I watch the sunrise from outside the tent.
It seems that I’m the last one on watch.
I enter the tent to wake everyone up before the soldiers start stirring.
The tent is filled with a sweet scent, perhaps from a woman’s perfume.
I wonder if demons like Mastema have body odors, as I wake everyone up, thinking such trivial things.
Noel and Arnella usually seem a little apologetic at times like this, but even though I treat them like servants, it’s a rule that we rotate the watch.
I remind myself that resting is part of the job too.
Sepia, however, is hard to wake up, but it can be excused since she’s still a child.
After shaking her several times, I confirm that everyone is awake.
There are no spare clothes, but at least there’s a towel to wipe our bodies with.
In an unfamiliar land, what’s most frightening is illness or injury. It’s always best to stay clean.
Kasugal would usually end up bedridden after returning from an expedition. Renatishia would care for him then.
So that’s how those two ended up together, from all the care she gave him.
I’ve just solved a mystery from the past.
Hot water is plentiful, so we all soak our towels and wipe our bodies.
Since we had been at sea before the move, the salt on our skin made us feel uncomfortable, but it washes off cleanly.
Swimsuits are handy for wiping our bodies.
“Can you wipe my back?”
“Sure, let me help.”
Arnella is cleaning Mastema’s back.
“Um, could you wipe my back too?”
“Got it.”
I wipe Noel’s back.
Her skin is smooth, soft to the touch, and I feel like I could keep touching it forever.
“Well then, I’ll wipe Ahavain’s back for you.”
Behind me, Sepia says that and starts wiping Ahavain’s back.
It’s a little ticklish, but I endure it.
It feels like a child’s play, but it doesn’t feel bad at all.
Maybe it’s because I’ve started to think of them as family.
I also take the chance to wash Boro’s hood.
Drying it is quick, as I can just create warm air to do it.
If these five were thrown into a jungle, they’d likely manage to live comfortably right away.
“Hmmm, I’m hungry.”
“Don’t say that. It just makes me hungrier. And you don’t even need food, do you?”
“I have to eat a little, or even a demon’s body would suffer.”
Our supplies are limited, so we save what we have for later.
For now, we fill our stomachs with hot water.
I don’t think I’ve had such a meager meal even when I was just starting out.
To achieve our goals, food, shelter, and clothing are top priorities.
It seems the soldiers are awake and done with their packing.
We get back into the cart and resume our journey.
I thought it would be boring during the move, but the women seem to have things to do, like combing their hair or fixing hoods.
I didn’t expect them to bring a sewing kit—what good preparation.
“We can use this to stitch up wounds…”
“The ground was so rough.”
“It’s annoying, but we have angels here, so I think the wounds will be fine.”
“Yeah, if it comes to it, you can rely on us.”
Victor quietly appears and mutters as he walks away.
He’s the type to make his presence known at the right moment.
As time passes, we finally start to see the city walls.
…
“Aren’t those walls really big?”
“They’re definitely big. They might even be higher than the capital’s or the imperial city’s walls.”
If Arnella says so, then it’s probably true.
The walls are so large, they exude a strong, intimidating presence. Though there are few monsters, what exactly are they preparing for?
“Sepia, as a first-class mage, what do you think of those walls? Do you think you can break through them?”
“That’s impossible… Even if I had ten people, we’d run out of magic before we could break through.”
“Yeah, I thought so.”
If even Sepia can’t handle it, then a mage wouldn’t be able to break through.
Mastema could probably break through forcefully, but that’s because she’s an exceptional demon, far beyond the norm.
These walls aren’t meant for fighting humans.
They were built to defend against powerful beings, even if not as strong as demons.
Upon closer inspection, some parts of the walls show signs of being scraped.
“There could be some monstrous creatures around here.”
“If that’s the case, that monster sure has bad luck.”
Mastema puffs up her chest proudly.
“Ahavain and I are here now. And with Sepia, Arnella, and Noel, we’re unbeatable.”
“Hmph, you talk a big game.”
“Hey, didn’t you say that like it was a bonus or something?”
As long as the enemy can be harmed by swords, whether they’re dragons or giants, I’m not afraid.
Especially if Mastema’s with me.
With back-up support, it’d be hard to lose.
But I can’t afford to be careless.
Many adventurers who let their guard down were caught off guard, unable to use their full strength, and died.
I don’t plan on making the same mistake.
“There’s something to be concerned about. This fortification—why did they need to build such a thing?”
“Maybe it’s because the lord’s a coward.”
“It’s not just cowardice. That’s a lot of money and effort that went into those walls.”
“I see.”
As we’re discussing this, we arrive at the city gates.
The gates are impressive, but compared to the walls, they seem average.
After the soldiers speak with the gatekeepers, the gates open from the inside.
“Hmmm, the technology level here might be higher than I thought.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Look at that.”
Sepia points at a round device connected to the gate by chains.
There’s a pulley attached to it, and it looks like they used it to pull the chains and open the gates.
But devices like that should have existed in the imperial city too.
When I point that out, Sepia shakes her head.
“The tools are the same, but the performance is different. The pulley only has one person on it. In the capital, they had at least four on each side.”
“True.”
The soldier operating the pulley isn’t particularly well-built.
“They haven’t innovated, but the basic technology has improved… I wonder if this is the future.”
“The future, huh? It doesn’t really look like it.”
Inside the gates is a familiar sight—just a well-organized city.
If I had to describe it, it would be that everything is neatly arranged.
There’s no disorder in the arrangement of the buildings.
“Hey.”
The soldier in front calls out to us.
“What is it?”
“We’re moving to the barracks. Come along, we’ll prepare temporary stay permits for you.”
“Got it.”
Looks like we’re being welcomed as guests of the city.
It’s a far better treatment than if we had arrived as wandering refugees.
