Chapter 64

September 25th, the first volume will be released by MF Books. I worked hard on the revisions and the new content!

I would be grateful if you could pick it up.

The special edition will be available as a bonus when purchased from TUTAYA, toranoana, and Melonbooks.

---

For two days, I was to learn about the Imperial Capital from Rian.

However, there are limits to what I can do alone, so my first priority is to gather information about the Imperial Capital and find an opportunity to infiltrate the royal castle.

I learned about the secret passages from the castle from Char.

"These are for emergency escapes from the castle, known only to the royal family and their close associates, so they might come in handy someday."

A parchment was spread out with a simplified layout of the castle, and I marked the locations.

Detailed blueprints could not be taken out of the castle, so they were drawn from the memories of Char, Al, and Gauros.

I put the compiled information into dimensional storage and prepared to leave Rian.

"Are you really going to be okay alone...?"

Gauros doesn't know my status or my profession, which is a secret shared only among the four of us.

That's why he was worried about me going alone.

However, I'm more worried about the three of them.

"More than that, are the three of you going to be okay...? I shouldn't have said that..."

The three of them have leveled up even more since coming to Rian. They might even be able to defeat a hero. Still, I feel uneasy about not being with them.

"It's okay. We've become stronger too! Besides... our parents in the Imperial Capital are worried... We feel bad for relying on you, Toya-sama..."

"We'll protect Rian while you're gone."

The two of them had confident expressions. In contrast, Natalie was munching on the sweets she was given.

"..."

I couldn't help but sigh.

This one...

As I watched her, our eyes suddenly met.

"Toya, it's okay. I'm here... You can leave the Imperial Capital to me."

Indeed, Natalie, knowing that she had been surpassed in level by Char and Al, had been leveling up like a demon on the way to Rian. She didn't slack off even after surpassing them on the first day.

Well, with Natalie around, it should be fine...

"Then, I'm heading to the Imperial Capital."

Everyone nodded at my words.

When we left the mansion, the soldiers were already waiting with Kokuyou.

As soon as they saw me, they approached and playfully nipped at my head.

"Can you stop that at a time like this..."

I wiped away the drool, but Gauros looked impressed.

"To be liked so much by a black obsidian horse..."

I mounted Kokuyou while listening to his words.

"I'm leaving this place to you. I'll be back."

"The Imperial Capital is in your hands."

"Be careful."

"I'm counting on you."

After hearing everyone's words, I slowly urged Kokuyou forward.

We passed through the gate that protects Rian and then increased our speed.

I wanted to head straight to the Imperial Capital, but that would mean encountering the soldiers who had been attacking Rian.

So, I took a detour and galloped along the forest.

I needed to head to the Imperial Capital as an adventurer from the Sarandiel Kingdom.

As Gauros predicted, we reached the passage to the Sarandiel Kingdom without encountering any soldiers from the Jenereate Kingdom.

From here, I had to walk.

I couldn't afford to stand out, and if I rode Kokuyou to the Imperial Capital, it would become a rumor immediately.

There was also the possibility of being taken by the Jenereate Kingdom soldiers occupying the Imperial Capital.

Though I was in a hurry, I gave Kokuyou some feed and water and let him rest before putting him into dimensional storage.

"Alright, let's head there... There's supposed to be a village along the way..."

I checked the map of the Lunette Empire I received in Rian and started walking north at a brisk pace.

---

After about half a day of walking, I saw a wheat field.

It was too early for the harvest, so it hadn't been ravaged.

Soon, a village came into view.

The sun was setting, and the sky was turning a deep crimson.

"Is there a place to stay...?"

I slipped through the unguarded gate.

The village wasn't bustling, but there were people around. There were about a dozen houses, and I headed to the largest one.

The village was mostly children and the elderly, and their gazes followed me.

I reached the largest house and knocked lightly on the door, calling out.

"Excuse me."

A woman's voice replied from inside, "Yes?"

The door opened, and a young woman, probably in her late teens, appeared. She was about my age.

"Excuse me. I'm on my way to the Imperial Capital and was wondering if I could stay in this village for the night..."

The young woman hesitated for a moment but then brightened.

"There are no inns or vacant houses, but you can stay here. I'll ask my grandfather, the village chief."

"Anywhere is fine as long as I can stay."

"Then, please come in. The village chief is here."

The young woman led me inside. In the back room, a middle-aged man was writing at a desk.

"Grandfather, this person wants to stay in the village for the night..."

The man paused his work and looked up.

He examined me carefully before speaking.

"You can stay, but we can't offer much hospitality due to the war... The young men have left as soldiers... and they won't be coming back..."

The Lunette Empire lost the war to the Jenereate Kingdom.

This village, bordering the Sarandiel Kingdom, hasn't suffered direct damage, but the young men have volunteered as soldiers and left the village.

I understood that they won't be coming back without being told.

This is war...

My mood darkened a little.

"If possible, I'd like to stay. I can provide food, so how about that...? I can offer meat from a monster."

The village chief smiled slightly at my words.

"That would be very helpful. Since the young men left, we haven't been able to hunt, and we've been eating only vegetables and wheat... If you can provide some, it would be a great help."

"Then, I'll provide a whole monster. Please distribute it to the villagers. It's the least I can do."

Hearing about a whole monster, the young girl's eyes lit up with a smile.

"Grandfather, I'll gather the villagers!"

"Yes, do that. Tell them the guest will provide meat. I'll get the butchering tools ready."

The village chief and I left the house.

"So, about the monster meat..."

He probably thought I had come by carriage since I offered to provide the meat. He tilted his head when he saw I was empty-handed.

"Wait a moment, please."

I took a whole boar-type monster from dimensional storage.

"Oh..."

Even the village chief was surprised by its size.

The monster, called a Forest Boar, is classified as a C-rank monster by the Adventurer's Guild. It's about three meters long, and there would be enough for all the villagers with some left over.

"To have such a catch... I'm grateful... What's your name, by the way?"

"Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Toya. I'm a B-rank adventurer from the Sarandiel Kingdom."

I reintroduced myself in front of the monster.

---

Thank you always.

I'm slowly writing the second volume while updating the web version.

Actually, if I don't write for the web, I won't have enough for the second volume.