Kousuke and his party were finally entering the royal capital of the Thausen Kingdom, having dealt with bandits, a typical event (?).
They had expected some trouble at the checkpoint entering the royal capital, but nothing of the sort happened, and the inspection proceeded as usual.
The merchant caravan that entered the royal capital was able to safely transport the goods to the trading company’s headquarters as planned.
The rest of the business negotiations and other matters were the responsibility of Renee and the other merchants.
Kousuke and the adventurers were supposed to disband at this point, but when the tribute arrived, the chairman of the trading company, Heino, who had come out to see them, cheerfully addressed the adventurers.
“Thank you for your hard work. It is thanks to your efforts that nothing was stolen along the way. We are holding a thank-you party tonight, would you like to attend?”
“Is that on you?”
Before Kousuke could say anything, Claire responded.
Kousuke had been the leader of the escort during the journey, but that role was now over.
Kousuke looked around and saw that not only Claire’s party but also another party were looking at Chairman Heino with expectant eyes.
Heino, perhaps having anticipated this, nodded without losing his smile.
“Of course. We will inform you of the details later, so please let us know where you are staying.”
Heino said this and then turned his gaze to his subordinate, who was standing to the side.
This meant that the subordinate would handle the arrangements for the drinking party.
“Alright. Let us know when it’s decided.”
Claire said this and left with her companions.
The other party was heading in the same direction.
Since the request was finished, they would probably go to the Adventurer’s Guild to complete the paperwork.
“Well then, shall we go too?”
Kousuke said this to Kouhi and Mitsuki, who were on either side of him.
Renee, noticing this, stopped her business negotiations for a moment and spoke to Kousuke.
“Ah. Kou-san. Thank you for your hard work. You will be able to attend the party, won’t you?”
“Yes. Well, given the situation, it’s unlikely I could decline.”
Kousuke said this while laughing, and Renee also smiled.
If Kousuke were to say he would decline, it was clear that Claire and her group would drag him into it by force.
Kousuke didn’t dislike that kind of camaraderie among adventurers, and more importantly, he had no intention of declining in the first place, so there was no problem.
“Indeed. Then, let’s discuss the details of this time then.”
What Renee meant was that they should talk about what happened during the journey.
There was no particular deep intention behind it.
“Understood.”
Kousuke understood this as well, so he replied with a slight nod.
After completing the request procedures, just like Claire and the others, they looked for an inn to stay in for the night.
This time, they decided to stay at a slightly more expensive inn, just like they did in Sauril City.
The original purpose was a慰安旅行 for Kouhi and Mitsuki.
They could probably afford to be a little extravagant.
However, Kousuke’s income from developing magic tools alone was comparable to the budget of an entire country, so staying at inns like this caused no particular problems.
Not only did no one object, but if Schmidt found out, he might have questioned why they were staying at such a cheap inn.
Guided by an employee, Kousuke and the others entered their lodging and were surprised by something they found.
“Oh!?”
“Oh my.”
Kousuke and Mitsuki exclaimed, while Kouhi also looked up at the ceiling of the room in surprise.
“Oh. You have a good eye. Do you know what that is?”
Noticing their gaze, the employee’s expression became somewhat proud.
In their line of sight was the room’s lighting, a magic tool.
Even though the room was set at a higher price, exports to foreign countries should still be limited.
Although the Thausen Kingdom had direct dealings with Razek Amamiya, Kousuke hadn’t expected it to reach inns like this.
“Ah. It’s lighting made by Razek Amamiya, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Originally, it should be prioritized for nobles. However, there are many nobles who prefer traditional lighting, so it trickles down to places like ours.”
Hearing the employee’s explanation, Kousuke nodded in understanding.
It was the same in Razek Amamiya that some people preferred traditional lighting.
The city on the fifth floor was a newly established city, so the new lighting developed by Kousuke was widespread. However, in older cities, some mansions still insisted on traditional lighting.
Kousuke believed that as long as they could be maintained, there was no need to eliminate either, as each had its own charm.
He believed that diversity was important in all things.
“Is that so? Well, thanks to that, we can spend a bright night, so we should be happy about it.”
“Hahaha. That’s true.”
The employee, while explaining how to use the room, engaged in such light conversation and then left.
“Oh. Kou-san, are you staying at that inn?”
At the drinking party, Renee said this when Kousuke mentioned the inn.
“Do you know it?”
“Yes. It’s a good inn, although it’s a bit pricey.”
Renee said she had stayed there before.
The previous time she stayed there, a business partner had provided the accommodation.
“I can’t afford it now, but it’s a recommended inn if you have an income like Kou-san’s.”
Renee, knowing that even C-Rank adventurers could earn quite a bit, said this without hesitation.
She knew that with Kousuke and his party’s abilities, they could easily handle C-Rank requests.
Therefore, she could predict their income.
Also, since she knew that this request had a considerable reward, she also knew that staying at that inn for about a week would be fine.
Chairman Heino of the trading company joined Renee and Kousuke’s conversation.
Heino had been busy dealing with the tribute, but he had finally made time to attend the venue.
By the way, the place where they were drinking was a place the trading company usually used for meetings and similar gatherings, and it had been prepared for this occasion.
Food and drinks were being served one after another, all paid for by the trading company.
“Thank you for your hard work. Thanks to you, it looks like we can deliver it safely to the royal family… although we can’t let our guard down until the very end.”
For Heino, the real challenge was about to begin.
He couldn’t afford to be careless until it was completely handed over to the royal family.
By the way, the tribute that was in Kouhi’s Item Box was directly handed over to Heino.
Heino, who learned this for the first time, showed an impressed expression and even seriously considered if similar arrangements could be made.
It was unclear what Heino did afterward, but he was likely taking some measures.
However, this was no longer Kousuke and his party’s concern.
“No. This was our job, after all.”
When Renee said this, Heino shook his head from side to side.
“No, no. I believe this couldn’t have been accomplished without you.”
Heino said this with a preamble that he was not being modest, and he seemed to genuinely mean it.
“It should be said that it was accomplished not by us, but by Kou-san and his party.”
“Yes. I heard as much from the report.”
Thinking about the journey they had taken, Renee and Heino looked at Kousuke and said so.
When Kousuke received their gazes, he thought that being modest now would be sarcastic, so he simply replied with a slight smile.
This was just a regular chapter without any particular events.
What shall we do next? lol
