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?
โEnough! Just leave it to us!โ
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.
โHuh? Who are you?โ
โHello there.โ
I couldnโt ignore them, so I urged Redelia forward.
The residents let out quiet murmurs of โOhโฆโ as their gazes shifted to Redelia.
Perhaps the โHoly Braveโs Iron Carriageโ 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.
โHey, youโre an adventurer too, right? Show us your tag.โ
The adventurers rudely demanded without introducing themselves.
I frowned and replied.
โI donโt have a tag. Weโve indeed accepted requests from the Guild Alliance, but we are not adventurers.โ
โWhat? Youโre riding that carriage without being an adventurer?โ
They approached.
โStop it, stop it. A newbie like you doesnโt deserve that carriage. Get off it right now and hand it over to us.โ
โWhatโs going on here, Ist?โ
Hearing the commotion, Fiole came out to the driverโs seat, firmly equipped with her Enesthea spear and Dawn Shield. Upon seeing her, the adventurers erupted into laughter.
โNow thatโs a sight! A kidโs all decked out in gear. What are you, relying on a child for protection? Pathetic!โ
โHuh?โ I saw blue veins popping on Fioleโs forehead and tried to calm her down.
The adventurers kept talking without stopping.
They raised their crystals high.
โLook at this color! Weโre Citrine level adventurers! Our achievements are nothing like yours!โ
I watched the man with a smirk of triumph with cold eyes.
Adventurers have ranks.
Those crystals are tags representing the adventurerโs rank.
There are several ranks, but they can generally be divided into two categories: โcoloredโ and โcolorless.โ
The lowest rank for adventurers is Clear Quartzโthat 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, โcoloredโ indicates higher-level or veteran adventurers, while โcolorlessโ 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 adventurersโฆ from my perspective of knowing the rankโs content, it feels like, โSo what?โ
My calm demeanor seemed to irritate the adventurer, who raised his voice again.
โAnyway, youโre not welcome here. This is our turf; go home and take care of the kidsโโ
โTraveler! Please, listen to our plea!โ
Before the man could finish, one of the residents stepped forward and pleaded with me.
His expression was serious, and his desperation was palpable.
โPlease, save our children! Theyโve been missing since a few days ago, and weโre all worried sick!โ
โMy child too!โ
โMine as well!โ
โSeeing as you have such a fine carriage, you must possess great strength, even if youโre not an adventurer. Please, help us with our childrenโฆ!โ
In an instant, a crowd formed around me.
Everyone was pleading with me about their missing children, disregarding the adventurerโs presence.
Wait a minute.
Is this a plea for missing children?!
No, isnโt it too many?! Whatโs going on here?!
The adventurer, pushed out of the circle, shouted in frustration.
โHey, you guys! Didnโt we say to leave it to us! How can you depend on a novice who isnโt even registered as an adventurer? Are you all idiots?! Weโre โcoloredโ adventurers! Weโre offering to help as part of an important mission! Canโt you understand that?!โ
Someone muttered.
โNo matter how colored you are, we canโt entrust our precious children to a guy like that.โ
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.
โNice to meet you. My name is Domirudo Terra. I serve as the mayor of Miniger.โ
โIโm Isto Rilos.โ
Surprised by the unexpected appearance of the town mayor, I returned the greeting.
โIf you donโt mind, I would like to explain the situation to you. Could you follow me?โ
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.
โEhehe.โ
โFiole, why do you look so pleased in this situation?โ
โBecause so many people are relying on Ist. I feel proud.โ
Fiole, who had been smiling, suddenly furrowed her brow.
โWellโฆ when I meet those adventurers, Iโll definitely give them a piece of my mind. Maybe even take action if necessary.โ
โIn your case, itโs no joke, you know?โ
I sighed and gave her a warning.