Rei entered the guardhouse and took the seat Ranga offered. Since Set wasn't by his side, he leaned the Death Scythe against the chair, keeping it within reach at a moment's notice.
Ranga gave a wry smile at the sight but proceeded to pour water from a pitcher into a wooden cup. He took a sip himself to prove it was safe before handing it to Rei.
"Thanks."
Rei downed the water in a single gulp. He hadn't had a drop to drink in the hours spent atop Set, and though the water was far from cold, his parched throat made it taste better than it had any right to.
"Would you like another?"
"Please."
Ranga refilled the cup and finally sat down across from Rei.
"Now then, where should we begin? Actually, let’s start with introductions. As I mentioned before, I'm Ranga, the captain of the Guard Force here in the City of Gilm."
"I'm Rei. The Gryphon outside is Set."
The brief introductions finished, Ranga spoke as if finally getting down to business.
"Right, let's start with this: what brings you to the City of Gilm?"
"Before I answer that, I have a question. Is there an Adventurer's Guild in this city?"
According to Zephyle’s knowledge, an Adventurer's Guild only maintained branches in major capital cities. However, Rei was realizing that his mentor's knowledge was only a loose reference at best.
"Well, of course there is," Ranga said, nodding as if it were obvious. "Even small villages usually have a branch, so there's no way a place like Gilm wouldn't have one."
As he thought. That settled it. Zephyle’s knowledge was ancient. Rei realized he would have to investigate later just how much of a discrepancy there was between his mentor's memories and reality.
He let out an internal sigh and spoke.
"That's good to hear. I've lived alone with my master since I was born, so I'm a bit out of touch with society. My purpose is simple: I came here to become an adventurer."
"...Based on how you spoke just now, did you not even know if we had a guild branch in this city?"
Ranga’s tone remained soft, but his eyes were sharp, looking for any sign of a lie. Rei merely gave a light shrug.
"As I said, I grew up in some nameless mountain range. My master was a magic nut who didn't care much for common sense."
"'Magic Arts'? You don't mean 'Magic'?"
Ranga asked curiously. It was another moment where the unreliability of Zephyle’s knowledge became clear.
"Magic? My master always called it 'Magic Arts'... Is it called 'Magic' here?"
"...I see. You really are isolated. People stopped calling it 'Magic Arts' centuries ago. Nowadays, everyone calls it 'Magic'."
Rei frowned slightly at the mention of "centuries," but he quickly regained his composure.
"If that's true, then my master really was incredibly out of touch. Well, he told me to go out and train and then used Space Magic Arts—or 'Magic,' I guess—to teleport me to some unknown place. I suppose that explains it."
"Training?"
"Yeah. He said I'd mastered the basics, so I should hone my strength on my own."
"I see, so that's why you're becoming an adventurer. By the way, is the Gryphon outside following you because of your magic?"
Rei took a sip of water and shook his head.
"It's not magic that keeps Set with me. Have you heard of the Tamer skill?"
"The skill to employ monsters? So that's how it is."
"Exactly."
"Hmm, I thought it might be Summoning Magic... but if it's taming..." Ranga trailed off, falling into thought.
Rei felt a prickle of unease but waited silently for the captain to continue.
"We do have some adventurers in this city who have tamed monsters," Ranga said. "But none of them have an A-Rank monster like a Gryphon. Most only manage D-Ranks at best, so I'm not quite sure how to handle this."
Rei didn't yet understand the specific power gap between A-Rank and D-Rank, though he could guess it involved combat potential and danger levels.
"Anyway, moving on. To enter the city, you're required to pay a tax."
In the world of Elgin, the currency followed a decimal system: ten Copper Coins made one Silver Coin, ten Silver Coins made one Gold Coin, and so on through Platinum and Light Gold. To Rei's perspective, a copper was roughly a hundred yen, and a gold coin was about ten thousand.
"Non-adventurers—travelers and merchants—pay a tax of one Silver Coin to enter," Ranga explained.
Adventurers were exempt from the entry tax to encourage them to use the city as a base. It was a matter of common sense; if an adventurer had to pay a silver every time a quest took them outside the walls, they would leave. History told of a greedy lord who refused to waive the tax, only to watch his territory collapse as adventurers fled, monsters overran the lands, and merchants stopped visiting. Ever since that lord was eventually slain in a peasant revolt, exempting adventurers had become an unwritten rule.
Rei let out a sigh. "In other words, since I'm not an adventurer yet, I have to pay?"
"That's right. Did your master not give you a parting gift?"
Rei shook his head. Since the "master" was a cover story, there were no pockets to pick.
"Hmm, that's a problem. I'd like to lend you the money, but regulations forbid it..." Ranga muttered, staring intently at Rei.
As a captain, Ranga couldn't let a suspicious person into the city. However, Rei didn't seem like a villain. On the contrary, he was clearly a powerful individual who could command an A-Rank monster and wield that massive scythe. Gilm was a frontier city with a constant need for monster hunters. Having a skilled adventurer join their ranks would bolster the city's safety, and Ranga didn't want to let him slip away.
"I know. Do you have anything you wouldn't mind selling? We can take it to a shop in the city on your behalf."
"Something to sell, huh..."
Rei thought of the legendary treasures in the Misty Ring given to him by the Zephyle Clan—dragon scales, bones, and Magic Items. He couldn't sell those. A scrawny teenager producing legendary materials would be far too suspicious. Besides, he wanted to use those for his and Set's equipment later.
Then, an idea struck him. He couldn't sell Zephyle's legacy, but his own kills were fair game.
"How about these?"
He reached into his mental inventory and pulled out twenty Jarm carcasses and a Water Bear pelt.
"A-An Item Box?! And wait—are these Jarms and a Water Bear pelt from the Forest of Magic?"
Ranga’s face filled with shock as the materials appeared out of thin air. Rei didn't realize it, but high-capacity Item Boxes like the Misty Ring were virtually legendary, with only a handful known to exist in the entire world.
"Did you... hunt these yourself?"
"Yeah. I was teleported into a forest and immediately attacked by that Water Bear. Set and I managed to kill it, though it was my first real fight, so it was a bit of a mess."
Rei gave an internal wry smile at the name Water Bear, which sounded like a literal translation of the Japanese name.
"Then you were definitely in the Forest of Magic. That's the only place around here where Water Bears and Jarms are found."
"The Forest of Magic?"
"Yeah. It's a dangerous place filled with high-rank monsters. They rarely leave the forest, so adventurers don't go in unless they're desperate for specific materials. Still, defeating a C-Rank Water Bear in your first battle is hard to believe."
"Believe what you like. Can you sell these for me?"
"Right, of course. I'll arrange it immediately."
Ranga snapped back to his senses and ordered several subordinates to take the items into the city. He turned back to Rei with an apologetic bow.
"My apologies. The appraisal will take a little time. Please wait here a while longer."
"Don't worry about it. You've given a warm welcome to someone who showed up with a Gryphon and no money. I'm not complaining."
"I appreciate that."
Ranga smiled, though his politeness was partially fueled by the realization that he couldn't win a fight against someone with an A-Rank monster. Still, his naturally kind disposition had certainly helped the situation.
About an hour passed as Rei and Ranga exchanged information. Just as the lunch hour ended, the soldiers returned.
"Captain, we're back. Here is the payment."
Ranga took the small bag and handed it to Rei.
"The Water Bear pelt was poorly processed, so it only fetched five Gold Coins instead of the usual seven. As for the twenty Jarms, they weren't butchered, so after the processing fees, they went for one Silver Coin each. That brings the total to seven Gold Coins."
Rei checked the bag. Inside were seven gold coins.
Seven gold coins... seventy thousand yen. A bit cheaper than I hoped.
He clicked his tongue inwardly, but since the lower price was due to his own amateur skinning, he had no one to blame. He pulled out one gold coin and handed it to Ranga.
"Here's the tax."
"Received. Here is your change—nine Silver Coins. Also, when you're walking through the city, please make sure your monster wears this necklace in a visible spot. It identifies him as a tamed creature. Be warned that if he causes any damage, the responsibility falls on you. Since your Gryphon is so large, I recommend the Dusk Wheat Inn on the east side of town. To be honest, it's the only place with facilities to house a creature that size."
"Got it. And the Adventurer's Guild?"
"Just follow the main street and you'll see it."
"Thanks for everything."
"Not at all. Welcome to the City of Gilm. May you find what you're looking for."
With Ranga’s blessing, Rei stepped out of the guardhouse and into the city.