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Chapter 2: Seiryuu City

 

Satou here. I have the tendency to get excited whenever I talk to women. Problem is, ever since my girlfriend dumped me, my expenses are adding up at “The Store Where Beautiful Women Drink With You” that Metabo-shi and I frequent.

 They’re going to send all the wounded soldiers who can’t go on, including Zena-san, back to Seiryuu City on carriages, and I was allowed to to ride with this group thanks to her request.

 The girl named Lilio and the other female guard are staying with the main force. They’re waiting for the carriage transporting the remains of the deceased soldiers and the wyvern to depart, before resuming their survey of the County.

 Good thing they didn’t ask me to drive.

 We are passed by carriages transporting the soldiers’ bodies and the wyvern’s carcass.

 “Yes, mantle and armor made from wyvern hide is tough, and sell for a good price. Merchants would also come buy the fangs and bones.”

 “Does it taste bad?”

 “Very much so! It’s nearly as bad as rat meat. Tougher than wolf meat, smells worse than civet meat, so disgusting, you wouldn’t want to touch it a second time, no one would!”

 “Sir, please don’t be so formal with a driver like me. Meat like that will be distributed to west side residents and slaves, so when the wyvern is put on the streets, it will be like a festival in front of the butcher!”

 Don’t tell me there’s a slave class in this city?

 I’m bothered by it, so I search the map while conversation is on hold. Eighty percent of Seiryuu City’s demographic are free citizens, while the remaining twenty are slaves. Upper class nobles or merchants, priests, and oracles are the minority, making up only a few percentage points.

 What you would consider normal people belong the Human Tribe, making up more than ninety percent of the population, with the remaining ten composed of Fairy Tribe people like dwarves and gnomes, and Beast Tribe people like dogkin and catkin.

 There are also many exotic races, like the Winged Tribe and the Jaguar Head Tribe which I have never heard of.

 I thought these tribes coexisted peacefully, like the fantasy races in western games, but outside of the elven tribe, nearly all demi-humans are slaves.

 Seems to be a fairly diverse kingdom.

 “Oh? Is that the city’s outer wall?”

 It really is a magnificent castle wall. It protects this city, so should I call it a city wall?

 “Mr. Satou-san, once we get to Seriyuu City, do you know anyone there?”

 “No, unfortunately not. Therefore, I want to find lodging first.”

 “Sounds great.”

 By the way, whenever I talk to Zena-san or Miss Iona, I would feel the two male soldiers with lighter injuries giving me imposing gazes.
 Maybe because the shaking carriage hurts their broken bones, they haven’t interrupted, but I really don’t like being stared at with jealousy. If looks could kill, I probably died two or three times over.

 “Then, Satou-san, I will come thank you personally later, so please enjoy your stay at Gateside Hotel.”

 “That’s no good! By the name of Mariantell, I insist that you allow me to do so.”

 No, is she’s trying to act tough?

 In the end, I feel bad for the other injured soldiers if I drag this on, so I promised her “I will lodge at the Gateside Inn”, then parted at the gate.

 Miss Iona leads me to the guard post next to the front gate.

 Miss Iona lightheartedly says “Thanks” to the guard, then enters the post casually as if it was her own house. Like a chick following the mother hen, I cautiously follow her.

 “Long time no see, Sir Soun.”

 “I don’t want to talk about it, Soun-sama.”

 “Oh, a boy huh? Well-dressed, but a bit on the skinny side! Eat a lot, and grow into a good man who can protect Iona-jouchan!”

 She is a gorgeous beauty, and especially my type, but I can’t really handle strong women like her. She probably doesn’t see me as an option anyways, so this doesn’t concern me.

 “Using the Yamato Stone?”

 Hope they don’t use mysterious symbols that only they understand. Sir Soun leads me to a room, where there’s a stone tablet as big as a twenty-inch LCD.

 I go to the large man waving by the tablet.

 “Yes, of course.”

 “Then, place your hands on the Yamato Stone and say your name.”

 As he ordered, I put my hands on the tablet. Wait, what does the “Yamato” in Yamato Stone come from? Will I end up going to space? 1

 “Satou.”

 I’ve never seen the letters before, but with my Shiga Language skill, I can somehow read everything.

 “Boy, you can put your hands down.”

 Just like my status before leveling up.

 Originally, its function was for users to edit their profiles for other to see, with a bonus sticky notes for memos, but now the tab has evolved beyond that.

 I understand the rationale for other items, but what happens when I choose “None” for my name? Does it mean I don’t want to socialize?

 Hmm? Younger than an adult?

 I respond quickly, and try searching the Map.

 As I wonder about this, he quickly jots down the records displayed on the stone tablet. His neat handwriting does not fit his appearance at all.

 “Here, don’t lose it this time! The processing fee is one Silver Coin.

 In exchange for the identification paper, I give him one Shiga Kingdom Silver Coin taken out from Storage through my pocket. There’s more than a hundred of each type of Shiga Kingdom currency, so no need to ever make change.

 He turns and asks Miss Iona, “What about entry tax?” There’s an entry tax to get into this city?

 “Take this too, it’s a residency permit. The permitted residency period is ten days. If you want to extend that, come to this post or the central office to apply. We’ll process it for 3 Copper Coins.”

 These numbers, which I’m guessing is the date the residency period expires, are not like the numbers I know, but look like special symbols, each representing one digit, like Arabic numbers. 3

 Probably because he has often said the same thing, he quickly and flatly explains to me. I should really remember this.

 Isn’t it similar to arresting vagabonds during the Edo period?

 “Thank you very much.”

 My business is done, so I politely say goodbye and leave the office.

 I look toward the direction Miss Iona points.

 Looking again carefully, I see a building conducting some business, and there’s a pan lid decorating the entrance.

 I thank Ms. Iona, then head towards the hotel.
 Conversation between Ms. Iona and Sir Soun can be heard from within the office, but seems like it doesn’t pertain to me, so I give up on eavesdropping with Enhanced Hearing.4

 

Reference to classic anime Space Battleship Yamato.  Washi is traditional Japanese paper that’s thinner than normal paper.  As opposed to being written in kanji, which is standard for vertically written text. (Note that this comes from the Light Novel version, which is originally written vertically) Of course, this translation isn’t following that convention, because it’s written horizontally and in English.  This is pure speculation, but I suspect that Satou didn’t keep listening (other than because the author was too lazy to make it up) because he thinks Iona has a thing for Soun. I mean, I feel like Satou is usually pretty nosy, but he keeps his distance here for some reason. 
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