Chapter 16
Orclura Kingdom, Marquis Makikomarclow's Border Territory, the double-barrier city of Hekatai.
Three days after crossing the border, we arrived at Erika's—and our—destination.
Just as the name suggests, Hekatai is a fortress-like city wrapped in two layers of barriers.
It's the most critical city for national defense in the marquis's domain, but the Faltarl Kingdom and the Orclura Kingdom are allied nations.
In the first place, the marquis's domain doesn't even border the Faltarl Kingdom.
Marquis Makikomarclow isn't defending the country from humans.
He's protecting it from the region known as the Demonlands.
"I'd read about it in books, but seeing it for real is something else."
Erika said as she looked at the barrier encircling the city center.
Behind us was the barrier we had just passed through.
A barrier within a barrier—there's nowhere else you'll see a sight like this.
And the atmosphere of the city itself is unique.
The fact that the Demonlands are nearby means there are that many monsters around.
In other words, it's a workplace for adventurers.
That's why Hekatai is just as famous as a city of adventurers as it is for its double barriers.
You rarely see a city where armed commoners are walking around everywhere.
A proper noble would probably feel uneasy here, but unfortunately, I no longer count as a proper noble, so it doesn't bother me.
In the Faltarl Kingdom, there's no other city where this many adventurers gather.
It's partly because there are no Demonlands within its territory, and also because monster appearances are relatively rare there.
Though to make up for that, stronger monsters tend to appear more easily—but let's set that aside.
But in the Orclura Kingdom, where there are Demonlands, that's not the case.
The Demonlands spawn all kinds of monsters, and in great numbers.
Maybe because of the Demonlands, even within the territory, monsters appear frequently.
If you leave the monsters from the Demonlands unchecked, the Demonlands themselves will expand.
Fortunately, powerful monsters rarely emerge from the depths of the Demonlands, but in exchange, weak to mid-level monsters pour out like a flood.
Naturally, the kingdom can't just ignore that, so they deal with it using knight orders and such.
But the kingdom can't focus solely on monsters—they've also got to prepare for foreign invasions and maintain public order, so they're busy with all kinds of things.
Which is why the kingdom alone couldn't handle the monsters anymore, and that led to the creation of the Adventurer's Guild.
That's right—people say the very first Adventurer's Guild, now found in many countries, was created in the Orclura Kingdom.
And its headquarters is right here in Hekatai.
And so we arrived in a city where residents casually walk around with swords, spears, and axes in hand—a city that would make any proper noble dizzy.
The residence prepared by the Prime Minister was a small house that looked quite comfortable.
Small, yes, but it had a garden and a fence.
By noble standards, it's small, but by commoner standards, it's probably average—or maybe even a bit nice.
Looking at the neighboring houses, they're all neat and tidy, so the neighborhood seems safe too.
Personally, I have no complaints at all—but what about her?
After all, she's the daughter of a marquis.
If she said, "I can't live in such a shabby house," that would be a bit of a problem.
It's not like we can't live in a mansion—in fact, if I asked the Prime Minister, he'd probably arrange one, even if not immediately.
But that would defeat the whole purpose of the farce.
Surely the Church doesn't seriously believe the Prime Minister would provide absolutely no support to his daughter.
Still, it wouldn't look good if she were living a life of luxury and leisure after being exiled.
After all, from their perspective, stripping Erika of her noble status and exiling her was supposed to be a punishment.
So we want to avoid any risk that might make the Church change its mind.
Now then, what if she says she doesn't like it?
As I was thinking that and watching Erika's face at the gate, she looked at me and smiled.
"It's a lovely house, Shin."
That was not the reaction I had expected.
"Seeing the house for myself made me realize something."
What is it? I asked with just my eyes.
"I am no longer a noble. I am a commoner, free, with an uncertain future, and no set path ahead."
Her eyes lit with a passionate glow.
Ah... those are the eyes I saw so many times at the academy.
Back then it was in profile—now, it's face to face.
"It's like the sea on a stormy night."
"Are you scared?"
I asked, certain that couldn't be the case.
"Not at all. After all, I have a reliable companion on this voyage."
Saying that, she held out her hand to me.
"Will you enjoy this voyage with me?"
"Gladly."
I took her hand in mine.
"Boss, would you mind helpin' me unload the luggage soon?"
Merceja said with a sigh as he unloaded bags from the carriage.