The Academy's Honored Guest (2)
The merchant caravan arrived at the outskirts of the city. There were no walls, but they underwent a basic inspection by what seemed to be Western autonomous soldiers before entering.
Once the carriage reached the edge of the commercial district, the passengers all went their separate ways, while the adventurers headed off to report to the Adventurers' Guild.
It was to confirm their travel and log the movement.
"Where the hell did that bitch go? I was hoping for one last feel of those tits."
Baradi grumbled. After getting off the carriage, there was no sign of Ragi.
Well, she was always so free-spirited; she'd probably handle her report on her own.
But apparently, only four adventurers had been pre-registered for the trip from Forest Hideout to here.
Me, Ashu, Baradi, and Chad.
No Raigiana.
"Fuck! We got played by that slut. She wasn't even a real adventurer—just a goddamn thief or con artist. She didn't even qualify for a cut in the first place!"
From what I gathered, you couldn't just enslave people or treat them like slaves to make money willy-nilly.
There were minimum requirements, like being an adventurer who subjugates bandits or a noble.
Chad placed a hand on Baradi's shoulder as he raged.
"......."
"...It's not like we took a huge loss. Still, it pisses me off that she tricked us. Makes me feel filthy!"
Their communication was mysteriously effective.
Because of the bandit subjugation report and processing the captives, Ashu and I had gone separately to report to the local guild branch manager.
The guild branch manager here recognized Ashu right away, approved the bandit takedown on the spot, and fast-tracked permission to treat the prisoners as slaves or whatever.
Status hierarchies had their perks.
After wrapping up what felt more like a reception than a report, I let Baradi know.
"Then we're disbanding. Chad and I are sticking around this city for a while. Thanks to you, we're loaded. Hit me up anytime, friend."
"......"
Baradi slung an arm around one of my shoulders in a light hug, and Chad gave my shoulder a solid pat with his massive hand.
"Chad and I would love to grab a drink, but..."
Ashu was grinning beside me.
These two had a knack for wordless communication and read the situation perfectly.
The moment we parted ways with them in front of the guild, Neidran appeared as if he'd been waiting, bowing politely.
"Here you are. Ashu—er, Saintess. And Hero. As a token of gratitude for safeguarding your journey, I'd like to invite you both to dinner this evening. Please..."
"Merchant."
Before I could say anything, Ashu stepped forward.
"Your thoughtfulness and attention during the trip made the journey here incredibly comfortable for Kirgil and me."
I should thank you as well. But..."
I knew exactly what this meant.
When Ashu buttered someone up like this...
"A person of stature conveys profound messages simply by whom they choose to visit. Surely you understand that, Merchant?"
"Y-yes, of course. I just... wanted to express my deep gratitude for your grace..."
"If I, upon arriving in such a grand city, bypass the market lord, the academy president, and the cathedral to visit your home first—what would people think?"
"Would they see you as someone of such immense status and virtue that I had to meet you immediately?"
"Or would they see me as ignorant of protocol, decorum, and propriety?"
...she was about to tear them apart without mercy.
She was even deliberately avoiding his name—she'd been pissed off for a while.
Neidran staggered under the barrage, dazed.
Ashu flashed a sweet smile and delivered the final blow.
"Are you intending to insult my honor for the sake of your own, Merchant?"
"...N-nooooo!! Absolutely not!!"
In the end, Neidran prostrated himself flat on the ground, begging forgiveness.
A grown man throwing himself down like that without a shred of shame drew stares from everyone around.
"For your own sake, I'll pretend that invitation never happened. Please keep my consideration in mind."
With that, Ashu grabbed my arm and pulled me away from Neidran's vicinity.
Mark my words: anyone interrupting Ashu's time right now wouldn't walk away unscathed.
Mess with her, and you're done.
The moment we arrived in a big city like this, Ashu had no interest in detours to the market lord, academy president, or cathedral.
First priority: secure lodging for us.
This time, it wasn't an inn but a villa.
Even high-end inns before had just offered spacious rooms and convenient service, but this place's luxury came in the form of a single-story house with its own little courtyard.
Like a family campsite or vacation home.
The city had dedicated spaces for honored guests like this.
It wasn't available just because you had money—you needed an official invitation from the city or something like the king's letter we carried.
We dropped our luggage and were about to unwind when...
"Now, now, Kirgil—don't lie down just yet. Go tour the city for about three hours."
Ashu shooed me out. She had preparations to make first, so I should hurry.
She radiated an aura that said I had to go, so I did.
She told me not to go out empty-handed—better bring the sword just in case.
Was she planning to decorate the villa in her own style?
Ashu, being a princess, had protocol and formality ingrained in her body and soul. She probably couldn't relax and enjoy our time otherwise.
Three hours meant staying out until sunset.
So I figured I'd check out the central street.
I wanted to see if there was a bar teeming with colorful races like something out of Star Wars.
I took a shuttle-like carriage from this upscale villa district to the central street and wandered around.
Wow! All sorts of races!
Humans were the majority, naturally—there was a human city right nearby.
Besides them, orcs, goblins, beastkin, even humans with horns sprouting from their bodies popped up here and there.
Merfolk? None around here, I guess. No scaly types at all.
Man, this was testing the limits of my vocabulary.
I'd only named the common ones, but there were horned orcs, goblin-beastkin hybrids, you name it.
Beastkin varied too—some like Hairil, others straight-up animalistic, walking on all fours while chatting with someone. That qualified as a race, right?
This mix of races... wasn't as diverse as I'd thought. Maybe 20% non-human?
Like a famous tourist spot where various ethnicities gather. Humans dominated as locals.
That actually made the others stand out more.
A crane in a flock of chickens draws the eye more than a bunch of exotic birds together.
Eh, is that the right analogy?
I'd circled only about half the streets around these high-rise tower apartments, and already an hour had passed.
Spotting a tavern with an entrance bigger than a stable, I headed in, feeling like I was checking off a bucket-list item.
Whoa~ This place is awesome.
Hardly any pure humans here—it's all these exotic races.
Not just appearances; the food, smells, even seating arrangements were wildly varied.
This was exactly the kind of bar I'd hoped for!
But my excitement faded a bit once inside—no one I knew, and with chairs sized all wrong, finding a spot was tricky.
I settled for the counter bar where they served drinks.
I ordered a standard beer plus whatever house specials and simple grub they recommended.
"Kyahaha, what's this? A human filling up this whole seat."
A voice with a metallic scrape came from beside me. I turned to see a goblin in a stylish fedora-like hat.
Sitting on a slightly taller stool that made him look like a kid in a booster seat—kinda comical—but the hat and outfit screamed upper crust.
A goblin of some status and refinement, I figured.
"Believe it or not, first time here—kinda nervous."
"Kiii, nervous guy with a smooth tongue like that? Heh, you drunk already?"
"Not yet—this is my first. Since you brought it up, care for a toast?"
The goblin eyed me with surprise.
One eyebrow twitching—was that shock? Still getting used to other races' expressions.
"Kihahaha, what a fun human. Mind if I ask your name? Kyaaa. Sorry—should've led with mine."
"I'm Tibumira, merchant, envoy, and pride of the Mira tribe. Kiii."
He'd introduced himself with name, job, and title right off the bat.
Following Ashu's teachings, I matched his level.
Thing is, all I had to flaunt publicly was my Hero status.
No need to mention the neighbor uncle who drove the oxcart.
"I'm Kirgil, Hero of Prosek. No fancy nicknames."
With that, we clinked glasses and downed them in one go.
We both slammed them back boldly, drawing eyes from the other patrons.
A tall human and short goblin toasting did look comical, like a kid clinking with an adult.
...Or was it more than that?
"Kiiik! *Cough*! *Cough*! W-wait!? Kiiii... Kirgil? You're Kirgil??"