If stared at the high brick wall, the massive wooden gates, and the people lined up in front of them.

Those pulling wagons and those carrying large backpacks.

One by one they would show something to the person standing at the gate, and only when they heard the word “pass” could they enter.

Since the wooden gates were wide open, If could also see inside where they were going.

Held in Ethan’s arms, If had a higher vantage point, looking over the heads of the bustling crowd. Yellow, red, black – so many colors filled the scene.

“There are a lot of people.”

The line was long and they had to wait a while.

Ethan adjusted If’s hood and kept a watchful eye on the people around them.

“Next!”

When the guard called, Deverick climbed down from the driver’s seat.

“Dover!”

“Huh? Deverick, you made it back safely! You were so late, I thought you were eaten by a beast!”

“I was lucky enough to hire some mercenaries along the way! Thanks to them, we got here safely!”

In reality, they had encountered a pack of hyenas on the road. As soon as they killed the one who appeared to be the leader, the rest quickly scattered.

Hyenas traveling in packs were dangerous opponents when they encountered humans – humans were usually outnumbered and suffered heavy casualties.

But since they had a load to protect, Ethan had quickly taken down the leader without hesitation.

“You were really lucky! A lot of people come here these days, either killed by beasts or barely clinging to life.”

“I see.”

“Well, anyway, welcome back safely. What about the mercenary badge?”

“Ah, about that…”

Deverick had used his connections – a privilege of being a merchant – to help Ethan, who otherwise wouldn’t be able to enter Alcate.

There weren’t many who had identification. Unless you were a merchant who traveled, most commoners lived and died in their own territory, never looking beyond its borders.

The only form of identification that commoners could obtain was a certificate issued by the lord – a proof of identity.

Whenever they needed to leave the territory or travel to another, this certificate was absolutely necessary.

After all, no noble would allow a stranger of unknown identity to enter his land, no matter how lax the place might be.

“Money solves everything, of course.”

Deverick handed the guard at the gate a silver coin and called it “a drink on me”.

Fortunately, he had negotiated and calculated the bribe in advance, including the “handling fee”.

Mercenaries, on the other hand, had no formal status and no master to vouch for them.

That’s why they usually wore a mercenary badge issued by the mercenary guild.

No matter how much people disliked mercenaries, they couldn’t turn away those who came to deal with troublesome matters.

For this reason, a mercenary badge was treated as a kind of free pass – an unofficial form of identification – throughout the Empire.

Though in the end it was nothing more than a necklace with a name engraved on it.

Of course, Ethan had been stripped of all his belongings, including weapons and equipment, and even his mercenary badge had been taken.

And even if he still had it, a King’s Mercenary Badge couldn’t be used to prove his identity now – it was useless.

“Here, as promised, four gold coins.”

Deverick handed Ethan four gold coins.

After checking the dragon emblem engraved on the round gold coins, Ethan carefully placed them in the pouch he had bought from Deverick.

If he hunted one or two beasts and sold the by-products, it would be enough to cover the cost of the trip to Rigo.

Since there had been reports of more beasts appearing lately, he figured he’d surely run into at least one along the way.

“Much appreciated.”

“Well then, take care. If fate allows, we’ll meet again.”

After saying goodbye, Deverick left without looking back.

Merchants – and mercenaries – met and parted so often in their line of work that they didn’t stick to formal goodbyes.

Ethan adjusted If, who nestled quietly in his arms, and started walking.

He had only been to Alcate once before, and even then it had been a short stop on a bodyguard mission.

In stark contrast to the villages near Belphirn, the bustling atmosphere made If’s head turn quickly from side to side.

“Stop staring.”

Worried that If might attract attention, Ethan gently pushed down on the back of her head.

With her face buried against Ethan’s chest, If rolled her eyes to look out through the gap in her hood.

Through the narrow field of vision, she could see people moving around.

Men and women walking arm in arm, children running about, elderly people leaning on canes, merchants shouting as they held up their wares under makeshift stalls supported by wooden poles, and people gathering to buy from them.

Countless people filled the streets, making the whole world feel noisy and alive.

In the midst of the bustling atmosphere – a mix of voices and everyday sounds – If’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.

Ethan walked down the main street, remembering the location of the inn Deverick had recommended.

Most of the customers in the shops that lined both sides of the main street were commoners who couldn’t read.

Therefore, all the shop signs were pictures.

Following Deverick’s directions, Ethan looked for a sign with a pig and another with vegetables, turning corners twice before finally standing in front of a fairly decent looking inn.

Even though lunchtime had passed, the tavern on the first floor was still quite crowded, just as Deverick had said – obviously a popular place.

“Welcome!”

A young woman, carrying trays of food in both hands, greeted Ethan as she passed.

As Ethan made his way across the tables to the counter, curious glances followed him.

Since this was a beast-free area, it wasn’t common to see someone dressed like a mercenary, so it was natural for people to stare.

“Looking for a room?”

The innkeeper standing behind the counter gave Ethan a quick, head-to-toe inspection.

Though her tone was deliberately casual, she didn’t seem particularly suspicious, so it didn’t look like she expected him to cause trouble.

There was no visible blood on him, and he looked clean, so she didn’t seem worried about disease either.

“Two meals and one night’s stay.”

It was a phrase If had heard before. From Ethan’s arms, If rolled her eyes.

“If you start eating now, that’ll be one for dinner and one for breakfast tomorrow – two meals in all. We have two types of rooms. One costs three silver coins, and the nicer one costs five.”

“I’ll take the five-coin room.”

There probably wasn’t much difference in quality in an inn like this, but still.

If he were alone, Ethan would have just taken the cheaper room, but since he had company, he deliberately chose the better one.

Ethan handed over the last of his silver coins – all five of them.

The innkeeper glanced at the one in Ethan’s arms before pulling a key out of a drawer.

“The walls aren’t completely soundproof, but since it’s always noisy around here, you don’t have to worry if it gets a little loud. Especially tonight, with the parade and all.”

“Parade?”

“In a week, it’s the founding anniversary, right? They have a big festival in the capital for that, but here we start celebrating early. It’s like having fun here first and then going to the capital to celebrate again.”

“That explains why there are so many people.”

“That’s right. It’s a good room – you can even see the parade from the window.

But if you want to go outside, be careful. With so many people around, all kinds of shady types show up. Someone like you is an easy target for trouble.”

“Yes. I’ll be careful.”

Mercenaries usually gave off a vibe that made people think twice before approaching them, but for lowlifes, they were a different story – one of the few groups the commoners could look down upon.

And especially the big guys would pick fights with mercenaries for no good reason.

More often than not, they ended up getting beaten to a pulp.

Taking the key from the innkeeper, Ethan turned to the room she had briefly pointed out.

Up a well kept staircase, the third door on the left.

Even as he walked down the hallway, Ethan stayed alert for any sign of people nearby.

When he finally reached the door, he opened the room where they would spend the night.

“Oh.”

This was definitely worth the five silver coins.

Ethan whistled at the view from the window.

The main gate of Alcate, where he had entered earlier, the central street stretching out from it, and the plaza beyond.

With no tall buildings around, the entire landscape of Alcate lay before him.

No wonder it was expensive.

Deverick had indeed recommended a good inn.

Before he knew it, If had slipped out of his arms and walked over to the window, eyes full of curiosity.

“Ethan, what’s that?”

“Where?”

Ethan bent down and followed the direction If pointed.

“Ah, that’s a parade float.”

It looked like the starting point of the parade – a line of floats stood near the wall that separated Alcate from the forest.

“That’s a float, too?”

Unlike a merchant’s wagon, these were completely different, wrapped in paper flowers and colorful cloth.

The top was open, and layered circular platforms were stacked upon it, resembling a wedding cake like the ones If had seen in books.

“Yes. Though it’s not pulled by horses.”

It’s a magical tool – an artifact that moves on its own when enchanted with expensive magic formulas and charged with mana.

In fact, there are far more advanced magical tools in the world than one might expect.

Though they’re far too expensive for commoners to own, large structures like the fountain in the central square or the clock tower are all powered by magic.

“It probably lights up at night, too.”

Ethan remembered the decorations he had seen on the way in.

He had thought the rows of ornaments hanging from the street trees were just to make the main street look nice – but it turned out they were for the festival.

No wonder there were so many people.

“Lights? You mean this place is going to go up in fire?”

“No, I mean the lights are going to go on.”

Sometimes Ethan used the wrong words like that.

Lights and fire were different.

Why call it light?

Catching If’s puzzled look, Ethan decided to admit his mistake first.

“I misspoke.”

If he said they meant the same thing, If would probably pick at it-questioning why two different things would share a word and demanding explanations of their definitions and differences.

That would turn into a debate Ethan had no desire to have.

It was easier just to call it a mistake.

Ethan let out a small sigh.