We had successfully repelled the Black Wolf attack. After that, we didn’t encounter any more monsters, and made it to the capital without incident. I got out of the carriage and looked around. The cityscape reminded me of medieval Europe. Buildings with chimneys crowded together, and stone-paved streets ran through them like veins. Carriages and rickshaws traveled along those streets, and many people were working hard to make a living. Among the people, I saw knights, adventurers clad in armor with large swords on their backs, and various other figures. The people wearing white robes and round silver necklaces were probably devout followers of the Eiral Church. I looked in the direction the churchgoers were headed and saw a palace–like structure made out of white rock. “Is that the temple you were talking about…?” “I’ve never actually seen it for myself,” Cystie answered my question. So that's how it is. I thought she'd seen it before, since she talked so confidently about it on the way here. The temple had several flying buttresses holding it up from the outside, and large windows were lined up in a regular pattern. It was so magnificent that it could easily have been mistaken for a palace, but the green roof and the water flowing around it created a harmonious balance, giving it a gentle atmosphere. The temple must have been built thanks to the many devout followers of the Eiral Church. Just from looking at the building, I could tell how much power the church wielded. That's where my arch-nemesis, the saintess, lives, huh? I've got to make sure I never get close to that place. With that thought in mind, I shifted my gaze and saw that the royal castle was even larger than the temple. Unlike the temple, the castle seemed to be a collection of several towers, and it exuded a different kind of dignified atmosphere. This country really knows how to build impressive buildings. Even from a distance, the castle and the temple were huge and awe-inspiring. I could only imagine how much more impressive they would be up close. As I was taking in the sights of the city, the leader of the caravan called out to me. “If you’re ever passing through here again, please give us the honor of your escort services! Next time, we’ll hire you as proper Adventurers!” The leader of the caravan bowed over and over as he left. After selling their wares in the royal capital, the merchants were apparently planning to move on to a nearby village. They seemed to be very impressed with our work, but their praise was a bit excessive. In particular, they had praised Cystie’s magic abilities to high heaven, even though her spells had only hit by sheer luck. “All right, Duke! Let’s hurry over to the Adventurers’ guild and get registered!” Thanks to their praise, my useless mage was acting like she was the best thing since sliced bread. Her ponytail swayed cheerfully, and she strode forward with a carefree expression, almost as if she might break into a skip at any moment. Cystie had been modest about the praise for her fireballs, saying she'd only hit by sheer luck, but she was more than happy to accept praise for her lightning bolts. Even stating stuff like "I defnitly was aiming for the black wolf!". But I wasn’t gullible enough to believe that. I distinctly remembered hearing Cystie mutter, “Oh, shit...” I could still vividly remember the feeling of the lightning passing right by my helmet. That’s why I was convinced that even Cystie’s lightning spells had been pure luck, but she herself was under the mistaken impression that her abilities had improved, and she was itching to try them out against monsters. “By the way, where is the Adventurers’ guild?” I asked. “Oh, I asked the caravan leader about that earlier. It sounds like if we just keep going straight down this road, we should reach it.” Atleast she was good at those type of jobs. If I said that out loud, though, she’d probably get angry and leave me behind, so I kept quiet and followed her.

Well, when she does that, I could just ask someone for directions. As we made our way through the bustling city, I looked this way and that like a country bumpkin seeing a city for the first time, when I spotted something interesting. Pointed ears and beautiful blond hair. Men with cat ears, and women with fox tails. Elves and humanoid animals, just like out of a fantasy story, were walking around as if it was the most natural thing in the world. I timidly asked Cystie, pointing at an elf who was approaching us. “H-hang on, that’s an elf, right?” “Of course it is. This is the royal capital, so there are plenty of beastmen and dwarves, too. It’s rude to point at people, so stop it.” I hurriedly lowered my finger at Cystie’s scolding. The female elf seemed to have noticed me pointing at her, and she snorted disapprovingly as she passed us. I’m sorry. I just got so excited to see a fantasy race that I couldn’t help myself. “Ah, a beastmen...” This time, a female beastmen walked right in front of us. She had a long, slender tail like a cat’s, and it was swaying back and forth as she walked. Like a moth to a flame, I reached out toward the tail— “Hey, Duke, what do you think you’re doing?!” Cystie hit my side hard with her staff. Clang! The armor made a loud, high-pitched sound, drawing the attention of people around us. Incidentally, the blow didn’t hurt at all. “Were you going to touch the tail of some random female beastmen you don’t even know? Only family and lovers are allowed to touch a beastman's tail! You're not a child, you know?! You could get sued for sexual harassment!” “This is the Adventurers’ Guild,” Cystie said. The two of us stopped in front of the door. From inside came the sounds of men and women laughing and having fun, as well as the smell of food. This sort of thing happens a lot in the stories I read. There might be some bullies inside who pick on new adventurers like us. If a fight broke out, I'd hate to make things uncomfortable for myself in the long run. I was confident in my strength, but it would be bad if I injured someone... “Well then, let's go in,” Cystie said. As I was thinking about all that, Cystie pushed open the door without a care in the world. She’s got guts, I’ll give her that. Entering after her, my gaze went straight to the counter at the back of the room. Three beautiful girls were there, smiling and dealing with the adventurers. The interior of the building was dimly lit, but it seemed to be quite spacious, with a tavern attached to it. Various adventurers were eating, drinking, and holding strategy meetings. There was a staff hallway in the back, as well as a second floor. On the right side of the room, several parchments were posted, and I realized that was the bulletin board where quests could be accepted. “All right, let’s go stand in line to get registered,” Cystie suggested. As we approached the counter, I could feel several pairs of eyes on us. I was probably drawing attention because of my unusual full suit of armor, while Cystie stood out because of her attractive appearance. I mean, if I was in their shoes, I’d be staring too, wondering, "Who’s that new guy?" and "Who’s that beautiful mage?"