"Who are you, and for what reason do you wish to enter this city?" asked one of the guards who had already prepared his spear just in case.
Come on, he doesn't need to be that wary of us, right?
Luke and I immediately got down and stood in front of them, explaining who we were and why we came here.
"We're an adventurer party from Necvalion, we just want to take a slightly different mission in this city," I said.
No, I'm not going to say that you are a friend of the chosen one who will become the savior of this world.
If I were to reveal who we truly are right away, I'm sure the situation wouldn't be in our favor at all.
"That's right, and we also use this carriage as a place to rest during the night," said Luke, giving them a smile.
As much as possible, Luke and I spoke very politely to them so we wouldn't be suspected.
"What's inside?" asked the guard.
The carriage door immediately opened, and Hime and Yuu-chan came down and stood beside us.
"We're also part of this adventurer party, and there's no one else inside," said Hime.
As if not believing Hime's words, the guard forcefully walked past us who were standing there.
He peeked through the door, trying to see what was inside.
Well, he won't find anything, just beds, a sofa, food and drink supplies… uh, what else?
If he insists on searching deeper, I might have to ask him not to mess up the neatly arranged items.
"Sorry, lately we've been having internal issues that make us more alert toward anyone who wants to enter these two cities, including important people," said one of the guards in front of us.
I feel like the guard in front of us is much more polite and better-behaved than the one still peeking into our carriage.
Important people, huh? Maybe like the city ruler or some big merchant? Well, if that's the case, it's fair.
"It's fine, after all it's natural for you to act that way since you want to maintain the peace in your city," said Luke.
"Originally, the number of guards stationed at this gate was only half of today's. But because of those monsters! We all have to work extremely hard, and some of us aren't even allowed to go home yet," said the guard.
"So the situation really is chaotic then?" Hime asked.
"Not just chaotic, anyone who goes home without permission might have their membership revoked, and they won't be allowed to work here anymore," the guard replied.
"People say those monsters are messengers from Abbys, but I don't believe that at all," he added.
Hearing that, I became a little confused by this guy.
"Why do you think so?" I asked.
"Those monsters are different from the ones that have attacked this city before. Their forms are very different, and there's no way they are troops of Abbys," he replied.
"Monsters belonging to Abbys's troops are usually smaller and don't have strong auras, but it's the complete opposite of what you're wary of right now," he continued.
"Well, my job is only to guard here. If they attack again, there are archers stationed on top of the walls. They can attack those monsters from afar."
The guard who had inspected our carriage finally finished his act and returned to stand in front of us. He spoke to the guard who had been talking to us.
"They're clear, no signs of intruders or spies," he said.
"It has been decided, you may enter. But, which city do you wish to enter?" the guard asked.
——
We got back into the carriage after telling them we wanted to enter the city of Vannis.
After entering and turning left, we were stopped again by a small checkpoint, with procedures identical to the one at the gate earlier.
Well, luckily we could enter without any issues.
We immediately came across a large road with only an empty field on its sides, with not a single building.
So this is the restricted area that can't be used carelessly, huh?
Not long after this empty land, there were rows of trees, and after passing them, we reached the edge of the city.
"So, where are we going now?" I asked.
"Hmm…" Luke immediately began thinking after hearing my question.
"How about the guild? We can stop by for a bit, and try telling them that we're here to defeat the Abbys threat that will attack," suggested Hime from inside.
"Good idea, and I also have a letter stating that we are a hero party, signed by Charles-san himself," said Luke.
Huh? This is my first time hearing that, and I was quite shocked.
"Is Charles-san's signature that influential?" I asked.
Unexpectedly, Hime and Luke answered the same word at the same time, cornering me.
"Of course!" they both said.
"Just so you know, almost all churches and the priests inside them know who Charles-san is. They even have copies of his signature from the past," said Hime.
"Besides that, Charles-san has been appointed as an honored priest who started the hero party's journey that ended five years ago. That's why Charles-san is quite famous in all the churches in this world," said Luke.
W-whoa… I didn't expect Charles-san to be someone that important in this world.
If he ever fell ill or passed away, the world would definitely go into mourning.
Geh! Why am I imagining him dying that easily? No, no. I shouldn't think about something like that.
"O-okay, I get it now. But what if the guild doesn't believe us?" I asked.
"They'll definitely take us to the city leader so they can confirm who we are. From what I've heard, the leader is a good person," said Luke.
I'm not sure where he heard that from, but it might be true.
"Also, I heard the food here is cheap and delicious," Hime added.
"Does that include cooking ingredients?" I asked.
"Of course," she replied.
"Great, we can buy some and put them in the carriage. Our supplies have been pretty drained since we left," I said.
"Let's do that before we complete our task in this city," said Luke.
I'm curious how cheap and tasty the food in this city really is.
If possible, I'll even use part of my money to exchange for delicious meals.
As far as I remember, I still have about a dozen silver coins and dozens of bronze coins in my small pouch.
Since they say the prices are cheap, I'm counting on you, merchants of Vannis!