Volume 2 Chapter 18 Different Clothes Than Usual
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
They teleported from the training ground to the East End town.
The destination of the teleportation was in front of the gate leading to the western street.
There were no barriers up, and it would have been nice if they could have jumped directly to the inn, but it seemed Owl intended to show the guard his pass.
”Let’s go, Kian.”
Seeing the friendly smile of the owl knight, the guards were sending suspicious glances at Kian.
They couldn’t understand how a knight, someone who could be considered their superior, was being so friendly with a low-ranked foreign adventurer──clearly, they were puzzled.
As for Kian, he wanted to head to the Guild’s training ground to try out the Windsong Blade, but he felt uneasy about leaving Owl behind without saying “Thank you, goodbye,” especially since he had been so kind.
So, he invited Owl to have a drink at a tavern, but Owl shook his head and said:
”It’s still daytime. According to the knights’ code, we aren’t supposed to consume alcohol during the day.”
”Speaking of which, Sir Oswald mentioned something like that.”
”…Aside from being filthy with money and power, he is an excellent knight.”
Underneath his glasses, the owl knight frowned slightly.
He pushed up his glasses nervously and continued.
”Originally, the Knights of the Sun are nothing more than an autonomous force protecting the peace and tranquility of the frontier, serving loyally under their lord, Margrave Izerland, and punish those who ignore the law and trample on ethics. What could he have done wrong to make Her Excellency make such unreasonable loans? As soon as they found out that corrupt ministers were embezzling the aid, he should have stopped providing it. There’s no point in curing the problem unless you cure it from the root.”
(I think it’s better not to talk about Oswald in front of this person.)
’Now is the time?’
’Glasses’s voice sounds exasperated.
Owl looked up in surprise and lowered his eyebrows.
”I’m sorry. I don’t need to tell you this.”
”No, I’ll forget it right away.”
”I would appreciate it if you could do that. Also, please keep quiet about everything you saw in the training grounds.”
”Haha. Someone like me, a low-ranked adventurer, wouldn’t have much influence if I said anything. I’d just be ignored.”
”No, rumors tend to spread from small places. Please be sure not to spread it around.”
”Of course.”
Kian nodded and began to walk.
He thought it would be in the way of the people passing by on the street.
Owl followed closely behind him like a ghost.
”Are you heading back to the inn now?”
”That’s my intention. If I’m forbidden from drinking alcohol, then there’s nothing I can do about it. I’ll thank you next time for the ride.”
”Don’t worry about that. I’m satisfied as long as you tell me about Azrael.”
”Even if you say that, I haven’t left the town for 15 years.”
”Ah, as long as I can learn about people’s lives and culture, that’s enough for me. …So, you don’t know about the recent issues with immigration?”
”Immigration? From Azrael?”
”Yes.”
Owl nodded.
He deftly avoided a woman selling vegetables as he continued walking.
”Recently, many Azraelians have been coming to the border area. Apparently, there was a terrible drought in Islara town… On top of that, bandits calling themselves ‘Azrael’s Death Sword User’ have appeared, and are killing wealthy merchants and caravan owners. As a result, trade has stalled, and some towns are no longer able to survive, and residents are fleeing.”
”I didn’t know”
”I’m still a merchant, so I hear all kinds of stories when I’m doing business.”
”Well, recently I often see Azraelian at the town stalls.”
”They must be the residents who have fled from the area around Islara. Since they originally made a living through trade, they are likely heading to East End in search of a new land. This town has many adventurers, and those who are intermediate rank or higher possess quite a bit of money. Recently, this town has grown to a significant economic scale that cannot be ignored by my merchant guild.”
Owl glanced from a distance at a group of adventurers transporting the massive carcass of a ‘Spoon Wing’ on a cart along the main street.
”The level of borderland adventurers has definitely increased. Do you know the current Guild Master, Kian?”
”It’s Mr. Friedrich, right? Yes, of course.”
”He is exceptional. He has created beginner-friendly quests for the adventurers who often die recklessly during their early days, and he has also established guidelines for adventurers. It seems that the death rate of novice adventurers has decreased to less than half compared to ten years ago.”
”Now that you mention it, it does seem like the environment has become less lethal for newcomers.”
”With fewer adventurers dying before they can bloom, the surviving adventurers are creating new ‘hunting wisdom’… The decrease in the death rate is surely raising the overall level of the Adventurer Guild. It won’t be long before the day comes when the adventurers from this East End town will be said to be the most skilled in Her Excellency Maribel’s territory.”
”There are also fierce ones like Rean, after all.”
”Haha.”
Owl pushed up his glasses and slightly opened his narrow eyes.
From beneath his eyelids, a pair of cold, ruthless predator’s eyes resembling those of an owl briefly revealed themselves.
”He’s… probably obsessed with bad things. I would advise you to stay away.”
”Is it something bad…?”
”Have you ever seen him up close? The hand that holds the magic sword casts a dark shadow, and the magic power that surrounds him gives off the smell of death. The Grim Reaper must be with him.”
Owl said, raising the corners of his mouth so high it looked as if his ears would burst.
He seemed to laugh.
From the well-defined mouth, non-human jagged teeth peeked out.
(What a grand way to put it… Indeed, Rean is quite taciturn in private.)
’By the way, according to the memories, you were once part of Rean’s party for a time, weren’t you?’
(Ah, yes, for about 3 months as a scout. It was when they were just starting out. I even taught them some basics on how to navigate dungeons… but I was quickly outpaced and cast aside as unnecessary, leading to my expulsion from the party.)
’Why do you get expelled so often?’
Just as he was about to respond with, “Because I’m useless,” Owl, who had been walking beside him, spoke up again.
”If you don’t mind, would you like to visit a store under my merchant guild’s control? They should have useful accessories for adventurers.”
”Really? But things like jewels are so expensive for me…”
”What’s your budget?”
”I’d say around 200 silver coins.”
”I see. Well, looking is free. If you’d like, I can show you around──”
Owl had been eagerly continuing his words, but suddenly, he turned his gaze toward the scenery of central street and came to a halt, as if struck dumb.
Kian also stopped and looked ahead.
(Ah…)
’Oh dear. It is the tavern’s raucous atmosphere. It is worse than yesterday.’
Just as ‘glasses’ had said…
In front of the taverns on the left and right of the main street.
Almost n*ked women were soliciting customers.
Screams of screaming and squealing could be heard all around.
Adventurers taking a break from hunting are allegedly molesting the indecent-dressed waiters at the tavern.
It may be one thing at night, but this is probably the first time he has seen public morals being violated in the daytime, even though Kian has lived in this town for over a decade.
”What is that?”
Owl muttered in a high-pitched, husky voice.
He was shaking the feathers on his armor.
It was a little funny, like an owl after a bath, but Kian couldn’t bring himself to smile.
If he laughed, his friendship with the angry owl next to him would probably go beyond a breakdown and explode.
”Hey, what’s all this fuss about?”
Owl furrowed his brow and called out to a nearby guard passing by.
The two or 3 guards who were stopped looked at the strange bird-like man with suspicion, but upon seeing the insignia on Owl’s armor, they immediately changed their expressions.
”It’s a tavern business, sir.”
”Business…? They look like they’re naked.”
Owl pointed at the tavern storefront nearby.
Most of the women trying to attract customers appeared to be brown-skinned and likely from Azrael.
Could they be the immigrants he heard about earlier?
They wore nothing but string-like underwear and swayed their hips.
Their bodies were almost completely exposed.
(It’s erotic. But it might be a smart business move.)
Kian thought to himself.
It would be difficult to have a girl from the East End do that.
There’s a high chance her family lives in town, and openly exposing her genitals would mean her life is pretty much over in various ways.
The compensation would likely become quite substantial.
However, for an immigrant woman, the wages paid would be low.
Ethically, it’s questionable.
And what about the legality in the East End──?
Next to Kian, Owl curled his lips in disdain.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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