Chapter 38

Hello from the Adventurer's Guild in the capital city. I'm Herman. Well, I'm looking at the map of the capital city in the Adventurer's Guild, and it's huge. According to the information from the receptionist, it's apparently a city of a million people. That's just too big. Why did they make it so large? Well, they say about 30,000 people enroll in the Alchemical Academy each year, so maybe a million isn't that much? There are noble schools and magic schools too, so when you think about it, it might make sense, but it's still too big, right?

The Adventurer's Guild is apparently in four locations: east, west, south, and north. This is the North Branch. The main headquarters of the Adventurer's Guild, the central office, is located in the administrative district. The main office deals more with bureaucratic work than with adventurers. It's a gathering place for important people, like those who have retired after obtaining knighthood or mage titles. It's not a place for someone like me. The North Branch of the Adventurer's Guild is right by the North Gate, and it takes about a day to walk to the South Branch by the South Gate. If you start walking in the morning, you'll arrive when the sun sets.

Seriously, it's a city the size of a whole village. This is the capital city. If you walk at a speed of 4 km per hour, it's a circular city with a diameter of about 50 km... Wait, if you think about it, it might not be that densely populated. But hold on, am I being influenced by my past life? A million people? That's a lot, right? ...The royal castle is there, and there's a noble district in the center that takes up a lot of space despite the population. But there are hardly any fields, so in terms of population density, it might be spacious... No, wait, the noble district is only about 40 km in diameter. There are no commoners walking through the noble district. The free market isn't a residential area either. There are many facilities outside the residential areas, like schools and academic institutions, and the main roads outside the noble district are wide enough for five carriages. ...And I just thought of the worst possibility. Adventurers aren't counted as residents. Given that there are magical realms and sacred grounds, and there were many adventurers setting up tents outside the outer walls, the population must be more than counted. ...I also remembered something. The population is managed through taxes, and residents under 12 years old might not be counted.

Wait a minute, how many people actually live in the capital city? Probably no one knows for sure. They probably don't count the number of children. Look at the number of churches. The churches in the capital city are definitely larger than those in the provincial capitals, and there are 8 large churches, which means there must be a lot of children. In the provincial capital, there were about 200 children. In this city, it's probably better to estimate 10 times that for each church. Let's assume there are about 16,000 children in the commoner population. The average human lifespan is about 100 years, but most people die around 60. So, considering that, it's probably around a million... Wait, a million seems about right. Long-lived races have fewer children, and including children, it's about a million. It seems to add up, doesn't it? The number of adventurers probably isn't included, but it feels like a million is about right. Oh well, it was a false worry, hahaha.

...No, think about the population density. Isn't it too spacious for a million people? This size could probably accommodate 10 times more people... Maybe the capital city is full of vacant houses? The people of the past might have built the outer walls and houses, expecting the city to grow this much. ...But the population didn't grow that much. ...No, it did grow, but most of them became adventurers and didn't live in the houses. If they moved into houses, they would be considered unemployed and have to pay high taxes. So, they chose to live in tents. As a result, they don't get married. No children are born to adventurers. This means the townspeople don't increase. ...What a negative spiral. The people of the past probably imagined the capital city growing much larger. They made adventurers unemployed and taxed them heavily. This tax system prevented the population from growing. The current population can probably be maintained, but if they want to increase it, they should overlook the unemployed and change the tax system. Just because there are magical realms doesn't mean all adventurers earn a decent living.

...What am I thinking about? I'm just a child, not even a full apprentice alchemist, not a noble or a royal. I shouldn't be interfering with administrative matters. I should focus on my feet. Am I being lured in? Look behind you. Is anyone approaching? ...Phew. Calm down. Arrogance is the enemy, and I vowed to live humbly, right? ...Okay, I'm calm. But I should at least confirm if there are many vacant houses. If this isn't the case, my prediction would be way off. I want to verify this. I'll check with the receptionist.

"Excuse me, are there many vacant houses in the capital city?"

"Oh, you noticed. Yes, there are quite a few vacant houses. That's why there are many requests for adventurers to patrol the residential areas. If you move in without permission, it's a capital offense, so don't do it."

"Thank you, I understand."

In towns near magical realms, the tax for adventurers isn't that high. ...However, it's not as cheap as what the lowest-class adventurers can afford. Those who can fight to some extent probably have families. ...But the marriage age is higher, right? It's better for men, but women adventurers will likely miss their prime marriage age. ...Before that, there's the hurdle of literacy. What is the system in this world, in this kingdom? Do they want to suppress the population? If there's a war... Are other countries also busy dealing with magical realms? ...Well, adventurers can be mobilized for war, so it's probably fine. In a world with potions, the meaning of supply changes. The ability to gather moonlight mushrooms and full moon mushrooms affects the war potential. Reforms are necessary.

But I shouldn't worry about such things. I can't afford to be arrogant. I'll do my best within the scope of an alchemist. Politics is the job of the nobles. I don't need to interfere with internal affairs. ...If I had a connection with a noble like Judy, would they listen? ...But talking about hypotheticals is meaningless. Let's focus on reality. First, I need to go to the Alchemical Guild, but if I go now, it will be night. I need to stay at an inn nearby. It's just past noon. ...Spending a day on travel feels like a waste of time, but it can't be helped. There should be an inn if I head south.

After about an hour of walking, I finally found an inn with private rooms. I was getting irritated after three consecutive shared rooms, but I hit the jackpot on the fourth try. It's 3 silver coins for a night with meals. ...Well, that's reasonable. Considering that I get change from a single orc, it's a fair price, especially near the magical realm and with a private room. I saw orc meat on the menu, so orcs are definitely around.

I'm walking south from morning. Apparently, if I keep going straight, I'll hit the noble district. The roads in the noble district are winding, probably as a final defense line. If the roads were straight, invaders could reach the castle directly. So, the roads in the noble district are likely narrow and winding. ...I hope it's not because the nobles expanded their estates, making the roads narrow and winding. I want a good reason. ...In the noble district, the outer areas are mostly lower nobles, like viscounts and barons, without their own territories. Those with territories have lower noble pensions, but the taxes they collect are probably about the same. Nobles are like money-eating bugs; the pensions they receive are quickly spent. ...Well, use it to stimulate the economy. Hoarding it is just a waste.

So, if you go around the noble district to the east, you'll find the free market, administrative district, free market, and Alchemical Academy in the northeast, southeast, and southwest, respectively. The Alchemical Academy is in the southwest, and if you go down the main road, you'll find the Alchemical Guild near the border with the free market on the west side. It's a waste of a day to move around the city, but it can't be helped since the entire capital city is between the magical realm and the sacred ground. The people of the past probably dreamed of the country's development.

So, around mid-afternoon, I could see the Alchemical Academy on my left. ...It's just a bunch of square buildings, but that's to be expected. Alchemists prioritize efficiency over appearance. They're a group of people who have taken things to the extreme. It's better to have more space, so I vote for square buildings. They probably have basements too. ...I imagine the Necromancers are holed up underground. They use undead, so they can't avoid the sun. ...I don't think all the dormitories are above ground. The commoners are probably in the basements. There aren't many tall buildings above ground. ...Oh, I was comparing it to my past life. By the standards of this life, it's quite large. About 7 stories above ground, and the depth of the basements is unknown. ...They probably haven't dug very deep. I can imagine the scenario of hitting bedrock and causing a flood, but it's probably just my imagination.

This area seems to have abundant groundwater. There are no rivers, but the Water Elemental Realm is like a salt lake. The realm is called the Uze Salt Lake, and the sacred ground is Beck's Forest. My past self said that towns tend to form where water and salt are available. Both are essential. The salt lake provides both water and salt, but the water isn't suitable. Groundwater is more convenient. The Alchemical Compendium mentions an alchemical item to extract salt from saltwater, so they probably use that. It's called a Saltwater Separator, a straightforward name.

So, I'll be coming here next year. I walked for about an hour and a half, looking at the Alchemical Academy, and finally reached the main road to the south. If I go straight, I should find the Alchemical Guild on the west side. ...Today, it seems I'll just be moving around. I need to find an inn near the Alchemical Guild. After walking for another hour, I found the Alchemical Guild. ...It was already late afternoon. Do I really have to walk for a whole day? Living in the capital city is tough. I found an inn near the Alchemical Guild, and it had private rooms with meals, so I decided to stay there. It's 2 silver coins for a night. ...The only difference from the inn in the north is the food, but it's 1 silver coin cheaper. The people on this side probably don't know the prices in the north, so the price difference is understandable. In the Viscount Celerolles' territory, this price would be too high for anyone to use. Tomorrow, I'll go to the Alchemical Guild to research the sacred ground and the magical realm before going to Beck's Forest to gather materials. Living in the capital city will be tiring due to all the travel.

Whether you found it interesting or not, I'd appreciate your feedback. If you could point out any issues in your review, it would help me improve my writing.

...Probably.