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When the city gates first opened, what greeted us was just a basic city official from City Hall.

However, upon seeing the unmistakable evidence of royalty in the form of the silver-haired, red-eyed member among our group, he turned pale and committed the grave offense of fleeing without even saying, “Please wait a moment,” in front of the princess.

A short while later, the city’s mayor came rushing out through the city gates.

“Haha, I never imagined the Third Princess would be here! If I had known in advance, I would have prepared a grand party!”

“That’s odd. Didn’t the academy send a letter in advance?”

“Well, that was only a week ago… It takes at least a fortnight to ride here from the capital, doesn’t it? I never expected you to arrive this quickly… Oh, marvelous! Is this really the rumored airship? So that’s why you could arrive so fast! Thanks to that, the city has been saved; what a blessing from the goddess!”

The mayor, who exaggeratedly laughed and tried to change the subject, was visibly flustered in front of Elizabeth, wiping the sweat that dripped from his oily face with a handkerchief.

In contrast, Elizabeth displayed no emotion at all, merely raising her red lips slightly to offer a well-crafted smile. To anyone observing, she just looked like a benevolent princess.

“A party is fine, but I would appreciate it if you could provide us with a place to rest.”

“Of course! I will prepare rooms in the best accommodations in the city!”

“I would be grateful for that. Please, Mayor Roman.”

“Oh my, you needn’t mention it! It’s only right to do so when it comes from the Third Princess. It’s a bit awkward to be standing here talking; how about we head inside first? I’ll guide you to City Hall.”

Mayor Roman bent at a 90-degree angle, casting a sideways glance at Elizabeth.

One could see the overwhelming power of the royal family in that moment. Though, it did feel a bit excessive.

Gwen, looking confused, opened her mouth.

“Mayor? Isn’t usually the highest position in the city a lord?”

“That’s because Schwarzheim is a direct territory of the Empire.”

Schurz adjusted his glasses and explained to Gwen.

“Originally, before the war, Schwarzheim had a different name and was ruled by a noble family. However, unable to handle the undead flooding from the Ionia Kingdom, the city was destroyed, and the lord fled to the capital with his family.”

“Uh? Is that even allowed?”

“It’s not explicitly forbidden by law, but it’s something a noble would be ridiculed for. Essentially, he fled disgracefully, unable to protect his own territory. Of course, considering the opponent was the Demon King’s Army, there might be some mitigating circumstances for him…”

Schurz cleared his throat and continued.

“In any case, after the war ended, the royal family initiated the recovery of the city, recognizing the need to reclaim the borders. Later, the noble family claimed ownership of the city, but naturally, the royal family wouldn’t recognize that. Thus, it was renamed Schwarzheim, establishing it as a border city.”

Schurz pointed with his chin at the mayor, who was groveling next to Elizabeth.

“That’s why he’s acting so submissively. If he were a lord, he wouldn’t have to feel inferior, but the mayor is simply a position appointed by the administration. If he gets on the wrong side of royalty, he’ll be nothing from that point on.”

“Ah, I see…”

Gwen nodded along to Schurz’s words but then looked around with a hint of concern.

“By the way… why does it seem like everyone is staring at us?”

“Of course! You arrived riding in an airship from the sky and are part of the group that saved the city. It’s only natural to attract attention out of curiosity.”

“No, it’s not that… it’s just that the gazes feel… unusual…”

Gwen’s words rang true. I had been feeling it too.

With over 200 people passing by, it was only natural that they would draw gazes, but the expressions in their eyes were uniformly filled with the same emotion.

Desperation. It was as if they were looking at us as their only saviors. Even though I had just driven away the undead army, their gazes felt too intense.

Just then, an old woman stepped in front of us. To be precise, she stood right in front of the mayor.

“Mayor! Mayor, please…!”

As everyone else was taken aback, the old woman fell to her knees, crying out desperately before Mayor Roman.

“Please help my daughter! Those monsters took my little girl! Please, please save her…!”

“What the heck! Why aren’t you doing something right now?!”

“Y-Yes!”

“Mayor! Mayor…! Argh! Are you really the mayor of this city?!”

The guards escorting the mayor roughly dragged the woman away. She clung to the mayor’s clothing, tears streaming down her face, but ultimately, she could do nothing to avoid being pulled away.

The atmosphere around us became heavier. While the students were stunned, Mayor Roman casually wiped the sweat from his forehead, smiling as if nothing had happened.

“Ah, it seems we just had a bit of an unpleasant incident. Please follow me. I’ll continue the tour.”

“…What was that just now?”

“Just a troublesome citizen. We have many like her in the city. You don’t need to worry too much about it.”

While the students stood frozen, the expressions of the city citizens watching that scene were dull.

No, more than that, it was as if they were looking at something they had expected to happen. There was a clear hostility in the gazes directed at the mayor.

It seemed clear that the state of the city was not good. Far worse than it appeared on the surface.

I took out a piece of black cloth from a nearby fabric shop and tossed the merchant some silver coins. With a bright smile, the merchant accepted the coin as I approached Instructor Rilya.

“I’m just going to take a quick look around the city.”

“W-What? Instructor Graham, are you going out again-”

“It’s not going to be dangerous. And I’ll be back soon.”

Instructor Rilya looked up at me, concern flooding her eyes, and asked.

“…You’ll really be back soon, right?”

I nodded to her and wrapped the black cloth around myself like a robe.

Pulling the cloth down to hide my face, I silenced myself and concealed my presence entirely.

“Huh? Where did Instructor Ion go?”

“He was here just a moment ago… strange, isn’t it?”

As the students muttered in confusion, I swiftly disappeared into an alleyway.

*

The current state of the city was nothing particularly surprising.

I caught snippets of the citizens’ curses and laments, and if that wasn’t enough, I was able to gather more information by capturing a few gang members in the back alleys.

What I learned about Schwarzheim’s current situation could only be described as a sight to behold.

Regardless, I had gathered all the information I wanted and returned straight to City Hall. Instead of going through the hassle of identification at the main entrance, it was much easier to enter through a window.

It was easy to find where the students were. There was a loud commotion coming from upstairs.

I hurried to the upper floor and found the students.

When Marian saw me, her expression turned to one of surprise.

“Instructor Ion? Where on earth have you been? And how did you even get in?”

“Nothing much. But why is it so noisy?”

“The mayor and the instructors from Red Garnet are having a discussion inside. But…”

I didn’t need to hear the end of Marian’s explanation.

Instructor Rilya’s voice rang out loudly from inside.

“What do you mean there’s not a single horse in the city?!”

“As I’ve been saying, the horses have been sick for a few days now, and we simply can’t provide enough means of transportation for 200 people given the circumstances in the city.”

“…Fine. Then I’ll give up on the carriages and we’ll move on foot. That shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

“Ah, well, actually… the only bridge connecting the city was destroyed a few days ago during an undead attack. To get to the capital, we’d need to take a long detour around the river or cross the border into Ionia.”

“All the carpenters are busy repairing the city wall, right?”

“Exactly.”

“Then I’ll buy a boat. Surely you’re not going to tell me there are no boats either?”

“I’m really sorry to say this, but, during the attack, all the boats that were anchored by the river were destroyed. As I mentioned earlier, the carpenters—”

“Nothing’s possible! This is ridiculous! You’re telling me we’re stuck in the city now!”

The argument in the reception room continued between Instructor Rilya and the mayor.

To be precise, the mayor was merely making excuses, while Instructor Rilya was the only one expressing her anger.

“Hmph, we sent Zegler, so reinforcements should be coming soon. How about staying in the city until they arrive?”

“Are you serious?! You think we should stay here, where the undead might attack again at any moment?! No way! I can’t put my students in danger! They’re not combat personnel!”

“You should understand that the situation is not favorable. And aren’t there combat personnel? I’ve heard there’s a truly formidable warrior among you…”

“…Even so, we have no reason to put our lives on the line! While it’s unfortunate that the city is in danger, we’re merely swept into it by circumstance!”

“Now, now, Instructor Rilya. Please calm down… Didn’t you see Instructor Graham fighting? The mayor has a point…”

“Instructor Haiger, you’re really speaking as if this doesn’t concern you! It’s Instructor Graham who’s putting himself on the line! Why doesn’t Instructor Haiger take up arms himself?!”

“Uh, no… I didn’t mean it like that…!”

Um…

I wasn’t sure if I should keep listening to this.

Regardless, the conversation continued for a bit longer, but it was still going nowhere in particular.

Ultimately, it was Instructor Rilya who stormed out first.

“You really aren’t understanding! I absolutely cannot agree to putting my students and fellow instructors in danger!”

“Instructor Rilya!”

Bang!

I locked eyes with Instructor Rilya as she emerged from the reception room.

For a moment, she looked startled, but then quickly walked down the opposite corridor.

I hurriedly caught up with her and asked, “Are you alright?”

“…Did you hear everything I said?”

“Not everything. I just got here a moment ago.”

“Then you heard most of it, then. Ugh…”

Instructor Rilya briefly paused in the hallway, looking around cautiously.

Once she confirmed that it was just the two of us, she lowered her voice carefully.

“I don’t understand the mayor’s attitude. He keeps making excuses to prevent us from leaving the city. Does he genuinely expect us to fight instead of the city guard?”

“That could mean it’s a dangerous situation.”

“Still, it doesn’t make sense…! This is Schwarzheim! The city of adventurers! It’s home to the greatest number of S-class adventurers on the continent; even if there were a lot of undead, how could they not last just a few days before reinforcements arrive?”

Instructor Rilya’s reasoning was valid.

No matter how terrifying the undead may be, even bringing siege weaponry, the fact remained that the majority of them were low-level undead. It was indeed strange to see the city in such a helpless state, as if the adventurers hadn’t participated in battles at all.

This was the city of adventurers, Schwarzheim.

A place filled with experts trained to hunt monsters—especially undead.

“That’s probably the case.”

“Eh?”

I calmly explained to Instructor Rilya what I had observed in the city.

“The majority of the adventurers in the city have declared a strike.”

 

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