you need to be that careful. ......"
She's as naive as ever. It's not surprising that there are bastards like Shin.
"It's leader's orders."
"Understood."
"Yes, I won't tell even if I am tortured, Master!"
Meena is very enthusiastic, but not that much. Nick got nervous because he thought he was going to be silenced too.
"I don't mind if you do, if you have to. Just don't go around telling people about it."
I reassured Nick.
"Here we are, everyone. That's Spagna, the royal capital of Grandsword."
Nick said and looked ahead to see a row of stone buildings.
"Wow."
There was no doubt that the castle standing in the middle of them was the royal castle. It's much bigger than the royal castle of Vernia.
The streets were also paved with stones, and there were several horse-drawn carriages passing by in addition to ours. There were a number of adventurers armed with armor and swords, probably for the same purpose as us. Some of them were laughing merrily, while others were watching their surroundings with sharp eyes.
Whatever the case, it seemed to be a lively place.
So this is the land of swordsmen, huh?
"Here's your money, then. Thank you for your help, Nick."
I handed over the promised money at the roundabout at the end of the carriage in Royal Capital.
"No, it is I who am indebted to you for serving as my escort. I also wish Alec and the others good luck in your endeavors. If you have any more business in Vernia, please feel free to call me. I'll be right over in my carriage."
Nick smiled good-naturedly.
"Yeah, I'll do that.
Someone who can do a decent job is invaluable in itself. In this world, you never know who you can trust.
"Hey, bro, there's a good place to stay."
"Don't go there. It's a dirty, expensive, and worthless inn. If you want, I can give you directions for fifty. It's a bad place, so you'd better be careful, okay?"
"Wait, wait, wait. I'll take you to a decent inn. I won't take your money."
As soon as we got out of the carriage, the touts started calling out to us from everywhere, as if they knew we were upscale.
Oh man, it's just like Nick told me. I don't know where they're taking us.
We completely ignored them and headed for the inn that Nick had introduced us to.
"This is it?"
"Yeah, looks like it."
Even from a distance, I immediately recognized the inn with its slightly chuunibyou name, 『Dragon's Dwelling Tree Residence』.
It was a huge four-story building that looked more like a hotel than an inn.
The walls were made of stone blocks joined together with white mortar or something to reinforce them, and they looked sturdy to me. However, the inside of the inn was beautifully boarded up and was probably one of the better inns in this world.
From the arrangement of the windows, it looked like it could fit about five houses in its width alone.
There was a counter in front, and to the left was a staircase leading to the second floor. To the right, there were two round tables that could seat ten people, where two armed men were playing cards.
I couldn't see anyone from the store, so I rang the bell on the counter.
"Aiyo! Ohh, are you guys looking for a place to stay?"
A well-dressed middle-aged woman came out from the back. I immediately use my appraisal.
【Name】 Ada
【Age】 42
【 L ｖ】 39
【Class】 Innkeeper
【 Race 】 Human
【 Gender 】 Female
【 H P 】 583/583
【Status】 Healthy
【Description】
The mistress of the 『Dragon's Dwelling Tree Residence』.
A citizen of Grandsword.
She is hardworking and inactive.
Former party member of the One-Eyed Eagle.
Dragon buster.
She's strong. This lady.
"Yes, but what's a 'One-Eyed Eagle'?"
Ada's one eyebrow shot up when she heard this, but she quickly broke into a grin and laughed it off.
"Hahahaha. You brought up an old name. I used to be an adventurer, you know. That's the name of my party. We broke up a long time ago, though."
"Careful, brother. The 'One-Eyed Eagle' is a legendary A-rank party. If you cause trouble here, or fail to pay for your lodging, you'll be dragon food in no time.:
Said a warrior who was playing a card game.
"A-rank party, huh?" ......
Ione looked a little surprised, but I guess there aren't many of them. I'll ask her later.
"Hey, Murphy, don't say anything weird! I don't have any dragons, and I'll tolerate late payments up to six months. Rest assured."
"I don't intend to delay payment, but how much for five people? I'm planning to add two more later."
I say coolly. I'm ready to add more slave girls.
"I can get a big room for 40 gold a night with breakfast and dinner, but do you girls want a private room?"
"No, everyone except me can share a room. However, no one but our party members will be allowed in. Is that okay with you?"
I said and checked with the girls behind me.
"I'd prefer a private room if possible, but that's fine." Serina said.
"That's fine with me." Ione said.
"Yes, I'm fine with just a barn, Master!" Meena said.
"I don't mind." Lily said.
"Then, 50 gold a day for one private room and three double rooms, and since you seem to pay well, I'll give you a little discount."
"Yeah. That's the deal."
She showed me the room, which was small but clean and looked fine.
I spent the whole day doing nothing, to get rid of the fatigue from the trip and the pain in my ass from the carriage. The food at the inn was quite plentiful and tasty, so there was no need to go out to eat.
"Hey, Alec, what are you doing today?"
Serina asks as she scoops up her breakfast soup with a wooden spoon. She was smiling and seemed to be in a good mood, probably because I had given her a lot of sex and lovemaking last night.
"We'll stop by the adventurer's guild, then the merchant's guild. When the money comes in, I'll stop by the slave traders."
"Oh, ......, so you're buying slave after all."
"Of course. There are no mages in our party. If we want to take on the 『Labyrinth of No Return』, we'll have to make them (Magician) our friend. I'm sure there will be enemies in the future that are immune to physical attacks."
"That's great, but we don't need slaves, just mercenaries or regular party recruits."
"What guarantee do you have that they won't betray you when the time comes?"
I don't buy slaves for erotic purposes. In this world, slaves are magically compelled by the slave crest, a mark on their left arm, to disobey their masters, which causes intense pain.
In a battle where lives are at stake, or perhaps because lives are at stake, you need someone who will not betray or run away.
"Uh-huh. ...... Okay. But if you see someone who looks good, think about it."
"Yeah, if I can trust them to be a decent person."
"I'm sorry, Serina-san, I'm just not up to your speed. ......"
Meena apologizes sadly, but you're assuming that I'm buying slaves for sex. Well, that's half the point.
"Really, Men are such jerks. What's dissatisfaction do you have with Meena?"
"Not really. I've already told you that magic is the reason, you stupid."
"Then let's use your skills to get it?" Serina says.
"Ah, I'll take it too, Master!"
"Wait. You guys have already leveled up in the vanguard-oriented skills. Skill lamps don't come out that easily, and it's not easy to earn skill points. If that's the case, it's better to decide on a role and specialize in it rather than taking all the low-level skills."
"You have a point. ......"
"Well, let's go to the Adventurer's Guild first. I've been told we don't need to register here, but just in case, we all do."
"Yeah, okay."
The adventurer's guild has horizontal connections, and it seems that adventurer's cards from other countries can be used in common, but it would be better to check.
We got ready and headed to the Adventurer's Guild in Spagna.
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