Level Eater

The two of them, who had only taken a short nap, continued without sleeping, relying on Tatsuro's [Life Magic] as they were shaken in the carriage with their eyes open.

Behind them, a cylindrical box that accommodated about thirty people was being pulled, and although it was not apparent from the outside, it was rotating sideways using the headwind.

The thieves, who had already awakened from their unconsciousness, were placed on the turntable in a cramped state, screaming without understanding the reason. However, Tatsuro did not have time to pay attention to such things. This was because Jeanne alone exceeded the weight limit, so Tatsuro used wind magic to assist.

Since he was the only one suffering, he quietly teased them by increasing the rotation speed.

While doing such things, they pushed forward as fast as possible to make up for lost time on the way.

Were the thieves pursuing them all among the ones behind or on the way? There was no reaction from the thieves, and there was only one reaction from a monster, but it would take time to stop and deal with it, so they had to ignore it and continue running.

"Oh… what a waste." (Ai)

"Right now, we need to deliver the thieves as quickly as possible, so be patient." (Tatsuro)

If they spent a long time in such a terrible environment, it seemed like there might be casualties without exaggeration. Therefore, they decided to keep moving without stopping, except for rest breaks that also served as mana replenishment along the way.

While that was going on, by evening, even the thieves behind had lost the energy to scream, and they quietly drove the carriage, and finally, the place they had been waiting for came into view.

"It's finally coming into view." (Tatsuro)

"Where is it… Oh, there it is." (Ai)

In front of their eyes, there was a black outer wall in stark contrast to Obsul. The width of the wall extended into the distance as far as the eye could see, and it seemed to indicate the town's size.

"Among the towns we've been to, this is the most urban one." (Ai)

"That's right. Even just in terms of size, according to the map, it's several times larger than the town of Obsul." (Tatsuro)

"Wow!" (Ai)

Having spent most of the past few days in the carriage, they eagerly looked forward to reaching the town. Their drowsiness had dissipated, and they continued towards it with high spirits.

As they drew closer, they could see a large gate with five wide openings. In front of the gate, there were well-organized inspection stations, and aside from the two left gates, several groups of people were lining up at other locations.

If it were just the two of them, Jeanne and the cart could have been stored to avoid drawing attention, but now, with their heavy luggage, they gave up and joined a suitable line.

Jeanne, in particular, stood out due to her appearance, attracting various gazes. Moreover, groans could be heard from within the objects tied to the pulling cart, and quite a few people looked at it suspiciously.

Gathering attention from those around them, the guards who had been waiting at the inspection stations rushed over in a hurry.

"You there, with the strange-looking animals! Yes, you two! We'll conduct the inspection first, so come to the station here."

"Understood." (Tatsuro)

Although it might inconvenience the people in line, they took advantage of the offer to speed up their processing, and, guided by a guard in his fifties with white hair, and they made their way to the leftmost gate among the five.

"First, may we see your identification?" the guard asked.

"Yes." (Tatsuro)

"Yes" (Ai)

As they got off the rhinoceros cart, the two of them obediently complied with the request from the white-haired guard.

"Hmm!? Cough… High-ranked adventurers, I see. Are those over there also?"

"Those over there are adventurers who were attacked by thieves on the way and rescued by us." (Tatsuro)

"Thieves? Wanderers, I suppose?" the guard asked.

"It seems not. In fact…" (Tatsuro)

As the guards this time seemed genuinely reliable, they began explaining the events in detail, unlike their previous encounters with the guards in Tofas. Unlike the guards in Tofas, he listened earnestly to their story, his expression growing more serious.

To top it off, they removed the containment box they had been towing, detached only the inner box, explained its contents, and dropped it with a thud before the white-haired guard.

"May I have a look inside?" the guard asked.

"Yes, we made sure that none of them could move, but please be cautious, just in case."

The white-haired guard instructed his subordinates to open the entrance. An unpleasant odor wafted from inside, causing one of the guards near the entrance to tear up as he brought out a few of the thieves who were closer to the front.

"Also, they had some equipment. Should we hand it over?" (Tatsuro)

"Yes, we would appreciate that. We'll examine everything here, and if anything can be returned, we'll do it through the Adventurer's Guild," the guard replied.

"Sure. In addition, you can take that containment box away as well. I… just don't want to use it anymore." (Tatsuro)

Though they did not want to imagine it, just a momentary whiff of a foul smell indicated that the inside was likely covered in filth. That is why Tatsuro had decided to abandon the inner box.

It seemed that this message got across to the white-haired guard as he instructed his reluctant subordinates to handle the disposal with a wry smile.

"First, thank you for capturing the thieves. We will interrogate them, and once we have proof, we'll inform you. So, please stay in this town until then. We plan to notify you through the Adventurer's Guild, so we would appreciate it if you could visit there about once a day. How does that sound?"

"Well, I think that should be okay." (Tatsuro)

"We appreciate your cooperation. Then, we'll issue entry permits, so could all five of you please show your identification once more?"

Finally, with a sense of relief that their journey was returning to its course, they presented their identification once again, along with the three adventurers who were a bit late.

After that, they received entry permits just like everyone else; the seal of Tofas disappeared, and the seal of Lyadas was imprinted.

Salva and the others already had the Lyadas seal, so they remained as they were. After discussing some necessary matters with the guard, they were permitted to enter. As they were about to board the carriage, the white-haired guard addressed them as if he had just remembered something.

"Oh, Tatsuro-san. Um… what's the creature pulling the carriage, exactly?"

"It's a horse." (Tatsuro)

"Well, it's not that we doubt you, especially since you're high-ranked adventurers who can bring any kind of animal or have any animal pull a cart. However, due to the nature of our job, which requires distinguishing various things, we would like to know about the unknown. So, for the sake of learning, could you please tell us?" the guard asked.

It would have been okay to say it is a rhinoceros, but they were not sure if that concept existed in this world, and explaining it from scratch seemed like a hassle. So, Tatsuro decided to stick with the horse explanation.

"No, this is a mutated horse. Right, Jeanne?" (Tatsuro)

"Neigh!" (Jeanne)

"Well, the sound it made is just like a horse. However… a horse? But it did neigh…"

Leaving the guard lost in thought in the maze of his own mind, Tatsuro hurriedly climbed onto the cart and slowly guided Jeanne toward the town. The white-haired guard, who realized a moment later, understood that further discussion was pointless and suppressed his curiosity, waving them off as he watched them depart.

"In the end, you went with ‘horse.'" (Ai)

"Yeah, it's too much of a hassle to explain every time we meet someone, so from now on, let's go with ‘horse.'" (Tatsuro)

"Well, for some reason, it does sound just like a horse." (Ai)

"For some reason… right." (Ai)

As they moved about five meters down the road that seemed to have been carved out of the pitch-black outer wall, they gradually saw the inside of the town.

"Is this… Lyadas?" (Tatsuro)

"What's this? It's completely different from Obsul." (Ai)

The cityscape before them was entirely different from any they had entered before, such as Obsul and Tofas. Among the buildings that made up the town, there were a few stone structures like those that they had seen before, but most were constructed from a material with a smooth and glossy texture, much like the outer walls. They came in various colors, including black, red, blue, green, and more, giving a vibrant and diverse impression.

Moreover, while Obsul mainly had low-rise buildings, Lyadas was lined with buildings with five floors or more everywhere. The roads were also distinctive, with three parallel roads running along the walls: red, white, and green. These same-colored roads continued straight back from the gates and extended horizontally through the city in sets of three at regular intervals, creating a symmetrical design for all the streets.

What surprised Tatsuro and the others the most, though, was that the roads were moving at a walking pace. The red roads transported people toward the inner part of the city, while the green roads, like conveyor belts, carried people back to the gates. As for the central white road, it remained stationary, and people stood there.

It felt like they had wandered from medieval Europe into the near future, and Tatsuro 7stared at the cityscape from the driver's seat, lost in thought.

Soon, Salva and the others caught up with them and joined the conversation.

"Hey, big brother, what are you doing, daydreaming in a place like this? You're quite conspicuous, you know?" (Salva)

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I was just taken aback by this cityscape." (Tatsuro)

As Tatsuro replied to Salva's comment, Jema also chimed in as if surprised.

"Is that so? Well, we were a bit shocked when we first left our countryside, too." (Jema)

"So, does that mean most cities are like this in urban areas?" (Ai)

"Main cities belonging to the Heldamed Kingdom, including Lyadas here, are known for utilizing the latest building materials and infrastructure technologies. So, I think it's generally like this. However, there's a concern that prioritizing this place too much has created significant disparities with other towns." (Catherine)

"Really?" (Ai)

Catherine answered Ai's question this time, and with the information they gathered, they understood that Lyadas was not the only unique place. They also inquired with the three people who had been operating in this town about the location of inns, shops, and the Adventurer's Guild, cross-referencing the information with their map feature.

"Something like this, maybe. Thanks, now we don't need to wander around the town looking for things" (Tatsuro)

"Compared to the favor we received, this is far from sufficient" (Jema)

"That's right. Besides, you can use notice boards set up in various places to get directions to the shops and facilities, so it's not much of a help" (Catherine)

"Already, the information from those notice boards has been helpful to us. Thanks, Jema," Ai said, adopting a somewhat older sisterly tone as she patted Jema's head.

Jema squinted his eyes and smiled while Salva and Catherine looked on, amused.

After gazing at this for a few seconds, Salva, with a serious expression, turned toward Tatsuro and spoke.

"Big brother!" (Salva)

"What is it?" (Tatsuro)

"Could you… add me to your party?" (Salva)

"What's gotten into you all of a sudden, Salva?" (Ai)

Ai, who had been petting Jema, removed her hand and turned her attention to Salva.

"I've seen my own weakness plenty during this journey. I want to become stronger, but alone, it's not enough. That's why I want to join you two…" (Salva)

"I refuse." (Tatsuro)

"Why!?" (Salva)

"Why? Well, there is a lot on our plate as it is. We have a ton of things we need to do. In addition, there is another thing. I understand your desire to get stronger, but the way for you to become stronger is probably different from ours. You should find a mentor who suits your style." (Tatsuro)

"But…" (Salva)

"Also, Salva, you said you want to get stronger by yourself, but don't forget that you already have two companions right here. If you keep thinking that way, you'll never be able to protect anyone." (Tatsuro)

As Tatsuro and Ai advised Salva, he looked at his sister and childhood friend. They nodded in agreement with Ai's words.

"Big brother is in a team with us, you know. What's the use of getting stronger alone?" (Jema)

"That's right. Besides, we would not be of any help to you in the first place, and in the end, we would just rely on you. Even if you get stronger in that state, we'll never catch up to you." (Catherine)

"You guys… I see… catch up, huh?" (Salva)

Somewhere in his heart, Salva might have been trying to take an easier path to becoming strong. However, causing trouble for others and becoming slightly stronger was not worth it. To protect important friends and help people in need, you must become strong enough to protect others from any situation. At the very least, he wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder with Tatsuro or Ai within their team.

"Big brother, I'm sorry for saying something strange. I'll think about how to get stronger with my companions." (Salva)

"That's fine. If you're going to think about it, go ahead and overtake us instead of saying you'll catch up." (Tatsuro)

"And in the future, become a hero who defeats the strong and helps the weak!" (Ai)

"Defeat the strong and help the weak… Big sister, those are good words." (Salva)

Therefore, Salva took a liking to a phrase he had heard from Ai somewhere and etched it into his mind.

"Oh, and I'll give you this. Decide what to do with it on your own." (Tatsuro)

"Is this… ashes?" (Salva)

"Rather than ashes, it's more like cremated remains." (Tatsuro)

Saying this, he handed an earth-colored urn from his [Item Box] to Catherine, the one nearby. It was what remained from collecting and burning the remains when the explosion happened. He had stored it just in case. If they could not receive it by the time they parted ways, he intended to scatter it in a suitable place.

However, it was no longer necessary. The three received it and expressed their thanks. Finally, they exchanged firm handshakes with each of the two and three, and the impromptu party was disbanded.

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/JonathanTitan