As I walked through the streets of Cartafus, I noticed the differences between this place and Banseim, Aramsass, and Baim.
It was an atmosphere unique to Cartafus, one I hadn't felt even in Zayin or Rolfis.
The orderly streetscapes stood out, of course, but the buildings themselves looked almost too functional. And then there were the soldiers patrolling on foot.
Their uniforms were standardized, and there was not a knight in sight.
The first to notice was the Seventh Generation.
"...I've heard that Cartafus recruits talent regardless of social class. So it truly is a thorough meritocracy."
A noble class did exist here, but it clearly wasn't everything. Recruiting talent regardless of status was a good thing, no doubt.
But doing so would inevitably provoke significant pushback.
The leader of Cartafus must have the strength to suppress that resistance — or perhaps, the necessity to do so.
The Third Generation offered his own thoughts.
"To the south lies Banseim... Cartafus is a large country, yes, but the disparity in national power is simply too great. With no way to form alliances with its neighbors, one could argue Cartafus has been perpetually exposed to Banseim's threat. That may be why they've embraced meritocracy to this extent... Well, it could just be in their temperament."
Whether temperament or geography, either way, there was no denying it was a powerful nation.
The Fifth Generation gazed out at the city as he spoke.
"To the north of Banseim... If only we could cooperate when Laiel makes its move."
I had considered the same thing, but as I stood now, even if I asked Cartafus for their cooperation, I'd likely be ignored. On top of that, I was a noble of Banseim — a country Cartafus despised.
The Fourth Generation chimed in.
"But I never imagined the Queen of Cartafus would be that queen Eva used to sing about."
I looked at Eva, who was walking beside me.
Even with Eva, an elf, in my company, the reactions from those around us were perfectly normal. It was a far cry from Banseim, Aramsass, and Baim, where some people would openly despise her on sight.
Eva looked around.
"It's still cold here. I'm glad I brought a jacket, but... even so, seeing demi-humans walking down the street like it's nothing really makes this place look like a good country."
There was something off about the way Eva said "makes it look like" — as if it were only a surface impression. I asked her about it.
"They really do promote people regardless of social standing, right? Sounds like a good country to me."
Then the Fourth Generation explained to me.
"You're not getting it, Lael. You shouldn't only look at the good side of a meritocracy. Everything has its pros and cons."
Hearing that made me want to tilt my head in doubt, but before I could, Eva checked that no soldiers were nearby and then told me.
"On the flip side, they're cold to anyone who's useless — humans or demi-humans alike. The reason that Guild clerk was so deferential to you, Lael, is because you actually have ability. I asked around with some of my kin, and there's a huge difference in how people are treated. It might be better than a class-based system, but it doesn't feel like there's much room for compassion."
The capable were respected; the incapable were scorned.
That aspect ran deep — it seemed to be one of Cartafus's defining characteristics.
The Fifth Generation, impressed by Eva nonetheless,
"Still, an elf with kin scattered everywhere like this is awfully convenient for gathering information. And just the name 'Nihil' alone changes people's attitudes. The fact that they're mostly friendly about it is nice too."
The Nihil clan — apparently, that was a meaningful lineage among elves.
When it came to gathering information like this, Eva truly was exceptional within the party. She had her own information network, letting her obtain intelligence we never could on our own.
Novem and Miranda were excellent in their own right, but Eva, who could effortlessly pick up information in every town she visited, must have been an invaluable asset.
As the two of us walked through the streets, there were quite a lot of people — this was apparently a fairly large city by Cartafus standards.
Market stalls and pop-up shops lined the area, displaying all manner of unfamiliar foods.
"There's a lot of meat. I get the feeling there aren't many sweets or desserts, though."
Eva surveyed the stalls and vendors.
"Sweets seem to come at a premium here. Come to think of it, the ship we took was loaded with sugar too. The sailors were pretty happy that the cargo arrived safely."
Vera was also relieved that the large shipment of cargo on the ship had arrived safely. They had probably traded with Baim and obtained the supplies they were lacking.
We had work to do in Cartafus like this, so we wandered around the city until it was time. Today's plan was to meet our contacts and lay out future plans.
We also wanted to know what to watch out for in this area.
After that, we would finish our preparations and set out.
"...It's almost time. Shall we head to the Guild?"
As I said that and led Eva toward the Guild, I heard a commotion and turned toward it. Eva was looking that way too.
The people around us were walking around adventurers who were arguing with each other. There were some onlookers, but most walked on by, deciding it was none of their business.
"A fight, maybe? Between adventurers, it looks like."
Eva seemed interested. Wanting gossip material was one of Eva's strengths — and simultaneously one of her weaknesses — since she couldn't help showing her curiosity whenever the chance arose.
Looking over, I saw a group of middle-aged adventurers surrounding a younger group.
I looked at the adventurers and — ...
"Just like our party."
Five middle-aged adventurers were surrounding a young adventurer party that was extremely skewed in its gender ratio.
But the ones in the wrong seemed to be — ...
"Hand over the guide role, you say?! Are you out of your mind?!"
A middle-aged male adventurer was confronting a young man. In contrast to the well-equipped middle-aged adventurers, the young adventurers' gear looked unreliable.
But they had presence.
They were oddly calm and didn't look like ignorant kids picking a fight. Eva seemed to have noticed too and was watching the situation.
Their clothes were clean but flashy. Earrings, necklaces, and rings as well.
Only the greatsword slung on their back was disproportionately ornate compared to their other equipment. They looked to be slightly older than me, maybe?
Gray hair, green eyes—tall and well-built.
“I heard about you. You’re the guide for the party that took down the Trident Sea Serpent, right? I heard there’s a pretty girl with you. I’ve been wanting to meet her myself. Besides, unlike you small-time losers who had to call Baim for help over just a Land Dragon, I’ll take care of the guide on the way.”
If this were mere ignorance, he’d have been dismissed as a fool and that would have been the end of it. But the young adventurer carried an air that suggested he could back up his words.
From within the Jewel, the Third Generation’s voice echoed.
'...Unreasonable strength exists everywhere, doesn’t it? The type who is true to their own desires and doesn’t consider the trouble they cause others.'
The middle-aged adventurer retorted to the young one.
“Are you an idiot? This is an official Guild request. If you’ve got a problem, take it up with the Guild.”
Eva tugged at my sleeve and pointed around us.
“Lyle, look around. Almost everyone standing still is a woman.”
“Now that you mention it.”
Around us, the women were staring intently at the young adventurer. Some weren’t, but I couldn’t tell the difference.
(Are they really that good-looking?)
Looking at the young adventurer who was both handsome and unproblematic, the Fourth Generation spoke.
'There’s something off. Also—Lyle, try investigating him.'
Doing as told, I activated a skill to gather information on him. That was when I realized the young adventurer was using some kind of skill of his own.
(Reacting to women... is he interfering with their minds?)
Then, the woman who had been standing behind the young adventurer looked my way. She seemed to have sensed that I’d done something.
As our eyes met, she pulled the young adventurer’s arm and pointed at me.
“Lyle, she’s noticed you.”
As Eva looked back and forth between me and the young adventurer’s party, the people who wanted nothing to do with the situation parted a path between us.
"Huh? What's your deal? Oh, you've got a cute girl with you. Hey, is she any use?"
The young adventurer's words pointing at Eva prompted the woman who had noticed me to nod. At the same time, she told them not to get involved with us.
"Lord Ralq, you must not get involved with them. Those two... they're incredibly skilled. They're not adventurers from around here."
"...Let's go."
Whether irritated by the woman's words or not, the young adventurer glanced our way and clicked his tongue. As the middle-aged adventurers remained on guard, he moved away from the crowd.
The Seventh Generation, observing the situation, said:
"'What a troublesome one. If he figured he couldn't win, he backed off without hesitation. Was it Erhard? He seems like someone with real skill.'"
As the middle-aged adventurers walked toward us, the Third Generation spoke:
"'Caltaphs seems to be enjoying this too, doesn't it? Young, ambitious-looking adventurers before the Queen... how exciting, right?'"
The Fifth Generation, looking exasperated:
"'Is that so? Let's just defeat the Land Dragon and head home safely.'"
The Fourth Generation, addressing the young adventurer:
"'Could those guys cause some kind of incident for us? I'd love an audience with the Queen, you know. Maybe they could pull that trigger for us.'"
The Seventh Generation, as always, made anti-adventurer remarks:
"'That lot will certainly cause trouble, but will they go that far? Rather, shouldn't we hunt down the source of trouble while we still can? That guy seems pretty dangerous, doesn't he?'"
—In the royal palace of Caltaphs's fortress city, a woman was reading a report.
Seated on an opulent sofa, dressed in form-fitting black attire with a slender sword propped up nearby.
The woman, reclining as she read through the documents, brushed aside her long, wavy reddish-purple hair and sat upright.
Going over the report that had piqued her interest once more, she lightly ran her tongue across her red lips.
"Oh, how interesting. They defeated the Trident Sea Serpent, did they... I'd heard Trace Trading Company's ship was attacked."
As she went through the documents that had caught her interest, it appeared that it was the adventurers who had brought the materials to the Guild.
The woman clicked her tongue.
"They handled it in the most inflexible way possible. If they'd bought it, we could have studied it too. I told them to gather rare things, but I never said not to handle things that were too rare. Do I really have to explain all of this in detail again?"
With a look of exasperation, the woman reached for the sword near her. She drew it from its scabbard and gazed upon the blade, stained a deep crimson.
"I'd like to go outside again myself, but... my subordinates probably won't allow it."
Sheathing the sword, the woman stood, placed the documents on her desk, and turned her attention to the final report.
This time, her expression twisted with irritation.
"That brat Rolfis came requesting an audience again? I specifically told them not to entertain him... The one who accepted the request was a woman, was it? Then it's no good, I suppose."
She tossed aside only the last report and headed toward the ornate desk in the room.
Her name was Ludmilla Kartavus — once known as a knight princess, now called a queen, and a member of the Kartavus royal family.
She settled into her chair and resumed work, a faint smile playing at her lips.
"That said, it is interesting. Perhaps I should summon someone from Trace Trading Company. And then, the adventurer from Baim... Could it really be the surname Walt? That's intriguing. Probably not House Walt from Banseim, but still worth looking into."
As the woman who had been temporarily entrusted with the throne by the previous king, she was not the official queen.
But it was also a fact that everyone supported Ludmilla. She held tremendous popularity within the country as a knight princess, and she was the very symbol of Kartavus.
Ludmilla continued her paperwork.
"Well then, should I reach out to them? But first..."
Facing the mountain of documents, Ludmilla brushed aside the bangs that covered one eye to take a closer look. The mountain of documents was still very much there.
"I suppose nothing gets done until I deal with this."
And so, she returned to her paperwork.