Chapter 45

The fortress town of Rihelan is designed with a grid-like road network and military barracks and adventurer guild-affiliated inns scattered throughout, anticipating even urban warfare.

Due to its adjacency to a dangerous forest, even civilians are armed, but strangely, there are few disturbances like fights.

The armed forces in this town are not limited to soldiers and adventurers; many organizations from the underworld also exist. If you venture down a slightly secluded street, you might find illegal gambling openly taking place or suspicious goods being sold.

Rio, with no intention of taking Shiraha into such a dark world, walked down the sunny main street, checking evacuation routes.

Occasionally, Shiraha used a lost item search magic to look for the gem, but there was no sign of it.

"I thought this dangerous border town would be something else, but it seems to have everything and is quite livable."

Even luxury items from distant regions, which would be hard to come by in his hometown of Rozelle or even the capital, were available here. They were a bit expensive, but within a reasonable range.

Though the forest was dangerous, it also meant that it was a pristine, untouched forest rich in resources that had not been fully exploited by humans. Because of this, underworld organizations openly conducted their business, which, paradoxically, stabilized the logistics.

It seemed to be a town where legitimate merchants did not find much profit, as the power dynamics among the organizations were balanced. Any attempt to outmaneuver in business would attract the attention of other organizations and result in a loss.

The delicate balance was maintained by the security activities of the two major armed forces: the vigilante group and the adventurer guild.

"That person, I've seen them at the guild."

Following Shiraha's gaze, a casually dressed swordsman was seen walking while stifling a yawn. Such a swordsman, who could take on a group of thugs, wandered the town on his day off and would immediately suppress any trouble.

Because of the town's delicate balance, the adventurers who enforced the peace earned the trust of the residents.

"…Something feels off."

Rio felt a sense of unease from the residents' gazes directed at the swordsman and fell into thought.

Shiraha tilted her head at Rio.

"What?"

"The gazes. There's something different about the trusting gazes directed at the adventurers and those directed at the adventurer guild. …It's bothering me."

"That candy looks delicious."

"You're losing focus."

Pulled by Shiraha, they arrived at a stall. Dried fruits and nuts were divided into small cases, and you could sprinkle them into water syrup to make a treat.

The water syrup itself was not expensive, and the fruits and nuts seemed to be harvested from the forest, making them reasonably priced.

Considering they would start their adventurer activities in the forest from tomorrow, it wouldn't be bad to keep Shiraha in a good mood.

Rio took out his wallet and called out to the woman who seemed to be the owner.

"Excuse me, two please."

"Sure, just a moment."

The woman, with her hair dyed a bright yellow, responded in a surprisingly gentle tone.

While Shiraha was choosing the flavors, Rio paid and took the opportunity to ask a question.

"There are so many fruits and nuts I've never seen before. Which ones are in season now?"

"The ones in season are definitely the nuts. Pizznuts, for example, can only be found in Rihelan… like these."

The woman showed a few unprocessed nuts. Rio memorized their shapes and names and learned that they were available in the town's market. He thanked her sincerely, took the items, and left the stall.

Walking alongside Shiraha, licking the water syrup, Rio headed towards the market.

"Shiraha, let's go shopping to prepare for tomorrow."

※

Low-ranking adventurers are responsible for gathering in the dangerous Rihelan forest.

Therefore, the guild always has requests for seasonal fruits, mountain vegetables, nuts, animals, and migratory birds.

Particularly, a part of the Rihelan forest is treated almost as the guild's private property, and entry is prohibited for civilians. This area serves as a high-quality hunting ground.

Moreover, Shiraha has the magic to find lost items.

"Here, try this nut."

At the market, Rio handed the seasonal nuts to Shiraha to use her lost item search magic and quickly gather them.

While this was a request they accepted to justify entering the forest, they had to complete it properly to avoid suspicion. However, if they simply gathered them, it would take too long and leave no time to search for the gem.

This is the method Rio came up with.

"This way."

Guided by Shiraha, they walked through the forest and completed in less than two hours what a regular adventurer party would take a whole day to do.

After completing the request, all that was left was to report. Rio leaned against a tree trunk to rest.

While gathering the requested items, Shiraha had used her lost item search magic to look for the gem, but it was not found.

"Well, it wouldn't be in the shallow parts of the forest."

"If it's important, it would be hidden where it can't be found."

"Of course. They wouldn't hide it in a place with so much human activity. So, we need to go deeper, but…"

To go deeper into the forest, a rank E adventurer would be insufficient. To prevent inexperienced adventurers from teaching the beasts the taste of human flesh, they were prohibited from going deeper.

They would need to complete a few more requests, get their faces known at the guild's cafeteria, and raise their rank to proceed with the investigation.

"By the way, there are no signs or traces of large animals. What do you think?"

"They've been hunted out by adventurers."

"Of course, that makes sense."

Despite this, the forest brought back memories of the damage caused by the monkeys that attacked his hometown, making him feel uneasy.

However, from an outsider's perspective, the Rihelan forest was surprisingly peaceful. The underbrush was cleared, making it easy to walk, and there were no dangerous beasts. As long as one was careful of poisonous plants, it was as peaceful as the mountains in his hometown.

The guild's records of hunts also showed a gradual decrease in large animals in the shallower parts of the forest. Rio was probably overthinking it.

"Let's head back to town for now. Fortunately, it seems we can quickly rise to rank D, and we'll take it step by step here."

"What about the report?"

"The report to Lord Rasmor? I might inquire about the Rihelan nightmare incident. A noble might know something."

While this was not the Rasmor family's territory, it was close enough that they might have some information.

Although it felt a bit backward for investigators like themselves to rely on the Rasmor family's investigative capabilities, Rio decided not to think about it.