Chapter 54

The Neutral Commercial City of Frein

Surrounded by a twenty-meter-high, two-hundred-kilometer-long outer wall, Frein is the continent's premier commercial city. Every day, fierce competition plays out across all industries. Some achieve success and realize their dreams, while many others quickly become penniless and quietly leave. Tourists and traders come and go in a steady stream, and the daily foot traffic can be said to be the highest on the continent.

The massive city of Frein is divided into four zones. The Central Zone, where facilities related to various city procedures are concentrated; the Tourism Zone, which is filled with entertainment facilities; the Craftsmen Zone, where weapons, armor, and furniture are produced and sold directly; and finally, the Commercial Zone, which is lined with shops from all industries. Each of the four directions has a main street leading to the Central Zone. The closer to the center, the more reputable the shops, which is common knowledge. Far from the main streets and the Central Zone, there are more unscrupulous merchants, in other words, more black market-type shops. These shops sometimes have good things that appear from unknown sources, so adventurers and mercenaries, who are used to rough dealings, often frequent these places.

In a corner of the Central Zone, at the Adventurer's Guild: Frein Branch, Aichi and his companions were listening to a guide while eating snacks at a food stand. The speaker was a professional female guide. Because the city is large and has many demands, the guide is a respected profession here. Many guide shops strive to improve their service quality to attract customers daily, so their reputation is high.

Aichi and his companions, after parting ways with Modo's caravan, came to the Adventurer's Guild with a stamped letter of commission. They wanted to find lodging and learn about the shops, so they were informed about the existence of guides.

Now, the female guide named Rishi, after being paid, was explaining the city's basic information to the three of them while they ate snacks.

"Therefore, if you want to stay temporarily, I recommend the Tourism Zone. While there are inns in the Central Zone, the service quality is not as good as in the Tourism Zone, as the people working there prefer places where they can take naps."

"I see, then we'll honestly go to an inn in the Tourism Zone. Do you have any recommendations?"

"Based on your requirements, I can recommend from the numerous inns available."

"If that's the case, then, the food should be good, and if there's a bath, that would be great. The location doesn't matter. Also, a place with clear responsibilities is better."

Rishi listened to Aichi's requirements with a smile. The first two are common requests, and she nodded in agreement, immediately generating a list of recommended inns in her mind. However, Aichi's next words made her puzzled.

"Um, clear responsibilities?"

"Ah, for example, if we get involved in some dispute and we are completely the victims, who is responsible for the damage caused in the inn? Since we plan to stay in a good inn, the facilities are likely to be high-end, and disputes over compensation amounts can be troublesome."

"Um, I don't think we'll get involved in disputes so easily..."

Aichi smiled wryly at Rishi's confusion.

"Well, generally, that's true, but the people I'm with are quite noticeable. There seem to be many overbearing people in the Tourism Zone, and stubborn merchants might use force. But, just 'if possible.' If it's difficult, it's not a problem."

Rishi's gaze shifted to the two girls, Yue and Sia, who were eating snacks on either side of Aichi. She nodded as if accepting the situation. Indeed, these two beautiful girls were quite noticeable. Even now, many people were staring at them. Especially Sia, who is a rabbit girl. While it is a crime to touch someone else's slave, there are still merchants and overzealous individuals who might try to negotiate or cause trouble.

"But, in that case, wouldn't it be better to choose an inn with strict security? Many people are concerned about such issues, and I can recommend a good one..."

"Ah, that's also fine. However, people blinded by desire sometimes do terrible things. Security can't guarantee absolute safety, so it's better to consider physical persuasion from the start."

"Physical persuasion... I see, that's why you want clear responsibilities."

Rishi fully understood Aichi's intentions. After all, Aichi only said "if possible," but this statement struck a chord with the guide's nature, and she confidently said, "Please leave it to me," with a determined expression. Then, she turned her gaze to Yue and Sia, wanting to hear their requirements as well. From this perspective, Rishi and her guide shop would surely succeed.

"... A bath is fine, but it must be a mixed bath, and it should be private."

"Um, a large bed is fine."

After thinking for a moment, Yue and Sia conveyed their respective requirements. They weren't major requests, but combining Yue's additional condition with Sia's request revealed a certain intention. Rishi seemed to notice this as well and said, "I understand, please leave it to me," with a serious expression, though her cheeks were slightly flushed. She blinked, alternating her gaze between Aichi and Yue, and her cheeks turned even redder.

Incidentally, the men sitting at nearby tables were glaring at Aichi with what seemed like murderous intent, but Aichi ignored them, being completely accustomed to such gazes.

As Aichi and his companions were about to listen to information about other areas, they suddenly felt a strong gaze. It was the most impolite gaze ever directed at Yue and Sia, a sticky, dirty look. Even Yue and Sia, who were usually indifferent to such gazes, frowned at this particularly disgusting one.

Aichi followed the gaze and accurately found its source... a pig? A body easily weighing over a hundred kilograms, a face covered in fat with a pig nose, and greasy blond hair that seemed to be stuck to his head. His attire was decent, and even from a distance, it was clear he was wearing nice clothes. The pig man was staring at Yue and Sia with lustful, murky eyes.

"Troublesome," Aichi thought. The pig man, dragging his heavy body, wobbled straight toward Aichi and his companions. There seemed to be no time to run, but Aichi wouldn't do something like that.

Rishi also noticed the ominous atmosphere, as the pig man was quite noticeable. Seeing his arrogant approach, Rishi forgot her professional smile and exclaimed, "Oh no!" in a somewhat impolite manner.

The pig man reached Aichi and his companions' table and stared at Yue and Sia with a lecherous grin. His eyes narrowed in displeasure when he saw Sia's collar. Then, he turned to Aichi, whom he had not looked at directly until then, and made a demand with a very arrogant attitude, as if he had just noticed Aichi.

"Hey, kid. One million luca. Hand over that rabbit. And that blonde girl, make her my concubine. Both of them."

With a slightly stuttering voice, the pig man declared this and tried to touch Yue. In his mind, Yue was already his. At that moment, a chilling aura of killing intent descended. The people sitting around turned pale, fell off their chairs, and scrambled to keep their distance from Aichi.

As for the pig man, who directly received the killing intent... "Eeeek!" He let out a pitiful scream, fell to the ground, and couldn't even back away, his legs wetting on the spot.

If Aichi had seriously released his killing intent, he would have likely deprived the pig man of consciousness instantly, but that would have been meaningless, so Aichi held back.

"Yue, Sia, let's go. We're changing places."

Because of the dirty liquid, Aichi called for Yue and Sia to stand up. In fact, he wanted to kill him immediately, but since the pig man had only made a request, if he were killed, Aichi's side would be the aggressors. The city guards wouldn't ignore a murderer. As long as the other party wasn't dead, it could be justified as self-defense, so Aichi decided to keep it at a near-death state within the city.

As Aichi and his companions left, Rishi blinked in confusion, "Huh? Huh?" Why was Rishi unaffected by Aichi's killing intent? The reason was simple: Rishi was not a target of the [Intimidation]. The last time with Modo, it was a targeted [Intimidation], so no one around noticed. This time, it was the reverse (non-targeted [Intimidation]). Thanks to training, Aichi could control it. From Rishi's perspective, the pig man had suddenly collapsed and started leaking urine, which was naturally confusing.

Incidentally, Aichi intentionally made the [Intimidation] affect the surroundings. The gazes from the surrounding men were also annoying, and this was a good opportunity to warn them, "Don't touch them." Judging from the pale faces of the surrounding men, there was no better warning.

However, after Aichi and his companions left the guild, a large man immediately moved to block their path, standing like a guardian. He had a massive body, easily over a hundred kilograms, covered in muscles, with a longsword on his waist, and the appearance of a seasoned warrior.

The moment the large man's massive figure came into view, the pig man stuttered again.

"Right, Reganid! Kill that damn kid! He's trying to kill me! Make him suffer!"

"Sir, killing is too much. Just beat him up."

"Damn it! Do it well! Don't hurt the girls! They're mine!"

"Understood. Please increase the reward."

"Money is no problem! Do it quickly!"

Clearly, the large man called Reganid was the pig man's hired guard. Reganid shifted his gaze from Aichi to the pig man, and after agreeing to a higher reward, he sneered. Strangely, his eyes seemed to ignore Yue and Sia, as if he was only focused on the reward.

"Hey, kid. Sorry, but I have to beat you up a bit for the money. I won't kill you. As for the girls... forget it."

Reganid raised his fists. Though he was a swordsman, this wasn't a place for swords. The surrounding men started murmuring when they heard Reganid's name.

"Hey, is that Reganid the Black?"

"Reganid the Storm? Why is he the guard..."

"He's paid, right? Reganid the Greedy?"

Listening to the surrounding chatter, Aichi roughly understood the man's background. Whether or not he had a special ability, he was classified as a Black-rank adventurer, the third highest rank, and a formidable fighter.

Reganid was emitting a powerful aura. Aichi thought that using self-defense as a reason to beat him up would be fine. Just as the fist was about to swing, a voice stopped it from an unexpected source.

"... Aichi, wait."

"What? What's wrong, Yue?"

Yue pulled Sia to her side and, before answering Aichi's question