「Huge..」

The dukedom’s capital, Uvermines, was a city surrounded by high-rise stone walls. The walls stretched as far as the eyes could see.

The houses that can’t fit inside are lined up outside the castle wall, including stores and inns for travelers who came to the city.

It takes a lot of time to enter the city. People lined up from the castle gates all the way back to where the castle gates looked the size of peanuts.

The queue was formed by travelers, merchants, and people with belongings who seem to be shifting residence. Sometimes, soldiers on horses rode straight past the queue and, at that time, everyone looked at them scornfully.

「Hmmm~ Seems like we would only get to enter tomorrow.」Mimino-san said.

「Tsk. Guess I’ll go hunt some animals.」Raikira-san said.

When he was about to leave the queue,

「Oh, are you going hunting? If you kill an Anopheles bird, give it to me. I will pay you!」said a merchant lined up in front.

「No. You’ve got a sly face.」

「Hey man, a merchant has to be sly, right?」

「You don’t say. Well, if I find one.」Raikira-san said, and went towards the forest, cutting through the grassland.

I know discrimination against beastmen exists, but this merchant didn’t seem to care much for it.

「Anopheles bird is a bird that has grass blades attached to its body and walks on land. But it is very good at camouflage, and only someone with a good sense of smell can bring it down.」Dante-san added from the side.

「Anopheles birds become very fat when the seasons change from winter to summer. It’s quite delicious, you know... If I could get at least one wing, no, I must not indulge in luxury, so I would be grateful if I could get at least one leg..」Non-san said, absentmindedly from beside Dante-san.

..If one leg is taken, the bird may already be dead or immobile, no?

「Well, just wait. Raikira always delivers at such times.」

「Oh, I’m looking forward to it.」

Before I realized, Mimino-san was engaged in negotiations with the merchant.

In the end, Raikira-san came back late at night without any catches.

..I really wanted to try an Anopheles bird.

We ate the same dried meat and camp in the open. The dried meat was delicious, nonetheless.

When the morning sun rose, the gates, which were closed at night, opened. Around noon, we reached closer where the walls and gates stood towering over us. Even though it was a castle gate, it seems that each one was just a wooden fence made of logs.

The reason why it takes so long to enter is that taxes are collected. Each traveler pays about 1 silver coin which is about 1000yen (10usd). Merchants are taxed according to their goods. And it takes time to assess those goods, it seems.

I wish they would’ve separated it.. Even the customs at the airport separates between foreigners and locals.

「Next.」

Finally, it was our turn.

A soldier, wearing a pointed helmet very similar to the soldiers in the mine, beckoned us. The soldiers wore chainmail and carried short spears.

「We are a party – Silver Balance.」

「Adventurers, huh. Go through quickly.」

Mimino-san presented something like an iron plate, and the soldier let us pass with a single glance. If this was all it took, they should’ve let us in earlier.

I was finally in the city. The first metropolis I’ve stepped into since I came to this world.

「-Wait a minute.」

My arm was grabbed just as I was about to pass through. My sleeves rode up my arm, and the trace of the slave tattoo was clearly visible.

..SHIT!

My heart jumped into my throat.

I saw with a sidelong glance that Raikira-san slowly moved his legs and Dante-san dropped his hand to the dagger on his waist.

Whereas Mimino-san, who was at the head of the line, opened her eyes wide and focused on the soldier — her hair started rising due to her mana building up.

..Wait, wait, wait! What are you guys trying to do?! That’s no good! Everyone is about to get in trouble because of me!

「Oh, a slave, huh..」

I was panicking, but that was all the reaction that came out of the guard.

「I suspected he couldn’t be an adventurer since he was a child, and turns out he was a slave. Slaves, like travelers, are taxed on one silver coin.」

「Oh, we didn’t know.」

Non-san smoothly stepped in front of the soldier, handed him a silver coin and gently wrapped his hand in hers. The soldier blushed for a moment, fixed on Non-san’s chest.

「Are you a nun?」

「Yes. But right now I have a special permit from the church to work as an adventurer. This is my adventurer card.」

「Uh, um. Certainly.」

「Thank you for your hard work. Now, let’s go, everyone.」Non-san prompted us to walk into the city.

After walking for a while, we took a curve into a back alley.

「Dad, Raikira-san, and Mimino-san, too! What was that bloodlust just now?!」

Non-san got angry. Yeah, that was definitely bloodlust, right?

「We planned beforehand that if push comes to shove we would claim that we bought a slave as a party, right?! And yet, when things went slightly out of plan, you guys let out your bloodlust!」

「S-Sorry. Things went well at the start, so..」Dante-san apologized.

「..My bad.」Raikira-san replied.

「......Sorry.」

「If that had happened, we would have had to fight all the soldiers in the city! Surely some people noticed that bloodlust!」

I did not know that they even talked about what to do if I had been stopped.

Dante-san apologized bowingly, Raikira-san turned his face away, and Mimino-san looked like she was about to cry.

「I-I might have put Reiji-kun in danger because of my actions..」

「Mimino-san, it’s okay. We were able to enter the city without problems! And Non-san isn’t angry either, correct?」

「Of course.. I’m sorry. I got a little upset.」

Non-san apologized bowingly. The gesture was so similar to Dante-san. Indeed they are father and daughter.

I.. am a fortunate person. I was picked up by such a good party, after all.

As I was feeling blessed, I didn’t think more blessings would be awaiting me – the inn where we stayed at had a hot spring.