“...This is incredibly huge.”

The massive wall before us seemed to be at least twice the size of the gate in Al-Flare, the adventurers’ starting town. Unlike Al-Flare, this region was home to many large and ferocious monsters, so a wall of this magnitude and strength was probably necessary.

“Naturally, the royal capital is the largest city in this country.”

“Not just the walls—the entire city is on a completely different scale from Al-Flare.”

I had expected it, but seeing the vast difference in scale between Al-Flare, a town bustling with rookie adventurers, and the royal capital made it all the more thrilling. I couldn’t wait to get inside those walls!

At the gate to the royal capital, there was a separate checkpoint for nobles and wealthy merchants, allowing them to pass through without waiting in the regular line. Berna and Ferry proceeded in that direction.

It seemed that the Adventurers’ Guild in the royal capital had already been informed of our arrival, as we quickly cleared the checkpoint and were allowed entry. Since it was already late in the day, we would wait until tomorrow to formally visit the Adventurers’ Guild. For tonight, Berna and Ferry were taking us to the accommodations the guild had arranged for us.

“Wow! The streets are so wide, and all the houses are enormous!”

“...This is surprising. The roads and buildings here are on a completely different scale compared to Al-Flare.”

“Everything is so orderly! The colors of the buildings are uniform within each district, and the whole city looks so beautiful.”

Fia, Dolph, and Angel, all visiting the royal capital for the first time, were awestruck by the cityscape. Of course, I was just as amazed.

The scale was completely different from Al-Flare or even Eibra, the town we had visited the day before. The roads and buildings were huge, and with the uniform architecture and colors, the entire city had a cohesive, elegant appearance.

“Hehe, everyone who visits the royal capital for the first time is always surprised. Tomorrow, we’ll be passing through an even larger boulevard. And in the center of the city stands that grand, white castle—that’s the royal palace.”

Following Berna’s gesture, I saw a massive castle towering over the city, clearly visible even from here near the entrance. It made sense, though I hadn’t given it much thought before—since this was the royal capital, the country’s royal family resided here.

“This is an unbelievably luxurious inn…”

“I never expected we’d be staying somewhere even more extravagant than yesterday’s high-class inn in Eibra…”

“Yeah, I’ve never stayed anywhere this fancy before. Looks like the royal capital’s Adventurers’ Guild is really serious about welcoming Tetsuya.”

The high-end inn Berna and Ferry led us to was even larger and more opulent than the one in Eibra. The room for the three of us was spacious enough to accommodate twice as many people, and the interior was lavishly decorated.

As a commoner at heart, I couldn’t help but wonder how much a night here would cost per person. The Adventurers’ Guild must have been truly committed to giving us a warm welcome.

“The dinner here was absolutely delicious.”

“Yeah, I had never eaten anything like it in Al-Flare. Even the ingredients themselves were rare and exotic.”

“They used some really high-end ingredients. The royal capital gathers rare foods from the surrounding towns and villages, and skilled chefs from all over come here to work. The taste is different from what Tetsuya makes, but it’s still incredible.”

We had our dinner at the inn, and it was indeed an exquisite meal. The dishes were made with premium ingredients, and they were seasoned with an array of spices, making them far superior to the food available in Al-Flare.

Berna and Ferry always praised my cooking, but perhaps they found it refreshing because they were so used to the flavors of the royal capital’s cuisine. Still, I couldn’t help but be impressed by how well outdoor spice blends could match the taste of professional chefs.

“Alright, tomorrow morning we’ll head to the Adventurers’ Guild to meet the guild master. But before that, there’s something I’d like to discuss with everyone. Could you all come to the women’s room for a moment?”

I invited Dolph and Lange to join me as we headed to the room where Lilia and the others were staying. Somehow, entering the women’s quarters felt a bit nerve-wracking.

The women’s room was even more spacious and extravagant than ours. Given that there were five of them staying here, it made sense. Thanks to that, even with the three of us entering, there was still plenty of space.

“So, what is it you wanted to discuss?”

“I wanted to hear everyone’s thoughts on something. And please, keep what I’m about to say a secret.”

“Wait, let me cast a soundproofing spell… Alright, now no one outside this room will be able to hear our conversation.”

“Oh, thanks, Ferry.”

Apparently, there were spells to prevent eavesdropping. Given how luxurious this inn was, I would have expected some security measures, but with Ferry adding her magic, it felt even more reassuring.

“What I wanted to talk about is the maps available for purchase at my store.”