Chapter 53
The next morning.
We boarded a public carriage bound for the territorial capital.
"In the end, we never went to the estate at all."
Felicia said from the seat across from me.
"There was no reason to."
The carriage began to move slowly.
I looked out the window.
We passed through the main street and headed for the city gate.
The marquis's estate came into view in the distance.
Father and Kyle weren't there.
Nor was my mother.
I had no reason to go back there now.
Even so, it wasn't as if I felt nothing.
We passed through the city gate.
The buildings of the territorial capital gradually receded into the distance.
Returning to Valdis territory had been a coincidence.
A stampede broke out along the way, and even a King Ogre appeared.
We protected the town and even secured a report for the Adventurers' Guild in the royal capital.
A lot had happened, but now we could finally head for the royal capital.
◇
A few days later.
The carriage continued northeast.
After leaving Valdis territory, nothing particularly serious happened.
We stayed overnight in towns along the way, then boarded the carriage again in the morning.
The farther we traveled, the more people we saw on the highway.
Merchant carriages.
Adventurers.
Knights.
We also passed several caravans with long lines of large wagons.
"I wonder if the royal capital is close."
Felicia looked out the window.
"Probably."
The road had widened, too.
There was plenty of room for two carriages to pass each other.
It was clearly different from the highway to Belgrant.
Around midday.
The driver pointed ahead.
"There it is. That's the royal capital."
"Huh?"
I looked out the window.
The first thing I saw was an enormous city wall.
"...It's huge."
The words slipped out.
Tall walls stretched as far as I could see.
Countless buildings stood beyond them.
And in the center, I could see a castle far taller than the surrounding buildings.
"Is that the royal palace?"
Felicia was looking out the window, too.
"Probably."
"You've been saying 'probably' a lot."
"It's my first time here, so what can I do?"
"It's my first time, too."
Felicia laughed.
As we drew closer to the royal capital, the carriage slowed down.
The road was crowded.
There were more people and carriages than in any city we'd passed through so far.
"There are so many people."
"There seem to be a lot more than in Belgrant."
"I don't think 'a lot more' even covers it."
A long line had formed in front of the royal capital's main gate.
Our carriage joined the end of it.
"Anyone entering the royal capital, have your identification ready!"
A soldier was calling out in front of the gate.
After a while, it was our turn.
The driver handed over some documents, and each passenger's identification was checked one by one.
I held out my Adventurer Card.
"Allen Valdis... B-Rank?"
The gate guard looked at the card.
Then he looked at me.
"B-Rank at your age?"
"Yes."
Beside me, Felicia's card was being checked, too.
"You're B-Rank as well?"
"Yes."
The guard looked back and forth between us.
"Both of you? Are you here on a quest?"
"No. We're planning to go to the Adventurers' Guild."
"I see."
He handed our cards back.
"You may pass."
The carriage went through the gate.
◇
"Wow..."
The moment we entered the royal capital, Felicia let out a gasp.
I felt the same way.
The main street alone might have been wider than Belgrant's downtown.
Three- and four-story buildings lined both sides.
Many of them had shops on the ground floor.
Clothing stores.
Weapon shops.
Restaurants.
Inns.
There were even shops selling products I'd never seen before.
There were even stalls along the roadside.
"There are so many people."
"Aren't there too many?"
Their clothes varied, too.
People who looked like adventurers.
Merchants.
Soldiers.
Some wore clothes that clearly marked them as high-ranking.
There were lots of carriages, too.
"The royal capital is amazing."
"It is."
Even though it was the same country, it was completely different from any city I'd seen before.
The public carriage continued down the main street, then stopped in a large plaza.
"We've arrived in the royal capital!"
The driver called out.
I got off the carriage.
Most of my belongings were in Storage, so I was traveling light.
"What should we do first?"
"Shouldn't we go to the Adventurers' Guild?"
"Before finding an inn?"
"We have the report, too."
"That's true."
I checked the sealed letter we'd received in Valdis territory.
Besides, our main reason for coming here was to find a way to reach A-Rank.
I asked a nearby stall owner where the Adventurers' Guild was.
"The Adventurers' Guild? Then head west past Central Square. It's a huge building, so you can't miss it."
"Thank you."
We started walking in the direction he'd indicated.
◇
"...Is that it?"
After walking for a while, Felicia pointed ahead.
There was a large stone building.
It was three stories tall, with a very wide entrance.
The familiar Adventurers' Guild emblem hung above it.
"It's big."
"I wonder how many times bigger it is than the one in Belgrant."
Many adventurers were coming and going.
Just from their gear, I could tell quite a few of them looked strong.
We stopped for a moment in front of the entrance.
"Allen-san."
"Yes?"
"It's finally time."
"For what?"
"The path to A-Rank."
"Oh, right."
I remembered what the guildmaster in Belgrant had told us.
With our combat ability, we'd qualify as A-Rank candidates.
But strength alone wasn't enough to become A-Rank.
Achievements.
Judgment.
Trust.
And contributions to the Kingdom of Sahar.
That was why we had come to the royal capital.
A stampede had happened along the way, too, but that experience hadn't been wasted.
"Shall we go in?"
"Yes."
I opened the door.
The moment I stepped inside, I stopped in my tracks.
"...It's huge."
There were more than ten reception counters alone.
Several quest boards stood in a row.
There was even what looked like a tavern on the right, where adventurers gathered.
The number of people was on a whole different level from Belgrant.
"Where should we go?"
"Shouldn't we start at reception?"
I looked for an open counter and headed for the one at the far end.
"Welcome."
A young female staff member looked at us.
"Are you here about a quest, or to register as adventurers?"
"We've come from Belgrant. We'd like to ask about promotion to A-Rank."
I showed her my Adventurer Card.
Felicia did the same.
The staff member checked both cards.
"You're both B-Rank."
"Yes. Also, we have this."
I handed her the sealed letter we'd received in Valdis territory.
"From the Valdis Marquisate?"
"We were in the territory until a few days ago."
The staff member checked the letter, then took out the document inside.
She began reading.
At first, her expression was neutral, but it gradually changed.
"...A stampede?"
"Yes."
"Defeated a King Ogre..."
The staff member looked up from the document.
She looked at me.
Then at Felicia.
Then she checked our Adventurer Cards again.
"The one who defeated this King Ogre was..."
"I did."
"Allen-san defeated it."
Felicia answered.
"I see..."
The staff member thought for a moment.
"Would you mind waiting here for a little while?"
"Yes."
"I'll go get the person in charge."
With that, she went into the back.
Felicia and I exchanged glances.
"Looks like we're waiting again."
"Yeah."
Something similar had happened several times in Belgrant, too.
After a while, the staff member from earlier returned.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Yes."
"The guildmaster will see you."
"The guildmaster?"
We'd only just arrived in the royal capital.
It seemed things wouldn't get off to an ordinary start here, either.
Total P Acquired: 93,145P