Chapter 130
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Chapter 130 – Glasses boy steps into the lawless country, Krozheit
As I walked towards the city, I thought about the assignment that Sorichika gave me.
I need to properly assess how troublesome those restrictions are before deciding how I’ll act within Krozheit.
I can’t really be sure of how I’ll act within the lawless country until I actually feel what it is like though.
It’s probably a somewhat rough place, but it should also have some order in it, even if it’s lawless.
There is always order in places where people gather.
Otherwise, people will just leave.
Even in small villages, a few rules end up being naturally born, in order to make sure everyone can coexist peacefully.
… Well, I can think more about how the rules of Krozheit work after I get there.
For now, let’s think about my assignment.
First, the use of bows is prohibited.
This one shouldn’t be a problem.
In the first place, it’s surprisingly hard for me to imagine myself drawing a bow within that city.
There will be many people there, and too many obstacles too. Not to mention a myriad of escape routes and back alleys.
Bows excel at medium to long range attacks.
They can work at shorter distances, but that’s usually only possible if you’re in a safe position and have multiple opponents that you can shoot against.
If something happened in Krozheit, that made me want to use a bow, it would probably be a situation where I would need to fight at medium to close range combat.
And against humans.
Also, some opponents may dodge or deflect arrows.
And a deflected arrow may also hit someone who was unrelated to the battle too.
Moreover, there is a problem with the speed at which I can fire.
There are way more steps into firing an arrow than there are into swinging a sword.
It’s a slower process, and the arrow can only fly in a straight line, so it’s very easy to read the attacks of an archer in one-on-one combat.
Not to mention that arrows are finite, and if they run out, I’d be out of means of attack.
The opponent would have the option of simply avoiding my arrows until I ran out of them.
Or well, they could also wait until I shot an arrow, then either escape or try attacking me before I can shoot the next one.
And there is also the problem that I cannot control an arrow once it’s shot. I cannot stop it, nor bend its trajectory.
So, it’s possible that I could hit someone unrelated to the battle by accident… And even if it was an accident, this would still be an absolutely unacceptable failure.
Therefore… I really can’t see myself drawing my bow while I’m inside the city.
Instead, I’d much rather run away if a fight broke out.
If I really end up in a situation where I have to fight, it would better to pull back, hide, then take the opponent out with a surprise attack.
It’s cowardly alright.
But once you’re dead, then it’s all over.
I don’t want my life to end just yet.
So, this much is fine.
The second restriction, was that I cannot rendezvous with my friends.
I have no problems with that, for that’s what I was planning on doing from the start.
Though I am a bit worried for Florentine.
If, after seeing what Krozheit is like, I feel like Florentine might be in trouble, I may decide to look for her.
Because life is more important than Sorichika’s assignment.
Lisse, Chace and Cherry should be fine. I’m not worried about them.
In the first place, we all received permission to come to the Tower of Bryne from our masters, which means our masters deemed us strong enough to safely reach the tower.
They judged us as people who have the power to survive in the lawless country.
Also, while we were in the village, we exterminated Demon Beasts together often, so I have a good grasp of everyone’s abilities.
And so, I know that even Florentine is strong.
She is very simple, but very strong.
But that’s not what I’m worried about.
What I’m worried about, is that she might be caught in a trap after being lured in by meat… As a meat lover like me, I can’t help worrying about what she’d do for meat.
Even if I can get meat myself, there are a lot of things that I would do for-
… Coming to think about it, I don’t have a bow.
… Hold on.
I… Can’t hunt right now?
I can’t… Secure my own meat?
… A terrible situation has already happened!?
… Well, I’ll think more about this later.
Perhaps if I use a different weapon instead of the bow… Or maybe one of my registered Gifts can help… I’m sure there must be something I can do.
I shouldn’t get impatient just because my best hunting tool was sealed away.
One should always be calm while hunting.
And the third restriction was to… Be the last of us five to reach the Tower of Bryne.
… Yeah. This one is definitely the most troublesome restriction.
******
The word ‘hodgepodge’ would be an appropriate description of Krozheit.
The masonry walls that surrounded the city were crumbling in multiple places. The walls don’t seem to follow a clear structure, and it seems easy to access the city from wherever you want.
I don’t know who built it and when, but I think the wall that separates this city from the outside must be quite old.
It was probably well-built at one point too, since these walls are pretty high, and I have to look up to see its top.
However, there doesn’t seem to be anyone working on properly fixing these walls when they collapse.
And the town that can be seen from the crumbling walls clearly has no sense of unity.
Some buildings are tall, and some are short.
Some are made of stone and others are made of wood.
Those different buildings are all crowded together inside the city.
That said, even though the outer wall is crumbling apart, there are still several locations that look like they’re the main entrances of the city.
Though they’re left open and there is no gatekeeper guarding them.
Still, there is a highway leading to the city from somewhere beyond so… Maybe this kind of road is used to interact with other countries and cities.
I think this whole area is fairly underdeveloped, but maybe… Well, I guess I can worry about it later.
For now, let’s think about entering the city.
I could easily enter through a crumbling portion of the wall, but… Let’s try going through the entrance for now.
So, I followed the path that looked like a highway, then entered the city through the open gates.
The path was narrow.
I felt as if I was being squeezed by the buildings on my left and right. This highway-like road was barely wide enough to let two carriages pass by each other.
And there is a fair number of people here… And surprisingly, most of them look like ordinary people.
Though plenty of them seem to be a bit too poorly dressed when I compare them to the people I saw back in the royal capital.
“Mmm…?” I muttered to myself.
As soon as I entered the city, I felt several people staring at me.
The owner of those gazes… Five shabby old men approached me.
“Boy, this is your first time here, isn’t it?” One of them asked me.
He had something that resembled an amiable smile on his face… Goodness, try a bit harder to hide your ulterior motives, at least.
“We are the gatekeepers. You need to pay a fee to enter the city.
“But well, most people who come here don’t have any money, so anything you have is fine.” The old man told me.
Oh, got it. It’s an extortion. Gatekeepers don’t work while already being inside the city.
“This is the only thing I have that is worth any money…” I muttered as I took out my glasses.
“Glasses? These are…” The men muttered as they took the glasses from my hands and started staring at them.
They’re quite curious, aren’t they? It feels a bit embarrassing to have them stare at my Gift so intently…
“Ah, I’ll give something else. This is important, so give it back.” I stated.
When I told them that, as if I was in a hurry, the men quickly answered in an amused way, as if I had said something funny, “No, no! This is fine!”
They’re really easy to understand… Seriously, try hiding your ulterior motives a bit more. Please be a bit better at tricking people. This is so obvious that I’m almost laughing at it.
“I told you to give it back.” I told them.
The men laughed, “It’s too late, you idiot!” then quickly ran away without any hesitation.
After that, things went silent.
I looked around a bit, and saw that the people nearby were looking at me with pitying eyes.
… Well, I can’t see them that well, but I can feel the mood anyways.
They must be thinking that I’m a poor boy who was robbed of my only valuable thing as soon as I arrived at the city.
So, I took out some new glasses from my backpack and put them on.
Or rather, I put my hand inside my backpack and created new glasses from scratch. I just made it seem like I was taking them from the backpack.
Tonight, I’ll connect my vision to the stolen glasses and watch the actions of the thieves.
If they don’t seem useful, I can always stop looking, and if I see something interesting, I can keep spying on them for a while.
Through training with Sorichika, it became clear that I could do this kind of thing.
Or well, it’s more like I understood that I could do it, but I didn’t try it that much.
Fundamentally speaking, all my glasses are connected.
I can see what is projected by all my glasses.
But I had no use for this ability so far.
When it comes to seeing what my other glasses are projecting, the only other glasses available is the one Cherry is using, and the ones that were distributed to the royal castle.
Cherry aside, spying on the castle is bad.
I don’t want to connect my sight to those, as I might end up seeing important things that I shouldn’t be allowed to see.
On another note, I can also erase my glasses remotely.
However, this is limited to glasses that I remember. I cannot erase glasses that I can’t clearly remember.
Essentially, this means that I can’t erase the glasses that were distributed to the castle.
Back then, I made the glasses without thinking about anything in particular, so I don’t remember them properly.
From now on, I might start putting numbers on the glasses somewhere out of sight.
Although… It’s not like I have the opportunity to hand over my glasses to other people often anyway.
If it wasn’t for this kind of situation, I’d probably have no use for this ability whatsoever, so I’m unsure if it’s necessary to worry too much about properly remembering my glasses.
In any case, what I want right now is information.
If I can start sowing the seeds to obtain an information source without any difficulty, then I’d rather do it as soon as possible.
So… Let’s get moving.
******
I can see that the people I’m passing by are warily looking at each other.
They’re probably being careful because of the unfamiliar new face.
Mmm… I don’t really like being stared at like that.
… That said, there really are quite a lot of people here.
Moreover, many of them really feel like ordinary people, even though this is a lawless country.
Things right now feel a bit tense, but also calm.
… Isn’t it too calm, actually? Even after I was just extorted?
The nearby stores also feel quite normal and-
“Oh, excuse me.” A young man said as he bumped onto me.
I didn’t dare to avoid him, even though he was obviously heading in my direction.
I also didn’t try stopping him from grabbing the small bag in my pocket… Truly, this was a very shoddy attempt.
“… Hey, boy. You were pickpocketed.” An old man told me.
Right in front of me, a strange old man from a street stall, that was selling a variety of disconnected things, told me that while absent-mindedly staring at the back of the young man who stole what was in my pocket.
His face contained pity.
“Oh, really? I didn’t notice it at all.” I told him.
The old man sighed, “What a stupid boy.”
I agree. It’s stupid. That person was stupid.
The leather bag that they took wasn’t a wallet, it was a stink bag. It was filled with a powder that can even scare a Redbear.
When he opens it, that’s all that he will get.
If he handles it carelessly, the powder will get stuck to his body, and it might take him a few days to completely get rid of the smell.
He seemed to really want to take it, even without my permission, so I decided to let him.
“Are you a newcomer? Do you have a place you’re planning to go to?” The old man asked.
Oh?
“Will you take care of me?” I asked.
“Don’t be stupid. Being dragged down is a pain.” The old man replied.
Oh, I agree. I may not know this old man, but I’m sure I’m not strong enough to drag him with me while moving around quickly.
“Why don’t you go to the brothel? Your face will sell.” The old man told me.
Huh?
Is that man trying to be kind and give honest advice, or is he trying to disrespect me…?
… I think he is being kind. He is not smiling or talking with a mocking tone.
Apparently, I’m giving off the impression of being really stupid… Well, it’s easier that way, so it’s fine.
“Where is this brothel?” I asked him.
“If you keep going straight ahead, you’ll see a signboard. Just follow it and you’ll be at the brothel.” The old man told me.
Oh, alright.
… I don’t plan on working at the brothel, of course, but I do need a proper base here.
It might be easier to just sleep outside than to spend the night inside the city though.
After all, in just this short time, I’ve already had to deal with an extortion and with a pickpocket.
I don’t know how many more times I will have to deal with this kind of thing in just one night.
That said, I have nowhere to go, so I might as well check out the brothel.
This old man took the trouble to tell me about it, and I want to believe that he had good intentions.
“Mmmm…? What is this smell?” The old man sniffed.
“Ooh?” I tilted my head.
Seems like the pickpocket handled it carelessly.
Did he throw it on the ground and spread the whole powder on himself?
Well, it’s his responsibility now, so please deal with the consequences.
With this kind of first experience in the lawless country, I decided to head to the brothel I was told about.
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Chapter 130 – Glasses boy steps into the lawless country, Krozheit
As I walked towards the city, I thought about the assignment that Sorichika gave me.
I need to properly assess how troublesome those restrictions are before deciding how I’ll act within Krozheit.
I can’t really be sure of how I’ll act within the lawless country until I actually feel what it is like though.
It’s probably a somewhat rough place, but it should also have some order in it, even if it’s lawless.
There is always order in places where people gather.
Otherwise, people will just leave.
Even in small villages, a few rules end up being naturally born, in order to make sure everyone can coexist peacefully.
… Well, I can think more about how the rules of Krozheit work after I get there.
For now, let’s think about my assignment.
First, the use of bows is prohibited.
This one shouldn’t be a problem.
In the first place, it’s surprisingly hard for me to imagine myself drawing a bow within that city.
There will be many people there, and too many obstacles too. Not to mention a myriad of escape routes and back alleys.
Bows excel at medium to long range attacks.
They can work at shorter distances, but that’s usually only possible if you’re in a safe position and have multiple opponents that you can shoot against.
If something happened in Krozheit, that made me want to use a bow, it would probably be a situation where I would need to fight at medium to close range combat.
And against humans.
Also, some opponents may dodge or deflect arrows.
And a deflected arrow may also hit someone who was unrelated to the battle too.
Moreover, there is a problem with the speed at which I can fire.
There are way more steps into firing an arrow than there are into swinging a sword.
It’s a slower process, and the arrow can only fly in a straight line, so it’s very easy to read the attacks of an archer in one-on-one combat.
Not to mention that arrows are finite, and if they run out, I’d be out of means of attack.
The opponent would have the option of simply avoiding my arrows until I ran out of them.
Or well, they could also wait until I shot an arrow, then either escape or try attacking me before I can shoot the next one.
And there is also the problem that I cannot control an arrow once it’s shot. I cannot stop it, nor bend its trajectory.
So, it’s possible that I could hit someone unrelated to the battle by accident… And even if it was an accident, this would still be an absolutely unacceptable failure.
Therefore… I really can’t see myself drawing my bow while I’m inside the city.
Instead, I’d much rather run away if a fight broke out.
If I really end up in a situation where I have to fight, it would better to pull back, hide, then take the opponent out with a surprise attack.
It’s cowardly alright.
But once you’re dead, then it’s all over.
I don’t want my life to end just yet.
So, this much is fine.
The second restriction, was that I cannot rendezvous with my friends.
I have no problems with that, for that’s what I was planning on doing from the start.
Though I am a bit worried for Florentine.
If, after seeing what Krozheit is like, I feel like Florentine might be in trouble, I may decide to look for her.
Because life is more important than Sorichika’s assignment.
Lisse, Chace and Cherry should be fine. I’m not worried about them.
In the first place, we all received permission to come to the Tower of Bryne from our masters, which means our masters deemed us strong enough to safely reach the tower.
They judged us as people who have the power to survive in the lawless country.
Also, while we were in the village, we exterminated Demon Beasts together often, so I have a good grasp of everyone’s abilities.
And so, I know that even Florentine is strong.
She is very simple, but very strong.
But that’s not what I’m worried about.
What I’m worried about, is that she might be caught in a trap after being lured in by meat… As a meat lover like me, I can’t help worrying about what she’d do for meat.
Even if I can get meat myself, there are a lot of things that I would do for-
… Coming to think about it, I don’t have a bow.
… Hold on.
I… Can’t hunt right now?
I can’t… Secure my own meat?
… A terrible situation has already happened!?
… Well, I’ll think more about this later.
Perhaps if I use a different weapon instead of the bow… Or maybe one of my registered Gifts can help… I’m sure there must be something I can do.
I shouldn’t get impatient just because my best hunting tool was sealed away.
One should always be calm while hunting.
And the third restriction was to… Be the last of us five to reach the Tower of Bryne.
… Yeah. This one is definitely the most troublesome restriction.
******
The word ‘hodgepodge’ would be an appropriate description of Krozheit.
The masonry walls that surrounded the city were crumbling in multiple places. The walls don’t seem to follow a clear structure, and it seems easy to access the city from wherever you want.
I don’t know who built it and when, but I think the wall that separates this city from the outside must be quite old.
It was probably well-built at one point too, since these walls are pretty high, and I have to look up to see its top.
However, there doesn’t seem to be anyone working on properly fixing these walls when they collapse.
And the town that can be seen from the crumbling walls clearly has no sense of unity.
Some buildings are tall, and some are short.
Some are made of stone and others are made of wood.
Those different buildings are all crowded together inside the city.
That said, even though the outer wall is crumbling apart, there are still several locations that look like they’re the main entrances of the city.
Though they’re left open and there is no gatekeeper guarding them.
Still, there is a highway leading to the city from somewhere beyond so… Maybe this kind of road is used to interact with other countries and cities.
I think this whole area is fairly underdeveloped, but maybe… Well, I guess I can worry about it later.
For now, let’s think about entering the city.
I could easily enter through a crumbling portion of the wall, but… Let’s try going through the entrance for now.
So, I followed the path that looked like a highway, then entered the city through the open gates.
The path was narrow.
I felt as if I was being squeezed by the buildings on my left and right. This highway-like road was barely wide enough to let two carriages pass by each other.
And there is a fair number of people here… And surprisingly, most of them look like ordinary people.
Though plenty of them seem to be a bit too poorly dressed when I compare them to the people I saw back in the royal capital.
“Mmm…?” I muttered to myself.
As soon as I entered the city, I felt several people staring at me.
The owner of those gazes… Five shabby old men approached me.
“Boy, this is your first time here, isn’t it?” One of them asked me.
He had something that resembled an amiable smile on his face… Goodness, try a bit harder to hide your ulterior motives, at least.
“We are the gatekeepers. You need to pay a fee to enter the city.
“But well, most people who come here don’t have any money, so anything you have is fine.” The old man told me.
Oh, got it. It’s an extortion. Gatekeepers don’t work while already being inside the city.
“This is the only thing I have that is worth any money…” I muttered as I took out my glasses.
“Glasses? These are…” The men muttered as they took the glasses from my hands and started staring at them.
They’re quite curious, aren’t they? It feels a bit embarrassing to have them stare at my Gift so intently…
“Ah, I’ll give something else. This is important, so give it back.” I stated.
When I told them that, as if I was in a hurry, the men quickly answered in an amused way, as if I had said something funny, “No, no! This is fine!”
They’re really easy to understand… Seriously, try hiding your ulterior motives a bit more. Please be a bit better at tricking people. This is so obvious that I’m almost laughing at it.
“I told you to give it back.” I told them.
The men laughed, “It’s too late, you idiot!” then quickly ran away without any hesitation.
After that, things went silent.
I looked around a bit, and saw that the people nearby were looking at me with pitying eyes.
… Well, I can’t see them that well, but I can feel the mood anyways.
They must be thinking that I’m a poor boy who was robbed of my only valuable thing as soon as I arrived at the city.
So, I took out some new glasses from my backpack and put them on.
Or rather, I put my hand inside my backpack and created new glasses from scratch. I just made it seem like I was taking them from the backpack.
Tonight, I’ll connect my vision to the stolen glasses and watch the actions of the thieves.
If they don’t seem useful, I can always stop looking, and if I see something interesting, I can keep spying on them for a while.
Through training with Sorichika, it became clear that I could do this kind of thing.
Or well, it’s more like I understood that I could do it, but I didn’t try it that much.
Fundamentally speaking, all my glasses are connected.
I can see what is projected by all my glasses.
But I had no use for this ability so far.
When it comes to seeing what my other glasses are projecting, the only other glasses available is the one Cherry is using, and the ones that were distributed to the royal castle.
Cherry aside, spying on the castle is bad.
I don’t want to connect my sight to those, as I might end up seeing important things that I shouldn’t be allowed to see.
On another note, I can also erase my glasses remotely.
However, this is limited to glasses that I remember. I cannot erase glasses that I can’t clearly remember.
Essentially, this means that I can’t erase the glasses that were distributed to the castle.
Back then, I made the glasses without thinking about anything in particular, so I don’t remember them properly.
From now on, I might start putting numbers on the glasses somewhere out of sight.
Although… It’s not like I have the opportunity to hand over my glasses to other people often anyway.
If it wasn’t for this kind of situation, I’d probably have no use for this ability whatsoever, so I’m unsure if it’s necessary to worry too much about properly remembering my glasses.
In any case, what I want right now is information.
If I can start sowing the seeds to obtain an information source without any difficulty, then I’d rather do it as soon as possible.
So… Let’s get moving.
******
I can see that the people I’m passing by are warily looking at each other.
They’re probably being careful because of the unfamiliar new face.
Mmm… I don’t really like being stared at like that.
… That said, there really are quite a lot of people here.
Moreover, many of them really feel like ordinary people, even though this is a lawless country.
Things right now feel a bit tense, but also calm.
… Isn’t it too calm, actually? Even after I was just extorted?
The nearby stores also feel quite normal and-
“Oh, excuse me.” A young man said as he bumped onto me.
I didn’t dare to avoid him, even though he was obviously heading in my direction.
I also didn’t try stopping him from grabbing the small bag in my pocket… Truly, this was a very shoddy attempt.
“… Hey, boy. You were pickpocketed.” An old man told me.
Right in front of me, a strange old man from a street stall, that was selling a variety of disconnected things, told me that while absent-mindedly staring at the back of the young man who stole what was in my pocket.
His face contained pity.
“Oh, really? I didn’t notice it at all.” I told him.
The old man sighed, “What a stupid boy.”
I agree. It’s stupid. That person was stupid.
The leather bag that they took wasn’t a wallet, it was a stink bag. It was filled with a powder that can even scare a Redbear.
When he opens it, that’s all that he will get.
If he handles it carelessly, the powder will get stuck to his body, and it might take him a few days to completely get rid of the smell.
He seemed to really want to take it, even without my permission, so I decided to let him.
“Are you a newcomer? Do you have a place you’re planning to go to?” The old man asked.
Oh?
“Will you take care of me?” I asked.
“Don’t be stupid. Being dragged down is a pain.” The old man replied.
Oh, I agree. I may not know this old man, but I’m sure I’m not strong enough to drag him with me while moving around quickly.
“Why don’t you go to the brothel? Your face will sell.” The old man told me.
Huh?
Is that man trying to be kind and give honest advice, or is he trying to disrespect me…?
… I think he is being kind. He is not smiling or talking with a mocking tone.
Apparently, I’m giving off the impression of being really stupid… Well, it’s easier that way, so it’s fine.
“Where is this brothel?” I asked him.
“If you keep going straight ahead, you’ll see a signboard. Just follow it and you’ll be at the brothel.” The old man told me.
Oh, alright.
… I don’t plan on working at the brothel, of course, but I do need a proper base here.
It might be easier to just sleep outside than to spend the night inside the city though.
After all, in just this short time, I’ve already had to deal with an extortion and with a pickpocket.
I don’t know how many more times I will have to deal with this kind of thing in just one night.
That said, I have nowhere to go, so I might as well check out the brothel.
This old man took the trouble to tell me about it, and I want to believe that he had good intentions.
“Mmmm…? What is this smell?” The old man sniffed.
“Ooh?” I tilted my head.
Seems like the pickpocket handled it carelessly.
Did he throw it on the ground and spread the whole powder on himself?
Well, it’s his responsibility now, so please deal with the consequences.
With this kind of first experience in the lawless country, I decided to head to the brothel I was told about.
Chapter 130 Glasses boy steps into the lawless country, KrozheitAs I walked towards the city, I thought about the assignment that Sorichika gave me.I need to properly assess how troublesome those restrictions are before deciding how I'll act within Krozheit.I can't really be sure of how I'll act within the lawless country until I actually feel what it is like though.It's probably a somewhat rough place, but it should also have some order in it, even if it's lawless.There is always order in places where people gather.Otherwise, people will just leave.Even in small villages, a few rules end up being naturally born, in order to make sure everyone can coexist peacefully. Well, I can think more about how the rules of Krozheit work after I get there.For now, let's think about my assignment.First, the use of bows is prohibited.This one shouldn't be a problem.In the first place, it's surprisingly hard for me to imagine myself drawing a bow within that city.There will be many people there, and too many obstacles too. Not to mention a myriad of escape routes and back alleys.Bows excel at medium to long range attacks.They can work at shorter distances, but that's usually only possible if you're in a safe position and have multiple opponents that you can shoot against.If something happened in Krozheit, that made me want to use a bow, it would probably be a situation where I would need to fight at medium to close range combat.And against humans.Also, some opponents may dodge or deflect arrows.And a deflected arrow may also hit someone who was unrelated to the battle too.Moreover, there is a problem with the speed at which I can fire.There are way more steps into firing an arrow than there are into swinging a sword.It's a slower process, and the arrow can only fly in a straight line, so it's very easy to read the attacks of an archer in one-on-one combat.Not to mention that arrows are finite, and if they run out, I'd be out of means of attack.The opponent would have the option of simply avoiding my arrows until I ran out of them.Or well, they could also wait until I shot an arrow, then either escape or try attacking me before I can shoot the next one.And there is also the problem that I cannot control an arrow once it's shot. I cannot stop it, nor bend its trajectory.So, it's possible that I could hit someone unrelated to the battle by accident And even if it was an accident, this would still be an absolutely unacceptable failure.Therefore I really can't see myself drawing my bow while I'm inside the city.Instead, I'd much rather run away if a fight broke out.If I really end up in a situation where I have to fight, it would better to pull back, hide, then take the opponent out with a surprise attack.It's cowardly alright.But once you're dead, then it's all over.I don't want my life to end just yet.So, this much is fine.The second restriction, was that I cannot rendezvous with my friends.I have no problems with that, for that's what I was planning on doing from the start.Though I am a bit worried for Florentine.If, after seeing what Krozheit is like, I feel like Florentine might be in trouble, I may decide to look for her.Because life is more important than Sorichika's assignment.Lisse, Chace and Cherry should be fine. I'm not worried about them.In the first place, we all received permission to come to the Tower of Bryne from our masters, which means our masters deemed us strong enough to safely reach the tower.They judged us as people who have the power to survive in the lawless country.Also, while we were in the village, we exterminated Demon Beasts together often, so I have a good grasp of everyone's abilities.And so, I know that even Florentine is strong.She is very simple, but very strong.But that's not what I'm worried about.What I'm worried about, is that she might be caught in a trap after being lured in by meat As a meat lover like me, I can't help worrying about what she'd do for meat.Even if I can get meat myself, there are a lot of things that I would do for- Coming to think about it, I don't have a bow. Hold on.I Can't hunt right now?I can't Secure my own meat? A terrible situation has already happened!? Well, I'll think more about this later.Perhaps if I use a different weapon instead of the bow Or maybe one of my registered Gifts can help I'm sure there must be something I can do.I shouldn't get impatient just because my best hunting tool was sealed away.One should always be calm while hunting.And the third restriction was to Be the last of us five to reach the Tower of Bryne. Yeah. This one is definitely the most troublesome restriction.******The word hodgepodge' would be an appropriate description of Krozheit.The masonry walls that surrounded the city were crumbling in multiple places. The walls don't seem to follow a clear structure, and it seems easy to access the city from wherever you want.I don't know who built it and when, but I think the wall that separates this city from the outside must be quite old.It was probably well-built at one point too, since these walls are pretty high, and I have to look up to see its top.However, there doesn't seem to be anyone working on properly fixing these walls when they collapse.And the town that can be seen from the crumbling walls clearly has no sense of unity.Some buildings are tall, and some are short.Some are made of stone and others are made of wood.Those different buildings are all crowded together inside the city.That said, even though the outer wall is crumbling apart, there are still several locations that look like they're the main entrances of the city.Though they're left open and there is no gatekeeper guarding them.Still, there is a highway leading to the city from somewhere beyond so Maybe this kind of road is used to interact with other countries and cities.I think this whole area is fairly underdeveloped, but maybe Well, I guess I can worry about it later.For now, let's think about entering the city.I could easily enter through a crumbling portion of the wall, but Let's try going through the entrance for now.So, I followed the path that looked like a highway, then entered the city through the open gates.The path was narrow.I felt as if I was being squeezed by the buildings on my left and right. This highway-like road was barely wide enough to let two carriages pass by each other.And there is a fair number of people here And surprisingly, most of them look like ordinary people.Though plenty of them seem to be a bit too poorly dressed when I compare them to the people I saw back in the royal capital.Mmm? I muttered to myself.As soon as I entered the city, I felt several people staring at me.The owner of those gazes Five shabby old men approached me.Boy, this is your first time here, isn't it? One of them asked me.He had something that resembled an amiable smile on his face Goodness, try a bit harder to hide your ulterior motives, at least.We are the gatekeepers. You need to pay a fee to enter the city.But well, most people who come here don't have any money, so anything you have is fine. The old man told me.Oh, got it. It's an extortion. Gatekeepers don't work while already being inside the city.This is the only thing I have that is worth any money I muttered as I took out my glasses.Glasses? These are The men muttered as they took the glasses from my hands and started staring at them.They're quite curious, aren't they? It feels a bit embarrassing to have them stare at my Gift so intentlyAh, I'll give something else. This is important, so give it back. I stated.When I told them that, as if I was in a hurry, the men quickly answered in an amused way, as if I had said something funny, No, no! This is fine!They're really easy to understand Seriously, try hiding your ulterior motives a bit more. Please be a bit better at tricking people. This is so obvious that I'm almost laughing at it.I told you to give it back. I told them.The men laughed, It's too late, you idiot! then quickly ran away without any hesitation.After that, things went silent.I looked around a bit, and saw that the people nearby were looking at me with pitying eyes. Well, I can't see them that well, but I can feel the mood anyways.They must be thinking that I'm a poor boy who was robbed of my only valuable thing as soon as I arrived at the city.So, I took out some new glasses from my backpack and put them on.Or rather, I put my hand inside my backpack and created new glasses from scratch. I just made it seem like I was taking them from the backpack.Tonight, I'll connect my vision to the stolen glasses and watch the actions of the thieves.If they don't seem useful, I can always stop looking, and if I see something interesting, I can keep spying on them for a while.Through training with Sorichika, it became clear that I could do this kind of thing.Or well, it's more like I understood that I could do it, but I didn't try it that much.Fundamentally speaking, all my glasses are connected.I can see what is projected by all my glasses.But I had no use for this ability so far.When it comes to seeing what my other glasses are projecting, the only other glasses available is the one Cherry is using, and the ones that were distributed to the royal castle.Cherry aside, spying on the castle is bad.I don't want to connect my sight to those, as I might end up seeing important things that I shouldn't be allowed to see.On another note, I can also erase my glasses remotely.However, this is limited to glasses that I remember. I cannot erase glasses that I can't clearly remember.Essentially, this means that I can't erase the glasses that were distributed to the castle.Back then, I made the glasses without thinking about anything in particular, so I don't remember them properly.From now on, I might start putting numbers on the glasses somewhere out of sight.Although It's not like I have the opportunity to hand over my glasses to other people often anyway.If it wasn't for this kind of situation, I'd probably have no use for this ability whatsoever, so I'm unsure if it's necessary to worry too much about properly remembering my glasses.In any case, what I want right now is information.If I can start sowing the seeds to obtain an information source without any difficulty, then I'd rather do it as soon as possible.So Let's get moving.******I can see that the people I'm passing by are warily looking at each other.They're probably being careful because of the unfamiliar new face.Mmm I don't really like being stared at like that. That said, there really are quite a lot of people here.Moreover, many of them really feel like ordinary people, even though this is a lawless country.Things right now feel a bit tense, but also calm. Isn't it too calm, actually? Even after I was just extorted?The nearby stores also feel quite normal and-Oh, excuse me. A young man said as he bumped onto me.I didn't dare to avoid him, even though he was obviously heading in my direction.I also didn't try stopping him from grabbing the small bag in my pocket Truly, this was a very shoddy attempt. Hey, boy. You were pickpocketed. An old man told me.Right in front of me, a strange old man from a street stall, that was selling a variety of disconnected things, told me that while absent-mindedly staring at the back of the young man who stole what was in my pocket.His face contained pity.Oh, really? I didn't notice it at all. I told him.The old man sighed, What a stupid boy.I agree. It's stupid. That person was stupid.The leather bag that they took wasn't a wallet, it was a stink bag. It was filled with a powder that can even scare a Redbear.When he opens it, that's all that he will get.If he handles it carelessly, the powder will get stuck to his body, and it might take him a few days to completely get rid of the smell.He seemed to really want to take it, even without my permission, so I decided to let him.Are you a newcomer? Do you have a place you're planning to go to? The old man asked.Oh?Will you take care of me? I asked.Don't be stupid. Being dragged down is a pain. The old man replied.Oh, I agree. I may not know this old man, but I'm sure I'm not strong enough to drag him with me while moving around quickly.Why don't you go to the brothel? Your face will sell. The old man told me.Huh?Is that man trying to be kind and give honest advice, or is he trying to disrespect me? I think he is being kind. He is not smiling or talking with a mocking tone.Apparently, I'm giving off the impression of being really stupid Well, it's easier that way, so it's fine.Where is this brothel? I asked him.If you keep going straight ahead, you'll see a signboard. Just follow it and you'll be at the brothel. The old man told me.Oh, alright. I don't plan on working at the brothel, of course, but I do need a proper base here.It might be easier to just sleep outside than to spend the night inside the city though.After all, in just this short time, I've already had to deal with an extortion and with a pickpocket.I don't know how many more times I will have to deal with this kind of thing in just one night.That said, I have nowhere to go, so I might as well check out the brothel.This old man took the trouble to tell me about it, and I want to believe that he had good intentions.Mmmm? What is this smell? The old man sniffed.Ooh? I tilted my head.Seems like the pickpocket handled it carelessly.Did he throw it on the ground and spread the whole powder on himself?Well, it's his responsibility now, so please deal with the consequences.With this kind of first experience in the lawless country, I decided to head to the brothel I was told about.
