“We’ve arrived,” Porta announced. “Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Gardenant.”
“Oh, no. I should be the one thanking all of you. You really helped.”
And with that, we reached the gates of Vesparta. I had no idea what it looked like on the inside yet, but the walls themselves were very impressive. The city had more of a resemblance to Flumvelk than Baltrain in this regard—since Flumvelk and Vesparta were on their respective borders, their defenses had to be sturdy.
There were guards stationed at the gate, but getting permission to enter seemed awfully simple.
“Your pass,” requested a guard.
I handed it over. “Here.”
“Confirmed. Please go through.”
Well, I’m not a foreigner or anything, and my escorts are carrying out an official job for the guild. There’s absolutely nothing suspicious about this journey at all—officially.
“Oooh...” I marveled. “Sure is big.”
Passing through the gate, we came out onto the main thoroughfare. Vesparta was the fifth major city I’d been to after Baltrain, Flumvelk, Dilmahakha, and Hugenbite. Even in comparison to those places, it seemed to be flourishing. I didn’t know which of the cities stood above all others, but judging by the number of people, the size of the street, and the height of the buildings, Vesparta was definitely a major city.
If not for the situation, I would’ve loved to knock back an ale at a tavern and gather information on the local delicacies. I don’t have the time for that right now.
“Okay, guess I’ll start by securing an inn,” I muttered.
However, I couldn’t ignore the city completely and head straight into the Aflatta Mountain Range. It would, of course, be best if I found Surena immediately out of nowhere, but that was extremely unlikely. I had to settle in, then start searching. Without an inn to use as my base, I wasn’t going to get anywhere. Fortunately, I had plenty of money—I wasn’t the type to splurge, but I didn’t hesitate to use it when necessary.
“I believe you’ll be able to find an inn if you continue down this street,” Porta said.
“That so? Thanks.”
Well, with a city this large, it wouldn’t be strange for there to be three or even four inns. Places where people could spend the night would do lots of business anywhere that folks tended to gather, so as Porta suggested, I was likely to find something if I just continued walking down the main street.
“We’ll be heading to the guild next,” Porta said. “If that works with you, we’ll collect your mark.”
“Oh, right. Thanks for everything.”
“It was no big deal. That’s what we’re here for.”
Getting me to an inn wasn’t part of the job I was paying for, so Porta’s part was done. I handed over the mark. Taking it to the guild was proof of a completed job and would officially end it. Most requests through the guild were handled entirely through paperwork, but for rush jobs like this one, such documents weren’t always going to make it to their destination in time.
That was what the mark was for. It was a very simple setup. The mark was split into two pieces—one for the adventurers and the other for the client. Once the client judged the job was over, they handed their half to the adventurers. Having both pieces was proof enough for the guild that the job was done.
There were flaws to this system, though. It was possible to lose the mark, and a bad adventurer could threaten a client to hand over the mark before the job was done. Even the opposite was possible—a client could refuse to hand over the mark to avoid paying for the job. There’d apparently once been a case where a horrible criminal had killed a bunch of clients, gathering up marks for the money. Even in less extreme cases, the adventurers and clients involved were sure to file claims to the guild. Anyone with a bunch of claims against them would be dealt with immediately. The system relied on a certain amount of good faith, but when things took a turn for the worse, they had measures in place to punish those involved.
“We’ll be going, then!”
“Goodbye...”
“See you...later...”
I nodded. “Mm, until next time.”
The three adventurers each gave their own unique farewells, and we parted ways. I couldn’t drag them into my mission exploring the Aflatta Mountain Range—they had nothing to gain from that. I had to either do my best on my own or hire a guide somewhere else. That idea seems unrealistic, though.
Technically, I didn’t have the scouting skills or knowledge to navigate uncharted lands. However, things were a little different when it came to the Aflatta Mountain Range. I doubted the environment was identical to the mountains near Baltrain, but I had plenty of knowledge and experience with that kind of terrain.
That knowledge wouldn’t necessarily hold if I had to traverse the mountaintops, but judging by what Nidus had told me, Surena hadn’t gone that far up. It was possible that she’d chased her prey quite a ways, but she wasn’t the type to get in over her head. Regardless, I knew how to handle the terrain on a mountainside up to the timberline—as long as the environment here wasn’t drastically different, that is. Before I started concocting contingencies and alternative plans, I decided to take a look at the landscape. After all, time was of the essence.
My one concern was that Surena had far more experience challenging the mountains than I did, and she had failed to send word, let alone return. I had no way of knowing why until I started investigating. It’s a mystery—what kind of answer awaits me? Well, I can’t be pessimistic. Gotta cling to a sliver of hope.
“Okay...”
If my sword couldn’t solve the situation, then there was nothing I could do. But I wanted to take on this challenge with everything I had. I believe I can do something to help.
Did that belief come from confidence, a sense of duty, foolhardiness, or maybe even arrogance? I didn’t know, but I hoped it was out of trust in myself.
With such prayers in my heart, I quickly began looking for an inn.