Chapter 532: The Large Border City
After spending the night at the military facility’s lodging house, Tauro and his party set out first thing in the morning for the city of Swen.
The general himself saw them off, which was a little embarrassing for Tauro, though the general likely felt just as awkward.
After all, Tauro was a person who had been bestowed a title by the king himself, and his list of titles was more than sufficient. From the perspective of a general who held only an honorary count title, this was a situation where losing one’s head—quite literally—wouldn’t have been unthinkable, so caution was only natural.
Seen off with considerable care by the military personnel, Tauro and his party reached the border of Swen County shortly after noon.
A checkpoint on the Count of Swen’s side stood just beyond the border. Military personnel passing through were having their luggage searched so relentlessly that it bordered on harassment.
“High-ranking adventurers, huh? It’s rare for anyone other than the military to come from this side. You may pass.”
The soldiers glanced at the platinum tags identifying Tauro and his companions as adventurers in the B-rank band, confirmed their identities, and let them pass with little fuss.
Tauro was a little surprised by the quick check, which was completely different from how military personnel were treated, but he was grateful to be allowed through.
“So the Count of Swen really doesn’t get along with the general…”
Tauro finally muttered once they were some distance away from the checkpoint.
“With treatment this blatant, it’s easy to tell.”
Ankh gave a wry smile.
“That’s normal for nobles who share a territorial border with conflicting interests, you know? There’s tension with the Empire on the northern border, so things are probably even more prickly than usual.”
Aeris offered her perspective as a noble.
“Haha… Maybe being an honorary noble really was a blessing…”
The territory Tauro had originally been slated to receive in Saishi bordered the former domain of Marquis Halagoura. Thinking about what might have been, he could only smile wryly.
After staying the night in a village along the way, Tauro’s party reached the city of Swen around noon the following day.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been in a big city.”
Ragune voiced the thought as they passed through the city gates.
Her comment was fair. Apart from the Royal Capital, it had been nearly a year since they had last visited a city this large.
“For a count’s city, it’s quite large.”
Aeris, ever the daughter of a marquis, evaluated it with a hint of rivalry.
“I suppose so. But I feel most comfortable in a place about the size of the Dragonfolk Village. …Damn it, I’ll live!”
As Zion voiced her thoughts, she suddenly remembered her training in the Dragon’s Den, and her familiar catchphrase slipped out.
“The Dragonfolk Village is plenty big, and when it comes to variety and convenience, it’s in a completely different league.”
Ankh lightly tapped Zion on the head, as if to say she was comparing the wrong things.
“Hahaha, the Dragonfolk Village is in a class of its own. Still, this city is certainly large. The walls are high, even the villages along the way were fenced off, and security is tight. It really feels like a border territory.”
Tauro summed up his impressions and headed toward the Adventurers’ Guild.
The Swen Branch of the Adventurers’ Guild was unlike any they had seen before. Aside from its distinctive blue roof, the building stood within a vast fenced compound, resembling a small fortress inside the city.
“…That’s imposing.”
That was Tauro’s honest impression.
Once inside, however, it was the familiar Adventurers’ Guild they knew.
Perhaps reassured by the atmosphere, the party naturally headed to the reception desk.
“Excuse us. We’re from another region, so we’d like to register to operate here.”
Representing the team, Tauro presented his tag and began the procedure.
“Yes! Welcome to the Swen Branch! May I take the representative’s tag? —Oh? Huh… Lord Tauro Giro Sugar?”
The receptionist ran Tauro’s tag through a magical device to confirm his identity, then was at a loss for words.
She ran it through the device again and again, but the result never changed.
“Lord Tauro, may we take you to the back for a more thorough verification?”
With a tense expression, the receptionist gestured for Tauro’s party to follow her.
At that moment, Aeris tugged lightly on Tauro’s sleeve and said quietly,
“Tauro.”
“…Understood. You need to verify things in the back, right? Before that, may I do one thing? I’ll remove the status ailments affecting this entire branch. [Status Ailment Recovery]!”
As he moved to follow the receptionist, Tauro cast [Status Ailment Recovery] to remove the abnormal conditions he believed were affecting many of the adventurers in the branch.
“What are you doing!?”
The receptionist stiffened, alarmed by Tauro’s action.
“Sorry. I just noticed that quite a few people here seemed to be under some kind of abnormal condition.”
Tauro answered calmly, as if it were nothing, and continued after her.
“…This way.”
The place they were led to was a special room where high-ranking adventurers gathered.
Since Tauro and his party were high-ranking adventurers themselves, the treatment wasn’t unusual. However, this time, it was likely also meant to ensure that the suspicious adventurers couldn’t escape by placing them among other elites.
That was precisely why Tauro had cast [Status Ailment Recovery] beforehand.
Yes—many of the adventurers and staff at the branch were under the influence of someone’s [Charm] ability.
“…We need to verify your identities in detail. Would you be willing to undergo appraisal by a high-ranking appraiser?”
The receptionist asked, with several staff members present.
“Of course. I also have documentation showing that a high-ranking appraisal was performed at the military facility earlier, so I’ll submit that as well. —I can trust all of you now, so please appraise me as thoroughly as you like.”
Tauro smiled gently as he answered—already certain that the impostor group had been here before.