Cecilia entrusted her beloved sword to Kalm as she left.
The carriage stopped, and I woke up. I wondered how long we had been traveling; judging by the scenery outside, it didn’t feel like a very long time. Karubene and Cecilia quickly got out of the carriage. Sharin still had a vacant look in her eyes.
“Um, hey Sharin. I, I’m sorry.”
It was unavoidable, but I still had to apologize. At my words, she widened her eyes.
“Wh-why are you apologizing? That was my fault. I caused you trouble.”
“Even so, it was still wrong to stab you, you know. Well, let’s call it even then.”
When I smiled at her, she let out a small smile as well. There was no point in dragging this out forever. Our journey would continue, and we didn’t have time to get hung up on something like this. I took Sharin’s hand and went outside.
“So this is Shindo… Amazing.”
The words slipped out unintentionally. Where we stopped seemed to be part of a transit station, with carriages bustling back and forth. Piles of luggage, throngs of people, and tall buildings could be seen in the distance. The variety of races present made our own presence feel unremarkable.
Beside me, Sharin was also staring in awe.
“This is incredible, it’s almost dizzying.”
The other companions were in the same state, frozen and unsure of what to do.
“Uh, let’s look for the library for the time being. A map would be nice.”
However, we didn’t even know where the information board was. Still, the number of carriages was astonishing. There were large ones, two-person ones, and even some pulled by Centaurs. Perhaps they were like taxis; a man waiting for customers was reading a newspaper while smoking.
We left the transit station as if fleeing. What appeared next was a row of shops. Chic cafes, cutting-edge fashion, general stores, and flower shops—they had everything. Of course, there were also shops selling weapons and armor. Unlike what we had seen before, the designs were novel. It was truly a city; Spring Harbor also had many people, but that place was more like a tourist destination.
All of us couldn’t help but look around, our country bumpkin selves on full display.
“Amazing, to think a world like this exists. I was surprised by the last place we were, but this is on a completely different level.”
“Y-yes, what should we do? Do I seem out of place? Ah, excuse me.”
Nina and Philiana were talking while almost bumping into people. In a place like this, even if there were lodgings, they would likely be expensive, and we might not be able to secure them. However, given how vast it was, splitting up would be difficult. It might be better to rent a room somewhere and leave everyone before we acted.
“Let’s look for lodgings before the library. Is there a place we can ask for directions, like a Guard Wing organization?”
Even so, we didn’t know that either. We had finally arrived, only for it to be completely meaningless.
“Brother, this way. I know!”
“I’m not asking for the location of a bar.”
After receiving a light headbutt from Karubene, we all followed her. The place we arrived at indeed had a similar building. However, instead of Harpies, Satyr were coming and going. At the entrance, a symbol depicting a goblet and two leopards was displayed.
“So this is the Satyr Guard Corps. Let’s ask them right away.”
Amidst the armed Satyrs coming and going, I gently entered and spoke to the receptionist. Standing there was a cute woman… perhaps she was a fawn? Judging by her deer-like legs, that must be it.
“Um, excuse me, are there any lodgings available around here?”
“Yes, hello and welcome to the Mainadyre Guard Corps. Are you traveling for leisure or business?”
“Uh, for travel. We’re quite a large group, so we’d prefer a place with many rooms.”
The receptionist pondered for a moment and took out a few brochures.
“I have some introductions here, but if you’d like to know more details, you should head to the tourism information center.”
This was a lifesaver. I never thought Karubene would actually be useful. I thanked her and left the Guard Corps. I called out to my companions waiting outside.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. We found the location of the information center. Thanks, Karubene.”
“Heh heh, well, I do know things. You’re welcome.”
“I can’t believe you’d actually give a serious recommendation, I’m surprised.”
As expected, Cecilia shot back a snarky remark, and Karubene was annoyed. We immediately decided to head to that information center.
