The carriage rolled smoothly along the road, arriving at our destination after five days of travel.
The royal capital of the Ruines Kingdom.
Leaving the country had never been an option from the start.
After all, the land of my birth was relatively safe compared to the rest of the continent.
More than anything, it offered plenty of advantages for making a living as an adventurer.
"Erik! Well, see you around!"
With a wave, Alan disappeared into the bustling streets of the capital.
He had mentioned that he would be staying with relatives who lived here for a while.
He had arranged to meet them, but the scheduled time had already passed.
Clearing the capital gates had taken longer than expected, making us late, so Alan had rushed off in a hurry.
"Guess I'll head over to the inn I heard about, too."
Passengers had come and gone during the five-day journey.
Since it was a shared carriage, I had gathered plenty of useful information chatting with fellow travelers.
Along the way, someone had recommended an inn that was perfect for novice adventurers.
It was tucked slightly behind the main thoroughfare.
The alley wasn't dark or sketchy, just a quiet street with far less foot traffic than the bustling main road.
The sign read "Fledgling Pavilion."
It was a handsome, well-kept three-story building.
"Excuse me. Do you have a room available?"
"We sure do. Looking for the second or third floor? Third floor's pricier, just so you know."
"Second floor, please. How much for a night?"
"One silver coin a night with breakfast and dinner included. If you don't need meals, it's twenty copper coins."
Prices in the royal capital ran slightly higher than in smaller towns and villages.
In a city like this, twenty copper coins a night without food was a bargain.
There were five types of currency in circulation: iron, copper, silver, and gold.
Beyond that lay platinum coins, a denomination commoners virtually never saw.
Each tier was worth exactly one hundred coins of the tier below it.
"I'll take two nights with meals, please."
"Right then. Since you're staying with us, introductions are in order. I'm Amanda, the landlady. My husband, Ted, runs the kitchen, and our daughter, Anna, lends a hand now and then."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Amanda-san, Ted-san, and Anna-san. I'm Erik. I'm not an adventurer yet, but I'm planning to register soon."
After introducing myself to the landlady, I paid upfront and took my room key.
Once that was settled, Amanda-san offered to give me a quick tour of the building.
The first floor housed the reception desk, the dining area, a bathhouse, and the restrooms.
When I marveled that such an affordable inn had full bath facilities, she explained that an adventurer who had grown up here had paid to renovate the place a few years ago as a token of gratitude.
"So that's why the building looks so much nicer than the others around here."
"Exactly. We've had other adventurers hit it big, but that was the first one who ever came back to do something like that for us."
She also showed me a large communal room on the first floor meant for guests who only needed a place to sleep.
The capital hosted frequent festivals and events, so while the room was normally used for banquets or storage, they opened it up for lodgers during busy seasons.
The second floor contained twenty private rooms. Peeking inside, I saw each was furnished with a bed, a table, and a chair.
It was more than enough space to live comfortably—a real steal for twenty coppers a night.
Since the third floor happened to be completely vacant today, she gave me a look at those rooms as well.
Even without meals, the third floor cost a full silver coin, but the rooms were considerably larger.
With meals, it came out to two silver coins, making the second floor far more cost-effective for my budget.
Where the second floor had twenty rooms, the third had only ten.
Essentially, each third-floor room was the size of two second-floor units combined.
"Well, that takes care of food and shelter."
After the tour, I returned to my rented room and sank into the chair.
Outside, the sun was already sinking below the horizon. Amanda-san had mentioned dinner would be ready in less than an hour.
Under the circumstances, I decided against registering at the guild today, opting to spend the rest of the evening relaxing in my room.
Besides, spending five straight days bouncing around in a carriage had left my lower back aching.
I wouldn't be able to move properly if I tried to register in this state anyway.
"If I lie down, I'll just fall asleep, so I might as well get some studying done."
During the tour, Amanda-san had lent me a book.
It was an introductory guide that the Adventurer's Guild usually loaned out to rookies.
Titled Adventurer's Guide, the inn kept a copy on hand since so many novice adventurers passed through.
The owners had gone out of their way to buy it from the guild just so they could lend it to newcomers like me for free.
Grateful for their kindness, I decided to spend the time before dinner studying up for my registration tomorrow.
"Dinner's ready~! Are you awake in there~?"
"I'm awake! Thanks for coming to get me."
I had lost track of time while reading.
Hearing the knock at the door, I closed the book and opened it to answer.
Anna-san headed down the hall to knock on the other doors, while I made my way down to the dining hall ahead of her.
Dinner was a hearty spread of bread, vegetable soup, and meat.
Getting a meal like this for just one silver coin felt exceptionally generous.
I took my time, chewing each bite thoroughly.
"Look at you. You eat so politely for a kid. When Anna was your age, she'd shovel it down like it was going out of style."
"I always ate alone at home, so I guess I just picked up the habit of eating slowly."
I had never had the chance to share meals with my family.
The food was always set out, so I never went hungry, but we always ate separately.
My family gathered in the living room, but no place was ever set for me.
My only options were to eat standing up in the kitchen or carry the plate up to the attic.
Eating in the kitchen meant listening to the rest of the family talking and laughing.
Being excluded from those conversations always left a bitter taste in my mouth, so I had chosen the attic instead.
"...Good grief. You really lived like that all this time?"
"Pretty much since I learned to walk, so I got used to it."
"I see... No wonder you carry yourself so much older than your years. You grew up in a place where you had to be an adult, didn't you?"
With a soft sigh, Amanda-san silently set an extra cut of meat onto my plate.
When I looked up in surprise, she simply offered a warm smile. "On the house."
Still plenty hungry, I gratefully dug in.