The town of Miniger came into view.
If Wigarlus is the intersection of major roads, then this town can be considered a midpoint between the frontier and the central city.
There are no walls or gates. The buildings are densely clustered in the center, gradually becoming sparser as you move toward the outskirts.
As I guided Redelia toward the main street, I noticed a crowd ahead.
It seemed that a large number of residents had gathered in front of some men in travel attire.
Something was off. What could have happened?
“Enough! Just leave it to us!”
I could hear one of the men raising his voice. He seemed agitated.
The expressions of the residents were subtle. They exchanged glances with each other and whispered quietly.
Considering whether it would be better to take a detour into the town, the timing was unfortunate as the men in travel attire turned to face us.
“Huh? Who are you?”
“Hello there.”
I couldn’t ignore them, so I urged Redelia forward.
The residents let out quiet murmurs of “Oh…” as their gazes shifted to Redelia.
Perhaps the “Holy Brave’s Iron Carriage” was a rare sight.
The men in travel attire blocked our path.
Upon closer inspection, I noticed polished crystal pendants hanging from their chests.
Those are the adventurer tags issued by the Guild Alliance. I see, they are adventurers.
“Hey, you’re an adventurer too, right? Show us your tag.”
The adventurers rudely demanded without introducing themselves.
I frowned and replied.
“I don’t have a tag. We’ve indeed accepted requests from the Guild Alliance, but we are not adventurers.”
“What? You’re riding that carriage without being an adventurer?”
They approached.
“Stop it, stop it. A newbie like you doesn’t deserve that carriage. Get off it right now and hand it over to us.”
“What’s going on here, Ist?”
Hearing the commotion, Fiole came out to the driver’s seat, firmly equipped with her Enesthea spear and Dawn Shield. Upon seeing her, the adventurers erupted into laughter.
“Now that’s a sight! A kid’s all decked out in gear. What are you, relying on a child for protection? Pathetic!”
“Huh?” I saw blue veins popping on Fiole’s forehead and tried to calm her down.
The adventurers kept talking without stopping.
They raised their crystals high.
“Look at this color! We’re Citrine level adventurers! Our achievements are nothing like yours!”
I watched the man with a smirk of triumph with cold eyes.
Adventurers have ranks.
Those crystals are tags representing the adventurer’s rank.
There are several ranks, but they can generally be divided into two categories: “colored” and “colorless.”
The lowest rank for adventurers is Clear Quartz—that is, a tag made of colorless crystal.
As they overcome various requests and trials, their rank increases, and the tags take on color.
From the perspective of the general public, “colored” indicates higher-level or veteran adventurers, while “colorless” refers to general adventurers.
By the way, the Citrine level they proudly flaunted is the lowest among the colored ranks.
While it may indicate a certain amount of experience for adventurers… from my perspective of knowing the rank’s content, it feels like, “So what?”
My calm demeanor seemed to irritate the adventurer, who raised his voice again.
“Anyway, you’re not welcome here. This is our turf; go home and take care of the kids—”
“Traveler! Please, listen to our plea!”
Before the man could finish, one of the residents stepped forward and pleaded with me.
His expression was serious, and his desperation was palpable.
“Please, save our children! They’ve been missing since a few days ago, and we’re all worried sick!”
“My child too!”
“Mine as well!”
“Seeing as you have such a fine carriage, you must possess great strength, even if you’re not an adventurer. Please, help us with our children…!”
In an instant, a crowd formed around me.
Everyone was pleading with me about their missing children, disregarding the adventurer’s presence.
Wait a minute.
Is this a plea for missing children?!
No, isn’t it too many?! What’s going on here?!
The adventurer, pushed out of the circle, shouted in frustration.
“Hey, you guys! Didn’t we say to leave it to us! How can you depend on a novice who isn’t even registered as an adventurer? Are you all idiots?! We’re ‘colored’ adventurers! We’re offering to help as part of an important mission! Can’t you understand that?!”
Someone muttered.
“No matter how colored you are, we can’t entrust our precious children to a guy like that.”
Well, I understand your feelings.
The adventurers, dismissed by the residents, turned red-faced and continued shouting, eventually leaving for outside the town.
Moments later, the crowd of residents parted, and from the back, a calm middle-aged man approached.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Domirudo Terra. I serve as the mayor of Miniger.”
“I’m Isto Rilos.”
Surprised by the unexpected appearance of the town mayor, I returned the greeting.
“If you don’t mind, I would like to explain the situation to you. Could you follow me?”
Nodding, I followed Domirudo as he turned to lead the way.
As Redelia moved steadily forward, the residents bowed their heads in respect.
It felt a bit strange.
“Ehehe.”
“Fiole, why do you look so pleased in this situation?”
“Because so many people are relying on Ist. I feel proud.”
Fiole, who had been smiling, suddenly furrowed her brow.
“Well… when I meet those adventurers, I’ll definitely give them a piece of my mind. Maybe even take action if necessary.”
“In your case, it’s no joke, you know?”
I sighed and gave her a warning.
