Millheim

Even after leaving Metzsilva, the caravan continued along the forest road.

Dense trees stretched endlessly, keeping the forest dark even in daytime.

The deep forest suddenly came to an end.

The view that had been hemmed in opened up.

A great river cut across the grasslands below, and a sturdy-looking bridge stretched over it to the opposite bank.

Beyond the bridge stood a grand stone gate, with white stone walls extending on either side.

"I can see Millheim. Just a little farther."

Glen's voice rang out.

As if spurred on by his voice, the caravan descended the gentle road leading to the bridge.

Once we'd crossed the wooden bridge, the muffled clopping of hooves on planks changed to an echoing clatter over hard stone paving.

A massive gate loomed before us. Its central tower rose like a spear piercing the sky, while semicircular side towers jutted out on either side like jaws waiting for prey.

"Halt! We need to inspect your cargo!"

The gate guard's voice rang sharply through the stone passage.

A tax collector clutching a piece of parchment and two guards carrying spears stepped forward.

"Cargo from Ennsburg, is it? How many barrels of wine? How many sacks of spices?"

The tax collector climbed onto a wagon bed, holding a sharp iron rod.

He tapped the barrels with the rod to check how full they were, then inserted it into the mouth of a sack and drew out a small amount.

He pinched the powder between his fingers and raised it to his nose.

The pungent scent of spices rose sharply above the soot-stained air of the gate.

"Wine, pepper, cloves..."

The tax collector checked the merchant's manifest against the cargo.

"Hey, you there. What's that armor?"

A guard's spear blocked my chest.

The guard's gaze fell on the full suit of armor tied to the back of the warhorse I was leading.

The tax collector's eyes also shifted from the wine barrels on the wagon to the armor.

"On the way here, we took down a bandit knight with a crow crest who'd been terrorizing the roads."

I took the signet ring the knight had worn from my pocket and held it up before the tax collector.

"...This is the man His Grace the Duke put a bounty on. The Guild should have a request out for his capture."

The spearpoint blocking my way trembled faintly.

"...Hey, lower your spear."

An older guard tapped the trembling guard on the shoulder. He kept his voice calm, but clear awe showed in his eyes.

"...You may pass. Pay the tax here."

The merchant took coins from the leather pouch at his waist and dropped them into the wooden box held out by the tax collector.

A dry metallic clink rang out.

"You may pass!"

As the guard hoisted the chain of the heavy iron portcullis, the wagons began moving again.

The instant we passed beneath the thick stone arch of the city gate, the atmosphere changed dramatically.

Stepping out of the cool shadow of the gate, we entered the heat of the city, illuminated by the western sun.

The monotonous clopping of hooves was drowned out by the din pressing in from every direction.

"Out of the way! Move! The wagons are coming through!"

Drivers shouted angrily, and livestock cried out.

The aroma of freshly baked bread wafting from roadside stalls mingled with the sharp scent of spices, creating the city's suffocating atmosphere.

The caravan's wagons rolled slowly down the street.

On either side, shops hung with colorful fabrics stood alongside spice merchants, while their second and third stories jutted out, narrowing the strip of sky above.

"Whoa! This city's incredible!"

Lyle exclaimed without thinking.

Before long, the caravan rolled into a plaza at the end of the street.

The church bells rang out, deep and solemn.

The lead merchant stopped his wagon, let out a deep, relieved breath, and jumped down from the driver's seat.

"All right, that's as far as we go. I'll sign off on the job, so bring me the request slip."

After the caravan leader signed off on the completed job, Hans came over to speak to us.

"Thanks to all of you, we made it here safely. This is a token of my gratitude—and, if you'd like, here's a letter of introduction to a workshop I know well."

Hans pulled a leather pouch and a letter of introduction from inside his coat.

"Whoa! How generous!"

Lyle happily accepted them.

"Starting tomorrow, I'll have a stall in this plaza. If you need anything, please come by."

Hans shook hands firmly with each of us, then left the plaza, pulling his wagon behind him.

Just as Hans was leaving, Mireille suddenly appeared.

"This is your first time in this city, right? I'll show you around. The Guild's this way."

"Thank you."

We followed the Wind of the Azure Sky.

The Guild was close by, on the north side of the plaza, among the municipal buildings.

It was a substantial three-story building of stone.

Above the entrance hung an emblem of a dragon's head and a set of scales bearing gold coins.

"Hmm. We should handle the bounty first, right?"

With that, Mireille passed through an arch beside the Guild. It led to the rear of the building, where there seemed to be a courtyard and a delivery area.

"Hey!"

Waving, Mireille called out to a staff member.

"Oh, Mireille. You're back?"

"I just got here. More importantly, take a look at these kids. They took down a bounty."

The staff member looked at us, then at the warhorse. The full suit of armor we'd stripped from its owner was carelessly tied to the saddle.

The staff member's eyes narrowed, sharp and appraising.

"Those kids took him down? ...That crest—this has to be Otto the Ill-Omened Bird."

He stared at the crest engraved on the armor and muttered.

"You got anything else to prove it?"

"This."

I held out the bandit knight's signet ring, bearing a crow crest.

"I'll hold onto this. What about the horse and armor? Want to sell them?"

"We can sell them, right?"

I glanced at Lyle.

"Yeah. I can't ride a horse, and the armor's way too big for me."

"All right, got it. Give me a moment to appraise them."

The staff member took the armor down from the horse and deftly checked it for rust and warping.

Next, he laid a hand on the horse's flank, checking the firmness of its muscles.

"All right. Eighty gold coins for the armor and fifty for the horse. Is that acceptable?"

"Gold coins...?"

Lyle asked in disbelief.

"Yes, please."

I nodded without hesitation.

"Then take this to the counter."

The staff member handed us the appraisal slip and signet ring.

"Show them the ring, and they'll give you the bounty, too."

"Looks like you made quite a profit. Treat your big sister sometime, okay?"

Mireille grinned.

"Of course. We'll be relying on you from now on, too."

I said with a smile.

We went around to the front of the Guild and submitted the ring and appraisal slip at the counter.

"Wait a moment."

The clerk at the counter flipped through the ledger and checked the request.

"Found it—Otto the Ill-Omened Bird. The bounty is fifty gold coins. That makes one hundred and eighty gold coins in total."

Gold coins were stacked on the counter. We stared for a while at the pile, its surface gleaming dully in the light.

"With this amount, it wouldn't be a waste to open an account for each of you and have deposit certificates issued, even after the fees. What would you like to do?"

I looked around at the three of them. They all seemed to be holding their breath at the sight of the pile of gold.

"No, I wouldn't know what to do with this much money. Noah, you hold on to it."

Lyle said, his face pale.

Elena and Kai silently nodded as well.

"Then I'll keep some on hand and deposit the rest. Tomorrow, let's use this money to get everyone proper equipment."

We took the gold coins and went up to the second floor to have deposit certificates issued.