Before leaving the water source, I lightly washed my clothes.
I hand-washed off the dirt as best I could.
Being unclean can sometimes breed suspicion in others.
Cleanliness, on the other hand, tends to earn trust.
That's the impression I have.
Before entering the city, I want to remove as much grime as possible.
"..."
I was thinking back on the woman from earlier.
She's probably heading to the same city called Mills.
That woman seems to be carrying some kind of trouble.
We never exchanged names.
Right now, it's not necessary information for either of us.
We're not traveling together.
She must have judged the same.
We both avoided prying deeper than necessary…
"I'm carrying trouble too, after all."
I finish washing quickly.
"All right, time to head out."
"Pi."
Pigi-maru wraps itself under my robe.
I put my lightly dried clothes back on and leave the water source.
I advance through the woods toward Mills.
Partway, I stop.
Pigi-maru cries out.
"Pi?"
Like asking "What's wrong?"
"There's something nagging at me… but I can't figure out what it is…"
It feels like something stuck between my teeth.
I resume walking with a difficult expression.
As I walk, I look up at the overlapping branches overhead.
The sun has started to set a little.
Still, even after dark, I have the leather pouch for light.
I got used to darkness in the discarded ruin.
Compared to that place, this area should be far more comfortable.
Still, I'd like to reach Mills by today if possible.
▽
After a while, the path opens up.
From here on, the road seems reasonably paved.
I notice a wooden signboard.
"Mills"
If I follow this long curve, I should reach Mills.
At this pace, I can probably make it today.
As I continue, I start passing people here and there.
Most are dressed like travelers.
I also pass a horse-drawn cart with a loading bed.
"Hm?"
A tall wall comes into view.
Probably the defensive wall protecting the city.
I also spot a simple gate.
Two gatekeepers stand there.
One man, one woman.
Both hold spears.
Swords hang at their waists.
"..."
First impressions matter.
I whisper to Pigi-maru.
"Stay quiet, okay?"
"Pi."
It lets out a tiny cry.
"And if it looks like you might be discovered, use that thing. You know the signal, right?"
"Pi."
"Good."
I take a short breath.
I switch my mindset.
I try to pass through the gate.
"Wait."
The woman calls out.
"Never seen your face before."
Does Mills not get many outsiders?
In other words…
The gatekeepers remember the faces of those who come and go to some extent—meaning it's a city of that scale.
"No weapon in sight, but are you a mercenary?"
I give a weak, wry smile.
"Um… I heard there might be some work here, so…"
"Haha."
The female gatekeeper looks convinced.
"You came running after hearing about the ruin subjugation recruitment, huh?"
Ruin subjugation recruitment.
A topic I don't know about.
It's probably not referring to that excessively dangerous discarded ruin…
I don't want to ask and expose myself here.
I choose my words carefully.
"Yeah, I heard there was some interesting work."
This way, I can pretend I don't know the details.
I look up at the wall with curiosity.
"I've never really been to a city this prosperous before… Even this wall alone is pretty amazing to me."
"Hah, calling this scale 'prosperous'? You really are some country bumpkin, aren't you?"
The female gatekeeper sizes me up from feet to head.
"Your clothes are pretty filthy."
"It was a long journey. Mills was far."
"It's not Milza. It's Mills. Geez… this is why country bumpkins who only hear things secondhand are—"
I put on a polite smile.
"Sorry."
"Jeez… you can't even remember the city name properly. You're not just any country bumpkin—you're a hardcore one. Hmm… at this rate, you're probably from some remote backwater where even my name wouldn't ring a bell."
I can feel the gatekeepers' wariness easing.
Maybe overkill, but I add one more push.
"Look at this."
I show them my faintly trembling arms.
"I've actually been nervous ever since I saw the gate."
"Hahaha! You're okay with that, kid!? The tall, slender woman who passed earlier looked way more like a proper warrior!"
The tall, slender, very beautiful woman.
Probably the one I met in the forest.
Rough description, but it matches.
The female gatekeeper puts her hands on her hips.
Her expression has completely lost its suspicion.
"Well, even as a luggage carrier for other mercenaries, you might manage. Hey, let this one through, yeah?"
The female gatekeeper checks with the man.
"Yeah. The marquis instructed us to basically accept mercenaries gathered for the ruin subjugation anyway. Should be fine. Go on, hurry up."
I soften my expression and thank them.
"Thank you. I'll do my best."
I pass through the gate.
The corners of my mouth lift.
I mutter quietly.
"Smooth."
No body check or luggage inspection.
Surprisingly lax.
Probably left to the gatekeepers' discretion to some extent.
I cross a bridge over a small stream.
I emerge onto a larger street.
It's not quite a village,
But not quite a full town either.
Somewhere in between, perhaps.
It's close to the image I had of a rural town in a Western setting.
A straight stone-paved road.
The stone surface is slightly sooty.
An aged path.
People come and go in moderate numbers.
Not crowded, but lively.
Probably the main street.
"All right then."
First things first—find an inn.
▽
I confirm three inns.
From the appearance of people coming and going and the exterior, I get a rough sense.
High, middle, low.
With my current appearance, I should avoid "high" for now…
I decide to start with "low" and ask about lodging fees.
I enter the inn in full background character mode and ask.
"How much is one night here?"
"800 maka."
The unit "maka" is named after the god of commerce, apparently.
I had heard this along with the bread price from that woman.
Well, technically I didn't ask—she just told me as extra information.
After hearing the price, I think.
The lodging fee is affordable…
But this inn only has shared rooms available.
Considering Pigi-maru, I'd prefer to avoid shared rooms.
I leave the "low" inn and head to the "middle" one.
Lodging here is 2000 maka.
Probably because of that ruin subjugation recruitment—few empty rooms.
But luckily, a private room is still available.
There's a chance they'll hike the price due to scarcity…
But if I go check the "high" inn and this room gets taken, that'd be bad.
Yeah.
This should be fine.
"Hm?"
The innkeeper is staring at me intently.
Clearly not friendly.
Ah, perhaps—
"Um, actually, it was a long journey and my clothes got really dirty… If possible, could I get a place to wash them? And if you have any spare clothes for sale, I'd appreciate it."
I take one silver coin from the small pouch.
I place it on the counter and slide it toward the owner.
"This is just a little something. Oh—and I plan to change clothes before entering the room, so I won't dirty the bedding."
The owner's attitude changes completely.
"Y-Yes, of course! Right away! I'll show you to your room! We should be able to prepare spare clothes quickly too!"
The owner roughly checks my size.
He nods and smiles brightly.
"Please wait just a moment!"
The unpleasant air from earlier is completely gone.
How quickly moods can shift.
"Um, excuse me."
"Yes?"
"If possible… could I at least drop my luggage in the room first?"
"Of course! Oh, by the way, your name is—"
"————"
A name, huh.
Using my real name here would probably be bad…
Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be any need for identification.
A fake name should work.
I quickly make one up.
"Hati Skoll."
I just mashed together names of wolves from Norse mythology…
Well, it's slightly off from the famous ones.
Hopefully no one will pick up an otherworlder vibe from it.
"Hati-sama, then! Understood!"
The owner smoothly writes the name in the registry.
"Here's your room key! While you drop off your luggage, I'll prepare the washing area and spare clothes~"
Just a little flattery, and the treatment changes this much.
They probably think I'm a generous customer.
Fine by me.
Leaving a strong impression as a lavish guest might cause issues later,
But it's far better than being suspected.
▽
I climb the stairs and enter the room I'll be staying in.
About eight tatami mats in size?
A bed by the window.
The other furniture is minimal and simple.
But the room has a sense of cleanliness.
It seems reasonably well-maintained.
I set down the leather pouch and lock the door.
After confirming no human presence, I call to my partner.
"Pigi-maru."
"Pyu."
Pigi-maru descends to the floor and returns to its round shape.
"Could you hide somewhere in this room for a while? When I change clothes, there's no way to conceal you."
"Pi."
Green affirmative.
"Good boy. And if something happens—"
"Pigi."
Before I finish, Pigi-maru executes it.
A perfect sphere.
Slightly smaller in size.
Tap, tap.
The surface is hard.
Yes—like a crystal ball.
"Perfect."
"Pi."
In front of others, we'll pass it off as "a merchant's crystal ball."
If asked what I do, I can say I'm training to be a fortune-teller or sorcerer.