Chapter 5: To the City of Central Arts
For now, since there’s no point in worrying about it, I decided to head towards the city along with Melissa.
She wore apologetic face the entire time, and after she had given her estimation of the value of the items,
「It was unreasonable to ask after all. I cannot allow you to abandon all your hard-earned a.s.sets just for my sake. Since I have already given up―」(Melissa)
You can say that all you want but, since I’ve already come this far, I have the resolve to follow this through to the end.
That aside, after Melissa looked over the money she declared this. She had already accepted her place as a slave and, after finally being able to say it, to have her one wish destroyed like that. At least say it with a smile on your face, I’m begging you.
She said these words with a severely empty tone but, if you keep saying such disheartening words then I’ll get depressed too.
In addition, well, I feel that seeing Melissa’s smiling face would somehow soothe me as well.
If I were to say that out-loud then I’d end up blushing from embarra.s.sment though.
Ah, but that sort of thing really warms your heart.
As for the money, it wasn’t like I couldn’t obtain that much.
Well, although it would be possible but, I would have to use something like a “last resort” ― Honestly I don’t want to have to rely on that method.
Well, with that we decided that to head towards to city but ―
But, this girl is quite high-quality after all.
After discussing that we should head to the city, and having decided to borrow the wagon, now that I think about it I don’t any clue how to handle horses .
In other words we shouldn’t have been able to operate the wagon without proper knowledge about it but, Melissa was able to effortlessly pull it off.
It seems that, in place of her merchant owner, she would often take up the reins instead.
Come to think of it, the coachman seat had room for two people at once.
In doing this, I bet that her master just wanted to show off by having a beautiful slave like Melissa sit next to him.
Even in the game, instead of using them to a.s.sist in battle, slaves were one of the many ways to display your high status.
Well as a consequence of that, with a reliable appearance, Melissa managed to lead the wagon out of the forest. We headed down the main road at full speed until we reached the city.
On the way we pa.s.sed a number of different wagons but, aside from that there wasn’t any problems in particular. We arrived at the city a little while before evening.
In the game, the City of Central Arts was a somewhat large scale city. Because of this, even when it was still a game, it was a popular city for grown up intermediate level Players to meet up in.
The center of the city had a wide open plaza, and set up there was a giant water fountain.
This water fountain would continuously pour out water from within. According to the setting, through the power of magic, it was designed to display a clock on its surface as if it were a shimmer of hot air.
Shops with all kinds of tools and people pa.s.sing by were all gathered here. It was easy to make this city into a base of operations.
A small hill towered in the back-side of the city, and on it rested a castle where the feudal lord resided.
This Fantasy-like city was enclosed by a rampart of guard stations, and three entrance gates were placed to the East, South, and West.
In regards to the Northern gate, because the road was connected to the feudal lord’s mansion, it was not open to the general public.
Before each gate were two soldiers stationed as gatekeepers.
They had cylindrical helmets shaped like cook hats, and were outfitted with chain mail.
Grasped in their respective hands were lances, each had a stone in the lower end with the spearhead pointed towards the sky.
Up until this point it was honestly pretty much exactly the same as in the game.
However, in the game you had a Free Pa.s.s to go through the gate but, it seems that it doesn’t work that way in the real world. Lined up in front of the gate were several numbers of wagons. After showing them something like ownership credentials and after your luggage has been checked, you could enter inside the city.
And, naturally, when our turn came we also had to undergo similar inspection.
「This place is Central Arts! If you wish to enter this city then we demand that you present a permit and proof of your social status! In the case that you have cargo then it will also undergo an inspection!」(Soldier)
This soldier is quite arrogant. Based on his appearance he’s around 30 years old huh. With a bony face, he is rather tall.
「I shall announce it to you thus. Mine name is Melissa. My master be Baron Tornelo Sandly, in order to deliver these goods of alcohol, we traveled together to reach this place but, on the way we were a.s.saulted by thieves and a sorrowful result befell our escorting adventurers. I, as well, nearly fell into the thieves hands and was about to lost my life but, having been saved by this man here Hitto-sama, it was made possible for me to have survived until this point―」(Melissa)
Just as Melissa had said to me in advance, while extending words to the male soldier, she briefly explained the situation until now.
The main point were that after having defeated the thieves, and for the sake of providing Melissa with shelter after her master had pa.s.sed away, having traveled this far, she wanted him to act somewhat lenient after hearing our story. It was that sort of thing.
As to why she was using such strangely stiff speech[1], it must be because she is too self-aware that she is a slave.
Although I’m not sure if she needed to go out of her way to reveal that she was a slave.
In the first place, Melissa already had a bracelet on her arm that acted as the subordination device.
Somewhat different from what a master would have, the subordination vessels given to slaves were designed to act as proof of their servitude. It seems that as soon as people see it they would immediately recognize you as a slave.
Because of that, well, it was pretty useless to try and deceive them.
「I understand your story. Now then, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d[2], what’s your name?」(Soldier)
I’m called a b.a.s.t.a.r.d right off the bat, huh. You had a Free Pa.s.s in the game but you could still converse with the guards. But, I have a feeling that they were more gentle back then.
Well, nevermind. Getting mad about it now wouldn’t help anything.
「My name is. .h.i.tto. I’m a traveler. As she said just now I came across thieves a.s.saulting her by pure coincidence. So I ended up saving her as I was pa.s.sing by. By the time I found Tornelo and the bunch of escorts they had already died. It was pretty sad, you know. Of course, with a history like that, I don’t have anything similar to a permit. After all, I’m just on a self-centered journey going wherever I feel like and wherever the wind takes me. I don’t have anything to prove my social status either.」(Hitto)
While spreading out both my hands, I said this while shrugging my shoulders. I tried to act like an elusive traveler but, judging my his reaction it didn’t go over so well.
Indeed, his eyes looked at me as if he was looking at a suspicious person.
「Hitto-sama certainly does not possess any identification papers but, he has graciously rescued me and on top of that went as far as to a.s.sist me in transporting the luggage here. I beg you to please allow him to pa.s.s through.」(Melissa)
In an instant, Melissa tried to follow up with me. The soldier had a scrutinizing look on his face.
「I’m certainly a wandering traveler but, I plan on registering as an adventure at this city. I am quite confident in my strength as well. After all, I still need to inform the Guild about the adventurers who regrettably pa.s.sed away.」(Hitto)
After I said this, the guards exchanged looks and after discussing one or two words to each other,
「I see, an adventurer huh. Well, so that’s how it is. If you managed to defeat the thieves then you must have some strength too.」(Soldier[3])
Fuu[4], I somehow felt relieved in my heart. As expected, being an adventurer was the key point.
Naturally, in the game, everyone was already registered as adventurers after all.
When you first Log In and arrive at the beginning town, you are guided to the Adventurer Guild and undergo the Tutorial.
It’s just, after coming to this world, the guild’s registration record seems to have completely disappeared.
To begin with, there was no such thing as an adventurer’s license back in the game.
The game did have your adventurer rank displayed in your Status though.
But, now that the game has become the real world, things like adventurer’s licenses became necessary to have.
My personal record must’ve been erased as a result of that.
I’ll have to start everything over from the beginning but that can’t be helped.
「Understood, we will give you permission to enter the city. However, we will still receive the toll fee. Also we will have to inspect the inside of your wagon.」(Soldier)
As expected, huh ― Well, for now let’s consent to that.
Thus the soldier rotated towards the rear end of the wagon and began his inspection of the cargo.
「Hmm? Ey, there’s nothing here but wine barrels!?」 (Soldier)
His voice cried out. The look that gave me was very suspicious.
「The only thing the previous owner was transporting was alcohol after all. Shouldn’t there be a proof of delivered goods inside? I don’t think there should be much of a problem.」(Hitto)
「But they were attacked by thieves, right? The personal belongings of the escorting adventurers should also be here.」(Soldier)
「Personal belongings? Unfortunately, because they were a.s.saulted by thieves, many of the things were quite damaged and didn’t seem useful. Aside from the alcohol we didn’t bring anything back.」(Hitto)
As I said this the guard let out a loud groan.
It looks like the situation became just as Melissa had predicted.
I heard about it beforehand but, in the event that you have your luggage checked, it appears that if the contents are not ordinary things then an extravagant toll will be taken as tax.
Especially right now, with me being a man of unknown background, that really seems to be what happens in this situation.
According to Melissa it would be particularly bad if they found any money.
Though there were several soldiers distributed throughout this area, depending on the situation as much as half of it might be confiscated.
As you would expect, I wish to be spared from such an event.
Though that’s why I hid the handheld bag so it wouldn’t be found.
「Hmm……? Alright, then lastly I’ll confirm what’s in the feed-box!」(Soldier)
Ah, this is bad. Melissa’s face also stiffened up.
Chi-[5], I have no choice. I drew closer to the soldier.
「Even if you look in there you won’t find anything, you know.」(Hitto)
「That is for me to decide!」(Soldier)
Saying this, he prepared to pull out the lower portion of the wagon.
Inside there was the feed-box along with the horse food but, the soldier pushed his way past that―
「Hmm? Hey you b.a.s.t.a.r.d! What the h.e.l.l is with this ba―」(Soldier)
「Cancel」(Hitto)
「……Hmm?」(Soldier)
After I activated that, with a blank look on his face the soldier alternated his gaze between my face and the bag.
「Is something wrong?」(Hitto)
With a sly smile on my face, the soldier with a bewildered look in his eye answered, “No,” and placed his finger on his chin.
Going with the flow of the situation I went and shut the feed-box.
「You’re already done with the inspection, right?」(Hitto)
I repeated the question to him.
「…… Yea. Ahh that’s true. Certainly that seems to be all the cargo. For now I’ll be receiving the toll. Along with the slave it will be 10,000 Gold.」(Soldier)
I obediently paid the toll, and climbing onto the wagon along with Melissa we pa.s.sed through the gates―
Side Note: Man, I really do like taking breaks on cliffhangers, huh?
1.
TL note: If you didn’t notice, Melissa is talking an a very weird/old version of j.a.panese. For those who know, she says things like “Waga na wa Melissa”. She’s probably talking like this because she’s nervous. (Or maybe cause she hates me)
2.
TL note: Originally “貴様/輝様” or “Kisama”. I’ll translate it as “b.a.s.t.a.r.d” j.a.panese is a lot “nicer” than English though. (also I think that second kisama is a spelling error by the author, but I’ll leave it in this note anyways)
3.
TL note: There are two soldiers, by the way. You can a.s.sume that Rude Soldier is soldier A and this more Polite one is soldier B. Since there’s no real distinction, I left the speaker notes as “soldier”.
4.
TL note: This “Fuu” is like a sigh of relief. Not to be confused with Fumu.
5.
TL note: Originally チッ (Chii-). It’s an expression of frustration you do with your tongue/mouth similar to “tut tut/tsk tsk”. It’s called clicking your tongue or, more specifically, a dental click.