Chapter Eighteen: A Spaced-Out Country Girl’s Tour
“Oh… oooh… oooohhh…”
“Are you alright, Rin? Your mouth is hanging open…”
“Eek! But, but, this is…!”
After the maneuver of dashing along the roadside, we finally reached the town of Ellarge. Right before my eyes is an extremely tall wall blocking our way. I couldn’t help but stand there dumbfounded with my mouth wide open, and then Mr. Ville touched my chin… It’s not like some sensual chin-caressing scene or anything. He simply lifted my chin with his palm and corrected my mouth to close. I wonder if it looked like my jaw was dislocated. I was so absorbed in the sight in front of me that I ended up making Mr. Ville worry about me like that.
At the entrance to the town leading to the Large Highway, there’s a huge arch-shaped gate made of bricks towering over us. It’s guarded on both sides by what looks like soldiers… It’s just like a fortress city you’d see in games or manga.
Around the gate, which likely also serves as a checkpoint, tall building-like structures stand, giving off an air of "fortress-city-ness," akin to the role played by the surrounding walls, enclosing the town.
But above all, the most impressive is the sheer size.
Easily over 10 meters tall, thick enough that these structures could serve as a defensive barrier if needed, and wide enough for two carriages to pass through side by side. The massive construction looms towards us with an odd sense of pressure.
It’s like everything before my eyes is a giant wall… Probably the effect of such an extraordinary view outside my daily experience.
“Mm…! Rin! Let’s go!”
“Huhh?! Um, okay, but go where?”
“To where my comrades are most likely to be.”
“Well, I’m fine with going, but don’t we need to do some kind of entry procedure?”
“It was over a while ago… Come on, let’s go before we get in the way.”
As I stood there dumbly thinking meaningless thoughts like "It’s so huuuge" and "I wonder how long it took and how much it cost to build this thing?" about the structures before me, Mr. Ville’s voice snapped me out of it. When I looked up, he was already past the gate somehow and was briskly gesturing with his thumb repeatedly towards the bustling town with a quizzical look.
I mean, in situations like this, don’t you usually need to show some kind of ID, pay to get a temporary ID if you don’t have one, or get your status checked at the gate to issue an ID…?
Seeing me tilt my head in confusion, Mr. Ville’s brow furrows sharply. However, rather than appearing angry or perplexed, it seems more like he is flustered, worried, or perhaps he is being apologetic—various emotions seem to mingle together. I wonder if it’s just my imagination that his expression looks so complex. With that odd indescribable face, Mr. Ville strides back to my side and grabs my wrist, leading me toward the town.
“I’ll give you a proper tour of the town later. For now, let’s head this way first. I get the feeling you’d just get lost if I let you wander around alone as you are now.”
“Oh, right. Sorry for the trouble.”
“It’s no trouble at all. You just seem rather spaced out, so I figured you might be tired.”
“Yeah. Everything is so new and fascinating, I got a bit carried away…”
I see. I must have worried him. I’m just distracted by everything being so novel, sorry about that!
As I was led forward, several waterways and canals were branching off to the harbor, with a proportional number of docks lining the waterways, along with warehouses made of sturdy bricks… It’s all so invitingly exotic. Plus, most of the people passing by looked like elves or dwarves, some with animal ears and tails, or scales, making me secretly squeal with excitement at seeing races (?) I have never seen before. Even their clothing is all new and exciting to me—I hope it’s not rude to say, but I just can’t get enough of it!
So because of that I’m totally spaced out, I see why Mr. Ville is handling me this way. It’s incredibly embarrassing, but if he lets go of my hand, I can only foresee myself getting lost again, distracted by everything around me!
“Alright, this is our regular place, tavern ‘Menie Olda’… also known as the Wildcat Pavilion.”
“Oh… Is it one of those ‘adventurer taverns’? Or is it just a regular pub?”
“I’m not exactly sure what you mean by ‘adventurer tavern,’ but it’s probably closest to being a combination of a dining hall, tavern, and inn. It’s frequented by more than just adventurers.”
After turning a few corners and passing through some intriguing buildings and crowds, we suddenly stopped as Mr. Ville halted his steps. Standing there, while not exactly at the heart of the city, was not quite at the edge either… facing a moderately busy street, was a quaint, or rather, quite charming building with a seasoned air about it.
So… this is where adventurers gather, huh?
Though from Mr. Ville’s description, it sounds like more than just adventurers come here normally, probably not as rough as I’m imagining… but, you know, there’s this preconception…
“It’s not so formal or exclusive a place that would turn away first-timers… so relax, no need to be so tense.”
Sensing the tension in my shoulders, Mr. Ville chuckles and grips my hand more firmly. Well… when you hear "adventurers’ regular place," you can’t help but imagine rowdy folks getting drunk and causing a ruckus, or newcomers being greeted with lines like, "Have a sip of mama’s milk!"… All thanks to those GMs who play like that every roleplaying session!
With a light tinkle of the doorbell, still holding my hand, Mr. Ville guides me through the door.
…Inside, as Mr. Ville had described, various people are going about their own activities: some enjoying a meal with ease, others cheerfully sharing drinks among friends, and still others, like a merchant-looking man, leisurely sampling what appears to be alcohol while perusing a list-like document.
Mr. Ville, entering first, glanced around briefly before heading towards a particular corner. It’s a 4-person table in the back where a woman alone and two men are already seated.
“Hey. I’m back!”
“What?”
“Ehhh…”
“Oh, you’re back quite early.”
With Mr. Ville still holding my hand, he greeted the other guests, each of whom responded with their own words. Hmm… Could it be that these individuals are the party members he mentioned…?
The translator’s corner
This was a difficult chapter to translate. Especially the part about the gate to the town and some "building-like structures" "around" it. I may have made some mistakes there. Perhaps it was simply the walls and not any extra "structures", or towers in the walls on the sides of the gate like on some fortress.
<3
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chap :)
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