Me, a priest? How could that be!

Chapter 78 Arrival in the Capital

"……what?"

Yu Jianxiang peeked out slightly in the night.

He never expected that his efforts to solve the problem would result in being scolded, and he immediately felt a little wronged.

Charlotte sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"Yujian, you should know how experience is gained in this world, right?"

"Know."

"Don't you feel something's wrong?"

"...What?"

Very well, he doesn't know.

Although he has said it many times, he will explain it again: the way to gain experience in this world is that whoever delivers the final blow to the monster will get all the experience.

Clementine and Fio, looking displeased, protected Mikami Hibiki and shouted:

"So what!?"

"The higher Hibiki's level, the stronger he is. What, are you jealous?"

"Then what are you guys for? To hold us back?"

Charlotte's words left the two speechless.

The team's experience was all concentrated on Mikage Hibiki. Admittedly, his strength increased, allowing him to hunt higher-level and stronger monsters, creating a virtuous cycle.

However, since Clementa and Fio's levels remained unchanged, their strength naturally wouldn't improve, and over time they would become a hindrance.

In other words.

This squad is deformed.

It's not like we're a small farming team; concentrating resources doesn't offer any benefits.

Unless Mikage Hibiki never intended to take the two of them on an adventure from the beginning, but that's obviously impossible. In the original story, he even took them to fight the Demon King... although they were quickly and severely injured and eliminated.

Mikami Hibiki also came to a realization.

If things continue like this, the gap in strength between the group will only widen. Even if he can say that he will protect them, there will always be times when his abilities fall short.

"But don't worry too much. It's not too late to understand this now. If I go on adventures with you, I'll definitely be able to level up quickly."

"...What do you mean?"

"It's nothing. I just finally understand what the saleswoman meant when she said, 'People with good luck are more suited to be businessmen.'"

"Feed..."

Charlotte was subtly implying that Yūken Hibiki was unlucky, having encountered numerous powerful monsters along the way.

The team owner was experiencing both pain and pleasure.

Every time he encountered danger, it was almost always a problem that seemed impossible to solve, but each time, Miken Hibiki was able to resolve it easily, and he would always collect the materials that fell into his possession.

In the end, all the goods he planned to transport to the capital for sale were replaced with materials from monsters he had collected along the way, and he even had to discard a lot of materials that he couldn't take with him.

The journey from Axel to the capital involves passing through two towns.

Zell and Erie.

Charlotte made some inquiries and discovered that the town had been harassed by the Demon King's army a month ago. However, since it wasn't an important town, no Demon King's officers came. With the help of other adventurers, the Demon King's army was successfully repelled.

But it also illustrates something from another perspective.

That means the Demon King's army was indeed testing them.

After that, the group did not linger and headed straight for the capital, arriving three days later.

"We've finally arrived..."

Charlotte let out a long sigh.

From childhood to adulthood, even before his reincarnation, this was the first time he had spent so much time on the road, let alone by carriage! The bumpy ride made him feel like he was going to die!

"I'm so sorry..."

"Youyou, why are you apologizing all of a sudden?"

"If I learned teleportation magic, I wouldn't have to go through all this trouble."

"No, even if you do, you'll need to memorize the coordinates in the capital. This is your first time in the capital, isn't it?"

Youyou always habitually takes the blame.

This is very bad.

Of course, it wasn't just Youyou; this was also Charlotte's first time visiting a major city in another world. This feeling was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. Besides the massive city walls that resembled an impenetrable fortress, there were also bustling town entrances... There was absolutely no sense of tension from the Demon King's army surrounding this place.

"Strange, weren't they saying there was an attack by the Demon King's army? Why are there so many people here?"

"What are you talking about, sir? Isn't this perfectly normal?"

That's what the uncle driving the carriage said.

After arriving in the capital, he appeared somewhat relaxed, unlike when he was in the wilderness.

"...What?"

"Charlotte, you may not know this, but the residents of the capital have long been used to it."

"It's Hibiki," Mikami explained.

Charlotte suddenly realized.

So that's how it is. They acted this way because they had plenty of experience with Demon King's army attacks. Ultimately, the only difference from before was the appearance of a random Demon King's army officer.

Enter the capital.

I couldn't help but marvel at how this place truly was the heart of the kingdom. The roads were spotless, the buildings were neatly arranged, and the pedestrians were dressed appropriately with gentle smiles on their faces, exuding composure and elegance.

Although it couldn't compare to the second- or third-tier cities before her reincarnation, it was miles ahead of Axel, and the atmosphere was completely different, making Charlotte a little reserved.

Youyou unconsciously grabbed his sleeve and pressed herself tightly against him, as if she was also experiencing some discomfort from the change in environment.

On the other hand, Mikami Hibiki and his two henchmen seemed very natural and familiar with the place.

The team owner left.

After obtaining the address of the hotel where the group would be staying, he vowed to personally hand over the reward to Mikami Hibiki, and then led the caravan away with light steps.

It seems he gained a lot from this trip.

The other adventurers also bid farewell to Charlotte and the others, expressing their hope to have the opportunity to team up and adventure together sometime... Just like someone said, who wouldn't want to be teammates with the Demon Sword Hero?

Yujian Xiangye is indeed a hot commodity.

The group then arrived at an inn. It seemed that Yujian Xiangye was a regular there, and the innkeeper was overjoyed by his arrival, warmly welcoming them inside.

It's an ordinary medieval inn; the decor isn't luxurious, but it's clean and refined enough, and has a very homey feel.

Each person booked a room.

After putting down their luggage, the group gathered in the lobby and ordered a considerable amount of food. They hadn't eaten properly on the way here, and they were looking forward to trying out the food in the capital and seeing how it differed from that of Axel.

At this time-

"Hibiki, let's go shopping later!"

"You can't keep your promise to go to that restaurant we went to last time!"

Clementa and Fiona were clamoring to go play.

They really weren't nervous at all.

Could it be that they forgot what they came here for?

After thinking for a moment, Mikami Hibiki said, "Alright, it just so happens that I need to give advance notice if I want to have an audience, so it's not bad to take this time to rest and relax."

It seems that even the third-ranked adventurer in the kingdom has to go through the proper procedures.

Medieval royal families had so many rules.

Just as Charlotte was inwardly complaining, Yūken Hibiki suddenly asked, "Charlotte, do you want to come along too?"

"What?"

"There's a really great dessert shop in the capital, do you want to go with me?"

"……never mind."

It wasn't that Charlotte didn't like desserts, but rather that Clementine and Fiona's fierce glares seemed to be warning him not to cause trouble, which made him lose interest.

and.

Rather than spending time with them, Charlotte would prefer to develop a relationship with Youyou.