3

“We finally arrived. A journey where the destination never comes into sight is mentally exhausting, but since the smell of the tide grew stronger as we got closer to the port city, it was easier on my feelings.”

The one-armed young man Ains walked while skillfully moving the left artificial leg that had accompanied him for many years, bringing two swordsmen with him.

On the gravel road with little greenery, the enormous swordsman Talidge and the slender, supple female knight Sophia walked on either side of Ains.

“Lord Ains, have you been to the port city of Elias before?”

Sophia, who was walking half a step behind Ains, asked.

“It was quite a long time ago, so I forgot the name of the city, but I have seen the sea before.”

Ains said that when he saw it for the first time, he had been moved by its vastness.

“Quite a long time ago? You’re not even an adult yet. Why are you talking like an old man?”

“Well, yeah, I suppose so. I’m pretty forgetful, so it feels like something from a very long time ago.”

Talidge, who did not clearly know Ains’s true identity, was utterly amazed and thought that he really was a senile man. Of course, from Sophia’s perspective, Talidge’s attitude was pure rudeness, so she directed a harsh gaze at him.

“What about you, Talidge? You were grimacing a lot along the way. Is this your first time seeing the sea?”

“I was born in the Gairin Empire. It was surrounded by land on all sides, and I didn’t have enough money to go sightseeing all the way to the kingdom.”

Talidge cursed, wondering what was wrong with people who wanted to see the sea when it had such a distinctive, irritating smell.

“Does that mean you’ve never eaten fish dishes either?”

“Fish does get transported to the empire too, technically. But all of it was processed so it would keep longer. It was overpriced, and no different from preserved meat. I’d eat it if it was served, but I wouldn’t eat it because I liked it.”

“It’s been a long time since I ate fish too, so I’m already salivating.”

As the three talked, they lined up at the checkpoint that had come into view.

Because of the lax inspection, the line moved smoothly.

In no time, it was Ains and the others’ turn, but at that point, the flow came to a sudden stop.

The two gatekeepers’ gazes stopped on Ains.

“The female swordsman and the male swordsman there may pass, but you there, you stop for a moment.”

Sophia and Talidge were allowed through easily, but only Ains was caught.

“Could this possibly be…”

“You… look suspicious.”

The gatekeeper had been processing the line with sleepy eyes, but his expression changed completely, and he glared sharply at Ains from his toes to his head.

“This pattern again…”

Sophia, who had already passed through the checkpoint, tried to rush over to Ains as his shoulders slumped heavily.

“He is my master!”

However, Sophia was stopped by the other gatekeeper.

“You people are already fine. We don’t do such lazy work that we let a suspicious person through just because someone says he is their master.”

Indeed, they had their duties as well. No matter what Sophia said here, they were simply carrying out their work, and there was nothing wrong with that.

Sophia looked at Ains nervously.

During that time, Ains was being asked questions by one of the gatekeepers, such as where he had come from and what his purpose was.

Ains answered all of them honestly, but the gatekeeper only replied, “No, suspicious.”

“Hah, of course they’d suspect you with that appearance. Good to see the gatekeepers haven’t gone rotten.”

Talidge laughed off Ains’s situation like that.

“Talidge, this is no time to laugh! If we do not do something, in the worst case, only Lord Ains may not be able to enter Elias!”

Sophia pressed Talidge.

“Wouldn’t that be fine too? Hey, Ains! We’ll buy you some souvenirs, so camp out in front of the checkpoint for a while!”

Talidge, who refused to deal with the desperate Sophia, called out a joke toward Ains.

Sophia’s fist flew into Talidge’s hard chest, but Talidge only said, “Ow,” and could not stop grinning at Ains’s situation.

“If Lord Ains cannot enter, then I will go outside the checkpoint together with Lord Ains!”

Talidge let out a sigh at Sophia, who lost her composure whenever it involved Ains.

“Did you forget? Didn’t you get something from Lord Kansas when we left the Brandy family? Isn’t that the sort of thing that would be useful at a time like this?”

Sophia came to her senses at Talidge’s words.

“Calmness is important for a swordsman, you know?”

Sophia blushed at his sarcastic comment and glared sharply at Talidge.

Talidge shrugged and pointed his chin toward Ains as if telling her to hurry up and tell him.

“If you had time to laugh and joke, then say that from the start!”

Sophia immediately turned back to Ains and conveyed Talidge’s words to him.

“Oh, right.”

Ains poured mana into his ring and opened the item box. He took out a small pouch from inside, then took out one medal from it.

“…What is this? Are you trying to bribe me?”

The gatekeeper looked at Ains with contempt, thinking he was trying something petty with a single gold coin, but when he accepted the medal and checked the pattern, his expression changed.

“I received it from Kansas-san, but will this be useful?”

The medal had a crest indicating the Brandy Marquess Family drawn on it.

What this indicated was that Ains, standing before them, was either a person of the Brandy family or someone closely connected to the Brandy family. In addition, it meant the Brandy family guaranteed this person’s identity.

“M-my apologies. Though it was part of our duties, I am sorry for detaining you for so long.”

The gatekeeper’s attitude changed completely, and he bowed his head vigorously to Ains.

Ains, looking exhausted as if it had finally ended, told the gatekeeper that it was fine.

“Well, it can’t be helped that they found you suspicious. It’s your suspicious-as-hell appearance that’s at fault.”

“Talidge! You have gone a little too far with your words.”

Sophia criticized him, but Talidge brushed it off as if to say he had not lied.

“Whatever the case, you got in now, didn’t you? Good for you.”

“…I am the only one who needs to be by Lord Ains’s side. Hah, why are we bringing someone like Talidge along?”

After having the crested medal returned to him, Ains did not store it in the item box, but attached the pouch to his waist and slowly passed through the checkpoint.

“Lord Ains…”

“Haha, ha… I’m fine. I’m used to it…”

Although he said that, Ains seemed a little shocked after being repeatedly called suspicious.