Chapter 108: Arrival at the Commercial City
“Speaking of which, back then, we were floating the monsters in the air, weren’t we?”
As I levitated the cage containing fourteen bandits, Fleur remarked quietly. Back then… Ah, she must be referring to the first time we sold our catch to her. I had pretended to drag the ropes, but it seems Fleur saw right through it.
The cage was a simple structure, just a few pillars spaced evenly apart with a lid on top. Of course, I had infused it with enough magic power to harden it, making it resistant to ordinary impacts. Additionally, I had secretly cast a Magic Disruption Field around it, preventing anyone inside from using magic. After securing everyone inside, I had constructed a pillar at the entrance, making it appear as if the cage was floating without any visible way in or out.
“We won’t say anything more…”
Since I had aimed to cast a spell on the bandits, the members of the Crimson Sword had grown increasingly quiet. The words they finally uttered after I managed to reboot the situation were these. I thought it would be easier if they didn’t ask too many questions, but Fleur was still curious about various spells.
“Is that the Commercial City over there?”
Rio, who had been running alongside the carriage, pointed ahead.
“Wow, it’s huge!”
The stone walls were similar to those of Craftsman City Raven, but the scale was clearly different, befitting a commercial hub. I could see guards stationed atop the walls, and a few people lined up at the gates. It seemed like we wouldn’t have to wait long for our turn.
As we fell in line at the back, the adventurers who had been waiting there turned to us with startled expressions. It seemed they were curious about Nil and the cage behind us.
“What in the world is this…?”
Just as our turn was approaching, one of the guards approached us, likely to inquire about the situation.
“We were attacked by bandits, so we captured them,” Alissa replied, taking charge of the conversation.
“However, how did you manage to… with this cage?”
“That cage was made by Shu over there, so you should ask that boy,” Alissa said, somewhat dismissively.
“Ah, so you made this… cage?”
The guard, wielding a long spear, crouched down to my level and asked. I felt a flicker of irritation at his condescending posture but kept my expression neutral.
“Yes, there are fourteen of them inside, so I would appreciate it if you could take care of them quickly.”
“Ah, right.”
Straightening up, he glanced at the others before continuing, “Is it correct that everyone here was attacked by the ones in the cage?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
I nodded at the affirmative response from Alissa and Fleur, who was sitting beside the coachman, also voiced her agreement.
“Now that I look closely, this is a Rashiyu Trading Company carriage… I was so focused on the cage that I didn’t notice.”
“Thank you. Now, please take care of the bandits.”
“Understood. Leave it to us.”
The guard saluted and hurried back to the gate. Following the same flow, it was now our turn to proceed through the gate.
“And this monster… whose tamed monster is it?”
“Oh, that’s mine.”
“May I see your Guild Card?”
“Here you go.”
There was a brief moment of confusion regarding Nil.
“This cage… it wouldn’t be good to leave it here, right?”
I asked the gatekeeper, who responded with an awkward expression. In the end, we had to wait for about an hour while ten guards gathered to capture the bandits inside the cage and take them away.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
By the time we entered the city, the sun was setting, casting a warm glow over everything.
“I’m exhausted.”
“Well, you did well.”
I opened the cage’s entrance, but no one seemed willing to step out, so I had to have Nil drag them out one by one.
“Now then, does this mean we’ve completed the request?”
“Yes, thank you very much. Here is your Completion Certificate.”
Alissa handed Fleur a piece of paper in response to her words.
“Indeed. We learned a lot this time as well.”
“That’s true. If we meet again, I hope we can work together.”
“Hehe, thank you for today.”
“No, thank you for your assistance. Now we can handle escort requests on our own next time.”
“Haha, just make sure you don’t get underestimated on your first meeting.”
“Ahaha, yes, I’ll keep that in mind…”
I wasn’t sure what to do, but I figured things would work out somehow.
“Thank you all!”
Rio also called out to everyone, and with that, we dispersed.
“What will you and Rio do, Lord Shu? If you’d like, I can recommend an inn.”
As I pondered where to stay while watching the members of the Crimson Sword depart, Fleur offered her suggestion at just the right moment.
“Could you help us? I’ve never been to the Commercial City before.”
“…Huh? But you were in Raven, right? I don’t think there are any other routes.”
“Um, well…”
Now that she mentioned it, it was true. Normally, people wouldn’t come this way from Fenrir’s village, crossing through the forest. But I figured there was no need to hide that from Fleur. In fact, it might be a good idea to ask her about that mysterious tower in the forest.
When I revealed this to Fleur, she simply responded with a dry laugh. By the way, she mentioned she had never heard of a large tower standing in the middle of the forest. Seriously, what was that tower all about?