Chapter 212

“Wow… it’s huge… So this is a maritime city… and the imperial capital is this far inland? That’s practically a month’s journey by carriage.”

“In that case, would we be clearing dungeons as we head toward the capital?”

“Whoa—there are so many towns! Shizuma, where are we going next?”

Standing before the large map posted in the first-floor lobby, I was once again struck by the sheer vastness of the empire.

There were five major cities alone, and as for the smaller towns… no, there were simply too many to count.

That said, only a limited number of cities and towns actually had dungeons nearby, so it would be ideal to focus our route around those—

“Hey, how about this? Could we head toward that port town over here and go dungeon-hopping along the outer edge of the continent?”

I suggested that route because I wanted to revisit the port town we had been heading toward when we were first transferred here, as well as the village where the carriage bound for that port had departed.

I wanted to know whether the beastman parent and child had safely reunited with the father, and what had become of the adventurer who fought monsters alongside us back then.

“I see… I understand your reasoning, Shizuma. Indeed, even along this route, there seem to be small villages—and dungeons nearby. It looks like it would be a relaxed journey.”

“A road near the sea? That sounds fun! I’m in favor of that route!”

From the map, there was also a route that led straight inland to the imperial capital, and that path looked like it would allow us to challenge multiple dungeons.

However, even if there were many dungeons, Sheele would have to complete missions in the surrounding area each time. Given that, I thought it would be better to take a route with fewer dungeons, raise Sheele’s rank first, and only then head into the dungeon-dense inland regions.

“Alright then. Let’s stay at the hotel tonight, then travel along the coast and aim for the other port town. Along the way, we’ll detour slightly inland—there’s a small village there, and apparently a dungeon too. Let’s start by challenging that one. Sound good?”

“Yes, that’s fine. Honestly, I’d also prefer to get a feel for this continent in a less crowded place rather than jumping straight into densely populated areas.”

“If we’re near the sea, I might be able to catch shrimp, so I’m in!”

“Haha, we’ve got fishing gear too—if we find a good spot, we can try fishing.”

And just like that, our first destination was decided.

Heading straight for a dungeon-dense area would probably be more efficient for gathering cores, but that would inevitably mean competition with other explorers.

Instead, building up achievements at more remote dungeons to raise Sheele’s rank made sense—and if we gained cores along the way, we could strengthen our party as well.

Who knows, we might even end up splitting the party and tackling multiple dungeons simultaneously someday.

Yes… it would be more efficient to save the dense regions for later.

That day, we returned to the hotel and decided to have lunch at the hotel’s restaurant.

It gave the impression of being a very high-class establishment, but apparently there was no strict dress code—as long as we were wearing decent, going-out clothes, it was fine.

I switched into sturdier everyday-style gear, Melt changed into a blouse and skirt since the weather had been warmer lately, and Sheele put on an elegant long dress. Then we headed to the restaurant.

“Do you think this city has lots of seafood? I wonder if they have shrimp dishes.”

“Hm… since it’s lunchtime, I think we’ll be able to order à la carte. Let’s look for shrimp dishes. At night, they might only serve set courses.”

“Oh no… I know table manners in theory, but I don’t have much experience. If it’s courses only, I might panic.”

Maybe we should eat dinner somewhere else. Or order room service.

…They have that, right? Surely they do.

Well, we could always eat food stored in our item box—but enjoying local cuisine is part of traveling, after all.

We were shown to our seats.

Naturally, it wasn’t a booth but a round table with three chairs. Menus for each of us were brought out, and after the waiter poured water into our glasses, he stepped away so we could look over them.

“Hmm, hmm… you two, this is bad—I don’t understand any of this!”

“I see… indeed, there are many dish names you wouldn’t normally see at regular restaurants.”

“Oh wow… this might be my first time seeing things like ‘〇〇 prepared with 〇〇 and served with 〇〇’ or ‘Chef’s Recommendation of the Day.’ I can’t picture what the dishes actually are.”

“At least we can identify the ingredients. Melt, you should go with this—‘Silk Shrimp Jewel Case Style.’”

“I only know it’s shrimp… jewel… case…?”

“Maybe it’s like, ‘It’s a shrimp treasure box!’ kind of vibe.”

“??? Well, I’ll go with this one then.”

“Then I’ll have the ‘Sole Fish Confit in Creamed Butter.’”

“Sheele, can you decide mine too?”

Sorry, I really have no idea!

I should have inherited cooking knowledge from Seira, but… well, I do understand the basics, it’s just that the names are so eccentric!

Things like ‘Carpaccio of Small Seafood, Playing with the Innocence of Children’ or ‘Chasing a School of Small Fish Draped in Silver’—they’re unnecessarily poetic!

“Hm… if you don’t have a preference, the ‘Chef’s Recommendation of the Day’ might be safest.”

“Yeah… let’s go with that.”

“Just choosing food is already exhausting, huh?”

You’re telling me…

Next time, maybe we should avoid restaurants like this. Or maybe ordering a full course and not thinking at all would actually be easier.

The dishes that arrived afterward were all beautifully plated, resembling French cuisine.

Melt’s order, in particular, truly looked like a “jewel box”: shrimp wrapped in shimmering green roe, shrimp terrine decorated with salmon-roe-like fish eggs, and grilled shrimp with a glossy red and dark-brown contrast, as if brushed with some kind of jelly—all exquisitely arranged.

Sheele’s dish turned out to be exactly what it sounded like: sole fish confit. Apparently, she’d been able to infer it from the name.

As for me? I wasn’t entirely sure what mine was, but it seemed to be a carpaccio of a fish similar to yellowtail, arranged beautifully like a rose, paired with a shrimp-flavored potage.

…Yeah. That sounds about right.

“It was delicious, but… it was so pretty it almost felt like a waste to eat it, didn’t it?”

“Yes, indeed. It exceeded my expectations. Perhaps the restaurant itself is this hotel’s main selling point.”

“True, but… the portions were small, weren’t they?”

“Right? Shizuma, when we get back to the room, give me one of those shrimp cutlet burgers you have stored!”

“Ah, me too, please. I haven’t tried one yet.”

“Haha, got it. Then let’s head back to the room.”

In the end, the three of us ate shrimp cutlet burgers afterward and were satisfied, but because of that, we couldn’t eat dinner.

Well then, let’s set off early tomorrow. It seems that on this continent, explorers are expected to move around freely, so there’s no need to submit transfer or relocation paperwork.

We spent the night on a strangely bouncy bed, and the next morning I was woken up by that bed being shaken vigorously.

When I looked to the side, Melt was pushing the bed with her hands to shake it—
…No, it wasn’t Melt.

For some reason, Sheele was sitting beside my bed, bouncing her body and making the bed shake.

Just wake me up normally…!

“Good morning, Shizuma.”

“Why wake me up like this…?”

“Hehe, it’s fun, isn’t it? Come on, hurry and get up.”

Still sitting, she bounced the bed again—our dependable big sister showing slightly childish behavior.

After getting up and finishing my morning preparations in the washroom, I returned to the room to see Sheele standing in a corner, carefully scanning every nook and cranny to make sure we hadn’t forgotten anything.

“There’s still some time before checkout. What shall we do about breakfast?”

“I think I’d like to try another place outside. If we eat here, we’ll probably have to make difficult orders again.”

“I agree with Melt. We’ve only seen the main streets of this city so far, so how about taking a look at a more downtown-like area before we leave?”

After informing the hotel staff of our early checkout and moving the carriage toward the Adventurers’ Guild, we decided to explore the downtown area, have breakfast, and then set out on our journey.

There really was a downtown—or rather, a residential area for ordinary citizens of this city.

It seemed to be located fairly close to the port where we had first arrived, an area with a harbor used by locals and fishermen who supplied the city’s shops.

We headed there on foot, leisurely sightseeing as we made our way through this massive, developed city.

“If you got lost in a city this big, it’d be a real problem, wouldn’t it?”

“Yeah. But there seemed to be a lot of people patrolling the city, so maybe we’d manage somehow.”

“I hope there are people like that in the downtown and residential areas as well. Or perhaps such work is offered as out-of-dungeon jobs for adventurers.”

I see—that’s a possibility too.

As we walked, thinking about this country’s culture, its way of life, and how its cities function, the tall buildings gradually disappeared, and the scenery began to resemble the residential districts of Lindblum.

A faint scent of the sea drifted through the air, and thinking this is the kind of port town we originally imagined, we took our time looking around the area.

“I’m getting hungry…”

“Yes, we’ve been walking quite a bit without noticing.”

“Then let’s find a place where we can grab something light first.”

The area felt warmer and more welcoming than the main street.
The people passing by wore casual everyday clothes, not particularly dressed up.

Maybe I’d been getting tired of big cities. This place felt incredibly comfortable.

“Ah, that has to be a café. Look, look!”

“Oh, you’re right. It’s an open-terrace café.”

“Looks like we can have breakfast there—let’s check it out.”

It was just a simple port-town café, not especially well-located, with the sea only faintly visible in the distance.

Unpretentious, filled with what were probably locals chatting cheerfully—we stepped into the shop.

“Welcome! Three people?”

“Yes. If possible, we’d like a seat on the outside terrace.”

“Certainly. Please follow me.”

“Okaaay.”

Perhaps the owner’s child, a small kid in a uniform, guided us to the terrace seats outside.

Nice atmosphere. Melt seemed fascinated, perhaps finding it unusual to see such a young child working, and kept watching them.

Sheele, too, seemed happy spending time in this warm, welcoming place—she closed her eyes at the terrace seat, wearing a relaxed expression as she enjoyed the breeze.

…Needless to say, quite a few men were staring. Can’t be helped. I was captivated too.

“Oh, sandwiches! I like sandwiches.”

“I like them too. I wonder what kind of bread they use here.”

“Yeah, I often had bread for breakfast too.”

I mean, I love rice as well—but back when I was in Japan, mornings were often rushed, so I’d end up dashing out the door with a piece of bread in my mouth.

And no, I never ran into an unknown schoolgirl at a street corner who turned out to be a transfer student. That kind of scene probably doesn’t even appear in manga, anime, or novels these days.

“Then I’ll have this!”

“I’ll order the same.”

“Then I’ll ignore the mood and go with this one!”

Such a peaceful moment passed by in a corner of this great metropolis.

The morning sunlight shone down on the parasols of the terrace seats, bathing us in softly tinted light.

In a small café where the sea breeze gently blew through, everything felt calm and harmonious—

“Yes, there is no mistake. It was indeed issued in Dusterfil. There were three dungeons on that continent… all of them natural grand dungeons, each comparable to one of our nation’s forbidden-zone dungeons. Someone who has cleared two of them—most likely a member of a large-scale exploration party, I would assume… How should we proceed?”

“I see… Anyone who operates within our country and makes conspicuous achievements is bound to catch our attention. How we deal with them will be decided after we observe them directly and make our own judgment. Good work on the report.”

“Yes. Then I will continue my duties at the Adventurers’ Guild.”

Around that time, one of the staff members of the Adventurers’ Guild in this great city—the female clerk who had handled Shizuma and the others’ procedures—was using a long-distance communication device, not particularly rare in this country, to report on them.

What the purpose of that report was, or for what reason it had been made, was still unknown.

Even so, someone lurking within this country had begun to keep a close watch on Shizuma and his companions.

Whether that someone would become an obstacle on their path… or something else entirely—