Published: July 4, 2025
"This is the northernmost point of the Sujay Kingdom, the City of Banra. We will be making stops at a few more island nations after this, but none will be as large as the City of Banra. We will be staying overnight for supplies this time as well. Departure is scheduled for eight in the morning tomorrow, so please do not be late. I will be going to the Banra Governor's Office to report, so I will not be on the ship. The crew members will go ashore except for those on duty. Ah, this time, the chief engineer Gunno will be on watch, so if anything happens, please contact Gunno on the ship."
Captain Gorik said this and then disembarked.
Ryo and Abel took out some money from the ship's hold and went ashore.
"This is the City of Banra."
"Yeah. It feels like a typical port town."
The port and its surroundings were very lively.
The governor's office, where Captain Gorik headed, was located right next to the port.
This indicates that the center of the city is, indeed, the port.
"Well then, this is the last stop in the Sujay Kingdom. There are sleeping quarters on the ship if we return..."
"I know what you're trying to say. Since we’ve finally disembarked, we want to sleep in a bed that doesn’t sway."
The Rondark was built as a deep-sea cruiser, designed to navigate the rough seas of the outside world, and it was equipped with devices made through alchemy to reduce swaying.
As a result, the swaying was minimal, but it wasn't nonexistent.
Neither Ryo nor Abel were particularly weak against swaying, but still, they wished to sleep in a stable bed during their occasional shore leave.
They had more than enough money!
"There are proper inns around the center of the city."
"Azure Orb Pavilion was one of them. Is the center of this city the port? Or is there a large square or something like that?"
Ryo and Abel decided to walk around the city for now.
It was almost noon.
They needed to eat lunch before reaching the inn...
Delicious smells wafted through the air from various places.
It seemed that many street stalls were set up...
"As expected of a port town, the seafood selection is abundant."
"Indeed. We’ve had quite a bit of fish on the ship, but we haven’t had shellfish."
"Now that you mention it! Should we try to find some around here?"
The hungry duo began walking around the port.
"But Abel, in situations like this, incidents often occur."
"Huh? An incident?"
"Yes. A boy stealing bread gets chased by the shopkeeper and gets caught right in front of us."
"…"
"A pickpocket bumps into us, steals our money, and we end up in dire straits."
"…"
"And the ultimate one is when a horde of pirates or monsters attacks the town!"
Ryo spun tales of classic development.
Abel said nothing.
Of course, he wasn't agreeing; he was simply exasperated.
"I always think, what Ryo says in situations like this is often unrealistic. Like the last pirate attack... didn’t you mention it before?"
"Yes, I did. You completely denied that pirates would attack the city."
Abel said this with an exasperated tone, while Ryo recalled the memory with regret.
"They say the same thing. Pirates don’t attack towns."
"Even if that’s true, a horde of monsters could happen, right?"
"I won't say it won't happen... but what's the point of attacking a town?"
"That's... right! To eat the townsfolk!"
"There's no way people would live in a town where that happens repeatedly!"
"Ugh... arguing back and forth, you’re a contradictory swordsman, Abel!"
"From a hungry swordsman to a contradictory swordsman, huh?"
Abel's title grew.
Contradictory swordsman.
As they continued their banter, the two entered a shop... the decisive factor was definitely the smell.
The dishes served were...
"Nice, this clam-like one."
"It's huge. Moreover, the meat is plump and delicious."
"This one, resembling a turban shell, is good too."
"The slightly bitter part on the bottom is quite addictive."
It's evident that they were both a hungry mage and a hungry swordsman.
"Eh? Excuse me? Do you drop this on it? Is this soy sauce? No, it's fish sauce. This brings back memories."