Chapter 23: Full Course (2)
The Commercial City Marzen was largely divided into two districts.
The Outer District, where shops targeting commoners were gathered, selling necessities and groceries.
The Inner District, handling more expensive goods, where entry was restricted to nobles or the wealthy.
Naturally, the district Harang was living in was the Outer District.
In the first place, entry into the Inner District was impossible unless accompanied by a resident of the Inner District, and I had heard that one needed to meet certain criteria to enter alone.
‘Of course, if I wanted to sneak in, I probably could……’
I hadn't bothered doing so.
Partly because I hadn't even finished exploring the Outer District yet, and partly because I thought sneaking in wouldn't mean much without money.
‘But if I’m being treated, that’s a different story.’
Harang looked at the Iron Fist and Bloody Fist brothers.
They were also looking at him, their eyes filled with intense envy.
Their expressions showed they wanted to tag along somehow if they could, which further fueled Harang's curiosity.
Just how different was the Inner District from the Outer District for them to react like that?
“Well, if you’re busy, it can't be helped. The Boss isn't exactly free himself, so he can't adjust to your schedule……”
“No. I’m not busy.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I quit my previous job, so now I’m unemployed and an idler. If you treat me, I’ll gratefully accept.”
“Previous job… Did you work for another organization?”
“No. I was a beggar.”
“……?”
“What’s wrong?”
“……It’s nothing. Hooo……”
Underboss Pale exhaled cigarette smoke again, and Harang’s eyes sparkled even more.
Perhaps, the Inner District was full of fascinating things like that?
Thinking that, I felt glad I had accepted Eddy's invitation.
“Then, written on the note… Ah, perhaps you know how to read?”
“Yes. I do.”
“Definitely better than these blockheads…… Anyway, come to the South Gate leading to the Inner District at the time written here. You can look forward to it. The Boss is a generous man when it comes to things like this.”
“Yes! Thank you!”
With those words, Underboss Pale disappeared into the dark alley.
Iron Fist and Bloody Fist kept their heads bowed until he was out of sight, then looked at Harang with expectant expressions.
“Want to come along?”
“I-If you’d let us……”
“Hehe……”
“Then come at the time written here.”
“……”
“……”
“If you can’t read, then it can’t be helped.”
Fwoosh
“Huh?”
“He disappeared? No, wait, Boss, Harang Boss!”
The Fist brothers desperately cried out my name.
Watching them from hiding, Harang checked the time written on the note once more.
[Tomorrow noon. South Gate]
‘I wonder how the inside of the Inner District differs from the Outer District?’
* * *
The Commercial City Marzen was certainly much larger than an ordinary village, but it was by no means famous enough to be counted among the top cities on the continent.
The entry requirements for the Inner District weren't that strict either.
A Silver Plate from the Mercenary Brokerage, a guarantee from a renowned Merchant Guild, or just slipping a bit of bribe money was enough for fairly free access.
Naturally, the scenery inside was only slightly better than the Outer District.
However, that ‘slightly better level’ came as a tremendous shock to Harang, who was no different from a country bumpkin.
Swoooosh-!
Chwaaaaa-!
“Water… is gushing upwards?”
His eyes widened just seeing the marble fountain, something unseen in the Outer District square.
Click-!
“Here, the photo is ready!”
“Is this picture called a photo? No, wait, how does it look exactly like me? How did you do this?”
“Haha, sir, you must be seeing a magic camera for the first time? I don’t know the exact principle myself, but I know it was made in the Magic Tower. Thanks to that, the price is quite high. That's why the photo price is also a bit……”
Staring blankly at the magic camera that produced incredibly detailed pictures.
Seeing the Inner District, filled with many other wondrous things besides those, Harang felt glad he had accepted Eddy’s invitation.
“Haha, how expensive could it be. Is 1 Silver enough?”
“Um, I need to receive at least 5 Silver……”
“Let’s make it 2 Silver.”
I heard Eddy haggling in a very low voice beside me, but I had no time to pay attention.
Roads are much better maintained than in the Outer District.
Lining them were quaint shops recognizable at a glance even by someone lacking aesthetic sense.
And moving among them were people dressed in somehow stylish clothes.
“No, Elder! 2 Silver is a bit… I bought this magic tool with my entire fortune, so if you do that, there’s nothing left for me……”
“Ahem, then 2 Silver 50 Copper, let’s make it 50 Coppers…… Hmm? Haha! Younger brother Harang, it seems this is your first time in Marzen’s Inner District! How can you be so surprised already?”
Eddy, having lowered the price to 2 Silver 50 Copper, gestured to Underboss Pale, who forced the money into the merchant's hand with a grim expression.
The merchant instantly looked crestfallen but couldn't argue further.
Normally, Harang would have found such actions quite unpleasant, but now, he didn't nitpick the Eddy Gang's behavior at all.
No, more accurately, he had no time to worry about other things.
Confined only to the village, repeating the same clothes, same food, same training for a staggering 15 years.
Strictly speaking, the current Harang was far less knowledgeable than rural youths his age.
To him, the Inner District, where everything looked luxurious and new, was like a different world.
An exclamation escaped Harang's lips unconsciously.
“This place… is incredible.”
“Haha, right? If you’ve only been in places like Kuchen Village, seeing the true face of Marzen would make you feel that way. But calm down. This Bloody Eddy didn't use the expression ‘treat’ just to show you the street scenery!”
Eddy thumped his chest and said.
What's the most disheartening situation when treating someone?
It's when the person being treated has a lukewarm reaction.
For thugs who valued looking cool and impressive even more, they were far more sensitive to this aspect than ordinary people.
Seen in that light, the reaction Harang was showing now was more than enough to delight Eddy, even making him exceed his budget.
“Good, seeing you enjoy it this much, how can I, the boss of the Eddy Family, stand still.”
“You can’t stand still?”
“Of course! Younger brother Harang, should we eat first? I know a good place. A really good restaurant that’s leagues apart from the food served by the riffraff inns in the Outer District!”
“Oh, sounds good. But, the phrase ‘eat first’ implies……”
“Haha, did you think I called my younger brother Harang, who impressively beat down the Underboss of the Travion Gang, all the way to the Inner District just to treat him to a single meal?”
‘A single meal is thankful enough.’
Harang recalled his time in the village after a long while.
Most memories from there were unpleasant, but the meals were truly, utterly terrible.
Hard, solid human feed, clearly made by someone lacking any sense of taste.
That was the staple meal for the Godok, including himself.
Of course, achieving good results in the ranking competitions occasionally allowed for special meals, but they were merely candies at best.
In contrast, the foods eaten in the outside world were all sufficient to stimulate Harang’s appetite.
Not just the food made at the inn, but even the Stew cooked while camping with the Barjean Merchant Guild had been satisfying enough for him.
But now, he was offering to treat me to something far more delicious than those?
And there was even more after that?
‘It’s not like I helped because I intended to, receiving so much is a bit……’
However, before that thought could finish, Eddy spoke again.
And its content succeeded in capturing Harang’s interest completely.
“Younger brother Harang, you seem to have some skill in hand-to-hand combat, but… it’s not like you don’t use any weapons separately, right?”
“Pardon? Ah, yes. I use a sword, and hidden weapons too. I know how to handle various things.”
“Good! There’s a place in this Inner District perfect for a younger brother like you. Have you heard of Willer’s Forge?”
“B-Boss! That place is a bit, quite……”
“Ahem! Pale, don’t make the boss of the great Eddy Family look petty. Can’t I even give this much of a gift to my younger brother who played a crucial role in a battle where the family’s fate was on the line?”
Eddy spoke very gallantly.
However, his hand holding the money pouch was trembling slightly, enough for even the unobservant Harang to realize it was quite an expensive place.
If it had been somewhere other than a blacksmith's forge, he probably would have added a word saying there was no need to push himself that hard.
But.
‘Willer’s Forge……’
I had heard about it during my time as a beggar.
Unlike the weapon shops in the Outer District mainly visited by Wooden Plate to Bronze Plate Mercenaries, inside the Inner District, there was a forge owned by a skilled blacksmith favored by Silver Plate Mercenaries and above, meaning Sword Experts or stronger.
I had also picked up stories that the swords there, aside from the materials, were vastly different in quality due to the meticulous and delicate crafting process, including forging and heat treatment.
“I do have a longsword I use, but… I happen to need a few things like daggers.”
“Ah, really? You don’t need a longsword? No, why! Opportunities like this aren’t common! Why not get a new sword while you’re at it?”
“……No. A few daggers and a belt, just that much seems sufficient.”
“Ah, really? If you insist, I can’t force you. Now, let’s go eat first!”
Eddy smacked his lips as if disappointed.
But Harang saw it.
The trembling in his hand stopped as soon as he said daggers were enough.
Of course, that didn't mean his feeling of gratitude disappeared or anything.
Bowing his head slightly in thanks, he followed the confidently striding Eddy, trailed by Underboss Pale who wore a somewhat uncomfortable expression.
And a short while later.
After a satisfying meal of juicy steak, a building adorned with an anvil and hammer came into their view.
It was the very ‘Willer’s Forge’ that Eddy had praised so profusely.
However, they couldn't enter immediately.
There were people standing in front of the forge first.
Looking at these individuals who exuded an unusual Gido despite their young age, Pale muttered cautiously.
“……People from the Portville Sword Family.”
“Portville Sword Family? Why is that important?”
Harang asked back with an innocent expression, and Eddy put a finger to his lips with a startled look.
But it was too late.
One of the three young men about to enter the forge perked up his ears, then started walking towards Harang’s group.