E-Rantel is a city located at the border between the Kingdom and the Empire. Surrounded by three enormous walls, it has gradually transformed into a military fortress due to the Empire's constant wars in recent years.
The outermost wall serves as a garrison for the Kingdom's army, fully outfitted with military facilities to guard against sudden enemy attacks.
At the very center lies the administrative district—the mayor's residence—as well as the army's grain storage.
Between those two areas is the residential district, filled with shops of all sizes and home to the Adventurer's Guild.
Incidentally, it's quite close to Carne Village. By carriage, you can reach it in no time.
As a key city, inspections here were extremely strict. A long line had already formed at the gate, where soldiers checked each person one by one, only allowing entry after confirming there were no issues.
Among the crowd, three figures stood out in particular.
"So this is E-Rantel?"
"Looks pretty lively."
Naohara looked around with open curiosity.
He had seen this city in the anime before, but now that fiction had become reality, the difference felt enormous.
Behind his dark-gold helmet, Naohara's eyes moved constantly, taking in every detail of the city that had captured his interest.
"It really is lively. Nothing like where we used to live."
Wrapped in black robes and wearing a mask, Momonga let out a quiet sigh.
Their former city? It had plenty of people, sure—but lively was the last word you'd use. The whole place felt stagnant and lifeless.
Herohero, in his thief form, said nothing. He wasn't fond of talking in crowded places, and with people packed tightly all around them, he had no interest in joining the conversation.
The line was long. It took a full half hour before it was finally their turn.
They could have slipped inside unnoticed with magic, but they chose not to. They were here to experience the life of adventurers.
Right now, they weren't Supreme Rulers. They were just three utterly ordinary rookie adventurers.
Well, not even adventurers yet—they hadn't registered. At best, they were newcomers hoping to become adventurers.
Nothing unexpected happened at the gate. The three entered the city without obstruction. The soldiers didn't stop them—or more accurately, didn't dare to.
Their equipment was extravagantly high-end, especially Naohara's armor. Its dark-gold design was striking, and the faint glow on its surface nearly made several adventurers entering beside them drool.
"I was kind of hoping for some cliché face-slapping scene,"
Naohara said with a hint of regret as they walked down the street.
"Naohara, you've got some nerve saying that."
"We agreed to keep a low profile. That armor of yours doesn't exactly scream 'low-key.'"
Herohero looked at him in exasperation.
Completely unaware that he himself looked just as eye-catching to others.
"Alright, I guess our low-profile plan is officially a failure."
"Naohara, Herohero, let's find a place to stay first."
Momonga interrupted their chatter. Since they planned to live as adventurers for a while, they needed lodging sorted out first. Sleeping on the streets would be a disaster.
The three Supreme Rulers of Nazarick reduced to sleeping rough? Was this a collapse of morality or a distortion of humanity?
The absurd image flashed through Naohara's mind. Then he grimaced. If the Floor Guardians ever found out they'd been sleeping on the streets, this city would probably be doomed.
Originally, Naohara and Herohero had planned to simply buy a villa. It would've been convenient.
After wiping out the Sunlight Scripture, they'd obtained a considerable amount of New World gold coins. Purchasing a villa wouldn't have been a problem.
But Momonga had firmly rejected the idea. Buying a villa right at the start of their adventure would feel meaningless, he said. Only by completing requests and saving up the money themselves would it truly feel rewarding.
In the end, they took only a portion of the funds as starting capital, and Momonga dragged Naohara and Herohero off to begin their adventure properly.
After searching for a while, the three of them stopped in front of an inn.
"This is the second-best inn in the city?"
Staring at the barely passable three-story building in front of him, Herohero spoke in disbelief.
What's wrong with this world? This is ranked second?
Even so, he grumbled under his breath and followed the others inside.
After all, Momonga had seriously suggested staying in a stable earlier, saying they were short on money and should be frugal until they started earning more.
…That was just absurd.
"Quit complaining, Blackie. Convincing Momonga not to pick the stable was exhausting enough."
"You don't want him dragging us off to some other weird place, do you?"
Naohara slung an arm over Herohero's shoulder and gave him a stern look, warning him not to say anything more.
Only he knew how he'd felt when he went to inspect that stable earlier.
For a moment, he had almost expected to see a blue-haired goddess inside.
Thankfully, after a long round of persuasion, he had managed to soften Momonga's stance. Otherwise, they would definitely be staying in that stable tonight.
The three pushed the door open and stepped inside the inn. The clamor of voices and the sharp, unpleasant smell in the air made them all frown. The environment was even worse than they had imagined.
Ignoring the curious stares around them, Momonga led the other two straight to the counter.
"How much for a room?"
He looked at the innkeeper and asked. He didn't request three rooms. In his mind, they were short on funds, and three people sharing one room was more than enough.
"Are you sure?"
The innkeeper gave Momonga a strange look. None of them looked poor, especially the one in the dark-gold armor. The faint effects shimmering across the armor had left him staring in amazement. So hearing that the three of them only wanted one room confused him.
Wait…
The innkeeper suddenly froze as if something had clicked. The confusion in his eyes vanished, replaced by an indescribable look as he glanced between the three.
"Just one room, right?"
He studied them with a peculiar gaze, nodding and then shaking his head, leaving Momonga completely puzzled.
"Yes."
Although he had no idea what the innkeeper was thinking, Momonga nodded to confirm.
"Alright. The room at the very back of the second floor. Here's the key."
"It's in the corner. The soundproofing isn't great, so try to keep it down at night. Don't get too carried away."
"That'll be ten copper coins."
Smiling warmly, the innkeeper handed the key to Momonga and pointed toward the stairs. His whole demeanor had turned unexpectedly enthusiastic.
Naohara and Herohero were full of question marks. Why had his attitude changed so suddenly? He had been rather indifferent just moments ago, yet now he seemed oddly friendly.
And those last words… they definitely sounded like he was hinting at something.
Momonga silently paid the ten copper coins and led Naohara and Herohero upstairs. He didn't know what was going through the innkeeper's mind, but he did know he had saved some money, and that alone made him quietly pleased.
The innkeeper watched the three head upstairs with a satisfied expression. Taking off his glasses, he nodded with a sigh.
They really reminded him of the old days. Back then, he had also been just like them.
His companions, Bellriver and Avi. The three of them had once adventured together inseparably. But times had changed. During one expedition, his two friends were captured by Goblins and dragged into a cave, never to be heard from again. Only he had managed to escape by sheer luck.
After that, he gave up on being an adventurer and opened this inn instead. He enjoyed helping others and would often take in adventurers who had nowhere else to stay.
Thinking back to those happy days, the innkeeper's face softened with nostalgia.