Chapter 18

"Quite big, isn't it?"

"There's a reason it's called the capital city."

"Yeah, we've finally arrived... huh?"

A few days after the minotaur attack, we arrived at the capital city, Stetting. The walls surrounding it were more than twice as high as Brunne, and in the distance, a castle-like building was visible.

Indeed, it's the capital city. It seems to be much larger than Brunne. The number of people walking around is also significantly higher.

We got off the carriage and, along with the other passengers, went through a simple document procedure at the entrance to the city. After receiving our permits, we dispersed.

Before we parted ways, the guard adventurers and other passengers thanked us, which made me feel a bit embarrassed.

We decided to give the minotaur's drop items as rewards. We kept the black-shining horns for ourselves, and the adventurers received axes that were now a size manageable for humans.

"Well, let's head to the Adventurer's Guild right away."

"Oh, you're going already?"

"At least we should complete the registration since we've just moved here."

When we left Brunne, we stopped by the Adventurer's Guild to say goodbye. At that time, Mana-san warned us that we needed to register at the Stetting Adventurer's Guild once we arrived.

"Is Noll okay? If you're feeling unwell, you can go to the inn first and rest."

"I'm fine... I won't be a burden to the others."

It turned out that Noll could only be woken up with a universal potion, so I had to let her endure and ride in the carriage. She seemed to be losing strength day by day, and I gave her potions and rubbed her back, but she had lost a lot of stamina. She was walking with a wobbly gait, which was worrying.

"Hmm, okay. Here, take this. It should make you feel a bit better."

"Is it okay? Hehe, thank you so much."

I took a potion from my bag and handed it to her. It seems that the potions from the gacha are more effective than those sold in this world. I tried one myself, and it tasted like an apple and was delicious. Just drinking it made me feel a bit better. With this, she should be fine for a while, but we should head to the inn after completing the registration.

While talking to Noll, I noticed Estelle smiling at us.

"Is something wrong, Estelle?"

"Hehe, I'm just a bit envious of Noll. Maybe I should have gotten drunk too."

"That's not happening..."

●

"Sure is different just because it's the capital city."

"Quite an impressive building, isn't it?"

When we arrived at the Stetting Adventurer's Guild, we were greeted by an impressive building. It was almost twice as large as the one in Brunne. Inside, a large number of adventurers were crowded around the bulletin boards. There were probably dozens of them.

The bulletin boards were not just one, but four, and each was filled with request papers. The number of requests was vastly different.

"Welcome, what brings you here today?"

"Yes, we're from Brunne, and we'd like to register here in Stetting, if that's possible."

We went to the reception and asked the receptionist about registration. Since we were already registered as adventurers, we were told that we could register immediately by handing over our plates, so we handed over three plates.

"Sure, no problem. I'll register you, so you can accept requests in Stetting from today onwards."

"Thank you."

After completing the registration, our plates were returned to us. As we were about to leave, we noticed some commotion from the back of the guild. Looking in that direction, we saw a young man with blonde hair walking towards us. He had blue eyes and a well-defined face, a real handsome guy. His gaze was fixed on us, and he was heading straight for us. He was wearing well-made armor, carrying a sword and a shield, probably a warrior like Noll.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a moment?"

When he got close, he called out to Estelle. We didn't know each other, so I wondered what he wanted.

"Me?"

"Yeah, that's right. I'm Deus, the leader of a B-rank adventurer party. If you'd like, would you join our party? You're a mage, right?"

His words were surprising. He was openly trying to poach a party member in front of his own party.

Noll looked interested, but she glanced at me and ignored him with a snort. This guy is really something.

"I'm sorry, but she's already in our party..."

I couldn't just let this slide. I stepped between Deus and Estelle and took over the conversation.

"Ah, a party. An E-rank party with a mage, huh? Your warrior seems to have good equipment, but what about you? Your armor might be good, but your outfit looks pretty shabby. You can't possibly be the leader of this party, can you?"

When I interrupted, the warrior checked my equipment and plate, and said something condescending. What's his problem? His gesture and tone of voice were really annoying. Sure, my equipment looks like a pot lid and a bar, but it's still annoying to hear.

"For the sake of this girl, I think you should stop forming a party. A mage being in an E-rank party is a waste. If you join our party, we can get you to B-rank right away."

He's talking about doing it for Estelle, but it's just a facade. He just wants to secure a mage for his party. Is this what Grin-san meant by being targeted because of our rank?

"That sounds tempting."

"Hey, Estelle?"

Estelle stepped forward and gave a response that seemed to agree with him. I was confused. I didn't think she would go for it, but...

"Is that so? Then, let's—"

"But I'll decline. I'm not interested in you. I'm just an adventurer with these guys."

The young man's face, which was full of expectation, froze at her response. Estelle is right, I believed in her. It felt good. She even said something nice about being with me.

"Besides, these two are stronger than your group. Why would I move to a weaker party?"

"Hey, don't provoke him! Sorry, this girl has a sharp tongue..."

She then made a provocative statement. What is she doing? She should have just declined and that would be it.

"Because it's so unpleasant to see you look down on them. I don't like this guy."

Estelle, who was on a roll, continued to insult him. This is bad, I need to stop her before it gets out of hand. This could end up being a disaster.

"Ha, you're funny. How about this? Let's have a match. If we win, you join our party. If you win, we'll do one thing you ask."

"Yeah, I—"

"Estelle, be quiet for a moment."

"But—"

"Just be quiet, okay?"

I interrupted her before she could finish and moved Estelle behind me. That was close. Estelle is an important companion. I won't risk her in a match. Even if he offers to do one thing, it's not worth it to make a request to a guy like him. I'd refuse even if he offered a billion G.

"Really, I'm very sorry. Please, don't try to poach our companion."

"Hmm, I can overlook a girl's words, but I have my pride. After being insulted like that, I can't just let it go."

I had to bow to this jerk. At least I can avoid the match. But he doesn't seem to be letting it go completely. I want to hit him with my bar. Let me check his status.

---

● Deus, Race: Human

Level: 50

HP: 1300

MP: 150

Attack: 410

Defense: 350

Agility: 60

Magic Resistance: 10

Unique Ability: Warrior's Pride

Skill: Sonic Blade, Cooldown: 1 minute

---

He's strong, as expected. My base stats are lower... but my equipment probably makes up for it. Warrior's Pride increases attack when HP is below half. Sonic Blade sends out a shockwave with a sword swing. Yeah, I can handle this.

"How about this? Let's bet 1 million G each on a match."

"Ha, don't joke around. Do E-rank adventurers like you even have 1 million G?"

When I proposed a match with 1 million G, he laughed. This guy, how much does he need to mock me? I don't have much confidence in my face... but I do have 3 million G, so losing would hurt, but it's better than losing Estelle. I don't plan to lose.

"Here, I have it."

"Hmm... Okay, let's do it. We'll bet 1 million G each! Just so you know, don't even think about running. Adventurers have a wide network of information."

I took out 10 gold coins from my bag and showed them to him. The moment he saw the gold, he agreed with a smug smile. He said it loudly enough for the other adventurers to hear. He probably wants to spread rumors if we run, to ruin our reputation as adventurers. His threat about the wide network of information is definitely intentional. I won't run. I won't forgive this guy.

●

The match was set for a later date. Duels between adventurers are prohibited, so disputes are settled through monster battles.

"Sorry, big brother. I..."

"Don't worry. I was pretty angry too, so I understand. But don't offer yourself as a bet. It's too risky."

After that, Estelle became very quiet. She kept her head down and followed us silently, not at all like her usual self. She seems to feel responsible for the conflict and the match.

"Big brother!"

She finally burst into tears and ran into my arms. I patted her back to comfort her. Honestly, I was angry at that guy, so it felt good to see her stand up to him.

"Still, Mr. Ohtsuka, you didn't get angry. Honestly, I was also annoyed when Mr. Ohtsuka was insulted. I wanted to cut him in half."

"What? Not angry? No way, that jerk. I wanted to stuff magic dynamite up his ass and make it explode. Listen, I will definitely win against him, definitely."

"You're making some dangerous statements..."

Just thinking about it makes me angry. I won't forgive that handsome jerk.