Roa City looked very much like a fortress.
Actually, that wasn't unique to Roa. Throughout the northern territories of the Asura Kingdom—even in the capital—cities were built in fortress-style layouts, a lingering architectural legacy from the Human-Demon War centuries ago.
Four hundred years ago, the Demon Race had chosen to invade from the northern edge of the Central Continent. The Asura Kingdom had been the first line of defense.
Nowadays, although that martial design remained, these former military strongholds had become bustling trade hubs driven by economic exchange.
Even at nine in the morning—
The city gates bustled with people and carts coming and going.
Three carriages rolled slowly through the gate. The armored guards stationed outside didn't bother stopping them—just a glance at the crest on the carriages was enough to confirm they belonged to the lord's estate.
These were times of peace. No one would be foolish enough to disguise themselves as nobles and stage an attack inside city limits.
"What the hell! Does that guy in the Capital have a build like Allen?! Does he have calluses like Allen?!"
That was Eris, her voice rising in pitch and practically bouncing out through the carriage window.
"Roughly, yes," came Ghislaine's calm, even-toned reply—stating it as plain fact.
"Huh?! Are you lying to me, Ghislaine?"
"No."
"You are lying to me!"
"It's true, Eris."
"Wha?! Sylphy, do you think so too?! Didn't you say Allen was the strongest?!"
"…"
Ever since hearing that her cousin in the Capital shared Allen's name and a similar level of swordsmanship, Eris had only referred to him as that guy—and clearly didn't see him as family.
From then on, every word out of her mouth had been an attempt to praise her Allen while dragging that "other one" through the mud.
Honestly?
It was kind of adorable.
And completely Eris.
Allen himself didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
But this, too, was part of the wild dog's charm.
When she acknowledged someone, she meant it. Her limited vocabulary might only yield a simple "good", but that opinion came from deep within—and she expressed it without pretense.
Even if her pride refused to let her say it plainly.
A tsundere little lion.
Her high-pitched bickering and Allen's helpless attempts to calm her floated out the carriage window, carried on the breeze past rows of street vendors, catching the surprised glances of passersby.
Eventually, the noise trickled into the carriage ahead, reaching Philip, who chuckled quietly at the familiar commotion.
Rudeus had his face pressed against the window, peering outside with wide eyes. It was his first time in a real city in this world, and curiosity sparkled on his face.
Beside him, Sylphy had originally been watching Allen. But before long, she couldn't help herself—she crawled up to kneel beside Rudeus, peeking out too.
The two of them, little heads side-by-side, reminded Allen of dogs sticking their heads out car windows in his past life.
"Hey, what's that place? Sylphy, do you know?"
"Nope."
Allen leaned forward between their heads and looked outside.
Eris raised an eyebrow and joined them.
"What? Let me see too."
Three different hair colors whipped in the wind outside the window.
In their view—
A public carriage stop. Dozens of people stood waiting with massive luggage in tow.
It reminded Allen of Roxy's comically large suitcase—almost big enough to hold "Blue Mom." This kind of public transport had been Roxy's main way of traveling during her journeys.
He blinked.
'Ah, Roxy… That search map cooldown ends tonight. I'll finally get to see her again.'
[Didn't you say you don't check at night?]
'Lately, she's been busy with teaching—usually doesn't bathe until after midnight. If I check in the first half of the night, I can see her writing letters.'
[…degenerate.]
[What's the point of reading the same letter twice?]
Allen smiled as he watched the city roll by.
'Because the carriages are slow, and the letters take two full months to arrive—that makes every message precious.'
'Besides—'
'I never said I only read them twice.'
Rudeus waited a while but got no response. When he turned to look, Allen was zoning out again.
He looked back at Ghislaine.
"Ghislaine, do you know what that is?"
She glanced at the window, adjusting the sword at her side.
"Are you mocking me?"
Rudeus flinched. "No! I really don't know—I was hoping you'd tell me!"
"…Ah. Sorry. When I first joined Paul's party, he used to ask me about stuff I didn't recognize just to tease me. Then Zenith started joining in…"
She paused.
"That's a public carriage station. Most people use those to travel between cities."
As soon as she finished, Rudeus and Sylphy turned to look at Allen, suddenly realizing he'd probably been reminded of Roxy.
Rudeus's lips twitched. After a pause, he gave a resigned smile and shook his head.
I used to think sticking close to Allen might mean some leftovers would fall my way. But so far I've got jack. Did I make a miscalculation? When will a girl ever fall for me…
Red hair drifted into view above him.
He looked up.
Eris.
Rudeus gave a strained smile.
Allen's actual little sister. A wild little gremlin. Maybe I started off all wrong. Instead of "raising" some girl, maybe I should've just gone for a gentle, mature big sister type… Leftovers or no—
Even the goddess got stolen away by this guy…
At least I'm not a girl myself.
Sylphy, meanwhile, lifted her gaze to Allen.
In his red-brown eyes—
That familiar smile.
He was looking toward the carriage stop, already shrinking in the distance.
A turn in the road, and it vanished from view.
The atmosphere changed.
Street stalls disappeared, replaced by orderly rows of tall buildings.
Shops selling weapons and armor; others with clothing, boots, food, or medicine—merchants hawking their goods at the doors.
Swords gleamed in displays. "Swords for sale! Blades that slice iron like butter~"
Desserts lined pastry carts. "Royal-certified sweets from the Capital! Come taste them~"
Potion shops touted their finest wares. "Aphrodisiacs! Hand-selected by noble connoisseurs! One night, no fatigue~"
One building—several stories high—stood apart.
No merchants. No goods.
Allen blinked and looked up.
Ah.
The goods were in the windows.
Women with striking figures, dressed in sheer silks, leaned lazily on the sills, brushing out damp hair…
"Cough! Cough cough!"
"Allen? What's wrong?"
Allen coughed furiously and ducked his head. A few of the girls had seen him looking—and waved with teasing smiles.
He quickly turned to Sylphy—only to find her eyes hadn't even strayed outside. When their gazes met, she instinctively tried to look away—then stopped, her neck barely twitching before she kept her eyes on him.
Their stares held.
Street vendors kept calling out.
"Come take a look! Skirts in every color, direct from the Capital~"
Allen blinked.
"…Sorry, Sylphy. We've gotta head to the lord's estate first today. I'll take you out to buy a skirt another time, okay?"
Sylphy blinked, flustered.
"I—I wasn't trying to hint at that!"
Allen smiled. Whatever he'd seen in that upper window was already gone. All he could see now was the red-eyed girl before him.
"I know. But I meant it."
"…Okay."
Across from them, Ghislaine looked a little worried. Rudeus had half his body out the window, twisting around to stare behind the carriage.
...
As the carriages continued toward the city center, the buildings grew grander, their footprint even larger.
This was the residential district, where shops leaned toward high-end goods.
Still lively—
But no longer noisy.
Finally, the carriages turned one last corner.
Before them stood the largest structure in all of Roa.
A manor that looked more like a fortress than a home.
The lord's estate.
The coachman nodded slightly to the armored guards at the gates.
They opened wide.
All three carriages passed through.
A large fountain greeted them, flanked by white-stone paving and manicured lawns—like a European manor's courtyard.
The servants tending the grounds spotted Philip and immediately sprinted toward the house.
Everyone disembarked at Philip's gesture.
Allen stood smiling at the fountain for a moment, then leaned toward Ghislaine and whispered something.
The splash of water drowned it out.
Then—
A stocky, broad-shouldered man with streaks of white in his hair strode out from the manor entrance, followed by a small army of servants and beastkin.
Sauros Boreas Greyrat.
Eyes sharp, stride unrelenting.
An advanced-tier swordsman.
His presence arrived before he did.
"Philip!! I heard you took Eris out to find a tutor in the countryside—and didn't come home for a night?!"
Before Philip could reply, Eris jumped down and sprinted straight to her grandfather.
"Grandpa! I'm back!"
"Father, allow me to—"
Sauros swept Eris into a bear hug. Without even listening to Philip, he kicked him square in the chest, knocking him flat in front of everyone.
Rudeus flinched.
"You went into the countryside yourself to find a tutor for Eris?! Were you recruiting villagers?! And you didn't come back all night?! As mayor of Roa, do you not have anything better to do?! What the hell were you doing?!"
He turned like a lion sizing up prey—eyes skimming past Rudeus, lingering briefly on Allen.
Rudeus backed up. Allen stood still. He bowed.
"Hello. I'm Rudeus Greyrat."
Allen followed suit. "Hello, I'm Allen."
"I'm Sylphiette."
Sauros paused at Allen's name, giving him a once-over. His eyes lingered on Allen's posture, then his glasses.
It was unclear what he was thinking.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"Hmph. Paul didn't even teach you basic manners?"
Philip climbed up from the ground, kneeling on one knee as he spoke.
"My apologies, Father. These are the young geniuses I mentioned—the ones who wiped out last year's monster outbreak in Buena. One is Paul's son. One is an adventurer Paul hired as a private tutor. And the girl is the disciple of a King-rank magician. All three are exceptionally talented—and young. Perfect candidates for recruitment."
"Eris has been struggling with her studies lately. I thought bringing in people her own age might re-motivate her. Since they were recommended by Paul, and there's a family connection, she might be more accepting. And if they prove themselves over the next few years, we can fully bring them into Roa's fold."
His tone was straightforward, almost unusually so—as if desperate not to be misunderstood.
It was a far cry from his usual scheming manner.
Sauros didn't respond right away. Instead, he looked down at the girl in his arms.
"Eris. Are you willing to let them be your tutors?"
"I permit Allen and Sylphy to be my tutors!"
Rudeus twitched.
Sauros didn't care in the slightest that someone had been excluded—nor who it was. His knife-like gaze turned back to Philip.
"Why were you late? Did you spend the night at Paul's? And what the hell happened to your clothes?"
Philip raised his eyes and glanced at Thomas, standing behind Sauros with his usual placid expression.
As a steward, he looked no different than usual—calm, humble, unassuming.
Even though he was an advanced-tier swordsman, standing beside Sauros, he vanished into the background.
His clenched fist looked as natural as ever.
Then, over the sound of rushing water—
Philip's voice, calm and steady.
"We were delayed on the road…"
"…Because we were ambushed."