The next day after daybreak.

　After breakfast at the inn, Helian and his group appeared outside the inn.



　Although the sun had only just risen, there was a fair amount of pedestrian traffic on the street in front of the inn. The fact that many of them seem to be dressed in armed uniforms may be related to the fact that this area, located in the northern part of the city, is a labyrinthine area.



"Well, I ate a lot. It's a good thing I only paid one large silver coin for all that food.



　It is Gardi who is rubbing his belly in satisfaction.

　Apparently, the breakfast served in the inn's dining room was enough to fill his stomach.

　He had to pay for his meals separately from the accommodation fee, but Gardi was right that the breakfast was too much for a breakfast.



　By the way, Gardi had five second helpings.

　A large silver coin for five servings of this dish is certainly inexpensive.

　It is about the same price as a small dinner in Japan.

　The price setting may have something to do with the fact that many of the guests are adventurers who are genuine manual laborers.



"Well, I'm sure they'll be satisfied if they eat that much. ......"



　Ceres responds in disgust.

　On the other hand, he is more positive, saying that he was satisfied with the amount of food. Rieve doesn't say anything, but she doesn't seem to be particularly dissatisfied, judging from the way she gobbled up the two servings of food.



　However, Helian, walking with the three of them behind him, has a disappointed look on his face.



(How could they ...... eat that food normally?)



　I grumbled inwardly as I secretly rubbed my stomach so that the three of them would not notice.



　To tell the truth, Helian was interested in the local cuisine to a certain extent. She is even a challenger to the extent that she orders something she has never tried before when she goes to a restaurant for the first time.

　Perhaps it was her longing for the cuisines of fantasy worlds, but she also had secret expectations for the food in this city.

　And my expectations were betrayed through the breakfast at the inn.



　I am not saying that the food was bad.

　In fact, I even thought it was good at first.

　However, all of the dishes served to us were strongly seasoned and excessively rich in flavor.

　I could enjoy the taste only until the third bite, and the rest of the time I had to work hard to stuff the food into my stomach.

　I had been shocked by the strong flavors of the food when I visited Europe and the U.S. on a previous family vacation, but this was easily beyond that level.



　I managed to finish the meal, but it would be hard if I had to do this every day. We would have to eat the food we brought with us from our home countries in between meals. It is important to get accustomed to the local food, but it is no good if you fall ill before you get used to it.



(The bath was a steam bath, not a soaking bathtub type. ......The culture gap is hard to get used to.)



　In the changing room, Helian, with a towel wrapped around his waist, was greeted not by hot water in the bathtub but by a closed room filled with steam. Although the dust from the trip had cleared, as a Japanese, I could not shake off the feeling of disappointment. I was not expecting a large public bath like those in Japanese hotels, but I wanted to soak in the hot water at least.

　I swallowed a sigh and walked onward, thinking that I should get used to the local customs as soon as possible.



I mean, you eat too much in the morning, don't you? I'm getting heartburn just looking at you.

"No, you're lucky to be able to eat. Remember the first war period a hundred and twenty years ago, when the supply lines were cut off and we had to fight for almost a month without food. Of course it has to be good, but you can eat as much as you want. It's not like it's particularly bad, so I can't complain about it.

"I think the comparison is too harsh. Well, I'm sure it was pretty hard for you at the time. Most of the kids in my class died because of it.

"In our mixed unit, only five of us survived, including me. Well, that brings back memories."



　It was a heavy conversation.

　The history of Alkimaira is rather tragic, as it was almost destroyed once.



　Incidentally, Gardi was not originally created with the intention of making him the leader of the Legion, but was only one of the demons mass-produced in the early stages of the war, but he was appointed as the leader because he was a hero who survived the turbulent period with his abilities.

　Perhaps because of this, he has a strong sense of camaraderie, is trusted by his subordinates, and is a true hands-on person.



"Don't start a headache conversation early in the morning. Pick a topic."

"It's okay. I've got a follow-up soundproofing system in place, so no one can hear us."

Even if they did, they wouldn't understand what I'm talking about."



　Rieve did not change his expression, but closed his eye lids as if he had a headache.

　Regardless of the content of the conversation, it was a good thing that it took place in this way. It is much better than the tense atmosphere of yesterday, when I was silent from beginning to end.



　After walking along the street for a while, we arrived at the plaza with a big fountain.

　From the square, there is a well-maintained boulevard leading to the various districts.

　The group was going to do their own activities from this point on.



"Well. As I told you this morning, this is where we will part ways. As I have said many times before, I do not want any more unnecessary trouble. If you get into trouble with the locals, refrain from fighting back and retreat. I repeat again, do not kill them.



　The scariest case is that <>. Gardi is accustomed to taking the fully humanized form, but Rieve and Celes have almost no chance to take this form. That is why they are very careful to refrain from counterattacks as much as possible.



"Rieve will be in charge of the labyrinthine area that holds the labyrinth (dungeon), and Gardi will be in charge of investigating the protruding area where the adventurers' guild is located. Ceres will be my escort and business meeting escort. I expect each of you to fulfill your roles.



　Each of the three squires gave his approval.



　Liewe was the first to leave and head toward the north.

　The task entrusted to Levee and Gardi is to obtain geographical information about the city - in other words, to explore the city to fill in the