(Verc's POV)
We finally arrived at the massive gates of the City of Nash, and as I stood there outside of the perimeter, I couldn't help but feel a deep sense of awe. The city was completely surrounded by incredibly tall stone walls that looked like they had been reinforced multiple times over the years.
At the main entrance, a group of properly armed and armored guards were stationed at their posts, carefully checking every single person who was trying to enter the city.
Currently, our group is stuck in a long line of carriages, all of us silently waiting for our turn to be let inside. Apparently, this is a completely normal procedure in every city; this is considered an important process to make sure that nothing dangerous or illegal makes it inside the safety of the walls.
Anyway, as I was riding on Bong and looking up at the high gates, I felt a wave of genuine excitement wash over me.
'Now, this really makes me feel like I have been dropped into a true medieval setting.'
I said that in my head as I took in the sights.
We slowly inched forward toward the gate, sitting in a heavy silence as we waited for our turn to move.
But after about half an hour of waiting, when it was finally our turn to be inspected by the guards—
"Hmm?"
I noticed a very fancy, bright yellow carriage off to the side, and I could see that it had detailed engravings of a sun on its panels.
"Is that engraving actually made of gold...?"
I asked that under my breath as I watched the crest of the sun shine brightly under the light.
"Yes, they belong to [The Radiant Church], which is easily the most influential religious group in the entire empire. They are really rich, as you can clearly see."
Hearing my quiet question, Geremie took a moment to explain the situation to me.
"What god do they follow?"
I followed up with another question, feeling a bit curious. And without showing much care about the topic—
"The Sun God."
Geremie responded with that simple answer. A deep frown immediately appeared on my face after I heard those words. I already had a faint idea of who they might be when I saw the sun engraving on the carriage and was told they were a religious group.
But after having it confirmed, I couldn't help but feel a weird, sinking sensation in my gut.
After all, a religious group whose primary mission is likely to erase every vampire in this world was currently very close to me.
Anyway, the golden carriage completely ignored the long line of people and went straight up to the main gate. Nobody said a single word of complaint, and no objections were raised by the crowd.
Everyone acted like this was a completely normal thing to happen.
I didn't say anything either, choosing to just watch.
The guards quickly set our group aside and prioritized the people in the golden carriage, and they started asking questions to the coachman. The man driving the carriage then showed the guards a small plaque, and after seeing it, the guards all bowed their heads in respect and immediately made a path for the carriage to pass.
"Phew..."
I let out a long, relieved sigh as I saw the carriage slowly leave my sight. But then, just as I started to relax my body— I felt a sharp eye on me.
FWOOSH~!
A sudden, terrifying chill ran down my spine and spread all over my entire body.
"...?!"
I felt cold sweats immediately forming on my forehead and across my back. My entire body stiffened up and moving my limbs became much harder, and my breath hitched in my throat as well.
I looked toward the source of that intense feeling, and there— my eyes landed directly on the golden carriage.
'W-What is this...?!'
My [Danger Sense] was screaming at me now, acting up much stronger than it ever had before. It was telling me as clearly as possible that I could easily die in this situation if I wasn't careful.
"..."
I remained perfectly still, keeping my face as calm as possible even in this situation. I honestly didn't know what I was supposed to do.
But fortunately, for some reason—
The heavy feeling suddenly disappeared, and everything went back to normal in an instant.
The golden carriage entered the city, and the guards started checking our carriages after that.
"Hmm? Are you okay? You look a bit sick all of a sudden."
Geremie commented as he looked over at me.
"He is already as pale as the snow of the north, so he always looks a bit sick to me."
Albert added to the conversation teasingly. I turned to look at them and just tried my best to brush off their words—
"Haha, maybe I just felt a bit tired because of the lack of sleep and doing too much training lately."
I told them that, and after I spoke, they went on for a bit saying that I should have listened to them and rested properly at night when they had advised me to do so.
*****
After the guards finished checking the two carriages, they went ahead and let us into the city without much trouble.
And finally— we got inside the City of Nash.
"Thanks for giving us a ride this far."
"See you around, kid."
Geremie and Albert parted ways with us not long after we entered, as they had their own different things to do here in the city.
Meanwhile, Miguel and I headed toward an inn where he happened to know the owner, and there, we managed to get some cheap rooms for ourselves. Miguel paid for my room as well, since I don't actually have any of my own money just yet.
Right now... we are sitting down and eating dinner in the dining area of the inn, which was Miguel's treat again. I feel guilty as fuck being nothing more than a freeloader right now.
"Haha, you seem very bothered by the fact that I am treating you to a meal."
Miguel, clearly reading the expression on my face, told me that.
"Is it really that obvious?"
I asked him, and he just nodded his head in response. I let out a heavy sigh and started scratching the back of my head—
"I mean, you're here to earn money for the village, and some of that money is being spent on me right now. I just feel a bit guilty about it."
I explained him honestly. And without missing a beat, Miguel shook his head and opened his mouth—
"If it wasn't for you dealing with the bandits and the monsters back in the forest, we would have been robbed of everything, and we wouldn't be earning even a single copper coin. In the worst-case scenario, I might not even be alive right now."
Then he declared that with a serious look.
I turned over at the coachmen that were eating with us as well, and they both nodded their heads at me in agreement.
"..."
I got silent for a moment after hearing his words. I wanted to say something else because I still felt guilty, but in the end— I decided to just be grateful for his kindness.
"Thanks."
"Haha, I should be the one thanking you, Sir Verc."
Miguel replied.
And after that... we continued and finished our dinner before heading back to our respective rooms to get some rest.
Work will start tomorrow.
Anyway, Miguel even gotten me a separate room, and he said it was a reward for the times I had been staying up to guard them during the night on the road. He said he wanted to give me some personal space and a comfortable place to rest.
I am very thankful for that, but I didn't actually sleep that night. Instead—
SLASH!
I trained in my swordsmanship just like I usually do.
Though, as I was swinging my sword through the air, a specific memory entered my head that immediately made me frown.
It was the memory from earlier at the city's gate, when I felt those intense goosebumps all over my body.
"The Radiant Church, huh...."
I mumbled that as I stopped my movements for a second. I don't know anything about them, and I have no clue what they actually do or what they are capable of.
But it isn't just them.
'I really don't know anything about this world yet.'
I will be living in this world from now on, so it's very important that I learn as much as I can about it. My overall survival chance will definitely increase if I do that.
So if that is the case—
"Tomorrow, I will study everything I can about this world."
I declared before I started swinging my sword again. It feels like my [Integrated Swordsmanship] is about to evolve.