We ended up staying in the border town for two whole days. And it was entirely the fault of that baby at the inn for being too adorable. Rio got to hold her, and the sight was almost picturesque. I even poked her cheeks—they were unbelievably soft and squishy.

"I wonder if we'll have kids someday too...?"

Rio's slightly shy gaze was too much for me to handle.

"Yeah, I’m sure we will someday. I never really thought about it before, but watching that baby made me realize that we really are husband and wife now."

"Ehehe, I was thinking the same thing."

Just a little while ago, we were still high school students. Even though we got married, it never really sank in. We had spent some time with my mentor when we first arrived in this world, but it had always been the two of us together.

"Still, I don't think I'm ready for kids just yet. I mean, if things had gone normally, we'd still be in high school right now."

"Yeah, true. But I was still shocked."

"Yeah. I never expected her to be younger than us."

That’s right—the mother of that baby was just sixteen, a year younger than us. That’s another thing about this world—it seems like people have kids as soon as they’re able. Maybe it’s just a survival thing in a world where life is cheap.

"But for now, I just want to travel to different countries with you, Shu."

"Yeah, we should enjoy this world while we’re here."

It was a relief to hear that Rio felt the same way. I still wanted to explore this world with her as much as possible.

After five days of heading southwest toward the ocean, we arrived at the Imperial Capital. But honestly, we decided to skip it.

Why, you ask?

"I want to eat sashimi."

"What a coincidence, Shu. I want sashimi too."

"Wafuu!"

The closer we got to the sea, the tastier the fish became. And with a port city just a day away from the capital, how could we not go there immediately? Even Nir, who had been silently devouring fish, didn’t seem to object.

Sure, we might be able to get sashimi in the capital. But when the real deal was practically within reach, how could we resist? Besides, if we flew instead of taking a carriage, we could get there in thirty minutes instead of a full day.

So, with unanimous agreement, we decided to skip the Imperial Capital. Even though the sun was already starting to set, we ignored it and flew south, bypassing the city altogether.

Even without enhancing my sense of smell, I could already catch the scent of the ocean. We were getting close.

"Oh, I can see it now."

"I'm getting hungry. We need to find a good place to eat right away."

"Let's ask the gate guards for recommendations."

Landing in a forest just off the main road, we casually stepped out onto the highway and made our way to the entrance of the port city, Reblos. Being so close to the capital, the city saw a lot of traffic. The line at the gate was long, but it moved quickly.

We presented our guild cards without any issues and passed through.

"By the way, where’s the best place in town for fish?"

"Huh? You folks came here just for the fish?"

The gate guard smirked, stroking his chin as he thought. Then, he proceeded to list off a variety of places—everything from cheap, hearty fisherman’s meals to high-end gourmet restaurants.

"Thanks for the info."

"Haha, no problem. You two are C-rank adventurers, right? You might be able to afford the high-end places if you stretch your budget a bit."

Wait, there's a restaurant so expensive that even C-rank adventurers have to stretch their budget? Our sense of money had been pretty skewed lately, but with the auction profits, we probably wouldn’t have to worry.

"Let's go, Shu!"

Rio eagerly took my arm, leading me into the city. First things first—we needed to find a place to stay. Our target was an inn located at the far end of the central plaza, right before the ocean.

"An inn with an ocean view sounds amazing, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. I like that it’s not just about being fancy—there's some charm to it."

The street stalls were selling freshly grilled seafood, but we decided to hold off for now.

"Oh, is that it?"

As we got closer to the sound of crashing waves, our chosen inn came into view. It had a peaceful atmosphere, with a gate leading to a well-maintained courtyard before reaching the building itself.

"Welcome."

As we stepped inside, we were greeted by a woman with a gentle smile. Her long rabbit-like ears twitched atop her head. Judging by the black choker around her neck, she was likely a slave. A quick appraisal confirmed it—her status listed ‘Condition: Enslaved.’

We had asked about the treatment of slaves back at a guild in another town. Apparently, aside from criminal slaves, there were proper systems in place to protect their rights. Debt slaves, for example, were more like contracted live-in workers, with set work hours and some degree of freedom.

"We need a room for two. Is that okay?"

At the counter, we spoke to a man dressed in a neatly tailored butler’s uniform. Unlike the rabbit-eared woman, he wasn’t a slave—he had nothing around his neck.

"Thank you for choosing our establishment. Will you be staying the night, or just dining with us?"

"We’ll be staying."

"Understood. Do you have any specific room preferences?"

We requested a two-person room with the best ocean view and booked it for ten days. Being a relatively upscale inn, it had proper bathing facilities—a must-have in a port city.

And so, we decided to stay in the port city of Reblos for the time being.