The Town of Noblebark

Despite the absurdity of Ram nearly plowing us headfirst into the city walls, we managed to reach our destination in one piece.

"Did you eat something strange on the way here?" I asked.

"I-I didn't eat anything, mee! It tasted vile, so I spat it out, mee!"

Wait, does she actually think spitting it out makes it safe?

I couldn't help but look at her with pure exasperation.

"Well, if you were grazing on the road, I guess you don't need dinner tonight."

"Th-That's cruel, mee! Are you trying to kill me, mee?"

"He has a point," Elu chimed in. "We don't need to worry about finding ingredients in a town like this. It would be a waste of a good meal."

"No matter how you look at it, you’re just eyeing me as the main course, mee!"

Having shrunk back down to her small form upon entering the city, Ram was currently fuming atop my head. Ignoring her antics, I turned my attention to Luna.

"We’ve officially entered the Empire now that we're in this town, right?"

"……Yes."

Luna nodded, though she scanned our surroundings with a hint of uncertainty. Perhaps she had never been to this specific town before.

Despite its proximity to the neighboring Beast Kingdom, the place wasn't bristling with excessive military fortifications. On the other hand, it wasn't a decaying ruin like the neglected frontier of the Kingdom of Inraku, either.

It was a fortified city, the entire perimeter enclosed by a City Wall, yet the gates stood wide open with a steady flow of foot traffic. The streets were meticulously paved with cobblestones, likely to accommodate heavy carriage traffic. While the buildings were clearly aged, their weathered, off-white facades seemed to whisper the long history of the town.

Just past the gate, a row of inns greeted travelers. Further in, shops and eateries lined the path. Following the road straight toward the intersection of the central main street, I spotted the Lord's Mansion. Clustered around it were various public institutions: the guardhouse, the soldiers' Training Grounds, the Mercenary Guild, and the commerce guild.

The layout was pragmatic, clearly prioritizing the convenience of merchants and visitors. By funneling the flow of guests into a single main artery, the authorities could easily spot anyone acting suspicious or moving off the beaten path.

"Fritz, we might be able to use this layout as a reference for our own territory," I noted.

"True. We’re focused on mercenaries for now, but a logical setup like this would keep people from getting lost. If I had to nitpick, I’d say it needs a few more taverns—"

"Emilina, what’s your take?" I interrupted.

"Considering the location of Alf Town, developing it into a Trading State seems like a wise path forward," she replied smoothly.

"It’s a city, not a state."

"Ah, quite right. For now."

Her words carried a heavy, suggestive weight. Perhaps she had caught wind of information regarding the Kingdom of Inraku making a massive pivot toward becoming a trade-centric nation.

She always had a habit of dodging the core of the matter. It was exactly why I couldn't shake the suspicion that she was actually a covert assassin sent by the state. She was a character from the Original Game, after all. If I let her get too close, it would be a one-way ticket to my own ruin.

She was highly competent, so the best move was to keep her at arm's length—maintaining a professional relationship while ensuring she had enough "good" things to report about me to her superiors.

"Fee, what do you think?"

"Hmm... Fee doesn't really know. I want to see where everyone lives, too."

By "everyone," she meant the common residents. I had been judging the town based on its main thoroughfare, but a city was defined by its people. To truly understand the place, I needed to see the residential districts.

"You’re right. I completely overlooked that. Thanks, Fee."

I patted her head in gratitude. She looked down happily, a soft red tint dusting her cheeks.

"Well then, let's—"

"We should probably present ourselves to the Lord first," Luna interrupted.

"I agree," Elu added. "Since you and I are here as representatives of the Beast King, a formal greeting to the Lord is a necessity."

Behind them, I could see Gale and Lark—the captured Single Digits—messing around with Ram.

"Take this, you stupid sheep ball! That's for earlier!"

"Yeah! I'm gonna kick this meat across the square!"

"S-Stop it, mee! Help me, mee!"

They were taking full advantage of Ram's miniaturized form, treating her like a soccer ball. I sighed. They were asking for it.

"That's it! I'm mad now, mee!"

Ram suddenly surged back to her full size and snapped her jaws, "eating" the two of them in one go. After a few seconds of muffled screaming and chewing, she spat them out with a wet thud.

"D-Dammit... we still can't beat her?"

"This lamb fairy is a monster..."

The two men lay on the ground, drenched in sheep drool and looking thoroughly defeated. Ram immediately shrank back down and puffed out her chest with a haughty air.

"If you've learned your lesson, stop treating me like an ingredient, mee!"

Is that even possible when you look exactly like a sheep? I wondered. Still, there was a strange sense of relief in seeing the two prisoners and the monster getting along so well.

"Fine. Let's go see when the Lord can receive us."

I doubted we’d get an audience the same day, which would give us a few days to scout the town. But as we approached the central main street on our way to the Lord's Mansion, a young man I didn't recognize suddenly dropped to one knee before us.

"Whoa!?"

"Luna-sama, Lark-sama, Gale-sama... thank you for making the long journey to this place."

Apparently, he had business with the Imperial faction of our group. I figured it had nothing to do with me and tried to keep walking, but Luna grabbed my sleeve and held fast.

"Stay. Please," she whispered.

"……Fine."

It seemed she wanted me to hear this. I stood my ground.

"And you are?" Luna asked.

"Forgive my late introduction. I am the Ninety-first Rank, Hugo. I have come to this town under the orders of a certain individual to search for a man named Yuri."

"Then your search is over," Luna said flatly. "Yuri is already head over heels for my charms."

"Don't go adding your own delusions to the facts! And Elu, Fee—stop glaring at me!"

The peaceful atmosphere evaporated instantly as the air around the girls turned sub-zero.

"I see," Hugo replied, his face a mask of professional neutrality. "Head over heels. I shall report exactly that to the personage in question."

"Mhm. Do that."

Hugo didn't even bother listening to my protest. The two of them had reached an accord without me, and just as quickly as he had appeared, the man named Hugo vanished into the crowd.