In the lodge lounge, Sakuragi was happily eating fruit jelly. Although she had bought some when the merchants came last time, she had eaten it relatively quickly, so she hadn’t had any sweets for a while, making her even happier now.
Nishina watched her with an exasperated expression.
“Hey, Miki. If you keep gobbling like that, it’ll be gone in no time.”
“Hmm… Just one more. Just one more, Takato!”
“What’s with that…”
While laughing at such a sight, Kimishima suddenly thought about what Shigeto might be doing now.
–I hope he’s safe.
Meanwhile, Zenza, who was on gate duty at the southern gate, noticed three men walking along the road. The sun had already set, and it was getting close to evening.
He called out to his colleague who was also on gate duty.
“Hey. They look like adventurers. Inform the checkpoint. There are three of them.”
“What? …You’re right. Okay, I’ll be careful.”
“Yeah…”
Soon, the three men reached the gate. Zenza, who was blocking their way, spoke up.
“What brings you to this remote town?”
One of them stepped forward and removed his hood. Underneath, there was a fair-skinned face that could pass for a woman’s, with striking features. However, his gaze was sharp, reminiscent of a seasoned warrior. His pointed ears protruding from his hair indicated that he was an Elv.
(TLN: Different name, but basically elf.)
“Well, it was farther than I thought. Anyway, we’re here to climb the Ladder.”
“Even if you stay here, there’s nothing in this town. There’s no tavern, let alone an inn.”
“Huh? But this is Dudur Valley, right?”
“Yeah, that’s correct.”
“We heard it’s a good place for climbing the Ladder. Besides, once we start climbing, we won’t be in town. We don’t care.”
“…Understood. Have the other two take off their hoods as well.”
“Sure, Mike, Keith.”
At the man’s instruction, the other two also removed their hoods. One seemed to be a Martin, and the other, a dwarf-like figure. The two also flashed their Divine Citizen cards discreetly.
Divine Citizen cards would turn black if they committed wrongdoing without being peeled off. If all three had no issues with their cards’ color, it would be difficult for the gatekeeper to stop them.
Just then, Stroman arrived with the gatekeeper who had gone to the checkpoint earlier. It seemed he had met the deputy before heading to the checkpoint. Quite early.
“Have you asked for their purpose of visit?”
“Yes, seems like they’re here to climb the Ladder.”
“I see…”
Turning to the three after hearing the conversation, Stroman chuckled at the Elv man.
“Anything special for just climbing the Ladder?”
“…No, nothing of concern. This town is on the frontline against monsters, so sometimes radical Lutenas come.”
“I see… Well, we’re more about slaughtering monsters. You can trust us on that.”
“That’s true. But there are no inns or taverns in town. If you’re camping, use the town square.”
“Yeah, we heard that. It’ll do. At least within the walls, we can sleep without taking turns for night watch.”
“Don’t make too much noise.”
“We got it.”
With that, the three entered the town. Indeed, it wasn’t impossible for Jungle Leafs to come for climbing the Ladder. At least Stroman felt relieved that Shigeto wasn’t here.
The three men set up camp in the town square. A small man stacking firewood on the cobblestones approached the Elv man.
“Brian, what do you think?”
“I think it’s a hit.”
“Agreed. We’re too cautious. Now, all we have to do is find our target.”
“Well, no need to rush. We can squeeze information out while climbing the Ladder.”
The square, which would have once been bustling with people, was now deserted. Even in such a desolate square, being within the walls brought a sense of ease. They set up a fire under a tarp-like tent and enjoyed warm food, feeling content with what little comfort they had.
◇◇◇
There was a bright night with no obstruction to the twinkling stars. Was there something special about such a night?
Closing the gate and securing the bolt, Zenza entered the gatekeeper’s shack integrated into the wall and sat on a chair. Sipping the tea his colleague had prepared, he looked out the small window. They were to take turns guarding until sunrise.
His colleague was already dozing off in the adjacent bed. Zenza glanced at him enviously before taking another sip of tea. It had been about a year since the town was reclaimed, and with the state militia hunting down monsters around, the days of monsters roaming outside the walls had decreased.
Relaxation was inevitable; sitting on the chair, he began to doze off as well.
…
Bam! Bam! Bam!
“Hey, is anyone there?!”
From the direction of the gate, a woman’s angry voice echoed. Zenza hurried to the gate and opened the response window.
“You’re here. Hurry up and open the gate! It’s urgent!”
The middle-aged woman on the other side spat out angrily. Zenza frowned at her tone, resembling that of speaking to a servant or something.
“It’s already past curfew. Camp outside if you have to tonight!”
“What? You’re telling me the gatekeeper won’t open the gate for a guest? What kind of attitude is that!”
“I’m not running a guesthouse here. It’s my job not to let in suspicious folks.”
The woman, realizing that she might end up camping outside, suddenly lowered her tone and spoke with a sugary voice.
“Umm. Well, I’m sorry. I was tired from a long journey and got a bit agitated. I apologize for going overboard.”
“…But curfew’s already passed. Give it up for tonight.”
“Don’t say that. Come on, please let us in.”
“Why did you come to such a remote place anyway?”
“My husband’s parents are from the next village, Dix. We heard that Dudur Valley was liberated, so we came all the way here thinking we could go see Dix village from here.”
“Dix? Are you from there?”
At the mention of Dix, the state soldier peeked through the window. Behind her, a man was holding the reins of a pack animal, a Sebek.
“Oh, we don’t know about a village called Dix. My husband’s parents were away on business when the parade happened. They never returned, and we haven’t heard from any relatives.”
“I see. I also have roots in Dix… Alright, what are your names?”
“I’m Amur, and my husband over there is Benga.”
“Benga, huh? It’s a bond to share the same hometown. Alright, you can come in.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, you look exhausted.”
With that, Zenza opened the gate of the village.
“Sorry about earlier.”
“Don’t worry about it… Oh, but try to tone down the way you talk next time.”
“Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“There’s no inn open now. Tie your Sebek over there in the square. Other adventurers are camping there too, so try not to cause trouble.”
“Got it. Thank you.”
The man holding the reins, seeming like the husband, nodded awkwardly. Zenza waved back in response.
As the two reached what seemed to be the square, they started unloading their tent and supplies from the pack animal cart.
Watching the couple preparing for camping, there was a man who was staring intently.
It was Brian.
“…Damn. More troublemakers coming in…”
He muttered and pulled the blanket over his face.
