Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Passing Through the Border Region
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"Kap, thanks for everything, even if it was just a short time."
"Sure thing. If you need a carriage again, don't hesitate to ask."
After about a week riding in the carriage, we finally arrived in the city of Deamon.
This was one of the border cities guarding the Lillias Kingdom's frontiers. Crossing this border would bring us to our goal: the Tower of Tarros.
"Haa... Finally, I get to sleep in a bed instead of camping out..."
"You did well. Let's rest up at the inn today, get ourselves sorted, and look for another carriage tomorrow."
The group was exhausted from a week of sleeping outdoors.
For regular adventurers, this might be nothing, but we were students who'd spent most of our time in academy classes.
Even with the carriage, it had to be tough.
Emily, in particular, looked the happiest when booking the rooms.
"There sure are a lot of rough-looking folks around here?"
Rafne's observation as she glanced around.
And Adrian answered her question.
"Most of them are probably adventurers. This is a border region, so there are plenty of requests."
As expected from the prince in hiding. He knew his stuff.
"Does the number of requests have anything to do with it being a border area?"
"They gather as much deployable force as possible in case of attacks from foreign powers. They use requests as bait to concentrate adventurers here."
Of course—even the smallest details were touched by political maneuvering.
I'd learned a new fact that wasn't in the game. No wonder the quests were piled up.
"Waaah! A bed!"
"Emily, I know it's nice, but you look so unladylike."
"Who cares! We're adventurers right now, aren't we?!"
We'd rented two rooms, conveniently adjacent ones that were available. I could even hear Mary and Emily chatting next door.
Wasn't the soundproofing a bit too poor?
Creak.
Then the door to our room opened, and a peek of red hair appeared, swaying gently.
"Um, Ken."
"Yeah? What's up?"
Rafne looked hesitant and cautious, like she had something to say but it wasn't easy.
After a moment's pause, she finally spoke.
"I'm feeling uneasy... Can I sleep in the same room as you?"
"That should be fine."
"Whyyy~!"
Rafne pouted like a sulky child. Then, the fixer from next door showed up.
"I knew this would happen! How can you just barge into someone else's room like that?!"
"Eek! Emily's always picking on me!"
"Because you're the biggest troublemaker!"
Rafne, grabbed by the collar at the nape of her neck, reached out toward me while yelling "Keeeen!" like a heroine being kidnapped.
She could probably win if she tried, but she let herself be dragged away obediently, so she knew she'd done wrong.
That must've been why she'd hesitated.
What could I do? This wasn't the academy tower—we couldn't just bunk together because she wanted to.
"I don't mind sharing a room."
"Hmm, if that's what Ken wants, I don't mind either."
"No, you two need to be more considerate. They're girls."
Adrian and Siegfried looked utterly indifferent.
Even on the carriage ride, Siegfried had shown no interest, while Adrian watched with amusement.
As long as it wasn't a nuisance, it was fine.
After unpacking and resting in our rooms for a bit, night fell, and we gathered downstairs at the inn's restaurant.
"Waaah! Cheers!"
"Emily looks so excited."
"Of course! I've always dreamed of stuff like this!"
Emily lifted her brimming mug of mead with gusto and answered my question with a laugh.
Camping had seemed tough on her, but she also looked like she was enjoying it the most.
For a commoner like her, the academy might've felt stifling at times.
Maybe she was feeling liberated now.
"...But are we even allowed to drink?"
"Huh? Is there a problem?"
"Huh?"
Rafne tilted her head at my mutter.
The others didn't seem to think it was odd either.
Come to think of it, the server hadn't batted an eye when we ordered the mead with our food.
Did this world have no age limit for alcohol?
Of course, I'd drunk plenty before possessing this body.
But drinking as Ken was a first.
I wondered if this body handled alcohol well...
"Cheers!"
Centered around the thrilled Emily, everyone clinked glasses.
Adrian and Siegfried downed theirs without issue, as expected from their builds.
"Wow, this is tasty."
"Is this Rafne's first time drinking?"
"Yeah, alcohol in general."
"Ugh, it tastes a bit bitter to me."
Mary stuck out her tongue at the alcohol's bite, just like Rafne—her first time too, apparently.
"Seriously, what are you doing? Ken, drink up."
"Uh, yeah."
Prodded by Emily, I carefully brought the mug to my lips.
The familiar bitterness hit, followed by the honeyed aroma and sweetness—not bad at all.
And then.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Mental Fortification Lv2 effect reduces the 'Intoxication' trait. My mind felt cleansed as the status window popped up.
To be precise, I could feel the hazy buzz of alcohol, but my mind stayed sharp somehow.
No chance of mistakes here.
The skill I'd learned with Emily's help was paying off.
And so, we enjoyed a hearty meal to recover from the week's camping fatigue.
Siegfried and Adrian together had seemed awkward at first, but after traveling, they'd warmed up quickly.
A little later.
"Ugh, Ken's arm has this weird texture—soft yet firm."
Mary, flushed from drink, fiddled with my forearm and muttered that.
"Hehe, I kinda wanna keep touching it."
From her state, Mary seemed weak to alcohol.
"Is it from all that diligent training?"
"W-Well, I do train, but I'm not sure if that's why."
"Hmph, Mary hasn't seen how totally slim Ken's gotten, has she? You'd be shocked."
Emily flashed a smug grin at Mary leaning on my arm, throwing down the gauntlet.
Mary, cheeks red, fired back blankly.
"Sorry, but I saw him not long ago."
"What, what? Really?!"
"Ah, that form? I saw it too. Definitely sturdy."
"Senior Siegfried saw it too?!"
She looked shocked for some reason.
"Ugh, I thought I was the only one who knew..."
"The first time, I was more shocked he was alive than his looks. But it felt rewarding training him. Looking forward to when he's fully cut."
"Ho, that's intriguing."
Adrian, who hadn't seen Calorie Burn in action, seemed quite interested.
Siegfried, maybe buzzed, smiled more than his usual stoic face.
But at his words, Rafne next to him shot up vigorously.
Thud.
"Aha! So you're the reason Ken's losing weight!"
Flushed and hiccuping with half-lidded eyes, Rafne pointed accusingly at Siegfried.
"Because of you, hic, because of you, Ken's slowly disappearing from the world!"
"Sure, I'm the one training him, but he came to me first. I'm just fulfilling his request."
Even drunk, Siegfried stayed cool.
Unfazed by Rafne's outburst, he smoothly passed the baton to me.
Rafne, shocked, immediately clung to me.
"Wh-Why?! Sniff, d-doing that stuff will make Ken disappear from the world!"
"No, losing weight won't make me disappear, Rafne."
"Uwaaaan! Nooo, I don't want Ken to disappear~!"
Finally, tears burst from Rafne as she wailed, clinging to me.
What a mess.
Suddenly, I resented Mental Fortification.
Sober amid the drunken chaos, I couldn't enjoy it and was exhausted.
Mary on one arm, stroking it; Rafne on the other, sobbing.
"Flowers are trickier with more blooms, huh."
"Enjoying the show? Mind helping?"
"No hobby of touching other men's women. Want me to carry them to their room?"
Adrian sipped his mug, utterly detached.
No help from him.
Oh well.
"Hehe, Ken smells nice. Sniff, haa, sniff haa."
"Uwaaaan... Keeen, don't disappear..."
This was seriously awkward.
"Ke-Ken! I'll help!"
"You sure? Can you walk?"
"Th-This much is fiiiine!"
Emily pried Rafne off me and supported her.
Tongue slurring, face red, but grateful she stepped up.
"Uwaaaan! Emiiiiily! Ken's disappearing!!"
"He's not disappearing, he's fine! Get a grip!"
And so our first drinking session ended.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The next day, we visited a nearby merchant guild as planned to arrange a carriage.
"...Pardon? Th-that much?"
"Yeah, the local lord raised the toll fees. First time out? That's the going rate."
But we hit an unexpected snag.
This was weird. In the game, tolls weren't this high.
Something must've caused it.
I glanced at the one who might know—the smiling Adrian.
Looking regretful, at least on the surface.
"What the hell happened?"
"Seems the kingdom's higher-ups don't want her leaving the country."
I slipped away with him briefly to ask, and he answered readily.
"Even leaving the academy was barely approved. They can't outright refuse, so they're blocking like this."
"Can't you do something...?"
"Asking that means you know who I am, right?"
Smiling, but his eyes sharpened briefly.
He hadn't revealed he was the kingdom's first heir to anyone.
For his safety and managing Rafne, probably.
I hadn't brought it up either.
Adrian seemed to be probing if I knew.
So I just stared back without answering.
At my gaze, Adrian sighed and continued.
"This lord's a conservative type. If he raised tolls, he has a justifiable reason for the kingdom. Even I can't interfere."
So we'd have to pay up to pass.
But we had no way to scrape together that much suddenly.
After finishing with Adrian, I explained to the rest.
"...So now we need to make money fast."
Arms crossed, foot tapping, they pondered the headache.
Take a monster subjugation quest?
No, even that wouldn't net this much quickly.
Adventurers made big bucks more from uncharted labyrinth treasures than subjugations.
But no lucrative labyrinths nearby...
"Hey, anyone have any ideas...?"
Stuck, I looked up to ask the others.
They all stared blankly at me.
Emily spoke first.
"We just earn it."
Mary and Rafne chimed in agreement.
"Emily thinks the same?"
"Sounds fun."
What? They all seemed to know something I didn't.
"Let's go, Ken!"
Rafne grabbed my hand and dragged me along.
"Wait, explain—!"
And shortly after.
"Come one, come all—this chance doesn't come every day—! Oh, Mary! Seat the waiting customers!"
"Please wait over here. Yes, yes, we're selling master craftsman's weapons at a special discount today."
"What? Don't need it? Who are you to say Ken's weapons aren't needed? Wanna die?"
"Ra-Rafne! You can't grab customers by the collar!"
We'd set up a street stall.