kscans

Chapter 120 - The City of Heilon and Three Men

The city of Heilon was located a short distance south of the river, which flowed in a wide arc around it. In terms of size, it was probably comparable to Fruchst. A city wall encircled a low hill dotted with houses. Of all the cities we had seen so far, its walls were particularly thick. Until now, the two great, opposing nations—the Empire and the Demon Kingdom—had faced each other across a buffer zone known as the former Empire. That buffer zone was eliminated when the Demon Kingdom captured the former Empire's capital. And so, this city, along with Miglutt, became the Empire's front line in the war against the Demon Kingdom. With the fall of the former Empire, Heilon had extensively renovated its walls, even enclosing the road connecting the city to the port. The port was the lifeblood of this city, which thrived on commerce. The two nations had not officially declared war. But the signs were there, visible in the civil unrest and inter-city conflicts occurring in the Empire's eastern cities. It was said that the Demon Kingdom was involved in these matters. I had expected the city to be shrouded in a dark atmosphere, but the people were energetically engaged in bustling commercial activities. Behind the scenes, the ruling class was likely shouldering a heavy burden. The port was on both banks of the river, but the south side, where the city was located, was clearly more prosperous. Here, we would disembark and switch to the caravan's wagons, heading north to the city of Miglutt. Miglutt was an even larger city than this one. We ended up staying in this city for ten days. Transferring the cargo to the wagons would only take a few days, but we needed to deal with the aftermath of the pirate subjugation. The fate of the prisoners allocated to me and Levante was left to the Mateo Trading Company, and we were to receive only the monetary payment. I got ten prisoners, and each of the other members got one, for a total of fifteen people, which came to 750 gold coins. Divided among the six of us, that was 125 gold coins each. It was a considerable sum, but it seemed far too cheap for the value of a human life. I had considered taking them all in and freeing them at some point. However, Mercedes explained to me that for those who lived on the river, such an idea was unthinkable. He also mentioned that those who had committed acts of piracy could only be used as serfs or miners. It wasn't just a matter of controlling them with a Slave Mark; anything would do. Their true value was at most 30 gold coins. But because it was me, the price was raised to 50 gold coins. I told him 30 would be fine, but Mercedes wouldn't budge on that either. I had planned to have Takamura and Komachi's share deducted from my portion, but I was told that wasn't necessary. I imagine he correctly perceived that I couldn't see slaves as mere slaves, and that I was disgusted by the institution of slavery. He seemed to be trying to bridge that gap. I had never told him my thoughts or feelings. He was a strange man. The slaves who had been captured by the pirates and forced to be rowers were to be set free. Apparently, a reward would be paid separately by the cities they belonged to. On top of that, there was the profit from selling the towed galley, and a reward from the Star Union Family for accepting Marmi's request. Knights had already arrived to pick up Marmi. From her words and actions, she didn't seem like a noble's daughter at all, but apparently, she really was one. She would be heading to Miglutt before us. As for the Crystal Core, it would just sit unused in my storage, so I had given it to Marmi. Regarding the spoils of this battle, it was proposed that they be divided equally among the five participating ships. However, Mercedes was once again firmly against it. He condemned the four ships that were late to the rescue. The reason for their delay was apparently to attach rams to their hulls, but there was a possibility that we could have been wiped out before they arrived. The captain, considering his future relations with the other ships, tried to be lenient, but Mercedes wouldn't allow it. In the end, two of the galley ships sank, the pirates thrown into the river were mopped up by crossbows, and the slaves who were used as rowers shared the same fate as the galleys. This was the reason Joe's side had achieved a poor result. Halbaros's whereabouts were unknown. If he had been on board, he would have attempted a counterattack using his special skill. I believe he escaped beforehand. After getting that information from Joe, I lost all interest in dealing with them. It was all so troublesome and weighed heavily on my mind. Group battles like this were beyond me. I swore to myself I would never get involved again. And now, what was weighing on me even more was the fact that I was walking with two men: Fang and Beers.

"Don't make that face!"

Beers slung an arm around my shoulder. The time was evening, and the sun was setting upstream. The sky was dyed orange. We were on the north side of the river, the opposite bank from the city. The riverside was a continuous sandy beach, like a seaside resort, even though it wasn't the sea.

"This is called Heilon Beach. It's a major tourist spot,"

Beers said. A breeze was blowing, and the wind-swept water lapped against the sand like waves. We walked downstream along a small path set up nearby. On the river side, there were rows of trees, and on the north side, stone inns lined the way. They were all unified with white walls and had open decks. Guests were drinking and relaxing. The temperature had already started to drop, so there was no one in the water on the beach. Some people were still lying around, but most were packing up to leave. It might be a good idea to bring Famu and the others here during the day for some swimming practice. There were also food stalls, and the sweet scent of fruit filled the air. They were also selling skewered fish and what was likely fruit wine—alcohol. Beers bought some fruit wine and started drinking as we walked. A man was going around lighting the lanterns hanging from the trees. I saw women in revealing clothes accepting invitations from men. As we walked while taking in the sights, a young cat-eared man came up to us, looked at Fang, and lifted the hem of his clothes to show off his abs.

"Get lost."

Fang waved his hand, shooing the man away.

"A friend of yours? What was that all about?"

I asked Fang, but he just shook his head.

"Fang just got hit on,"

Beers said with a grin.

"Hit on...? By a guy?"

"Shut up,"

Fang replied, sounding annoyed. We walked leisurely along the beach. The number of people coming and going gradually increased. Most of them were young and lightly dressed. There were more groups of men and groups of women than couples.

"There are quite a few non-humans around here, huh?"

I muttered. Perhaps it was that kind of district.

"In Heilon, it's about thirty percent. In Miglutt, it's more like forty percent,"

Fang answered.

"So, humans are still more than half."

"It's said that more than half of the world's population is human."

"Is that so..."

I nodded. How did they count that? I was curious, but Fang probably wouldn't be able to answer.

"So, what exactly are we doing here?"

"We wanted to thank you for freeing us from slavery."

"I heard that. I just did what I wanted to do, so you don't need to worry about it."

"And besides, you look tired, so we thought we'd cheer you up, you know?"

If that's what you think, I'd rather you just leave me alone. I want to sleep with Cecily tonight. And wake up to a refreshing morning the next day. Come to think of it, the order we decided on the other day had become vague after the battle with the pirates. The number of people had increased too much, with the prisoners and freed slaves. As I was thinking that, a low hill came into view ahead, and beyond it stood a massive tower resembling a bull's horns. It was so enormous that it seemed to warp my sense of scale. The upper levels were illuminated by the setting sun, while its base was shrouded in the darkness of night, seeming to melt into the hill.

"That's Heilon's largest dungeon, Longhorn Trail. The view from here is like a mirage, so to speak. You can only see the tower from this angle. If you go to a different angle or get closer, it disappears."

Fang also looked up at the tower as he spoke. His voice had a nostalgic ring to it. A tower, but a dungeon, and a trail? It was confusing, but I remembered that any space teeming with monsters was a dungeon. It seems there's a dungeon in Miglutt that you can see like this too. It's called the Crystal Palace, and it looks like a palace floating above the city, Fang added.

"You're not seriously thinking of going in there now, are you?"

"Relax. Our business is on the street below it."

Beers pointed to the base of the tower. There was a road leading towards it. At the entrance was an archway sign, with the words 'Longhorn Street' carved into it, shining like electric lights. A giant hourglass was displayed on top of the arch. Just as the sand finished falling, a man with beastman ears climbed up the arch and flipped the hourglass over. Beyond the arch, there were even more people, and it seemed to be bustling.

"Weird, right? I don't get the principle either, but apparently the sign's light is created by magic."

Hearing Beers's words, I looked at Fang for confirmation, but he just shrugged. The only experts here were specialists in melee combat.

"So, what are we doing here?"

I asked again, a question that had been dodged several times already. Hearing my words, Beers's face broke into a lewd grin.

"A fleeting dream. We're gonna buy a woman."

The world beyond the arch was another world entirely. It wasn't so much a dreamlike world as it was a disorienting feeling of having returned to my original world. The scenery wasn't modern, but more like a bustling entertainment district from a bygone era. Stone buildings lined both sides of the street, and like the entrance arch, signs adorned with electric lights hung from the eaves. A chaotic, inconsistent light flooded the area. The sun had set and darkness had fallen, yet this place alone was a different world. It was overflowing with people. An adventurer-like man walked with a swagger. Lightly-dressed women winked at us. Music flowed from somewhere, the sound of drums and wind instruments. My stomach was starting to rumble, so we stopped at a place with an open terrace where you could eat standing up. We ate skewered meat and drank ale while watching the spectacle of Longhorn Street. The meat was spicy and delicious.

"The spices come from a country even further east than the Demon Kingdom. In the Empire, this city and a city on the southern coast buy them through the Demon Kingdom and distribute them,"

Fang said. It was probably Kalpana's homeland. I suddenly craved the curry of the nomadic people again.

"What's wrong? You look down,"

Beers said, peering into my face. Buying a woman meant spending a night with a prostitute. I had promised Famu I wouldn't sleep with prostitutes. Besides, I was a virgin until I came to this world. Looking back now, perhaps it was because I had kept my virginity that I became a wizard after turning thirty and was able to transfer to this world. Of course, I had no experience with such women. If I told them that, I was afraid they'd make fun of me, unlike Famu and the others. As I was stewing in my gloomy thoughts, a door on the second floor of the building across the street opened. A completely naked woman came out onto the terrace and began to dance, swaying her hips. The people walking on the street stopped to whistle and cheer her on. The dancing woman winked at me.

"She just winked at me."

"No, that was for me."

Beers also seemed to think the wink was directed at him.

"Beers..."

"What?"

He leaned in to hear my mutter.

"This place... is amazing!"

I raised my ale and the three of us toasted. My mood shot up instantly.

"Alright? We'll just go into a random place. We can drink the night away there, or we can buy one of the girls. A girl costs five silver coins until the sand in the hourglass runs out, or ten for the whole night. This street is managed by a boss. Tipping for drinks inside the shop or throwing money around is fine, but giving extra money to the girl you bought or negotiating a discount will cause trouble, so don't do it. After you buy one, you can take her to one of those inns along the beach."

"That's cheap."

"There are brothels off the main street where you can do it on the spot for one silver coin. But I don't recommend it. Definitely don't go there."

The open terrace was at the corner of a T-junction. I peeked down the side street branching off from the main one. It was dark, and didn't look like any shops were open.

"There are no healthy women down there,"

Fang said.

"Is the hourglass the one on top of the entrance arch?"

"That's the one. It's said that it takes two hours for the sand to run out. But it seems to be longer in the summer and shorter in the winter."

The residents of this world probably don't measure time accurately. They see the period from sunrise to sunset as half a day, and further divide that by twelve to make one hour. So, in the summer when the daylight hours are long, the intervals of night time are short, and conversely, in the winter when they are short, they become long. I'm sure an Otherworlder has introduced a more accurate method of measuring time, but it doesn't seem to have caught on.

"In that case, wouldn't you lose out if you buy a girl while the sand is still falling?"

"A lot of guys wait until it runs out. But the ones who can't wait buy them midway through."

If you wait for the hourglass to run out, you end up killing time somewhere. That way, customers eat and drink, spending money on this street.

"You're way too knowledgeable about this stuff, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah."

He answered with a bored tone. Could this guy be a pimp? A dangerous fellow. I'd often seen him with Mizuki, but I'll have to make sure to keep her away from him from now on.