After Alex's silhouette vanished up at the second floor, the buddies of the man whom Alex threw rushed up and began casting curative magic on him. Their actions seemed to be the spark that caused the silent tavern to burst into clamor.
"...It seems he's as strong as he looks."
"Yeah, that's it. His arm strength is unbelievable; how did he train it?"
"He must be pretty confident to carry no weapons besides those two greatswords."
"Dammit, another guy's going to leap ahead of us as well."
The scattered conversations were filled with awe, surprise, and fear.
They all knew that Alex was not an ordinary person.
The first reason for that was his impressive sword; just one look was enough to conclude that it was a rare sword. Such a sword was hardly cheap, and one would need to have gone on many adventures as an experienced adventurer, in other words, to be able to purchase it.
One would need to be at least a silver plate in order to accumulate enough capital for such a feat. However, some people inherited their suits from their predecessors, and he did look like a noble brat with his servant in disguise.
That was why they wanted to take a measure of his ability.
Everyone here was a comrade and a competitor at the same time. They all wanted to know the strength of any newcomers. The circumstances from just now had occurred in the past as well, over and over again.
The truth was, everyone here had experienced this sort of thing in the past. However, none of them had passed the test so easily before. In other words, that pair of copper-ranked adventurers...
They would be very strong, either as rivals or allies. Everyone here was fully convinced of that.
"Now, how should we deal with those two?"
"Flirting with that beautiful woman is out of the question..."
"If only we could get them into our party..."
"You must be mistaken; they should be in our party."
"What does he look like under that helmet?"
"I'll go listen on their wall tonight."
"Didn't he mention the strongest man?"
"Could it be that he's a disciple of some dojo looking for strong opponents?"
"That's certainly possible. Leave this task to a big-eared thief like me!"
As the crowd eagerly discussed the mysterious pair, the innkeeper walked up to one of the adventurers.
•••
The wooden door shut with a dull thud, sealing off the outside world.
The room was sparse—bare walls, crude wooden bed frames, and a pair of chests at the foot of each. Hardly a place of comfort, but that was to be expected.
Stepping inside, I took a slow, sweeping glance around, assessing my temporary lodgings. With a sigh, I moved toward the window, pulling open the blinds. Sunlight and fresh air seeped through the gaps, offering the only real relief in this otherwise gloomy space.
Still, I felt a twinge of disappointment.
I hadn't expected Nazarick-level accommodations in this backwater town, but a part of me still found the setting… lacking.
"I can't believe he would dare let you stay in a place like this, Alex-sama," Solution murmured behind me, her distaste evident in her tone.
I smirked, closing the blinds once more.
"Don't be like that, Solution. Our goal is to become adventurers, and from there, grow our reputation until our names are known across the land. Until then, we might as well experience the life of a rookie firsthand."
I downplayed my own dissatisfaction, though I couldn't ignore the fact that the dim light barely illuminated the room.
Of course, that didn't matter to us—we both possessed darkvision. But for an ordinary person? This place would be nearly pitch black at night.
Solution remained silent for a moment before sighing.
"Still… the life of an adventurer is so mundane."
Adventurers.
Once, I had dreamed of that profession.
But in this world? Adventurers were nothing more than anti-monster mercenaries.
Sure, there were elements that fit the fantasy—delving into ruins left behind by kingdoms destroyed by the Demon Gods two hundred years ago, uncovering ancient mysteries lost to time—but for the most part, they were simply hunters.
Every monster possessed different abilities, requiring unique countermeasures that ordinary soldiers couldn't handle. Because of this, one might assume adventurers were heroes, admired and revered by the people.
But reality was far less glamorous.
The ruling authorities did not smile upon armed groups beyond their control.
So while adventurers earned good coin, they held little status.
It was a simple supply-and-demand situation.
A kingdom with a strong military had no need for adventurers—just as a company that could function with cheap temporary workers had no need to hire expensive full-time staff.
In such places, adventurers were seen as disposable, unnecessary in the grand scheme of things.
I exhaled, shifting my thoughts to more pressing matters.
"At any rate," I muttered, "we have no money at the moment."
All the coin I had earned from saving Carne Village had already been spent—used to register Solution and me as adventurers.
I sat on the edge of the bed, letting the mattress creak beneath my weight.
A moment later, Solution stepped forward, her movements elegant and deliberate.
Then, with a sultry smile, she leaned down, placing her hands on either side of me, effectively caging me in.
Her golden eyes gleamed with mischief as she purred,
"It's been a long day, Alex-sama… Why don't you let me help you relieve some stress?"
Her voice was silk, smooth and tempting.
I raised a brow, smirking slightly.
"Oh?"
Her fingers ghosted along my shoulder, trailing down toward my chest.
"Would you deny me the chance to serve you?"
I chuckled, leaning back slightly, my gaze meeting hers.
Perhaps the day had been longer than I realized…
~~~
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