~ Chapter 53: The new players in town ~

[Illsyore's point of view]

 When we first caught glimpse of the city, I believed that it wasn't that far away from us, but in truth, I was heavily mistaken. My perception of distance had been misled because of the angle from which I was looking towards the settlement. I assumed it was going to be a simple straight walk, when if fact, we had to pass through a tricky terrain covered by trees and countless twists and turns on the road. It took us several hours on foot to reach it.

The city itself was located in a small depression in the heart of the mountain, the forest acted as a natural camouflage to it, and only from above could you easily spot it. The peak of the palace didn’t go over the peak of the trees on the tall border. Unlike Perto, this one had two protective walls: one around the palace, one around the fancy houses of the noblemen, and the outside was left to fend for itself. There was even a small Colosseum of sorts to the far right.

Entering the city was done through various checkpoints, but a skilled thief or assassin could find other ways in. The two walls were heavily guarded with constant patrols, but there were many blind spots on each of them. This undeveloped country didn’t have the privilege of modern-day security cameras.

The architecture of this place reminded me of the various European medieval themed movies and TV series. The rooftops were made out of wood in a triangular shape. The bottom was made out of planks stuck together with nails. Very few had a solid stone foundation or stone walls, at least among the outer houses, but inside the walls, there wasn’t even one house made out of wood.

From afar, the streets appeared to be narrow, just enough for a carriage to pass by, pushing two was probably going to be hard. The ground was covered with small stones, so the citizens didn’t step in mud as soon as they walked out of their homes. The main roads, on the other hand, could hold even five carriages with ease and were paved with square stone tiles.

This was going to be my first time going into a big city in this world, although, back in Romania, I lived with Alina in a small apartment in Bucharest. Compared to it, this city was very small. If I were to compare it to Moscow or New York, I think the whole thing would fit on a surface of 20-25% of the entire city, maybe less? In terms of walking speed, it would take one hour and a half at most to go from one gate to the opposite one, and this was by walking in a straight line.

To keep up appearances and hide the grass growing on top of my noggin, I pulled my hoodie over my head. Unlike me, Nanya just had to wear her illusion ring. We wanted to go incognito as most as we could.

“I wonder if we can get a room with a bath…” I said as we approached the first checkpoint.

“Bathtubs are usually bought only by the rich and the nobles. Peasants and most commoners just use a big barrel. They do heat up the water if they can, but most of the time, they wash with cold water.” explained Nanya.

“What about you?” I asked her.

“When I was traveling alone or with Tuberculus in my old days, I used to pretend I didn’t need one. What I did was rent a cheap room and summoned my own personal bathtub from my Inner Mind. Heating water is easy when you have certain Dungeon skills.” she replied with a smirk.

“Oh, you should have told me you could do that! I am in need of a hot bath myself!” mentioned Ayuseya.

“Should I build a hot spring for you? Mixed bathing though.” I smirked and looked at the tall dragoness next to me.

“I do not know what that is…” she furrowed her brow.

“Yes, what is it?” asked Nanya.

“Blasphemy! This world has just committed an atrocious sin! How could they have not found the beauty of hot springs yet?!” I said with an exaggerated tone, pointing my finger at the sky.

“Huh?” the two of them looked at each other a bit confused.

“Well, not like I ever went to one either.” I shrugged. “If we’ll ever find one, I’ll let you know… or I can try building one.” I scratched the back of my head, wondering how exactly I was supposed to achieve the perfect temperature for the water with only geothermal heating.

“Until then, we can just try the communal baths. Every city has one.” shrugged Nanya.

None of them asked where I heard of a hot spring before. They probably thought I read about it in a book.

“You don’t say?” I asked with a smile.

“Wipe the perverted smirk off your face, Illsy. If I catch you peeking at any other women, I’ll make sure you suffer!” the demoness threatened me.

Well, she did say that her kind was a bit possessive when it came to mates. Did this include jealousy too?

“Then I’ll use horse blinders and look only at you three.” I smirked.

The demoness squinted her eyes at me, but she didn’t give me a retort.

Is that a yes? I wondered.

[Guard A’s point of view]

Many travelers come to this city, yes. Many rich and many poor, but few settled here. I have been standing guard here for three hours now, and ever since I started eight years ago, I have never seen a group such as the one that currently approached us.

The man in the middle of a group of four women had green eyes and hair. He wore a hood and a pair of weird pants. That one was most likely a guide or a servant for the ladies. The one to his right was a pretty el’doraw with a big package on her chest. I would have loved to take her for a spin in my bed, but sending the wife to her mom’s for the night would have been a bit tricky. This one wore a maid outfit, but it was a lot different from the one the beauties at the palace wore.

Speaking of maids, I heard the second prince usually had several beauties attend him and that he didn't accept anyone older than 30. It was also required for them to have a nice body and a beautiful face. The first prince, on the other hand, was known not to possess such interests, but he was the people’s favorite of them both. Too bad our dearly departed king ordered them both to rule the kingdom.

The one that I found surprising to see among them was the draconian. Ya don’t normally see their kind around these parts. A long time ago, during the terrible draconian wars, most of them were driven off this continent. I heard their species was declining. Well, good for them! Unfortunately, our kingdom doesn’t bare a grudge against them. We had been neutral with their kind, and most of us treated them as normal adventurers. Just looking at her clothes though, I couldn’t really say if she was a noble or just some rich fella who liked them fancy dresses. In my eyes, she didn’t seem to have noble blood, but she did give off this strange aura ya see at those ladies from the court. Maybe my eyes were going bad?

Standing left of the green haired man was a blonde beauty who could easily turn your head around, but them arm guards and armor she wore would hint enough that she could do more than slap ya. She was either the guard for the draconian or the noble the others accompanied. Either way, she would certainly have the coin to stay at the most expensive inn in the city.

The last one in their group was a nekatar cub. She walked behind them and looked no older than a twelve years-old boy, but these stinkin’ beasts always deceived my eyes. Some were full-blown adults older than me and still looked like a child, but there were some who were no older than my daughter and looked like an adult woman with big jugs and swaying hips. The god who made these beasts was surely missing a screw or two loose up in the noggin because they weren’t normal to me.

“Oi! Erkenwald! Do these bunch smell of trouble to you?” my partner asked.

Raising an eyebrow, I looked at him and then back at the group slowly walking towards us.

“Johen, even if they do, I don’t think they stand a chance against the royal guards. Even a Supreme would have a hard time here. Besides, they are probably just some random adventurers.” I shrugged.

“I don’t know, Erkenwald, the guy in the middle feels strange to me… scary. Besides, have you ever seen such a strange bunch put together: a draconian, two humans, a nekatar, and an el’doraw?” he asked me, his hands gripping tight the hilt of his sword.

“Yes, Johen. At the pub, every day. Or at the Guild Hall if they form a party. Adventurers don’t really care that much about species as long as they have the strength to back them up in a dungeon.” I told him.

“I still don’t like it, Erkenwald… I really don’t like it.” he shook his head.

“Just ignore them.” I wave him off and looked back at the bunch.

They approached me, but the one to speak was the guy with the hood. He showed me a smile and then asked me something in a strange language. I narrowed my eyes at him and then looked at his companions.

The blonde woman sighed and then told him something in the same language.

Doesn’t he know Kalish? I wondered.

“Excuse my idiot companion, he forgot for a moment that we aren’t in Shoraya.” the blonde said.

“No worries. So ya come all the way from Shoraya? Isn’t that on the Allasn continent?” I asked her.

That was quite the distance for them to be traveling. If that was so, then they were both rich and strong. Normal adventurers can’t go through such a journey on a Master Rank’s power.

“Yes. We are quite tired after our long journey, and we would like to visit the local Guild Hall and maybe an Inn? Anything you would recommend?” she asked.

“Ya could say I know of a few.” I smiled.

If there was one thing I liked about the capital was the food I could eat at some of the inns here. Each one had their own specialty. On the bright side of things, the innkeepers there offered me a meal for every adventurer I sent their way, but only if they rented a room or two. This group could offer me four healthy meals at least!

“That’s great!” she smiled and what a cute smile too.

“Ya take the road here.” I pointed back. “Then go left at the fifth… no, sixth intersection. Ya walk past three houses, and on the left ya’ll see Tannador’s Inn. Cheerful fellow and full of energy, cooks good too! Tell them Erkenwald sent ya!” I smiled and nodded.

“Will do! Anything else we should know about this place? Special rules or stuff like that?” asked the beautiful lady.

“Just keep ya fingers in ya pockets and don’t try to kill every annoying drunk ya come across. Do that, and we won’t have any troubles.” I told her.

There were a few special rules and customs original to this place, but they would come to learn them with each day they spent here. Unless they were a bunch of ignorant or stuck-up folk like the nobles at the king’s party, then I highly doubted they wouldn’t be able to survive in this city.

“Thank you! Have a nice day!” the blonde beauty said, and the other women made a polite nod.

The man simply looked at them confused, but the blonde took his hand and pulled him after her.

“You weren’t harsh with them at all!” complained Johen.

“Bah! They are mere adventurers, polite too! Nothing to worry about!” I waved him off and looked back towards the group.

I saw the man grab a hold of the blonde’s bottom, but then he vanished from my sight. Only the women were there now. Maybe I was seeing things? The man didn’t vanish, he probably moved in front of the big breasted draconian.

Rubbing my eyes, I returned to my post and greeted the next traveler, some idiot adventurer with a full plate gold armor, trying to stand out like a thorn in a camel’s back. Well, with this lout there was no need to be gentle.

[Illsyore’s point of view]

I got punched…

Like seriously? I only tried to get a nice firm grip of her round bottom! Not like there was any part of her I haven’t already touched!

“That hurt…” I grumbled a lie.

My Magic Armor saved me from the pain I should have suffered, but I was still laying upside down in a small chicken coop.

“Patooei!” I spat out a feather.

“Cluck! Cluck!” one of those feather brains was trying to peck through my armor.

“Chicken! Tamara likes chicken!” the nekatar said licking the tip of her lips.

“Down girl, no eating other people’s chicken.” Nanya warned her.

“Yes! Tamara listens!” she said with a smile, lifting her left hand up.

“Are you alright, Illsy?” Ayuseya asked me.

“I’m alright… I think I learned the art of laying an egg from these future crispy strips.” I said and glared at the angry bird next to me.

A single flick would turn her into a meat paste, but she didn’t belong to me, so I had to abstain from the… bloody act.

An old lady walked out and then asked something in the Kalish language. Nanya replied with an awkward smile and pointed at me. I raised an eyebrow at her, since it was quite clear that she was blaming the whole thing on me. They exchange a couple of lines and then demoness offered her a few copperettes.

I sighed and took a more normal position. The angry chicken was still clucking and trying to peck my head, but I completely ignored it. The bird was nothing more than an annoying mosquito buzzing around.

“Well?” I asked.

“I paid for the damage you caused. Get out of there.” Nanya told me.

Stepping out of the chicken coop, I dusted off my shoulders and threw a glare at the bird.

“Did master found a rival?” asked Tamara.

“I’m not going to be a rival with a future stew.” I retorted.

“Nya?” she tilted her head cutely, and I forgave her.

“We should go to the inn the guard mentioned.” said Ayuseya, changing the subject.

“What inn?” I asked furrowing my brow.

Being unable to read or understand the language was certainly a most annoying thing, but one of these days, I was going to learn it.

The girls led the way, and I followed silently, looking around and checking out the people here.

Unlike the small Perto Town, there were many adventurers here who wore some rather fancy armors. The moment when we returned to the main street, I saw some dude wearing a full plate gold armor stomping through and bursting with fury. I simply raised an eyebrow at him when he locked eyes with me.

[The merchant’s point of view]

 Don Diego was furious.

The man was a rich fellow who bought all the best-looking armors and weapons he could find. His father was one of the most powerful nobles in this city, so it was quite easy for him to do so, but the lad’s strength left much to be desired.

Still, there was one thing everyone knew. When Don Diego was mad, us merchants simply nodded and smiled. His father could close down our business if he wanted to. As for why he was mad, well… apparently the guards at the entrance took him through all of the formalities required for a suspicious fellow to go through. The group who entered earlier skipped that step because they all looked like plain adventurers and spoke politely with the guard. The women were quite beautiful too. The blonde alone would fetch at least 100 goldiettes as a slave, maybe more? Unfortunately, their gear wasn’t something I would consider as valuable. It looked decent, but in the eyes of nobles or powerful adventurers, it was plain and simple, without any magic stones and probably no more than an enchant or two. Still, if life taught me anything that was the fact that there could always be a lot of unpolished jewels hiding among dirty pieces of rock.

When Don Diego stopped in front of them, it was clear that they would become his next victim. It was a bad habit of his. Whenever he was furious about one thing or another, he would always take out his anger on someone weaker than himself. Just mentioning his father’s status was enough to make many men shiver in their pants. I was certain this group would be no different, so I stood at the door of my shop and watched the scene.

“I have seen you glance my way, yet you do not bow your head! Do you not know who I am? I can have you stripped of your rank and tossed out of the city in a matter of moments if so I desire!” the lad claimed, but most of what he said was a lie.

Unless that person was someone who was considered a threat to the city or without political support, his father couldn’t toss him out at the whim of his son. It would look bad for him. Proof of this was the guards at the entrance. They could only be ordered around by lord Zenos, who was usually on the opposite side of the table of Don Diego’s father.

“Are you listening, you commoner?” the lad asked, but the other said no word, he simply raised an eyebrow at him.

“Who is this oversized squawking parrot?” the hooded man asked the blonde next to him in Shorayan.

My skill with the tongue was rough, but a good merchant knew more than Kalish and Kendarian.

“A noble’s son, I think.” the woman replied scratching the back of her head.

Without a doubt they were mere traveling adventurers. They didn’t know whom they were facing.

“I see… So, a nobody.” the hooded man shrugged.

Feeling ignored, Don Diego tried to grab him by the collar of his clothes, but his hands were stopped by the man’s Magic Armor. The man must have sensed danger from him, otherwise, it wouldn’t have reacted.

“You dare, runt?!” the noble pointed his finger at him.

“This is annoying.” the hooded man took a step forward and simply pushed him out of the way.

What happened next was hard to believe. Don Diego was sent flying through the sky outside of the city. Such fearsome strength could only be displayed by those who already reached Godlike Rank, but if this was so, then the poor noble never stood a chance from the very beginning. At most, he was a Master Rank, but even that was mostly thanks to his armor and sword.

“Huh? I didn’t push him THAT hard!” the hooded man complained.

“Let it go, he’ll live… I think.” said the blonde.

Hearing him say that, I was left dumbfounded. What sort of power could he hold to say that what he did was involuntary? Nonetheless, Don Diego would certainly think thrice before picking a fight with them. His father would rather try to recruit these fellows instead of kicking them out of the city. After all, a Godlike Rank Adventurer was a powerful tool to have under your command.

[Ayuseya’s point of view]

 The journey to this city was one filled with strange things. We got to meet the Watcher Illsy nicknamed Bucket Head, and also witness his quick defeat. We got to save the cute nekatar, who ended up joining our group as Illsy’s second slave. We got to stay at a makeshift inn created by a Dungeon Lord, but most importantly, I had the time and leisure to ponder about many things.

First of all, I wasn’t the same weak draconian Princess as I was back at Fellyore. The social rank I held didn’t hold any value in this group. Everyone called themselves without honorifics and spoke as members of a close family would. Illsy turned out to be a great man, and someone like Dankyun couldn’t even rise up to his ankle, but most importantly, I was starting to realize the selfish desires I held in my heart.

Ever since Nanya slept with Illsy, I felt a bit… left out.

Nanya had the strength, the power. Shanteya was the loyal follower anyone would wish to have. She also possessed extensive knowledge in the art of assassination and other, deadly arts. Tamara was the cute, furry pet… and I… I was the big fellow who didn’t bring any contribution to this group.

My strength was not my own, it was the result of a Dungeon’s buff. My magic remained weak when compared to his or Nanya’s. I could hold a sword, but not as well as the others. What I had was only a noble’s upbringing and information about politics, ruling a country, and various stuff they might never need or find useful in any way. A Princess was a manager of the state of affairs… What use had such an individual in a party of adventurers?

Even so, this wasn’t what made me feel down.

Ever since I became aware of my feelings for Illsy, I tried to find a way to make them known to him. I wanted to speak freely and openly with him like Nanya did, not worry about whether or not I spoke the right thing. To me, every conversation felt like an annoying puzzle I had to find the correct solution to. If others already said it, then there was no reason for me to voice my opinion anymore.

I was sick of this, but I couldn’t see a solution to it either.

That was why I wanted to have a private chat with Illsy. If there was anyone here who could understand me and maybe offer me a bit of help, it was him. As to why? Well, he was my husband, that was part of his duty, or so I wished to believe.

Maybe I’m just over-thinking things, but I certainly want to speak and… cuddle with Illsy more. That’s not wrong, right? I asked myself as I took a quick glance at the Dungeon Lord.

He caught my gaze, my cheeks turned red, and I looked away.

This is so embarrassing… Uhu! I thought as I tried to calm down my fast beating heart.

Nanya and Shanteya didn’t seem to have the same problem, but why did I?

[Tannaor’s point of view]

 Many brave travelers walked through my doors and came to rest in one of my rooms or eat my meals. I have seen those who were strong but lacking in the head, those who were smart but lacked the brawn, and those who lacked both but pretended to have both. Few times have I seen those strange and rare individuals who held both of them. As such, their armors and weapons of choice matched the amount of brain matter they had between their ears.

Don Diego, for example, was man who pretended to be both smart and strong, but he was a coward among cowards and although he held a tiny bit of strength, only his armor was what pulled him up on the ranks.

Thus, when my doors opened, and a pair of new faces entered, I wasn’t in the least bit surprised. Their group was formed of two humans, one draconian, one el’doraw, and a cat. Looking at their clothes, I barely gave them a Master Rank, but the blonde lady was maybe an Emperor Rank at most. The other human, he was a Beginner Rank, maybe? After all, no self-respecting adventurer would wear such casual clothing. The thicker the armor on them, the better!

As for their relationship, that was a bit complicated, but one thing I could make sense of were the two black rings around the neck of the cat and el’doraw. Something told me that was a form of slavery and if I was right, then the one to hold the chains was most likely the man. The girls were surrounding him like starved monsters would a lamb. I pitied the man or woman who thought they could hit on them.

Then again, only my experienced eyes could tell such things. There were fools everywhere who thought they knew everything but couldn’t even put on their armor properly without stumbling on their own two feet.

“Welcome to Tannaor’s Inn! My name is Tannaor. How may I serve you?” I asked them politely.

“Argh! Don’t tell me you can’t speak Shorayan either?” the man spoke in the foreign language, but I understood him.

“I do, actually.” I replied in his tongue.

“You do?! Great!” he lifted his hands up and jumped.

What a weird man he was.

“So, what can I do for ya?” I asked him again.

“Erkenwald, the guard, sent us your way. He said you have good rooms and food.” the blonde said.

“Indeed, I do!” I replied with a dwarfish smirk.

It was a good investment to pay the guard with free meals for sending customers my way.

“Good! Erm, give me your biggest room then.” he told me.

“Only one?” I asked and then looked at the ladies around him.

It couldn’t be that he was planning to sleep with all of them, right?

“Yes.” he nodded, and the ladies didn’t retort.

“Very well… I have a room for four people. It has two beds and a metal bath. The toilet is down the hall.” I said.

“Good! We’ll take it!” he declared.

“Very well.” I said and threw a quick glance at the ladies to see if any disagreed in the slightest, but they didn’t even flinch a muscle.

How could a man like him persuade such beauties to sleep with him? I wondered.

Of course, the cat was ignored. She was merely a pet. Throw a fish her way, and she will bow down like a loyal fool. Tickle her a little between the ears, and she’ll slump into your lap begging for more.

After taking the key, I told him the price.

“Six silverettes for a night. Can you pay?”

It was a bit pricey, but we were in the capital, not some rundown town at the border of the kingdom.

“Good! Here!” he smirked and tossed a goldiette and two silverettes at me. I instinctively caught them.

I found his behavior to be a bit rude, but all the other adventurers acted exactly the same. Fortunately for him, I saw no need in busting my head over whether his gesture was a rude one or not.

“This way.” I told them and then guided them to their room.

“Sure!” he nodded.

Once we got there, I handed him the key and said “If you plan on being loud, I’ll charge you extra in the morning.” I told him and threw a glance at the ladies behind him.

“I understand.” he nodded.

Well, besides asking for an extra goldiette from him, there wasn’t much I could do, but some adventurers found the tax a bit scary and refused to disobey the rule. As long as I had peace and quiet, I didn’t care what sort of kinks my customers had.