I’m Not Good at Offensive Magic, but I’ll Do My Best With Support Magic!

Chapter 2: The City of Tanza

As we were getting ready to leave, there was a knock at the door. When I opened the door, the 3 girls we saved yesterday were in front of the room.

「Thank you very much for your help in this matter. I know it’s early in the morning and this may be annoying, but I wanted to make sure I told you again」
「No, I’m glad you’re okay. I can’t say you’re safe yet, so please be careful」
「I can’t give you anything back, but if you ever visit our village, I will do my best to repay you」
「Yes, I’ll look forward to it then」

We said our goodbyes and left the village to go to Tanza. I said goodbye to Rikyu-san and Marina-san yesterday, and we may meet sooner or later as long as we work as adventurers, so there’s no particular need to greet them.

「You’re leaving now?」

When we were about to leave the village, Kabai-san was waiting for us at the entrance. It looks like he came to see us off.

「Yes. I’d like to gain as much distance as possible」
「Right, I’ll be heading back to Tanza in a few days. If you see me in the city, say hi」
「Yes, until then」

It seems that Kabai-san has a wife, and she is feeling down because her daughter was kidnapped and Kabai-san is away looking for the daughter. So he seems to be spending a few days with his wife. It’s nice to see someone who cares about their family.

We left the village of Talis, camped overnight, and walked for about half a day… until we reached a city surrounded by a large wall. So far, we’ve had no trouble… we’ve encountered Goblins and such, but we’ve arrived in the city of Tanza without any problems.

「It’s… amazing.」
「Un」

We stopped before entering the city of Tanza. It wasn’t because we were blocked by the wall, but because we were caught in the queue to enter the city of Tanza.

「Why are there so many people here?」
「What, Jō-chan? You don’t know?」

While I was conversing with Shea-san, we were approached by a merchant-like person who was caught in the same queue as us. He probably had some free time on his hands. We were in the same boat.

「Tanza is the hub of trade in this country. Roads stretch to every city, and merchants and adventurers visit. Next to the Imperial Capital… no, it’s not too much to say that it’s as prosperous as the Imperial Capital.」
「That’s amazing~」
「Yeah, it’s said to be above the Imperial Capital when it comes to magical tools, and if you have time, you should take a look around」
「Magic tools」

The clothes that Shea-san bought for me to wear under my robe are also magical tools. I can’t afford to buy them, due to their high price, but I am interested in them.

After about 2 hours of killing time chatting with the merchant, we finally made it to the gate. I knew it from a distance, but standing in front of the gate again, I could see how big it was. The gate is about the size of a standing Flame Dragon・Red Dragon… about 10 meters across, and as for the walls, they seem to be more than twice that size. And I’m surprised to see weapons such as ballista lined up on the wall… I don’t know what they are intending to fight.

「Please provide your identification」

As we approached the gate, we were addressed by a guard. We had to go through a screening process to get into the city, so we had no choice. There are a few guards standing in line, probably to ensure a smooth entrance. I show my guild card to one of them. I can tell that the guards are all wearing the same armor and the sword stuck in their waist is not a cheap one. Could it be that they are knights?

「Please」
「Let me see… C-Rank, huh? I’m sorry, but is it possible for you to take the hood off?」
「Um…」

I was immediately troubled. They seemed to be suspicious of my appearance and the fact that I was a C-Rank. I’m hesitant to take the hood because I don’t know how I’ll be treated here.

「Yuan has a scar on her head. If possible, we don’t want to show it in front of a lot of people. Besides, Yuan and I are at a party. I can guarantee Yuan’s identity」
「Let’s see, you’re also C-Rank, Rinshia-san… okay, please go on your way」

It appears that we were able to pass through without incident.

「You’re amazing, Rinshia-san!」
「No, it’s just the fact that we’re in a party. That’s how trustworthy the guild card is」

I didn’t know this, but it seems that guild cards are trusted more than citizen or merchant cards for proving one’s identity. In particular, it seems that C-Rank and above, which are known as veterans, tend to be welcomed. The more people who can fight monsters when they attack, the better. I don’t think we’ll need them in Tanza, though. As we entered the city, we first looked for an inn…

「We apologize for the inconvenience. There are no rooms available at this time」

This is the 5th one. Every place was full.

「Rinshia-san, what should we do?」
「We’ll have to look everywhere we can」

We can’t camp out in the city. If we did that, the guards might get mad at us.

「We’re lucky we got into the city. If we didn’t, we’d have to camp out in front of the gates with a bunch of people」

If I could camp… I thought, but I don’t want to camp in that line. Then we would have to find a place to stay.

「I’m sorry」

This is the 10th one. At first I was surprised to see so many inns in this city, but with so few empty rooms, I guess it makes sense that there are so many inns.

「I don’t know what to do…」
「A little pricey, but you get the idea」

What we are looking for is an inn where we can stay for less than 3 silver coins per person. This is the result of a compromise I made. If left to Shea-san, it would be dangerous because she would try to enter even the most expensive inns. I’m planning to spend at least a few days here, so it’s best to be as cheap as possible. However, we couldn’t find an inn, so I had to rely on Rinshia-san. She said it’s pricey, but it’s okay, right?

「Here」
「Fua!?」

It was not okay. I have a bad feeling about this. As we walked towards the center of the city, the buildings gradually became more beautiful and magnificent. Then, we arrived at a mansion that looked like a nobleman’s home. It’s such a magnificent 3-story building that if the sign didn’t say “Platinum Pavilion”, I would almost believe it if it was called the “Lord’s Mansion”.

「Shea-san, platinum is…」
「Don’t worry, it’s not the inn’s price. I mean it’s worth a lot of money」

There is a coin called Platinum Coin. These coins are made of a rare and valuable metal and are worth the same as 100 gold coins.

「Shea-san, impossible」
「It’ll be fine」

There was no time to run away, Shea-san took me by the hand. I feel like I’m going to cry.

「Welcome」
「Any room available?」
「Yes, a single room? Double room?」
「A double room is fine. A double」
「Double…… yes…… understood」

Despite the fact that it was still light out, the room was very bright. It seems that the magic stone of light has been used sparingly. There is also a waiting room with luxurious looking sofas for when the place gets crowded, and a fireplace, though it is not in use right now.

「Then it will be 3 gold coins per person per night」
「Eh……」
「Un. Here」

Shea-san made the payment on her own while I was frozen in place.

「There is a bath in the room, but you can also use the large public bath. For more information, please refer to the information sheet in your room. Enjoy your stay!」

W- What is this place?

「Yuan?」
「Uh, yes?」

The next thing I know, I’m sitting on a big bed in a very clean room. My memory is fuzzy up to this point.

「Want a drink?」
「Yes, thank you, very much」

I take a sip of the drink given to me by Shea-san. The thick, sweet taste of squeezed fruit spreads in my mouth, and I sigh from the sheer deliciousness of it.

「Well? Peach fruit juice, apparently」
「Yes, it’s very deli… cious?」

Huh, Shea-san, where did you get this drink from?

「If you want to drink more, it’s in here」

As if to answer my question, Shea-san taps the square box with a clank.

「Shea-san, what’s that?」
「It’s called a refrigerator. A magical tool that uses a magic stone of ice to cool the inside」

A refrigerator is a magical tool that is owned by the aristocracy and is far too expensive for commoners to afford. I- I’m dizzy… I almost jumped out of my mind at the reality of having a magical tool in front of me that I had only heard about through rumors. However, I managed to stay focused since the fruit juice in my hands would spill out if I were to fall over.

「I- If we drink it without permission, they’ll get mad!」
「It’s fine. It says “service item”」

I’m glad it was a service item.

「This paper has the inn’s services on it. You might want to take a look at it」

Shea-san handed me a piece of paper and I looked it over.

Food can be ordered at any time of the day or night. However, no more than 3 orders can be placed per night. The large baths are separated for men and women, so they can be used at any time, but when renting them out, they require 2 gold coins separately. It seems that there are various other services, but I stopped reading halfway through. They even let you burn incense, but I don’t even know what incense is! That’s not the point, I have things I need to do!

「Shea-san, can I have a word with you?」
「What?」
「Do a seiza!」
「Un」
「Ah, not there, on the bed, your legs might get hurt!」
「I got it」

Seiza seems to be the culture of the Empire, and is a punishment used when delivering a lecture. Originally, I want her to do seiza on the floor, but it looks painful, so I ask her to do it on the bed.

「Shea-san, I’m kind of mad at you!」
「…… Why?」

Uu, she has sad eyes and a drooping tail. And finally, the flattened ears… it makes me feel guilty. But there’s something I have to say, even if it’s heartbreaking!

「What are you thinking, 3 gold coins per night!」
「Because there’s no inn」
「Still, I’m sure there were cheaper inns out there if we looked!」
「It doesn’t matter how much」
「It’s not about that! I mean, you’re buying my clothes, staying at expensive inns, and your financial sense is wrong!」
「Un. That’s why I left the money with Yuan, so I wouldn’t waste i」
「This is what I call wasting money!」

I hand 6 gold coins to Shea-san.

「We’re a party, so we have to pay for lodging and such out of the party fund」

But it’s not very convincing, since most of the money was earned by Shea-san. However, Shea-san did not want to accept the gold coins.

「I understand. I’ll be careful next time. I can’t take this as a sign of remorse」
「No, Shea-san, you can’t. You’ll lose what you have」
「It’s okay. There’s plenty more where that came from」
「Don’t you remember that I keep a lot of your money, Shea-san?」
「I remember. But I have the bare minimum, so I’m fine」

That’s what she says, but today alone she spent 6 gold coins. The other day, she spent 10 gold coins to buy my clothes. I don’t think she has that much left.

「Shea-san, how much money do you have left?」
「Secret」
「Shea-san?」
「…… There’s enough to last more than 10 nights in this inn」
「Fua!?」

It simply means that she has more than 60 gold coins. I thought I had deposited most of the gold considering the amount I had received previously, but I was wrong.

「Why do you have so much, Shea-san?」
「Request. Good work」

Shea-san was even richer than I had imagined. Including the party funds, we have about 150 gold coins. Of course, that’s excluding the money and goods from the bandits. I was afraid to check it, but I will have to check it carefully next time. My hands are shaking just thinking about it, mind you.

「Anyway, next time, please consult with me first, okay?」
「Un. Understood」

She definitely doesn’t understand. In fact, it looks like she knows what she’s doing.

「Shea-san, promise, okay?」
「Un. More importantly, my feet are numb」

That’s good to hear.

「Now, I’m going to punish you one last time, okay?」
「What, are you?」
「I’m punishing you!」

Shea-san’s eyes are a little frightened, but it doesn’t matter. I’m punishing her with a poke and prod on her numb leg. Reflection is important, you know. Shea-san was writhing in pain, but it couldn’t be helped because she was being punished. It’s not like I’m playing around. Afterwards, though, she looked at me with tears in her eyes. I have no regrets. I know I keep saying it, but it’s a punishment so there’s no way around it!