Chapter 13: To Oz – 09
The next morning, we left the inn and headed towards the Adventurers’ Guild.
Of course, Shizuna was with us. After all, she had been welcomed into our party without any issues, officially becoming a member of “Soul’s Guidance.” It seemed that Lady Miona had also tasked her with guiding us around Oz. Now, she led the way as we walked through the streets.
The buildings in Oz were primarily wooden, and their style and layout resembled that of Japan’s Edo period. The residents’ clothing also had a traditional Japanese flair, making me feel as though I was wandering through a theme park modeled after an Edo-era town.
The guild building was a three-story structure in the same style. Upon entering, we found it spacious, comparable to the main guild headquarters in the Royal Capital of Vermillion. While the number of adventurers seemed slightly lower, there were still around two hundred present.
Mariane quickly made her way deeper into the guild. As we approached the bulletin board, a familiar voice called out to us.
“Hey, Soushi! Fancy running into you here!”
It was the beautiful tiger beastwoman, Karma. She was an adventurer carrying a great sword and the leader of the B-Class party “Drunken Tiger.” It had been about twenty days since we last met in the Royal Capital.
“Karma, it’s been a while! I see you’ve made it all the way to Oz from the Royal Capital.”
“Yeah, I’ve cleared out all the nearby dungeons in Vermillion, so I thought I’d stretch my legs and check this place out.”
“You crossed over that mountain to get here?”
“Of course! What about you, Soushi? Did you come the same way?”
“We flew here!”
Larni stepped forward proudly beside me, puffing out her chest. It was a charming display of friendly competition.
“You flew? Oh, so you must be the adventurers riding the ‘Sacred Spirit Beast’ that everyone’s been talking about!”
“That’s right! After we helped it out, it offered us a ride. Isn’t that amazing?”
Upon hearing Larni’s boast, Karma suddenly turned serious and lowered her voice.
“Amazing? More like it’s become a huge rumor. You might want to keep that on the down-low. They say you’re a messenger of the ‘Spirit Queen.'”
“Is that true? Then we should probably keep it under wraps.”
Even so, I had a feeling that if we received any rewards from the High Priestess, it would become known anyway. But honestly, we hadn’t done anything that impressive, so becoming famous for it felt a bit embarrassing.
“Hmm, then let’s keep it quiet. Oh, it looks like Mariane is back.”
As Larni said, Mariane returned from the back room.
“I just received word from the Great Spirit Shrine that Shizuna has arrived, so the request has been officially completed. The rewards have already been credited to each of your cards.”
“Thank you. Shall we check out the training grounds and then head into town?”
“I’ll be working here for a bit. You all go have fun.”
“Understood. I’ll pick out something nice for you, Mariane. Look forward to it!”
“Thank you. I’m eagerly anticipating your gift, Soushi.”
“Ah… yeah.”
I stumbled over my words because Mariane smiled brightly as she thanked me. Her usual expressionless demeanor made that smile all the more striking.
As I stood there, unable to respond further, Mariane walked back into the inner room. When I turned to face the others, I noticed the three of them, excluding Shizuna, had slightly moist eyes…
“Soushi-sama, could you choose something that would suit me as well?”
“Soushi, that was a bit risky, don’t you think? Don’t forget to pick something for me too!”
“Soushi-san, I would love to wear something you choose for me.”
“Well, that’s fine, but… don’t expect too much from my sense of style.”
As I faltered under the mysterious pressure from the three of them, Shizuna nodded knowingly and said, “Ah, I see how it is.” Karma, who had been watching nearby, chuckled, “Being a strong man is tough, huh?”
I felt a bit guilty that Mariane was working while we were out shopping, but perhaps I should have chosen a different souvenir. In hindsight, I probably wouldn’t have mentioned buying clothes back in Japan. It seems I misjudged the distance in our relationship in the heat of the moment. I would need to be more careful in the future.
That day, guided by Shizuna, we explored the streets of Gal-Oz. Naturally, Shizuna herself was a super-famous figure in this country, but since she was used to walking around, there was no commotion. We visited several old shrines and gardens, and before we knew it, the day had passed in a flash.
As for the clothes, I found some yukata-like garments for everyone, including Shizuna. It’s actually quite rare to see ready-made clothes on display in this world, but it seemed that Oz was quite advanced in textiles and dyeing, offering an overwhelming variety. I chose outfits that I thought would suit each of them… and they all looked pleased, so I considered it a success.
For Mariane, I selected something primarily black. When she changed into it at the inn, it suited her quite well, and she smiled at me again, saying, “Thank you.”
Afterward, the room turned into a fashion show for yukata, thanks to the strangely motivated members, but I felt it was a delightful sight.
The next day was for dungeon exploration. According to Mariane, the F-Class and D-Class dungeons were located close to each other, so we planned to conquer both in a single day.
The F-Class dungeon in the grasslands posed no challenge, and we cleared it easily, each gaining resistance skills. Mariane mentioned that after acquiring a set of low-rank skills, gaining skills in lower-class dungeons would increase the levels of the skills we already possessed.
The D-Class dungeon, located among rocky terrain, had ten floors. We had Shizuna take the lead to gain experience, but the “Spirit” rock golems had become even more powerful. They stood about 1.5 meters tall, making them quite reliable as frontliners.
On the fifth floor, we encountered the usual mid-boss, the Gravekeeper Dragon, and found a bracelet that granted “Physical Ability +1.” Considering balance, I equipped it on Shizuna, who had the lowest level among us.
The final tenth floor featured the standard boss, the Elemental Guardian, which we defeated through a barrage of magic from Freinir, Sfenia, and Shizuna. With five frontliners, including the “Spirit,” and three backliners, it felt a bit unfair.
I acquired the skill “Acrobatics,” a lower-tier version of “Honshin,” which made my movements even lighter.
It seemed Freinir’s level for the skill “Charge” had increased. Perhaps there were no more skills to gain from the D-Class dungeon.
Similarly, Larni’s “Stability,” Sfenia’s “Charge,” and Mariane’s “Penetration” all leveled up. It appeared that the upper limit for special skills was level 20, and reaching that threshold would increase the chances of acquiring higher-tier skills, making leveling up important in that regard.
Shizuna gained the skill “Life Force,” which enhances the effects of her healing magic, “Life Attribute Magic.” Since she could also use healing magic, “Soul’s Guidance” now had two healers. Given that I, the frontliner, had been avoiding injuries, it felt like a luxury.
We returned to the guild to sell our materials and headed back to the inn.
On the way, we spotted about thirty soldiers heading out of the city. The soldiers of Oz wore armor reminiscent of Japan’s Sengoku period foot soldiers, which piqued my interest.
“Shizuna, where are they going?”
“You might have noticed the watchtowers set up outside the city. Those soldiers are the replacements for the guards.”
“Oh, I see. Those towers are for watching for approaching monsters, right?”
“That’s right. While there are occasional bandits, they rarely come to Gal-Oz.”
“So, if monsters approach, they call for adventurers?”
“Only if the monsters are particularly strong. Usually, with the help of the ‘Spirit,’ we can handle it without any issues.”
“I see, so there are those among the soldiers who can use ‘Spirit’ magic.”
It’s interesting how preparations against monsters vary from country to country. Now that I had the status of an adventurer, I wanted to explore as much as I could.