Chapter 29: “The Sword Saint” and “The Princess”

――The carriage enters a large mansion.

“We’ve arrived. This is my mansion. Don’t worry about formalities or etiquette. I’m not good with being formal,” Arthur said

We got off the carriage and walked towards the main entrance.

Servants such as butlers and maids lined up to welcome us.

We were led to the reception room.

The room was surrounded by tasteful furniture that made it feel luxurious but not overly fancy. It looked similar to the mansion’s owner.

Knock, knock, knock.

A maid opened the door, and Arthur and Mary came in.

As Arthur and Mary approached us, we stood up from our chairs.

“Takuma, Mio, thank you for saving the child from being run over. It was a close call, and I’m really grateful,” Mia smiled and shook her head.

“Oh, don’t worry about it.”

“It’s my duty to protect people, and I almost ended up hurting someone. I’m really thankful. And I want to do something to show my gratitude. When did you two come to this world? It’s been about ten years since we came here,” Arthur said with a slightly nostalgic expression.

“We arrived about three months ago. By the way, how did you know we were from another world?”

“It’s unusual for people your age to get hit by a horse and not get hurt in this world. Even skilled adventurers would find it difficult. So I thought you were from another world.”

Did they not see the barrier?

They didn’t seem to be lying, but the incident in Barcery made me suspicious.

“Did you come to this capital to gather information or as a base for your activities?”

“We mainly came for information gathering. We were particularly interested in getting maps.”

It would be great if we could get maps as a thank-you gift.

“Maps in this world are very valuable, and they’re hard to come by. But I have some maps, so I can show them to you.”

“Please show us.”

“Sure.”

Arthur said with a smile, and the butler quickly brought a map.

“Compared to Earth’s maps, these are not very accurate, but they can still be helpful.”

“Ohhhhhh!”

We exclaimed in surprise when we looked at the map of this world.

There was only one big continent in the middle.

Such a simple world. Seriously?

“Hahaha. Surprised to see only one continent, right? I was also shocked when I first saw it. Nobody knows if there are other continents because nobody has confirmed it. There are no airplanes in this world.”

“I see. The red circle slightly below the center is the royal capital, Melkid, right?”

“That’s right. If you imagine the continent as a clock, from 12 o’clock to 2 o’clock is the Demon Race’s country, ‘Zoff.’ From 2 o’clock to 3 o’clock is the Dwarf’s country,

Gonhirrim]. From 3 o’clock to 9 o’clock is the human kingdom, Melkid. From 9 o’clock to 12 o’clock is the Elf’s country, ‘Titania.'”

This is a great opportunity.

I should ask some questions.

“The Dwarf’s country only has Shirakami Mountain written on the map. Are there no towns?”

“There’s nothing there except for the mountain called the Sacred Shirakami Mountain. Inside the mountain, there’s a dungeon called the ‘Shirakami Dungeon,’ which is said to be the biggest in the world. It is rumored that the dwarves live in that dungeon.”

I pointed towards the Elf’s country and asked, “Is the entire Elf’s country covered in green, which represents forests?”

“In this world, the power of the elves is strong. It is prohibited to write down or disclose any information about the elves,”

As expected of the elves. Their country seems to be a privileged class. All that’s  left is information on the Demon Race.

“Is Zoff the only demon town?”

“It is said that the only big city is the demon capital, ‘Zoff.’ Besides the capital, there are a few scattered settlements.”

Mia eagerly asked Arthur, “May I copy this map?”

“Technically, it is prohibited, but as a special thanks this time, it’s okay. However, make sure not to show the copied map to anyone,”

We expressed our gratitude and Mia copied the map for us. As expected of Mia, her profession as an ‘artist’ really shows. The copied map looked exactly like a copy.

Hmm? Their professions… I wonder what they are.

“What kind of work do you do, Arthur-san and Mary-san?”

That’s a great question, Mia!

“I am a ‘Sword Saint’ who protects the country. I received the title of ‘Sword Saint’ from King Melkid. Actually, this mansion and the servants were all provided by King Melkid,” Arthur explained.

“So that’s why they call you ‘Sword Saint’ and ‘Princess’ in the city. Does that mean Mary-san is a princess!?” I asked.

“Hahaha, no, that’s not it. Those are our nicknames from our adventurer days. I, too, now serve the country just like my older brother,” Mary answered with a smile.

I refrained from asking about the status of these two, their ‘Jobs’ and ‘Skills’.

It would make me feel like that guy named Hiroshi of’ ‘Spirit Hunter,’ an Otherworlder, who would ask about ‘professions’ and ‘skills’ during first meetings, and I don’t like it.

Next, let’s ask about Shirakami Dungeon.

“My profession is a ‘blacksmith’ and Mio is a ‘technician’. We want to train in the Dwarf’s country. Do you know how to get there?” I asked.

“So, you’re in the production field. Indeed, the dwarves’ technology is amazing. However, this world heavily relies on magical tools, so the dwarves are in a somewhat difficult position. They are also cautious of other races, so it might be challenging for you to train in the Dwarf’s country,” Arthur explained.

“I still want to give it a try. Is there any way to get there? Like a carriage or something?”

“There are multiple entrances to the ‘Shirakami Dungeon,’ and there is one on the Melkid Kingdom’s side as well. I think it’s best to take a carriage to the nearest village, ‘Mori Village,’ which is close to the entrance.”

Arthur also told us how to get to the carriage station in the capital city.

“Have you been to the ‘Shirakami Dungeon’ before, Arthur-san?”

“We have. It’s easy to go up to the third floor since the enemies are weak. However, beyond that, it becomes a massive labyrinth. It took us six months to reach the sixth floor. We had to retreat due to a shortage of food, so anything below the sixth floor is still unknown territory.”

So, it seems like it’s relatively easy to reach the third floor of the underground, where the Dwarves’ capital city, “Gonhirrim”, is located. Since I don’t intend to conquer the dungeon, it’s not a problem at all.

Alright… time for the the final question then.

“It feels embarrassing to ask something silly, but can people be resurrected in this world?”

Our serious atmosphere made everyone’s expression change.

“As far as I know, there is no known method of resurrection. However, since there might be undiscovered magic or skills in this world, we can’t say with 100% certainty that resurrection is impossible.”

No need to be shocked. That was expected.

In that case, all we have to do is find an item that Mia can imagine for resurrection.

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