Heading south from Rebvuer leads you to the Urizaris City-State Union. It was formed by several small nations banding together to stand against their neighbors. Calling them city-states might be more accurate than calling them countries, though. Most of them consist of a single central city, with a mayor overseeing the administration.
The Neutral Nation of Lafres sits in isolation, tucked away within the cluster of city-states. It’s an independent nation that maintains its distance from the union.
Compared to the surrounding city-states, Lafres is tiny. It has no notable industries, and word has it that every resident is associated with the Adventurer's Guild. That made me wonder how they handled things like food production, but I didn’t know enough about the area to be sure.
At any rate, we passed through several city-states before finally reaching Lafres. A massive wall stretched across the border, with a single gate providing entry. Two men who appeared to be guards stood before it. The older of the two called out to us.
"The Neutral Nation of Lafres is just ahead. Let me ask, just to be sure—are you visiting the Adventurer's Guild Headquarters?"
"Yes, that’s right. Is there any paperwork we need to do?"
"It’s not exactly paperwork, but there is something I need to explain. While there are several gates for entering and exiting Lafres, you can generally only leave through the same gate you used to enter. Keep that in mind."
"Is that so?"
"Because each one connects to a different country, you see."
Apparently, it was a rule to prevent residents of neighboring countries from using Lafres as a shortcut. Even though they were called a union, they were still separate nations, and I was told they were set up so people couldn't just migrate freely. Well, it didn’t have much to do with adventurers, though.
"Still, it's rare to see children like you coming here. Usually, it's mostly rugged-looking middle-aged men who come through. There are plenty of people with faces that make you wonder if they're bandit bosses. No, well, most of them are honest adventurers, of course."
I found myself wondering if his "brief explanation" was ever going to end.
The older guard continued to prattle on about irrelevant matters with a cheerful grin. Just as I was debating how to handle it, his colleague took pity on us and stepped in.
"Old man, that’s enough. You’re bothering the kids."
"Ah, sorry about that. I’m just bored, so I can't help myself..."
The older guard gave a sheepish laugh. It certainly seemed like there were few people coming and going. After all, there was no one else here besides us.
I thought it was strange since the Adventurer's Guild Headquarters was located here, but I suppose that's just the way it is. People with requests usually rely on their local guild branch; there's no reason to come all the way to headquarters. Since there’s no industry, merchants don’t come either. The only ones who show up are likely adventurers.
With the guards seeing us off, we passed through the gate. Since it was called a "gate," I thought it might be something special, but it was perfectly ordinary.
Beyond the gate, instead of a cityscape, we were greeted by stone walls and floors. It looked like we were inside a building. A long, straight corridor stretched ahead, leading to a small room in the distance, but otherwise, the place was empty.
"Should we just keep going?"
"That’s what those men said, right?"
There were no people and no objects. It was so bleak that everyone seemed a bit bewildered.
"Is this the city?"
"No, this is still the gate, I should think."
"Eh, the gate? What do you mean?"
"Look, there is a room just ahead, is there not? A teleportation circle is drawn there."
I see. So the "gate" referred to a teleportation circle. We would teleport to the city from there, then.
"I wonder why they make it so you can't walk there directly?"
"Who knows?"
Even when I asked Garna, she only tilted her head. I suppose that was only natural. This headquarters had apparently been built after Garna started being treated as an evil god.
Well, whatever. It was no use staying here forever, so we moved on.
We headed into the room with the teleportation circle. It was a cramped little space, probably less than five square meters. Strange patterns were etched into the floor in faintly glowing white lines. So, this was the teleportation circle.
As we stepped into the room, the light of the circle grew stronger. At the same time, the entrance to the room shut with a heavy metallic clank.
"Is it a trap!?"
"Calm yourself. It is dangerous to leave the circle during teleportation, you see. It must be a mechanism to ensure safety. We need only wait."
Garna spoke to soothe the cautious Lowell. It made sense; it would be a disaster if only half of your body got teleported.
I nodded in understanding and waited. Soon, the teleportation circle began to glow blue. Space wavered. Just as I realized the teleportation had begun, we found ourselves standing in a completely different place.
"...Wait, what is this?"
Before my eyes stood a row of iron bars—a classic prison grate. To my left, right, and rear were nothing but stone walls. Part of the grate seemed to be a door, but it was firmly locked. No matter how much I rattled it, it wouldn't budge.
"Are we locked in?" Halfa muttered anxiously.
I wanted to tell her she was wrong, but I couldn't. No matter how you looked at it, this place was a dungeon cell.
"What is this noisy buzzing sound, anyway?"
Shiroru seemed more concerned with the noise. A high-pitched alarm had been blaring ever since we arrived, its tone designed to incite anxiety.
I wondered what exactly was going on here.