Chapter 14

After three days of walking and running, the target mountain range finally came into view.

“Ho… so the Dwarven Kingdom is over there.”

The mountain where the Dwarves lived. Apparently, there was a nation at its base, but…

“Where could it be?” Ril wondered.

As far as I could see from a distance, there wasn’t even a shadow of a town that looked like a country.

“For now, let’s just head to the base and circle around,” I suggested.

That was the only thing I could think of, so that’s what we did.

“Also, Ril. Sorry, but when we enter the country, could you turn back into a wolf?”

“I don’t mind, but why?”

“Because you don’t have a card, do you?”

Yes, in most countries, it was common practice to use a card as identification when entering. In Ril’s case, it would be much smoother to enter if I claimed she was my Familiar while in her wolf form. If she stayed in human form, we’d definitely get held up at the checkpoint.

“So, I need you to stay in your wolf form, Ril.”

“Fine. It’s a hassle anyway, so I’ll just deactivate the art here.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

With that, Ril deactivated her transformation.

As we walked along looking for a place to enter, we came across a long queue.

“Um, excuse me. Is this the line for immigration?”

I struck up a conversation with the man standing at the very back.

“That’s right. Is this your first time in ‘Fall Crown’?”

“Yes. Besides selling monster materials, I was hoping to have some clothes made from them.”

“Heh, then Fall Crown is definitely the best place for that.”

The man who started chatting with me was Mark, a merchant. It seemed he had come to this country for trade. Mark said talking to me was a good way to kill time while waiting for the inspection, so he told me all sorts of things.

Apparently, this country was built by expanding the mine shafts used for excavating iron; the entire nation existed inside the mountain. When I remarked that it was no wonder I couldn’t see it from the outside, he burst out laughing and said that was exactly right.

By the way, Ril was sleeping in my arms. She had been noisy, complaining about how bored she was, but once I picked her up, she settled down and fell asleep.

Finally, our turn for the inspection came.

“Well then, let’s meet again inside the country.”

“Yes, see you again.”

We headed to separate windows.

“What is your business today?”

“I’ve come to sell materials.”

“Buying and selling materials, I see. Are you registered with the Merchant Guild?”

“I’m not. So I was thinking of selling them at the Adventurer Guild.”

“Understood. What kind of materials do you have?”

“I’m not selling all of them, but most are monster hides.”

“Monster hides. May I take a look at them later?”

“Yes, go ahead.”

Since it was a hassle, I just handed them over. If they tried to steal them, I’d just punch them.

However, once the receptionist saw the contents, they said, “Please excuse me for a moment,” and hurried off somewhere. After waiting for a while without knowing why, a different person stepped out.

“Pardon me. I’m from the guardhouse. Do you have a moment?”

Huh? Why was someone from the guardhouse coming out?

“Uh, what is this about?”

“Is it correct that you came to sell these leather materials?”

“Yes.”

“I heard you intended to sell them at the Adventurer Guild.”

“Yes. Though as I said, not all of them.”

“What do you plan to do with the remainder?”

“I’m keeping them to have my own clothes made.”

The man from the guardhouse looked thoughtful for a moment. “Please come this way,” he said, so Ril and I moved to the guardhouse.

Inside, there were two other people besides him. Did I accidentally hunt a monster I wasn’t supposed to?

“Please, have a seat.”

“Ah, thanks.”

I sat down, but I couldn’t help but feel a bit uneasy.

“Actually, the reason we asked you to stay is to discuss whether the state could purchase these hides.”

Wait, the state wants to buy them!?

“These are all high-quality materials. Word came from above that we would like to purchase them for the country if possible.”

…Are you serious? But man, I was planning to show these to a craftsman before deciding what to sell.

“…Is that a ‘no’?”

“No, it’s not that I won’t sell them, it’s just that I was thinking of meeting a certain craftsman in this country first.”

“And who might this craftsman be?”

“Someone named ‘Dowal Crown.’ I heard from an acquaintance that he’s a good craftsman.”

When I mentioned that name, everyone in the room froze.

“Did you… say Dowal Crown?”

Wait, what was with this atmosphere? Was he some kind of dangerous person?

“Um, I was just introduced to him by an old man I know. I don’t really know much about him personally…”

The man from the guardhouse took one look at my bag, sighed, and whispered, “I suppose with these materials…” Then he looked at me and spoke.

“Lord Dowal Crown is the King of this country.”

He said.

…Seriously?