Arrival

"Rudeus, what are you laughing at?" Roa asked, displeased.

Rudeus suppressed his laughter and mumbled, "I really don't know what the other person would think if they saw you like this. They'd probably mistake you for a girl, right?"

As he said this, Rudeus subconsciously raised an eyebrow.

A girl like Roa, with her cold, blonde, and tsundere demeanor, would get knocked out and sold for Gold Coins if she went out alone.

Although, that's assuming they could knock her out.

Meeting Rudeus's ill-intentioned gaze, Roa snorted dismissively. He slightly tightened his right arm, and his seemingly well-proportioned biceps bulged. Roa pouted and said, "If you have the strength, feel free to try."

Rudeus swallowed, his expression a little unnatural.

He remembered the times he'd been disciplined by Roa.

"Let's go, stop chatting over there," Ghislaine's cold voice cut in.

This town truly lived up to its reputation as the largest city in the vicinity, brimming with vitality.

The first thing that caught their eye was the city wall.

It was about seven to eight meters high, a sturdy-looking wall encircling the entire city.

Around the massive gate on the wall, carriages came and went. After entering the gate, they could see rows of open-air stalls.

Not far after entering the city, there were several establishments resembling stables and inns.

Seeing people in armor mingling with ordinary townspeople and merchants gave it a real "fantasy" feel.

A strong scent of a Western otherworld washed over them.

At this moment, a middle-aged man running a stall spotted the group and called out enthusiastically, "Miss, would you like an apple?"

Roa, walking ahead, sighed helplessly. He looked at the middle-aged man with a serious face and said, "You should say 'young man,' would you like an apple?"

As he said this, Roa's mouth twitched. The words felt so familiar. He wasn't that classmate, Subaru Natsuki, who refused to reveal his name.

Just then, Rudeus suddenly noticed people with large luggage sitting in what looked like waiting areas.

"Ghislaine, do you know what that is?" Rudeus asked curiously.

"...You," Hearing Rudeus's question, Ghislaine's expression turned displeased.

"Are you looking down on me?"

Startled by Ghislaine's fierce glare, Rudeus quickly explained, "No. I just didn't know what that was, so I wanted to trouble you to tell me..."

Ghislaine tilted her head. "Oh, sorry, is that what you meant?"

Roa decided not to comment, as there were too many points to criticize.

He had figured out Ghislaine's personality. She looked terrifying, but she was actually very kind, and in some ways, surprisingly airheaded.

Although "airheaded" was usually used to describe cute, ditzy girls, not someone large like her.

But she was indeed airheaded.

Seeing Rudeus looking like he was about to cry, Ghislaine quickly replied, "That's a public carriage waiting area. Generally, people use those carriages to travel from one town to another, or they pay some merchants for a ride."

Afterward, it was clear that both of them were rookies fresh out of the Beginner Village. Ghislaine pointed to the shops, telling them which was a weapon shop, which was a tavern, which was an Adventurer's Guild branch, and which was a "certain" suspicious establishment.

[ ]

After passing through a corner of the town, the atmosphere changed.

Weapon shops and armor shops, catering to Adventurers, lined the roadside. Continuing further, they encountered shops aimed at the town's residents.

It was well-planned.

If enemies attacked from the outside, the people near the gate would be the first to defend, while the townspeople could escape to the deeper parts of the town or the opposite direction during that time.

With this kind of structure, it was natural that as they went deeper, the buildings became larger, and more shops dealing in high-end goods appeared.

In this town, the closer you lived to the center, the wealthier you were.

In the middle stood a huge white palace. Seeing the palace, it felt like a quintessential European white palace.

It could only be described as magnificent.

"That's the Lord's residence," Ghislaine stated calmly.

Roa exclaimed, "Rather than a residence, it's more like a castle."

At the same time, he mentally gave a middle finger to the ugly face of capitalism.

"Because this is a fortress city," Ghislaine explained.

The group entered the mansion. Ghislaine's distinctive appearance made her easily recognizable. The two guards at the entrance merely glanced at her before letting the three in.

Led by Ghislaine, they passed through the front gate and walked directly towards the center.

Along the way, Roa saw many cat-eared, tail-wagging maids.

Most of these maids were pretty and cute, all around seventeen or eighteen years old, in the prime of their youth.

Rudeus's eyes lit up, and he smiled, exclaiming with emotion, "This lord unexpectedly understands! Don't you think so, big brother?"

Roa looked at these Cat-eared Beast Girls without any particular feeling; they didn't hit his preferences.

"Hmph, nothing special." Roa's expression was indifferent. Not hitting his preferences, Roa saw through everything, already knowing that lust is a sharp blade. Today, no matter what, he wouldn't approve of the lord's reckless behavior.

Rudeus smiled and said softly, "Oh, is that so? What if Master Roxy were decorated like this?"

Roa fell into thought, his mind subconsciously imagining Roxy's appearance.

The petite Roxy, wearing a Maid Outfit, with White Stockings outlining a perfect curve on the girl's slender legs, striking a cute pose with cat ears.

Such a Roxy didn't seem entirely unacceptable?

Damn, that's incredibly lethal.

He took back his previous statement.

Well, to reiterate, he loved white stockings. If Roxy were in a cat-eared maid outfit, Roa wouldn't mind.

"This guy, unexpectedly knowledgeable."

Roa sighed, meeting Rudeus's gaze at the same time.

A smile touched both their lips.

The mansion was large, but it wasn't far from the central meeting hall. After a short walk, they were almost at their destination.

However, before they could enter the hall, a rough voice boomed from inside: "Where are the people!"

Roa instinctively frowned. He actually hated being yelled at, even if it was the other person's habit.

Accompanying the shouting and rough footsteps, a man around fifty years old, but still appearing strong, walked out of the house. He was a burly fellow, very tall, estimated to be around 1.9 meters, with dark brown hair mixed with some white.