Chapter 89

"We have just entered the city."

After being loaded into the carriage with Warca and her group, we departed from the Second Abatos Village and traveled for about 30 minutes. We finally arrived at the tourist city of Vizer.

"We will be heading into the central district, so please wait a moment."

"Yes."

The carriage was filled with a heavy atmosphere. Warca and her guards, including Silas, were seated across from Iksa, Garai, and me. Well, it's clear we're enemies, so there's no way we could create a friendly atmosphere. It's understandable.

"Hmm..."

To change the mood, I looked out the small window of the carriage. The streets of the tourist city flowed by. Indeed, compared to the last time I came, it seemed like the number of people had decreased a bit. The influence of the hot spring resort we created—Second Abatos Village—was clearly evident. Before long, we finally arrived at the massive wall. The carriage stopped, and the driver was probably negotiating with the gatekeepers to pass through.

"How was this wall built?"

I suddenly asked Warca.

"...We hired carpenters to construct it. Is there something wrong with that?"

"Wow, I just thought it would take quite a bit of time to build something this big."

"...We used a large number of people and completed it in a few days."

Warca spoke matter-of-factly, pushing up her glasses with her finger. ...However, her mannerisms and aura make her seem quite sexy. Is this what secretaries are like in any world? (Prejudiced). Or is it the lord's taste? (Even more prejudiced). While I was thinking about these things, the carriage started moving again. We finally arrived on the other side of the wall. I looked out the window at the scenery outside.

"..."

It was evening, and the sun was beginning to set. However, the streets inside the wall were quite bright. It was a world where desires swirled.

"Just as I imagined..."

"Yeah."

Garai responded to my mutter. It was a dazzling world, like Las Vegas or some other entertainment city. The bustling crowd was impressive, but the atmosphere of the people walking around felt different from the outside world. Wealthy people and those of high status. In addition, there were people who didn't seem to be on the straight and narrow.

"Sure enough, there are a lot of gambling facilities."

There were many places where gambling likely took place, like casinos. I remember seeing a couple in the capital, but there were more here.

"Wow, this is quite an entertainment city. It feels like a dreamland for the rich."

Iksa said, looking at the passing streets.

"I've heard they make a lot of money here."

"...We invited you today, but you will meet the lord tomorrow."

Ignoring Iksa's comment, Warca said.

"We have arranged accommodations for you. Since Prince Iksa is here, we cannot provide anything less than the best, so we have booked the most luxurious inn in the central district."

"That's very kind of you."

The carriage eventually arrived at a large accommodation. The exterior and interior exuded luxury, like a high-end hotel.

"Then, we will return here at noon tomorrow with the lord."

With that, Warca and her group left.

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"Wow! Amazing!"

Each of us was assigned a room that was clean, spacious, and decorated with high-end furnishings, a true suite. I threw myself onto the king-sized bed. My body bounced and returned to its original position. Hmm, it's no wonder we were treated as guests of the lord. The treatment is quite good.

"Well then..."

However, I have no intention of enjoying this situation and waiting idly until the meeting tomorrow. There was a knock on the door. When I opened it, Iksa and Garai were standing there.

"Mako, what do we do?"

"Yeah, we can't do anything about the meeting with the lord until we actually meet him tomorrow... I think we should take a walk around the city first."

"...You're going to look for the monk's sister and the other beast people, right?"

As Garai said, we decided to leave the inn and start observing the city and searching for the missing people.

"...But, this city is really amazing."

The streets were filled with entertainment, a mix of reality and fiction. There was also a somewhat seedy atmosphere, like a red-light district. I walked around the city, closely followed by Garai and Iksa.

"Damn it!"

At that moment, a rough roar came from the alley between two buildings. I saw two men in the dim light, one beating the other.

"There's no way I'm selling for such a small amount of money!"

"Please! I've lost almost all my fortune, and this is all I have left! Please! Sell me that drug!"

...Wow, it's like a scene from a foreign drama. I approached the two men.

"Excuse me..."

"...Huh?"

"!"

When I spoke, the man being beaten crawled away. The other man, who looked like a thug, glared at me.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing, I was just curious."

"It's none of your business, so back off."

"What drug were you talking about?"

I asked, undeterred by his aggressive stance.

"What? I said it's none of your business—"

"Probably a drug, right?"

Iksa joined in from behind.

"Where did you get it from... or is it made in this city?"

"...You bastards."

The man's frustration grew at our impertinence, but he was taken aback when he saw Garai standing behind us. This man... definitely a resident of the underworld. He's skilled at sensing dangerous people from their appearance and aura. He must have quickly realized that Garai was someone he shouldn't mess with.

"...Damn."

He spat and left the scene.

"...Just as I imagined..."

"Let's go."

We left the area and continued walking through the city. We saw casinos, seedy bars with provocative women, and buildings that likely hosted some kind of show.

"Let's try going into a random facility."

"Huh? Iksa, what's that...?"

I noticed a particularly large building at the end of the main street. It looked like a circular stone structure, familiar from somewhere. Maybe...

"...It's an arena."

Iksa said the same word I was thinking.

"Let's check it out."

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"Wow... the atmosphere is intense."

Inside, it was a circular arena. The audience seats were arranged in a bowl shape, and a fight was taking place in the center. It seemed that betting was also happening, and the audience was getting heated up.

"That's the match happening now."

In the center of the arena, a match was underway. One of the fighters was a large, muscular man, clearly strong and imposing. The other fighter was...

"Huh?"

I widened my eyes. The other fighter was a woman. She was wearing a corset-like armor, but her body lines and limbs clearly indicated she was female. What surprised me was the mask covering her face and the long rabbit ears on her head.

"Rabbit ears..."

"Hey! Today, I'll see you lose, Lavinia!"

"Get beaten to a pulp, beast woman!"

Insults were flying from the audience.

"Lavinia..."

"Rabbit beast people. Moe is also a Lavinia."

Iksa explained.

"Mako, maybe..."

"Yeah."

As I nodded, the match moved. The muscular giant raised his fist and lunged at Lavinia. His massive fist, larger than her head, seemed to be heading straight for her face. In an instant, Lavinia disappeared from the arena.

"Huh—"

No, she had jumped into the air, folding her legs and dodging the punch. In the next moment, she vanished from the air and reappeared, kicking the giant's head with her long legs.

"Ugh—"

The giant's head was knocked sideways, and he fell to his knees, collapsing. The bell signaling the end of the match rang, and Lavinia left the arena, showered with insults from the audience.

"Strong..."

"Yeah, that strength might be..."

Iksa, Garai, and I shared the same certainty. At that moment,

"Yay! I won! I won! I tried betting for the first time, and it was surprisingly easy!"

A familiar voice came from nearby. I turned to see a very familiar person.

"What are you doing here, Moguro?"

"Huh? Oh! Miss Mako! Prince Iksa! Mr. Garai!"

A short, small man with intellectual glasses. It was Moguro, the appraiser from the capital's adventurer guild.

"I didn't expect to meet you here!"

"That's what I was going to say. Why are you here?"

"Well, it's a bit embarrassing, but I used the secret technique of an appraiser to appraise Maple's past memories, right?"

The incident in the capital. When we cleared Garai's name of the noble murder accusation, Maple revealed the truth. Moguro's actions were a big help then.

"So, I couldn't use my appraisal powers for a month."

"Yes, in that case, I couldn't work at the adventurer guild, so I'm basically useless."

He said it himself.

"So, I took a vacation and came to Vizer, the famous tourist city. I heard about the area inside the wall."

"Is that so... By the way, Moguro, do you know about the missing S-rank adventurer?"

"Oh, you know about that too, Miss Mako?"

Moguro's eyes widened behind his glasses.

"Yes, I heard about it when I visited the adventurer guild in this city..."

He then lowered his voice and became serious.

"Actually, I came to the central district partly to search for Lunato."

You seemed to be enjoying the betting matches quite a bit.

"In that case, Moguro... the one who was fighting just now..."

"Yes, despite the mask, it's probably Lunato, one of the 11 S-rank adventurers, the 'Sky-Hopping Sprite.'"

Do S-rank adventurers get these titles?

Well, let's put that aside for now.

"Can we somehow make contact with her..."

"We need to start from there. The question is whether she joined the arena of her own will or if there are other circumstances. After all, adventurers are like independent contractors. They can take on or quit the job freely."

However, Moguro looked at the arena.

"Someone with her talent wouldn't be easily overlooked."

"...Moguro, can we talk for a moment?"

I explained the situation to Moguro. We will meet the lord tomorrow, and we will discuss this issue. With the lord's authority, he might be able to arrange a meeting with her.

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And the next day—.